Developing a Reduced-Order Groundwater Model for Managing Seawater Intrusion in Coastal Aquifers

Island aquifers are coastal groundwater systems  recharged solely by local precipitation. These aquifers are typically  lens-shaped and particularly vulnerable to seawater intrusion (SWI), sea  level rise, and groundwater pumping. These effects may ultimately lead  to increased management costs and/or aquifer salinization. The  management of island aquifers, requires identifying pumping strategies  that trade off the groundwater supply cost, which depends mainly on pump  operation and water desalination treatment, against the intensity of  SWI. In this poster, we will present the results of a study in which  these trade-offs have been explored quantitatively using an optimization  framework combined with a variable density groundwater flow model. Our  focus has been on the San Salvador Island aquifer, Bahamas, for which we  highlight the precarious balance between the economics, the  sustainability, and the vulnerability of the groundwater system. 

POSTER Presented at:  Geological Society London’s Ineson Lecture Meeting 2022, London, UK, 8 November 2022