Introduction

DYNAMIC AND STATIC STUDIES OF SEAWATER INTRUSION

DYNAMIC AND STATIC STUDIES OF SEAWATER INTRUSION

Technical Report No. 3
DYNAMIC AND STATIC STUDIES OF SEAWATER INTRUSION

L. Stephen Lau
February 1967

ABSTRACT
A theoretical equation was adapted and modified for a watertable aquifer to relate freshwater flow to the sea, geometry of the fresh water-sea water interface, and aquifer characteristics under dynamic equilibrium. Verification was obtained in laboratory experiments conducted in a hydraulic sand model. Other laboratory experiments revealed special flow patterns in the transitional zone of the freshwater-seawater interface. The extent and the vertical density gradient of the brackish water in the transitional zone were examined for their effects on modifying the conventional Ghyben-Herzberg ratio. Groundwater data collected from a deep well on Oahu, Hawaii was discussed as an illustration.