Numerical modelling and hydrochemical characterisation of a fresh-water lens in the Belgian coastal plain |
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| Authors: | A Vandenbohede L Lebbe |
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| Institution: | (1) Department of Geology and Soil Science, Ghent University, Krijgslaan 281 (S8), 9000 Gent, Belgium, |
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| Abstract: | The distribution of fresh and salt water in coastal aquifers is influenced by many processes. The influence of aquifer heterogeneity
and human interference such as land reclamation is illustrated in the Belgian coastal plain where, around A.D. 1200, the reclamation of a tidally influenced environment was completed. The aquifer, which was filled with salt water, was
thereafter freshened. The areal distribution of peat, clay, silt and sand influences the general flow and distribution of
fresh and salt water along with the drainage pattern and results in the development of fresh-water lenses. The water quality
in and around the fresh-water lenses below an inverted tidal channel ridge is surveyed. The hydrochemical evolution of the
fresh water lens is reconstructed, pointing to cation exchange, solution of calcite and the oxidation of organic material
as the major chemical reactions. The formation and evolution of the fresh water lens is modelled using a two-dimensional density-dependent
solute transport model and the sensitivity of drainage and conductivities are studied. Drainage level mainly influences the
depth of the fresh-water lens, whereas the time of formation is mainly influenced by conductivity.
Electronic Publication |
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| Keywords: | Salt-water/fresh-water distribution Belgian coastal plain Ground-water flow Hydrochemistry Heterogeneity |
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