Groundwater response to tidal fluctuation in a sloping leaky aquifer system

Abstract

The effect of tidal fluctuation on groundwater flow is an important issue from many aspects in coastal areas. This paper develops a new analytical solution to describe the groundwater fluctuation in a sloping coastal aquifer system which comprises an upper unconfined aquifer, a lower confined aquifer, and an aquitard in between. The solution is allowed to investigate the effects of bottom slope and leakage as well as aquifer parameters on head fluctuations in both unconfined and confined aquifers. The research result indicates that the effect of the bottom angle on the groundwater fluctuation and time lag is significant in the unconfined aquifer and not negligible if the leakage in the confined aquifer is large. In addition, the joint effects of aquifer parameters and bottom angle on groundwater fluctuation and time lag are also discussed. (C) 2011 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.