• Geophysics and Geophysical Exploration
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• v.7 no.1
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• pp.99-104
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• 2004

A combination of drilling, geophysical well logging, and electrical soundings was performed to evaluate seawater intrusion in Baeksu-eup, Youngkwang-gun, Korea. The survey area extends for over 24 $km^2$. To delineate the extent of seawater intrusion, 60 vertical electrical soundings (VES) have been carried out. Twelve wells were also drilled for the collection of hydrogeological, geochemical, and geophysical well logging data, to delineate the degree and vertical extent of seawater intrusion. To map the spatial distribution of seawater in this coastal aquifer, geophysical data and hydrogeochemical results were used, and the relation between the resistivity of groundwater and equivalent NaCl concentration was found. Layer parameters derived from VES data, various in-situ physical properties from geophysical well logging, and the estimated equivalent NaCl concentration were very useful for quantitative evaluation of seawater intrusion. Our approach for evaluating seawater intrusion can be considered a valuable attempt at enhancing the use of geophysical data.

• The Sea:JOURNAL OF THE KOREAN SOCIETY OF OCEANOGRAPHY
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• v.15 no.4
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• pp.192-202
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• 2010

Submarine groundwater discharge (SGD) has been recognized as a provider for freshwater, nutrients, and dissolved constituents from continents to the oceans and paid more attention with regard to the mass balance of water or dissolved constituents on local and global scales. The submarine discharge of fresh groundwater (fresh SGD) through seepage or springs in coastal ocean may be especially important in aspects of water resource and marine environment managements in the future. Based on the worldwide compilations of observed fresh SGD, our review reveals that fresh SGD occurs in various marine environments along most shoreline of the world and the global estimates of fresh SGD were approximately 0.01-17% of surface runoff. In addition, the input of fresh SGD calculated and investigated in this study were about 50%, 57%, 89%, and 420% of total river discharge in Jeju Island, Yeongil Bay, Masan Bay, and Yeoja Bay, respectively. These inputs from fresh SGD along the shoreline of Korea Peninsula are much higher than those of the whole world, greatly vary with the region. However, since these estimates are based on the water balance method mainly used in coastal ocean, we have to perform continuous monitoring of various parameters, such as precipitation, tide, evapotanspiration and water residence time, which have an impact on the water balance in a lot of areas for evaluating the precise input of fresh SGD. In addition, since the method estimating the input of fresh SGD has brought up many problems, it is required to make an intercomparison between various methods such as hydrogeological assumption, numerical modeling, and seepage meter.

• The Sea:JOURNAL OF THE KOREAN SOCIETY OF OCEANOGRAPHY
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• v.10 no.4
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• pp.204-212
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• 2005

Recognition has emerged that nutrient inputs from the submarine discharge of fresh, brackish, and marine groundwaters into the coastal ocean are comparable to the inputs via river discharge. The coastal areas of the Korea peninsula and adjacent seas exhibit particular importance in the role of submarine groundwater discharge (SGD), in terms of the magnitude of SGD and associated continental material fluxes. For example, in the southern sea of Korea, SGD transports excess nutrients into the coastal regions and thus appears to influence ecosystem changes such as the outbreak of red tides. Around volcanic island, Jeju, which is composed of high permeability rocks, the amount of SGD is higher by orders of magnitude relative to the eastern coast of North America where extensive SGD studies have been conducted. In particular, nutrient discharge through SGD exerts a significant control on coastal ecosystem changes and results in benthic eutrophication in semi-enclosed Bang-du bay, Jeju. In the entire area of the Yellow Sea, tile submarine discharge of brackish groundwater and associated nutrients are found to rival the river discharges into the Yellow Sea, including those through Yangtze River, Han River, etc. In the eastern coast of the Korea peninsula, SGD is significantly higher during summer than winter due to high hydraulic gradients and due to wide distribution of high permeability sandy zones, faults, and fractures. On the other hand, in the estuarine water, downstream construction of the dam in the Nakdong River, SGD was highest when the river discharge was lowest (but water level of the dam was highest). This suggests that even though there is no visible freshwater discharge into this estuary, the discharge of chemical species is significant through SGD. On the basis of the results obtained from the coastal areas of the Korea peninsula, SGD is considered to be an important pathway of continental contaminants influencing tidal-flat ecosystems, red tides, and coral ecology. Thus, future costal management should pay great attention to the impact of SGD on coastal pollution and eutrophication.

• The Journal of Engineering Geology
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• v.16 no.3 s.49
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• pp.293-300
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• 2006

The groundwater movement in the west costal landfill area was analyzed by measuring N value by Standard Penetration Test, coefficient of permeability by falling head method, linear structure analysis by Digital Elevation Method, groundwater flow direction and rate by flowmeter logging due to tidal variation in the each borehole. The coefficients of permeability of the weathered zone and of the marine deposit showed similar values although some values of weathered zone show smaller values than those of the marine deposit. The major groundwater flow and rate in the marine deposit observed as east-west direction due to tidal variation, but on the other hand it was observed as N45E in weathered zone which is the major direction of the linear structures in the area. 2 hours delayed changes of the groundwater flow direction was observed during the 24 hours observation, and it seems to be a travel time of the tidal wave which cause the continuous change of the hydaulic gradient of the groundwater.

• Journal of Korea Water Resources Association
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• v.55 no.3
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• pp.191-203
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• 2022

This study is a follow-up study of vulnerable areas according to the vulnerability assessment of groundwater resource management in Korea. In this study, an optimal operation plan for groundwater resource management was proposed for areas vulnerable to groundwater resource management in Korea derived from previous studies. Prior to presenting the optimal operation plan for groundwater resource management, this study grasped the current status of changes in groundwater level and seawater penetration area for vulnerable areas using MODFLOW, a groundwater flow analysis program. As a result of the analysis using basic data for 10 years from 2009 to 2018, the groundwater level fell and the sea infiltration area increased. The final purpose of this study, the optimal operation plan for groundwater resource management, was selected as a total of four alternatives that can be expected to have positive effects to increase groundwater level and reduce seawater penetration. As a result of analyzing the amount of change in groundwater level and seawater penetration by applying the selected optimal operation plan, positive effects were found in all methods. It is expected that the optimal operation plan for groundwater resource management proposed in this study will be applied not only to vulnerable areas of groundwater resources in Korea but also to areas requiring development to establish efficient groundwater resource management measures.

• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.55 no.6
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• pp.671-687
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• 2022

It has been reported that about 47% of groundwater wells within 10 km from the coastline in the western/southern coastal areas of Korea were affected by seawater. It has been interpreted that the cause of groundwater salinization is seawater intrusion. The Gilsan stream in the Seocheon area was a tidal stream until the Geumgang estuary dam was constructed and operated. Therefore, it is likely that the Gilsan stream catchment was deposited with sediments containing high-saline formation water prior to the use of landfill farmland at this catchment area. The groundwater in this study area showed EC values ranging from 111 to 21,000 µS/cm, and the water quality types were diverse including Ca(or Na)-HCO₃, Ca(or Na)-HCO₃(Cl), Na-Cl(HCO₃), Na-Cl types. It is believed that this diversity of water quality is due to the mixing of seawater and fresh groundwater generated by infiltration of precipitation and surface water through soil and weathered part. In this study, we discussed whether this water quality diversity and the presence of saline groundwater are due to present seawater intrusion or to remnant high-saline pore water in sediments during flushing out process. For this, rain water, surface water, seawater, and groundwater were compared regarding the water quality characteristics, tritium content, oxygen/hydrogen stable isotopic composition, and ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr ratio. The oxygen/hydrogen stable isotopic compositions indicated that water composition of saline groundwaters with large EC values are composed of a mixture of those of fresh groundwater and surface water. Also, the young groundwater estimated by tritium content has generally higher NO₃ content. All these characteristics showed that fresh groundwater and surface water have continued to affect the high-saline groundwater quality in the study area. In addition, considering the deviation pattern in the diagrams of Na/Cl ratio versus Cl content and SAR (sodium adsorption ratio) versus Cl content, in which two end members of fresh surface-ground water and seawater are assumed, it is interpreted that the groundwater in the study area is not experiencing present seawater intrusion, but flush out and retreating from ancient saline formation water.

• Journal of Ocean Engineering and Technology
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• v.31 no.1
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• pp.47-59
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• 2017

This study conducted numerical simulations using LES-WASS-3D ver. 2.0 to analyze the seawater intrusion characteristics of the incident waves in a coastal aquifer. LES-WASS-3D directly analyzed the nonlinear interaction between the seawater and freshwater in a coastal aquifer, as well as the wave-current interaction in the coastal area. First, the LES-WASS-3D results were compared with the existing experimental results for the mean water level under wave action in the coastal aquifer and seawater penetration into the coastal aquifer. The mean water level, shape and position of the seawater-freshwater interface, and intrusion distance were well implemented in the results. This confirmed the validity and effectiveness of LES-WASS-3D. The overall seawater penetration distance increases in the coastal aquifer as a result of wave set-up and run-up in the swash zone caused by continuous wave actions, and it increases with the wave height and period. Furthermore, a numerical verification was performed by comparing the suggested existing structure and newly suggested curtain wall as a measure against seawater penetration. An existing underground dam showed a better effect with increased height. Additionally, the suggested curtain wall had a better effect when the embedded depth was increased.

• Journal of Soil and Groundwater Environment
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• v.8 no.1
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• pp.68-74
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• 2003

SHARP numerical model was used to estimate the interface, ranges and seasonal variations of seawater intrusion. The interface obtained from the SHARP model represented more sensitive to seasonal variations than that estimated from the monitoring wells. When TDS and groundwater velocity vector distributions generated by SUTRA simulations are compared to the interfaces obtained from SHARP simulation, the difference of the range on seawater intrusion is less than 50 m, and the range of seawater intrusion from seasonal variations has the difference of about 12 m. These differences are small for the numerical simulation of the coastal aquifer at regional scale. Therefore, the model with sharp interface is very useful to estimate the interface at this study site, where is regional aquifer system in the scale of seawater infusion. However the SHARP model have some limitations in simulating the range of seawater intrusion, when the hydrodynamic dispersion is significant for seawater intrusion at local aquifer system.

• The Journal of Engineering Geology
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• v.19 no.1
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• pp.9-14
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• 2009

In this work applicability of a sharp-interface model to well-scale problems is examined. In coastal areas one of the main concerns in groundwater development is saltwater intrusion. To determine the saltwater intrusion at a well one needs to evaluate the saltwater content from a pumping well. We conducted laboratory sand-tank experiments to determine if a sharp-interface model can simulate the saltwater content of a pumping well. Lateral saltwater intrusion experiments and freshwater lens experiments are conducted. A partially penetrating well and a fully penetrating well are used. Comparison between numerical results and observation results indicates that the sharp-interface model can determine saltwater contents reasonably well. We conclude that a sharp-interface model can be applied to well-scale groundwater flow problems in coastal areas.

• Journal of Soil and Groundwater Environment
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• v.7 no.1
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• pp.63-77
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• 2002

Salinization is an important environmental problem encountered in coastal aquifers. In order to evaluate the salinization problem in the western coastal area of Korea, we have performed a regional hydrochemical study on shallow well groundwaters (N=229) collected within 10 km away from the coastline. The concentrations of analyzed solutes are very wide in range, suggesting that the hydrochemistry is controlled by several processes such as water-rock interaction, seawater mixing, and anthropogenic contamination. Based on the graphical interpretation of cumulative frequency curves for some hydrochemical parameters (esp., $Cl^{-}$ and ${NO_3}^-$), the collected water samples were grouped into two major populations (1) a background population whose chemistry is predominantly affected by water-rock interaction, and (2) an anomalous population which records the potential influences by either seawater mixing or anthropogenic pollution. The threshold values obtained are 34.7 mg/l for $Cl^{-}$ and 37.2 mg/l for ${NO_3}^-$, Using these two constituents, groundwaters were further grouped into four water types as follows (the numbers in parenthesis indicate the percentage of each type water) : (1) type 1 waters (38%) that are relatively poor in $Cl^{-}$ and ${NO_3}^-$, which may represent their relatively little contamination due to seawater mixing and anthropogenic pollution; (2) type 2 waters (21%) which are enriched in $Cl^{-}$, Indicating the considerable influence by seawater mixing; (3) ${NO_3}^-$-rich, type 3 waters (11%) which record significant anthropogenic pollution; and (4) type 4 waters (30%) enriched in both $Cl^{-}$ and ${NO_3}^-$, reflecting the effects of both seawater mixing and anthropogenic contamination. The results of the water type classification correspond well with the grouping on a Piper's diagram. On a Br x $10^4$versus Cl molar ratio diagram, most of type 2 waters are also plotted along or near the seawater mixing line. The discriminant analysis of hydrochemical data also shows that the classification of waters into four types are so realistic to adequately reflect the major process(es) proposed for the hydrochemical evolution of each water type. As a tool for evaluating the degree of seawater mixing, we propose a parameter called 'Seawater Mixing Index (S.M.I.)’ which is based on the concentrations of Na, Mg, Cl, and $SO_4$. All the type 1 and 3 waters have the S.M.I. values smaller than one, while type 2 and type 4 waters mostly have the values greater than 1. In the western coastal area of Korea, more than 21% of shallow groundwaters appear to be more or less affected by salinization process.