IWRA Proceedings

(a) Purpose or objectives and status of study or research hypothesis The goal of this study is to assess seawater intrusion affected by climate factors and anthropogenic activities by case study for an island model of South Korea.

(b) Key issue(s) or problem(s) addressed Seawater intrusion (SWI) is a major environmental threat to groundwater resources in coastal regions. Many coastal areas where groundwater is used as the primary water source are facing problems such as rapid urbanization, population growth, and environmental degradation. Securing coastal groundwater resources is increasingly threatened by anthropogenic activities and abnormal climate caused by climate change, and coastal areas are one of the mains areas affected by climate change. It is necessary to evaluate the sustainability of overall water management along with its vulnerability to water management in coastal areas.

(c) Methodology or approach used: This case study was conducted with three-dimensional finite-difference numerical simulations based on density-dependent groundwater flow and transport. A vulnerability assessment was also used based on GIS techniques to SWI.

(d) Results and conclusions derived from the project The numerically simulated result showed good match with observed groundwater level and groundwater quality data. The numerical simulation also showed severe SWI during dry season in the future that resulted in groundwater level decrease and salinity increase. Vulnerability assessment indicated that the groundwater use during future dry season could cause higher vulnerability of the coastal aquifer to SWI

(e) Implications of the project relevant to selected conference theme, theory and/or practice
The results imply that the research methods suggested by this study can be considered as a good scientific tool for coastal groundwater management by assessing its vulnerability to SWI and also by evaluating the sustainability for the climate change and anthropogenic activities.