Source, transport, and evolution of saline groundwater in a shallow Holocene aquifer on the tidal deltaplain of southwest Bangladesh
Abstract
Deltaic groundwater resources are often vulnerable to degradation from seawater intrusion or through interaction with saline paleowaters. The Ganges‐Brahmaputra‐Meghna River delta, in Bangladesh and West Bengal, India, is a particularly vulnerable area with an estimated 20 million coastal inhabitants directly affected by saline drinking water. The shallow groundwater of the coastal regions is primarily brackish with pockets of fresher water. A small‐scale hydrologic investigation of groundwater salinity beneath an embanked tidal channel island was undertaken to explore possible hydrogeological explanations of the distribution of water salinities in the shallow aquifer. This study employs a combination of 3H and 14C dating, electromagnetic subsurface mapping, and a 2‐D solute transport model. The authors conclude that the shallow groundwater salinity can best be explained by the slow infiltration of meteoric water into paleo‐brackish estuarine water that was deposited during the early‐mid Holocene.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Pub Defense Publication
- Publication Date
- Jul 01, 2015
- Source ID
- 10.1002/2014wr016262
Entities
People
- George M. Hornberger
- Scott C. Worland
- Steven L. Goodbred, Jr.
Organizations
- Office of Naval Research
- Vanderbilt University