A Quantitative interpretation of salt water mixture in the shallow aquifer through the geoelectrical resistivity data

Abstract

Abstract The main problem of groundwater in coastal areas is the intrusion of saltwater into freshwater aquifers. This study aims to predict the amount of saltwater content in aquifers polluted by intro-sea saltwater. In this study, an attempt is made to provide a direct correlation approach for resistivity measurements with the physical characteristics of groundwater. A 2D resistivity survey with the Wenner configuration have been carried out in the coastal area. The geoelectrical resistivity survey is about 3 km from the shoreline. The chemical measurement was done on freshwater, seawater and fresh-seawater mixture, which the mixture was consisted of 25%, 50% and 75% of seawater content. The results showed that the resistivity below 5 ohm.m indicated the presence of seawater with a concentration of more than 50% mixed with fresh water. In general, it can be seen that the decrease in resistivity appears to decrease exponentially with increasing seawater content in the aquifer.