Determination of Exploitable Coefficient of Coral Island Freshwater Lens Considering the Integrated Effects of Lens Growth and Contraction

Abstract

Groundwater on small coral islands (so-called freshwater lens) is an important water resource for residents and local ecosystems. However, an overexploitation of it may induce a contamination by saltwater. In this paper, we strive to determine the exploitable coefficient of the freshwater lens considering the integrated effects of lens growth and contraction and examine the impacts of well layout schemes on the evolution of the freshwater lens. For this purpose, a numerical model is setup to simulate the saltwater upconing and recovery process under pumping conditions during different evolution stages. Our results show that long-term and higher intensity pumping activities are suggested to be conducted at the latter stage of the lens evolution. Meanwhile, the seasonal contraction of the freshwater lens caused by the seasonal variation in rainfall is characterized by a quicker response of center thickness than maximum thickness of the lens, which further impacts the pumping intensity. The results also indicate that the exploitable coefficient (ρ) of the freshwater lens in small coral island is generally smaller than that in inland areas, ranging from 0.09 to 0.37 under different well layout schemes. Additionally, it is also affected by the uncertainty of hydrogeological parameters. Finally, a safe exploitable coefficient is proposed under the most unfavorable parameter combination for the studied island. The study has important implications for the protection and sustainable exploitation of subsurface freshwater resources on island.