As sea levels rise, coastal communities could lose up to 50 per cent more of their fresh water supplies than previously thought, according to a new study from Ohio State University [1]. Based on predictions of sea level rise by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), hydrologists simulated saltwater intrusion into fresh water aquifers. Scientists previously assumed that saltwater would penetrate underground only as far as it did above ground, but the study calculated that brackish water can extend 10 to 50 per cent further inland.

Almost 40 per cent of the world population lives in coastal areas, less than 60 kilometres from the shoreline. One of study’s findings was that saltwater penetrates further into areas that have a complex underground structure. Areas that are vulnerable to climate-related saltwater intrusion include Southeast Asia, the Middle East, northern Europe and the US states of Florida and Louisiana.

[1] Mizuno, J. and Ibaraki, M. (2007). Potential losses of freshwater resources in coastal aquifers caused by climate change. Paper presented at Geological Society of America. Abstract

Related news: recent news on climate change from Source Weekly

Web site: M. Ibaraki's web site - Density-dependent flow

More information: SaltNet – Saltwater Intrusion and Coastal Aquifers ; Salt Water Intrusion Meeting website

Contact: School of Earth Sciences, Ohio State University, USA - Dr. Motomu Ibaraki, Associate Professor, Ibaraki.1@osu.edu,

http://geology.osu.edu/faculty_bios.php?id=27 ; Jun Mizuno, student, mizuno.5@osu.edu

Source: OSU Research News, 6 Nov 2007

Tags: water quality, water resources management