Water Resources Modelling and Assessment for Small Oceanic Islands

A special issue of Water (ISSN 2073-4441). This special issue belongs to the section "Oceans and Coastal Zones".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 April 2021) | Viewed by 5567

Special Issue Editor

Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, USA
Interests: groundwater hydrology; coupled surface/subsurface hydrologic modeling; contaminant transport in watershed systems; SWAT; SWAT+; SWAT-MODFLOW
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Water resources of small oceanic islands are under continual threat from both climatic and anthropogenic stresses. Climatic stresses include drought, decadal changes in rainfall patterns, sea-level rise and its effect on groundwater resources, groundwater salinization due to overwash events, and the destruction of rainwater catchment systems during typhoons. Anthropogenic stresses include over-pumping from the aquifer system, population growth, land use change, and contamination from human activities. Modelling tools often are used to estimate the impact of these stresses on water resources, to assist water managers in planning for current and future water needs. This Special Issue invites contributions from studies that use statistical, analytical, or numerical models to perform this assessment for small oceanic islands, particularly addressing: Future groundwater supply and groundwater quality; the impact of population growth, land use change, and climate change on the quantity and quality of surface water (small reservoirs, rainwater catchments) and groundwater reserves; and the impact of both long-term (e.g., drought) and short-term (e.g., typhoons) climatic events on the quantity and quality of stored water. This issue can serve as a guide for water managers and governments of small oceanic islands.

Dr. Ryan Bailey
Guest Editor

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Keywords

  • island hydrology
  • modelling
  • groundwater
  • climate change
  • drought
  • pumping
  • rainwater catchments
  • density-dependent flow
  • freshwater/seawater interactions

Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

12 pages, 3628 KiB  
Article
Laboratory Physical Experiments on the Saltwater Upconing and Recovery of Island Freshwater Lenses: Case Study of a Coral Island, China
by Yuxi Li, Longcang Shu, Li Zhen, Hu Li, Ran Wang and Portia Annabelle Opoku
Water 2021, 13(9), 1137; https://doi.org/10.3390/w13091137 - 21 Apr 2021
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 1896
Abstract
The research of saltwater upconing is crucial for the development and utilization of island freshwater resources. In this paper, a laboratory physical experiment device was developed, and the saltwater upconing and recovery of island freshwater lenses were investigated using rainfall simulations and single-well [...] Read more.
The research of saltwater upconing is crucial for the development and utilization of island freshwater resources. In this paper, a laboratory physical experiment device was developed, and the saltwater upconing and recovery of island freshwater lenses were investigated using rainfall simulations and single-well and multi-well pumping tests with various pumping intensities. The results of the experiment revealed that: (1) The thickness of the freshwater lens increased continuously and linearly during the early stages of rainfall. As the rainfall continued, the upward trend slowed and eventually leveled off. (2) Under the same pumping duration, when the pumping intensity was less than the critical pumping intensity, the increasing height rate of the saltwater upconing increased linearly at a small gradient, and when the pumping intensity was greater than the critical value, the rising height rate of the saltwater upconing increased linearly at a large gradient. (3) Under the same pumping intensity conditions, the pumping duration of the multi-well was longer than that of the single-well pumping, and the pumping volume of the multi-well was also greater than that of the single-well pumping. The experiment results can provide support for the development and utilization of island freshwater lens. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Water Resources Modelling and Assessment for Small Oceanic Islands)
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17 pages, 5442 KiB  
Article
A Modeling Approach for Assessing Groundwater Resources of a Large Coral Island under Future Climate and Population Conditions: Gan Island, Maldives
by Chenda Deng and Ryan Bailey
Water 2019, 11(10), 1963; https://doi.org/10.3390/w11101963 - 20 Sep 2019
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 3177
Abstract
This study assesses the future groundwater supply of a large coral island, Gan Island, Republic of Maldives, under influences of rainfall patterns, sea level rise, and population growth. The method described in this paper can be used to estimate the future groundwater supply [...] Read more.
This study assesses the future groundwater supply of a large coral island, Gan Island, Republic of Maldives, under influences of rainfall patterns, sea level rise, and population growth. The method described in this paper can be used to estimate the future groundwater supply of other coral islands. Gan is the largest inhabited island (598 ha) of the Republic of Maldives with a population of approximately 4500. An accurate estimate of groundwater supply in the coming decades is important for island water security measures. To quantify future groundwater volumes in Gan, a three-dimensional, density-dependent groundwater and solute transport model was created using the SUTRA (Saturated Unsaturated Transport) modeling code. The Gan model was tested against observed groundwater salinity concentrations and then run for the 2012–2050 period to compare scenarios of future rainfall (from General Circulation Models), varying rates of population growth (i.e., groundwater pumping), and sea level rise. Results indicate that the total fresh groundwater volume increases approximately 20% if only future rainfall patterns are considered. If moderate pumping is included (2% annual population growth rate), the volume increases only by 13%; with aggressive pumping (9% annual population growth rate), the volume decreases by 24%. Sea level rise and associated shoreline recession leads to an additional 15–20% decrease in lens thickness and lens volume. Results can be used to make decisions about water resource management on Gan and other large coral islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. Methods used herein can be applied to any coral island to explore future groundwater security. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Water Resources Modelling and Assessment for Small Oceanic Islands)
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