Well Salinization Risk and Effects of Baltic Sea Level Rise on the Groundwater-Dependent Island of Oland, Sweden
Number of Authors: 32018 (English)In: Water, E-ISSN 2073-4441, Vol. 10, no 2, article id 141
Article in journal (Refereed) Published
Abstract [en]
In this study, we estimate baseline conditions in terms of the current risk of well salinization on the Baltic Sea island of Oland, Sweden, and assess the effects of future sea level rise on the land area, infrastructure and cultural values. We use a multicriterion geographical information systems (GIS) approach. Geomorphological and physical parameters affect the risk of saltwater intrusion into freshwater aquifers, including their hydrology, geomorphology, and climatology; the spatial distribution of the current risk of salinization is mapped in this study. In the event of a future 2 m sea level rise, a total land area of 67 km(2) will be inundated on Oland, corresponding to approximately 5% of the island's land surface. Inundation includes urban areas, nature reserves, and animal protection areas, implying the loss of environmental and socioeconomic values. A future 2 m sea level rise will also cause direct inundation of 3% of all wells on the island. Currently, 17.5% of all wells are at a high risk of becoming saltwater contaminated. More generally, the present results add evidence showing a relatively high vulnerability of major Baltic Sea islands and their infrastructure to future sea level rise. The approach used here and related results, including salinization risk maps, may prove useful for decision-makers in the planning of infrastructure. Drilling of new wells could for instance preferably be done in areas with identified lower risk-index values, which would facilitate an overall higher freshwater withdrawal in the interest of the entire island.
Place, publisher, year, edition, pages
2018. Vol. 10, no 2, article id 141
Keywords [en]
saltwater intrusion, well salinization, sea level rise, groundwater, risk assessment, GIS-analysis, Oland
National Category
Earth and Related Environmental Sciences
Identifiers
URN: urn:nbn:se:su:diva-154609DOI: 10.3390/w10020141ISI: 000426775500051OAI: oai:DiVA.org:su-154609DiVA, id: diva2:1195034
2018-04-042018-04-042025-02-07Bibliographically approved