skip to main content
OSTI.GOV title logo U.S. Department of Energy
Office of Scientific and Technical Information

Title: Long distance seawater intrusion through a karst conduit network in the Woodville Karst Plain, Florida

Journal Article · · Scientific Reports
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1038/srep32235· OSTI ID:1580048
 [1];  [2];  [3];  [2]
  1. Florida State Univ., Tallahassee, FL (United States). Dept. of Earth, Ocean and Atmosphere Science; Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States). Climate and Ecosystem Sciences Division
  2. Florida Geological Survey, Tallahassee, FL (United States)
  3. Florida State Univ., Tallahassee, FL (United States). Dept. of Earth, Ocean and Atmosphere Science; Jinan Univ., Guangzhou, Guangdong (China). Dept. of Ecology
+ Show Author Affiliations

Five periods of increased electrical conductivity have been found in the karst conduits supplying one of the largest first magnitude springs in Florida with water. Numerous well-developed conduit networks are distributed in the Woodville Karst Plain (WKP), Florida and connected to the Gulf of Mexico. A composite analysis of precipitation and electrical conductivity data provides strong evidence that the increases in conductivity are directly tied to seawater intrusion moving inland and traveling 11 miles against the prevailing regional hydraulic gradient from Spring Creek Spring Complex (SCSC), a group of submarine springs at the Gulf Coast. A geochemical analysis of samples from the spring vent rules out anthropogenic contamination and upwelling regional recharge from the deep aquifer as sources of the rising conductivity. The interpretation is supported by the conceptual model established by prior researchers working to characterize the study area. This paper documents the first and longest case of seawater intrusion in the WKP, and also indicates significant possibility of seawater contamination through subsurface conduit networks in a coastal karst aquifer.

Research Organization:
Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States)
Sponsoring Organization:
USDOE Office of Science (SC)
Grant/Contract Number:
AC02-05CH11231
OSTI ID:
1580048
Journal Information:
Scientific Reports, Vol. 6, Issue 1; ISSN 2045-2322
Publisher:
Nature Publishing GroupCopyright Statement
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English
Citation Metrics:
Cited by: 20 works
Citation information provided by
Web of Science

References (19)

Hydrogeochemical and biological characteristics of cenotes in the Yucatan Peninsula (SE Mexico) journal January 2002
Submarine springs and coastal karst aquifers: A review journal June 2007
Review: The Yucatán Peninsula karst aquifer, Mexico journal January 2011
Coastal carbonate aquifer sensitivity to tides journal January 2005
Seawater intrusion processes, investigation and management: Recent advances and future challenges journal January 2013
U.S. Geological Survey Karst Interest Group Proceedings, Bowling Green, Kentucky, May 27-29, 2008 report January 2008
Estimated withdrawals from principal aquifers in the United States, 2000 report January 2005
An Overview of the Global Historical Climatology Network-Daily Database journal July 2012
Review: Groundwater flow and transport modeling of karst aquifers, with particular reference to the North Coast Limestone aquifer system of Puerto Rico journal September 2012
Groundwater depletion: A global problem journal February 2005
Tidal pumping of water between Bahamian blue holes, aquifers, and the ocean journal January 2012
Ground-water hydraulics, regional flow, and ground-water development of the Floridan aquifer system in Florida and in parts of Georgia, South Carolina, and Alabama report January 1988
Seawater intrusion and aquifer freshening near reclaimed coastal area of Shenzhen journal July 2007
Decoupled fresh–saline groundwater circulation of a coastal carbonate aquifer: Spatial patterns of temperature and specific electrical conductivity journal November 2007
Numerical study of groundwater flow cycling controlled by seawater/freshwater interaction in a coastal karst aquifer through conduit network using CFPv2 journal November 2015
The Hydrogeochemistry of the Karst Aquifer System of the Northern Yucatan Peninsula, Mexico journal March 2002
Saline groundwater in Israel: its bearing on the water crisis in the country journal April 1994
Groundwater Flow Cycling Between a Submarine Spring and an Inland Fresh Water Spring journal October 2013
Geochemical Investigations book January 1999

Cited By (6)

Review: Characterization, evolution, and environmental issues of karst water systems in Northern China journal May 2018
Numerical modeling and sensitivity analysis of seawater intrusion in a dual-permeability coastal karst aquifer with conduit networks journal March 2017
Terrain uplift due to natural hydrologic overpressure in karstic conduits journal March 2019
Groundwater Throughflow and Seawater Intrusion in High Quality Coastal Aquifers text January 2020
Groundwater Throughflow and Seawater Intrusion in High Quality Coastal Aquifers journal June 2020
Numerical modeling and sensitivity analysis of seawater intrusion in a dual-permeability coastal karst aquifer with conduit networks journal January 2018

Similar Records

Numerical study of groundwater flow cycling controlled by seawater/freshwater interaction in Woodville Karst Plain
Journal Article · Mon Sep 23 00:00:00 EDT 2019 · Journal of Hydrology · OSTI ID:1580048
+1 more
Numerical modeling and sensitivity analysis of seawater intrusion in a dual-permeability coastal karst aquifer with conduit networks
Journal Article · Fri Jan 12 00:00:00 EST 2018 · Hydrology and Earth System Sciences (Online) · OSTI ID:1580048
Simulating seawater intrusion in a complex coastal karst aquifer using an improved variable-density flow and solute transport–conduit flow process model
Journal Article · Wed Jan 02 00:00:00 EST 2019 · Hydrogeology Journal · OSTI ID:1580048
+1 more

Related Subjects

58 GEOSCIENCES