Typhoon Haiyan made landfall in the Philippines with sustained winds of 195 mph. The storm surge was several meters high and came and dissipated quickly. The inundation reached 1 km inland in some places. Thus, there is potential for extensive seawater contamination of coastal groundwater. Countless rural coastal villages are dependent on coastal aquifers; these villages might have to contend with the long-lasting effects of seawater contamination of groundwater. The PI team established a 150 m long shore-perpendicular transect to investigate the physical and chemical dynamics associated with infiltration of the seawater through the vadose zone and its fate in the aquifer. Using electrical resistivity (ER) tomography, they will track the saline seawater that has now sunk a little bit below the water table and appears to be following postulated groundwater flow paths towards the sea. The scientific objective is to improve our understanding of the physical and chemical processes occurring in coastal aquifers after inundation by seawater due to storm surges.
This project is supported by EAR/HS and ISE/GVF
