Why would coastal areas have saltwater intrusion and why is this a problem?

As sea levels rise along the coasts, saltwater can move onto the land. Known as saltwater intrusion, this occurs when storm surges or high tides overtop areas low in elevation. … This rate is also speeding up, causing the problem of saltwater intrusion to get worse over time.

How does saltwater intrusion affect coastal communities?

Groundwater pumping can reduce freshwater flow toward coastal areas and cause saltwater to be drawn toward the freshwater zones of the aquifer. Saltwater intrusion decreases freshwater storage in the aquifers, and, in extreme cases, can result in the abandonment of wells.

How do coastal processes result in saltwater intrusion?

Sea level rise would cause salt water to intrude in surface and groundwater near the coast. Saltwater intrusion would require desalination of drinking water, or moving the water inlet upstream. … Sea level rise would erode coastal wetlands, particularly if hard structures protect human occupations.

Where does saltwater intrusion occur?

Saltwater intrusion can naturally occur in coastal aquifers, owing to the hydraulic connection between groundwater and seawater. Because saline water has a higher mineral content than freshwater, it is denser and has a higher water pressure. As a result, saltwater can push inland beneath the freshwater.

Why is saltwater intrusion bad?

In general, scientists think that saltwater intrusion decreases the ability of wetlands to store carbon, says Ardón-Sayao. It can eliminate plants, which absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. Saltwater also will stimulate microbes in the soil, he explains. The microbes decompose organic matter in the soil.

How does saltwater intrusion affect the atmosphere?

Salt water intrusion also increases peat decomposition, which in turn decreases the capacity of these soils to sequester carbon, ultimately increasing the amount of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere.

How does saltwater intrusion affect agriculture?

Native plants can provide other valuable ecosystem services too. Saltwater can also impact water quality by “unlocking” nutrients from fertilizers in farm fields. This is due to the unique chemistry of saltwater and how it interacts with soil.

What affect does coastal urbanization have on saltwater intrusion of local aquifers?

“The researchers commented that increased urbanization — and the extensive pavement that goes along with it — will also decrease groundwater recharge and ultimate draining to coastal regions where the population is growing, which increases the likelihood of saltwater intrusion,” according to the statement from the …

How does saltwater intrusion cause land loss?

Salt water intrusion is a major cause of wetland loss and is increased by canal systems. … However, they connect the inland, freshwater wetlands with the Gulf of Mexico . This increases the salinity of the freshwater areas causing vegetation deterioration and land loss.

Why is saltwater intrusion a problem at the NC coast?

Saltwater intrusion is the invasion of coastal soils by salt water from oceans and sounds. Salts are attracted to the soil particles and accumulate in the soil, causing toxicity to nonadapted plants. Excessive salt may also cause clay dispersion and surface sealing, impeding soil drainage.

What are the main causes of saltwater intrusion into land?

Seawater intrusion is caused by decreases in groundwater levels or by rises in seawater levels. When you pump out fresh water rapidly, you lower the height of the freshwater in the aquifer forming a cone of depression. The salt water rises 40 feet for every 1 foot of freshwater depression and forms a cone of ascension.

How does climate change affect salt water intrusion?

Climate change is expected to further exacerbate saltwater intrusion due to sealevel rise coupled with higher temperatures, which would cause higher water demand, and reduced precipitation, which would reduce the surface water available for aquifer recharge (IPCC, 2007. (2007).

Is saltwater intrusion a problem in North Carolina?

Saltwater is creeping farther inland into the soil and surface waters of North Carolina’s coastal plain. This “saltwater intrusion,” as scientists call it, has an ability to transform freshwater landscapes long before they’re permanently drowned by the rising sea.

What is meant by coastal salinization?

Salinity ingress, consequently, was a result of the disruption of the natural hydrological balance between freshwater and seawater in coastal areas. … In addition to this hydrological imbalance, the seawater enters inland through streams, rivers, and creeks.

How does salinization occur?

Salinization occurs when dissolved salts in water tables rise to the soil surface and accumulate as water evaporates. Often rise in a water table is due to the replacement of deep-rooted vegetation, such as trees, with shallower rooted vegetation, such as grasses.