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Groundwater reorganization in the Floridan aquifer following Holocene sea-level rise

Nature Geoscience volume 3, pages 683–687 (2010)Cite this article

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Abstract

Sea-level fluctuations, particularly those associated with glacial–interglacial cycles, can have profound impacts on the flow and circulation of coastal groundwater: the water found at present in many coastal aquifers may have been recharged during the last glacial period, when sea level was over 100 m lower than present1,2, and thus is not in equilibrium with present recharge conditions3,4,5,6,7,8,9. Here we show that the geochemistry of the groundwater found in the Floridan Aquifer System in south Florida is best explained by a reorganization of groundwater flow following the sea-level rise at the end of the Last Glacial Maximum approximately 18,000 years ago. We find that the geochemistry of the fresh water found in the upper aquifers at present is consistent with recharge from meteoric water during the last glacial period. The lower aquifer, however, consists of post-sea-level-rise salt water that is most similar to that of the Straits of Florida, though with some dilution from the residual fresh water from the last glacial period circulation. We therefore suggest that during the last glacial period, the entire Floridan Aquifer System was recharged with meteoric waters. After sea level rose, the increased hydraulic head reduced the velocity of the groundwater flow. This velocity reduction trapped the fresh water in the upper aquifers and initiated saltwater circulation in the lower aquifer.

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Figure 1: Maps of wells and cross-section through the field area.
Figure 2: NGRTs and relative ages expressed as a function of excess helium concentrations.
Figure 3: δ18O as a function of salinity (as measured by TDS).

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Acknowledgements

This project was supported by the South Florida Water Management District and the Collaborative UC/Los Alamos Research programme. We thank SFWMD field personnel for their assistance collecting well samples and L. Barker and J. Lippmann for analysing the noble-gas samples. R. Wanninkhof and M. Baringer assisted with the collection of the ocean water from the Straits of Florida. The manuscript was improved as a result of insightful comments made by N. L. Plummer (USGS).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Earth Science, University of California, Santa Barbara, California 93106, USA

    Sheila K. Morrissey & Jordan F. Clark

  2. AECOM 2990 Palm Beach Lakes Boulevard, West Palm Beach, Florida 33409, USA

    Michael Bennett

  3. South Florida Water Management District, 3301 Gun Club Road, West Palm Beach, Florida 33406, USA

    Emily Richardson

  4. Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory, Columbia University, Palisades, New York 10964, USA

    Martin Stute

Authors
  1. Sheila K. Morrissey
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  5. Martin Stute
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Contributions

J.F.C. and M.B. conceived the study. M.B. and E.R. organized the field collection events. M.S. conducted the noble-gas analyses. J.F.C., S.K.M., M.B. and E.R. implemented the other geochemical analyses. All authors participated in data discussion and interpretation. S.K.M. and J.F.C. wrote the initial manuscript, and all authors provided substantial comments and editorial revisions to the manuscript.

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Correspondence to Jordan F. Clark.

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The authors declare no competing financial interests.

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Morrissey, S., Clark, J., Bennett, M. et al. Groundwater reorganization in the Floridan aquifer following Holocene sea-level rise. Nature Geosci 3, 683–687 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1038/ngeo956

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