Tidal Effects on Estuarine Water Quality

This book provides an insight on the effect of tides on estuarine water quality through a sandy beach. Estuaries are very important in the sense of their fertile waters, sheltered anchorages and the navigational access they provide to a broad hinterland. The effect of tidal ingress into the estuarine channels results in serious saline water intrusion problems in the nearby freshwater aquifers. Thus, drinking water becomes saline due to this natural phenomenon. Moreover, the impact of groundwater exploitation nearby estuarine zones also increases the threat of seawater coning, which eventually results in saline water problems in the coastal aquifers. Similar situation also exhibit in Vembar estuary, so an integrated study of tidal ingress has been carried out to decipher the cause of saline intrusion problems in the coastal aquifers of Vembar coast. The effect of saline intrusion eventually deteriorates the quality of fresh water aquifers nearby the coastal area and the adjacent wells nearby the estuary. This study will be useful to understand the concept of tidal ingress in the estuarine channels and its effect on freshwater aquifers.