Water Resources Research Act Program

Details for Project ID 2015HI442B

Numerical simulation of cold intermediate depth seawater circulation through the Keauhou aquifer in North Kona, Hawaii

Institute: Hawaii
Year Established: 2015 Start Date: 2015-03-01 End Date: 2016-02-28
Total Federal Funds: $20,344 Total Non-Federal Funds: $41,596

Principal Investigators: Craig Glenn

Project Summary: Recent drilling log and depth profile data acquired from boreholes drilled through the basal lens in the northern Keauhou aquifer suggest that cold, intermediate depth seawater circulates through the basal lens in this region, likely entering at the steep submerged headwall of the North Kona Slump (Bowles, 2007; Nance, 2013). Though this finding has significant implications with respect to our understanding of the physical and geochemical properties of groundwater in this region, the mechanisms responsible for its occurrence are poorly understood. We intend to investigate the dynamics of intermediate seawater circulation through the Keauhou aquifer using variable density numerical simulation of groundwater flow.