Impact of dynamic groundwater-coastal water interactions

点击翻译按钮获取中文摘要

Canada has the world's longest coastline extending along the shores of the Great Lakes and Pacific, Atlantic and Arctic Oceans. The well-being of Canadians, including their economic and social prosperity, strongly depend on the environmental health of these shorelines. Pollution of coastal waters is an increasingly serious problem due to rapid urbanization, intensification of agriculture and industry, increasing pollutant toxicity and climate change effects. While the contribution of rivers and streams to coastal water pollution is generally well characterized, the groundwater pathway is poorly understood. This creates significant uncertainty in long-term water quality predictions as groundwater can be a major contributor of contaminants to coastal waters. Groundwater discharge has been found to lead to significant degradation of coastal ecosystems, including the initiation of intense algae blooms and even changes in ecosystem biodiversity. The reverse effect, that being the intrusion of seawater into coastal aquifers, can also have serious implications, as it impacts the availability of fresh drinking water supplies.