Tidal Effects

Confined Aquifer

Assuming one-dimensional flow in a nonleaky confined aquifer which directly abuts a tidal body of water, the amplitude of groundwater fluctuation, h_x, at distance x from the outcrop (bank or shore) is given by (Ferris et al. 1962; Todd 1980):

where h₀ is the amplitude of the tide, S is aquifer storativity, T is transmissivity, and t₀ is the tidal period.

An expression for the time lag, t_L, of a given peak or trough after it occurs in the tidal body of water is as follows

When t_L, x and t₀ are known from observed data, we can rearrange the previous equation to estimate the aquifer diffusivity:

Typically, an estimate of S is used to determine T from the above equation.

See also: Aquifer Testing 101