A Numerical Technique for Calculating the Transient Position of the Saltwater Front

Abstract

The movement of the saltwater front in coastal aquifers, including the effect of dispersion, can be determined by using numerical methods. The method of characteristics is used to solve the solute transport equation, and the alternating direction iterative procedure is used to solve the groundwater flow equation for the two‐dimensional problem. This approach permits the treatment of transient flow in nonhomogeneous aquifers with irregular geometry.