Lens (hydrology)

This aquifer of fresh water is recharged through precipitation that infiltrates the top layer of soil and percolates downward until it reaches the saturated zone.

With higher amounts of recharge, the hydraulic head is increased, and a thick freshwater lens is maintained through the dry season.

[1] An algebraic model for estimating the thickness of a freshwater lens was developed using groundwater simulations by Bailey et al. 2008.

= depth to Thurber Discontinuity (the transition between the upper and lower aquifers),

Many freshwater aquifers on atolls and small rounded islands take on the form of a Badon Ghyben-Herzberg lens.

A USGS report following the 1997/1998 drought in the Marshall Islands observed a noticeable decline in the thickness of the lens.

[3] After the reservoirs of the public rainfall catchment system were rapidly depleted following several months of inadequate precipitation, the islands' population began increasing the rate of groundwater pumping to the point that groundwater supplied up to 90% of the island's drinking water during the drought.

A network of 36 monitoring wells at 11 sites was installed around the island to measure the amount of water depleted from the aquifer.

Following the resumption of the rainy season, the thickness of the lens increased by up to 8 feet in some areas, indicating that the recharge rate of freshwater lenses on atolls and small islands responds rapidly to changes in precipitation and groundwater pumping rate.

However, an arguably more pressing issue facing these small islands is the intrusion of saltwater on the freshwater aquifer.

As more and more of the potable groundwater is salinized, the populations of these islands may see a substantial reduction in available water resources.

Smaller islands are at a far greater risk of extensive saltwater intrusion due to a non-linear relationship between island width and thickness of the freshwater lens.

[4] A 40 cm rise in sea level can have a drastic effect on the shape and thickness of the freshwater lens, reducing its size by up to 50% and encouraging the formation of brackish zones.

Saline plumes can form at the bottom of the freshwater aquifer when the lens thickness is compromised by drought and saltwater intrusion.

Even after a full year of groundwater recharge, the saline plume may not completely dissipate.

Sea level rise will likely lead to sustained and possibly irreparable damage to freshwater lenses due to an increase in cyclone-generated wave washover, rendering many islands uninhabitable with the loss of potable water.