Delineation of Subsea Freshwater Extension by Marine Geoelectromagnetic Soundings (SE Mediterranean Sea)

Delineation of Subsea Freshwater Extension by Marine Geoelectromagnetic Soundings (SE Mediterranean Sea)

By: Levi E., Goldman M., Tibor G., Herut B.
Published in: Water Resources Management
SDGs : SDG 14  |  Units: Marine Sciences  | Time: 2018 |  Link
Description: This study presents a novel application of marine geoelectromagnetic technique, in an attempt to delineate freshwater ex tension of the coastal sub-aquifers beneath the SE Mediterranean Sea, along central Israel. The novel marine Ex-Bz time domain electromagnetic (TDEM) geophysical method was applied, demonstrating high sensitivity to the presence of sub-seafloor electrically resistive structures up to several kilometers offshore (shallow marine environment). The study included 19 marine measurements located offshore between Ashdod in the south to Tel-Aviv in the north, where a previous onshore study detected fresh groundwater below seawater intrusion at the coast line. The offshore measurements were conducted to distances of up to 3 km from the shoreline. It was found that the lower sub-aquifer contains fresh groundwater (resistivity >10 Ω-m) to a distance of 2.8 km offshore along the 30 km strip, and is probably constrained by lateral geo-facial changes. © 2018, Springer Science+Business Media B.V., part of Springer Nature.