Misleading reconstruction of seawater intrusion via integral depth sampling

Saltwater intrusion in coastal aquifers is an urgent issue for the actual and future groundwater supply and a detailed characterization of groundwater quality with depth is a fundamental prerequisite to correctly distinguish salinization processes. In this study, interpolated Cl- maps of the Po River delta coastal aquifer (Italy), gained with Integrated Depth Sampling (IDS) and Multi-Level Sampling (MLS) techniques, are compared. The data set used to build up the IDS and MLS interpolated Cl- maps come from numerous monitoring campaigns on surface and ground waters, covering the time frame from 2010 to 2014. The IDS interpolated Cl- map recalls the phenomenon of actual seawater intrusion, with Cl- concentration never exceeding that of seawater and the absence of hypersaline groundwater all over the study area. On the contrary, in the MLS interpolated Cl- maps the lower portion of the unconfined aquifer presents hypersaline groundwater making it necessary to consider salinization processes other than actual seawater intrusion, like upward flux from a saline aquitard. Results demonstrate the obligation of using MLS in reconstructing a reliable representation of the distribution of salinity, especially in areas where the density contrast between fresh and saline groundwater is large. Implications of the reported field case are not limited to the local situation but have a wider significance, since the IDS technique is often employed in saltwater intrusion monitoring even in recent works, with detrimental effect on the sustainable water resource management of coastal aquifers.