Effect of sea-level rise on future coastal groundwater resources in southern Florida, USA

An existing variable‐density groundwater flow and solute transport model, developed for the northern part of Broward County, Florida, was used to predict the effect of sealevel rise on future coastal groundwater resources. Using average annual conditions from 2005, simulations were performed for 100 years into the future using four different rates of sea‐level rise: 0, 24, 48, and 88 centimeters per century. Results from these predictive analyses suggest that the average concentration of groundwater withdrawn at the municipal well field will exceed the potable limit after 70, 60, 55, and 49 years, respectively, for the four simulations.