The classic definition of saltwater intrusion involves the movement of saline seawater into underground aquifers, typically due to groundwater pumping or reduced freshwater movement towards the oceans. This page discusses a newer phenomenon of surface saltwater intrusion (SWI) due to sea level rise (SLR), land subsidence, and coastal storms.
This occurs on landscapes adjacent to the Chesapeake Bay and other brackish waters, including tidal creeks. Heretofore, these adjacent lands have not received frequent flooding, so that vegetation, including forest and farmland, is not adapted to these higher levels of salts. Due to Climate Change and some subsidence along Delmarva, saltwater intrusion has begun to change our shoreline, and adaptation and remediation will be necessary for land owners and those interested in natural resource protection.
AgroEcology Lab StoryMap: https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/3d7859380ffa4bd08e7d5540bcf1870d
USGS Saltwater Intrusion Explanation: https://www.usgs.gov/mission-areas/water-resources/science/saltwater-intrusion?qt-science_center_objects=0#qt-science_center_objects
UD Extension Factsheets: https://sites.udel.edu/delmarvasalt/home-page/agriculture-and-salt-issues/ud-extension-factsheets/
^LINK TO ARTICLES ON SALTWATER INTRUSION ^
Images of Saltwater Intrusion (all photos by Jarrod Miller, UD Extension)
