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Estimating Flow and Recharge Rates of Groundwater in Western Taiwan Using Radiocarbon and Tritium

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  18 July 2016

Tsung-Kwei Liu
Tsung-Kwei Liu*
Affiliation:
Department of Geology, National Taiwan University, 245 Choushan Road, Taipei 10770 Taiwan Republic of China
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Abstract

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The Choushuichi alluvial-fan delta is the largest groundwater system in Taiwan. The coastal area of this fan delta has recently suffered severe land subsidence and sea-water intrusion due to overpumping of groundwater. To study the hydrogeological character of proper water-resource management, an intensive program of geological and water monitoring through well drilling and sampling has been undertaken. At present, radiocarbon dating and/or tritium analysis for samples from >70 boreholes has been completed. The clearly defined position of “bomb-tritium front” allows the groundwater flow and recharge rates of the confined aquifer to be calculated with confidence at <10 m yr−1 and 9.0 × 108 m3 yr−1, respectively. The flow velocities of the confined aquifer have also accelerated remarkably due to much pumping during the last decades.

Type
IV. 14C as a Tracer of the Dynamic Carbon Cycle in the Current Environment
Information
Radiocarbon , Volume 37 , Issue 2 , 1995 , pp. 531 - 542
Copyright
Copyright © the Department of Geosciences, The University of Arizona 

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