Direct groundwater discharge to the North Sea. A case study for the western Belgian coast

The Belgian coastline extends for some 67 km along the North Sea. The coastal region has an almost continuous dune belt of 1 to 2 km width, separating inland lying polders from the beach slope. The North Sea itself shows strong tidal fluctuations, which also penetrate into the coastal aquifer system. This coastal aquifer is on average around 30 m thick and forms an important source for water supply in this part of the country. For this purpose it has already been used for decades. In natural conditions the dune belt acts as a groundwater divide which separates two groundwater flow systems, one... Mehr ...