College of Engineering and Mathematical Sciences
University of Vermont
Burlington, Vermont

It has been revealed through recently completed experiments, that the behavior of dissolved compounds in coastal aquifers, both anthropogenic and naturally occurring, is not as classical theory purports. Experiments conducted in intermediate scale apparatus reveal not only that the effects of tides reduce the average concentration of groundwater contaminants that reach the benthic layer dramatically, but also that the flow and transport of solutes in this region are inaccurately represented by classical flow and transport theory. A new mathematical statement of tidally influenced transport in coastal aquifers is proposed.