Abstract of the proposal

Land has been reclaimed from the sea throughout the history of Hong Kong. In modern times this has included reclamation for the new towns, the container port, the airport, the theme park, and land for urban expansion. While land reclamation has played a significant role in the urban development process in many coastal areas of the world, it also creates various coastal engineering, environmental and marine ecological problems. Most of the problems directly caused by reclamation have been well recognized and widely studied. However, it has not yet been recognized that land reclamation is a major human intervention in the natural coastal hydrogeological system and may significantly change the regional groundwater regime, in turn causing similar problems. This project represents the first attempt in the world to investigate systematically the impact of reclamation on groundwater regimes by conducting extensive field geological survey, in-situ and laboratory testing, and comprehensive numerical modelling. Both theoretical examples and field case studies will be carried out to examine in detail the effects of large-scale land reclamation on the natural groundwater conditions, including groundwater level, submarine groundwater discharge to the coast, seepage to the land surface, groundwater divide, and the interface between the groundwater and seawater. The engineering and environmental implications of such effects will also be addressed via the case study. It is believed that a better understanding of these effects is conducive to the planning, design and maintaining sustainable development around reclaimed zones. This research will also provide methodology and experience to predict and evaluate the change of groundwater systems and its environmental impacts in response to large-scale reclamation in Hong Kong and elsewhere in the world. (Note: the above diagram shows the groundwater flow regime after land reclamation in Penny's Bay, Hong Kong).

Related Publications:

Jiao, J. J, 2000, Preliminary conceptual study on impact of land reclamation on groundwater flow and contaminant migration in Penny's Bay, Hong Kong Geologist . [Full paper]

Jiao, J. J, S. Nandy, and H. Li, 2001, Analytical studies on the impact of reclamation on groundwater flow, Ground Water, 39(6), p912-920.

Jiao, J. J, 2000, Modification of regional groundwater regimes by land reclamation, Hong Kong Geologist, Vol 6, p29-36.[Full paper]