Typhoon Hiayan's Storm Surge May Contaminate Aquifer for Years

Storm surges are devastating in the moment, but they're also troublesome after the initial wave. Scientists have found that Typhoon Haiyan's storm surge in the Philippines may contaminate an aquifer for years.

In 2013, Typhoon Haiyan devastated the Philippines, killing more than 6,000 people and destroying nearly $3 billion worth of property. The country is still recovering from the storm, but its water may be most impacted. Scientists decided to find out how far the water was affected by focusing on aquifers used by the village of San Antonio on the island of Samar.

The difference in recovery time is due to the two aquifer's surrounding geology. The shallower of the two aquifers is made up of beach sand about 10 to 15 feet deep. This allowed the salt from the surge to percolate the water table and move through the aquifer for years to come. In contrast, the other aquifer is largely shielded from seepage because of its depth and possibly and overlying layer of volcanic rock.

"There are two types of aquifers, contaminated in two different ways," said Bayani Cardenas, one of the researchers, in a news release. "Typically, when people think   of flooding or sea level rise, they look at how it's going to drown out villages and roads, but all these effects propagate underground where the aquifers are."

The findings reveal that coastal aquifers and the people who depend on them could be at risk in future storms. Creating safeguards against these risks is important for water safety and security in the future.

The findings are published in the journal Geophysical Research Letters.

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