Author(s): Yasamin Aghaei; Paolo Perona

Linked Author(s): Paolo PERONA

Keywords: Saltwater intrusion; Vadose zone; Salinity forcing; Process-based modelling

Abstract: Saltwater intrusion into coastal aquifers is a major eco-hydraulic stressor under climate change and increasing groundwater exploitation. While intrusion dynamics have been extensively investigated at the aquifer scale, the upward propagation of intrusion-induced salinity into the vadose zone and its effects on coupled soil–plant processes remain insufficiently understood. Here, we present a process-based eco-hydraulic framework to investigate vadose-zone and root –soil responses to salinity forcing representative of saltwater intrusion conditions. An automated, Python -based HYDRUS–Aqua Crop coupling framework is developed using a configuration -driven architecture that enables rapid and transferable simulations of soil–plant–salinity interactions. Preliminary synthetic experiments reveal strong non -linear feedback between subsurface salinity forcing, evolving soil moisture dynamics, and plant water uptake, demonstrating that eco-hydraulic stress cannot be inferred from soil salinity levels alone. By focusing on vadose- and root-zone eco-hydraulics rather than density-driven intrusion processes, the proposed approach provides a transferable numerical bridge between aquifer-scale saltwater intrusion studies and ecosystem-relevant responses.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.64697/iahr.proc.ise2026.abs.336

Year: 2026