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Impacts of Climate Change on Groundwater Quality in the Northern Atlantic Coastal Plain: A Review
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This review pulls together existing research on how climate change—like rising sea levels, floods, and droughts—could mess with groundwater in coastal areas from the mid-Atlantic up through New England, potentially pushing saltwater and contaminants like PFAS ("forever chemicals") and microplastics into drinking water supplies. This matters because millions of people rely on these underground water sources, and the researchers stress that we need better long-term monitoring to catch problems early and keep water safe as the climate shifts.
ABSTRACT This review integrates hydrogeological and geochemical processes to assess the impacts of climate change on groundwater quality in the Northern Atlantic Coastal Plain (NACP). Projected changes in air temperature, precipitation, and sea‐level rise are expected to influence groundwater recharge, discharge, storage, and seawater intrusion in shallow unconfined aquifers, thereby modifying aquifer dynamics. Such changes affect biogeochemical reactions, contaminant transport, and chemical stability, leading to both short‐ and long‐term impacts on groundwater quality. Climate‐related stressors such as flooding and drought, combined with known and emerging contaminants including per‐ and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) and microplastics (MPs), pose significant risks to drinking water and ecosystem health. The review identifies processes most vulnerable to climate‐driven changes, providing insights to support the design of adaptive groundwater monitoring networks and modeling strategies. Long‐term monitoring is essential to track contaminant trends, inform regulatory decision‐making actions, and reduce human exposure risks in the NACP and comparable coastal regions. However, quantifying these climate‐related impacts on groundwater quality remains challenging due to uncertainties in climate projections and hydrogeological complexity, emphasizing the need for integrated modeling frameworks and adaptive management approaches.
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