Fresh water lens

A lens of fresh water known as of Ghyben-Herzberg is formed under the coral small islands or the Atoll S. Its importance is function of the size and the shape of the island and, as for a Ground water, permeability of the materials which constitute the ground as well as precipitations, therefore of the season.

Because of difference in density, the fresh water is installed on a salt water mass. The upper part of this lens can be with the top of the sea level.

Drillings make it possible to extract some from fresh water but an overexploitation can exhaust fresh water available. The fresh water lenses can easily be polluted or contaminated by the chemical or organic matters dispersed on the surface.

References

R. JAMET, J. TRICHET: Study of the terrestrial environment of the atolls of French Polynesia - agricultural Characteristics and potentialities - Cah. ORSTOM, sér. Pédol., vol. XXIII, No 4,1987:275 - 293

See too

Aquiferous
Cycle of water

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