Each national groundwater monitoring well showed distinct change patterns in groundwater levels and electrical conductivity (EC) in the Nakdong River Estuary, implying different external forces (EFs) on each well. According to the annual average data in 1997-2020, seawater was invaded into Well C. The desalination rate of –1,062 μS/cm/year represents the adaptive capacity of the well to seawater intrusion. The water levels and EC in Well E responded to precipitation, indicating the low absorptive capacity to climate changes. Meanwhile, Well B showed constant increases in water levels, suggesting that problems by rising groundwater should be considered in the study area where confined aquifers are overlaid by clay aquitards. The other wells showed consistent water levels and EC, indicating resilience to EFs. Here, resilience is the capacity of a well to resist changes by EFs, including the absorptive and adaptive capacity. The resilience of Wells E and F to climate changes was quantitatively compared using a resilience cost (RC). The RC showed Well F was more resilient than Well E, and the bedrock aquifer was more resilient than the alluvium aquifer, supporting the usefulness of RC. The resilience assessment against EFs (e.g., changes in land use and climate) helps sustainable groundwater management.

Keywords: Groundwater, Resilience, Nakdong River Estuary, National groundwater monitoring well, Climate change