Groundwater monitoring is commonly practiced with real-time sensors placed in several depth spots in aquifer. However, this method only provides monitoring data at the point where the sensors are installed. In this study, we developed a vertical line monitoring system (VLMS) that can provide continuous data of groundwater parameters along the vertical depth. The device was installed in a well located on the coast of the eastern part of Jeju island to monitor electrical conductivity, temperature, salinity, pH, dissolved oxygen, and oxidation-reduction potential over approximately 3 months from September 11 to December 3, 2020. The results indicated that the groundwater levels fluctuated with the tidal change of seawater level, and the upper and lower boundaries of the freshwater and saltwater zone in the groundwater were located at below 16 m and 36 m of mean sea level, respectively. There was a large variation in EC values during the high tide and temperature change was the greatest during flow tide. Although further investigation is needed for improvement of the device to obtain more accurate and reliable data, the device has a potential utility to provide fundamental data to understand the seawater intrusion and transport mechanisms in coastal aquifers.

Keywords: Saltwater intrusion, Monitoring, Vertical line method, Jeju island, Coastal aquifer