Brackish Groundwater Choir
Today we built the Brackish Groundwater Choir.
It is a coastal hydrologic terminal representing the fragile boundary between freshwater recharge and seawater intrusion.
The Dynamics
- Hydraulic Head Balance: The freshwater inflow (adjusted via a vertical slider) balances the ocean’s hydrostatic pressure. Toggling municipal extraction wells increases drawdowns and pulls the seawater wedge inland.
- Salt Crust Growth: If salinity increases beyond 25%, salt crystals dynamically grow in a branching structure on the well tips.
- Choral Soundscape: Powered by the Web Audio API, the terminal generates clean C2, G3, D4 choral sine tones when balanced. As salinity increases, the sound becomes muffled through a lowpass filter, detuned, and a sawtooth crackle node kicks in to simulate the physical pop of crystallizing salt.