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Groundwater resources and climate change effects

Cel

To understand the impact of changes in the quantity and quality
of infiltrating water under changed climate conditions on
groundwater resources in the most sensitive European aquifers.


As they typically combine high permeability with low storativity,
carbonate aquifers are the most sensitive of the major aquifer
types to changes in recharge rate. Furthermore, carbonates are
apt to gain or lose porosity in response to changes of pCO2 and
temperature of infiltrating waters. Climate change effects will
therefore be assessed by numerical modelling of coupled flow and
nonequilibrium carbonate dissolution/precipitation in
dual-porosity carbonate aquifer systems. Prediction of possible
changes in aquifer geometries, hydraulic parameters (permeability
and storage coefficients), flows/water balance and water quality
under possible future climate conditions will be undertaken for
carbonate aquifers in three climatic zones (mediterranean,
continental, northern maritime).

Software for simulation of coupled flow and quality evolution
will be developed by integrating an existing code for flow in
double porosity aquifers (DP-MODFLOW) with new code representing
state-of-the-art knowledge of carbonate dissolution/precipitation
kinetics. At the same time, data describing flow and
hydrogeochemistry of major carbonate aquifers representative of
three different European climatic zones will be assembled.

The selected aquifers are the East Yorkshire Chalk, UK (a mature,
diffuse flow fluviokarst in the temperate maritime zone); the
Swabian Alb karst, Germany (a holokarst developed in gently
dipping Jurassic limestones, representing the temperate
continental zone); the coastal carbonate aquifers of Mallorca and
Catalonia, Spain (which are tectonized and karstified, and
represent the mediterranean zone). All three aquifers are
extensively used for public supply and are among the most
important aquifers in Europe.

The newly-integrated software will
be tested for its ability to reproduce modern conditions in these
three systems. Forecasts will require definition of future
climate scenarios. The main source of information for defining
these will necessarily be the results of other analyses of future
changes in rainfall and evapotranspiration. In particular,
results from General Circulation Model (GCM) simulations will be
obtained from the UK Climate Impacts LINK project (CI-LINK).
Future changes in sea-level will also be taken into account.

A robust relationship between pCO2 and temperature in the
atmosphere and corresponding values in recharge waters will be
developed to aid in defining the quality of future recharge
waters. Forecasting of future flows and groundwater quality in
the three study systems under these scenarios will then be
undertaken, and inter-comparison of results will allow
elucidation of the influence of differences in location and
geological framework.

Zaproszenie do składania wniosków

Data not available

System finansowania

CSC - Cost-sharing contracts

Koordynator

UNIVERSITY OF NEWCASTLE UPON TYNE
Wkład UE
Brak danych
Adres
Cassie Building, Claremont Road
NE1 7RU NEWCASTLE UPON TYNE
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Koszt całkowity
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Uczestnicy (2)