Objective
Research objectives and content
industrv and tourism, as well as being threatened by climate change and sea level rise. Palaeowaters which were recharged under former climatic and hydrogeological regimes are the subject of this proposal. During sea level lowering (up to 130 m) in the late Pleistocene, groundwater in parts of coastal Europe circulated to much greater depths than at the present day. In this proposal several relevant scientific questions are addressed including
i) the possibility that aquifers may be used as archives of former climatic conditions over the past 10-50000 years,
ii) the rate of freshening of saline aquifers and the processes involved,
iii) the extent of palaeowater advance into sedimentary basins,
iv) the nature of the interface between modern (polluted) and pristine pre-industrial water resources, v) the possibilities for fresh water storage in saline aquifers, vi) predicting changes to water resources in coastal regions using hydrodynamic and geochemical modelling. The project makes use of a NE-SW traverse across Europe from the Baltic to the Atlantic, involving 10 partners in 9 countries, to compare how palaeowaters have evolved in 16 different coastal aquifers representative of the full range of European climatic conditions. An extensive range of hydrogeochemical and isotopic methods is to be used in conjunction with hydrogeological techniques and modelling to fully characterise these aquifers to a common standard and to promote exchange of know-how between partners and between disciplines. The main focus is how the scientific results may be applied to assist the management problems of the coastal aquifers. The protection of high quality fresh waters in coastal areas and the management of the saline interfaces in response to human intervention and climate change will be investigated through modelling. palaeowaters, hydrogeochemistry, isotopes, climate change KEYWORDS : salinity, Europe, modelling, groundwater, management
Fields of science
Call for proposal
Data not availableFunding Scheme
Data not availableCoordinator
106 91 STOCKHOLM
Sweden