The latest Newsletter of the HOVER project in the @GeoERA program is now available on-line:  HOVER Newsletter – In the newsletter you will find a map of arsenic concentrations in European aquifers. Arsenic is a trace element in groundwater and drinking water of health concern and responsible for the largest mass poisoning in history according to Mori et al. 2018. See the map and read more about other exciting and relevant results of the HOVER project in the newsletter.

The map is an example of what will later this year be accessible at the HOVER project website on the GeoERA webpage and via metadata searches and map viewers on the EGDI (European Geological Data Infrastructure) subsurface information platform of the @EuroGeoSurveys. For more information please contact the HOVER project lead: Laurence Gourcy, l.gourcy@brgm.fr

Tomorrow is the big day for the projects of the GeoERA program at EGU2020. All 15 GeoERA projects: are presented in more than 20 abstracts, powerpoints and posters in session ERE1.2: GeoERA: Towards integrated European Geoscience services for today’s and future generations. You can download the presentations and ask questions in an online chat for each presentation here: https://meetingorganizer.copernicus.org/EGU2020/displays/34714 – please join us

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This week we planned to have our midterm meeting in the #GeoERA HOVER project: https://geoera.eu/projects/hover8/ in Madrid – unfortunately, we had to cancel because of COVID-19 – instead we had videomeetings for all our eight work packages. Here Hans Peter Broers of the Dutch Geological survey, TNO, explains about the use of groundwater dating in contaminant trend assessment using nitrate and veterinary antibiotics as examples in HOVER WP6 on the use of groundwater dating and travel time distributions. These examples, which are also very relevant for HOVER WP5 and 8 on nitrate & pesticides and emerging contaminants, respectively, will be included in the map viewer on the HOVER project website and in the GeoERA information platform / the European Geological Data Infrastructure (EGDI) with access to peer reviewed papers, reports and other relevant information on these important groundwater studies. READ MORE ABOUT THE HOVER PROJECT HERE: https://geoera.eu/projects/hover8/

Continue reading “Groundwater age distributions in contaminated European aquifers” →

About 600 geologists from 20 countries currently meets in Oslo, Norway at NGWM2020 – https://www.geologi.no/ngwm2020 – I’ve just presented the GeoERA program – https://geoera.eu/ focusing on the four GeoERA groundwater projects and #sustainable use of subsurface #resources including water and carbon in its many forms. The meeting is held at the University of Oslo / #OiU – here it is Prof. Dag Olav Hessen, Head of the OiU “Centre for biogeochemistry in the Anthropocene” in his Keynote on the importance of carbonate and carbonate cycling not only for humanity but for all life on Earth. Water and carbon are essential for all life on our planet.

About 30 European partners of the #GeoERA RESOURCE  project just completed three days of discussions focusing on the development of the first Pan-European groundwater resources map estimating the quantity, quality, depth and age of groundwater resources in Europe.

The meeting was held at the geological survey of Croatia (HGI, see group photo below). The project probably develops the currently most advanced multinational groundwater resources map at large scale, globally.

The data and information collected in the map and ultimately visualized in the European Geological Data Infrastructure / EGDI will provide valuable information on the quantity and quality of European groundwater resources for assessment of #climate change impacts on European water resources and the ecological status of groundwater dependent terrestrial and associated aquatic #ecosystems. In addition, the data and maps will support implementation of the Water Framework Directive and its daughter directive the Groundwater Directive of the #European Commission.

The new quasi 3D map is partly based on classifications defined by the International Hydrogeological map of Europe IHME1500 developed under the auspices of the International Association of Hydrogeologists / #IAH and financially supported by #UNESCO and Germany / the German Geological Survey / #BGR.

The status and main deliverables of RESOURCE and the other GeoERA projects will be presented at the #EGU (European Geosciences Union) General Assembly 2020 in Vienna, 3-8.5.2020.

The new Pan European groundwater resources map is of interest to and relevant for the groundwater and water resources community, globally, including the #IAH, #IAHS, #IGRAC, #EFG as well as environment agencies, regional authorities, the European Environment Agency, #EEA, the Joint Research Centre of the #European Commission and #EU Science, Research and Innovation.

The General Assembly of the GeoERA RESOURCE project just opened by the Director of the Croatian Geological Survey Slobodan Miko and the coordinator of the RESOURCE project Hans Peter Broers from the Dutch Geological Survey, TNO. The first map of European groundwater / subsurface water resources is the flagship product from the RESOURCE project to be developed for the European Geological Data Infrastructure (EGDI)

The European  #GeoERA  program on sustainable use of the subsurface resources groundwater, raw materials and geoenergy and development of a subsurface information platform: the #European Geological Data Infrastructure   / EGDI was presented twice this week.

The GeoERA information platform, the three themes groundwater, raw materials and geoenergy and their 14 projects within GeoERA were briefly presented at the national Danish “Hydrology Day” / #Hydrologidag 2019 and the Swedish “Groundwater Days” /  #Grundvattendagarna. Climate change impacts on groundwater and the hydrological cycle in general were a key topic at both meetings discussing e.g. new tools for assessment of climate change impacts on groundwater and development of mitigation and adaptation strategies e.g. against floods and droughts.

A #subsurface information platform with easy and #”FAIR” = Findable, Accessible, Interoperable and Reusable access to data and information is of crucial importance to humanity to meet the #societal challenges and the #Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the United Nations.

The European Geological Surveys / #EuroGeoSurveys combined forces to continue / initiate the development of a globally leading subsurface information platform within the GeoERA program. The subsurface information platform is initiated by the geological surveys of Europe, but continuous development and success of the platform will only be possible in close collaboration with all stakeholders in efficient #Public Private Partnerships and with continuous support from public as well as private research funds.

This will ensure the development of innovative add-ons to EGDI for efficient upload and use of data together with similar information from e.g. #climate / #global circulation models. GeoERA received funding primarily from ministries funding the European Geological Surveys, the #H2020  / EU Horizon 2020 programme and the Grand Solutions program of #Innovation Fund Denmark.

The use of subsurface resources are often not sustainable, but our modern society is  build on subsurface resources and the subsurface offers important solutions and possibilities for climate change mitigation and adaptation and for building a #resilient and sustainable society. Our society needs an advanced subsurface information platform to manage the subsurface resources in a sustainable way and properly manage competing and conflicting interests in subsurface resources.

To the left – me presenting GeoERA at the Groundwater Days at Lund University, Sweden to the right – Prof. Karsten Høgh Jensen of Department of Geosciences and Natural Resource Management, University of Copenhagen presenting amazing achievements of 12 years of research within the HOBE – Center for Hydrology (hydrological observatory) project at the annual national Danish Hydrology Day at Hotel HC Andersen in Odense, Denmark (see links to the program of both meetings above in section two of this post).

Karsten Høgh Jensen /University of Copenhagen initiated the annual “Hydrology Day” in 2009 within the HOBE Project and organized it every year since then together with colleagues representing #IAH (International Association of Hydrogeologists), #IAHS (International Association of Hydrological Sciences)  and #Nordic Association for Hydrology   –  e.g. from #GEUS (the Geological Survey of Denmark and Greenland). GEUS will take over the organisation of the “Hydrology Day” from 2020.

Partners of the TACTIC project (Tools for assessment of climate change impact on groundwater and adaptation strategies) of the GeoERA EU research and innovation program currently has the annual general assembly discussing project progress and webservice products visualizing climate change impacts on European groundwater resources with the GeoERA Information Platform Project (GIP-P) as well as members of the advisory board – Alberto Pistocchi of the JRC, Ispra and Roland Barthel of University of Gothenburg in Ispra, Italy.