Military aspects of hydrogeology: an introduction and overview

Abstract

The military aspects of hydrogeology can be categorized into five main fields: the use of groundwater to provide a water supply for combatants and to sustain the infrastructure and defence establishments supporting them; the influence of near-surface water as a hazard affecting mobility, tunnelling and the placing and detection of mines; contamination arising from the testing, use and disposal of munitions and hazardous chemicals; training, research and technology transfer; and groundwater use as a potential source of conflict. In both World Wars, US and German forces were able to deploy trained hydrogeologists to address such problems, but the prevailing attitude to applied geology in Britain led to the use of only a few, talented individuals, who gained relevant experience as their military service progressed. Prior to World War II, existing techniques were generally adapted for military use. Significant advances were made in some fields, notably in the use of Norton tube wells (widely known as Abyssinian wells after their successful use in the Abyssinian War of 1867/1868) and in the development of groundwater prospect maps. Since 1945, the need for advice in specific military sectors, including vehicle mobility, explosive threat detection and hydrological forecasting, has resulted in the growth of a group of individuals who can rightly regard themselves as military hydrogeologists.

Over Fifty Years of Hydrogeological Practice and Geoethics: An Intergenerational View of a Changing World

“…Consequently, going back to basics is important to shape a reliable conceptualisation on groundwater systems established on cartographic reasoning (Chaminé et al 2015a). 2.1 Groundwater Supply to Military Forces in the Context of Guerrilla Warfare at Cabo Delgado, Northern Mozambique (1968)(1969)(1970) In areas of military conflicts or humanitarian crisis, access to drinking water sources is critical for the military personnel involved in the operations and or for the civilian populations (Mather and Rose 2012). Negligence and less proper judgments and assessments can jeopardize many lives.…”