Topical Collection: International Year of Groundwater—managing future societal and environmental challenges

Abstract

Groundwater’s role in maintaining the well-being of the planet is increasingly acknowledged. Only recently has society recognised groundwater as a key component of the water cycle. To improve public understanding and the proper use of groundwater, the hydrogeological community must expand its efforts in groundwater assessment, management, and communication. The International Association of Hydrogeologists (IAH) intends to help achieve the United Nation’s water-related Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by the adoption of innovative hydrogeological strategies. This essay introduces a topical collection that encapsulates IAH’s 2022 ‘Year for Groundwater’.

Groundwater Temperature Stripes: A Simple Method to Communicate Groundwater Temperature Variations Due to Climate Change

“…However, it is clear that the main vector for addressing this issue is the hydrogeological scientific community. Moreover, the hydrogeological community has the task of finding methods to communicate and disseminate scientific results to the civil population and stakeholders with decision-making power in the management of GW resources [45].…”

How groundwater temperature is affected by climate change: A systematic review

“…As a result of this initiative, a UNESCO Report on Groundwater [ 3 ] was published that emphasised the pivotal role of GW in addressing poverty, ensuring access to food and water, generating quality employment opportunities, fostering socio-economic progress, and enhancing the ability of societies and economies to withstand the impacts of CC. Moreover, a study published in early 2023 [ 4 ] summarised key messages from various studies during 2022 related to GW and CC, emphasising the role of hydrogeologists in working toward the water-related Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the United Nations [ 5 ] and creating innovative hydrogeological approaches to address GW-related issues. Scientific research on this topic over the past 30 years has mostly focused on the effects of CC on the quantitative depletion of GW resources (e.g.…”