1. Research areas – First draft for discussion
WG C meeting Prague, 28th April 2009
Johannes Grath

2. Research Areas: Climate change GW-dependent ecosystems GW ecosystems
Urban areas
Pollutants

3. Climate change Effects on GW-demand/supply
Surface Water – Groundwater changes in interaction
Production of biofuels and effects on GW
Changes in GW-chemistry due to CC
Changes in GW-quantity
Changes in GW-temperature and resulting effects

4. GW-dependent ecosystems
Ecosystem requirements – classification system
Classification of GW fluctuation/hydrology
Criteria for environmental quality objectives
GW ecosystems
Recital 20 of GWD: „Research should be conducted in order to provide better criteria for ensuring GW-ecosystem quality and protection“
Typology
Elements for status classification
…..

5. Urban areas Effects of urban areas on GW (quantity and quality)
Recharge
Input of pollutants
Abstractions
Effects (cumulative?) of infrastructure (roads, tunnels, sewer systems, …)
Assessment tools

6. Pollutants fate and behaviour
transfer times of pollutants - an efficient programme of measures requires a good understanding of how much time it takes for pollutants to reach GW (assessment of transfer time as well as a good understanding of the processes in the vadose zone, …)
emerging pollutants
there are more and more projects dealing with the analysis of pharmaceuticals compounds but there are just a few studying the transfer of such pollutants to the groundwater.
good understanding of the process involved in the degradation of these compounds needed (soil, unsaturated zone, degradation products, etc...)
Assessment criteria, environmental objectives, …