GSEU - A Geological Service for Europe: Appraisal, protection and sustainable use of groundwater resources in Europe

Country / Region: Europe

Begin of project: September 1, 2022

End of project: August 31, 2027

Status of project: May 4, 2023

Logo of the Geological Service for Europe Source: Geological Service for Europe – GSEU

Groundwater is an essential underground resource for Europe, providing a significant proportion of the water supply for the European population. It not only supports long-term sustainability, but also helps to alleviate water stress caused by climate variability by acting as a buffer against its effects. Recognising the transboundary nature of groundwater resources, the European Commission, through the creation of a Geological Service for Europe (GSEU), has as one of its priorities the study of groundwater resources with the cooperation of several nations. This collaborative effort aims to establish water policies at the European level that ensure the sustainable use of groundwater resources. To facilitate this, web services are used to provide accessible and user-friendly platforms to support stakeholders in groundwater resource policies.

The project enables the development of a science-based approach into a web-based tool available for the management of subsurface resources, including groundwater, and adapts it to the needs of stakeholders at the European level. Through this project, BGR supports transnational, harmonised data collection, monitoring and evaluation of available groundwater datasets using state-of-the-art methodologies. The main outcome will be the establishment of a European groundwater monitoring database, together with a groundwater forecasting system.

Visual summary of the priorities the Federal Institute for Geosciences and Natural Resources (BGR) is working on within the project Source: BGR

Throughout the different phases of the project, BGR is working on the following focal points:

• data treatment and pre-processing;
• clustering analysis based on machine learning techniques to facilitate groundwater level forecasting;
• development of an operational European groundwater level forecasting and event detection system based on spatio-temporal analysis;
• support in assessing the resilience of groundwater resources and providing short-term projections for each participating country based on real-time monitoring sites;
• support in assessing groundwater quality on a pan-European scale.

In addition, the project aims to contribute to and enhance the functionalities of the European Geological Data Infrastructure (EGDI) platform. BGR is actively involved in enhancing the functionalities of this platform, thereby promoting the efficient management and use of groundwater resource data at the European level.

By combining advanced analytical methods and extensive data analysis, this project aims to improve our understanding of groundwater dynamics and their implications in the context of climate change. Ultimately, it aims to provide valuable insights and tools for effective groundwater management and decision-making at a pan-European level.

Partner:

Work package 4 "Appraisal, protection & sustainable use of Europe’s groundwater resources" involves 25 Geological Surveys. It is coordinated by the Geological Survey of Denmark and Greenland (GEUS).

• Federal Institute for Geosciences and Natural Resources (BGR) - Germany
• French Geological Survey (BRGM)
• Czech Geological Survey (CGS)
• Geological Survey of Austria (GBA)
• Geological Survey of Slovenia (GeoZS)
• Geological Survey of Denmark and Greenland (GEUS)
• Geological Survey Department (GSD) - Cyprus
• Geological Survey of Ireland (GSI)
• Geological Survey of Finland (GTK)
• Geological Survey of Serbia (GZS)
• Croatian Geological Survey (HGI-CGS)
• Hellenic Survey of Geology and Mineral Exploration (HSGME) - Greece
• Cartographical and Geological Survey of Catalonia (ICGC) - Spain
• Geological Survey of Spain (IGME)
• Institute of Geochemistry, Mineralogy and Ore Formation (IGMOF) - Ukraine
• Geological Institute of Romania (IGR)
• Institute of Geological Sciences (IGS) - Ukraine
• Iceland GeoSurvey (ISOR)
• Italian Institute for Environmental Protection and Research (ISPRA)
• Geological Survey of Montenegro (JUZ)
• Mining and Geological Survey of Hungary (MBFSZ)
• Ministry for Finance and Employment (MFE) - Malta
• Polish Geological Institute - National Research Institute (PGI-NRI)
• State Geological Institute of Dionyz Stur (SGIDS) - Slovakia
• Geological Survey of Luxembourg (SGL)
• Geological Survey of Sweden (SGU)
• Netherlands Organization for Applied Scientific Research (TNO)
• Ukrainian Association of Geologists (UAG)
• United Kingdom Research and Innovation (UKRI)

Promotion / document number:

HORIZON-CL5-2021-D3-02-14: Support to the activities of the European Geological Services