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Hydrogeology is the science of groundwater and its interaction with rocks. In most parts of the world, groundwater is the quantitatively most important and qualitatively best drinking water resource. Hydrogeology deals with the occurrence, movement, quality, use and protection of groundwater. Our hydrogeological research includes observations, measurements and experiments in nature and in the laboratory as well as mathematical and numerical modelling. We cover the entire spectrum of groundwater research. Special focus is on karst and alpine hydrogeology, groundwater protection and management, tracer & pumping tests, artificial intelligence & machine learning, groundwater & ecology as well as thermal groundwater use.

News

Cooperation and Solidarity with Israel

We have been cooperating with colleagues from Israel for many years and declare our full solidarity with our friends in Israel in this terrible situation. We therefore support the statement on the situation in Israel that KIT published as part of the Alliance of Science Organizations.

To the Statement
Contribution to the TV show Terra X: The Path of the Water

On 20.08.2023, the ZDF show "Terra X" dealt with the question of the origin and importance of water as a resource. Among other things, the tracer marking experiments carried out by the KIT in the Blautopf cave system on the Swabian Alb were featured (from minute 15:50).

Zur Sendung
TV report on the issue of groundwater extraction

The TV station SWR has also published an article focusing on increasing groundwater extraction as a result of climate change. The article gets to the bottom of the question of how much various user groups want to extract today today and in the future, and how this may be campatible with sustainability.

Zum Artikel
SWR2 interview with Prof. Goldscheider on current water shortage problems

The radio station SWR2 published a podcast on the (ground-)water shortage in Germany due to climate change. In a detailed interview with Prof. Nico Goldscheider, upcoming problems for water supply, regional challenges and individually implementable mitigation measures are addressed. (audio, 8 min.)

Zum Podcast
SPIEGEL-Titelgeschichte über Wassermangel in Deutschland

The current cover story of the SPIEGEL (30/2023) is about water shortages in Germany. Prof. Nico Goldscheider is quoted several times in connection with our cooperation with the state water supply in Langenau, which supplies 3 million people with drinking water, as well as with general statements about groundwater, water availability and the nitrate problem. (Article unfortunately behind paywall)

Zum Artikel
Dr. Andreas Wunsch erhält den Hermann-Billing-Preis

Dr. Andreas Wunsch receives the Hermann-Billing-Prize for his dissertation on "Leveraging Artificial Neural Networks for Modeling Hydrogeological Time Series". The award is confered at KIT since 1985 for outstanding doctoral theses and commemorates the Karlsruhe architect and university teacher Hermann Billing (1867–1946). On the occasion of the award ceremony, a public ceremony will take place on Wednesday, May 10, 2023 at 6:00 p.m. in the Egon Eiermann lecture hall of the Faculty of Architecture at KIT.

Weitere Informationen
Podcast über Brunnen

A podcast about fountains was published in the radio series "Radiowissen" of the Bayerischer Rundfunk. Initially, the focus is on archaeological and historical aspects, but from minute 13:36 onwards the focus switches to hydrogeological questions, with contributions by Prof. Dr. Nico Goldscheider and three other colleagues from a well construction company and our partners from the Bundesanstalt für Geowissenschaften und Rohstoffe (BGR).

Zum Podcast
As a result of climate change, Germany is threatened by falling groundwater levels

KIT and BGR Develop Forecast Models on the Future Development of Groundwater Levels Based on Artificial Intelligence

Zur Pressemitteilung
Podiumsdiskussion „Grundwasser und Trinkwasser – Herausforderungen durch Klimawandel und Landnutzung“

On Thursday, September 23, 2021, from 10:45 a.m. to 12:00 p.m., Prof. Dr. Nico Goldscheider will take part in the GeoKarlsruhe 2021 panel discussion on "Groundwater and Drinking Water - Challenges due to Climate Change and Land Use".

zur Pressemitteilung
Was passiert im Karstgrundwasserleiter?

Hydrogeologen des KIT untersuchen die Wasserqualität am Blautopf in Blaubeueren, um Erkenntnisse für Karstaquifere weltweit zu gewinnen. Das im August 2020 begonnene Projekt IMPART ist auf drei Jahre ausgelegt.

Artikel (PDF)

Artikel der Südwest Presse
Where will our drinking water come from in the future?

Prof. Nico Goldscheider can be seen in a report on the P.M. Wissen programme on Servus TV. Here he gives insights into our research in Kleinwalsertal in Austria, one of the test regions of our KARMA project. The World Karstaquifer Map (WOKAM) can also be seen.

to the whole episode

zum Bericht

Latest publications


On the challenges of global entity-aware deep learning models for groundwater level prediction
Heudorfer, B.; Liesch, T.; Broda, S.
2024. Hydrology and Earth System Sciences, 28 (3), 525–543. doi:10.5194/hess-28-525-2024
Improving understanding of groundwater flow in an alpine karst system by reconstructing its geologic history using conduit network model ensembles
Fandel, C.; Ferré, T.; Miville, F.; Renard, P.; Goldscheider, N.
2023. Hydrology and Earth System Sciences, 27 (22), 4205 – 4215. doi:10.5194/hess-27-4205-2023
On the challenges of global entity-aware deep learning models for groundwater level prediction
Heudorfer, B.; Liesch, T.; Broda, S.
2023. Hydrology and earth system sciences discussions. doi:10.5194/hess-2023-192
Distribution, threats and protection of selected karst groundwater-dependent ecosystems in the Mediterranean region
Siegel, L.; Goldscheider, N.; Petitta, M.; Xanke, J.; Xanke, J.; Andreo, B.; Bakalowicz, M.; Barberá, J. A.; Bouhlila, R.; Burg, A.; Doummar, J.; Ezzine, I.; Fernández-Ortega, J.; Ghanmi, M.; Jourde, H.; Marín, A. I.; Mhimdi, A.; Pipan, T.; Ravbar, N.; Stevanović, A. M.
2023. Hydrogeology Journal. doi:10.1007/s10040-023-02711-9