About
After Wuhan and Cape Town, the World Groundwater Congress is back in Europe. With its central location in Europe, a long tradition as a meeting place and its scenic surroundings, Switzerland offers an ideal setting to meet, exchange new findings and discuss pressing challenges in the groundwater field. The Swiss Society of Hydrogeology (SSH), the Centre for Hydrogeology and Geothermics of the University of Neuchâtel (CHYN) and the International Association of Hydrogeologists (IAH) welcome you to Davos in the Swiss Alps for a stimulating World Groundwater Congress 2024.
In a rapidly changing world, groundwater is a crucial resource that is under increasing pressure. To anticipate future trends, we need to improve our understanding of how groundwater interacts with rivers, lakes, ecosystems and the cryosphere, and how it responds to extreme events, building on rapid methodological advances. Sustainable groundwater management strategies must take into account the many interactions within the water-food-energy-ecosystems nexus and can only be developed in close cooperation between countries, stakeholders and the society as a whole. At the Congress, we will facilitate interactions beyond the scientific community, involving members from industry, public administration, as well as international organizations and development agencies, to share knowledge and discuss these challenges.
Mountain Session: Advances in the characterization of alpine cryo-hydrogeological systems: monitoring, modelling and management solutions".
Mountains are the “water towers” of the hydrological cycle, storing water as snow, ice and groundwater, which is gradually released into valleys. The cryosphere is a key component of alpine hydrology, controlling groundwater storage and streamflow dynamics. Recent observations have shown that the degradation of the cryosphere in response to climate warming has enormous consequences for water availability and quality in mountains. As the intensity of this degradation is likely to increase in future climates, with important implications for interdependent natural and socio-ecosystem services, there is an urgent need for reliable predictions of the future evolution of cryo-hydrogeological systems in the alpine context.
This session aims to bring together a multidisciplinary group of scientists and stakeholders interested in characterising and predicting the impacts of cryosphere degradation on the availability and quality of groundwater resources and the ecosystems that depend on them. We aim to provide an overview of: 1) the data currently available on a global scale, 2) the current understanding of cryosphere controls on mountain hydrogeological function and their evolution with climate change, 3) advances in coupled cryo-hydrogeological modelling, and 4) discussion of management and adaptation solutions.
Abstract submission deadline: 29 February 2024.
Cover Image by Tobias Oetiker
