Ideas and perspectives: Land–ocean connectivity through groundwater

@article{Arévalo-Martínez2023,
  Title = {Ideas and perspectives: Land–ocean connectivity through groundwater},
  Author = {Arévalo-Martínez, Damian L. and Haroon, Amir and Bange, Hermann W. and Erkul, Ercan and Jegen, Marion and Moosdorf, Nils and Schneider von Deimling, Jens and Berndt, Christian and Böttcher, Michael Ernst and Hoffmann, Jasper and Liebetrau, Volker and Mallast, Ulf and Massmann, Gudrun and Micallef, Aaron and Michael, Holly A. and Paasche, Hendrik and Rabbel, Wolfgang and Santos, Isaac and Scholten, Jan and Schwalenberg, Katrin and Szymczycha, Beata and Thomas, Ariel T. and Virtasalo, Joonas J. and Waska, Hannelore and Weymer, Bradley A.},
  Editor = {},
  Journal = {Biogeosciences},
  Year = {2023},
  Pages = {647-662},
  Volume = {20},
  Doi = {10.5194/bg-20-647-2023},
  Abstract = {For millennia, humans have gravitated towards coastlines for their resource potential and as geopolitical centres for global trade. A basic requirement ensuring water security for coastal communities relies on a delicate balance between the supply and demand of potable water. The interaction between freshwater and saltwater in coastal settings is, therefore, complicated by both natural and human-driven environmental changes at the land–sea interface. In particular, ongoing sea-level rise, warming and deoxygenation might exacerbate such perturbations. In this context, an improved understanding of the nature and variability of groundwater fluxes across the land–sea continuum is timely yet remains out of reach. The flow of terrestrial groundwater across the coastal transition zone and the extent of freshened groundwater below the present-day seafloor are receiving increased attention in marine and coastal sciences because they likely represent a significant yet highly uncertain component of (bio)geochemical budgets and because of the emerging interest in the potential use of offshore freshened groundwater as a resource. At the same time, “reverse” groundwater flux from offshore to onshore is of prevalent socio-economic interest, as terrestrial groundwater resources are continuously pressured by over-pumping and seawater intrusion in many coastal regions worldwide. An accurate assessment of the land–ocean connectivity through groundwater and its potential responses to future anthropogenic activities and climate change will require a multidisciplinary approach combining the expertise of geophysicists, hydrogeologists, (bio)geochemists and modellers. Such joint activities will lay the scientific basis for better understanding the role of groundwater in societally relevant issues such as climate change, pollution and the environmental status of the coastal oceans within the framework of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. Here, we present our perspectives on future research directions to better understand land–ocean connectivity through groundwater, including the spatial distributions of the essential hydrogeological parameters, highlighting technical and scientific developments and briefly discussing the societal relevance of that connectivity in rapidly changing coastal oceans.},
}

TY  - JOUR
AU  - Arévalo-Martínez, Damian L.
AU  - Haroon, Amir
AU  - Bange, Hermann W.
AU  - Erkul, Ercan
AU  - Jegen, Marion
AU  - Moosdorf, Nils
AU  - Schneider von Deimling, Jens
AU  - Berndt, Christian
AU  - Böttcher, Michael Ernst
AU  - Hoffmann, Jasper
AU  - Liebetrau, Volker
AU  - Mallast, Ulf
AU  - Massmann, Gudrun
AU  - Micallef, Aaron
AU  - Michael, Holly A.
AU  - Paasche, Hendrik
AU  - Rabbel, Wolfgang
AU  - Santos, Isaac
AU  - Scholten, Jan
AU  - Schwalenberg, Katrin
AU  - Szymczycha, Beata
AU  - Thomas, Ariel T.
AU  - Virtasalo, Joonas J.
AU  - Waska, Hannelore
AU  - Weymer, Bradley A.
TI  - Ideas and perspectives: Land–ocean connectivity through groundwater
T2  - Biogeosciences
PY  - 2023
SP  - 647-662
VL  - 20
DO  - 10.5194/bg-20-647-2023
AB  - For millennia, humans have gravitated towards coastlines for their resource potential and as geopolitical centres for global trade. A basic requirement ensuring water security for coastal communities relies on a delicate balance between the supply and demand of potable water. The interaction between freshwater and saltwater in coastal settings is, therefore, complicated by both natural and human-driven environmental changes at the land–sea interface. In particular, ongoing sea-level rise, warming and deoxygenation might exacerbate such perturbations. In this context, an improved understanding of the nature and variability of groundwater fluxes across the land–sea continuum is timely yet remains out of reach. The flow of terrestrial groundwater across the coastal transition zone and the extent of freshened groundwater below the present-day seafloor are receiving increased attention in marine and coastal sciences because they likely represent a significant yet highly uncertain component of (bio)geochemical budgets and because of the emerging interest in the potential use of offshore freshened groundwater as a resource. At the same time, “reverse” groundwater flux from offshore to onshore is of prevalent socio-economic interest, as terrestrial groundwater resources are continuously pressured by over-pumping and seawater intrusion in many coastal regions worldwide. An accurate assessment of the land–ocean connectivity through groundwater and its potential responses to future anthropogenic activities and climate change will require a multidisciplinary approach combining the expertise of geophysicists, hydrogeologists, (bio)geochemists and modellers. Such joint activities will lay the scientific basis for better understanding the role of groundwater in societally relevant issues such as climate change, pollution and the environmental status of the coastal oceans within the framework of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. Here, we present our perspectives on future research directions to better understand land–ocean connectivity through groundwater, including the spatial distributions of the essential hydrogeological parameters, highlighting technical and scientific developments and briefly discussing the societal relevance of that connectivity in rapidly changing coastal oceans.
ER  -