IAH Stories

• Potential impacts of pipeline leaks of crude oils and other fuels

  by Nicholas Utting

  In Canada and the United States, there have been multiple crude oil pipeline proposals, each of which have become hotly debated due to public concerns over potential impacts to the environment, including risks to groundwater resources, should an accidental leak occur. This research, published in this Hydrogeology Journal paper (https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10040-026-03019-0),... read the story...

• Can community-led groundwater recharge reduce drought risk?

  by Britt Basel, Jaime Hoogesteger, Luigi Piemontese, Giulio Castelli, Elena Bresci, Evi Derks, Roel Dijksma & Roberto Velasco Herrera

  To address extended water scarcity and drought, 26 communities in the Valles Centrales of Oaxaca, Mexico self-organized to recharge shallow aquifers using small-scale managed aquifer recharge (s-MAR) interventions. These community-led efforts are taking place at a time when the state government is seeking to address water scarcity through large reservoir... read the story...

• Groundwater-connected art: Bringing groundwater to hearts and minds

  by Tom Gleeson

  Groundwater is largely invisible, and despite decades of scientific research, many groundwater challenges persist. Could art help us connect with groundwater in new ways? This perspective article published in Hydrogeology Journal https://doi.org/10.1007/s10040-026-03055-w introduces groundwater-connected art …from paintings and music to storytelling and community-based art, creative practices can help us imagine... read the story...

• Learning together to protect groundwater in coastal Ghana

  by Yvonne Sena Akosua Loh, Felix Owusu, George Domfe, Obed Fiif Fynn, Priscilla Esinu Lartsey & Emmanuel Atuobi Agyekum

  Along Ghana’s Keta Strip, groundwater sustains vegetable farming and livelihoods but faces increasing pressure from irrigation and saltwater intrusion. Using groundwater games, interviews and group discussions across ten communities, our research helped farmers recognise that separate wells draw on a shared resource. During gameplay, uncoordinated plot expansion accelerated simulated groundwater... read the story...

• Aquifer breathing: how a rising water table controls nitrogen transport

  by Fabian Willert, Maria Scaccia, Susana Bernal, Susan Welch, Rachel Gabor, Jesús Carrera, Albert Folch, Benjamin Piña, Audrey H. Sawyer

  Shallow aquifers experience water table fluctuations, which we term “aquifer breathing” as they push and pull air through the vadose zone, affecting redox state site (full study: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10040-026-03068-5). We investigated the fate of nitrogen at a meter-long column with soil and aquifer materials from a forested mountain stream We used... read the story...

• Can an Observation Well Increase Salinity in a Coastal Aquifer?

  by Zakaria Helles, John Molson, Jean-Michel Lemieux, Nathan Young and François Anctil

  On small islands such as the Magdalen Islands (Québec, Canada), freshwater is scarce—and vulnerable to saltwater intrusion. Observation wells are installed to monitor these fragile aquifers, but could they unintentionally make the problem worse? A study published in Hydrogeology Journal https://doi.org/10.1007/s10040-026-03053-y investigates how deep, long-screen observation wells can affect nearby... read the story...

• Evaluation of Springs in the Republic of Azerbaijan

  by Rashail Ismayilov and David K. Kreamer

  International collaborators investigated springs in the Republic of Azerbaijan in a study published in Hydrogeology Journal https://doi.org/10.1007/s10040-026-03044-z. Data from 2020-2023 field evaluations of 1,985 springs in 61 of the Republic’s 67 Administrative Districts were analyzed using requirements of “Drinking Water Hygienic Requirements and Quality Control” AZS 929:2023 standard. Many springs exhibit... read the story...

• Modelling seawater intrusion under uncertainties

  by Marwan Fahs, Bashayer Z. Alshammari, Rashad Abbasov, Anis Younes, Husam Baalousha, Renaud Toussaint and Jean-Christophe Comte

  A new approach has been developed to model seawater intrusion while accounting for multiple sources of uncertainty. The proposed framework enables the development of effective groundwater management strategies for mitigating seawater intrusion in coastal areas, particularly when observational data are unavailable or limited. This approach is especially relevant to developing... read the story...

• Integrated Assessment of Groundwater Salinity Sources and Inter-Aquifer Mixing Dynamics in Siwa Oasis, Egypt

  by Dr. Mohamed Hamdy Eid and Professor Péter Szűcs

  A study published in Hydrogeology Journal https://doi.org/10.1007/s10040-026-03078-3 provides new insights into the sources of groundwater salinization and inter-aquifer mixing dynamics in Siwa Oasis, Egypt, an arid environment where groundwater is essential for agriculture and local water resources. Groundwater resources in Siwa Oasis, Egypt, are increasingly threatened by salinization and intensive... read the story...

• The role of clay membranes in protecting deep groundwater from salinization

  by Prof. Xianmeng Meng and Maosheng Yin

  A solute transport model incorporating clay membrane effects was developed for leaky aquifer systems, addressing the long-standing discrepancy between predicted and observed saltwater intrusion in the North China Plain. This work was conducted by a research group (led by Xianmeng Meng) at the China University of Geosciences (Wuhan) and published... read the story...