Geochemical Signatures for Groundwater Resource Sustainability
A special issue of Hydrology (ISSN 2306-5338). This special issue belongs to the section "Surface Waters and Groundwaters".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 December 2026
Special Issue Editors
Interests: karst hydrogeology; hydrogeochemistry; groundwater remediation and protection
Interests: hydrogeology; land; water management
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
Groundwater represents a crucial resource in both human and hydrological systems, and its use and withdrawl have increased significantly during the last century to sustain the demands of the growing population, agriculture, and industry. Globally, more groundwater is extracted than recharged, leading to the depletion of aquifers and a deterioration in the quality of resources. Furthermore, declining levels of groundwater, reduced streamflows, and ecosystem degradation, as well as extreme droughts and floods, have been evidenced in a wide variety of geographical, geological, and climatological settings. Toward the end of the 21st century, these phenomena could be aggravated by rapidly changing climate, driven primarily by an increase in the global mean air temperature and sea surface temperature.
The goal of this Special Issue is to collect papers (original research articles and review papers) dealing with various (geo)chemical indicators of groundwater sustainability, from monitoring, detection, field and laboratory analyses, to the development of robust (geo)chemical models and efficient local, regional, and national strategies for sustainable groundwater utilization. In particular, this Special Issue welcomes manuscripts that explore and link the following themes:
- Novel approaches or improvements in the qualitative and/or quantitative assessment of groundwater status;
- Common (geo)chemical indicators (e.g., stable or radioactive isotopes, major ions, trace elements) and physico-chemical parameters (e.g., electrical conductivity, total dissolved solids, temperature, pH, dissolved oxygen) for groundwater overextraction, recharge rates, age or residence times, source contamination, mixing processes, and anthropogenic influences, including emerging contaminants, such as pharmaceutical and personal care products, micro/nano plastics, and similar compounds;
- (Geo)chemical footprints of sustainable groundwater utilization in water-stressed environments and climates (e.g., semi-arid and arid climate, coastal and island areas, areas with heavy agricultural/industrial/urban pollution);
- Sustainability challenges and strategies (e.g., monitoring, detection, and mitigation) related to various groundwater uses: drinking water supply, agricultural irrigation, geothermal utilization (heat production, medical and recreational purposes), and industrial purposes;
- The effect of current and/or future pressures of climate change on sustainable groundwater utilization.
We look forward to receiving your original research articles and reviews.
Dr. Matko Patekar
Dr. Yong Xiao
Guest Editors
Manuscript Submission Information
Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.
Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Hydrology is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.
Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 1800 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.
Keywords
- groundwater sustainability
- aquifer depletion
- geochemical indicators
- major ion chemistry
- stable and radioactive isotopes
- groundwater quality
- groundwater recharge
- climate change
- sustainable groundwater management
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