Hydrogeology

Hydrogeology: Principles and Practice provides a comprehensive introduction to the study of hydrogeology, enabling the reader to appreciate the significance of groundwater in meeting current and future environmental and sustainable water resource challenges. This new edition has been thoroughly updated to reflect advances in the field since 2014 and includes over 350 new references.

The book presents a systematic approach to understanding groundwater, starting with new insights into the distribution of groundwater in the Earth’s upper continental crust and the role of groundwater as an agent of global material and elemental fluxes. Subsequent chapters explain the fundamental physical and chemical principles of hydrogeology. Later sections feature groundwater field investigation techniques in the context of catchment processes, as well as discussions on groundwater quality and contaminant hydrogeology, including emerging contamination from microplastic pollution.

Unique features of the book include chapters on the application of environmental isotopes and noble gases in the interpretation of aquifer evolution, and a discussion of regional characteristics such as topography, compaction, and variable fluid density on geological processes affecting past, present, and future groundwater flow regimes. The concluding chapter addresses future challenges for groundwater governance and management, emphasizing the long-term sustainability of groundwater resources, the role of managed aquifer recharge, and examines the linkages between groundwater and climate change, including impacts on cold-region hydrogeology. In light of the drive towards net-zero carbon emissions by 2050, the book reviews the interaction of groundwater in the exploitation of energy resources, including renewable resources and shale gas.

Throughout the text, boxes and a set of colour plates drawn from the authors’ teaching and research experience are used to explain special topics and illustrate international case studies. These range from transboundary aquifers and submarine groundwater discharge to the hydrogeochemical factors influencing the history of malting and brewing in Europe. The appendices provide conversion tables and useful reference material, along with review questions and exercises, complete with answers, to help develop the reader’s knowledge and problem-solving skills in hydrogeology.

This highly informative and accessible textbook is essential reading for undergraduate and graduate students in earth sciences, environmental sciences, and physical geography with an interest in hydrogeology or groundwater topics. The book will also be valuable to practitioners in hydrogeology, soil science, civil engineering, and landscape planning who are involved in environmental and resource protection issues requiring an understanding of groundwater.