International Research team starts search for groundwater in the Kalahari
Southern Africa is one of the areas of the world most affected by drought. In the SeeKaquA project, an international research team led by the LIAG Institute for Applied Geophysics (LIAG) aims to detect deep groundwater resources in the Kalahari using state-of-the-art drone-based electromagnetics. The German-African project, in which the University of Namibia, the University of Zambia, the SADC Groundwater Management Institute, the Federal Institute for Geosciences and Natural Resources (BGR) and terratec Geophysical Services are also involved, is being funded by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) with 1.3 million €.
Water resources on the earth's surface are particularly sensitive to seasonal variations in precipitation and are prone to contamination. In order to improve the long-term water supply, the development of new groundwater resources at greater depths is of crucial importance, especially in times of climate change. In the SeeKaquA project, African and German scientists are exploring these resources in order to develop strategies for sustainable water management in Namibia and Zambia and, at the same time, to ensure a continuous transfer of knowledge and technology to the region.
Application of innovative technology for a sustainable water supply
Ground-based electromagnetic methods have been used in geophysics for decades for groundwater exploration. The electrical conductivity of the subsurface can be derived from the measurements as an indicator of water-bearing layers or salinisation zones. The SeeKaquA project employs semi-airborne electromagnetics, an innovative new measuring technique. It combines few power sources installed on the ground with highly sensitive magnetic field sensors, which are transported through the air with the help of drones. The method makes it possible to map underground structures over areas of several square kilometres in a cost-efficient and environment-friendly way. This allows a detailed analysis of aquifers down to a depth of several hundred metres. The geophysical results provide important data for hydrogeological interpretation and modelling in order to make recommendations for suitable drilling locations and thus increase the chances of success of comparatively expensive boreholes for groundwater extraction.
‘It is important to us to transfer our expertise and technologies to where they are needed most,’ explains Dr Raphael Rochlitz, project leader and scientist at LIAG. ‘Sustainable groundwater management that also takes into account deep groundwater reservoirs in addition to the shallow reservoirs that have only been used so far can make a valuable contribution to climate resilience, especially in the climate conditions in southern Africa.’
The joint project is funded by the BMBF as part of the German-African WASA research programme, which was developed in a joint consultation process with African and German experts from science and practice and is intended to contribute to new solutions for the sustainable improvement of water security in Africa.
Measurements and knowledge transfer to start in spring 2025
The first in-person meeting between the African and German partners took place at the end of September 2024 in Stellenbosch, South Africa, as part of the WASA kick-off conference and marked the start of the intensive collaboration. Several measurement campaigns will start from spring 2025. A central component of the project is also the transfer of knowledge to local universities, companies and authorities in southern Africa. This includes training courses on the application of the new SAEM technology and hydrogeological investigations, workshops on data analysis and the provision of open source software for geophysical data processing.
Wissenschaftlicher Ansprechpartner:
Dr Raphael Rochlitz
LIAG Institute for Applied Geophysics (LIAG)
Stilleweg 2, 30655 Hannover, Germany
Telephone: +49 (0) 511 6433558
E-mail: raphael.rochlitz@leibniz-liag.de
Weitere Informationen:
https://www.leibniz-liag.de/en/research/projects/seekaqua.html
https://www.fona.de/en/measures/funding-measures/water-security-in-africa-wasa.php
Die semantisch ähnlichsten Pressemitteilungen im idw
