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Water resources meet sustainability: new trends in environmental hydrogeology and groundwater engineering

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Abstract

Groundwater is a dynamic, finite, and vulnerable but resilient natural resource to be protected in an environmentally sustainable manner. Groundwater systems require a comprehensive understanding of climatology, geology, morphotectonics, hydrogeology, hydrogeochemistry, hydrodynamics, isotope hydrology, hydrogeomorhology, rock and soil hydrogeotechnics, and surface hydrology. Groundwater conceptual models (ground model, hydrogeological conceptual model, and numerical model)—from site investigations to regional watersheds and or global hydrological systems—based on earth systems make a major contribution to the sustainability and management of water resources. The thematic issue on “sustainability and water resources” includes a wide variety of unique contributions in environmental hydrogeology and water-related research and practice.

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Acknowledgments

The guest editor is very grateful for the support of the Editor-in-chief, Dr. James W. LaMoreaux at all stages of the preparation of this thematic issue. Many thanks to numerous colleagues for their valuable contributions and the many reviewers for their insightful input during the peer-reviewing process to improve the quality of the papers. The thematic issue benefitted enormously from their critical suggestions. I am also extremely grateful to the International Association of Hydrogeologists (IAH) for sharing key information about the “IAH Millennium Members” issue—and hydrogeologist J. M. Carvalho is indeed the oldest IAH member from Portugal. Special thanks are extended to colleagues Maria José Afonso, José Teixeira, Liliana Freitas, Fernando Rocha, Robin Nagano, António Chambel and Gabriel Gutiérrez-Alonso for their kind support in several ways. My last thoughts will be addressed to Professor José Martins Carvalho for all of his support, mentorship and friendship throughout all these years, always with his feet on the ground… as the outstanding Roman military engineer Marcus Vitruvius put it: “we should also consider the nature of the place when we search for water” (Vitruvius 33 BC) and also the inspirational words of the Alberto Caeiro (one of the alter egos dubbed “heteronyms” of the multifaceted Portuguese poet Fernando Pessoa): “water is beautiful because it’s water” (Zenith 2006).

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  1. Laboratory of Cartography and Applied Geology (Labcarga), Department of Geotechnical Engineering, School of Engineering (ISEP), Polytechnic of Porto, Porto, Portugal

    Helder I. Chaminé

  2. Centre GeoBioTec (Georesources, Geotechnics and Geomaterials Research Group), University of Aveiro, Aveiro, Portugal

    Helder I. Chaminé

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Chaminé, H.I. Water resources meet sustainability: new trends in environmental hydrogeology and groundwater engineering. Environ Earth Sci 73, 2513–2520 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12665-014-3986-y

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