A proposal for an extended typology of groundwater habitats |
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| Authors: | Hans Jürgen Hahn |
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| Institution: | 1. Universit?t Koblenz-Landau, Campus Landau, Abteilung Biologie, Im Fort 7, 76829, Landau, Germany
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| Abstract: | Many governments now require the ecological condition of groundwater ecosystems to be considered when making policy decisions. However, groundwater habitats and communities occur at different spatial scales to those at which aquifers are managed, making their inclusion in policy decisions difficult. A system of classifying groundwater ecosystems is needed to aid this, yet such a typology is currently not available. Here, a hierarchical model for a typology of groundwater habitats is suggested, which considers three spatial scales: macro, meso, and local. On a macroscale, communities are influenced by biogeographic characteristics; at a mesoscale they are influenced by the hydrogeological type of the aquifer; and on local scale by the hydrological exchange with surface water and hence the oxygen and nutrient supply. Consequently, groundwater habitats are assumed to be defined by biogeographic particularities, the hydrogeological aquifer type and by localized hydrological exchange with surface water. By adopting a ‘groundwater habitat typology’, groundwater biologists may be able to work with hydrogeologists to assist in the sustainable management of groundwater by predicting groundwater biodiversity and the distribution of important or endangered species. The typology proposed here is a first step towards achieving this goal. |
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