Hyporheic Network - a Knowledge Transfer Network on Hyporheic Zone Processes

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Groundwater / surface water interactions, and the controls on water and pollutant flux across the interface of aquifers and rivers, are important factors controlling the chemical and ecological quality of river corridors. An increasing body of research has been published in recent years on processes acting at this interface, which is known as the hyporheic zone (Sophocleous 2002). However, few have adopted a truly multidisciplinary approach, which integrate physical, chemical and biological investigations in the hyporheic zone. There is an opportunity for the UK to take a lead. Understanding processes at the groundwater / surface water interface has been identified as a priority research area the British Geological Survey, CEH and the Environment Agency (Smith 2005); NERC's priorities are currently being reviewed and we expect this area to remain included, as it is in the current science priorities for Sustainable Water Management. In order to understand this system better it is necessary to bring together workers from a range of scientific disciplines. Furthermore, prioritisation of future research requires better engagement between researchers and science end-users. We will establish a Knowledge Transfer Network on groundwater / surface water interactions, with a specific focus on hyporheic processes. The Hyporheic Network will allow researchers to meet with science end-users (and vice versa), in order to disseminate existing knowledge, and to identify the end-user priorities for research in this area. In particular it will bring together hydrologists, ecologists, geochemists, geomorphologists and hydrogeologists in order to identify opportunities for novel cross-disciplinary research. The Hyporheic Network will provide a forum for academics to communicate their research findings directly to interested science end-users, and for those science-users to inform the research community of their priorities. New research teams will be created to develop new and exciting research proposals, in collaboration with end-user groups. The Network will run a series of workshops and meetings that will disseminate recent research and we will provide financial support a number of young researchers to attend these workshops, in order to encourage them to participate. We will develop and maintain a website to distribute reports and information on the hyporheic zone, and we intend that the website will become a portal for international research and information on all aspects of the hyporheic zone. One of the major goals of the network is to write a book on the hyporheic zone, which will turn the latest research into usable advice for river managers. The proposed Network already has commitment from a range of researchers, including hydrologists, ecologist, hydrochemists, hydrogeologists, hydrogeophysicists and geomorphologists. Science end-user groups interested in engaging with the Network include government (both policy makers and regulatory agencies), large industrial companies, consulting companies, non-governmental organisations, and international universities and organisations.