Karst knowledge exchange to improve protection of groundwater resources

岩溶作用涉及岩石中裂隙的溶解扩大，从而产生地下水流动极其迅速的空洞。岩溶发生在所有容易溶解的岩石中，并导致地下污染物的快速运移(每天几公里)和难以预测的流动模式。了解地下水快速流动的位置是了解渗透率、储存和污染物迁移的关键，这对地下水管理的所有方面以及遵守欧盟水法规都是至关重要的。在英国，虽然在石炭纪石灰岩中很好地认识到了岩溶的存在，但在较年轻的碳酸盐含水层(白垩岩、侏罗纪石灰岩和二叠纪石灰岩)中就不是这样了，那里的快速地下水流动的空间变异性没有得到很好的描述，地下水管理者很难获得关于岩溶的信息。该研究金将侧重于这些知识不发达的较年轻的碳酸盐含水层。其目的是利用知识交流提高对这些含水层中岩溶的认识，并将来自研究和行业的数据和知识汇集在一起，以开发改进含水层管理和保护的工具。其基本原理是，更好地了解地下水快速流动将改善流域管理的许多方面，包括确保良好的水质状况、管理污染事件、管理向地下水的排放、保护区的管理和地下水资源的保护。岩溶数据将从工业界和学术界的许多组织中汇编而成。将整理的数据包括：地质数据(因为地质环境影响岩溶发育)；地貌数据(提供岩溶的直接证据)；工程和建设项目中遇到的地下岩溶特征的信息(因为这些隐藏的岩溶特征没有地表表现，而工程经验提供了关于岩溶发育的不同信息来源)；示踪剂测试数据(它提供了地下水快速流动的直接证据，有时超过几公里)；来自污染事件的信息(例如，抽象钻孔或泉水的污染被证明来自一段距离之外的源头)；关于提取井中浊度的信息(因为这是已知的岩溶过程的指示器)。这些数据将被用来绘制一张地图，显示不同岩溶程度和快速地下水流动风险的领域，这将提供证据，为决策提供信息和支持。此外，还将创建基于网络的岩溶资源，使管理人员和决策者能够方便地获取不同地理区域的当地岩溶数据和知识。知识交流过程将包括与监管机构、供水商和顾问的会议，以汇编数据，讨论岩溶领域地图和基于网络的岩溶资源的方法和格式，以确保它们的设计能够最大限度地发挥其效力和影响，并为其他利益攸关方所采用。会议将包括对地下水快速流动引起的问题的讨论，并将有灵活性地处理这些问题，例如，通过召集专家制定新的战略来回应利益攸关方的关切。将举办讲习班，以确定如何最好地利用岩溶数据来管理和保护地下水资源，其主题侧重于利益攸关方的要求。总体而言，这种知识交流将使开发工具和知识大大改善地下水资源的管理和保护，这将建立在对岩溶的世界领先理解的基础上，并将产生经济和环境效益。

Karst processes involve the dissolutional enlargement of fractures within rock to produce voids through which groundwater flow is extremely rapid. Karst occurs in all rocks that are susceptible to dissolution and results in rapid subsurface pollutant transport (several kilometres per day) and flow patterns that are difficult to predict. Understanding where rapid groundwater flow occurs is key to understanding permeability, storage, and pollutant migration, which is essential for all aspects of groundwater management, and for complying with EU water regulations. In the UK, whilst the occurrence of karst is well recognised in the Carboniferous Limestone, this is not the case in the younger carbonate aquifers (the Chalk, the Jurassic Limestones and the Permian Limestones), where spatial variability in rapid groundwater flow is not well characterised, and groundwater managers have poor access to information on karst. This fellowship will focus on these younger carbonate aquifers where knowledge is not well developed. The aims are to use knowledge exchange to raise awareness of karst in these aquifers, and to bring together data and knowledge from research and industry to develop tools to improve aquifer management and protection. The rationale is that better knowledge of rapid groundwater flow will improve many aspects of catchment management including ensuring good water quality status, managing pollution events, managing discharges to groundwater, management of safeguard zones, and protection of groundwater resources. Karst data will be compiled from many organisations in industry and academia. Data that will be collated include: geological data (because the geological setting influences karst development); geomorphological data (which provides direct evidence of karst), information on subsurface karst features encountered in engineering and construction projects (because these hidden karst features have no surface expression, and engineering experiences provide a different source of information on karst development); tracer testing data (which provides direct evidence of rapid groundwater flow, sometimes over several kilometres); information from pollution events (e.g. where pollution of an abstraction borehole or spring was proven to be from a source some distance away); information on turbidity in abstraction boreholes (because this is known to be an indicator of karst processes). These data will be used to develop a map showing domains with different levels of karstification and risk of rapid groundwater flow, which will provide evidence to inform and support decision making. In addition web based karst resources will be created to enable managers and decision makers to easily access local data and knowledge on karst in different geographical areas. These will include links to papers and reports, data, text summarising karst in the area, and information on people with experience of karst in the area.The knowledge-exchange process will involve meetings with regulators, water providers and consultants to compile data, and to discuss the methodology and format of the karst domains map and the web based karst resources to ensure that they are designed to maximise their effectiveness and impact, and their uptake by other stakeholders. The meetings will include discussions of issues that arise due to rapid groundwater flow and there will be flexibility to pursue these, for example by bringing together experts to develop new strategies in response to stakeholder concerns. Workshops will be held to determine how karst data can be best used for management and protection of groundwater resources, with topics focused on stakeholder requirements. Overall this knowledge exchange will enable the development of tools and knowledge to greatly improve management and protection of groundwater resources, which will be based on a world leading understanding of karst, and will have economic and environmental benefits.