The sub-systems. 4 : Groundwater

Abstract

Groundwater constitutes the most important freshwater resource of the earth, it is two orders of magnitude larger than the total water volumes of rivers and lakes. It is a renewable resource, characterized by stability of its chemical composition and stability of temperature. Percolation of water through the subsurface has a good purification effect due to the combined action of filtration, sorption, chemical reactions and microbiological processes. Groundwater is utmost important as drinking water resource, since it is less prone to pollution than surface waters due to the protection effects of the covering layers. However, industrial and agricultural activities have led to groundwater pollution problems which are sometimes irreversible and in any case very difficult and expensive to recover. This endangers the long-term use for drinking water supply, and any efforts for sustainable development have to consider the vulnerability of groundwater resources to pollution, which shows great regional diversity, by suitable groundwater protection efforts.