IAH 2026 World Groundwater Congress - 14-18 September 2026, Budapest, Hungary

Abstract submission deadline: 28 February 2026

We are glad to invite all the interested participants to submit their abstract for the IAH international conference in Budapest, all the info regarding session description, abstract submission and registration are available at iah-budapest-2026

Session 4.5: Groundwater temperatures in a warming climate: risks, opportunities, and pathways for sustainable thermal management

Chair: Elena Egidio | Co-Chairs: Jannis Epting, Peter Bayer, Kathrin Menberg

Groundwater temperatures are increasing worldwide, driven by expanding urban infrastructure, passive heat inputs, and the growing adoption of groundwater-based cooling and seasonal storage systems. Combined with global warming, these anthropogenic pressures alter the thermal regime of aquifers, with potential consequences for groundwater and drinking water quality, ecosystem functioning, and long-term resource sustainability. Rising groundwater temperatures present both risks, such as temperature-induced hydrogeochemical changes and ecological stress, and opportunities, particularly for harnessing shallow geothermal energy and recovering excess anthropogenic heat. Sustainable groundwater management therefore requires integrated strategies that balance climate adaptation needs with the thermal potential of the subsurface. This session invites contributions that advance monitoring and modelling approaches, assess thermal impacts, and explore innovative management and mitigation measures, design, and policy solutions for both urban and rural settings.

Session 4.6: Data-Driven and Hybrid Methods for Groundwater Vulnerability Assessment

Chair: Stefania Stevenazzi | Co-chairs: Petra Baják, Gianluigi Busico, Dawid Potrykus

Ongoing environmental pressures – urban expansion, intensified agricultural practices, industrial development and climate change – require developing sustainable groundwater protection and risk prevention strategies, where groundwater vulnerability assessments play a key role in supporting water management and decision-making processes. The increasing availability of high-resolution datasets allows for more advanced, reliable and transferable assessment tools – including statistical methods, machine and deep learning techniques – and hybrid approaches.
The objective of this session is to gather case studies and scientific contributions focusing on the development of novel index-based, data-driven and hybrid methods, and real-world applications supporting groundwater protection and water management. Contributions that link methods to management-relevant outcomes, adaptation strategies, and practical case studies spanning from local, to regional, to continental scale studies.