IsoGW – Groundwater isoscapes for Germany - water isotopes as an innovative tool for sustainable water management

Country / Region: Germany

Begin of project: March 1, 2023

End of project: February 28, 2026

Status of project: February 15, 2025

IsoGW project logo Source: BMBF

Since the 1960s, tritium and stable isotopes have been measured as continuous time series in research laboratories in Germany, initially in precipitation and since the 1980s also in surface waters. Groundwater samples have mostly been analysed on a project- and site-specific basis, mainly for age dating. Much data has been published, but with the exception of precipitation and surface water, little has been systematically collected.

As part of the LURCH funding programme of the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) for sustainable groundwater management in Germany, the IsoGW project is collecting and analysing isotope data throughout Germany and making it available to the public in the form of isotope maps. Six project partners are actively involved and work on different aspects within IsoGW. The Federal Institute for Geosciences and Natural Resources (BGR) is responsible for setting up a database for isotope data and making the data available.

This task requires a technically flexible database solution, which is not primarily subject-specific and labour-intensive due to the large amount of data, but rather due to the assignment and integration of metadata and the processing of different formats. The proposed system should be compatible with existing similar databases (such as IAEA-WISER GNIP, 'Global Network of Isotopes in Precipitation' and GNIR, 'Global Network of Isotopes in Rivers') and other systems from which supplementary (meta) data are to be integrated (e.g. discharge data from stations of the Federal Institute of Hydrology (BfG) or precipitation, temperature and humidity data from the German National Meteorological Service (DWD)) for the future exchange and dissemination of German station data.

Schematic representation of the planned isotope database at BGR Source: BGR

The data will be stored and maintained at the BGR in the long term, even after the project has ended. The aim is to link the database to existing applications in order to optimise visualisation and evaluation.

As the isotope laboratories and the scientists working there or their successors are still known, this data can be researched and made available for synoptic scientific work together with the new and future data.

The Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) is funding the LURCH joint project 'IsoGW' within the funding programme 'Sustainable Groundwater Management' as part of the 'Water: N' initiative, which is part of the BMBF's 'Research for Sustainability (FONA)' strategy. The BMBF funding reference number is: 02WGW1671.

Project logos of the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF)

Links:

• IsoGW website of the Friedrich-Alexander University Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU)
• LURCH website of the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF)
  

Partner:

Project coordination

• PD Dr. Robert van Geldern, Friedrich-Alexander University Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU)

Project partners

• Federal Institute for Geosciences and Natural Resources (BGR)
• Federal Institute of Hydrology (BfG)
• CDM Smith Consult GmbH
• Geo-Center of Northern Bavaria & Institute of Geography of the Friedrich-Alexander University Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU)
• Hydroisotop GmbH
• Isodetect GmbH

Associated partners

• Bavarian Environment Agency (LfU)
• Franconian long-distance water supply (FWF)

Promotion / document number:

BMBF LURCH RNo 02WGW1671