Let’s dive into the fascinating world of groundwater!

I’m a freestyle hydrogeologist driven by a curiosity for multidisciplinary research. My vision is to bring pure quantitative sciences down to earth. With my research, I wish to raise more awareness of the hidden safeguard environment beneath us, to teach dowsing without a rod, and to promote mining of recent rather than fossil resources.

For some, groundwater is a subterranean ocean that bubbles in wells. For all of us, surely it is the greatest freshwater reservoir we have. It offers diverse ecosystem services, and it hosts a biomass of a similar size as what we can see above ground. It also represents an enormous energy resource: only half a degree decline of global fresh groundwater temperature would release as much energy as is annually consumed for worldwide heating. This geothermal energy resource is even on a rise, as groundwater temperatures increase and mirror atmospheric climate change. And in cities we find charged groundwater in pronounced subsurface urban heat islands.

From my point of view, the relevance of research in my discipline is determined by the essential role of groundwater as a natural resource. Management of groundwater resources is typically confronted with a number of different, and often contrasting, objectives that all can be traced back to fundamental targets of ecological, economical, and sociological sustainability. For finding management solutions, however, we have to know the environments beneath our feet very well.

Aquifers that host groundwater bodies are always unique, and at the same time they are obscure and hidden. We have to carefully deal with crucial uncertainties, and advance our skills and techniques for subsurface characterization.

Groundwater science is a thrilling discipline, because it always demands the integration of multiple perspectives. This refers to both the analysis of groundwater flow and transport processes, as well as to the use and management of this resource. For example, a purely mathematical or physical approach to tackle groundwater hydromechanical or hydrochemical questions will be of low value, because the unique characteristics of the geological environment are ignored. Even if relevant flow and transport processes are well understood, their effects can only be estimated, since no more than a fragmentary picture of the aquifer and of its physical, chemical and mechanical properties is available. In my research, the ultimate goal is to find synergies between purely descriptive and quantitative methods.

Thirsty for more?  Then please explore the pages on my current research activities, find all relevant publications accessible and feel free to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. me for more information.