The SentinelSprings consortium will be strongly represented at the IAH 2026 World Groundwater Congress in September — one of the leading international events for groundwater science, policy, and management.
Bringing together hydrogeologists, ecologists, water managers, policy-makers, environmental agencies, and researchers from across the world, the Congress provides a key platform to discuss groundwater resilience, climate adaptation, ecosystem protection, and innovative monitoring solutions under accelerating global change.
Our participation is particularly meaningful because SentinelSprings is helping position springs not simply as local water features, but as critical sentinels of groundwater sustainability, biodiversity integrity, and climate stress across Europe. Through integrated hydrogeological, ecological, and climate-based approaches, the consortium is advancing a novel framework for long-term spring monitoring, harmonised data collection, real-time information systems, and evidence-based governance.
Featuring contributions from five partner countries:
Italy — Elena Egidio from University of Torino will present research on how integrated monitoring can be used to assess the sensitivity of lowland springs to both climate variability and anthropogenic pressures. The work highlights the importance of combining hydrological, hydrochemical, and ecological indicators to better understand spring vulnerability in highly human-modified landscapes.
Portugal — Teresa Melo from Instituto Superior Técnico will present ongoing work on monitoring groundwater-dependent spring ecosystems across contrasting Mediterranean aquifer systems under climate stress. The presentation explores how springs can function as early-warning indicators of ecosystem change and groundwater resilience in drought-prone regions.
Denmark — Klaus Hinsby from Geological Survey of Denmark and Greenland will present a White Paper advocating for mandatory national spring monitoring frameworks. The contribution makes the case for recognising springs as strategic monitoring points capable of supporting groundwater policy, climate adaptation, biodiversity conservation, and Water Framework Directive implementation at European scale.
France — Jean-Christophe Maréchal from BRGM will present research on karst springs as cold refuges in a warming world. The work addresses the increasingly important role of groundwater-fed systems in buffering temperature extremes and sustaining aquatic biodiversity under climate change.
Malta — Christa Pisani from The Energy and Water Agency will present a poster on discharge dynamics in the Wied il-Bużbież catchment, demonstrating how springs can act as sensitive indicators of hydroclimatic variability in Mediterranean island environments.
Together, these contributions demonstrate the transnational strength of SentinelSprings and reinforce the growing recognition that springs are essential observatories of groundwater change, ecosystem health, and climate resilience across Europe.