Orals

Fractured and karstified aquifers are recognized as one of the most difficult aquifers to characterize and model.
Analysis of flow and transport processes in fissured and karstified aquifers must account for strong local heterogeneities in the hydraulic parameter field of the aquifer systems and typically sparse and uncertain field data for system characterization. The regulation and sustainable management of these systems is therefore still a challenge in hydrogeology. Both depend to a large degree on available characterization techniques and the ability to make predictions with mathematical models which should be practically applicable and represent the investigated system.
This session welcomes contributions covering all aspects of hydrogeology of fissured and/or karstified aquifers. It includes conceptual models of fissured and karstified aquifers and fundamental research of flow and transport at various spatial and temporal scales. We particularly welcome abstracts that provide links between innovative conceptual or numerical models and field data to fill the gap between model requirements and field data provision.
Topics to be discussed are, for example, the hydraulic functioning of fractures, the analysis of karst drainage systems, scaling issues and how to represent nature as closely as possible with mathematical models. This includes also the development and application of genesis models, for example, to reconstruct the groundwater flow field within these complex aquifer systems. Furthermore, this session focuses on the interpretation and prediction of hydraulic, chemical and isotopic responses of the groundwater flow system to environmental impacts, groundwater exploitation and potential contamination sources. We are also interested in methods to assess the vulnerability of fractured and karstified aquifers. Any new idea for prediction and sustainable management of this type of groundwater resources are addressed in this session.