The iNUX project at the University of Gothenburg
Research
The Hydrogeology Research Group at the Department of Earth Sciences, University of Gothenburg is involved in fundamental research, teaching, and stakeholder activities in the field of hydrogeology, contaminant hydrogeology, and hydrogeochemistry. Established in October 2012, the Hydrogeology Group focuses on two main research topics including a) freshwater resources under changing environmental conditions and b) the behavior of contaminants in the subsurface. In particular, the research includes the determination of the impact of climate change and anthropogenic pressure on hydrological and hydrogeological systems at different scales and the development of new methods to assess the transport and transformation of contaminants (chlorinated solvents, pesticides, plastic, and PFASs) in complex subsurface environments. Funding for the research projects has been obtained from the Swedish Research Council (VR), the Swedish Geological Survey (SGU), several private foundations and companies. The hydrogeology group has strong relations with international research groups and private companies, foremost in Germany, Switzerland, Canada, the USA, and France.
Besides studies related to environmental and societal aspects of water resources management, the research group is also involved in major construction works, mainly in relation to tunnels. The research group consists of Professor Roland Barthel (research group leader, hydrogeology), associate senior lecturer Dr. Philipp Wanner (contaminant hydrogeology, hydrogeochemistry), two researchers (Dr. Åsa Fransson, civil engineering/hydrogeology and Dr. Markus Giese, hydrologist), two Ph.D. students (Michelle Nygren and Pramod Surendra) and B.Sc./M.Sc. students contributing to different groundwater-related research projects in Sweden and abroad.
Teaching
As a new subject started in 2012, when Professor Barthel was hired to the Earth Science Department, Hydrogeology has become one of the most attractive teaching subjects of the Earth Science Department, with students from Earth Science, Geography and Environmental programs as well as international students, many from the Erasmus exchange program. The teaching activities cover a basic course in Hydrogeology at the Bachelor’s level and an advanced course in Applied Hydrogeology at the Master’s level. In addition to many other courses such as modeling of groundwater flow and transport in porous media and environmental geology. Moreover, specific courses for soil and groundwater pollution and remediation are planned or under construction. The Hydrogeology subject area is also particularly attractive for thesis projects at the bachelor’s and master’s level.
The key persons involved in the teaching activities are professor Roland Barthel, who specialized in the area of hydrogeology, and Dr. Philipp Wanner, associate senior lecturer, specialized in contaminant hydrogeology and hydrogeochemistry.