Traqua.be 💧🧪🔦

Groundwater Is Vanishing Faster Than Ice and Most of Us Never Noticed Groundwater, vital for drinking and farming, is disappearing globally. This hidden crisis, revealed by satellite data and aquifer studies, is accelerating. It contributes significantly to sea-level ...

Slow recharge processes and continuous over extraction don't do our groundwater resources any good.

"𝘚𝘶𝘳𝘧𝘢𝘤𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘳𝘦𝘤𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘢𝘧𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘢 𝘨𝘰𝘰𝘥 𝘳𝘢𝘪𝘯𝘺 𝘴𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘰𝘯 𝘰𝘳 𝘴𝘯𝘰𝘸𝘺 𝘸𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘳. 𝘎𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥𝘸𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘶𝘴𝘶𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘥𝘰𝘦𝘴 𝘯𝘰𝘵. ...

𝘛𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘮𝘢𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘣𝘦𝘤𝘢𝘶𝘴𝘦 𝘨𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥𝘸𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘴 𝘢𝘴 𝘢 𝘣𝘶𝘧𝘧𝘦𝘳 𝘥𝘶𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘥𝘳𝘺 𝘺𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘴. "

Happy birthday to one of my favourite haters, Charles Darwin

Making Effective, Affordable Water Level Monitors Hackaday Article

Making Effective, Affordable Water Level Monitors

𝗔𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗱𝘆𝗲 𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗰𝗲𝗿 𝘁𝗲𝘀𝘁𝘀 👉 www.traqua.be/en/expertise

TRAQUA conducted a tracer test near a road where a sinkhole had swallowed a small stream, accelerating erosion and increasing the risk of further damage. Through tracer testing, we assessed groundwater movement, the fate of the stream, and the impact of nearby industrial pumping.

𝗙𝗹𝘂𝗼𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗰𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗱𝘆𝗲 𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗰𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗶𝗻 𝗿𝗶𝘀𝗸 𝗮𝘀𝘀𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁

Dye tracing can help:

🧪 𝙈𝙖𝙥 𝙜𝙧𝙤𝙪𝙣𝙙𝙬𝙖𝙩𝙚𝙧 𝙛𝙡𝙤𝙬 𝙥𝙖𝙩𝙝𝙨 to identify connections between sinkholes, caves, and water sources.
🧪 𝘿𝙚𝙩𝙚𝙘𝙩 𝙘𝙤𝙣𝙩𝙖𝙢𝙞𝙣𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣 𝙧𝙞𝙨𝙠𝙨 by tracking how quickly pollutants travel.
🧪 𝙄𝙣𝙛𝙤𝙧𝙢 𝙪𝙧𝙗𝙖𝙣 𝙥𝙡𝙖𝙣𝙣𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙩𝙚𝙖𝙢𝙨 by defining vulnerable areas.

𝙒𝙖𝙩𝙚𝙧 𝙘𝙤𝙣𝙩𝙖𝙢𝙞𝙣𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣
Karst aquifers are highly permeable, enabling pollutants to spread rapidly and threatening water quality.

𝙐𝙣𝙚𝙭𝙥𝙚𝙘𝙩𝙚𝙙 𝙨𝙪𝙗𝙨𝙞𝙙𝙚𝙣𝙘𝙚
Hidden cavities can collapse, disrupting transportation networks and swallowing cars and buildings. Remember the Corvettes swallowed by a sinkhole?

𝗪𝗵𝘆 𝗞𝗮𝗿𝘀𝘁 𝗥𝗶𝘀𝗸 𝗔𝘀𝘀𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗠𝗮𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘀

Ignoring the risks can lead to:

𝙎𝙩𝙧𝙪𝙘𝙩𝙪𝙧𝙖𝙡 𝙞𝙣𝙨𝙩𝙖𝙗𝙞𝙡𝙞𝙩𝙮
Sudden sinkholes can damage roads, buildings and pipelines, posing safety risks and resulting in costly repairs.

𝗞𝗮𝗿𝘀𝘁 𝗳𝗲𝗮𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗶𝗿 𝗽𝗼𝘁𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗮𝗹 𝗿𝗶𝘀𝗸 𝘁𝗼 𝗶𝗻𝗳𝗿𝗮𝘀𝘁𝗿𝘂𝗰𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲 🪨

Karst landscapes, formed by dissolution of soluble rocks such as limestone, are gorgeous, but can pose a risk to infrastructure. Sinkholes, caves and underground drainage systems can remain hidden until the ground above them collapses.

Ring is going all in on AI with their new Search Party tool which they introduced in a cute lil commercial about locating a dog.

@jasonkoebler.bsky.social on how they've sold fear to the American people and got consumers to build a surveillance dragnet.

Listen now: www.youtube.com/watch?v=0JK-...

TRAQUA TRAQUA is specialized in techniques for water flow characterization. We offer innovative technological solutions and customized expertise to hydrogeological or hydrological inquiries (analysis, diagno...

The dates haven't been decided yet, but most probably 3x3h online training, spread over 3 weeks, at the beginning of Summer (June-July). We'll keep people informed via our Newsletter, to which you can register via our website (bottom of homepage) : www.traqua.be Topic will be specific on dye tracing

What a wonderful opportunity, especially since we've been asked to provide a Summer Training outside of the EU, but funding was always a big roadblock. Maybe this funding can help us move forward.

Image description: A group of people during a field. Text reading: "Apply for funds to run a training school or conference series in 2027!" with a deadline of "15 May 2026." The EGU logo is in the bottom left corner.

Interested in running a training school or conference series? Apply now and receive #EGU funding!

💰 Funding opportunities:
✔️Training schools: up to €6000!
✔️EGU Conference series: up to €8000!

📅 Apply by 15 May 2026: egu.eu/7MIIAO
📸: Kalyani Nayak on imaggeo.egu.eu

Image credit : @edwardsaquifer.bsky.social The Edwards Aquifer Website, demonstrating boundary features (www.edwardsaquifer.net/intro.html).

𝗠𝗮𝗿𝗮𝗶𝘀 𝗪𝗶𝗲𝗹𝘀: 𝗵𝗼𝘄 𝗴𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱𝘄𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗱𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗻𝘆 𝗼𝗳 𝗮 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘀𝘁𝗿𝘂𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗷𝗲𝗰𝘁 Marais Wiels (Wiels Swamp) in Brussels is a reminder of… | Sofie de Volder 𝗠𝗮𝗿𝗮𝗶𝘀 𝗪𝗶𝗲𝗹𝘀: 𝗵𝗼𝘄 𝗴𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱𝘄𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗱𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗻𝘆 𝗼𝗳 𝗮 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘀𝘁𝗿𝘂𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗷𝗲𝗰𝘁 Marais Wiels (Wiels Swamp) in Brussels is a reminder of how underestimating groundwater and geology can ruin construction p...

⚠️ Ecosystem damage: springs, wetlands and rivers may dry up or become polluted.

Understanding groundwater boundaries is critical because accidents or natural events can have far-reaching consequences on water quality, availability, and the environment.

⚠️ Pressure drop: confined artesian aquifers can lose pressure and the natural flow to springs.

⚠️ Subsidence: leakage can result in the land above subsiding.

⚠️ Saltwater intrusion: loss of pressure can result in saltwater intrusion in coastal aquifers, making them unsuitable for drinking water.

😱 𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗵𝗮𝗽𝗽𝗲𝗻𝘀 𝘄𝗵𝗲𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗯𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗮𝗿𝘆 𝗶𝘀 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗺𝗶𝘀𝗲𝗱, 𝗳.𝗲. 𝗯𝘆 𝗱𝗿𝗶𝗹𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗴, 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘀𝘁𝗿𝘂𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻, 𝗼𝗿 𝗻𝗮𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗮𝗹 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗲𝘀?

⚠️ Water loss: water can leak out of the aquifer, reducing its storage capacity.

⚠️ Contamination: if the aquifer is connected to a polluted area via a puncture, the water quality can degrade.

🌄 𝗣𝗵𝘆𝘀𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹: Topography influences the extent and depth of an aquifer while faults or fractures can act as barriers or conduits for groundwater flow.

👉 Further reading on The Groundwater Project : books.gw-project.org/hydrogeologi...

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗯𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗮𝗿𝗶𝗲𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝗮𝗻 𝗮𝗾𝘂𝗶𝗳𝗲𝗿 𝗰𝗮𝗻 𝗯𝗲:

🪨 𝗚𝗲𝗼𝗹𝗼𝗴𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹: Impermeable layers (clay, dense rock) confine the aquifer, while permeable materials (sand, gravel) allow water flow.

💧 𝗛𝘆𝗱𝗿𝗼𝗹𝗼𝗴𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹: Water enters via recharge zones (rain infiltrating) and exits through discharge zones (springs, wells).

W𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗲𝘅𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗹𝘆 𝗱𝗲𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗯𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗮𝗿𝗶𝗲𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝗮𝗻 𝗮𝗾𝘂𝗶𝗳𝗲𝗿?

An aquifer is an underground geological unit consisting of saturated, permeable rock, sediment or soil that can provide usable amounts of water (gw-project.org/download/a-g...).

YouTube video by freshlygroundVEVO Freshlyground - Doo Be Doo

If only...a hopeful song to keep the good spirits up 🥰

www.youtube.com/watch?v=DGXi...

Yes, the sooner the better. And let him takes his tech-bro and Epstein buddies with him. Good riddance.

𝗗𝗼 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝗸𝗮𝗿𝘀𝘁 𝗹𝗮𝗻𝗱𝘀𝗰𝗮𝗽𝗲𝘀 𝗶𝗻 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗿𝗲𝗴𝗶𝗼𝗻?
We have many of them in Wallonia (the south of Belgium), described in the Atlas of Walloon Karst 👉 www.cwepss.be/atlasKarst.htm

There are few visible features at the surface, and from here the slow process of chemical weathering begins.

Many articles jump straight to the processes beyond the first stage, but I liked the description in the Encyclopedia of the Environment 👉 www.encyclopedie-environnement.org/en/zoom/he-m...

𝗣𝗿𝗲-𝗸𝗮𝗿𝘀𝘁
First stage of karstification during which soluble rock is exposed but there is minimal dissolution and drainage mainly happens at the surface. The permeability of the rock is mainly linked to pores and cracks at the surface, and mechanical 'weathering' from decompression, plant roots, etc

Epikarst is an important factor for water quality and aquifer recharge.

I found the information and schematic provided by @thompsonriversu.bsky.social quite useful 👉 environmental-geology-dev.pressbooks.tru.ca/chapter/kars....

𝗘𝗽𝗶𝗸𝗮𝗿𝘀𝘁
The top layer, a porous zone where water first infiltrates.

Characterised by micro-fissures, depressions, and soil pockets or sometimes discrete openings such as swallets, shafts, or cave entrances. The epikarst acts as a natural filter, regulating water flow into deeper the karst systems.

𝗔𝗽𝗽𝗮𝗿𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗹𝘆 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝟴𝟭 𝗸𝗮𝗿𝘀𝘁 𝘁𝘆𝗽𝗲𝘀! Learn more about them here 👉 link.springer.com/article/10.1...

𝘝𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘴, 𝘔., 2020. 𝘒𝘢𝘳𝘴𝘵 𝘛𝘺𝘱𝘦𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘒𝘢𝘳𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘧𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯. 𝘑𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘯𝘢𝘭 𝘰𝘧 𝘌𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘩 𝘚𝘤𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦, 31(3): 621–634. 𝘩𝘵𝘵𝘱𝘴://𝘥𝘰𝘪.𝘰𝘳𝘨/10.1007/𝘴12583-020-1306-𝘹. 𝘩𝘵𝘵𝘱://𝘦𝘯.𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘩-𝘴𝘤𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦.𝘯𝘦𝘵

𝗞𝗮𝗿𝘀𝘁
Mature landscape shaped by the dissolution of soluble rocks, such as limestone or dolomite, over 1000s of years.

Characterised by sinkholes, caves, disappearing streams, and an extensive network of underground drainage systems.

Important for groundwater storage, biodiversity, and tourism.

𝗧𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲'𝘀 𝗸𝗮𝗿𝘀𝘁...𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲'𝘀 𝗲𝗽𝗶𝗸𝗮𝗿𝘀𝘁, 𝗽𝗿𝗲𝗸𝗮𝗿𝘀𝘁, 𝗳𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲𝘀, 𝗰𝗮𝘃𝗲𝘀...

Honestly, as someone who's not a specialist in this field (my colleague Amaël is), I couldn't see the forest for the trees, so I did some digging.

𝘛𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘪𝘴 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘐 𝘧𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥: