{"id":32688,"date":"2012-10-01T17:18:54","date_gmt":"2012-10-01T21:18:54","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/planetsave.com\/?p=32688"},"modified":"2012-10-01T17:18:54","modified_gmt":"2012-10-01T21:18:54","slug":"clean-groundwater-only-comes-from-healthy-groundwater-ecosystems","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/planetsave.com\/articles\/clean-groundwater-only-comes-from-healthy-groundwater-ecosystems\/","title":{"rendered":"Clean Groundwater Only Comes From Healthy Groundwater Ecosystems"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>&nbsp;<br \/>\nMore than two thirds of the drinking water used in Germany is groundwater, but currently the groundwater ecosystems that purify this water don&#8217;t have their habitat protected by law.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/planetsave.wpengine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/10\/20121001-141747.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full\" src=\"http:\/\/planetsave.wpengine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/10\/20121001-141747.jpg\" alt=\"20121001-141747.jpg\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>The more than 2,000 known species and uncounted microorganisms that live in these underground ecosystems do a great deal to clean the groundwater and greatly improve the quality of drinking water as a result.<\/p>\n<p>So now, The Institute for Environmental Sciences of the University of Koblenz-Landau has created &#8220;a draft for the geographical classification of groundwater fauna, which could be used as an important step for the evaluation of the environmental status of groundwater.&#8221; The long-term aim of this is to finally establish &#8220;suitable measures for the sustainable, ecologically-oriented management of groundwater.&#8221;<br \/>\n<script type=\"text\/javascript\"><!--\ngoogle_ad_client = \"ca-pub-6260354429531949\";\n\/* Nathan PS *\/\ngoogle_ad_slot = \"2067312064\";\ngoogle_ad_width = 468;\ngoogle_ad_height = 60;\n\/\/-->\n<\/script><br \/>\n<script type=\"text\/javascript\"\nsrc=\"http:\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/show_ads.js\">\n<\/script><br \/>\n&nbsp;<br \/>\n&#8220;European groundwater is bustling with at least 2,000 highly adapted, often very rare species such as turbellaria, rotifiers, water mites, fresh water amphipods and olms,&#8221; a news release on the matter states. &#8220;Groundwater therefore provides one of the largest continental and oldest habitats in Europe. <strong>The so-called ecosystem services provided by groundwater creatures are highly relevant: the species-rich bacteria and fauna clean the water in the subsoil by decomposing organic material which has fallen from the surface to the bottom<\/strong>.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>These life forms are also very well suited for use as bioindicators: because of their specialisation to their habitat, they are very affected by changes to it, &#8220;such as infiltration of surface water, fertilisers and pollutants such as metals and temperature fluctuations.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>In comparison to direct chemical analysis methods, this provides a much &#8220;earlier indication of changes in the water and in so doing make a significant contribution towards ensuring the quality of groundwater and therefore drinking water.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/planetsave.wpengine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/10\/20121001-141757.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full\" src=\"http:\/\/planetsave.wpengine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/10\/20121001-141757.jpg\" alt=\"20121001-141757.jpg\" \/><\/a><br \/>\nAnd now, after the publication of the essay &#8220;Stygoregions &#8212; a promising approach to a bioregional classification of groundwater systems,&#8221; the researchers being led by associate lecturer Dr. Hans J\u00fcrgen Hahn of the Institute for Environmental Sciences of the University of Koblenz-Landau together with Dr. Christian Griebler of the Institute of Groundwater Ecology of the Helmholtz Centre in Munich have created a new proposal for the &#8220;biogeographical classification of groundwater habitats in Germany.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;For this publication, data from the project &#8216;Development of biological evaluation methods and criteria for groundwater ecosystems&#8217; commissioned by the Federal Environment Agency (UBA) and the LAWA (the German Working Group on water issues of the Federal States and the Federal Government represented by the Federal Environment Ministry) as well as numerous other studies by the University of Koblenz-Landau was evaluated. This is the first ever proposal for a definition of ecological references for groundwater over a wide area. These may provide an important basis for defining whether the environmental status of groundwater is good.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Binding criteria and limits for the evaluation and sustainable protection of groundwater ecosystems can only be established on such a basis,&#8221; stresses Hahn. These requirements have long existed for surface waters, &#8220;however studies by the University of Koblenz-Landau have shown that this classification does not hold up for groundwater.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>So the researchers proposed a that a &#8220;groundwater-specific classification with four potential so-called stygoregions for groundwater,&#8221; using Germany as an example.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Sustainable groundwater management is only possible if the groundwater ecology is taken fully into consideration,&#8221; explains Hahn. &#8220;Fortunately those responsible for water management and water supply are open minded about this issue, because they too know that only healthy groundwater ecosystems provide clean groundwater.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Ultimately it is the politicians who are challenged to define the legal status of groundwater ecosytems. Although there are passages in laws such as the EU Groundwater Directive and the German Water Management Act in which groundwater is defined as waters and waterways and is therefore subject to the general principles of waterway management with all of its consequences and protective laws, to date there is no legal opinion or relevant precedent which would clarify the inconsistent legal situation and provide momentum to its implementation.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p><em>Source: <a href=\"http:\/\/www.alphagalileo.org\/ViewItem.aspx?ItemId=124469&amp;CultureCode=en\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Universit\u00e4t Koblenz-Landau<\/a><br \/>\n<\/em><em>Image Credits: Grabow\/Universit\u00e4t Koblenz-Landau; Hahn\/Universit\u00e4t Koblenz-Landau<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&nbsp; More than two thirds of the drinking water used in Germany is groundwater, but currently the groundwater ecosystems that purify this water don&#8217;t have their habitat protected by law. The more than 2,000 known species and uncounted microorganisms that live in these underground ecosystems do a great deal to clean the groundwater and greatly [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":118,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_uag_custom_page_level_css":"","site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[5,23,27,38],"tags":[16529,16532,16533,16534,16537,16538,31355,36485],"spectra_custom_meta":{"_rpuplugin_enabled":["yes"],"fb_social_plugin_settings_box_send":["default"],"fb_social_plugin_settings_box_comments":["default"],"dsq_thread_id":["902213653"],"penci_post_views_count":["758"],"penci_post_week_views_count":["5"],"penci_post_month_views_count":["15"],"dpsp_networks_shares":["a:4:{s:8:\"facebook\";i:0;s:11:\"google-plus\";i:0;s:9:\"pinterest\";i:0;s:8:\"linkedin\";i:0;}"],"dpsp_networks_shares_total":["0"],"dpsp_networks_shares_last_updated":["1567050835"],"rank_math_news_sitemap_robots":["index"],"rank_math_robots":["a:1:{i:0;s:5:\"index\";}"],"rank_math_og_content_image":["a:2:{s:5:\"check\";s:32:\"03c771f4a7fc21ee445d0a92dedd3400\";s:6:\"images\";a:0:{}}"],"_uag_page_assets":["a:9:{s:3:\"css\";s:263:\".uag-blocks-common-selector{z-index:var(--z-index-desktop) !important}@media (max-width: 976px){.uag-blocks-common-selector{z-index:var(--z-index-tablet) !important}}@media (max-width: 767px){.uag-blocks-common-selector{z-index:var(--z-index-mobile) !important}}\n\";s:2:\"js\";s:0:\"\";s:18:\"current_block_list\";a:4:{i:0;s:10:\"core\/image\";i:1;s:14:\"core\/paragraph\";i:2;s:12:\"core\/heading\";i:3;s:17:\"core\/latest-posts\";}s:8:\"uag_flag\";b:0;s:11:\"uag_version\";s:10:\"1714089639\";s:6:\"gfonts\";a:0:{}s:10:\"gfonts_url\";s:0:\"\";s:12:\"gfonts_files\";a:0:{}s:14:\"uag_faq_layout\";b:0;}"],"_uag_css_file_name":["uag-css-32688.css"]},"uagb_featured_image_src":{"full":false,"thumbnail":false,"medium":false,"medium_large":false,"large":false,"1536x1536":false,"2048x2048":false},"uagb_author_info":{"display_name":"James Ayre","author_link":"https:\/\/planetsave.com\/author\/nathan\/"},"uagb_comment_info":0,"uagb_excerpt":"&nbsp; More than two thirds of the drinking water used in Germany is groundwater, but currently the groundwater ecosystems that purify this water don&#8217;t have their habitat protected by law. The more than 2,000 known species and uncounted microorganisms that live in these underground ecosystems do a great deal to clean the groundwater and greatly&hellip;","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/planetsave.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/32688"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/planetsave.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/planetsave.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/planetsave.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/118"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/planetsave.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=32688"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/planetsave.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/32688\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/planetsave.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=32688"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/planetsave.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=32688"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/planetsave.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=32688"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}