Project Details

Name: MARSOL
Launch Year: 2013

Research Areas:

ICCS Role:

    Partner

Managed Aquifer Recharge SOLutions

Storing water in aquifers during times of excess can help address water scarcity challenges experienced in many parts of the Mediterranean Basin. In principal, large storage capacity is available in shallow aquifers, either due to thick unsaturated zones or due to already depleted water resources in overexploited aquifers. In addition, water quality can be improved due to chemical and biological reactions during transport of the infiltrated water through the unsaturated and saturated zone. Therefore, Managed Aquifer Recharge (MAR) could be the key Water Resources Management (WRM) tool for tackling water scarcity in the Mediterranean and beyond.

In the MARSOL project we propose to: (1) review, evaluate and expand the worldwide available scientific and experimental knowledge on MAR, (2) demonstrate the feasibility and efficiency of MAR in combating future water scarcity threats in the Circum-Mediterranean area using unique DEMO sites, and (3) develop innovative solutions that can be generally applied to arid and semi-arid regions. For this, the MARSOL consortium combines the expertise of consultancies, water suppliers, research institutions, and public authorities ensuring high practical relevance and market intimacy.

ICCS role in MARSOL is to demonstrate the potential of the unsaturated zone to purify water of limited quality through infiltration, optimize TDR sensors for soil moisture monitoring at aquifer recharge projects and test them at the demo sites, design a ground penetrating imaging radar for monitoring of the plume in the area close to the infiltration basin as well as develop a web based data management platform for critical parameters monitoring and screening.