International Association Of Hydrogeologists Research Articles

Preliminary selection of the most significant karst springs in Bulgaria

In June 2022, the Karst Commission of the International Association of Hydrogeologists (IAH) initiated, under the auspices of UNESCO, the adoption and implementation of the project „Most Important Karst Aquifer Karst Springs (MIKAS)”. The project is completely implemented on a voluntary basis and is based on the knowledge and professional experience of leading karst scientists from almost all countries of the world. The coordinator of MIKAS is Prof. Zoran Stevanović from the University of Belgrade. Bulgaria is also participating in the implementation of the project. The aim of the present study is a preliminary selection of nationally significant karst springs, based on published information, as well as the experience and knowledge of the Bulgarian karst experts participating in the project. According to the team’s research so far, the karst springs Glava Panega, Andaka near Dryanovo, Iskrets spring, Devnya springs, Toplya spring and the spring from the Musinska Cave have the highest probability of being proposed for inclusion in the Global List.

Topical Collection: International Year of Groundwater—managing future societal and environmental challenges

Groundwater’s role in maintaining the well-being of the planet is increasingly acknowledged. Only recently has society recognised groundwater as a key component of the water cycle. To improve public understanding and the proper use of groundwater, the hydrogeological community must expand its efforts in groundwater assessment, management, and communication. The International Association of Hydrogeologists (IAH) intends to help achieve the United Nation’s water-related Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by the adoption of innovative hydrogeological strategies. This essay introduces a topical collection that encapsulates IAH’s 2022 ‘Year for Groundwater’.

Guidelines for sustainable management of groundwater inflows and geothermal heat in tunnels

The Guidelines for sustainable management of groundwater inflows and geothermal heat in tunnels were developed by members of the Italian Committee of the International Association of Hydrogeologists (IAH) GESTAG working group. The GESTAG working group was set up by the Italian chapter of the IAH (https://www.iahitaly.it). This guideline was approved by the Board of the Italian Chapter of the IAH on 20/09/2022. IAH Italian Committee: Sergio Rusi (President), Stefania Da Pelo (Secretary), Manuela Lasagna, Vincenzo Piscopo, Luca Alberti, Giovanna De Filippis, Diego Di Curzio, Giovanni Forte, Marco Petitta, Elisabetta Preziosi, Marco Rotiroti, Glenda Taddia, Alberto Tazioli, Riccardo Torri, Daniela Valigi, Valentina Vincenzi. Coordinator of the GESTAG working group: Antonio Dematteis. Contributing authors: Antonio Dematteis (Chap. 1), Riccardo Torri, (Chap. 2), Fabrizio Grosso and Paolo Perello (Chap. 3), Alessandro Gargini and Valentina Vincenzi (Chap. 4), Antonio Dematteis, (Chap. 5), Marco Barla, Alessandra Insana, Francesco Cecinato, Daniela Blessent, Daniele Pedretti, Paolo Cerutti (Chap. 6), Alessandro Boscaro (Chap. 7), Maria Elena Parisi (Chap. 8), Guido Ruffinatto, Sergio Vazzoler, Antonio Dematteis (Chap. 9), Maria Governa, Luca Ranfagni (Chap. 10) and Valentina Vincenzi (Chap. 11). Editors: Paolo Cerutti, Alessandro Gargini, and Antonio Dematteis.

Fifty years of history of the Karst Commission of the International Association of Hydrogeologists

The Commission on Karst Hydrogeology, also known as the Karst Commission (KC), was founded in 1970 in Neuchâtel, Switzerland, and it is an important part of the International Association of Hydrogeologists (IAH). The general idea was to organise a group of hydrogeologists from different countries, with relevant experience in karst hydrogeology, to promote cooperation among scientists interested in karst topics, exchange experiences and, particularly, create an optimal strategy for groundwater resources development. From foundation until today, more than 40 formal meetings and many informal KC gatherings (including field trips) have been convened in different karst regions, and a number of papers and books have been published by KC members. The first publication in the IAH book series International Contributions to Hydrogeology (the “blue books”) was on the subject of karst, presenting the experiences gleaned from a number of development projects from various karst regions, as well as bibliographic data on karst research of the time. Today, the KC is one of the most active IAH groups, with 70 permanent members from 6 continents and many young researchers, whose work is supported by funding and regular awards. The KC members have led or have been involved in many projects run with international cooperation. The two largest, completed in the course of the past decade, are the World Karst Aquifer Map (WOKAM) and the Dinaric Karst Transboundary Aquifer System (DIKTAS) projects. This paper summarizes the history of the KC to date.

国際水文地質学会(A.I.H.)の沿革とその活動

国際水文地質学会(A.I.H.)の沿革とその活動

International Association of Hydrogeologists and China

International Association of Hydrogeologists and China

Comment on “The International Association of Hydrogeologists (IAH): reflecting on 60 years of contributions to groundwater science and water management”: article published in Hydrogeology Journal (2016) 24: 1069–1086, by Willi Struckmeier, Ken Howard and John Chilton

Comment on “The International Association of Hydrogeologists (IAH): reflecting on 60 years of contributions to groundwater science and water management”: article published in Hydrogeology Journal (2016) 24: 1069–1086, by Willi Struckmeier, Ken Howard and John Chilton

World Multidisciplinary Earth Sciences Symposium (WMESS 2016)

The World Multidisciplinary Earth Sciences symposium (WMESS) 2016 was held in the Prague, Duo hotel from 5th to 9th September, 2016. After the great success of WMESS 2015, with more than 500 participants from more than 50 countries, symposium became popular for scientists of different topics, classical and contemporary research related to Geosciences. This volume of Journal IOP Conference Series: Earth and Environmental Science contains 175 articles collected in four sections. The World Multidisciplinary Earth Sciences symposium created a unique opportunity for participants to share research and work experience in the fields of Earth Sciences, providing a forum for early career researchers, for presentation of their work and discussion of their ideas with experts in different fields such as; Tectonics & Structural Geology - Engineering Geology - Geotechnics - Hydro-Hydrogeological Sciences - Natural Hazards - Oil, Gas & Coal, - Geothermal Energy - Geomorphology - Geochemistry, Mineralogy, Petrology & Volcanology - Stratigraphy, Sedimentology & Palaeontology - Geophysics & Seismology - Geodesy, Photogrammetry & Cartography - Informatics, Geoinformatics & Remote Sensing - Mining Engineering - Mineral Processing - Blasting & New Technologies - Natural Resources - Environmental Sciences - Energy, Resources & Pollution & the Environment - Environmental Legislation - Biogeosciences - Geological Heritage & Geoparks - Urban Planning - Atmospheric Sciences - Climatology - Glaciology - Modelling and Soft Computing Techniques in Earth Sciences.The main mission of the "World Multidisciplinary Earth Sciences Symposium - WMESS" is to lead to contribution in multidisciplinary studies related with atmosphere, biosphere, hydrosphere, lithosphere and pedosphere of the Earth and interaction of humans with them. As another mission, it provides a forum for this diverse range of studies which report the very latest results and document emerging understanding of the Earth's system and our place in it. This year, the Scientific Committee and Institutional Scientific Partners of WMESS were filled by paying close attention, and all members were selected from well-known, very much appreciated, productive and representative persons from different countries. We are deeply grateful to the members of the scientific committee and institutional scientific partners (International Association for Engineering Geology & the Environment - IAEG, International Union of Soil Sciences - IUSS, International Geographical Union - IGU, The International Association of Hydrogeologists - IAH, Geological Sciences of Italy - SGI, Czech Soil Science Society - CSSS, Arabian Geosciences Union - ArabGU, The Society of Economic Geology of Romania - SEGR, World Meteorological Organization - WMO, International Medical Geology Association - IMGA, Russian Mineralogical Society - RMS, University of Petrosani), Geological Society of Africa - GSAf of WMESS. We would also like to thank our main sponsors - LAMA Energy group, LAMA Gas & oil.The organizing committee appreciates enormous work of editorial board and reviewers in the preparation of this volume. This year volume was edited by Marian Drusa and co-editors Isik Yilmaz, Marian Marschalko, Anna Maria Ferrero, Ibolya Torok and Nazan Yalcin Erik. We would like to express our sincere thanks to all authors and presenters for their valuable research contributions. We wish you to enjoy the World Multidisciplinary Earth Sciences Symposium – WMESS 2016 and a pleasant stay in the city of romance Prague. We hope to see you again during the next event WMESS 2017, which will be held in Prague (Czech Republic) during 11-15 September, 2017.

The International Association of Hydrogeologists (IAH): reflecting on 60 years of contributions to groundwater science and water management

Abstract The 60th anniversary of the founding of the International Association of Hydrogeologists (IAH) is an important milestone that allows pause for reflection on how the association has evolved over the years and the contributions it has made to groundwater science and water management. IAH was founded in 1956 at the 20th International Geological Congress and developed rapidly during the 1980s and 1990s in response to a growing global interest in groundwater mapping and in sound approaches to resource protection and sustainable aquifer management. Incorporated in 2000, IAH has now secured its position as the world’s leading international association specialising in groundwater with over 4,100 members in 131 countries. Much credit for this success must go to members, past and present, whose individual efforts and collaboration with sister institutions are documented here. These members have shaped the association’s goals and contributed selflessly to its scientific programmes, publications and educational and charitable activities. Looking ahead to the next 60 years, it is essential that IAH does not rest on past achievements but listens and adjusts to the needs of members while continuing to pursue its mission of furthering the understanding, wise use and protection of groundwater resources throughout the world.

Introductory Editorial: Thematic issue: “Utilization of Thermal and Mineral Waters”

This special thematic issue contains selected presentations from the 2012 yearly meeting of the International Association of Hydrogeologists (IAH) Commission on Mineral and Thermal Waters (CMTW). The meeting and longestablished framework of a field trip in conjunction with it was held 12–18 August 2015, in Budapest and several other Hungarian locales. Main topics of the meeting were Groundwater, Thermal and Mineral water in karstic terrains and porous sedimentary basins, and Utilization of thermal and mineral waters. The Headquarters of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences in Budapest was the location for a day-long series of nine presentations covering three main topics:

Introductory editorial thematic issue: Mediterranean karst hydrogeology

This Special Thematic Issue of Environmental Earth Sciences (EES) is a collection of contributions from authors of the Mediterranean region in the specific field of karst hydrogeology. The editors invited well known researchers from Mediterranean countries, some of whom are members of the International Association of Hydrogeologists (IAH) Karst Commission, and encouraged them to provide a general or case history paper. Apologies are made to authors who were not invited with the hope to involve them in future projects. The idea to have such an issue originated during a meeting organised by the IAH-Italian Chapter in preparation for the 42nd Congress of IAH to be held in Rome in September 2015 (AQUA 2015). This opportunity is taken to thank the President of the Organising Committee of the IAH Congress, Marco Petitta, (University of Rome ‘‘La Sapienza’’) and Jo de Waele (University of Bologna) who have supported the idea and facilitated arrangements for this Special Thematic Issue. Support of the Editor in Chief of EES, James LaMoreaux, who approved the idea and followed up the publication process, is gratefully acknowledged. Thanks are also given to the Italian IAH Chapter, University of Rome ‘‘La Sapienza’’ and University of Sannio, which supported this issue. Finally, papers in this issue provide material that complements the Guides for several of the excursions organised on the occasion of this congress. Interest in karst aquifers continues to increase worldwide mainly because groundwater resources in these environments are generally more abundant than those in other environments which have been greatly exploited. In Mediterranean countries research in the field of karst hydrogeology has a long history and most methods have been applied and/or developed in various case studies in this region. The importance of karst aquifers in the Mediterranean area also relates to locally specific climatic conditions, characterised by long, dry and hot summers. Especially in the southern and eastern parts of the Mediterranean, the dry period could extend more than 6 months while in contrast the wet period could be reduced to 1–2 months. In such a climatic context variation of groundwater reserves in karst aquifers and the deficit of water in waterworks during dry periods (summer–autumn) is more the rule than the exception. Many engineering master works have been constructed in the past with the aim of regulating karst aquifer regimes; protecting fresh ground water from sea water intrusion; or keeping vulnerable karstic waters from uncontrolled pollution. These attempts have had great importance in the historical and economic development of the Mediterranean area as well as its civilization. The most powerful karst springs were easily tapped, and gravity channels allowed water to be supplied to high concentrations of people. Most large towns along the shoreline built up in the vicinity of large karstic springs. Ancient Rome and its empire are probably the most significant example: powerful karst springs fed ancient aqueducts, supplying large quantities of water for towns, villages, harbours, thermes and pools. More than 13 m/s of water flowed during that time & Francesco Fiorillo francescofiorillo@libero.it; francesco.fiorillo@unisannio.it

Thematic issue: groundwater resources management

Groundwater plays a significant role in the overall circulation of water through the hydrologic cycle. Worldwide, groundwater sources constitute about 25% of total freshwater available, and in many areas, groundwater is the sole source of potable water. Groundwater has usually been considered as a readily available and safe source of water for domestic, agricultural and industrial uses. Groundwater supplies are not unlimited. Its use should be properly planned based on an understanding of the local hydrogeologic setting to ensure sustainable resources. In many areas, extraction of excessive quantities of groundwater has resulted in progressive depletion of resources and the decline of the local water table. Usage in excess of sustainable limits can lead to other adverse consequences: land subsidence, deterioration of groundwater quality, sea water intrusion, degradation of associated surface water streams, ecological damage, and negative impacts on human and animal health. With growing industrialization and other changes in land use, coupled with increased effluent from domestic, agricultural, and industrial growth, a gradual decline in groundwater quality is the common result. Expert, wellorganized water resources planning is the key to preserving water quality. Regional and local policies and strategies for groundwater development and management must be realistic and flexible to be effective for ensuring long-term use of this valuable resource. In this thematic issue, invited research from attendees of the international symposium on ‘‘Efficient Groundwater Resources Management’’, held in Bangkok, Thailand, February 16–18, 2009 are presented, as well as some other manuscripts on the subject. The theme of this important meeting, which was organized by the Department of Groundwater Resources under the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, Thailand was ‘‘Groundwater – The Challenge of Quantity and Quality for a Sustainable Future.’’ Co-Organizers were the Thai Hydrogeology Association and the Geological Society of Thailand. CoSponsors were the International Association of Hydrogeologists; UNESCO-International Hydrological Program; Coordinating Committee for Geosciences Programs in East and Southeast Asia; World Bank GW-MATE; and HydroGeoLogic Inc., USA. Manuscripts presented in this thematic issue focus on areas including effective assessment of groundwater opportunities and hazards; efficient groundwater management for urban and rural areas; emerging threats to groundwater quantity and quality; protecting groundwater resources; and groundwater regulation and governance, among other topics. Special thanks are extended to Ashim das Gupta, Oranuj Lorphrensri, and Sucharit Koontanakulvong for their service in helping coordinate this thematic issue.

Editor’s Message: Editors’ Choice articles for 2012 and next theme issue

“Editors’ Choice” articles are ones selected for special attention by the Hydrogeology Journal (HJ) editorial team and the guest editors of the year’s theme issue. These articles may be selected for any of several good reasons including: outstanding science, innovative approach, potentially important conclusions, interesting field area or phenomenon, unusual topic, political/social/historical/ philosophical interest, etc. The HJ editors believe that our readers will find these articles to be somehow interesting or useful. At the conclusion of each publishing year, the editors select up to five articles from among the year’s crop of about 150 published articles. Both authors and readers of the selected articles benefit because Editors’ Choice articles are: (1) highlighted on the International Association of Hydrogeologists’ (IAH) website and in the IAH newsletter, and (2) Springer Verlag, HJ’s publisher, makes these articles freely available on their website for full viewing and downloading at no cost to everyone for a number of years. The Editors’ Choice articles for the 2012 publishing year are given in Table 1. Congratulations to all of these authors!

Editors’ message: Online re-publication of legacy articles on the occasion of Hydrogeology Journal’s 20th anniversary, 1992–2012

Hydrogeology Journal (HJ), initiated by the International Association of Hydrogeologists (IAH) and the Founding Editor, Professor Eugene Simpson of the University of Arizona, USA, first appeared in 1992. The journal was initially entitled “Applied Hydrogeology” and its introductory issue was ‘volume 0’. As volume 20 of 2012 becomes complete with publication of the current issue, the HJ team, IAH, and Springer Verlag (HJ’s publisher) are marking this significant anniversary by re-publishing 54 articles that have not been widely available. These legacy articles existed only in old printed issues, inaccessible to most readers. By early 2013, they will be accessible in the online library of Hydrogeology Journal (http:// www.springer.com/hydrogeologyjournal). Before Springer became HJ’s new publisher in 1998, the journal appeared exclusively in paper issues. Much of this printed material was scanned and published in the online HJ library by Springer in 2000; however, at that time, some printed articles were inadvertently overlooked. These forgotten articles will be re-published in the online library with newly assigned digital object identifiers (DOIs), which provide formal references to the new online publications. Other forgotten printed articles in early issues had not appeared on normally numbered journal pages (being printed on ‘A pages’ instead). Articles on these pages are not recognized as formal publications and so were not scanned in 2000. These ‘A-page’ articles are now available online as electronic supplementary material (ESM) associated with this Editors’ message. A variety of distinguished authors, article types and both interesting and useful historical and technical subjects are included in these articles. A brief description of their content is provided below (with reference to the list of re-published legacy articles in Table 1). Online publication of these articles by IAH and Springer makes complete the online library of all articles that ever appeared in Applied Hydrogeology and Hydrogeology Journal. Happy 20th Anniversary Hydrogeology Journal!

Editor’s message: Editors’ Choice articles for 2011 and upcoming theme issues

“Editors’ Choice” articles are ones selected for special attention by the Hydrogeology Journal (HJ) editorial team and the Guest Editors of the year’s theme issue. These articles may be selected for any of several good reasons including: outstanding science, innovative approach, potentially important conclusions, interesting field area or phenomenon, unusual topic, political/social/historical/ philosophical interest, etc. The HJ Editors believe that our readers would (or should!) find these articles to be somehow interesting or useful. At the conclusion of each publishing year, the Editors select up to five articles from among the year’s crop of about 150 published articles. Both authors and readers of the selected articles benefit because Editors’ Choice articles are: (1) highlighted on the International Association of Hydrogeologists’ (IAH) website and in the IAH newsletter, and (2) Springer Verlag, HJ’s publisher, makes these articles freely available on their website for full viewing and downloading at no cost to everyone. The Editors’ Choice articles for the 2011 publishing year are given in Table 1. Congratulations to all of these authors!

Regionalization of models for operational purposes in developing countries: an introduction

This special edition is a compilation of papers delivered orally at the workshop on regionalization of models for operational purposes in developing countries held during the joint International Association of Hydrological Sciences (IAHS) and International Association of Hydrogeologists (IAH) International Convention in Hyderabad, India during September 2009. The overall theme of the convention was ‘Water: A vital resource under stress – how can science help?’ How science can help solve practical water resources management problems and regionalization of models have been recurring themes in hydrological science over the last few decades. If anything, however, the gap between scientific developments and their application in practice has widened, notably in developing countries where financial and institutional constraints continue to be difficult to overcome. While data scarcity remains a major problem, a combination of developments in models, availability of remotely sensed data and an understanding of the treatment of uncertainty implies that we can overcome many of the data deficiency issues. Unfortunately, this does not seem to be the case in practice, and effective and sustainable technology transfer remains elusive in many developing countries.

Berkner Fellows at 2009 Joint Assembly

Students and young scientists from economically depressed and developing countries who were this year's recipients of Berkner Travel Fellowships gathered for a reception on 26 May during the Joint Assembly in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Joint Assembly, part of AGU's international collaboration program, was sponsored by eight societies: AGU; Canadian Geophysical Union; Geological Association of Canada; International Association of Hydrogeologists, Canadian National Chapter; Mineralogical Association of Canada; Society of Exploration Geophysicists; Mineralogical Society of America; and Geochemical Society.Attendance and participation in the meeting by students and young researchers from different countries and research fields are major objectives of AGU and partner societies. Berkner Travel Fellowships provide fellows with financial support for meeting registration, travel, and subsistence while attending the meeting. Applicants must be under 36 years of age, a first author and presenter of an oral or poster abstract at Joint Assembly, and a permanent resident of a low‐income or lower‐middle‐income country.

Foreword to the special issue on IAH-CMTW session, Stana the Vale, Romania, 7–11 October, 2007

This special issue contains selected presentations from the 2007 yearly meeting of the Commission on Mineral and Thermal Waters (CMTW) held in Stana de Vale, Romania. As 2008 was CMTW’s 40th year, it is worth mentioning that CMTW is one of the statutory bodies (working groups) of the International Association of Hydrogeologists (IAH). The Commission was established in August 1968 in Prague, Czechoslovakia, during the 23rd session of the International Geological Congress. Since then it has convened 40 annual meetings. Each meeting is organized independently by an esteemed scientific advisory board of noted hydrogeologists and other scientists many of whom have participated since its inception. Organized by CMTW members in their respective countries, the majority of these events have taken place in Europe, with members of the Commission from other continents of Africa, Australia and North America attending regularly. Annual meetings routinely are comprised of scientific sessions, field trips and business meetings. During scientific sessions members and invited speakers present results of various research concerning legislative issues, hydrogeology and technical field work. Updated information is also presented concerning exploration and utilization of mineral and thermal waters primarily in the country hosting the meeting. The field trips usually cover important areas of thermal and mineral waters in the host country. By combining the scientific conference and the field trip with a briefing by local colleagues, a comprehensive acclimatization is provided to the host country’s mineral and thermal waters along with a more general update of mineral and thermal waters hydrogeology. At the business meetings, members of the Commission, decide organizational issues, such as acceptance of new members, future plans and projects. The objective of the Commission is to bring together scientists, engineers and other professionals dealing with mineral and thermal waters. Nowadays members are mostly hydrogeologists working in various governmental agencies and private organizations. Parent institutions usually support members’ participation in meetings held in other countries and help them organize meetings in their own country. Some members, although retired, remain active as consultants in their field. The Commission is honored to have among its members such internationally recognized professionals: Ambassador Professor Jan Dowgiallo, expert hydrogeologist and former member and honorable chairman of the Commission; Mr. Hussein Idris, former deputy chairman of the Commission and president of the Egyptian national chapter of IAH, chairman of several companies and now active as Consulting Engineer and Hydrogeologist; as well as late Dr Philip E. LaMoreaux, long time CMTW member, internationally recognized professional hydrogeologist, former IAH President, and Editor in Chief of Environmental Geology; Dr John E. Moore, member of the Commission and former President of IAH and of American Institute of Hydrology (AIH), and Chairman of the IAH Education Commission; Dr JeanJacques Risler, former Vice-President of the CMTW; and Professor Ladislaus Rybach, internationally recognized professional in the field of geothermics and President of International Geothermal Association (IGA). Commission sessions give participants unique, direct and visual opportunities to become familiar with specific problems in the field of hydrogeology and exploration and utilization of mineral and thermal waters; to exchange A. Porowski (&) Institute of Geological Sciences, Polish Academy of Sciences, Twarda 51/55, 00-818 Warsaw, Poland e-mail: adam@twarda.pan.pl; adamp@twarda.pan.pl

Water Chemistry and Isotope Studies In Aksaray Geothermal Fields (Acıgöl-Ziga-Şahinkalesi), Central Anatolia, Turkey

The basement in the study area is comprised of gneisses of Paleozoic Tamadaq formation, marbles of Bozcaldag formation and Upper Cretaceous Baranadag granitoid intrusion into the above-mentioned rocks. These units have unconformable relations with Lower Eocene Cayraz formation and sedimentary rocks of Upper Eocene - Lower Miocene Mezgit group. All these units are unconformably overlain by Middle Miocene- Quaternary tuffs, ignimbrites with sedimentary intercalations and rocks of Cappadocia Volcanic belt represented by tuffites with sedimentary interbedding, basaltic lavas, volcanic ashes, pumice, dacitic-rhyodacitic lava domes. The study area contains Ziga and AClgol (Narkoy) thermal fields which have a temperature of 44-65 °C from wells and hot springs. Hydrothermal alterations surrounding the geothermal area; young volcanic and tectonic activity, and the hot springs are the surface manifestation of the geothermal possibilities in the area. Reservoir rocks of the geothermal system are Paleozoic gneiss, schist and marbles. Cap rocks of the system in the study area are hydrothermally altered tuffs and ignimbrites. According to the classification of IAH (International Association of Hydrogeologists) standards while; all of the cold waters are Ca-Mg-HCO3 and CaHCO3 type in the region, the hot waters of the Acigol field are classified as Ca-Na-HCO3-CI type and mineralized hot waters, the hot waters in Ziga field are classified as Na-CI-HCO3 type and B bearing mineralized hot waters, the hot water of Sahinkalesi field (from well) is classified as non-mineralized thermal water. Deuterium results suggest 1500-1600 m recharging elevation for hot springs and water chemistry and isotope studies imply that recharging area may extend up to the foothills of the Hasandaq. Tritium analyses have revealed that the hot water was recharged from precipitation before nuclear tests experienced before 1952 (I.e. older than 60 years). According to SiO2 - enthalpy mixing model, 155°C reservoir temperature and 65% cold water mix were calculated for AClgol field. On the basis of chalcedony geothermometer, 114-160°C, 69-93 °C and 135°C and on the basis of quartz geothermometer 140-181 °C, 99-121 °C, and 159°C reservoir temperatures were calculated for Acigol, Ziga and Sahinkalesi geothermal fields, respectively.

Transboundary Aquifers: A Global Programme to Assess, Evaluate & Develop Policy

Transboundary aquifers are as important a component of global water resource systems as are transboundary rivers; yet, their recognition in international water policy and legislation is very limited. Existing international conventions and agreements barely address aquifers and their resources. To rectify this deficiency, the International Association of Hydrogeologists and UNESCO's International Hydrological Programme have established the Internationally Shared (transboundary) Aquifer Resource Management (ISARM) Programme. This multiagency cooperative program has launched a number of global and regional initiatives. These are designed to delineate and analyze transboundary aquifer systems and to encourage riparian states to work cooperatively toward mutually beneficial and sustainable aquifer development. The agencies participating in ISARM include international and regional organizations (e.g., Organization of American States, United Nations Environment Programme, United Nations Economic Commission for Europe, Food and Agriculture Organization, and South African Development Community). Using outputs of case studies, the ISARM Programme is building scientific, legal, environmental, socioeconomic, and institutional guidelines and recommendations to aid sharing nations in the management of their transboundary aquifers. Since its start in 2000, the program has completed inventories of transboundary aquifers in the Americas and Africa and several ISARM case studies have commenced.