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Storm Anatol was a serious winter storm of northern Europe on 3–4 December 1999. There were hurricane force winds in Denmark leading large scale power outages, closed road networks, and building damage. There was also a serious storm surge along the North Sea coasts of Denmark, Germany, and Netherlands. A detailed analysis of tide gauge data around the North Sea is carried out to study the storm surge and short period fluctuations of water level, which may be linked with large waves.

Since the problem of energy forecasting in SHPPs without storage capacity is little explored, we apply simple schemes to investigate: (a) the essential model structure and information; (b) the advantages of first using a flow forecasting model, instead of a direct energy forecasting; (c) the importance of rainfall data, as a proxy of the catchment state; (d) the training procedure and performance measure; and (e) the representation of predictive uncertainty and its practical interpretation.

Radon gas is the largest source of public exposure to naturally occurring radioactivity. Radon can also be used, as a tracer to improve indirectly the estimates of greenhouse gases important for supporting successful GHG mitigation strategies. Both climate and radiation protection research communities need improved traceable low-level atmospheric radon measurements. The EMPIR project 19ENV01 traceRadon started to provide the necessary measurement infrastructure and transfer standards.

Tritium concentration analyses were performed on groundwater samples collected in wells in the south part of Treviso city, to correlated the presence of tritium with the young age of the water recharge. The results show strong differences in recharge by recent rainwater which reflect the variation in permeability of the sediments. The aquifer analyzed was vulnerable to prolonged drought periods which could produce a worsening of water quality, consequently limiting water availability.

Seismic imaging while drilling (SWD) technology offers possibilities of imaging ahead of the drill-bit, which is valuable information for optimizing drilling efficiency. An SWD field test was carried out in August 2020 at an exploration drilling test site in Örebro, Sweden, with the aim to determine if the signals from hammer drilling can be used for seismic imaging around the drill-bit. A comparison with the seismic data generated with a conventional seismic source shows reasonable agreement.

Underground laboratories (ULs) are of great interest and must be adequately tested, a.o. for their natural radioactivity (NR). It is essential from the point of view of safety and radiological protection of people and the success of underground experiments. The article contains a summary of six ULs operating in the Baltic Sea region regarding their NR. The study was performed using specialized measurement methods. The lowest level of NR characterizes salt deposit in Conceptual Lab (Cuprum).

There is a growing need in health and climate research for high-quality radon observations. A variety of radon monitors, with different uncertainties, operate across global networks. Better compatibility between the measurements is required. Here we describe a novel, portable two-filter radon monitor with a calibration traceable to the International System of Units, and demonstrate the transfer of a traceable calibration from this instrument to a separate monitor under field conditions.

Sardinia Region promoted a plan to protect the population from exposure to radon gas. Communication activities are ancillary to develop the whole monitoring and risk identification, a work in collaboration among professionals, a dialogue with policy-makers and the community in general, to develop awareness and prevention. Strengths, weaknesses and lessons learned are shown.

Airborne Gamma-Ray spectrometry (AGRS) is a rapid method to identify and quantify natural as well as man-made radionuclides in large areas. The quantitative response of a standard AGRS detection system was simulated with the Monte Carlo radiation transport code FLUKA. Based on validation measurements with radiation sources, the simulation results show superior accuracy compared to previous models. The validated model can be used for an improved calibration of AGRS systems.

Indoor/outdoor air exchange on indoor radon concentration was investigated. We evaluated the effect of air exchange on radon concentration in a scale model room. Air introduction was more effective than air extraction to reduce indoor radon, especially at higher flow rates. The presence of plasterboard shields on the inner walls of the room improved the results. This suggests that the combined use of inner coatings and outdoor air introduction are a good strategy for radon mitigation.

A radon long-range atmospheric transport modelling is set up from soil (exhalation) to soil (deposition of its progeny) and the consequent ambient gamma dose rate is evaluated. The whole is statistically assessed in regards to more than 15 000 gamma dose rate peaks. The model has proven to be of the correct magnitude, with room for substantial improvements. It may be used to validate an atmospheric transport modelling and to test any exhalation maps of radon at continental scale.

Porosity-permeability relations are simulated for a precipitation-dissolution cycle in a virtual sandstone. A hysteresis in permeability is observed depending on the geochemical process and dominating reaction regime, whereby permeability varies by more than two orders of magnitude. Controlling parameters for this hysteresis phenomenon are the closure and re-opening of micro-scale flow channels, derived from changes in pore throat diameter and connectivity of the pore network.

Safety assessments must demonstrate that radionuclides in potential disposal sites are retained within the containment providing rock zone using reactive transport simulations. Here, this is quantified for the example of uranium in the hydrogeological system of the Opalinus Clay at Mont Terri. Our work clearly shows how sensitive migration lengths resulting from simulations are to the model conceptualisation and selection of underlying data.

This paper explores the impact of low enthalpy geothermal energy (LEGE) on the behaviour of organic contaminants of emerging concern (CECs). Specifically, we investigate the impact of LEGE on phenazone that is an analgesic drug commonly reported in urban aquifers. CECs pose a risk for the environment and human health, and thus, they must be eliminated to increase the available fresh-water resources in urban areas, where water scarcity is a matter of concern due to the population growth.

The occurrence of pharmaceuticals was investigated in an urban aquifer that might be a resource for water supply. Among the 92 pharmaceuticals, 35 were detected in all groundwater samples, ranging from the low ng/L to 44.5 µg/L. The concentration of some substances decreased along the bank filtration, suggesting the occurrence of natural attenuation processes. Finally, risk quotients showed that these substances did not pose a risk to human health at groundwater measured concentrations.

The TRANSPORT Simulation Environment (TRANSPORTSE) was coupled with the geochemical reaction module PHREEQC, providing multiple new features that make it applicable to complex reactive transport problems in various geoscientific fields. Two computationally demanding and complex geochemical benchmarks were used in the present study to successfully verify the code implementation.

The geothermal hot water reservoir below the small town of Waiwera in New Zealand has been known to the indigenous Maori for many centuries. Overproduction by European immigrants led to a water level decrease and consequently artesian flow from the wells and the seeps on the beach ceased. The Te Kaunihera o Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland Council established the Waiwera Thermal Groundwater Allocation and Management Plan to allow the geothermal system to recover.

Within the Cheap-GSHPs and GEO4CIVHIC projects, innovations were advanced in the field of ground heat exchangers design for shallow geothermal systems. Among these, a metallic type has been proposed that can be installed in direct contact with the underground. As carbon steel is prone to corrosion and corrosivity varies based on site-specific underground conditions, a laboratory assessment methodology was applied to metal samples to assess the corrosion rate and forecast the durability.

The present study, uses density-driven flow and transport models to evaluate mechanisms of saline water intrusion from deep aquifers into the freshwater column used for drinking water supply under different boundary conditions and for a specific site in the German Federal State of Brandenburg. Results show that mainly decreasing groundwater recharge leads to increased and earlier salinisation which highlights the need for waterworks to initiate effective countermeasures quickly and in time.

In the current climate and socioeconomic context, The Katari and Minor Lake Titicaca basin (Bolivia) has special interest because of the sensitive and vulnerable environment and ecosystems around the Titicaca Lake. These environments support traditional local human populations and other beneficial human activities. That is why we made workshops with local authorities and performed a global vision of the aquifer behavior and its vulnerability, which would generate a better decision-make process.

For a potential utilisation of coal resources located in Hungary, an assessment of groundwater pollution resulting from a water-borne contaminant pool has been undertaken. A sensitivity analysis was carried out by means of numerical simulations. Simulation results demonstrate that fluid flow via the regional faults is the main driver for a potential contamination of shallow groundwater aquifers. A parameter correlation analysis is presented.

The knowledge of the aquifer characteristics and its quality together with these vulnerable areas may lead to improve the installation of SUDS, reducing the input of contaminants through these infrastructures. The implementation of this methodology aims to facilitate water users and urban managers to control their potential negative effects on the receiving water body. In addtion, the outcomes of its application may be used to optimize the groundwater management in the city.

The project develops an integrated methodology to optimise the protection of groundwater catchments from urban pollution. This requires identifying their origins which are not always known, characterising composition and importance in terms of pollutant load, assessing current/future risks for the environment and the catchment itself, and the need for remediation. To do so, a combination of tracers and approaches has been applied and a decision-making reference system is going to be developed.

The quantification of the impacts on the environment and human health is a crucial prerequisite for geological sub-surface utilisation projects. With the presented approach, the shortcomings of using conceptually simplified models are substantially reduced, since subsurface complexities are accounted for. The transparency of the assessment basis should generally increase the acceptance of geoengineering projects, considered one of the crucial aspects for geological subsurface utilisation.