Groundwater is a high quality water and an important source of drinking water worldwide. Groundwater monitoring and management is therefore important and touches on various aspects of a sustainable society.
Groundwater is becoming increasingly scarce. This makes it all the more important to manage this groundwater efficiently.
Flux measurements provide a better understanding of the flow dynamics of groundwater. This allows groundwater reserves to be better managed and extremes to be limited.
Groundwater is not static. It is subject to seasonal fluctuations and climate extremes. Locally, groundwater can be affected by the drainage or pumping regimes that are linked to infrastructure or production.
Even though the groundwater dynamics can be mapped better by means of level measurements since the use of pressure sensors and GIS systems from the 2000's, this is often not 'real time'. After all, level changes are the delayed result of events. Only in a limited number of cases there is a clear link between changes in level and occuring circumstances or events.
The real time flux measurements with the digital sensor of iFLUX brings change.
Water fluxes can be measured digitally and can differ per measurement level. In addition, not only horizontal but also vertical fluxes (shallow depth) can be measured.
With horizontal water flux measurements, the direction of flow at a certain depth can also be displayed in real time. Triangulation is no longer necessary to determine the flow direction.
Together with water levels, digital water fluxes will enable us to obtain new insights. Mainly the flow dynamics will become clearer. A better understanding of the flow dynamics will give us more possibilities to go towards limiting extremes and a more active management of groundwater resources.
By also linking mass flux measurements to the digital measurements, larger area campaigns can be carried out on nutrients, ion exchanges, ... for ecological, water and waste management monitoring.