We provide long-term, groundwater-related capability in the hydrosciences for the benefit of the UK and internationally. Our research addresses issues related to:
- the sustainability of water resources and quality
- the effects of environmental change on the water cycle
- natural hazards in the context of groundwater
- groundwater and human health
We undertake groundwater-related monitoring and surveys and have extensive data and information, much of which is accessible through the dedicated BGS Groundwater website.
With our partners, we undertake integrated catchment studies through the development of field sites and novel monitoring technologies, the development of groundwater models and the provision of supporting services and analytical facilities.
Find out more about our research
Groundwater resources
Groundwater provides invaluable freshwater for public and private supply, agriculture, industry and recreation across the UK and globally.
Groundwater quality
The quality of groundwater determines its value as a resource and its impact on surface water ecosystems. BGS researches all aspects of groundwater quality.
Groundwater protection and vulnerability
Groundwater is vulnerable to contamination from a wide range of human activities including agriculture, urbanisation, waste disposal, past and present industry and from pollution incidents.
Groundwater and health
We work on groundwater and health in the UK and internationally with a wide range of partners including government departments and international aid agencies.
International groundwater
BGS has a long history of international groundwater research and developing tools for groundwater management.
Groundwater data
Data and information are fundamental to scientific progress. At BGS we gather and curate data from our own projects and from partners.
Groundwater modelling
Our modelling research focuses on the development and application of models to improve our understanding of hydrological and groundwater processes
Groundwater extremes, climate change and resilience
We are researching groundwater extremes, the impacts of environmental and climate change on groundwater in the UK and internationally, and what this means for building a more resilient future for our water resources.
Groundwater and energy
BGS undertakes research to better understand the potential for using groundwater as a renewable geothermal energy source.
Groundwater Resources in the UK
Maps of groundwater resources for public supply in the UK show the regional variation in reliance on groundwater supplies. Water companies have estimated how climate change and sustainability reductions will affect these supplies by 2045.
Groundwater projects
Emerging contaminants in groundwater
The term ’emerging contaminants’ is used to describe substances which are not yet regulated, but may be of environmental or human health concern.
Nitrate time bomb
Nitrate leaching from soils can have negative effects ecosystems and human health.
Hydro-JULES
The Hydro-JULES research programme will develop a new generation of terrestrial hydrological models to understand the terrestrial water cycle.
Groundwater drought reconstruction
Groundwater provides water even during periods of low rainfall. But this resource can become highly stressed if rainfall is reduced in the long-term.
Africa Groundwater Atlas
The Africa Groundwater Atlas is an online resource providing an introduction to the groundwater resources of 51 African countries, and a gateway to further information.
Related news
A PhD in Peru: a country of contrasts
23/09/2022
PhD student Tom Gribbin explains his work on water security in the Peruvian ‘water towers’.
Groundwater’s role in the current drought
15/08/2022
Groundwater can play a vital part in keeping the UK’s water supply flowing, but we need to ensure that we monitor levels and rates of extraction during dry spells.
Hidden from view: a century of rising groundwater levels in India and Pakistan
22/04/2022
Groundwater storage increased in Pakistan and north-west India for most of the 20th century, a new study shows. So why is there a water crisis?
World Water Day 2022
22/03/2022
Groundwater: how BGS is helping to make the invisible visible
BGS and WaterAid publish new research on groundwater resilience
21/03/2022
Most African countries have enough groundwater reserves to face at least five years of drought, new research reveals
Groundwater and health
We work on groundwater and health in the UK and internationally with a wide range of partners including government departments and international aid agencies.
New research reveals fresh insights into the role of karst in the Chalk aquifer
20/12/2021
New research has thrown fresh light on what scientists understand about the role of karst in the Chalk aquifer, which provides public water supplies to millions of people, agriculture and industry, and sustains vital habitats.
Groundwater level forecasting
BGS deliver probabilistic forecasts of groundwater levels across the UK’s principal aquifers to provide a range of services that build national resilience to groundwater extremes.
BGS to deliver three-year groundwater flood forecasting service to support emergency response to flooding
29/11/2021
BGS is delivering a national-scale early warning system for groundwater flooding, alongside the Environment Agency and the Met Office.
New method offers rapid monitoring of contamination in drinking water
20/10/2021
Scientists have developed an innovative new method to monitor the risk of contamination in drinking water with immediate results, enabling global communities to respond rapidly and help reduce exposure to deadly diarrhoeal diseases.
Sustainable groundwater management underpins food security in South Asia
01/06/2021
The most intensively cultivated areas of South Asia are crucial for regional food security and have become global hotspots of groundwater exploitation.
Groundwater resilience with Alan MacDonald
14/05/2021
Learn more about our groundwater resilience research and our work with WaterAid on the UPGro project, focusing on groundwater availability in Africa.