Extreme groundwater conditions can develop when groundwater levels go outside the ranges experienced in a normal year and can have surprising consequences. BGS has been at the forefront of developing methods and techniques to characterise how groundwater behaves when stressed by extreme climate, and using this improved knowledge to improve water security through judicious use of groundwater.
BGS work has considerable expertise on groundwater drought and flooding, working both in the UK and across the world.
In this section
UK groundwater drought
Groundwater drought is the sustained and extensive occurrence of below average availability of groundwater. In the UK, specialised methods have been developed to identify groundwater droughts and how they propagate through catchments
UK groundwater flooding.
Groundwater flooding is the emergence of groundwater under conditions where the ‘normal’ ranges of groundwater level and groundwater flow are exceeded. BGS has developed maps, investigation tools and models to help forecast where and when groundwater flooding may occur in the UK
Floods and Groundwater Research Infrastructure
Floods and droughts cause significant negative socio-economic, agricultural, and ecological impacts across the UK and are predicted to become more frequent and intense from rapid changes in climate, land use and water demand.
International groundwater drought
In semi-arid countries groundwater is often the only option for a secure water supply throughout drought. BGS has worked in many countries in Africa and South Asia helping to uncover the availability of groundwater to provide a reliable water supply through drought
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
New research could help provide a more reliable water supply for millions in rural Africa
24/03/2026
A new BGS-led study has revealed crucial insights into the longstanding challenges affecting the reliability and performance of rural water supply infrastructure in sub-Saharan Africa.
