In collaboration with the TU Berlin and the University of Naples, two new concepts for identifying groundwater-dependent ecosystems on a global scale have been developed. Both approaches combine freely available geodata with remote sensing data.
In the publication by El-Hokayem et al.(https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.166397), potential groundwater-dependent vegetation in the Mediterranean biome was mapped using the newly developed pGDV index. The index links eleven thematic datasets on: 1) groundwater-vegetation interaction; 2) soil water storage capacity; 3) landscape moisture potential; 4) land use and 5) hydraulic conductivity. The results show that 31 % of the natural vegetation in the Mediterranean biome is highly likely to be groundwater-dependent.
The work by Link et al.(https://doi.org/10.1088/1748-9326/acea97) analyses the potential global occurrence of groundwater-dependent rivers, wetlands and vegetation and the associated threats to these ecosystems in an aggregated index. The highest potential for groundwater-dependent ecosystems was found in tropical and arid regions.
Both maps were validated using existing data and vegetation surveys in the field. The results are an important prerequisite for local mapping and the protection of biodiversity hotspots.
