Skipt to content

GM-GDE (GM-GDE)

Project GM-GDE

Groundwater resources are hotspots of biodiversity and provide important ecosystem services. Groundwater-dependent ecosystems (GDEs) are exposed to anthropogenic threats such as climate change. In order to respond to these threats, the identification of GDEs needs to be advanced on a global scale. The project will develop a novel vegetation and hydrological approach for mapping, analysing and assessing GDEs on a global scale using multi-scale and multi-instrument methods.

Background and goals

  • Development of a biom-specific workflow for mapping groundwater-dependent ecosystems
  • Validation of the results
  • Assessment of hazard potential for GDEs

Methodological approach

  • Definition of the global GDE mapping framework (remote sensing, geodata integration)
  • Implementation of the global GDE mapping framework at the biome level
  • Proof of concept, validation and optimisation with existing GDE maps and data from field work (vegetation surveys, vegetation ecology measurements (SPAD, LAI, fluorescence, soil parameters))
  • Analysing the sensitivity of GDEs to climate change and anthropogenic influences (remote sensing, geodata integration)

Expected results

A global map of groundwater-dependent ecosystems (especially groundwater-dependent terrestrial vegetation) in different biomes, validated with various (in-situ) geodata, is expected. Based on this map, the GDEs will be assessed in terms of their vulnerability to anthropogenic impacts against the background of the Red List of Ecosystems.