Task 4: Data-Informed Transboundary Aquifer System Research

Transboundary aquifers, groundwater resources shared by more than one nation, are often studied and managed independently by each country. This leads to inconsistent data collection, with information rarely standardized or consistently shared across borders. Consequently, this can result in discrepancies in how information is reported, perceived, and used, which ultimately affects the dynamics of a shared aquifer.

These mismatched realities, prevalent across nearly all transboundary aquifers, are key drivers in the hydrogeologic system’s dynamics. However, critical knowledge gaps persist about their specific effects on aquifer behavior; this limits the ability to apply this understanding to mitigate unintended consequences and shape future research agendas that have the highest impact. This task aims to conceptualize these unexamined factors in a uniform way, using research results from this project, to improve understanding of hydrogeologic dynamics across transboundary aquifer systems.