This accessible new textbook provides a thorough introduction to all aspects of groundwater systems and their management. Using straightforward language and analogies to everyday experiences, it explains the origins, nature, and behavior of subsurface water without resorting to complicated mathematics.

Groundwater in the Environment draws on case studies and cutting-edge research from around the world, giving a unique insight into groundwater occurring in a wide range of different climate zones and geological settings. This book:

* provides a robust, practical introduction to groundwater quality, and a succinct summary of modern remedial technologies for polluted groundwaters
* explores how groundwater fits into the wider natural environment, especially in relation to freshwater ecosystems
* considers the vulnerability of groundwater systems and the effects of pollution, climate change, land-use change, and overexploitation
* examines human dependence on water and the effect that this has on groundwater systems
* presents vivid examples of geohazards associated with ground waters
* explains the whys and wherefores of groundwater modeling
* examines competing philosophies of groundwater management, making the case for approaches which take social, economic and ecological issues into account.


Goundwater in the Environment provides an up-to-date, essential introduction for undergraduate students of environmental sciences, geography and geology. It will also be invaluable to professionals working in various fields of natural resource management who need accessible information on groundwater but who are reluctant to read conventional texts full of mathematical notation. For practicing hydrogeologists and engineers without formal training in freshwater ecology, this book provides a `crash course' in the new frontiers of groundwater management.