A project coordinated by the IDAEA-CSIC receives €10 million from the EU to study the flow of water and pollutants in underground caves

The KARST project will study water flow and contaminant transport in underground cave systems. | Source: Michael Behrens.

The KARST project, coordinated by the researcher Marco Dentz, from the Institute for Environmental Assessment and Water Research (IDAEA-CSIC), receives one ERC Synergy Grant of €10 million from the European Research Council (ERC). The project is the result of the synergy among 4 European research groups to study the physical laws that govern the water flow and the transport of pollutants. KARST is one of the 29 projects chosen among the almost 360 proposals presented in this first call.

“Up to 25% of the world’s population depends on underground caves for water supply. These systems are also characterized by extremely rapid flow of water and solutes, so they can cause flooding and contamination of water resources”, explains Marco Dentz.

The project will not only assess the impact of extreme events such as droughts and floods, which are expected to occur more frequently due to climate change but will also provide greater knowledge about the origin of these underground formations.

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