As part of the Hungarian Science Celebration Lecture Series of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences, the event on 5 November 2024, entitled “Natural hazards and risks: earth science opportunities in detection, management, forecasting“, offered a number of exciting lectures. Among the speakers was Professor Judit Mádl-Szőnyi, scientific leader of the RRF ÉMNL ELTE and the ClimEx-PE projects.
In her presentation, entitled “Worsening drought, declining water levels, forced adaptation, or is there anything new to say on the subject from a hydrogeologist’s perspective?“, Judit Mádl-Szőnyi presented the problem of declining groundwater levels; she discussed the importance of retaining excess flood water, highlighting the role of canals, backwaters and reservoirs.
The lecture showed how hydrogeology can contribute to the recharge of groundwater resources. Judit Mádl-Szőnyi presented the Managed Aquifer Recharge (MAR) technology, which allows the managed injection of surplus water into groundwater aquifers, and emphasised its huge potential for drought mitigation.
At the end of the lecture, Judit Mádl-Szőnyi emphasized that with hydrogeological knowledge we can consciously store water below the surface, thus helping to raise the currently low water levels. An important message was that the water stored in aquifers can be extracted and used in times of drought, which is crucial for future water management.
Judit Mádlné Szőnyi presents at the MTA Hungarian Science Celebration Lecture Session
The presentation was carried out in the framework of the Multidisciplinary National Laboratory for Climate Change RRF-2.3.1-21-2022-00014 project and ClimEx-PE 2023-1.2.2-HE_PARTNERSHIP-2023-00005 project.