Our five shared challenges
TOPSOIL adresses water related topics concentrated around five shared challenges.
These challenges are addressed in 16 pilot areas, to develop and test solutions for managing uppermost 20-30 m of the subsurface. This will lead to a strong improvement of climate resilience in and across pilot areas, The partnership is strongly commited to bridging science, practice and countries.
Our five shared challenges are:
1. Flooding in towns and agricultural areas due to the rising groundwater table, caused by changing precipitation patterns
2. Saltwater intrusion into freshwater reserves due to rising sea levels and changed irrigation, drainage and drinking water demands.
3. The need for a groundwater buffer to store ater in periods of excess rainfall. The buffer of fresh water can be used for irrigation purposes during dry periods.
4. Better knowledge and management of soil conditions, which will provide better resilience to extreme rainfall events, improve water quality and improve crop yields.
5. The capacity to break down nutrients and other environmentally hazardous pollutants in the uppermost layers of the ground is yet unexplored. By improving our understanding, better management can be implemented.