title: Offshore fresh groundwater reserves as a global phenomenon.
abstract: The flow of terrestrial groundwater to the sea is an important natural component of the hydrological cycle. This process, however, does not explain the large volumes of low-salinity groundwater that are found below continental shelves. There is mounting evidence for the global occurrence of offshore fresh and brackish groundwater reserves. The potential use of these non-renewable reserves as a freshwater resource provides a clear incentive for future research. But the scope for continental shelf hydrogeology is broader and we envisage that it can contribute to the advancement of other scientific disciplines, in particular sedimentology and marine geochemistry.
authors.affiliation: 1] School of the Environment, Flinders University, PO Box 2100, Adelaide SA 5001, Australia. [2] National Centre for Groundwater Research and Training, GPO Box 2100, Adelaide SA 5001, Australia.
authors.forename: Vincent E A
authors.initials: VE
authors.lastname: Post
authors.forename: Jacobus
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Groen
authors.forename: Henk
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Kooi
authors.forename: Mark
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Person
authors.forename: Shemin
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ge
authors.forename: W Mike
authors.initials: WM
authors.lastname: Edmunds
mesh_terms: D005844:Geology; D060587:Groundwater; D009792:Oceans and Seas; D054712:Salinity