Kristine Walraevens
Prof. Dr. Kristine Walraevens is studying regional aquifers, and she has been involved in several policy-supporting projects related to overexploited aquifers in Flanders. She is focusing on pristine groundwater chemistry and environmental isotopes in groundwater, with special emphasis to coastal aquifers, with salinization and freshening phenomena, and palaeowater. She has worked extensively on nitrate pollution of groundwater in Flanders. An important part of her research is related to groundwater in developing countries, such as Ethiopia, Tanzania, Palestine and Bangladesh. Her research group is currently involved in projects related to nitrate pollution in groundwater and surface water in Flanders and Estonia, as well as projects on the Paleozoic Basement, investigating the link between overexploitation and land subsidence at one hand, and the aquifer’s geothermal potential on the other hand. The group is currently investigating the hydrogeology of the wider surroundings of Lake Tana in Ethiopia in view of sustainable groundwater development. High fluoride in groundwater of Mount Meru in Tanzania is another research topic, as well as groundwater overexploitation in Dhaka, Bangladesh. Seawater intrusion is currently studied in Bangladesh and in Gaza, Palestine.
