SDG 6 aims to ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all. This not only involves achieving access to drinking water for all, but also improving water quality and wastewater management by e.g. minimizing the release of hazardous chemicals and materials and substantially increasing recycling and safe reuse globally.

Overview, targets and indicators of SDG 1

Forschungszentrum Jülich is helping to realize SDG 6 by using models to analyse water and nutrient flows in landscapes and, on that basis, developing measures to protect water bodies.

Protecting groundwater and surface water is one of the most important tasks of sustainable water management. Clean water is the foundation for healthy ecosystems, healthy agriculture and our society.

To help better understand how water bodies are polluted, researchers at Forschungszentrum Jülich are developing a model chain comprising mGROWA, DENUZ, WEKU and MEPhos. These models enable precise analysis of water flows and nutrient inputs in river basins and allow the assessment of their impacts on groundwater and surface water.

The mGROWA model depicts key processes such as precipitation, evaporation, runoff and groundwater recharge. DENUZ and WEKU build on this, simulating how nitrogen compounds migrate through soil and groundwater, where they are partially broken down. MEPhos also investigates how phosphorus enters water bodies.

The model chain enables a detailed study of the various pathways through which substances enter water bodies. These include, for example, agriculture, drainage, atmospheric deposition and wastewater discharges. This makes it possible to identify the causes of water body pollution.

The results help authorities and policy-makers to develop and evaluate measures to protect water bodies. They are, for example, incorporated into river basin management plans in accordance with the European Water Framework Directive.

These models enable a detailed analysis of water balances and nutrient influxes within river basins, allowing for precise assessment of their effects on water bodies. A thorough understanding of how water and nutrients traverse landscapes is essential for designing effective, sustainable measures to protect water bodies.

Models for Water Protection

Using the mGROWA, DENUZ, WEKU, and MEPhos model chain, researchers at Forschungszentrum Jülich analyse water flows and nutrient inputs across landscapes. The results help to understand the pressures on water bodies and support the development of targeted strategies to safeguard groundwater and surface water.

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Further Information

Feature Story

How phosphate enters water bodies

By combining several models, researchers can trace the pathways by which nutrients enter water bodies.

Research Magazine effzett, p. 24-27

Chewing the cud

Germany has a problem: too much nitrate in the groundwater. Dr. Björn Tetzlaff and Prof. Frank Wendland are discussing the issue.

Institute

Agrosphäre (IBG-3)

Research at IBG-3 aims to improve our understanding of hydrological and biogeochemical processes in terrestrial systems, with a particular focus on agricultural and soil-groundwater systems.