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The definition of common international guidelines for the compilation of high quality hydrogeological maps has been attempted from the second half of the last century for hydrogeologists, to solve the lack of uniformity among national guidelines due to the various geological-hydrogeological and climatic situations of different countries worldwide. With this aim, the China Geological Survey and the Geological Survey of Italy-ISPRA are undertaking cooperative research in implementing 1:50,000 scale hydrogeological survey and mapping at selected sites in both countries. The project intends to develop a new generation of hydrogeological and groundwater resource maps with descriptive effectiveness and consistency with field survey data. The project will promote improvements of technologies in hydrogeological survey and mapping of the two countries and might even be agreed at a wider international level. Chinese and Italian hydrogeological guidelines have similar aspects as well as concerns: 1) the undertaking of field surveys at the 1:50,000 scale and more detailed (1:25000) scale; 2) building of a hydrogeological database; 3) publication of the official map in both paper and electronic form; 4) inclusion of several small scale maps inlayed at the margin of a main map in the hydrogeological map layout; 5) comparable level in required survey quota. Furthermore, more attention will be paid to a 3D map, conceptual model, aquifer structure, groundwater cycle and hydrogeological parameter description.In contrast, the most important difference regards the following. The hydrogeological mapping guidelines of Italy have integrated specifications for both survey and mapping, i.e. they deal with a structural layout characterized by survey contents followed by mapping contents and reflect a technical route of surveying for mapping. In contrast, there are no mapping contents in the current hydrogeological guidelines of China and these then needed to be formulated. The Italian guidelines could provide important references for China in legend organization, mapping rules, survey quota and so on.Finally, the collaboration between China and Italy is of great significance for the two ancient civilized countries sharing the “One Belt and One Road” international initiative.

Karst aquifers contribute substantially to freshwater supplies in many regions of the world, but are vulnerable to contamination and difficult to manage because of their unique hydrogeological characteristics. Many karst systems are hydraulically connected over wide areas and require transboundary exploration, protection and management. In order to obtain a better global overview of karst aquifers, to create a basis for sustainable international water-resources management, and to increase the awareness in the public and among decision makers, the World Karst Aquifer Mapping (WOKAM) project was established. The goal is to create a world map and database of karst aquifers, as a further development of earlier maps. This paper presents the basic concepts and the detailed mapping procedure, using France as an example to illustrate the step-by-step workflow, which includes generalization, differentiation of continuous and discontinuous carbonate and evaporite rock areas, and the identification of non-exposed karst aquifers. The map also shows selected caves and karst springs, which are collected in an associated global database. The draft karst aquifer map of Europe shows that 21.6% of the European land surface is characterized by the presence of (continuous or discontinuous) carbonate rocks; about 13.8% of the land surface is carbonate rock outcrop.

[Article in Italian] Le attività avviate per la realizzazione di una Carta Idrogeologica d’Italia alla scala 1:500.000

This paper summarizes the results of a study focused on the hydrogeological characterization and recognition of groundwater resources in continental southern Italy, developed under the European INTERREG IIC Programme. The study reconstructed up-to-date scientific knowledge regarding aquifers, groundwater circulation schemes and groundwater resources exploitation in the administrative regions of southern Italy included in the Objective I (Molise, Campania, Basilicata, Puglia and Calabria). In this paper, the methodological approaches applied to synthesize and homogenize bibliographic data collected from the hydrogeological literature and to set a regional hydrogeological mapping are described. Results presented are three hydrogeological maps, 1:300,000 scale, showing hydrogeological units and groundwater flow schemes that are relevant in the regional hydrogeological context, and a brief description of principal types of aquifer and groundwater resources of continental southern Italy.

Il cosiddetto “Quaderno 5” (Servizio Geologico Nazionale 1995; Quaderni serie III, volume 5), dedicato alle linee guida al rilevamento e alla rappresentazione della Carta Idrogeologica d’Italia scala 1:50.000, è piuttosto conosciuto, anche grazie ai suoi 25 anni di vita, ed è anche stato, almeno parzialmente, preso in considerazione per cartografie idrogeologiche elaborate da altre istituzioni (e.g. Boscherini et al. 2005; Celico et al. 2005; Civita et al. 2005; La Vigna e Mazza 2015). Proprio per la sua vetustà, i contenuti del Quaderno 5 attendevano di essere rivisti, anche in base ai risultati della discussione tecnico-scientifica proposta dal Servizio Geologico d’Italia dell’ISPRA nella seconda metà della prima decade del XXI secolo. Ma procediamo con ordine [...].

Carbonate rocks in the Mediterranean region form karst landscapes with a variety of morphological and hydrological features, and are of particular interest from a water management perspective as they represent major karst aquifers. The Mediterranean Karst Aquifer Map and Database (MEDKAM) provides a 1:5,000,000 scale map showing the distribution of carbonate and evaporite rocks that can host karst groundwater resources, with additional information on other hydrogeological settings, selected terrestrial and submarine karst springs, caves and karst groundwater-dependent ecosystems. A statistical evaluation shows that carbonate rocks cover ~39.5% of the Mediterranean region within a 250-km focus area from the coastline. North Africa has the largest continuous area of carbonate rocks, while smaller countries in the Middle East and the Dinarides have the largest proportion of carbonate rocks in relation to their total area. Carbonate rocks are also widespread in coastal areas, occurring along ~33.6% (14,000 km) of the total Mediterranean coastline, including large islands such as Crete and Mallorca, and ~25.9% (6,400 km) of the continental coastline. Two additional maps display (1) groundwater recharge, showing a climatic gradient from north to south, and (2) groundwater storage trends, indicating a mean annual karst groundwater loss from 2003 to 2020 of 436 million m3 in the 250-km area. This study quantifies the carbonate rocks in the Mediterranean region and shows their importance for groundwater resources. MEDKAM will serve as a basis for further research and improved international cooperation in karst groundwater management.

Hydrogeology of the lower sector of the Basento and Cavone river basins (southern Italy), has been little studied so far, although this area plays a strategic role being an agricultural area, for the production of wheat and organic olive oil, and represents a historical economic pole, with the presence of an industrial area and several extraction sites of natural gas. In this paper, starting from official Italian geological maps, a hydrogeological conceptual model and geodatabase were developed through hydrogeological characterization of lithological formations, analysis of topographic cartography and satellite images, as well as an extensive hydrogeological survey. The results are represented by a hydrogeological map at the 1:50,000 scale, hydrostratigraphic cross-sections, groundwater flow schemes, and a groundwater database. These are valuable tools for knowledge and may be used as a reference for future hydrogeological studies, as well as planning and decision-making in groundwater management.

In the arid and semi-arid climate of Southern Kazakhstan, groundwater is the primary and most resilient source of water for pasture irrigation. This study provides an integrated assessment of the predicted, natural, and operational groundwater resources across five administrative regions—Almaty, Zhetysu, Zhambyl, Kyzylorda, and Turkestan—considering water quality (total dissolved solids, TDS), potential well yield, and aquifer depth. Hydrogeological maps at 1:200,000 and 1:1,000,000 scales, a regional well inventory, and GIS-based spatial analysis were combined to classify resource availability and identify surplus and deficit zones. Results show that 92.5% of predicted exploitable resources (totaling 1155.2 m3/s) have TDS ≤ 3 g/L, making them suitable for domestic and livestock use. Regional disparities are pronounced: Zhetysu, Almaty, and Zhambyl exhibit resource surpluses, Kyzylorda approaches balance, while Turkestan faces a marked deficit. The developed groundwater availability map integrates mineralization, well productivity, and recommended drilling depth, enabling the design of water intake systems without costly field exploration. This decision-support tool has practical value for optimizing water allocation, reducing operational costs, and improving the sustainability of pasture management under the constraints of limited surface water resources.

In compilation of 1: 50 000 hydrogeological map, Some principles which are suitable for hydrogeological characteristics in China have been defined. Groundwater development and protection have been regarded as equally important. Some key problems such as classification of water-bearing formation, water yield property, color system and color scale of water yield property of water-bearing formation, expression of groundwater system, expression of hydrogeological parameters have been solved. This standardizing work can lay solid foundation for integration of 1: 50 000 synthetic hydrogeological map achievement and data, so as to broaden the service areas of hydrogeological survey.

The current European water legislation, specifically the one addressed to groundwater for human consumption (EU Water Framework Directive, WFD-2000/60/EC), provides clear indications on the objectives and actions to be taken for the proper management and protection of water resources. In Italy, as well as in other countries of the EU, the implementation of this Directive, in the face of an adjustment of the legislation at national level, is still far behind, as regards the obligations on the part of local administrations. Among the reasons there is a lack of cognitive tools, adequate and, above all, univocally accepted by the scientific point of view. The hydrogeological mapping here presented, which covers an area of around 44 km 2 and is edited at 1:10,000 scale, goes in this direction, combining different approaches and methodologies (field surveys, spring hydrograph analysis, surface flow measurements, numerical models ...) to arrive at a complete and functional study of an aquifer exploited for drinking purposes.