Dear Colleagues,

Half of the world’s population depends on groundwater for its drinking water.  Yet, aquifers and groundwater resources are particularly vulnerable to being compromised, in terms of both pollution that puts water quality and public health at risk and over-exploitation and loss of recharge capacity that threaten sustainability.  Why is this?  While answers are place- and population-specific, some common attributes are: Aquifers are ‘invisible’ water resources that are generally poorly understood, monitored and appreciated by society, compared to reservoirs and surface water bodies in ‘plain sight’; Regulations to protect groundwater quality and conserve aquifer viability are poorly developed and implemented; Exploited aquifer systems are complex socio-ecological systems that are hard to model and understand scientifically and technically, especially in terms of multiple risks and stressors, including rapid urbanization, contamination by both natural and anthropogenic risk agents, and climate change.

The precarity of groundwater warrants special attention from researchers, engineers and policy makers—as well as from communities, farmers and other businesses that depend on them for health, well-being, livelihood and economic sustainability. For towns, cities and regions, groundwater may constitute their ‘lifeblood’, directly and indirectly impacting them in powerful ways at multiple spatial and temporal scales that defy simple characterization and that call for integrated stewardship. Groundwater is a primary dynamic component of hydro-biogeochemical systems, affecting ecosystems and the species that inhabit them—including humans.

How do we better understand the vulnerability of aquifers and associated health risks? How do we better protect and conserve these most valuable, grossly under-appreciated natural resources and ecological assets? What kinds of knowledge, insights and practical experiences can we share?

Dr. Timothy J. Downs
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2500 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

• aquifer
• natural and anthropogenic contaminants
• vulnerability
• sustainability
• health science
• regulation