The overall aim of the GeEAUde Partnership Chair is to develop, test and promote holistic tools and approaches to characterize and model groundwater resources, and to propose sustainable management strategies adapted to the Mediterranean context in the frame of global change. The research work of the GeEAUde Partnership Chair will focus on water dynamics within underground hydrosystems and their present and future interactions with surface waters (terrestrial and marine) and associated ecosystems.
The research work of the GeEAUde Partnership Chair will be organized around 4 highly interconnected thematic pillars. These 4 scientific pillars are the fruit of the multi-disciplinary research carried out for many years within the UMR EMMAH on the aquifer-soil-plant-atmosphere continuum, and will guide the research strategies and holistic approaches that will be implemented for each underground hydrosystem
THE SPECIFIC OBJECTIVES
OF THE GEEAUDE CHAIR ARE
THREEFOLD
Technological advances and integration
Development and/or fine-tuning of tools for characterizing and monitoring the evolution of groundwater resources at representative spatial and temporal
Understanding the geological, physical and chemical processes
Understanding the geological, physical, chemical and other processes that govern the functioning of aquifers
In-depth study of interactions between groundwater resources and associated ecosystems.
Aquifers are closely linked to terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems
NEWS
Water level monitoring of the alluvial aquifer of Avignon
The hydrogeology laboratory of Avignon University and the GeEAUde Chair monitor groundwater levels in the alluvial aquifer of Avignon — a strategic resource on which many users depend and that is influenced by anthropogenic activities.
RAIN : isotopic monitoring of rainfall on the Albion Plateau
The RAIN project is a participatory science project that aims to better understand how the Fontaine-de-Vaucluse spring works by conducting isotopic monitoring of rainfall over its catchment area.
PhD : Functioning of the Miocene aquifer in Comtat Venaissin : isotopic tracing, dating, and groundwater renewal rates
Thesis on the study of the functioning of the Miocene aquifer in Comtat Venaissin with the aim of determining the age of its waters and identifying their mode of circulation, recharge, and renewal.
Coupling geological and hydrogeological approaches to understand the structure and functioning of the Miocene aquifer of the Comtat Venaissin.
As part of the GeEAUde partnership chair, this PhD project, conducted in collaboration between IFPEN and Avignon University, began in November 2025. Its aim is to improve understanding of the structure and functioning of the Miocene aquifer of the Comtat Venaissin, particularly in the Carpentras and Valréas basins.
Global change and sustainability of groundwater resources: The contribution of isotopes and distributed recharge to prospective hydrogeological modelling
As part of the GeEAUde chair, this thesis – ini-tiated in October 2023 – aims to improve hy-drogeological modelling by integrating isotopes and distributed recharge. The goal: better characterize the aquifer and its boundary con-ditions to anticipate future changes.
A multidisciplinary approach to sustainable water resource management in island environments facing climate change and extreme weather events: The Chios Island as a pilot case
The impact of climate change and human activities on water resource trends is now a major so-cietal challenge. This is particularly true in Mediterranean island environments, where poor water resource management, combined with the effects of climate change, leads to water scarcity, ecosystem degradation, and conflicts over water use.