On 28-29 August, JPI Oceans is hosting a scoping workshop on Offshore Freshened Groundwater (OFG) in Brussels. The primary aim of this scoping workshop is to identify key priorities that will inform the potential adoption of a formal Joint Action on the topic. The recommendations coming out of the workshop will be presented to the JPI Oceans Management Board in October 2024 and will focus on enhancing scientific contributions in support of the implementation of a regulatory framework for OFG.
The current research landscape in Europe on the topic consists of small research groups, with very specialised skills, with limited connections between them. Fragmentation of scientific knowledge between academics with different backgrounds, and between academics and other stakeholders – hinders sharing of data, know-how and infrastructure, hampering a holistic understanding of offshore freshened groundwater, and limiting the translation of scientific findings into operational tools. Therefore, there is a need for an interdisciplinary scientific effort, bringing in the perspectives and methods of a wide range of fields of research while also reflecting on the policy implications and associated regulatory framework.
Offshore Freshened Groundwater, discovered in the 1960s, resides in sub-seafloor sediments and rocks, characterized by lower salinity than seawater. Globally, offshore groundwater is estimated to be between 100,000 to 1,000,000 cubic kilometers, predominantly meteoric and located near non-glaciated, passive continental margins within 50 km of the coast. However, its direct exploitation remains unexplored, primarily due to lack of data, technological and economic feasibility, environmental impacts, and legal uncertainties.