The AQUA-SHELF project has been recommended for funding under the Joint Call on Offshore Freshened Groundwater, launched in December 2025. The project will address knowledge gaps related to the occurrence, dynamics, and role of offshore freshened groundwater systems in the marine environment, a potential strategic water resource sub-seafloor on continental shelfs.
Coordinated by Prof. Sebastiano D’Amico (University of Malta), AQUA-SHELF will be the first research project that will carry out dedicated scientific drilling and hydrogeological validation for Offshore Freshened Groundwater (OFG) in a European continental shelf setting. The project will combine offshore drilling and field measurements in the northern Adriatic Sea with laboratory analyses to learn how subsurface groundwater systems are structured and how they function.
Prof. Sebastiano D’Amico explains: «AQUA-SHELF will provide some of the first direct scientific evidence on offshore freshened groundwater beneath the European continental shelf. By combining offshore drilling, hydrogeological testing, geochemical analyses and modelling, the project will help us understand whether these hidden groundwater systems are isolated ancient resources, dynamically connected aquifers, or pathways for seafloor discharge. This knowledge is essential for informed, precautionary decisions about the protection and possible future management of offshore groundwater».
By integrating new field data with advanced modelling, AQUA-SHELF will provide a clearer and more reliable understanding of these groundwater systems, including their connectivity, behaviour, and environmental sensitivity. The project will also assess long-term sustainability and potential for responsible use, contributing to risk-informed decision-making and offering practical, science-based guidance for the management of coastal and offshore water resources. Its findings are expected to support future policy development by strengthening the scientific basis for how OFG resources are understood and governed.
Offshore freshened groundwater has long been recognised as a potential strategic resource, but scientific understanding of these systems is limited. Existing knowledge is based on sparse and often incidental data, with little coordinated research to assess how offshore groundwater systems form, behave, or respond to human use. Knowledge gaps include how groundwater flows between land and sea, how recharge processes work, and how they might be affected by future use or environmental change. Improving our understanding of recharge processes under current conditions is a prerequisite for any potential large-scale exploitation, as groundwater extraction could significantly impact the freshwater–saltwater interface.
To support coordinated European research to advance knowledge and inform the future management of OFG resources, the JPI Oceans Joint Call on Offshore Freshened Groundwater, co-branded with the UN Ocean Decade, brought together funding organisations from Malta, Italy and Germany, with a total budget of €2 million, and Greece with in-kind contributions.
The call’s primary objective was to enable the development of a proof of concept through the launch of a pioneering scientific drilling campaign, combined with hydrogeological and geochemical investigations and pumping tests. The call focused on two main themes: (1) the characterisation, validation, and assessment of OFG bodies, and (2) the environmental assessment of groundwater seepage. Across these themes, funders expect the researchers to generate robust data on the distribution, properties, recharge mechanisms, and long-term viability of offshore groundwater systems and clues on environmental and economic feasibility for their strategic use.
The project is funded under the framework of JPI Oceans by:
- Xjenza Malta, Malta
- Ministry of Universities and Research, Italy
- Autonomous Region of Friuli Venezia Giulia, Italy
- Federal Ministry of Research, Technology and Space, Germany
- The Hellenic Centre for Marine Research, Greece (with in-kind contributions)