SF1.2 Groundwater ecosystems

SF1. Subterranean freshwaters biome

SF1

Profile summary

Full profile at https://global-ecosystems.org/explore/groups/SF1.2

Brief description

Low productivity ecosystems occur within water-saturated permeable rock strata or layers of buried unconsolidated sediments. Life in these dark, confined or connected ecosystems is almost completely comprised of microbial and small invertebrate detritivores and their protozoan consumers. Diversity and productivity decline with depth and connectivity to surface waters. Although groundwater ecosystems occur almost everywhere in the near surface crust, they are prominent below surface water and in artesian basins.

Key features

Saturated ecosystems at or below the watertable with low diversity communities of heterotrophic microbes and invertebrates.

Overview of distribution

Scattered globally throughout land masses.

Map description

Indicative global maps of Groundwater aquifers were based on Bundesanstalt für Geowissenschaften und Rohstoffe & UNESCO (2012) with colour ramp showing type of aquifer by recharge rate, only in major groundwater basins (type 11 (minor occurrences) to type 15 (major occurrences))..

Map code and version: SF1.2.web.orig v1.0. DOI

Version history

Profile versions

  • v2.1 (2022-04-06): DA Keith; TM Iliffe; V Gerovasileiou; B Gonzalez; D Brankovits; A Martínez García; GC Hose.1
  • v2.01 (NA): NA.
  • v2.0 (2020-06-03): DA Keith; TM Iliffe; V Gerovasileiou; B Gonzalez; D Brankovits; A Martínez García; GC Hose.
  • v1.0 (2020-01-20): DA Keith.

Available maps

Read more details about the current map versions here.

  • Indicative Map (code: SF1.2.IM.orig, version v1.0)
  • Web navigation (code: SF1.2.web.orig, version v1.0)

Read more details about older or alternative versions of maps for this functional group.

References

Main references

References used in the different versions of the profiles.

  • Danielopol DL, Griebler C, Gunatilaka A, Notenboom J (2003) Present state and future prospects for groundwater ecosystems Environmental Conservation 30: 104-130 DOI:10.1017/s0376892903000109
  • Hancock PJ Boulton AJ, Humphreys WF (2005) Aquifers and hyporheic zones: towards an understanding of groundwater Hydrogeology Journal 13: 98–111 DOI:10.1007/s10040-004-0421-6
  • Struckmeier W, Richts A (2008) Groundwater resources of the world BGR Hannover / UNESCO Paris. MAP

Map references

References used in the different versions of the maps (current and discarded).

  • Bundesanstalt für Geowissenschaften und Rohstoffe (BGR) & UNESCO (2012) River and Groundwater Basins of the World 1 : 50 000 000 – Hannover, Paris

Footnotes

  1. This is the current version available at official site.↩︎