News and Events
MinWat-2025: Information and Invitation Letter
Ali Bülbül1, Adam Porowski2 , Natalia A. Vinograd3
1 – Pamukkale University, Geothermal Application and Research Center, Denizli, Turkey
2– Institute of Geological Sciences Polish Academy of Sciences, Warsaw, Poland
3 – St. Petersburg University, Faculty of Geology, St. Petersburg, Russia
On behalf of the Organizing Committee, we would like to announce that 4th International Multidisciplinary Conference on Mineral and Thermal Waters “MinWat-2025-TÜRKİYE” take place in Pamukkale University, Denizli, Turkey, between 2nd and 6th of November 2025. The official website of the conference: www.minwat2025.org.
The Conference is organized by members of the Commission on Mineral and Thermal Waters (CMTW) of International Association of Hydrogeologists (IAH) and Pamukkale University Geothermal Application and Research Center. It represents one of the largest periodic meeting of the working group CMTW of IAH focused exclusively on mineral and thermal waters.
Following the previous conferences held in Karlovy Vary (MinWat-2014, Czech Republic), Luso (MinWat-2017, Portugal) and Caserta (MinWat-2020, Italy), the MinWat-2025 also intends to be a wide platform for exchange of knowledge, technological news, ideas and views among professionals dealing with groundwaters, scientists/academicians, practitioners, policy makers and stake holders in mineral water industry and geothermics. The conference is going to cover a range of topics crucial in modern development in the area of exploration, assessment and sustainable use of mineral and thermal waters, such as: balneology and medicinal water, industrially valuable waters and acid mine drainage, bottling water industry, issues related to groundwater origin, quality and chemical composition, water-rock interaction, contaminant transport, emerging pollutants and microplastic, application of state-of-the-art methods, licensing and legal regulations.
We count on a wide participation of professionals from various countries of Europe and the world to share their experience, to shed light on real problems in the field and to make exchange of know-how more fruitful. The best presentations will have the opportunity for publication in dedicated indexed journals. The Organizing Committee supports also participation of young researchers and students giving significant discount of conference fee.
All participants of MinWat-2025 conference will have unique opportunity to learn about mineral and thermal water resources of Turkey, to familiarize with formation of Pamukkale travertines – recognized as a World Heritage Site (along with Hierapolis), as well as to visit one of the largest in Turkey Kizildere Geothermal Power Plant.
We warmly encourage you to participate and share your experience with professionals in the field.
Invitation for the session ERE2.9 co-organised by HS13 “A sustainable use of water resources for energetic purposes” for the next EGU GENERAL ASSEMBLY 2025 which will be held in Vienna, from April 27 to May 2, 2025!
Convener: Jessica Maria Chicco (Dipartimento DIST, Università di Torino).
Co-Conveners: Elzbieta Halaj (AGH University of Krakow, Poland), Jakob Kulich (GeoSphere Austria), Adela Ramos Escudero (TU Delft, The Netherlands).
Water is one of the most essential needs for life but more than one billion people live without an adequate resource of drinking water. This represents an important warning indicating why we should be very sensitive and conscious in using this important source of life. Water is a critical resource, not only for our direct consumption but also for nearly every product we use and consume. As an example, agriculture is the largest consumer of water, with extensive use in irrigation, livestock maintenance, and food processing. On the other hand, the energy sector also has a high water footprint because water resources represent important energy sources not only to produce but also to store thermal energy. To this regard, the geopolitical developments from February 2022 clearly indicated the need to accelerate and increase efforts to make the energy supply more independent and sustainable.
This session aims at developing an interdisciplinary research related to the appraisal and management of water resources. This includes the use of sustainable water not only for domestic and agricultural uses, but also as a source of energy for space heating and cooling, as well as for thermal energy storage in aquifers. In this case, sustainability of water resources should be quantitative and qualitative, preserving its thermal and chemical characteristics before and after the energetic use.
Expected contributions may cover recent developments and projects aimed at a more conscious and sustainable use and management of the water resources, focusing on energetic purposes from agriculture to space heating and cooling which include the thermal energy production (e.g., open loop systems) and the underground storage (e.g., ATES, aquifer thermal energy storage).
The abstract deadline is January 15th (13:00 CET)!
Abstract submission:
https://meetingorganizer.copernicus.org/EGU25/session/53280
Looking forward to your contributions!
IAH World Groundwater Congress in Davos, Switzerland
This year the IAH World Groundwater Congress is organized by The Swiss Society of Hydrogeology (IAH Switzerland National Chapter) and the Centre for Hydrogeology and Geothermics of the University of Neuchâtel. It will be held on 8-13 September 2024 in Davos, Davos, Switzerland.
The Commission of Mineral and Thermal Waters will be pleasured to held the session titled “Hydrogeology and geochemistry of mineral and thermal waters” within “Hydrogeological Systems and Processes” topic.
All abstracts dealing with aspects of mineral and thermal waters are welcome! In particular topics connected with hydrogeology of their occurrence, chemical and isotopic characteristics, use in spas, medical properties, indications of origin, related tectonic activity including earthquakes and volcanism. All topics interesting to the mineral and thermal water community are also very welcome.
Abstract deadline is 29th Feb.
More information can be found here: https://www.iah2024davos.org/parallel/
See you all in Davos!
SAVE THE DATE!
IAH World Groundwater Congress 2024 Interacting Groundwater will take place in Davos, Switzerland on September 8-13th,2024. The Congress is organized by The Swiss Society of Hydrogeology (SSH) and the Centre for Hydrogeology and Geothermics of the University of Neuchâtel (CHYN).
CMTW members are encouraged to choose one two from the following topics to prepare a session for CMTW:
- Stay young and healthy: Role and properties of Mineral and Thermal waters for the today’s society
- Natural Mineral water versus designed drinking waters – Pure and Healthy – Trends, Aspects and Demands of current Society
- Hydrogeology and geochemistry of mineral and thermal waters
- Origin and properties of Mineral and thermal waters as characterized by Isotope and hydrochemical methods
- Health and balneological aspects of mineral and Thermal water
- Insights to processes of active tectonics as evidenced by mineral and thermal water
The call for abstracts will open on December 15th, 2023.
If you are a young scientist you can also present your study within “YOUR THESIS IN 180s” challenge.
More information about the Congress can be found at: https://www.iah2024davos.org/
THE SUMMER SCHOOL ADVANCES IN DEVELOPING GEOTHERMAL RESOURCES FOR HEATING, COOLING AND ELECTRICITY PRODUCTION
The summer school Advances in developing geothermal resources for heating, cooling and electricity production is organized in Ljubljana, Slovenia on 3-8/07/2023.
The plan is that this year the training is 6 days and will be held in Slovenia only, with one day field trip and other days with lectures and student projects. Some scholarships will be available to cover part of the accommodation and travel costs.
Flyer 1 Geothermal summer school Ljubljana 2023
IAH Annual Congress 2024 will take place in Davos, Switzerland which is worldwide known for the World Economic Forum.
The Congress will take place on either the week of September 1st – 6th or September 8th – 13th, 2024.
The organizers will structure the program along the different dimensions of “interacting groundwater”. The tentative topics and sessions are:
- Groundwater interacting in the water cycle
- Groundwater interacting with other domains
- Interacting stakeholders and institutions
- Interacting methodologies in research and management
Apart from scientific sessions some more events are planned such as keynote debates, field trips, site visits and networking events.
More information soon.
The 3rd International Multidisciplinary Conference on Mineral and Thermal Waters, MinWat2020 was held in Caserta (Italy) from 26th to 30th, 2022.
During the conference almost 100 researchers, professionals and businessmen from 26 countries shared their knowledge, technology and experience. A thematic special issue on Environmental Geochemistry and Health, a Springer journal, collecting 20 articles was published (https://link.springer.com/journal/10653/volumes-and-issues/44-7).
The meeting of the IAH CMTW was held in Casserta on June 28th, 2022.
More information and photos from the conference:
Caserta, Italy from 29th March to 2th April 2020
MinWat 2020 – International Multidisciplinary Conference on Mineral and Thermal Waters
Second announcment of the conference
Official website: www.minwatitaly2020.org
Pyatigorsk, Russia from 2th to 5th October 2019
IAH – CMTW Meeting 2019
Mineral waters:origin and variety of the chemical types
Second circular and preliminary program
Memoire of Arpad Lorberer
His main research area was to describe and help utilizing the karst and thermal aquifers of the country. His knowledge regarding Geological and Hydrogeological data of more than a thousand thermal wells become legendary. He become one of the most successful and respected old-school geothermal geologist of Hungary.
He was a founding member representing Hungary in the Mineral and Thermal Waters Committee of IAH since 1996, attended most of their meetings and organised a conference in Hungary as well.
More information in Arpad Lorberer Orbituary
Memoire of Professor Jan Dowgiałło
For many years prof. Jan Dowgiałło was an active member of the International Association of Hydrogeologists, co-founder and chairman of the Commission on Thermal and Mineral Waters. For his achievements, he was awarded the Honorary Membership of the IAH.
Prof. Dowgiałło was active until his last days, working on scientific projects, mentoring students, planning new activities. He passed away on the 15th of May 2019 at the age of 87. R.I.P.
More information in Memoire of Professor Jan Dowgiałło