The National Geological Survey of Denmark and Greenland – GEUS

GEUS is a research and advisory institution in the Ministry of Climate, Energy and Building. The main role of GEUS is to provide research and development and advisory services to public bodies and private companies both in Denmark and internationally.

Primary role in the project

The GEUS Departments “Groundwater and Quaternary Geology Mapping (GRUK)”, and “Hydrology (HY-DRO)” are participating in the project. The primary role of GEUS in DNMARK is to investigate the health effects of nitrates in groundwater and drinking water. This will be done in cooperation with the Department of Public Health and CIRRAU at Aarhus University. It is a new research area for GEUS, and one of nine strategic themes in the GEUS work programme. In this way DNMARK allows GEUS to initialise research into the link between drinking water and health by the use of Danish unique register data. The relationship between nitrate in the Danish drinking water and health effects with a focus on gastrointestinal cancer is represented by Jörg Schullehner’s PhD project in R4.7. He is tutored by Torben Sigsgaard, Department of Public Health, Aarhus University and Birgitte Hansen, GEUS.

Additional contributions to the project

GRUK will also contribute to the project by providing knowledge about the status and trends in nitrate con-centrations in groundwater and drinking water in Denmark, to be included in the summary work under RC1 and RC6. HYDRO’s contribution is to ensure knowledge from other projects to DNMARK. Projects that are also working with groundwater modeling and simulation of nitrogen transport in the hydrological cycle.

Particular interest in relation to the pilot areas

GEUS is particularly interested in the pilot area located in the catchment area of Aalborg Vandforsyning (Aalborg Water Supply). Here the aquifers are nitrate vulnerable and poorly protected, and the water supply uses nitrate-containing groundwater for drinking water purposes.

Contact

Senior Scientist Birgitte Hansen Mail: bgh@geus.dk Phone: +45 20555245
	Nitrate in groundwater, nitrate vulnerability and drinking water and health.

Ph.d.student Jörg Schullehner Mail: jsc@geus.dk Phone: +45 91333653
	Groundwater, N-pollution and health effects – gastrointestinal cancer.

Senior Advisor Lærke Thorling Mail: lts@geus.dk Phone: +45 20555260
	The groundwater monitoring (GRUMO) under NOVANA and nitrate in groundwater.
Senior Scientist Anker Lajer Højberg Mail: alh@geus.dk Phone: +45 91333605
	The DK-model, N-retention and groundwater modeling.