Future Thames : applied geoscience for decision-making in London and the Thames Basin

The Thames Basin is the UK’s principal aquifer. It encompasses London, which is
Europe’s largest megacity, and has an extensive coastal zone. It presents a unique
conjunction of geological, hydrogeological, environmental, and socio-economic
factors that are intrinsically linked by the effects of environmental change.
The British Geological Survey (BGS) is responding to this challenge through its
FutureThames initiative. FutureThames aims to initiate, facilitate and support
interdisciplinary and collaborative geoscience research in an attempt to understand
the effects of environmental change in the Thames Basin. Such collaboration will
assist in providing ‘real world’ responses to different ‘what if’ scenarios, such as
“What will happen to groundwater if a new housing estate is built here?” Or “How
will sea-level rise affect my property?” Six key environmental challenges have
been identified to provide a framework to focus our research activities in the region.