Hydrogeology Students are Studying the Karst System in Paderborn

The work was carried out in cooperation with the Lippe Cave and Karst Working Group. The goal was to determine whether a newly exposed karst cave is hydraulically connected to the Pader springs.

To this end, the students conducted a tracer experiment. A fluorescent tracer, invisible to the naked eye, was introduced into the karst system. The Pader springs were then sampled at regular intervals. In an on-site field laboratory, the samples were analyzed immediately to determine the arrival of the tracer. The measurement program was flexibly adapted to observations in the field and complemented by discharge measurements.

The samples are now being analyzed in detail at the hydrogeochemical laboratory in Bochum. Based on these analyses, the students can calculate how long the water traveled through the karst system and determine the hydraulic properties of the karst rock.

The results contribute to a better understanding of groundwater flow in the Paderborn Karst. This is important both for assessing flood risks and for evaluating the potential transport of contaminants in the karst groundwater aquifer. At the same time, the project offers students practical insight into modern hydrogeological investigation methods.