Judit Mádl-Szőnyi presented the ClimEx-PE approach to groundwater-based climate adaptation as an invited speaker at the 23rd International Congress of the Carpathian-Balkan Geological Association (CBGA), held in Cluj-Napoca, Romania, on 9–11 September 2026.
The invited lecture, delivered online in the GS9 – Hydrogeology session, was entitled “How is the Water Cycle of the Carpathian Basin changing? What do we see, What do we not see, and What can we do?” The presentation was co-authored by Miklós Vincze, Ildikó Erhardt, Szilvia Simon, Brigitta Czauner, Márk Szijártó and Tímea Havril.
The lecture focused on the ongoing transformation of the water cycle in the Carpathian Basin and highlighted why visible phenomena such as drought, declining surface-water levels and the degradation of wetlands cannot be fully understood without considering the groundwater flow systems operating beneath the landscape. Drawing on research carried out at ELTE, the presentation showed how changes in recharge can affect not only groundwater levels, but also the organisation of groundwater flow systems and their connections with groundwater-dependent ecosystems.
A central part of the lecture was dedicated to Nature-Based Managed Aquifer Recharge (NaBa-MAR®), the key concepts within the scientific framework of ClimEx-PE. Rather than treating Managed Aquifer Recharge as an isolated local intervention, NaBa-MAR® explicitly incorporates natural groundwater flow systems into planning. Water intentionally recharged at one location becomes part of the existing groundwater flow field and may therefore be redistributed through the landscape. This makes it possible to consider recharge areas, groundwater pathways, discharge zones, ecosystems and water users within one connected hydrogeological system. The ClimEx-PE project is developing this groundwater-flow-based approach as a landscape-scale tool for increasing resilience to droughts, floods and uneven water availability.
The presentation also illustrated the practical implications of this approach. Examples included nature-based surface water retention, Managed Aquifer Recharge, canal–groundwater interactions and the identification of suitable recharge areas based on hydrogeological conditions. A key message was that where water is recharged matters just as much as how much water is retained: the geological setting, groundwater-flow direction, depth to groundwater and the position of recharge and discharge areas all influence where the added water will eventually move and where its benefits may emerge.
Contribution to ClimEx-PE
Participation in CBGA 2026 directly supports several objectives of ClimEx-PE. The project aims to combine groundwater-flow-system evaluation, local MAR techniques and broader societal and policy perspectives to develop and upscale the NaBa-MAR® approach.
Presenting NaBa-MAR® to an international geological and hydrogeological audience contributes to the project by strengthening the scientific basis and international visibility of the concept, promoting knowledge exchange on groundwater-based climate adaptation, and supporting the development of a transferable methodology for landscape-scale MAR planning. It also reinforces another core ClimEx-PE message: effective adaptation requires not only technical solutions, but continued research, communication and awareness-building, as well as decision-making and regulatory frameworks capable of translating scientific knowledge into practice. These elements are integral to the project’s ambition to connect scientific evidence with practical implementation and policy development.
The CBGA lecture therefore provided an important opportunity to position NaBa-MAR® as a groundwater-flow-informed, nature-based approach to climate-resilient water management, while sharing ClimEx-PE results and concepts with the wider international geoscience community.