Dr Jean-Christophe Comte
Hydrogeology, Groundwater modelling, Hydrogeophysics
Reader
- About
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- Email Address
- jc.comte@abdn.ac.uk
- Telephone Number
- +44 (0)1224 272914
- Office Address
- School/Department
- School of Geosciences
Biography
- 2023-present: Reader in Hydrogeology, School of Geosciences, University of Aberdeen
- 2019-2023: Senior Lecturer in Hydrogeology, School of Geosciences, University of Aberdeen
- 2014-2019: Lecturer in Hydrogeology, School of Geosciences, University of Aberdeen
- 2014-2016: Visiting researcher, Queen's University Belfast
- 2009-2014: Postdoctoral research fellow in Hydrogeology/Hydrogeophysics, School of Planning Architecture and Civil Engineering, Queen's University Belfast
- 2008: PhD in Hydrogeology, Department of Geology, University of Avignon 'Contribution of electrical resistivity tomography to variable-density groundwater flow modelling in coastal aquifers - Application to three contrasted climate settings (Canada, New Caledonia, Senegal)'
- 2003-2009: Hydrogeologist consultant, HYDRIAD, Nimes
- 2002-2003: DESS (MSc2) Hydrogeology, University of Avignon
- 1998-2002: DEUG-Licence-Maitrise IUP (BSc, MSc1) Geological and Environmental Engineering, University Paul Sabatier Toulouse
External Memberships
- Editor, Hydrogeology Journal - Official Journal of the International Association of Hydrogeologists
- Panel member, UK Research & Innovation (UKRI) cross-council Interdisciplinary Assessment College
Featured publications
- Olabode, O. F., & Comte, J. C. (2024). Water scarcity in the fast‐growing megacity of Lagos, Nigeria and opportunities for managed aquifer recharge. Wiley Interdisciplinary Reviews: Water e1733.
- Bachtouli, S., Abidi, M., Comte, J. C., & Zairi, M. (2024). Potential for fresh submarine groundwater occurrence in an arid Mediterranean region: the case of Gulf of Gabes, Tunisia. Hydrogeology Journal 32(2), 359-378.
- Wu, P., Comte, J. C., Li, F., & Chen, H. (2023). Influence of tides on the effectiveness of artificial freshwater injection in mitigating seawater intrusion in an unconfined coastal aquifer. Journal of Hydrology 617, 129043.
- Mezquita González, J. A., Comte, J. C., Legchenko, A., Ofterdinger, U., & Healy, D. (2021). Quantification of groundwater storage heterogeneity in weathered/fractured basement rock aquifers using electrical resistivity tomography: Sensitivity and uncertainty associated with petrophysical modelling. Journal of Hydrology 593, 125637.
- Oiro, S., Comte, J. C., Soulsby, C., MacDonald, A., & Mwakamba, C. (2020). Depletion of groundwater resources under rapid urbanisation in Africa: recent and future trends in the Nairobi Aquifer System, Kenya. Hydrogeology Journal 28, 2635-2656.
- González-Quirós, A., & Comte, J. C. (2020). Relative importance of conceptual and computational errors when delineating saltwater intrusion from resistivity inverse models in heterogeneous coastal aquifers. Advances in Water Resources 144, 103695.
- Comte, J. C., Wilson, C., Ofterdinger, U., & González‐Quirós, A. (2017). Effect of volcanic dykes on coastal groundwater flow and saltwater intrusion: A field‐scale multiphysics approach and parameter evaluation. Water Resources Research 53(3), 2171-2198.
- Comte, J. C., Cassidy, R., Obando, J., Robins, N., Ibrahim, K., Melchioly, S., ... & Davies, J. (2016). Challenges in groundwater resource management in coastal aquifers of East Africa: Investigations and lessons learnt in the Comoros Islands, Kenya and Tanzania. Journal of Hydrology: Regional Studies 5, 179-199.
- Comte, J. C., Join, J. L., Banton, O., & Nicolini, E. (2014). Modelling the response of fresh groundwater to climate and vegetation changes in coral islands. Hydrogeology journal 22(8), 1905.
- Comte, J. C., Cassidy, R., Nitsche, J., Ofterdinger, U., Pilatova, K., & Flynn, R. (2012). The typology of Irish hard-rock aquifers based on an integrated hydrogeological and geophysical approach. Hydrogeology Journal 20(8), 1569.
- Comte, J. C., & Banton, O. (2007). Cross‐validation of geo‐electrical and hydrogeological models to evaluate seawater intrusion in coastal aquifers. Geophysical research letters 34(10).
- Research
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Research Overview
- Quantitative hydrogeology
- Hydrogeophysical methods for aquifer parameter estimation and calibration of groundwater models
- Groundwater resources in complex hydrogeological environments, including coastal, islands, fractured rocks and volcanic aquifers
- Saltwater intrusion and sustainability of fresh groundwater resources in coastal aquifer systems
- Groundwater and resilience to global changes, incl. urban hydrogeology, floods & droughts, interactions with surface water, managed aquifer recharge
- Hydrogeological properties and processes underpinning sustainable geothermal development
Research Team
Current PhD students (lead supervisor)
- Belay Sisay - Sustainable management of fresh groundwater resources in coastal East Africa
- Brady Johnson - Groundwater resilience to drought in Scotland
- Alfred Awuah - Coupled hydrogeophysical modelling of groundwater flow in fractured rocks
- Oluwaseun Olabode - The potential of managed aquifer recharge in Sub-saharan Africa
- Hamish Johnson - Groundwater and nutrient dynamics in heterogeneous agricultural catchments
Recently completed PhD students (lead supervisor)
- Joel Blackburn - Understanding stream-aquifer interactions and their influence on flow regimes and fluvial processes in a newly restored ephemeral stream
- Jesus Mezquita - Hydrogeophysical approaches for characterising flow and storage in weathered/fractured aquifers
- Samson Oiro - Impact of climate change and human activities on groundwater resources in the Nairobi and Tiwi aquifers: two strategic Kenyan aquifers under high pressure
Funding and Grants
Ongoing:
- International Science Partnerships Fund (ISPF) for Official Development Assistance (ODA) Project Grant - A hidden water crisis in the fast-growing coastal megacity of Lagos: is unregulated groundwater abstraction causing aquifer depletion and saltwater intrusion? (2023). PI.
- Centre of Expertise for Waters CREW - Future predictions of water scarcity in Scotland: impacts to distilleries and agricultural abstractors (2023-2024). Co-I.
- Scottish Funding Council Hydronation programme - The role of groundwater in adapting to climate change and increasing resilience to drought in Eastern Scotland (2023-2027). PI.
- Royal Society International Exchange with Jilin University, China on managed aquifer recharge (2023-2025). PI.
- Centre of Expertise for Waters CREW - Understanding the relationship between water scarcity and land use in private water supply catchments (2023-2024). Co-I.
- NERC Exploring the Frontiers research grant [NE/X011593/1] - Hydro-g: Monitoring groundwater resources using low-cost microgravity sensors (2023-2024). Co-I, led by the University of Glasgow.
Completed:
- Department for the Economy/Geological Survey of Northern Ireland - Near-surface geophysical characterisation at the Stormont Estate, Belfast to support its geothermal development (2022). Co-PI, with Queen's University Belfast.
- GCRF/Academy of Medical Sciences/Geological Survey of Ireland - Groundwater-g: Supporting groundwater resources management using low-cost microgravity technology (2020-2022). Co-I, led by Queen's University Belfast.
- GCRF/Scottish Funding Council Covid-19 Response Research Grant - COVID-19 and water security in the world's largest refugee camp: can groundwater development safely meet the increased water demand to fight COVID-19 in Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh? (2020-2021). PI.
- World Bank/AURECON applied research grant - Groundwater numerical modelling in support of strengthening of water resources planning, monitoring and management in Kenya (2018-2020). PI.
- AHRC/GCRF/University of Nottingham Research Grant - Kisima project: Historical and future groundwater well management on Kilwa Kisiwani island, Tanzania (2019-2020). Co-I, led by the University of Dar Es Salaam.
- Royal Society Newton International Fellowship (Dr Andres Gonzalez Quiros) - Monitoring and coupled hydrogeophysical modelling of saltwater intrusion in heterogeneous coastal aquifers (2019-2021).
- NERC/DFID Research Grant [NE/S005943/1] - SHEAR Programme: Connect4 water resilience: connecting water resources, communities, drought and flood hazards, and governance across 4 countries in the Limpopo basin (2018-2020). PI.
- NERC Urgency Grant [NE/R002568/1] - Extreme rainfall and floods in arid regions (Botswana): replenishment or contamination of water resources? (2017-2018). PI.
- United Utilities Water/Environmental Agency applied research grant - Understanding stream-aquifer interactions and their influence on flow regimes and fluvial processes in a newly restored ephemeral stream (2017-2022). PI.
- Royal Geographical Society (with IBG) Environment and Sustainability Research Grant [ESRG3/16] - East African groundwater resources under climatic and human pressure (2016-2017). PI.
- Geological Survey of Ireland Research Grant [2015-SC-003] - Determining fractured bedrock aquifer parameters using Magnetic Resonance Sounding to better constrain numerical groundwater models in support of catchment scale water resource management (2016). Co-I, led by Queen's University Belfast.
- Elphinstone Fund/Water Resources Management Authority of Kenya PhD Scholarship (Mr S. Oiro) - Comparative hydrogeology of the Nairobi volcanic suite aquifer and the Tiwi coastal aquifer (2015-2018).
- NERC/DFID/ESRC Research Grant [NE/L001888/1] - UPGro Programme: Towards Groundwater security in coastal East Africa (2013-2014). PI.
- EuropeAid/African Union Research Grant [EuropeAid/130-741/D/ACT/ACP] - Groundwater resource in basement rocks of Africa (2012-2015). Co-I, led by the Research Institute for Development IRD.
- Department of Employment and Learning Northern Ireland PhD Scholarship (Mr N. Dickson) - Incorporation of multi-scale hydrogeophysical datasets into numerical groundwater models (2012-2015).
- Teaching
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Teaching Responsibilities
- MSc in Geophysics Programme Director (2021-2024)
MSc teaching
- GL5059 Near surface & Environmental Geophysics (MSc in Geophysics) - course coordinator and core teaching
- GG5080 Integrated Water Resources Management | Groundwater management (MSc in Sustainable Water Management)
- GG5079 Water in the Environment | Global groundwater and river baseflow (MSc in Sustainable Water Management)
Undergraduate teaching
- GL4535 Geoscience and the UN Sustainable Development Goals | Groundwater resources (BSc year 4)
- GG4071 Environmental Hydrology | Groundwater hydrology (BSc year 4)
- GG2510 Mapping and Monitoring the Environment | Environmental geophysics (BSc year 2)
- GG2013 Physical Environments | Groundwater: An introduction (BSc year 2)
- Publications
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Page 1 of 7 Results 1 to 10 of 64
Understanding the relationship between water scarcity and land use in private water supply catchments – a review
Commissioned by CREW - Scotland's Centre of Expertise for Waters. CREW - Scotland's Centre of Expertise for Waters. 86 pagesBooks and Reports: Commissioned ReportsCollective vision-making practice: A long-run dynamic process model for geothermal market transitioning
Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, vol. 207, 114909Contributions to Journals: ArticlesWater scarcity in the fast-growing megacity of Lagos, Nigeria and opportunities for managed aquifer recharge
WIREs Water, vol. 11, no. 5, e1733Contributions to Journals: ArticlesClimate change, coastal heritage digitization, and local community engagement at the Ruins of Kilwa Kisiwani World Heritage Site, Tanzania
Journal of Field ArchaeologyContributions to Journals: ArticlesFuture predictions of water scarcity in Scotland: impact on distilleries and agricultural abstractors.
CREW - Scotland's Centre of Expertise for Waters. 113 pagesBooks and Reports: Commissioned ReportsRelationship between hyporheic and groundwater flow beneath a riverbed with variable topography under gaining and losing river conditions in meandering stream
Journal of Hydrology, vol. 637, 131319Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhydrol.2024.131319
Prolonged drought periods over the last four decades increase flood intensity in Southern Africa
Science of the Total Environment, vol. 924, 171489Contributions to Journals: ArticlesPotential for fresh submarine groundwater occurrence in an arid Mediterranean region: the case of Gulf of Gabes, Tunisia
Hydrogeology Journal, vol. 32, pp. 359–378Contributions to Journals: ArticlesDeveloping a conceptual model of groundwater – surface water interactions in a drought sensitive lowland catchment using multi-proxy data
Journal of Hydrology, vol. 628, 130550Contributions to Journals: ArticlesScaling of groundwater flow subject to managed aquifer recharge using injection boreholes: physical experiments and upscaled numerical models
Urban Climate, vol. 51, 101651Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.uclim.2023.101651