Dr Jean-Christophe Comte

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

• Executive Editor of 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 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 Responsibilities

• MSc in Geophysics Programme Director (2021-2024)

MSc teaching

• GL5059 Near surface & Environmental Geophysics (MSc in Geophysics) - course coordinator and core teaching
• GG5578 Hydrological Extremes under Global Changes (MSc in Sustainable Water Management) - 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)