Ida Lunde Hygum

My background

I am a doctoral student at the Centre for Environmental and Climate Science (CEC) and part of the Agenda 2030 Graduate School. In my previous studies I have received a degree in Environmental Engineering with focus on water resources from the Technical University of Denmark. Throughout my studies I have focused on water savings and water resource management both in a Danish and in an international context.

My Research

Access to clean drinking water is central to sustainable development, stability, and peace.  Half of the global water supply is based on groundwater, a resource stored deep below the ground, “invisible” until it is pumped to the surface. Groundwater aquifers are complex systems, meaning any prediction or model is associated with a significant degree of uncertainty. Protection and management of groundwater resources are often underprioritized, which can have long-term consequences for future water users.  My Ph.D. project aims at making groundwater resources visible in the political context and investigating what knowledge is needed to protect groundwater resources better. 

Part of my research focus on the difference between how confined and unconfined aquifers are affected by what happens on the surface.