Spatio-temporal dynamics of water storage, mixing and release

• Applicants: Dr. Theresa Blume; Professor Dr. Laurent Pfister; Professor Dr. Markus Weiler
• Subject Area: Hydrogeology, Hydrology, Limnology, Urban Water Management, Water Chemistry, Integrated Water Resources Management
• Term: from 2011 to 2020
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 182331427

The baffling diversity of streamflow generation still largely jeopardizes our efforts to anticipate how water quality and supply will be impacted under a potential future climate change. Recent work has suggested that a better understanding of how catchments collect, store and release water is the way forward in this respect. Here, we propose to leverage the research into hydrological processes carried out in the framework of the 1st phase of the CAOS project (Project H) focusing on the 46 cluster sites and the nested catchment experiments for improving our understanding of what are the dominant controls on the spatial and temporal variability of catchment functioning. Relying on a multi-tracer (geochemicals, stable isotopes of O and H, tritium) and multi-sensor (e.g. in situ and satellite-borne monitoring of soil moisture) approach, we intend to contribute answering fundamental research questions on spatio-temporal variance of storage and water apportionment. More specifically, we intend to investigate through our nested catchment set-up located in the geologically contrasted Attert River basin (Luxembourg):- the spatio-temporal dynamics of catchment storage and its compartments (i.e. saturated and unsaturated zones);- the links between catchment characteristics, storage dynamics, temporal dynamics of transit times and end-member contributions;- regionalisation of our newly gained understanding of hydrological processes by combining hydrological mapping of dominant processes with process-based hydrological modelling.

• DFG Programme: Research Units
• Subproject of: FOR 1598: From Catchments as Organised Systems to Models based on Dynamic Functional Units - CAOS
• International Connection: Luxembourg
• Partner Organisation: Fonds National de la Recherche
• Co-Investigators: Dr. Christophe Hissler; Patrick Matgen