Assessing the spatiotemporal dynamics of water volumes in large wetlands and lakes by combining remote sensing with macro-scale hydrological modelling (WLDYN)

• Applicants: Professorin Dr. Petra Döll; Professor Dr. Andreas Güntner; Professor Dr.-Ing. Florian Seitz, since 7/2016
• Subject Area: Hydrogeology, Hydrology, Limnology, Urban Water Management, Water Chemistry, Integrated Water Resources Management
• Term: from 2014 to 2018
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 249997162

Large lakes and wetlands are important elements of the global water cycle and habitat for fauna and flora, providing valuable ecosystem services to humans. A better quantitative understanding of the spatiotemporal water volume variations of large lakes and wetlands also contributes to an improved assessment of downstream water resources. However, ground data of surface water volume dynamics are scarce, in particular in developing countries. Satellite techniques that allow deriving time series of area-volume relations provide a powerful alternative to ground data. For three large lakes and three large wetlands in Africa, Asia, Europe and South America, we will derive such remote-sensing based data in a consistent manner. These data will then support the development of better algorithms for modelling lakes and wetlands with the global-scale hydrological model WGHM, and will serve as observations for model calibration, in addition to or as an alternative to river discharge observations. To this end, an enhanced multi-criteria calibration method that can take into account observed surface water volume and area variations will be developed. By combining satellite data that characterize surface waters with global-scale hydrological modelling, an improved characterization of the dynamics of large lakes and wetlands around the globe will be achieved.

• DFG Programme: Research Grants
• Ehemaliger Antragsteller: Dr.-Ing. Wolfgang Bosch, until 7/2016