An integrated data fusion approach to use geophysical measurements in hydrological models

• Applicant: Professor Dr. Johan Huisman
• Subject Area: Hydrogeology, Hydrology, Limnology, Urban Water Management, Water Chemistry, Integrated Water Resources Management
• Term: from 2007 to 2012
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 51319586

Geophysical measurements are a valuable source of information for the parameterization of hydrological models. Traditionally, relevant information on hydrological properties and/or state variables is obtained in a sequential approach from geophysical measurements: the geophysical survey data are inverted first, and the information thus obtained is used within the hydrological model. The aim of this project is to further develop an alternative so-called coupled hydrogeophysical inversion approach to use geophysical data in hydrological models that overcomes some of the limitations of the sequential approach. In this approach, geophysical measurements are directly included in the hydrological inverse problem by coupling a forward model of the geophysical measurements with a hydrological model and minimizing the difference between modeled and observed data by perturbing the relevant hydrological flow and transport parameters. The development of this coupled inversion approach was started in the first phase of the project. In this second phase, it will be further developed and tested on two experimental data sets consisting of electrical resistivity measurements in the saturated zone and self-potential and electrical resistivity measurements in the unsaturated zone. The first data set has already been acquired and the second data set will be acquired in this second phase. The analysis of these experiments will aim to determine both effective and spatially variable flow and transport properties from the available geophysical and conventional hydrological measurements.

• DFG Programme: Research Grants