Project Details
Projekt
HighWay: Large-sample High-frequency data to unravel the impact of changing hydro-meteorological conditions on stream Water quality
Applicant
Dr. Carolin Winter
Subject Area
Hydrogeology, Hydrology, Limnology, Urban Water Management, Water Chemistry, Integrated Water Resources Management
Term
since 2025
Project identifier
Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 557599332
The resource of freshwater is increasingly under pressure from the growing fluctuations in hydro-meteorological conditions and anthropogenic contamination. While the protection of water quantity and water quality are often treated as separate targets, compelling evidence suggests that the increased variability in the hydro-meteorological conditions also intensifies pressures on water quality, even without additional contamination. However, investigating the link between variations in the hydro-meteorological conditions and water quality is often hindered by the low temporal resolution of water quality data or the limited number of catchments with high-frequency data. In this project, we plan to use and extend a compiled dataset of high-frequency water quality parameters from already over 70 stations in Germany, covering a diverse set of catchment characteristics and time series of up to 20 years. Water quality parameters span a gradient from parameters whose temporal dynamics are dominantly controlled by hydrological transport to those that are controlled by diurnal fluctuations in temperature and light. We aim to further expand, quality control and homogenize this data to ultimately identify spatial and temporal patterns in water quality parameters and explain their linkage to hydro-meteorological variability and extremes. In particular, we will carefully assess the additional insights into catchment functioning posed by high-frequency measurements as compared to interpolated products from low-frequency measurements. In a second and third step, we will analyze the linkage between water quality dynamics and high flow conditions (i.e., runoff events) and between low flow conditions (i.e., droughts and post-drought periods). Finally, we will examine time series exceeding 10 years to identify and analyze emerging trends in water quality dynamics induced by changes in the hydro-meteorological conditions. By addressing these four objectives, we aim to significantly enhance our understanding of the complex relationships between hydro-meteorological conditions, water quality dynamics, catchment characteristics, and their vulnerability to increasing fluctuations and extremes in hydro-meteorological conditions across Germany.
DFG Programme
Research Grants
