- Department:(Dept. 1) Ecohydrology and Biogeochemistry
Integrated ecohydrological hydrometric and stable water isotope data of a drought-sensitive mixed land use lowland catchment
The authors provide open access to a unique ecohydrological and water stable isotope data set from different landscape compartments monitored during the extreme drought of 2018 at multiple spatial scales from lowland headwaters, which are often understudied despite them providing important ecosystem services.This data set allows to differentiate “blue” and “green” water fluxes.
Anaerobic duration predicts biogeochemical consequences of oxygen depletion in lakes
A team from TU Bergakademie Freiberg and IGB has developed an easy-to-use method to estimate the consequences of oxygen depletion in the deep water of lakes. Monitoring data from L. Arendsee and L. Stechlin, a.o., were used to model the spatiotemporal extent of anoxia. The novel tool has the potential to predict the ecological consequences of increasing anoxia in lakes due to climate warming.
Unravelling the role of sulphate in reed development in urban freshwater lakes
The authors analysed data from 14 lakes in the Berlin catchment area for the period 2000 to 2020. They found that if sulphate concentrations had not increased, there would be about 20 per cent more reeds in the sulphate-polluted lakes today.
Upscaling Tracer-Aided Ecohydrological Modeling to Larger Catchments: implications for Process Representation and Heterogeneity in Landscape Organization
The authors adapted a tracer-aided ecohydrological model to upscale tracer-informed process representation to larger catchments scales. The modeling unravelled spatio-temporally varying patterns of water storage-flux-age interactions and their interplay under drought. Insights into ecohydrological functioning at scales relevant to management decision-making are important for guiding interventions.
Worldwide moderate-resolution mapping of lake surface chl-a reveals variable responses to global change (1997–2020)
Whether a lake appears blue or green is also related to its chlorophyll-a content. Researchers led by IGB used satellite data to draw conclusions about the concentrations of the green pigment produced by algae.
Enhancing urban runoff modelling using water stable isotopes and ages in complex catchments
Hydrological and water stable isotope datasets within a modelling framework were utilized to evaluate the water flow paths and ages in the heavily urbanized Panke catchment in Berlin. Groundwater was the primary flow component in reaches with less urbanisation. Wastewater effluent dominated the mid-reaches with direct storm runoff and shallow subsurface contributions in the urbanized reaches.
Integrating urban water fluxes and moving beyond impervious surface cover: a review
This review paper by international female experts on urban hydrology identifies gaps in our understanding of how water flows through built landscapes. It focuses on key topics within urban hydrology related to water quantity, incl. runoff and streamflow generation, soils and soil water, groundwater, vegetation, and climate; describes challenges and opportunities in the field of urban hydrology.
Using stable water isotopes to understand ecohydrological partitioning under contrasting land uses in a drought-sensitive rural, lowland catchment
To analyse the influence of vegetation on water partitioning under land management strategies, the authors used stable water isotopes with contrasting land covers and soil types in the Demnitzer Millcreek. The study underlined the need for long-term observations of land use changes and drought-sensitive vegetation to evolve a drought resilient land management considering time lags.
Dynamics in impervious urban and non-urban areas and their effects on run-off, nutrient emissions, and macroinvertebrate communities
About 20 % of the newly sealed area is not in urban areas, but in rural areas, according to the model calculations of this study. Calculations of nutrient fluxes into water bodies have not taken these new sealings in rural areas into account, because these are often based on land use maps and consider urban areas. As a result, the nutrient loads of water bodies are systematically underestimated.
Water cycling and partitioning through the soil–plant–atmosphere continuum in a subtropical, urban woodland inferred by water stable isotopes
The authors conducted a sampling campaign of water isotopes, combined with climatic and hydrometric data across an evergreen broad-leaved woodland, to assess event-based changes in water cycling and partitioning. Quantifying the transfer of water in the soil-plant-atmosphere continuum improved the understanding of water cycling and partitioning in an urban woodland in a monsoon humid region.