Selected publications

The authors introduced a novel numerical modelling framework that provides reactive parameter estimates of contaminant transformation reactions with high parameter identifiability and informs dominant transformation pathways for joint parent daughter simulations in river sediments. The findings highlight that the daughter reaction rate may be underestimated if its parent transformation is ignored.

The authors studied Isotopes in Berlin’s Panke catchment to understand stream flow sources. Groundwater dominated the upper catchment, but ~90% of flow in the lower catchment was treated waste water. High flows were generated from urban drains. The stream has unnatural hydrological and chemical regimes with restoration needed for improved ecology. 

The authors investigated the seasonal dynamics in prokaryotic and eukaryotic microbiomes in three common fen types in Northern Germany. The eukaryotic microbiomes showed significant changes in their community structures across the seasons in contrast to largely unaffected prokaryotic microbiomes. The dynamics in eukaryotic microbiomes in the rewetted sites differed between fen types.

Rewetted peatlands have the potential to fulfil the restoration goals including those targeting climate change mitigation, water quality protection, and species conservation. However, due to heavy soil changes their restoration cannot be expected in short-term. Data analyser of several hundred natural and degraded peatlands have shown that it might last decades before they become fully recovered.

The authors used an isotope-based ecohydrologic model to assess the hydrological impacts of “re-wilding” in the Scottish Highlands by increasing Scots Pine forests for biodiversity conservation. They found forests will “use” more water through evapotranspiration which may initially decrease summer low flows and summer floods, though a natural hydrological regime will be restored after ~100 years.

The authors monitored and modelled feedbacks in the soil–plant-atmosphere continuum to the drought summer 2018 and the following 2 years. The isotope-aided model EcH2O-iso was applied to forest and grassland in a lowland, groundwater-dominated catchment. Such differences in ecohydrological feedbacks to drought in contrasting soil-vegetation units provide insights into Critical Zone water cycling. 

Urban green space is of great importance for sustainable water management and heat reduction in cities. Using field measurements and a highly advanced ecohydrological model, researchers have investigated how water pathways differ depending on vegetation type. The result: trees potentially provide the strongest cooling effect, while grass promotes more groundwater recharge.

The authors investigated the thermal properties of Tibetan lakes during the ice-covered season. They revealed that an extremely large amount of solar radiation penetrated the highly transparent ice cover. As a result, lakes fully mix under ice and get heated up to >6°C. The accumulated heat makes a crucial contribution to ice cover melt.