Vegetation-specific modelling of the soil water balance and soil solute balance at lysimeter sites

Motivation

Different vegetation types have distinct root and canopy properties which are directly linked to soil hydrological processes. Considering these vegetation-specific properties in soil hydrological models may improve the prediction of soil water and soil solute dynamics. Such considerations will provide a better quantification of the soil water balance and potential groundwater pollution caused by solute leaching.

Research objectives

The main research objective consists of evaluating vegetation-specific representation.

Methodology

Simulations with the process-based soil hydrological model RoGeR and comparison to measured lysimeter data.

Supervision

Robin Schwemmle, Markus Weiler

Further notes

RoGeR is available at https://roger.readthedocs.io/en/latest/.

Since several lysimeter data sets are available. several theses are possible for the sites listed in the following:

- Wuestebach, Germany (grassland; stable water isotopes; more information is available at Groh et al., 2018)

- Lausanne, Switzerland (willow tree; stable water isotopes and fluorobenzoate tracers; more information is available at Nehemy et al., 2021 and Queloz et al., 2015)

- Raumberg-Gumpenstein, Austria (crops and grassland; nitrate; more information is available at Eder et al., 2015 and Herndl et al., 2013)

- Sankt Arnold, Germany (different tree-species; virtual tracer; more information is available at https://www.lanuv.nrw.de/umwelt/wasser/lysimeter/literatur-und-dokumente).

Contact

Robin Schwemmle robin.schwemmle@hydrology.uni-freiburg.de

Skills and challenges

advanced programming skills, knowledge in the programming language Python

Sprache

English (or German)

Literature

Eder, A., Blöschl, G., Feichtinger, F., Herndl, M., Klammler, G., Hösch, J., Erhart, E., and Strauss, P.: Indirect nitrogen losses of managed soils contributing to greenhouse emissions of agricultural areas in Austria: results from lysimeter studies, Nutrient Cycling in Agroecosystems, 101, 351-364, https://www.doi.org/10.1007/s10705-015-9682-9, 2015.

Groh, J., Stumpp, C., Lücke, A., Pütz, T., Vanderborght, J., and Vereecken, H.: Inverse Estimation of Soil Hydraulic and Transport Parameters of Layered Soils from Water Stable Isotope and Lysimeter Data, Vadose Zone Journal, 17, https://doi.org/10.2136/vzj2017.09.0168, 2018.

Herndl, M., Schink, M., Kandolf, M., Bohner, A., and Buchgraber, K.: Nährstoffauswaschung im Grünland in Abhängigkeit vom Wirtschaftsdüngungs- und Nutzungssystem, 15. Gumpensteiner Lysimetertagung 2013, Raumberg-Gumpenstein, Austria, 25 - 30, 2013.

Nehemy, M. F., Benettin, P., Asadollahi, M., Pratt, D., Rinaldo, A., and McDonnell, J. J.: Tree water deficit and dynamic source water partitioning, Hydrological Processes, 35, e14004, https://doi.org/10.1002/hyp.14004, 2021.

Queloz, P., Bertuzzo, E., Carraro, L., Botter, G., Miglietta, F., Rao, P. S. C., and Rinaldo, A.: Transport of fluorobenzoate tracers in a vegetated hydrologic control volume: 1. Experimental results, Water Resources Research, 51, 2773-2792, https://www.doi.org/10.1002/2014wr016433, 2015.

Schwemmle, R., and Weiler, M.: Consistent modelling of transport processes and travel times - coupling soil hydrologic processes with StorAge Selection functions (in review), submitted to Water Resources Research, https://doi.org/10.22541/essoar.167751575.55537069/v1, 2023.

Steinbrich, A., Leistert, H., and Weiler, M.: Model-based quantification of runoff generation processes at high spatial and temporal resolution, Environmental Earth Sciences, 75, 1423, https://doi.org/10.1007/s12665-016-6234-9, 2016.