Doktorarbeit
Tracing Longitudinal Patterns of Subsurface Hillslope–Stream Connections in Headwater Catchments
Betreuer: Luisa Hopp, Ben Gilfedder, Stefan Peiffer
This PhD project investigates how subsurface stormflow (SSF) generated on hillslopes connects to streamflow across entire catchments. While SSF is a key contributor to runoff in headwater catchments, it is often altered or obscured, especially in the riparian zone before reaching the stream, making its detection and quantification difficult.
To address this challenge, the study implements a novel multi-method field approach in four study sites i.e. Black forest, Ore Mountains, Sauerland and Alps. The methods include water level monitoring in the stream and near-stream shallow wells, longitudinal Radon-222 profiling in streams, and hydrochemical sampling of both stream and near-stream groundwater. These data will help characterize spatial patterns of SSF inputs along streams and assess how the SSF signal attenuates from hillslope to stream.
The data set will be used to simplify and minimize future experimental effort and to identify simple proxies for regionalization. Ultimately, we aim to develop a framework to determine the likelihood of hillslope-stream connectivity at the catchment scale, as influenced by landscape and climate characteristics.