Bachelor Thesis

Charakterisierung der Anbindung eines Baches an ein Niedermoor

Sebastian Würzer (01/2009-07/2009)

Support: Sven Frei, Jan Fleckenstein

The interaction between streams and their surrounding near stream zone (riparian zone) during rainstorms of variable intensity is still poorly understood. Field observations suggest that distinct exchange flow paths develop, which are difficult to characterize and a challenge for simulation. Hydrometric data indicates that discharge generated in these zones reacts very quickly, almost instantaneously to rainstorms and snowmelt events. Although the significance of the riparian zone for runoff generation has been acknowledged for some time, there still exists no conceptual framework that could coherently explain the often complex, nonlinear relationships between hydrologic conditions in the riparian zone, stream discharge generation and the chemical signature of the stream water. It is hypothesized that the interplay between water table depth and surface micro-topography in the riparian zone results in distinct shifts between surface and subsurface flow dominance that can explain observed discharge behavior.