Welcome to Hydrology!
The main focus of research at the Department of Hydrology is the investigation of processes at the interface of groundwater and surface water. This interface is of fundamental importance for numerous processes affecting the quality of surface waters (streams, lakes) as well as groundwater as the two aquatic systems possess different chemical and physical properties. This interface offers ideal conditions for an efficient biological degradation of nutrients and contaminants, meaning that processes at the interface between surface and groundwater contribute considerably to nutrient cycling and buffer capacity in aquatic ecosystems.
The department conducts field, lab and modeling investigations that focus on gaining a quantitative process understanding of aquatic systems and address questions of performance and efficiency of matter processing but also vulnerability of aquatic systems, resulting from climate change or anthropogenic influences in general. The overarching goal is to obtain a better understanding of the coupling of physical and biogeochemical processes that control the cycling of matter and energy at the interface of surface waters and groundwater.
The Limnological Research Station is part of the Department of Hydrology.
We have four closely linked research priorities:
Recent Publications:
Peer reviewed
2025
Schmidtmann, J., Weishäupl, H., Hopp, L., Meides, N., Peiffer, S.: UV-weathering affects heteroaggregation and subsequent sedimentation of polystyrene microplastic particles with ferrihydrite. Environmental Science : Processes & Impacts, (2025).
doi:10.1039/d4em00666f
Wegner, L., Burton, E., McCammon, C., Scheinost, A., Planer-Friedrich, B., Peiffer, S., Hockmann, K.: Ferrous iron oxidation in the presence of antimonate at neutral pH : Mutual effects on iron mineral products and antimony sequestration. Journal of Hazardous Materials, 488 (2025).
doi:10.1016/j.jhazmat.2025.137380
Blaurock, K., Beudert, B., Hopp, L.: Hydrological controls on temporal contributions of three nested forested subcatchments to the export of dissolved organic carbon. Hydrology and Earth System Sciences, 29(11), 2377-2391 (2025).
doi:10.5194/hess-29-2377-2025