@article{WamburaDietrichLischeid2018, author = {Wambura, Frank Joseph and Dietrich, Ottfried and Lischeid, Gunnar}, title = {Improving a distributed hydrological model using evapotranspiration-related boundary conditions as additional constraints in a data-scarce river basin}, series = {Hydrological processes}, volume = {32}, journal = {Hydrological processes}, number = {6}, publisher = {Wiley}, address = {Hoboken}, issn = {0885-6087}, doi = {10.1002/hyp.11453}, pages = {759 -- 775}, year = {2018}, abstract = {Many hydrological models have been calibrated and validated using hydrographs alone. Because streamflow integrates water fluxes in space, many distributed hydrological models tend to have multiple feasible descriptions of hydrological processes. This equifinality usually leads to substantial prediction uncertainty. In this study, additional constraintsnamely, the spatial patterns of long-term average evapotranspiration (ET), shallow groundwater level, and land cover changewere used to investigate the reduction of equifinality and prediction uncertainty in the Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) in the Wami River basin in Tanzania. The additional constraints were used in the set-up, parameter emulation and calibration of the SWAT model termed an improved hydrological model (IHM). The IHM was then compared with a classical hydrological model (CHM) that was also developed using the SWAT model but without additional constraints. In the calibration, the CHM used only the hydrograph, but the IHM used the hydrograph and the spatial pattern of long-term average ET as an additional constraint. The IHM produced a single, unique behavioural simulation, whereas the CHM produced many behavioural simulations that resulted in prediction uncertainty. The performance of the IHM with respect to the hydrograph was more consistent than that of the CHM, and the former clearly captured the mean behaviour of ET in the river basin. Therefore, we conclude that additional constraints substantially reduce equifinality and prediction uncertainty in a distributed hydrological model.}, language = {en} } @article{WamburaDietrichLischeid2017, author = {Wambura, Frank Joseph and Dietrich, Ottfried and Lischeid, Gunnar}, title = {Evaluation of Spatio-Temporal Patterns of Remotely Sensed Evapotranspiration to Infer Information about Hydrological Behaviour in a Data-Scarce Region}, series = {Water}, volume = {9}, journal = {Water}, publisher = {MDPI}, address = {Basel}, issn = {2073-4441}, doi = {10.3390/w9050333}, pages = {297 -- 315}, year = {2017}, abstract = {Information about the hydrological behaviour of a river basin prior to setting up, calibrating and validating a distributed hydrological model requires extensive datasets that are hardly available for many parts of the world due to insufficient monitoring networks. In this study, the focus was on prevailing spatio-temporal patterns of remotely sensed evapotranspiration (ET) that enabled conclusions to be drawn about the hydrological behaviour and spatial peculiarities of a river basin at rather high spatial resolution. The prevailing spatio-temporal patterns of ET were identified using a principal component analysis of a time series of 644 images of MODIS ET covering the Wami River basin (Tanzania) between the years 2000 and 2013. The time series of the loadings on the principal components were analysed for seasonality and significant long-term trends. The spatial patterns of principal component scores were tested for significant correlation with elevations and slopes, and for differences between different soil texture and land use classes. The results inferred that the temporal and spatial patterns of ET were related to those of preceding rainfalls. At the end of the dry season, high ET was maintained only in areas of shallow groundwater and in cloud forest nature reserves. A region of clear reduction of ET in the long-term was related to massive land use change. The results also confirmed that most soil texture and land use classes differed significantly. Moreover, ET was exceptionally high in natural forests and loam soil, and very low in bushland and sandy-loam soil. Clearly, this approach has shown great potential of publicly available remote sensing data in providing a sound basis for water resources management as well as for distributed hydrological models in data-scarce river basins at lower latitudes.}, language = {en} } @article{DietrichFahleSeyfarth2016, author = {Dietrich, Ottfried and Fahle, Marcus and Seyfarth, Manfred}, title = {Behavior of water balance components at sites with shallow groundwater tables: Possibilities and limitations of their simulation using different ways to control weighable groundwater lysimeters}, series = {Agricultural water management : an international journal}, volume = {163}, journal = {Agricultural water management : an international journal}, publisher = {Elsevier}, address = {Amsterdam}, issn = {0378-3774}, doi = {10.1016/j.agwat.2015.09.005}, pages = {75 -- 89}, year = {2016}, abstract = {The water cycle of sites with shallow groundwater tables is characterized by complex interactions of hydrological and ecological processes. The water balance components, which are subject to diurnal fluctuations, are best measured with groundwater lysimeters. However, the lower boundary condition of such lysimeters affects most of the hydrological variables, particularly when considering short time scales, and has to be defined in such a way as to facilitate realistic simulations. In this paper, different means of controlling the lower boundary condition of groundwater lysimeters were compared with respect to their ability to simulate the behavior of the water balance components properly. Measurements of rain-free periods from a lysimeter station installed in the Spreewald wetland in north-east Germany were evaluated. The most common groundwater lysimeter type is controlled using a Mariotte bottle and sets the groundwater level in the soil monolith to a constant level, which here caused an alteration of the inflow to the lysimeter, with respect to both its value and diurnal behavior. Still, daily evapotranspiration values were realistic and this simple and robust approach may be used for time intervals not shorter than one day. High-resolution measurements can be gained from lysimeters that automatically adjust the groundwater level by a system of pumps and valves on an hourly basis. Still, reliable results were only obtained when the conditions in the lysimeter and the surrounding field, where the target groundwater level was measured, were in accordance. Otherwise (e.g., when the groundwater level differed) an unrealistic inflow behavior evolved. Reasonable results, even for slightly diverging conditions, were gained with a new approach that defined the lower boundary conditions by controlling the inflows and outflows of the lysimeter. This approach further enabled the groundwater level itself to be the study subject, thereby enlarging the field of possible applications of groundwater lysimeters. (C) 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.}, language = {en} } @article{GliegeThomasSteidletal.2016, author = {Gliege, Steffen and Thomas, Bjoern D. and Steidl, J{\"o}rg and Hohenbrink, Tobias Ludwig and Dietrich, Ottfried}, title = {Modeling the Impact of Ditch Water Level Management on Stream-Aquifer Interactions}, series = {Water}, volume = {8}, journal = {Water}, publisher = {MDPI}, address = {Basel}, issn = {2073-4441}, doi = {10.3390/w8030102}, pages = {17}, year = {2016}, abstract = {Decreasing groundwater levels in many parts of Germany and decreasing low flows in Central Europe have created a need for adaptation measures to stabilize the water balance and to increase low flows. The objective of our study was to estimate the impact of ditch water level management on stream-aquifer interactions in small lowland catchments of the mid-latitudes. The water balance of a ditch-irrigated area and fluxes between the subsurface and the adjacent stream were modeled for three runoff recession periods using the Hydrus-2D software package. The results showed that the subsurface flow to the stream was closely related to the difference between the water level in the ditch system and the stream. Evapotranspiration during the growing season additionally reduced base flow. It was crucial to stop irrigation during a recession period to decrease water withdrawal from the stream and enhance the base flow by draining the irrigated area. Mean fluxes to the stream were between 0.04 and 0.64 ls(-1) for the first 20 days of the low-flow periods. This only slightly increased the flow in the stream, whose mean was 57 ls(-1) during the period with the lowest flows. Larger areas would be necessary to effectively increase flows in mesoscale catchments.}, language = {en} } @article{DietrichSchweigertSteidletal.2016, author = {Dietrich, Ottfried and Schweigert, Susanne and Steidl, J{\"o}rg and Lischeid, Gunnar}, title = {Effects of Data and Model Simplification on the Results of a Wetland Water Resource Management Model}, series = {Water}, volume = {8}, journal = {Water}, publisher = {MDPI}, address = {Basel}, issn = {2073-4441}, doi = {10.3390/w8060252}, pages = {19}, year = {2016}, abstract = {This paper presents the development of a wetland water balance model for use in a large river basin with many different wetlands. The basic model was primarily developed for a single wetland with a complex water management system involving large amounts of specialized input data and water management details. The aim was to simplify the model structure and to use only commonly available data as input for the model, with the least possible loss of accuracy. Results from different variants of the model and data adaptation were tested against results from a detailed model. This shows that using commonly available data and unifying and simplifying the input data is tolerable up to a certain level. The simplification of the model has greater effects on the evaluated water balance components than the data adaptation. Because this simplification was necessary for large-scale use, we suggest that, for reasons of comparability, simpler models should always be applied with uniform data bases for large regions, though these should only be moderately simplified. Further, we recommend using these simplified models only for large-scale comparisons and using more specific, detailed models for investigations on smaller scales.}, language = {en} } @misc{GliegeThomasSteidletal.2016, author = {Gliege, Steffen and Thomas, Bj{\"o}rn Daniel and Steidl, J{\"o}rg and Hohenbrink, Tobias Ludwig and Dietrich, Ottfried}, title = {Modeling the impact of ditch water level management on stream-aquifer interactions}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:kobv:517-opus4-407613}, pages = {17}, year = {2016}, abstract = {Decreasing groundwater levels in many parts of Germany and decreasing low flows in Central Europe have created a need for adaptation measures to stabilize the water balance and to increase low flows. The objective of our study was to estimate the impact of ditch water level management on stream-aquifer interactions in small lowland catchments of the mid-latitudes. The water balance of a ditch-irrigated area and fluxes between the subsurface and the adjacent stream were modeled for three runoff recession periods using the Hydrus-2D software package. The results showed that the subsurface flow to the stream was closely related to the difference between the water level in the ditch system and the stream. Evapotranspiration during the growing season additionally reduced base flow. It was crucial to stop irrigation during a recession period to decrease water withdrawal from the stream and enhance the base flow by draining the irrigated area. Mean fluxes to the stream were between 0.04 and 0.64 ls(-1) for the first 20 days of the low-flow periods. This only slightly increased the flow in the stream, whose mean was 57 ls(-1) during the period with the lowest flows. Larger areas would be necessary to effectively increase flows in mesoscale catchments.}, language = {en} } @misc{DietrichSchweigertSteidletal.2016, author = {Dietrich, Ottfried and Schweigert, Susanne and Steidl, J{\"o}rg and Lischeid, Gunnar}, title = {Effects of data and model simplification on the results of a wetland water resource management model}, series = {Water}, journal = {Water}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:kobv:517-opus4-407579}, pages = {19}, year = {2016}, abstract = {This paper presents the development of a wetland water balance model for use in a large river basin with many different wetlands. The basic model was primarily developed for a single wetland with a complex water management system involving large amounts of specialized input data and water management details. The aim was to simplify the model structure and to use only commonly available data as input for the model, with the least possible loss of accuracy. Results from different variants of the model and data adaptation were tested against results from a detailed model. This shows that using commonly available data and unifying and simplifying the input data is tolerable up to a certain level. The simplification of the model has greater effects on the evaluated water balance components than the data adaptation. Because this simplification was necessary for large-scale use, we suggest that, for reasons of comparability, simpler models should always be applied with uniform data bases for large regions, though these should only be moderately simplified. Further, we recommend using these simplified models only for large-scale comparisons and using more specific, detailed models for investigations on smaller scales.}, language = {en} } @article{ThomasLischeidSteidletal.2015, author = {Thomas, Bj{\"o}rn and Lischeid, Gunnar and Steidl, J{\"o}rg and Dietrich, Ottfried}, title = {Long term shift of low flows predictors in small lowland catchments of Northeast Germany}, series = {Journal of hydrology}, volume = {521}, journal = {Journal of hydrology}, publisher = {Elsevier}, address = {Amsterdam}, issn = {0022-1694}, doi = {10.1016/j.jhydrol.2014.12.022}, pages = {508 -- 519}, year = {2015}, abstract = {Runoff, especially during summer months, and low flows have decreased in Central and Eastern Europe during the last decades. A detailed knowledge on predictors and dependencies between meteorological forcing, catchment properties and low flow is necessary to optimize regional adaption strategies to sustain minimum runoff. The objective of this study is to identify low flow predictors for 16 small catchments in Northeast Germany and their long-term shifts between 1965 and 2006. Non-linear regression models (support vector machine regression) were calibrated to iteratively select the most powerful low flow predictors regarding annual 30-day minimum flow (AM(30)). The data set consists of standardized precipitation (SPI) and potential evapotranspiration (SpETI) indices on different time scales and lag times. The potential evapotranspiration of the previous 48 and 3 months, as well as the precipitation of the previous 3 months and last year were the most relevant predictors for AM(30). Pearson correlation (r(2)) of the final model is 0.49 and if for every year the results for all catchments are averaged r(2) increases to 0.80 because extremes are smoothing out. Evapotranspiration was the most important low flow predictor for the study period. However, distinct long-term shifts in the predictive power of variables became apparent. The potential evapotranspiration of the previous 48 months explained most of the variance, but its relevance decreased during the last decades. The importance of precipitation variables increased with time. Model performance was higher at catchments with a more damped discharge behavior. The results indicate changes in the relevant processes or flow paths generating low flows. The identified predictors, temporal patterns and patterns between catchments will support the development of low flow monitoring systems and determine those catchments where adaption measures should aim more at increasing groundwater recharge. (C) 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.}, language = {en} } @article{FahleHohenbrinkDietrichetal.2015, author = {Fahle, Marcus and Hohenbrink, Tobias Ludwig and Dietrich, Ottfried and Lischeid, Gunnar}, title = {Temporal variability of the optimal monitoring setup assessed using information theory}, series = {Water resources research}, volume = {51}, journal = {Water resources research}, number = {9}, publisher = {American Geophysical Union}, address = {Washington}, issn = {0043-1397}, doi = {10.1002/2015WR017137}, pages = {7723 -- 7743}, year = {2015}, abstract = {Hydrology is rich in methods that use information theory to evaluate monitoring networks. Yet in most existing studies, only the available data set as a whole is used, which neglects the intraannual variability of the hydrological system. In this paper, we demonstrate how this variability can be considered by extending monitoring evaluation to subsets of the available data. Therefore, we separately evaluated time windows of fixed length, which were shifted through the data set, and successively extended time windows. We used basic information theory measures and a greedy ranking algorithm based on the criterion of maximum information/minimum redundancy. The network investigated monitored surface and groundwater levels at quarter-hourly intervals and was located at an artificially drained lowland site in the Spreewald region in north-east Germany. The results revealed that some of the monitoring stations were of value permanently while others were needed only temporally. The prevailing meteorological conditions, particularly the amount of precipitation, affected the degree of similarity between the water levels measured. The hydrological system tended to act more individually during periods of no or little rainfall. The optimal monitoring setup, its stability, and the monitoring effort necessary were influenced by the meteorological forcing. Altogether, the methodology presented can help achieve a monitoring network design that has a more even performance or covers the conditions of interest (e.g., floods or droughts) best.}, language = {en} } @article{FahleDietrich2014, author = {Fahle, Marcus and Dietrich, Ottfried}, title = {Estimation of evapotranspiration using diurnal groundwater level fluctuations: Comparison of different approaches with groundwater lysimeter data}, series = {Water resources research}, volume = {50}, journal = {Water resources research}, number = {1}, publisher = {American Geophysical Union}, address = {Washington}, issn = {0043-1397}, doi = {10.1002/2013WR014472}, pages = {273 -- 286}, year = {2014}, abstract = {In wetlands or riparian areas, water withdrawal by plants with access to groundwater or the capillary fringe often causes diurnal groundwater fluctuations. Various approaches use the characteristics of these fluctuations for estimation of daily groundwater evapotranspiration rates. The objective of this paper was to review the available methods, compare them with measured evapotranspiration and assess their recharge assumptions. For this purpose, we employed data of 85 rain-free days of a weighable groundwater lysimeter situated at a grassland site in the Spreewald wetland in north-east Germany. Measurements of hourly recharge and daily evapotranspiration rates were used to assess the different approaches. Our results showed that a maximum of 50\% of the day to day variance of the daily evapotranspiration rates could be explained by the approaches based on groundwater fluctuations. Simple and more complex methods performed similarly. For some of the approaches, there were indications that erroneous assumptions compensated each other (e.g., when overestimated recharge counteracted underestimated storage change). We found that the usage of longer time spans resulted in improved estimates of the daily recharge rates and that the estimates were further enhanced by including two night averages. When derived from fitting estimates of recharge or evapotranspiration with according measurements the specific yield, needed to convert changes in water level to water volumes, differed considerably among the methods (from 0.022 to 0.064). Thus, the specific yield can be seen as correction factor that compensates for inadequate process descriptions.}, language = {en} }