Hydrogeology

Groundwater in a changing climate

Groundwater, which is invisibly stored underground, is the most important resource for our water supply. As part of the water cycle, it is also important for ecosystems such as wetlands and streams. In contrast to surface water, groundwater generally reacts more slowly to changes in the water cycle. Recognizing and evaluating the effects of climate change and direct human intervention on the quantity and quality of groundwater and distinguishing them from natural influences is therefore a key task of current hydrogeological research. Indirect effects, such as climate-related changes in vegetation or land use, pose a particular challenge. In order to identify influences on groundwater, we analyze field and laboratory data using computer-based methods. In doing so, we combine hydrogeological methods with approaches from other disciplines, for example from agricultural and biological research.

Gerfried Winkler (project leader)

Project team: Thomas Wagner (Senior Scientist), Matevz Vremec (PostDoc), Magdalena Seelig (PhD student), Martin Masten (PhD student), Jakob Halder (Project assistant)

The effects of climate change on the hydrology of alpine regions are causing increasing pressure on alpine freshwater resources and biodiversity hotspots. Spring waters are important resources for water supply and alpine ecosystems. In ECOSPRING, the influence of climate change on alpine spring discharges is being investigated at over 90 springs of the Austrian Hydrographic Service, which are distributed across the entire Austrian Alpine region. In parallel, a comprehensive data set of the microbial biodiversity of alpine spring waters in Austria is being compiled. Microbial community patterns of the springs will be recorded and their applicability as environmental tracers with regard to fluctuating water quality and different catchment characteristics will be investigated. Based on hydrogeological and ecological indicators and indices, an integrative eco-hydrogeological classification will be developed.

Gerfried Winkler (Project Manager)

Project team: Simon Seelig (PostDoc), Thomas Wagner (Senior Scientist), Matevz Vremec (PostDoc), Jakob Halder (Project Assistant)

Rock glaciers are periglacial landforms and represent important groundwater reservoirs in (high) alpine regions. Due to their storage effect, their runoff supplies delayed quantities of water to underlying mountain streams. In five Alpine regions, the influence of rock glaciers on the runoff behaviour of underlying river systems is quantitatively recorded for 14 hydrological catchment areas with an area of between < 1 km² and up to 200 km². Climate scenarios are used for all test areas in order to investigate the extent to which the drainage dynamics of rock glaciers and the river systems connected to them downstream will change.

Gerfried Winkler (Project leader)

Project team: Jennifer Brandstätter (PostDoc), Thomas Wagner (Senior Scientist), Esther Scheiblhofer (PhD student), Marlene Löberbauer (PhD student), Michael Gostencnik (project assistant), Marco Führer (project assistant), Adrian Reitenbach (project assistant), Elias Müller (project assistant), Johannes Rechberger (project assistant, MSc student)

Climate change represents the greatest challenge for sustainable forestry in Central Europe and therefore also for us in Austria. With up to 4° higher average annual temperatures, the forest will change drastically. For this reason, a comprehensive research project (FORSITE I) was started in Styria and subsequently extended to the provinces of Upper Austria, Lower Austria and Burgenland to develop a practical tool that offers concrete recommendations for each forest site for a site-adapted tree species selection under the aspect of climate change. In this context, our working group is concerned with recording the basics of the water and nutrient balance of the parent rock and the overlying substrate as a link to the forest soil.