Impact of climate change on groundwater storage in high Alpine catchments: from observation to model predictions

• Applicant: Professor Dr. Gabriele Chiogna
• Subject Area: Hydrogeology, Hydrology, Limnology, Urban Water Management, Water Chemistry, Integrated Water Resources Management
• Term: since 2018
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 394200609

A change in frequency and magnitude of hydrological extreme events are suspected to be triggered by climate change. High elevation Alpine catchments are particularly sensitive areas, since in this region the hydrosphere is highly affected by temperature and precipitation changes. Moreover, the strong interconnection between hydrology and the other components of the geosystem in high elevation catchments requires a detailed description of hydrological processes in these areas and hence justifies the presence of this subproject in the SEHAG (Sensitivity of high Alpine geosystems to climate change since 1850) framework proposal for the establishment of a research unit. The novelty of the proposed research lays in the investigation of changes occurred in the hydrosphere between 1850 and 2050 and how they are connected with the behaviour of the different components of the high Alpine geosystem. In particular, in the second phase of the project we want to test if groundwater flow will play a more and more relevant part in the hydrological cycle of high elevation alpine catchments until 2050. This will require a precise quantification of the different storage compartments, accurate groundwater data for the three study areas (Horlachtal, Kaunertal and Martelltal), reliable model predictions using input data generated by the other subprojects (e.g., meteorological and glaciological data from SP1, vegetation data from SP7, permafrost data from SP5, geomorphological data from SP 3 and SP8, and digital elevation models from SP6) and an accurate quantification of uncertainties in model predictions. Moreover, new groundwater data collection and the collaboration with the other sub-projects will allow us to calibrate the hydrological model considering a multi-objective model calibration approach using a unique dataset made available by the research group. The results of hydrological model, for which the uncertainty will be properly quantified, will be then used by the other subprojects to help interpreting what triggers changes in the high alpine geosystem.

• DFG Programme: Research Units
• Subproject of: FOR 2793: Sensitivity of High Alpine Geosystems to Climate Change Since 1850 (SEHAG)
• International Connection: Switzerland
• Partner Organisation: Schweizerischer Nationalfonds (SNF)
• Co-Investigator: Professor Dr.-Ing. Markus Disse
• Cooperation Partner: Professorin Dr. Bettina Schaefli