Articles | Volume 20, issue 1
https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-20-227-2016
© Author(s) 2016. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License.
https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-20-227-2016
© Author(s) 2016. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License.
Research article
| 
18 Jan 2016
Research article |
| 18 Jan 2016
The Hydrological Open Air Laboratory (HOAL) in Petzenkirchen: a hypothesis-driven observatory
Centre for Water Resource Systems, TU Wien, Karlsplatz 13, 1040 Vienna, Austria
Institute of Hydraulic Engineering and Water Resources Management, TU
Wien, Karlsplatz 13/222, 1040 Vienna, Austria
A. P. Blaschke
Centre for Water Resource Systems, TU Wien, Karlsplatz 13, 1040 Vienna, Austria
Institute of Hydraulic Engineering and Water Resources Management, TU
Wien, Karlsplatz 13/222, 1040 Vienna, Austria
Interuniversity Cooperation Centre for Water & Health, TU Wien,
Vienna, Austria
M. Broer
Centre for Water Resource Systems, TU Wien, Karlsplatz 13, 1040 Vienna, Austria
C. Bucher
Centre for Water Resource Systems, TU Wien, Karlsplatz 13, 1040 Vienna, Austria
Institute of Building Construction and Technology, TU Wien,
Karlsplatz 13/206, 1040 Vienna, Austria
G. Carr
Centre for Water Resource Systems, TU Wien, Karlsplatz 13, 1040 Vienna, Austria
X. Chen
Centre for Water Resource Systems, TU Wien, Karlsplatz 13, 1040 Vienna, Austria
A. Eder
Centre for Water Resource Systems, TU Wien, Karlsplatz 13, 1040 Vienna, Austria
Institute for Land and Water Management Research, Federal Agency for
Water Management, Pollnbergstraße 1, 3252 Petzenkirchen, Austria
M. Exner-Kittridge
Centre for Water Resource Systems, TU Wien, Karlsplatz 13, 1040 Vienna, Austria
Institute for Water Quality, Resource and Waste Management, TU Wien,
Karlsplatz 13/226, 1040 Vienna, Austria
A. Farnleitner
Centre for Water Resource Systems, TU Wien, Karlsplatz 13, 1040 Vienna, Austria
Institute of Chemical Engineering, TU Wien, Gumpendorfer Straße
1a, 1060 Vienna, Austria
Interuniversity Cooperation Centre for Water & Health, TU Wien,
Vienna, Austria
A. Flores-Orozco
Department for Geodesy and Geoinformation, TU Wien,
Gußhausstraße 25-29/120, 1040 Vienna, Austria
P. Haas
Centre for Water Resource Systems, TU Wien, Karlsplatz 13, 1040 Vienna, Austria
Institute of Hydraulic Engineering and Water Resources Management, TU
Wien, Karlsplatz 13/222, 1040 Vienna, Austria
P. Hogan
Centre for Water Resource Systems, TU Wien, Karlsplatz 13, 1040 Vienna, Austria
A. Kazemi Amiri
Centre for Water Resource Systems, TU Wien, Karlsplatz 13, 1040 Vienna, Austria
M. Oismüller
Centre for Water Resource Systems, TU Wien, Karlsplatz 13, 1040 Vienna, Austria
J. Parajka
Centre for Water Resource Systems, TU Wien, Karlsplatz 13, 1040 Vienna, Austria
Institute of Hydraulic Engineering and Water Resources Management, TU
Wien, Karlsplatz 13/222, 1040 Vienna, Austria
R. Silasari
Centre for Water Resource Systems, TU Wien, Karlsplatz 13, 1040 Vienna, Austria
P. Stadler
Centre for Water Resource Systems, TU Wien, Karlsplatz 13, 1040 Vienna, Austria
Institute for Water Quality, Resource and Waste Management, TU Wien,
Karlsplatz 13/226, 1040 Vienna, Austria
P. Strauss
Institute for Land and Water Management Research, Federal Agency for
Water Management, Pollnbergstraße 1, 3252 Petzenkirchen, Austria
M. Vreugdenhil
Centre for Water Resource Systems, TU Wien, Karlsplatz 13, 1040 Vienna, Austria
W. Wagner
Centre for Water Resource Systems, TU Wien, Karlsplatz 13, 1040 Vienna, Austria
Department for Geodesy and Geoinformation, TU Wien,
Gußhausstraße 25-29/120, 1040 Vienna, Austria
M. Zessner
Centre for Water Resource Systems, TU Wien, Karlsplatz 13, 1040 Vienna, Austria
Institute for Water Quality, Resource and Waste Management, TU Wien,
Karlsplatz 13/226, 1040 Vienna, Austria
Related authors
Songkun Yan, Mengye Chen, Jonathan J. Gourley, Jian Zhang, Günter Blöschl, Paul Bates, Zhi Li, Siyu Zhu, Abigail Snooks, Yixin Wen, Xiaodong Chen, Chengbin Deng, Juan Camilo Parra Toro, Meihong Ma, and Yang Hong
Earth Syst. Sci. Data Discuss., https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-2026-695, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-2026-695, 2026
Preprint under review for ESSD
Short summary
Short summary
Flash floods develop quickly, but the records needed to study them are scattered across many sources. We created TORRENT by linking flood reports, rainfall, river flow, drainage-area information, and field measurements across the contiguous United States. It contains 42 466 reported events and 806 ready-to-use case packages, including 21 carefully checked cases. Its open, machine-readable design will help people and artificial intelligence tools study floods and compare prediction methods.
Adrián Flores Orozco, Jakob Gallistl, Benjamin S. Gilfedder, Timea Katona, Sven Frei, Peter Strauss, and Gunter Blöschl
Biogeosciences, 23, 6287–6297, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-23-6287-2026, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-23-6287-2026, 2026
Short summary
Short summary
Understanding the role of soil in the storage of organic carbon is critical for a large number of environmental processes. Current practices rely on the drilling and analysis of samples, which is expensive, time consuming and destructive. Here we present a technique able to map soil organic carbon variability using measurements of the electrical properties of the subsurface without drilling. Our results advance soil management strategies to enhance carbon sequestration and storage.
Yuanqi Hong, Guta Wakbulcho Abeshu, Hong-Yi Li, Dingbao Wang, Mengqi Zhao, Thomas Wild, Günter Blöschl, and L. Ruby Leung
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 30, 4293–4303, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-30-4293-2026, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-30-4293-2026, 2026
Short summary
Short summary
Rain runs off in two main ways: saturation excess when soil is full, and infiltration excess when rain exceeds infiltration. They often occur simultaneously in a watershed, but most models treat them separately. We introduce a new theory that captures both processes within a single framework, tracking their shift over space and time. Tested over 181 U.S. watersheds, the theory well predicts streamflow in most watersheds and improves understanding of runoff under diverse climates.
Jürgen Komma, Peter Valent, Miriam Bertola, Juraj Parajka, Klaus Haslinger, Benedikt Bica, Georg Pistotnik, Korbinian Breinl, Gabriele Müller, Lovrenc Pavlin, Bianca Kahl, Achim Naderer, and Günter Blöschl
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 30, 4075–4093, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-30-4075-2026, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-30-4075-2026, 2026
Short summary
Short summary
In September 2024 an exceptional flood hit the Austrian Danube Basin, the largest in parts of Lower Austria since records began. Using weather and river data, we compare this event with historic floods from 1899, 2002 and 2013. The 2024 flood was driven by a slow-moving rainstorm and saturated soils, causing record flows at smaller rivers. The study shows a shift toward more localized, intense floods, highlighting the need for adaptive flood-risk management in a warming climate.
Fuqiang Tian, Murugesu Sivapalan, Sondoss El Sawah, Melissa Haeffner, Anthony Jakeman, Heidi Kreibich, Leyang Liu, Haoyang Lyu, Ana Mijic, Jiale Wang, Jing Wei, and Günter Blöschl
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2026-1727, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2026-1727, 2026
Short summary
Short summary
This opinion paper shows how sociohydrology can better support water management by moving from understanding systems to guiding action. Drawing on ten years of work in the Panta Rhei initiative, it offers a simple way to compare cases, trace how actions lead to intended and unintended outcomes, and improve monitoring, learning, fairness, and legitimacy in decision-making.
Hatice Türk, Christine Stumpp, Markus Hrachowitz, Peter Strauss, Günter Blöschl, and Michael Stockinger
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 30, 1053–1076, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-30-1053-2026, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-30-1053-2026, 2026
Short summary
Short summary
This study shows that streamflow isotope data in a catchment-scale isotope-based transport model were sufficient to isolate preferential flow in the unsaturated zone but insufficient to isolate the preferential release of young groundwater, as isotope signals were strongly damped by large passive groundwater storage. As a result, groundwater age-selection assumptions affected estimates of long transit times, making it difficult to quantify the fraction of stream water older than 100 days.
Hatice Türk, Christine Stumpp, Markus Hrachowitz, Karsten Schulz, Peter Strauss, Günter Blöschl, and Michael Stockinger
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 29, 3935–3956, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-29-3935-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-29-3935-2025, 2025
Short summary
Short summary
Using advances in transit time estimation and tracer data, we tested if fast-flow transit times are controlled solely by soil moisture or if they are also controlled by precipitation intensity. We used soil-moisture-dependent and precipitation-intensity-conditional transfer functions. We showed that a significant portion of event water bypasses the soil matrix through fast flow paths (overland flow, tile drains, preferential-flow paths) in dry soil conditions for both low- and high-intensity precipitation.
Christopher Thoma, Borbala Szeles, Miriam Bertola, Elmar Schmaltz, Carmen Krammer, Peter Strauss, and Günter Blöschl
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2025-2541, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2025-2541, 2025
Preprint archived
Short summary
Short summary
We studied how farming practices affect soil and sediment movement in a small Austrian catchment. By monitoring water and sediment during 55 rain events, we found that erosion control worked well in flat fields near the stream, but not in steep or distant fields. Our results show that reducing soil loss requires strategies that consider slope, distance to streams, and how water flows through the landscape.
Paolo Nasta, Günter Blöschl, Heye R. Bogena, Steffen Zacharias, Roland Baatz, Gabriëlle De Lannoy, Karsten H. Jensen, Salvatore Manfreda, Laurent Pfister, Ana M. Tarquis, Ilja van Meerveld, Marc Voltz, Yijian Zeng, William Kustas, Xin Li, Harry Vereecken, and Nunzio Romano
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 29, 465–483, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-29-465-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-29-465-2025, 2025
Short summary
Short summary
The Unsolved Problems in Hydrology (UPH) initiative has emphasized the need to establish networks of multi-decadal hydrological observatories to tackle catchment-scale challenges on a global scale. This opinion paper provocatively discusses two endmembers of possible future hydrological observatory (HO) networks for a given hypothesized community budget: a comprehensive set of moderately instrumented observatories or, alternatively, a small number of highly instrumented supersites.
Bruno Merz, Günter Blöschl, Robert Jüpner, Heidi Kreibich, Kai Schröter, and Sergiy Vorogushyn
Nat. Hazards Earth Syst. Sci., 24, 4015–4030, https://doi.org/10.5194/nhess-24-4015-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/nhess-24-4015-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
Flood risk assessments help us decide how to reduce the risk of flooding. Since these assessments are based on probabilities, it is hard to check their accuracy by comparing them to past data. We suggest a new way to validate these assessments, making sure they are practical for real-life decisions. This approach looks at both the technical details and the real-world situations where decisions are made. We demonstrate its practicality by applying it to flood emergency planning.
Günter Blöschl, Andreas Buttinger-Kreuzhuber, Daniel Cornel, Julia Eisl, Michael Hofer, Markus Hollaus, Zsolt Horváth, Jürgen Komma, Artem Konev, Juraj Parajka, Norbert Pfeifer, Andreas Reithofer, José Salinas, Peter Valent, Roman Výleta, Jürgen Waser, Michael H. Wimmer, and Heinz Stiefelmeyer
Nat. Hazards Earth Syst. Sci., 24, 2071–2091, https://doi.org/10.5194/nhess-24-2071-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/nhess-24-2071-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
A methodology of regional flood hazard mapping is proposed, based on data in Austria, which combines automatic methods with manual interventions to maximise efficiency and to obtain estimation accuracy similar to that of local studies. Flood discharge records from 781 stations are used to estimate flood hazard patterns of a given return period at a resolution of 2 m over a total stream length of 38 000 km. The hazard maps are used for civil protection, risk awareness and insurance purposes.
Alberto Montanari, Bruno Merz, and Günter Blöschl
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 28, 2603–2615, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-28-2603-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-28-2603-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
Floods often take communities by surprise, as they are often considered virtually
impossibleyet are an ever-present threat similar to the sword suspended over the head of Damocles in the classical Greek anecdote. We discuss four reasons why extremely large floods carry a risk that is often larger than expected. We provide suggestions for managing the risk of megafloods by calling for a creative exploration of hazard scenarios and communicating the unknown corners of the reality of floods.
Mohammad Ghoreishi, Amin Elshorbagy, Saman Razavi, Günter Blöschl, Murugesu Sivapalan, and Ahmed Abdelkader
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 27, 1201–1219, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-27-1201-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-27-1201-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
The study proposes a quantitative model of the willingness to cooperate in the Eastern Nile River basin. Our results suggest that the 2008 food crisis may account for Sudan recovering its willingness to cooperate with Ethiopia. Long-term lack of trust among the riparian countries may have reduced basin-wide cooperation. The model can be used to explore the effects of changes in future dam operations and other management decisions on the emergence of basin cooperation.
Enrico Bonanno, Günter Blöschl, and Julian Klaus
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 26, 6003–6028, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-26-6003-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-26-6003-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
There is an unclear understanding of which processes regulate the transport of water, solutes, and pollutants in streams. This is crucial since these processes control water quality in river networks. Compared to other approaches, we obtained clearer insights into the processes controlling solute transport in the investigated reach. This work highlights the risks of using uncertain results for interpreting the processes controlling water movement in streams.
Günter Blöschl
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 26, 5015–5033, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-26-5015-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-26-5015-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
There is serious concern that river floods are increasing. Starting from explanations discussed in public, the article addresses three hypotheses: land-use change, hydraulic structures, and climate change increase floods. This review finds that all three changes have the potential to not only increase floods, but also to reduce them. It is crucial to consider all three factors of change in flood risk management and communicate them to the general public in a nuanced way.
Shengping Wang, Borbala Szeles, Carmen Krammer, Elmar Schmaltz, Kepeng Song, Yifan Li, Zhiqiang Zhang, Günter Blöschl, and Peter Strauss
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 26, 3021–3036, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-26-3021-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-26-3021-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
This study explored the quantitative contribution of agricultural intensification and climate change to the sediment load of a small agricultural watershed. Rather than a change in climatic conditions, changes in the land structure notably altered sediment concentrations under high-flow conditions, thereby contributing most to the increase in annual sediment loads. More consideration of land structure improvement is required when combating the transfer of soil from land to water.
Günter Blöschl
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 26, 2469–2480, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-26-2469-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-26-2469-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
Sound understanding of how floods come about allows for the development of more reliable flood management tools that assist in mitigating their negative impacts. This article reviews river flood generation processes and flow paths across space scales, starting from water movement in the soil pores and moving up to hillslopes, catchments, regions and entire continents. To assist model development, there is a need to learn from observed patterns of flood generation processes at all spatial scales.
Rui Tong, Juraj Parajka, Borbála Széles, Isabella Greimeister-Pfeil, Mariette Vreugdenhil, Jürgen Komma, Peter Valent, and Günter Blöschl
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 26, 1779–1799, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-26-1779-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-26-1779-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
The role and impact of using additional data (other than runoff) for the prediction of daily hydrographs in ungauged basins are not well understood. In this study, we assessed the model performance in terms of runoff, soil moisture, and snow cover predictions with the existing regionalization approaches. Results show that the best transfer methods are the similarity and the kriging approaches. The performance of the transfer methods differs between lowland and alpine catchments.
Wouter Dorigo, Irene Himmelbauer, Daniel Aberer, Lukas Schremmer, Ivana Petrakovic, Luca Zappa, Wolfgang Preimesberger, Angelika Xaver, Frank Annor, Jonas Ardö, Dennis Baldocchi, Marco Bitelli, Günter Blöschl, Heye Bogena, Luca Brocca, Jean-Christophe Calvet, J. Julio Camarero, Giorgio Capello, Minha Choi, Michael C. Cosh, Nick van de Giesen, Istvan Hajdu, Jaakko Ikonen, Karsten H. Jensen, Kasturi Devi Kanniah, Ileen de Kat, Gottfried Kirchengast, Pankaj Kumar Rai, Jenni Kyrouac, Kristine Larson, Suxia Liu, Alexander Loew, Mahta Moghaddam, José Martínez Fernández, Cristian Mattar Bader, Renato Morbidelli, Jan P. Musial, Elise Osenga, Michael A. Palecki, Thierry Pellarin, George P. Petropoulos, Isabella Pfeil, Jarrett Powers, Alan Robock, Christoph Rüdiger, Udo Rummel, Michael Strobel, Zhongbo Su, Ryan Sullivan, Torbern Tagesson, Andrej Varlagin, Mariette Vreugdenhil, Jeffrey Walker, Jun Wen, Fred Wenger, Jean Pierre Wigneron, Mel Woods, Kun Yang, Yijian Zeng, Xiang Zhang, Marek Zreda, Stephan Dietrich, Alexander Gruber, Peter van Oevelen, Wolfgang Wagner, Klaus Scipal, Matthias Drusch, and Roberto Sabia
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 25, 5749–5804, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-25-5749-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-25-5749-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
The International Soil Moisture Network (ISMN) is a community-based open-access data portal for soil water measurements taken at the ground and is accessible at https://ismn.earth. Over 1000 scientific publications and thousands of users have made use of the ISMN. The scope of this paper is to inform readers about the data and functionality of the ISMN and to provide a review of the scientific progress facilitated through the ISMN with the scope to shape future research and operations.
Songkun Yan, Mengye Chen, Jonathan J. Gourley, Jian Zhang, Günter Blöschl, Paul Bates, Zhi Li, Siyu Zhu, Abigail Snooks, Yixin Wen, Xiaodong Chen, Chengbin Deng, Juan Camilo Parra Toro, Meihong Ma, and Yang Hong
Earth Syst. Sci. Data Discuss., https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-2026-695, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-2026-695, 2026
Preprint under review for ESSD
Short summary
Short summary
Flash floods develop quickly, but the records needed to study them are scattered across many sources. We created TORRENT by linking flood reports, rainfall, river flow, drainage-area information, and field measurements across the contiguous United States. It contains 42 466 reported events and 806 ready-to-use case packages, including 21 carefully checked cases. Its open, machine-readable design will help people and artificial intelligence tools study floods and compare prediction methods.
Adrián Flores Orozco, Jakob Gallistl, Benjamin S. Gilfedder, Timea Katona, Sven Frei, Peter Strauss, and Gunter Blöschl
Biogeosciences, 23, 6287–6297, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-23-6287-2026, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-23-6287-2026, 2026
Short summary
Short summary
Understanding the role of soil in the storage of organic carbon is critical for a large number of environmental processes. Current practices rely on the drilling and analysis of samples, which is expensive, time consuming and destructive. Here we present a technique able to map soil organic carbon variability using measurements of the electrical properties of the subsurface without drilling. Our results advance soil management strategies to enhance carbon sequestration and storage.
Paco Frantzen, Susan Steele-Dunne, Roland Lindorfer, Sebastian Hahn, Mariette Vreugdenhil, and Wolfgang Wagner
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2026-5133, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2026-5133, 2026
This preprint is open for discussion and under review for Earth Observation (EO).
Short summary
Short summary
Soil moisture content is important for vegetation health and evaporation, and can be estimated using microwave instruments on satellites. For one of such instruments, ASCAT, the surface reflective properties must be estimated to retrieve soil moisture. We assess whether a new method for estimating reflective properties improves the ASCAT soil moisture estimates, by comparing them with measurements from soil moisture probes. We found that the new method improves ASCAT soil moisture estimates.
Yuanqi Hong, Guta Wakbulcho Abeshu, Hong-Yi Li, Dingbao Wang, Mengqi Zhao, Thomas Wild, Günter Blöschl, and L. Ruby Leung
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 30, 4293–4303, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-30-4293-2026, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-30-4293-2026, 2026
Short summary
Short summary
Rain runs off in two main ways: saturation excess when soil is full, and infiltration excess when rain exceeds infiltration. They often occur simultaneously in a watershed, but most models treat them separately. We introduce a new theory that captures both processes within a single framework, tracking their shift over space and time. Tested over 181 U.S. watersheds, the theory well predicts streamflow in most watersheds and improves understanding of runoff under diverse climates.
Clay Harrison, Sebastian Hahn, Roland Lindorfer, Thomas Melzer, Raffaele Crapolicchio, and Wolfgang Wagner
ISPRS Ann. Photogramm. Remote Sens. Spatial Inf. Sci., XI-3-2026, 411–417, https://doi.org/10.5194/isprs-annals-XI-3-2026-411-2026, https://doi.org/10.5194/isprs-annals-XI-3-2026-411-2026, 2026
Jürgen Komma, Peter Valent, Miriam Bertola, Juraj Parajka, Klaus Haslinger, Benedikt Bica, Georg Pistotnik, Korbinian Breinl, Gabriele Müller, Lovrenc Pavlin, Bianca Kahl, Achim Naderer, and Günter Blöschl
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 30, 4075–4093, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-30-4075-2026, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-30-4075-2026, 2026
Short summary
Short summary
In September 2024 an exceptional flood hit the Austrian Danube Basin, the largest in parts of Lower Austria since records began. Using weather and river data, we compare this event with historic floods from 1899, 2002 and 2013. The 2024 flood was driven by a slow-moving rainstorm and saturated soils, causing record flows at smaller rivers. The study shows a shift toward more localized, intense floods, highlighting the need for adaptive flood-risk management in a warming climate.
Sebastian Hahn, Thomas Melzer, and Wolfgang Wagner
Earth Syst. Sci. Data, 18, 4393–4423, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-18-4393-2026, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-18-4393-2026, 2026
Short summary
Short summary
This article presents the latest version of the H SAF (Satellite Application Facility on Support to Operational Hydrology and Water Management) ASCAT (Advanced Scatterometer) SSM (surface soil moisture) datasets, unifying the NRT (near real-time) product with the historical offline data record. This release now applies the latest retrieval algorithm to both data streams, creating a consistent and unified data stream that is further complemented by a new, high-resolution 6.25 km sampling SSM product. The H SAF ASCAT SSM datasets are publicly available from https://hsaf.meteoam.it.
Asma Khalil, Rui Tong, Zahra Majid, Borbála Széles, Miriam Bertola, and Juraj Parajka
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2026-2880, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2026-2880, 2026
Short summary
Short summary
Study signifies how the use of limited streamflow records with satellite data shows promising approach to improve hydrological predictions in data-sparse regions. Results show combining satellite observations with even a small number of targeted river flow measurements can support reliable hydrologic modeling in data limited catchments. Further, this approach can enhance research dynamics in regions with no or limited observed data availability by using consistent datasets of satellite products.
Fuqiang Tian, Murugesu Sivapalan, Sondoss El Sawah, Melissa Haeffner, Anthony Jakeman, Heidi Kreibich, Leyang Liu, Haoyang Lyu, Ana Mijic, Jiale Wang, Jing Wei, and Günter Blöschl
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2026-1727, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2026-1727, 2026
Short summary
Short summary
This opinion paper shows how sociohydrology can better support water management by moving from understanding systems to guiding action. Drawing on ten years of work in the Panta Rhei initiative, it offers a simple way to compare cases, trace how actions lead to intended and unintended outcomes, and improve monitoring, learning, fairness, and legitimacy in decision-making.
Patrik Sleziak, Michal Danko, Martin Jančo, Ladislav Holko, and Juraj Parajka
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2026-1120, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2026-1120, 2026
Short summary
Short summary
We compare the Normalized Difference Snow Index from the VIIRS product with daily snow depth observations. The median snow cover mapping accuracy in Austria is 92.5 %. Snow cover classification is more accurate when optimal thresholds are estimated separately for individual months and elevation zones. At the catchment scale, thresholds are lower and mapping accuracy decreases in forested areas, particularly when the snow accumulation starts and at the end of the melting season.
Hatice Türk, Christine Stumpp, Markus Hrachowitz, Peter Strauss, Günter Blöschl, and Michael Stockinger
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 30, 1053–1076, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-30-1053-2026, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-30-1053-2026, 2026
Short summary
Short summary
This study shows that streamflow isotope data in a catchment-scale isotope-based transport model were sufficient to isolate preferential flow in the unsaturated zone but insufficient to isolate the preferential release of young groundwater, as isotope signals were strongly damped by large passive groundwater storage. As a result, groundwater age-selection assumptions affected estimates of long transit times, making it difficult to quantify the fraction of stream water older than 100 days.
Dariela A. Vázquez Rodríguez, Pavan Muguda Sanjeevamurthy, Wolfgang Wagner, Sebastian Hahn, and Fabiola D. Yépez-Rincón
ISPRS Ann. Photogramm. Remote Sens. Spatial Inf. Sci., X-3-W3-2025, 101–108, https://doi.org/10.5194/isprs-annals-X-3-W3-2025-101-2026, https://doi.org/10.5194/isprs-annals-X-3-W3-2025-101-2026, 2026
Hatice Türk, Christine Stumpp, Markus Hrachowitz, Karsten Schulz, Peter Strauss, Günter Blöschl, and Michael Stockinger
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 29, 3935–3956, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-29-3935-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-29-3935-2025, 2025
Short summary
Short summary
Using advances in transit time estimation and tracer data, we tested if fast-flow transit times are controlled solely by soil moisture or if they are also controlled by precipitation intensity. We used soil-moisture-dependent and precipitation-intensity-conditional transfer functions. We showed that a significant portion of event water bypasses the soil matrix through fast flow paths (overland flow, tile drains, preferential-flow paths) in dry soil conditions for both low- and high-intensity precipitation.
Christopher Thoma, Borbala Szeles, Miriam Bertola, Elmar Schmaltz, Carmen Krammer, Peter Strauss, and Günter Blöschl
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2025-2541, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2025-2541, 2025
Preprint archived
Short summary
Short summary
We studied how farming practices affect soil and sediment movement in a small Austrian catchment. By monitoring water and sediment during 55 rain events, we found that erosion control worked well in flat fields near the stream, but not in steep or distant fields. Our results show that reducing soil loss requires strategies that consider slope, distance to streams, and how water flows through the landscape.
Paolo Nasta, Günter Blöschl, Heye R. Bogena, Steffen Zacharias, Roland Baatz, Gabriëlle De Lannoy, Karsten H. Jensen, Salvatore Manfreda, Laurent Pfister, Ana M. Tarquis, Ilja van Meerveld, Marc Voltz, Yijian Zeng, William Kustas, Xin Li, Harry Vereecken, and Nunzio Romano
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 29, 465–483, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-29-465-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-29-465-2025, 2025
Short summary
Short summary
The Unsolved Problems in Hydrology (UPH) initiative has emphasized the need to establish networks of multi-decadal hydrological observatories to tackle catchment-scale challenges on a global scale. This opinion paper provocatively discusses two endmembers of possible future hydrological observatory (HO) networks for a given hypothesized community budget: a comprehensive set of moderately instrumented observatories or, alternatively, a small number of highly instrumented supersites.
Clemens Moser, Umberto Morra di Cella, Christian Hauck, and Adrián Flores Orozco
The Cryosphere, 19, 143–171, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-19-143-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-19-143-2025, 2025
Short summary
Short summary
We use electrical conductivity and induced polarization in an imaging framework to quantify hydrogeological parameters in the active Gran Sometta rock glacier. The results show high spatial variability in the hydrogeological parameters across the rock glacier and are validated by saltwater tracer tests coupled with 3D electrical conductivity imaging. Hydrogeological information was linked to kinematic data to further investigate its role in rock glacier movement.
Bruno Merz, Günter Blöschl, Robert Jüpner, Heidi Kreibich, Kai Schröter, and Sergiy Vorogushyn
Nat. Hazards Earth Syst. Sci., 24, 4015–4030, https://doi.org/10.5194/nhess-24-4015-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/nhess-24-4015-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
Flood risk assessments help us decide how to reduce the risk of flooding. Since these assessments are based on probabilities, it is hard to check their accuracy by comparing them to past data. We suggest a new way to validate these assessments, making sure they are practical for real-life decisions. This approach looks at both the technical details and the real-world situations where decisions are made. We demonstrate its practicality by applying it to flood emergency planning.
Theresa Maierhofer, Adrian Flores Orozco, Nathalie Roser, Jonas K. Limbrock, Christin Hilbich, Clemens Moser, Andreas Kemna, Elisabetta Drigo, Umberto Morra di Cella, and Christian Hauck
The Cryosphere, 18, 3383–3414, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-18-3383-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-18-3383-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
In this study, we apply an electrical method in a high-mountain permafrost terrain in the Italian Alps, where long-term borehole temperature data are available for validation. In particular, we investigate the frequency dependence of the electrical properties for seasonal and annual variations along a 3-year monitoring period. We demonstrate that our method is capable of resolving temporal changes in the thermal state and the ice / water ratio associated with seasonal freeze–thaw processes.
Günter Blöschl, Andreas Buttinger-Kreuzhuber, Daniel Cornel, Julia Eisl, Michael Hofer, Markus Hollaus, Zsolt Horváth, Jürgen Komma, Artem Konev, Juraj Parajka, Norbert Pfeifer, Andreas Reithofer, José Salinas, Peter Valent, Roman Výleta, Jürgen Waser, Michael H. Wimmer, and Heinz Stiefelmeyer
Nat. Hazards Earth Syst. Sci., 24, 2071–2091, https://doi.org/10.5194/nhess-24-2071-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/nhess-24-2071-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
A methodology of regional flood hazard mapping is proposed, based on data in Austria, which combines automatic methods with manual interventions to maximise efficiency and to obtain estimation accuracy similar to that of local studies. Flood discharge records from 781 stations are used to estimate flood hazard patterns of a given return period at a resolution of 2 m over a total stream length of 38 000 km. The hazard maps are used for civil protection, risk awareness and insurance purposes.
Alberto Montanari, Bruno Merz, and Günter Blöschl
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 28, 2603–2615, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-28-2603-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-28-2603-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
Floods often take communities by surprise, as they are often considered virtually
impossibleyet are an ever-present threat similar to the sword suspended over the head of Damocles in the classical Greek anecdote. We discuss four reasons why extremely large floods carry a risk that is often larger than expected. We provide suggestions for managing the risk of megafloods by calling for a creative exploration of hazard scenarios and communicating the unknown corners of the reality of floods.
Matteo Pesce, Alberto Viglione, Jost von Hardenberg, Larisa Tarasova, Stefano Basso, Ralf Merz, Juraj Parajka, and Rui Tong
Proc. IAHS, 385, 65–69, https://doi.org/10.5194/piahs-385-65-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/piahs-385-65-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
The manuscript describes an application of PArameter Set Shuffling (PASS) approach in the Alpine region. A machine learning decision-tree algorithm is applied for the regional calibration of a conceptual semi-distributed hydrological model. Regional model efficiencies don't decrease significantly when moving in space from catchments used for the regional calibration (training) to catchments used for the procedure validation (test) and, in time, from the calibration to the verification period.
J. Zhao, F. Roth, B. Bauer-Marschallinger, W. Wagner, M. Chini, and X. X. Zhu
ISPRS Ann. Photogramm. Remote Sens. Spatial Inf. Sci., X-1-W1-2023, 911–918, https://doi.org/10.5194/isprs-annals-X-1-W1-2023-911-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/isprs-annals-X-1-W1-2023-911-2023, 2023
Florian Roth, Bernhard Bauer-Marschallinger, Mark Edwin Tupas, Christoph Reimer, Peter Salamon, and Wolfgang Wagner
Nat. Hazards Earth Syst. Sci., 23, 3305–3317, https://doi.org/10.5194/nhess-23-3305-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/nhess-23-3305-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
In August and September 2022, millions of people were impacted by a severe flood event in Pakistan. Since many roads and other infrastructure were destroyed, satellite data were the only way of providing large-scale information on the flood's impact. Based on the flood mapping algorithm developed at Technische Universität Wien (TU Wien), we mapped an area of 30 492 km2 that was flooded at least once during the study's time period. This affected area matches about the total area of Belgium.
Mohammad Ghoreishi, Amin Elshorbagy, Saman Razavi, Günter Blöschl, Murugesu Sivapalan, and Ahmed Abdelkader
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 27, 1201–1219, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-27-1201-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-27-1201-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
The study proposes a quantitative model of the willingness to cooperate in the Eastern Nile River basin. Our results suggest that the 2008 food crisis may account for Sudan recovering its willingness to cooperate with Ethiopia. Long-term lack of trust among the riparian countries may have reduced basin-wide cooperation. The model can be used to explore the effects of changes in future dam operations and other management decisions on the emergence of basin cooperation.
Enrico Bonanno, Günter Blöschl, and Julian Klaus
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 26, 6003–6028, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-26-6003-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-26-6003-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
There is an unclear understanding of which processes regulate the transport of water, solutes, and pollutants in streams. This is crucial since these processes control water quality in river networks. Compared to other approaches, we obtained clearer insights into the processes controlling solute transport in the investigated reach. This work highlights the risks of using uncertain results for interpreting the processes controlling water movement in streams.
Günter Blöschl
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 26, 5015–5033, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-26-5015-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-26-5015-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
There is serious concern that river floods are increasing. Starting from explanations discussed in public, the article addresses three hypotheses: land-use change, hydraulic structures, and climate change increase floods. This review finds that all three changes have the potential to not only increase floods, but also to reduce them. It is crucial to consider all three factors of change in flood risk management and communicate them to the general public in a nuanced way.
M. Tupas, C. Navacchi, F. Roth, B. Bauer-Marschallinger, F. Reuß, and W. Wagner
Int. Arch. Photogramm. Remote Sens. Spatial Inf. Sci., XLVIII-4-W1-2022, 495–502, https://doi.org/10.5194/isprs-archives-XLVIII-4-W1-2022-495-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/isprs-archives-XLVIII-4-W1-2022-495-2022, 2022
Shengping Wang, Borbala Szeles, Carmen Krammer, Elmar Schmaltz, Kepeng Song, Yifan Li, Zhiqiang Zhang, Günter Blöschl, and Peter Strauss
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 26, 3021–3036, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-26-3021-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-26-3021-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
This study explored the quantitative contribution of agricultural intensification and climate change to the sediment load of a small agricultural watershed. Rather than a change in climatic conditions, changes in the land structure notably altered sediment concentrations under high-flow conditions, thereby contributing most to the increase in annual sediment loads. More consideration of land structure improvement is required when combating the transfer of soil from land to water.
Ashwini Petchiappan, Susan C. Steele-Dunne, Mariette Vreugdenhil, Sebastian Hahn, Wolfgang Wagner, and Rafael Oliveira
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 26, 2997–3019, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-26-2997-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-26-2997-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
This study investigates spatial and temporal patterns in the incidence angle dependence of backscatter from the ASCAT C-band scatterometer and relates those to precipitation, humidity, and radiation data and GRACE equivalent water thickness in ecoregions in the Amazon. The results show that the ASCAT data record offers a unique perspective on vegetation water dynamics exhibiting sensitivity to moisture availability and demand and phenological change at interannual, seasonal, and diurnal scales.
Theresa Maierhofer, Christian Hauck, Christin Hilbich, Andreas Kemna, and Adrián Flores-Orozco
The Cryosphere, 16, 1903–1925, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-16-1903-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-16-1903-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
We extend the application of electrical methods to characterize alpine permafrost using the so-called induced polarization (IP) effect associated with the storage of charges at the interface between liquid and solid phases. We investigate different field protocols to enhance data quality and conclude that with appropriate measurement and processing procedures, the characteristic dependence of the IP response of frozen rocks improves the assessment of thermal state and ice content in permafrost.
Günter Blöschl
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 26, 2469–2480, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-26-2469-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-26-2469-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
Sound understanding of how floods come about allows for the development of more reliable flood management tools that assist in mitigating their negative impacts. This article reviews river flood generation processes and flow paths across space scales, starting from water movement in the soil pores and moving up to hillslopes, catchments, regions and entire continents. To assist model development, there is a need to learn from observed patterns of flood generation processes at all spatial scales.
Paolo Filippucci, Luca Brocca, Raphael Quast, Luca Ciabatta, Carla Saltalippi, Wolfgang Wagner, and Angelica Tarpanelli
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 26, 2481–2497, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-26-2481-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-26-2481-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
A high-resolution (1 km) rainfall product with 10–30 d temporal resolution was obtained starting from SM data from Sentinel-1. Good performances are achieved using observed data (gauge and radar) over the Po River Valley, Italy, as a benchmark. The comparison with a product characterized by lower spatial resolution (25 km) highlights areas where the high spatial resolution of Sentinel-1 has great benefits. Possible applications include water management, agriculture and index-based insurances.
Rui Tong, Juraj Parajka, Borbála Széles, Isabella Greimeister-Pfeil, Mariette Vreugdenhil, Jürgen Komma, Peter Valent, and Günter Blöschl
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 26, 1779–1799, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-26-1779-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-26-1779-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
The role and impact of using additional data (other than runoff) for the prediction of daily hydrographs in ungauged basins are not well understood. In this study, we assessed the model performance in terms of runoff, soil moisture, and snow cover predictions with the existing regionalization approaches. Results show that the best transfer methods are the similarity and the kriging approaches. The performance of the transfer methods differs between lowland and alpine catchments.
Wouter Dorigo, Irene Himmelbauer, Daniel Aberer, Lukas Schremmer, Ivana Petrakovic, Luca Zappa, Wolfgang Preimesberger, Angelika Xaver, Frank Annor, Jonas Ardö, Dennis Baldocchi, Marco Bitelli, Günter Blöschl, Heye Bogena, Luca Brocca, Jean-Christophe Calvet, J. Julio Camarero, Giorgio Capello, Minha Choi, Michael C. Cosh, Nick van de Giesen, Istvan Hajdu, Jaakko Ikonen, Karsten H. Jensen, Kasturi Devi Kanniah, Ileen de Kat, Gottfried Kirchengast, Pankaj Kumar Rai, Jenni Kyrouac, Kristine Larson, Suxia Liu, Alexander Loew, Mahta Moghaddam, José Martínez Fernández, Cristian Mattar Bader, Renato Morbidelli, Jan P. Musial, Elise Osenga, Michael A. Palecki, Thierry Pellarin, George P. Petropoulos, Isabella Pfeil, Jarrett Powers, Alan Robock, Christoph Rüdiger, Udo Rummel, Michael Strobel, Zhongbo Su, Ryan Sullivan, Torbern Tagesson, Andrej Varlagin, Mariette Vreugdenhil, Jeffrey Walker, Jun Wen, Fred Wenger, Jean Pierre Wigneron, Mel Woods, Kun Yang, Yijian Zeng, Xiang Zhang, Marek Zreda, Stephan Dietrich, Alexander Gruber, Peter van Oevelen, Wolfgang Wagner, Klaus Scipal, Matthias Drusch, and Roberto Sabia
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 25, 5749–5804, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-25-5749-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-25-5749-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
The International Soil Moisture Network (ISMN) is a community-based open-access data portal for soil water measurements taken at the ground and is accessible at https://ismn.earth. Over 1000 scientific publications and thousands of users have made use of the ISMN. The scope of this paper is to inform readers about the data and functionality of the ISMN and to provide a review of the scientific progress facilitated through the ISMN with the scope to shape future research and operations.
Cited articles
Anderson, S. P., Bales, R. C., and Duffy, C. J.: Critical zone observatories:
Building a network to advance interdisciplinary study of Earth surface
processes, Mineralogical Magazine, 72, 7–10, 2008.
Blöschl, G. and Zehe, E.: On hydrological predictability, Invited
commentary, Hydrol. Process., 19, 3923–3929, 2005.
Blöschl, G., Gutknecht, D., and Kirnbauer, R.: Distributed snowmelt
simulations in an Alpine catchment. 2. Parameter study and model predictions,
Water Resour. Res., 27, 3181–3188, 1991.
Blöschl, G., Carr, G., Bucher, C., Farnleitner, A. H., Rechberger, H.,
Wagner, W., and Zessner, M.: Promoting interdisciplinary education – the
Vienna Doctoral Programme on Water Resource Systems. Hydrology and Earth
System Sciences, 16, 457–472, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-16-457-2012, 2012.
Blöschl, G., Bárdossy, A., Koutsoyiannis, D., Kundzewicz, Z. W.,
Littlewood, I., Montanari, A., and Savenije, H.: Joint Editorial “On the
future of journal publications in hydrology”, Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 18,
2433–2435, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-18-2433-2014, 2014.
Blöschl, G., Thybo, H., Savenije, H., and Lovejoy, S.: A Voyage, in: A
Voyage Through Scales – The Earth System in Space and Time, edited by:
Blöschl, G., Thybo, H., and Savenije, H., Edition Lammerhuber, Vienna,
13–18, 2015.
Blümel, F. and Klaghofer, E.: Bericht über den Stand der
Oberflächenabflußmessungen im Jahr 1976. Sonderdr. aus:
Sitzungsberichte der Österr. Akademie der Wissenschaften, Math.-naturw.
Kl., Abt. I, 186. Bd., 1. bis 3. Heft, Wien, 1977.
Bogena, H. R., Herbst, M., Huisman, J. A., Rosenbaum, U., Weuthen, A., and
Vereecken, H.: Potential of wireless sensor networks for measuring soil water
content variability, Vadose Z. J. 9, 1002–1013, 2010.
Brown, A. E., Zhang, L., McMahon, T. A., Western, A. W., and Vertessy, R. A.:
A review of paired catchment studies for determining changes in water yield
resulting from alterations in vegetation, J. Hydrol., 310,
28–61, 2005.
Carr, G., Loucks, D. P., Blanch, A. R., Blaschke, A. P., Brouwer, R., Bucher,
C., Farnleitner, A. H., Fürnkranz-Prskawetz, A., Morgenroth, E., Parajka,
J., Pfeifer, N., Rechberger, H., Wagner, W. W., Zessner, M., and Blöschl,
G.: Evaluating multi-disciplinary collaboration in a doctoral programme on
water resource systems, to be submitted, 2015.
Chamberlin, T. C.: The method of multiple working hypotheses, Science, 15,
754–759, https://doi.org/10.1126/science.148.3671.754, 1965.
Eder, A., Strauss, P., Krueger, T., and Quinton, J. N.: Comparative calculation of
suspended sediment loads with respect to hysteresis effects (in the
Petzenkirchen catchment, Austria), J. Hydrol. 389, 168–176, 2010.
Eder, A., Exner-Kittridge, M., Strauss, P., and Blöschl G.: Re-suspension
of bed sediment in a small stream – results from two flushing experiments,
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci. 18, 1043–1052, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-18-1043-2014, 2014.
Elliott, K. J. and Vose, J. M.: The contribution of the Coweeta Hydrologic
Laboratory to developing an understanding of long-term (1934–2008) changes
in managed and unmanaged forests, Forest Ecol. Manage., 261,
900–910, 2011.
Exner-Kittridge, M., Niederreiter, R., Eder, A., and Zessner, M.: A simple
and flexible field tested device for housing water monitoring sensors at
point discharges, Water Sci. Technol., 67, 1026–1033, 2013.
Exner-Kittridge, M., Salinas, J. L., and Zessner, M.: An evaluation of
analytical stream to groundwater exchange models: a comparison of gross
exchanges based on different spatial flow distribution assumptions, Hydrol.
Earth Syst. Sci., 18, 2715–2734, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-18-2715-2014, 2014.
Exner-Kittridge, M., Blöschl, G., Eder, A., Strauss, P., and Zessner, M.:
Source contribution dynamics of runoff events in a headwater agricultural
catchment, submitted to Water Resour. Res., 2016.
FAO (Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations): Crop
evapotranspiration: guidelines for computing crop water requirements, no. 56
in FAO irrigation and drainage paper, Rome, 1998.
Farnleitner, A. H., Hocke, L., Beiwl, C., Kavka, G. G., Zechmeister, T.,
Kirschner, A. K. T., and Mach, L. R.: Rapid enzymatic detection of
Escherichia coli contamination in polluted river water, Lett. Appl.
Microbiol., 33, 246–250, 2001.
Farnleitner, A. H., Hocke, L., Beiwl, C., Kavka, G. G., and Mach, R. L.:
Hydrolysis of 4-methylumbelliferyl-β-D-glucuronide in differing sample
fractions of river waters and its implication for the detection of fecal
pollution, Water Res., 36, 975–981, 2002.
Farnleitner, A. H., Reischer, G. H., Stadler, H., Kollanur, D., Sommer, R.,
Zerobin, W., Blöschl, G., Barrella, K. M., Truesdale, J. A., Casarez, E.
A., and Di Giovanni, G. D.: Microbial Source Tracking: Methods, Applications
and Case Studies. Chapter 18 – Agricultural and Rural Watersheds, edited by:
Hagedorn, C., Haarwood, J., and Blanch A., Springer, New York, 399–432,
2011.
Flores Orozco, A., Williams, K. H., Long, P. E., Hubbard, S. S., and Kemna, A.:
Using complex resistivity imaging to infer biogeochemical processes
associated with bioremediation of a uranium-contaminated aquifer,
J. Geophys. Res., 116, G03001, https://doi.org/10.1029/2010JG001591, 2011.
Flores Orozco, A., Williams, H. K., and Kemna, A.: Time-lapse spectral
induced polarization imaging of stimulated uranium bioremediation, Near Surf.
Geophys., 11, 531–544, https://doi.org/10.3997/1873-0604.2013020, 2013.
Flores Orozco, A., Velimirovic, M., Tosco, T., Kemna, A., Sapion, H., Klaas,
N., Sethi, R., and Leen, B.: Monitoring the injection of microscale
zero-valent iron particles for groundwater remediation by means of complex
electrical conductivity imaging, Environ. Sci. Technol., 49, 5593–5600,
https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.est.5b00208, 2015.
Grayson, R. B. and Western, A. W.: Towards areal estimation of soil water
content from point measurements: time and space stability of mean
response, J. Hydrol., 207, 68–82, 1998.
Grayson, R. B., Western, A. W., Chiew, F. H., and Blöschl, G.: Preferred
states in spatial soil moisture patterns: Local and nonlocal controls,
Water Resour. Res., 33, 2897–2908, 1997.
Grayson, R., Blöschl, G., Western, A., and McMahon, T.: Advances in the use
of observed spatial patterns of catchment hydrological response, Adv.
Water Resour., 25, 1313–1334, 2002.
Holko, L., Holzmann, L., de Lima, M. I. P., and de Lima, J. L. M. P.: Hydrological
research in small catchments – an approach to improve knowledge on
hydrological processes and global change impacts, J. Hydrol. Hydromech.,
63, 181–182, 2015.
Holländer, H. M., Blume, T., Bormann, H., Buytaert, W., Chirico, G. B.,
Exbrayat, J.-F., Gustafsson, D., Hölzel, H., Kraft, P., Stamm, C., Stoll,
S., Blöschl, G., and Flühler, H.: Comparative predictions of
discharge from an artificial catchment (Chicken Creek) using sparse data,
Hydrology and Earth System Sciences, 13, 2069–2094, 2009.
Holländer, H. M., Bormann, H., Blume, T., Buytaert, W., Chirico, G. B.,
Exbrayat, J.-F., Gustafsson, D., Hölzel, H., Krauße, T., Kraft, P., Stoll,
S., Blöschl, G., and Flühler, H.: Impact of modellers' decisions on
hydrological a priori predictions, Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 18, 2065–2085,
https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-18-2065-2014, 2014.
Hopp, L., Harman, C., Desilets, S. L. E., Graham, C. B., McDonnell, J. J.,
and Troch, P. A.: Hillslope hydrology under glass: confronting fundamental
questions of soil-water-biota co-evolution at Biosphere 2, Hydrol. Earth Syst.
Sci., 13, 2105–2118, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-13-2105-2009, 2009.
Horvath, Z., Waser, J., Perdigao, R. A. P., Konev, A., and Blöschl, G.: A
two-dimensional numerical scheme of dry/wet fronts for the Saint-Venant
system of shallow water equations, Int. J. Num. Meth. Fluids, 77, 159–182,
2015.
Kazemi Amiri, A. and Bucher, C.: Derivation of a new parametric impulse
response matrix utilized for nodal wind load identification by response
measurement, J. Sound Vibr., 344, 101–113, 2015.
Kirby, C., Newson, M., and Gilman, K. (eds.): Plynlimon research: the first
two decades – IH Report 109,
www.ceh.ac.uk/products/publications/Plynlimonresearchthefirsttwodecades.html,
(last access 11 July 2015) 1991.
Kirnbauer, R., Blöschl, G., Haas, P., Müller, G., and Merz, B.:
Identifying space-time patterns of runoff generation – A case study from the
Löhnersbach catchment, Austrian Alps, in: Global Change and Mountain
Regions, edited by: Huber, U., Bugmann, H., and Reasoner, M., Springer, Series on
Advances in Global Change Research, 23, 309–320, 2005.
Knorr-Cetina, K. D.: The manufacture of knowledge: An essay on the
constructivist and contextual nature of science, Elsevier, 204 pp., 2013.
Kovacs, A., Honti, M., Zessner, M., Eder, A., Clement, A., and Blöschl,
G.: Identification of phosphorus emission hotspots in agricultural
catchments, Sci. Total Environ., 433, 74–88, 2012.
Leibundgut, Ch., Blöschl, G., Borchardt, D., Bundi, U., Hansjürgens,
B., Merz, B., and Nobilis, F.: Nachhaltige Wassernutzung in der Schweiz.
Gesamtsynthese: NFP61 weist Wege in die Zukunft (Sustainable water management
in Switzerland: NRP 61 shows the way ahead), Aqua Gas, 11, 10–16, 2014.
Lin, H. and Hopmans, J. W.: Interdisciplinary sciences in a global network
of critical zone observatories, Vadose Z. J., 10, 781–785, 2011.
Mauder, M. and Foken, T.: Documentation and instruction manual of the eddy
covariance software package TK3. Universität Bayreuth, Abt.
Mikrometeorologie, Arbeitsergebnisse, 60 pp., 2011.
Merz, R. and Blöschl, G.: Flood frequency hydrology: 1. Temporal, spatial,
and causal expansion of information, Water Resour. Res., 44,
W08432, https://doi.org/10.1029/2007WR006744, 2008.
Parajka, J., Haas, P., Kirnbauer, R., Jansa, J., and Blöschl, G.:
Potential of time-lapse photography of snow for hydrological purposes at the
small catchment scale, Hydrol. Process., 26, 3327–3337, 2012.
Plate, E. and Zehe, E.: Hydrologie und Stoffdynamik kleiner Einzugsgebiete-
Prozesse und Modelle, Schweizerbart, Stuttgart 366 pp., 2008.
Reischer, G. H., Kollanur, D., Vierheilig, J., Wehrspaun, C., Mach, R.,
Stadler, H., Sommer, R., and Farnleitner, A. H.: A hypothesis-driven approach
for the identification of fecal pollution sources in water resources, Environ.
Sci. Technol., 45, 4038–4045, 2011.
Robinson, M., Rodda, J. C., and Sutcliffe, J. V.: Long-term environmental
monitoring in the UK: origins and achievements of the Plynlimon catchment
study, Transactions of the Institute of British Geographers, 38, 451–463,
2013.
Ryzinska-Paier, G., Lendenfeld, T., Correa, K., Stadler, P., Blaschke, A. P.,
Mach, R. L., Stadler, H., Kirschner, A. K. T., and Farnleitner, A. H.: A
sensitive and robust method for automated on-line monitoring of enzymatic
activities in water and water resources, Water Sci. Technol., 69, 1349–1358,
2014.
Schilling, C., Behrendt, H., Blaschke, A., Danielescu, S., Dimova, G.,
Gabriel, O., Heinecke, U., Kovacs, A., Lampert, C., Postolache, C.,
Schreiber, H., Strauss, P., and Zessner, M.: Lessons learned from
investigations on case study level for modelling of nutrient emissions in the
Danube Basin, Water Sci. Technol., 51, 183–191, 2005.
Schumann S., Schmalz, B., Meesenburg, H., and Schröder, U.: Status and
Perspectives of Hydrology in Small Basins. IHP/HWRP-Berichte Heft 10, German
Federal Institute of Hydrology, Koblenz, 69 pp., 2010.
Sivapalan, M.: The secret to “doing better hydrological science”: change the
question!, Hydrol. Process., 23, 1391–1396, 2009.
Srinivasan, V., Thompson, S., Madhyastha, K., Penny, G., Jeremiah, K., and Lele, S.:
Why is the Arkavathy River drying? A multiple-hypothesis approach in a
data-scarce region, Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 19, 1905–1917, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-19-1905-2015, 2015.
Stadler, P., Blöschl, G., Vogl, W., Koschelnik, J., Epp, M., Lackner, M.,
Oismüller, M., Kumpan, M., Nemeth, L., Strauss, P., Sommer, R.,
Ryzinska-Paier, G., Farnleitner, A. H., and Zessner, M.: Real-time monitoring
of beta-D-glucuronidase activity in sediment laden streams: A comparison of
instruments, submitted to Environ. Sci. Technol., 2016.
Strauss, P. and Klaghofer, E.: Soil Erosion in Europe: 1.17 Austria, edited by: Boardman
J. and Poesen, J., Soil Erosion in Europe, John Wiley, 205–212,
2006.
Strauss, P., Leone, A., Ripa, M. N., Turpin, N., Lescot, J. M., and Laplana,
R.: Using critical source areas for targeting cost-effective best management
practices to mitigate phosphorus and sediment transfer at the watershed
scale, Soil Use Manage., 23, 144–153, 2007.
Swank, W. T. and Crossley Jr., D. A.: Forest Hydrology and Ecology at
Coweeta, Springer, 469 pp., 1988.
Turpin, N., Laplana, R., Strauss, P., Kaljonen, M., Zahm, F., and
Bégué, V.: Assessing the cost, effectiveness and acceptability of
best management farming practices: a pluri-disciplinary approach.
International journal of agricultural resources, governance and ecology,
5, 272–288, 2006.
Western, A. W., Blöschl, G., and Grayson, R. B.: How well do indicator
variograms capture the spatial connectivity of soil moisture?, Hydrol.
Process., 12, 1851–1868, 1998.
Western, A. W., Grayson, R. B., Blöschl, G., Willgoose, G. R., and
McMahon, T. A.: Observed spatial organisation of soil moisture and its
relation to terrain indices, Water Resour. Res., 35, 797–810, 1999.
Western, A. W., Blöschl, G., and Grayson, R. B.: Towards capturing
hydrologically significant connectivity in spatial patterns, Water Resour.
Res., 37, 83–97, 2001.
Yeshaneh E., Eder, A., and Blöschl, G.: Effects of conservation measures
on soil loss in the Koga catchment, Northwestern Ethiopia, Land Degr.
Develop., accepted, 2015.
Zacharias, S., Bogena, H., Samaniego, L., Mauder, M., Fuß, R., Pütz,
T., Frenzel, M., Schwank, M., Baessler, C., Butterbach-Bahl, K., Bens, O.,
Borg, E., Brauer, A., Dietrich, P., Hajnsek, I., Helle, G., Kiese, R.,
Kunstmann, H., Klotz, S., Munch, J. C., Papen, H., Priesack, E., Schmid, H.
P., Steinbrecher, R., Rosenbaum, U., Teutsch, G., Vereecken, H.: A network of
terrestrial environmental observatories in Germany, Vadose Z. J.,
10, 955–973, 10.2136/vzj2010.0139, 2011.
Zehe, E. and Blöschl, G.: Predictability of hydrologic response at the
plot and catchment scales: Role of initial conditions, Water Resour.
Res., 40, W10202, https://doi.org/10.1029/2003WR002869, 2004.
Zehe, E., Elsenbeer, H., Lindenmaier, F., Schulz, K., and Blöschl, G.:
Patterns of predictability in hydrological threshold systems, Water
Resour. Res., 43, W07434, 10.1029/2006WR005589, 2007.
Zehe, E., Maurer, T., Ihringer, J., and Plate, E.: Modeling water flow and
mass transport in a loess catchment, Phys. Chem. Earth, 6, 487–507, 2001.
Zessner, M., Postolache, C., Clement, A., Kovacs, A., and Strauss, P.:
Considerations on the influence of extreme events on the phosphorus transport
from river catchments to the sea, Water Sci. Technol., 51,
193–204, 2005.
Short summary
This paper illustrates the experimental and monitoring set-up of the 66 ha Hydrological Open Air Laboratory (HOAL) in Petzenkirchen, Lower Austria, which allows meaningful hypothesis testing. The HOAL catchment features a range of different runoff generation processes (surface runoff, springs, tile drains, wetlands), and is convenient from a logistic point of view as all instruments can be connected to the power grid and a high-speed glassfibre local area network.
This paper illustrates the experimental and monitoring set-up of the 66 ha Hydrological Open Air...
Altmetrics
Final-revised paper
Preprint