Hydro-morphodynamic connectivity and ecosystem design in a changing environment

• Applicant: Dr. Sebastian Schwindt
• Subject Area: Geotechnics, Hydraulic Engineering ; Hydrogeology, Hydrology, Limnology, Urban Water Management, Water Chemistry, Integrated Water Resources Management
• Term: since 2021
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 448833641

Anthropological development fragmented many ecosystems on earth and disrupted their complex connectivity. The ecosystems of the Yellow River in China and the Rhine in Germany emblematically testify the evolution that came along with industrialization in the last two centuries. The landscape around the two rivers changed from braided and biodiverse pattern to monotonous navigable streams, which are split by multi-purpose dams. In the coming decades, global change is expected to increase the stress on aquatic ecosystems even more with severe consequences for the food security. Thousands of river restoration projects are currently in progress worldwide to mitigate the risks of fluvial ecosystem loss and global change. However, the objective scientific foundation as well as the communication between different domains of expertise and between regions are often lacking. This project will build bridges between hydrologists, engineers, ecomorphologists, as well as between China and Germany to leverage novel scientific concepts for ecosystem enhancement. Our Sino-German collaboration will establish an algorithmic ecosystem design model to meet the needs of river health and socioeconomic development in the light of global change. It will focus on exploring the response relationship of hydrological-morphodynamic fluvial ecosystem adjustments and how those can be optimized to mitigate climate change. We will establish robust hydrological and morphodynamic design schemes for the adaptation of fluvial ecosystems to attenuate impacts caused by extreme droughts and floods. The design schemes will be achieved by three specific objectives that will provide the required scientific novelty. The three specific objectives are (1) an objective, dimensionless and globally applicable parametrization of fluvial ecosystems; (2) morphodynamic design algorithms for local fluvial ecosystem enhancement; and (3) hydrological-morphodynamic algorithms for watershed ecosystem enhancement. Thus, at the end of this project we want to establish a globally applicable scientific foundation to improve ecosystems through combined hydrological connectivity and morphological adjustments. The global applicability will be the result of a bridge of knowledge between the Yellow River and the Rhine.

• DFG Programme: Research Grants
• International Connection: China
• Partner Organisation: National Natural Science Foundation of China
• Co-Investigator: Professorin Dr.-Ing. Silke Wieprecht
• Cooperation Partner: Professor Shanghong Zhang