Intl. Workshop 2009 @ TU Braunschweig

The workshop proceedings will be post-published

in the IAHS Red Book series

This workshop took place on the occasion of 60 years of hydrological measurements in the Bramke research basins in the Upper Harz Mountains, Germany

Venue: Goslar-Hahnenklee, Federal Republic of Germany

Date: 30 March-2 April 2009

convened jointly by

the Technical University of Braunschweig (TUBS), Germany
the National Committee of Germany for the International Hydrological Programme (IHP) of UNESCO and the Hydrology and Water Resources Programme (HWRP) of WMO

in cooperation with

the European FRIEND Project 5 (EURO FRIEND 5)
the Mediterranean Hydrology MEDFRIEND
the Euromediterranean Network of Experimental and Representative Basins (ERB)
the IAHS Predictions in Ungauged Basins (PUB) Initiative

organised jointly with

UNESCO/IHP and WMO in cooperation with IAHS and
Fachgemeinschaft Hydrologische Wissenschaften

Workshop Flyer (print version)

Workshop programme (pdf)

Workshop poster presentation list (pdf)

The volume of Extended Abstracts can be ordered at TU Braunschweig,

Dept. of Hydrology and Landscape Ecology (s.schumann@tu-bs.de)

At the workshop represented ERB and small experimental basins (password required)

International Advisory Board

K. Beven, UK

M. Bredemeier, Germany

S. Demuth, UNESCO/IHP and IAHS/ICSW

A. Herrmann, Germany

Z. Kundzewicz, Germany

J. McDonnell, USA

L. Pfister, Luxembourg

S. Schumann, Germany (Chairperson)

S. Uhlenbrook, The Netherlands

P. Warmerdam, The Netherlands

Organising Committee

A. Herrmann, Braunschweig

U. Schröder, Koblenz (Chairperson)

S. Schumann, Braunschweig

Venue

The conference was held at a conference hotel in Goslar-Hahnenklee in the Harz Mountains.

Background of the Workshop

1948, four small research basins got instrumented in the Upper Harz Mountains under extremely difficult financial and logistic conditions. Very engaged researchers from the forestry administration and the Research Centre of Hydrology (today Federal Institute of Hydrology) concentrated ab initio on forest hydrological questions. In the following decades however, miscellaneous research projects were carried out in these basins, in particular in the Lange Bramke basin. It hence disposes in November 2009 of a complete 60 years discharge data series that was conjointly recorded by different institutes and agencies.

Similarly, a great number of small basins is monitored under various research aspects in many countries. These investigations contributed to the attainment of aims published by IHD and IHP. The announced Workshop affiliates to UNESCO IHP IHP-V Project 2.4 Comprehensive assessment of the surficial ecohydrological processes, Phase VI, Theme 3 Land Habitat Hydrology, and Phase VII Theme 3 Ecohydrology for Sustainability. In the framework of IHP, small basin research in Europe is implemented in the IHP-FRIEND cross-cutting component, here especially the EUROFRIEND Project 5 Catchment Hydrological and Biogeochemical Processes in a Changing Environment, and the Mediterranean MEDFRIEND. Additionally, EUROFRIEND research groups are linked up under the Euromediterranean basin network ERB, and under the IAHS PUB initiative.

Often, the continuous operation of small hydrological research basins has proved difficult in times of limited resources. Long-term monitoring though has reached in hydrological research a new rating due to the expected global warming impacts on water balances and availability, hence environments and societies. Process studies and the integration of hydrological research findings, from small study basins with their well defined boundary conditions in model development may also obtain new importance. With the recent pan-European implementation of the Bachelor/Master Degree new tasks are expected to arise in capacity building.

The workshop served as a platform to asses the aspects of where do we stand and what are we heading for in the operation and research in small hydrological basins.

The Workshop elaborated recommendations for future research and operation of small basins.

Objectives and Key Aspects of the Workshop

The Workshop aimed in the first place at highlighting the hydrological research results and benefits to hydrology at large that were derived from works in small basins. Based on these deliverables work focused on questions concerning the need for further operation of small research basins and their role in hydrological research to meet future challenges.

The Workshop will consisted of paper and poster presentations with discussion of the results in plenary sessions, and of working group activities. All Workshop participants joined a working group.

The workshop was topically arranged in two parts:

1. Prosperities and State of the Art

Papers and posters with oral presentations

1.1 Presently operated small hydrological research basins (key note);

1.2 Fundamental hydrological research results drawn from studies in/the operation of small basins;

1.3 Hydrological processes knowledge drawn from studies in/the operation of small basins;

1.4 Importance of hydrological data and results from small basins for hydrological modelling (i.e. regionalisation, forecast of water balances e.g. due to changes in land use and of physical processes from changing water fluxes, high/low water forecast).

2. Heading for Knowledge

Working groups with introductory papers

2.1 Concepts and strategies for future research in small basins and research on hydrological processes: Which achievements are expected from research in small basins in the coming decades?

2.2 Which contribution to the monitoring and under-standing of changes in physical processes, water fluxes, water balance and global warming effects is expected by hydrological small basin research?

2.3 Research in small study basins: What may be the scientific contribution to the PUB initiative and what is expected vice versa?

2.4 Do we need research results from small basins for the further development of mathematical hydrological models?

2.5 What future contribution is expected by the operation of small study basins in capacity building of specialists and researchers?

The main outcomes from the Workshop will be comprised in a special Braunschweig Declaration that will point out future demands and challenges for scientific activity in the field of small basin scale hydrology. The Declaration is thought to address to scientists, practitioners, stakeholders and policy makers and last but not least to potential donors and invite them to start, continue or renew their support of maintenance of and research in small study basins.

Language and Proceedings and Publications

The working language of the Workshop was English.

Extended abstracts of papers and posters were pre-published for distribution at the Workshop. The Volume of extended abstracts is published in the Series "Landschaftsökologie und Umweltforschung", Volume 50. The workshop proceedings will be post-published in the IAHS Red Book series.

Workshop programme

Detailed workshop programme (pdf)

Field Trip

The scientific field trip was covering a trip to the Lange Bramke research basin. It was complemented with questions of historical and present day water management in the Harz Mountains, followed up by a guided walk through the old town and UNESCO world heritage of Goslar.

Field guide download (pdf)

Papers/Posters/Working group inputs papers

Papers, working group input papers and posters were presented.

The Volume of extended abstracts is published in the Series "Landschaftsökologie und Umweltforschung", Volume 50. The pdf-Version of the Volume of Extended Abstracts can be downloaded here.