ALBERT

Description: The two small research catchments Obere Brachtpe (2.6 km2; 50.989986, 7.752013) and Bohlmicke (1 km2, 51.079319, 7.892988) are located in the Rhenish Massif, a low mountain range in Germany. Land use in both catchments is dominated by pasture land, spruce stands and mixed forests. Mean annual temperature is 9.1°C, and mean annual total precipitation is 1250 mm, with 15%–20% of the annual precipitation falling as snow. The geology is characterized by sandy silty clay shale from the Lower and Middle Devonian. Loamy Cambisols derived from periglacial slope deposits, complemented by Leptosols and Stagnosols, are the most prominent soils in the catchments. Long‐term hydrological datasets of precipitation, throughfall, discharge, groundwater levels and soil moisture (at different soil depths) in a high temporal and spatial resolution are available for further scientific analysis. Both catchments were monitored within the time period 1999 and 2009, in order to understand how the antecedent soil moisture, stratified soils (periglacial cover beds) and topography (slope form) impacted the subsurface connectivity, and the subsurface stormflow generation ‐ a dominant runoff generation process in humid mountainous catchments. Detailed physically based investigations on runoff processes were carried out, and the obtained results helped to better understand subsurface stormflow generation and subsurface connectivity dynamics. The process knowledge gained, which was presented at several conferences, as well as publications, was the basis for the discussion of open questions within the scientific network ‘Subsurface Stormflow ‐ A well‐recognized, but still challenging process in Catchment Hydrology’ (2016–2021), and the research unit ‘Fast and invisible: conquering subsurface stormflow through an interdisciplinary multisite approach’ (2022–2025), both financed by the German Research Foundation (DFG).

Description: Long‐term hydrological datasets of precipitation, throughfall, discharge, groundwater levels and soil moisture (at different soil depths) in a high temporal and spatial resolution are available of the two small catchments Obere Brachtpe (2.6 km²) and Bohlmicke (1 km²) (Germany). Both catchments have been monitored in order to understand how the antecedent soil moisture, stratified soils (periglacial cover beds) and topography (slope form) impacted the subsurface connectivity and the subsurface stormflow generation in humid mountainous catchments.

Description: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft http://dx.doi.org/10.13039/501100001659

Description: Statistical and climate models are frequently used for biodiversity projections under future climatic changes, but their predictive capacity for freshwater plankton may vary among different species and community metrics. Here, we used random forests to model plankton species and community metrics as a function of biological, climatic, physical, and chemical data from long‐term (2000–2017) monitoring data collected from Lake Müggelsee Berlin, Germany. We (1) compared the predictability of well‐known lake plankton metric types (biomass, abundance, taxonomic diversity, Shannon diversity, Simpson diversity, evenness, taxonomic distinctness, and taxonomic richness) and (2) assessed how the relative influence of different environmental drivers varies across lake plankton metric models. Overall, the metric predictability was highest for biomass and abundance followed by taxonomic richness. The biomass of dominant phytoplankton taxonomic groups such as cyanobacteria (adjusted‐R2 = 0.53) and the abundance of dominant zooplankton taxonomic groups such as rotifers (adjusted‐R2 = 0.59) and daphnids (adjusted‐R2 = 0.51) were more predictable than other metric types. The plankton metric predictability increased when grouping phytoplankton species according to their functional traits (adjusted‐R2 = 0.37 ± 0.14, mean ± SD, n = 36 functional groups) compared to higher taxonomic units (adjusted‐R2 = 0.25 ± 0.15, n = 22 taxonomic groups). Light, nutrients, water temperature, and seasonality for phytoplankton and food resources for zooplankton were the main drivers of both taxonomic and functional groups, giving confidence that our models captured the expected major environmental drivers. Our quantitative analyses highlight the multidimensionality of lake planktonic responses to environmental drivers and have implications for our capacity to select appropriate metrics for forecasting the future of lake ecosystems under global change scenarios.

Description: European Union's Horizon 2020 Research and Innovation Programme

Description: Belmont Forum

Description: BiodivERsA

Description: LimnoSCenES

Description: Many lake ecosystems that have been severely disturbed by eutrophication, have also experienced large human efforts to restore “natural” conditions. However, the trajectories and the extent of recovery of these lake ecosystems are still poorly understood. In many shallow lakes, recovery was often delayed and counter‐clockwise hysteretic. Here, we study recovery and ecosystem trajectories in a large and deep lake using diatom remains in sediment cores and time series of phosphorus concentrations. We identified four periods of diatom community change: slow change during early eutrophication, thereafter a short period of rapid change after the 1950s, followed by community stability from the 1960s to the mid‐1980s, and finally a recovery phase until 2010. Diatom community structure responded quickly and in a saturating way to increasing phosphorus concentrations, but also fast to phosphorus decline. Hence, diatom community dynamics did not show counter‐clockwise hysteresis but was characterized by a high degree of recovery and clock‐wise hysteresis (CWH). We suggest that CWH in response to eutrophication and recovery is a typical and previously overlooked feature of deep lakes, which results from a more rapid change of average nutrient concentrations and thus productivity in the epilimnion compared to average nutrient concentrations across the entire water column. Such nonlinear and hysteretic responses to changing nutrients need to be considered when analyzing the effects of other stressors such as climate warming on ecosystem dynamics to prevent erroneous attribution of ecosystem change to other stressors instead of nutrient change.

Description: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft http://dx.doi.org/10.13039/501100001659

Description: European Regional Development Fund http://dx.doi.org/10.13039/501100008530

Description: In‐depth understanding of the potential implications of climate change is required to guide decision‐ and policy‐makers when developing adaptation strategies and designing infrastructure suitable for future conditions. Impact models that translate potential future climate conditions into variables of interest are needed to create the causal connection between a changing climate and its impact for different sectors. Recent surveys suggest that the primary strategy for validating such models (and hence for justifying their use) heavily relies on assessing the accuracy of model simulations by comparing them against historical observations. We argue that such a comparison is necessary and valuable, but not sufficient to achieve a comprehensive evaluation of climate change impact models. We believe that a complementary, largely observation‐independent, step of model evaluation is needed to ensure more transparency of model behavior and greater robustness of scenario‐based analyses. This step should address the following four questions: (1) Do modeled dominant process controls match our system perception? (2) Is my model's sensitivity to changing forcing as expected? (3) Do modeled decision levers show adequate influence? (4) Can we attribute uncertainty sources throughout the projection horizon? We believe that global sensitivity analysis, with its ability to investigate a model's response to joint variations of multiple inputs in a structured way, offers a coherent approach to address all four questions comprehensively. Such additional model evaluation would strengthen stakeholder confidence in model projections and, therefore, into the adaptation strategies derived with the help of impact models.

Description: A comprehensive evaluation of climate change impact models combining both observation‐based and response‐based strategies.

Description: This article is categorized under: Climate Models and Modeling 〉 Knowledge Generation with Models Assessing Impacts of Climate Change 〉 Evaluating Future Impacts of Climate Change

Description: Alexander von Humboldt‐Stiftung http://dx.doi.org/10.13039/100005156

Description: Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council http://dx.doi.org/10.13039/501100000266

Description: Bacteria play a key role in sustaining the chemodiversity of marine dissolved organic matter (DOM), yet there is limited direct evidence of a major contribution of bacterial exometabolites to the DOM pool. This study tests whether molecular formulae of intact exometabolites can be detected in natural DOM via untargeted Fourier‐transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry (FT‐ICR‐MS). We analyzed a series of quantitative mixtures of solid‐phase extracted DOM from the deep ocean, of a natural microbial community and selected model strains of marine bacteria. Under standard instrument settings (200 broadband scans, mass range 92–1000 Da), 77% of molecular formulae were shared between the mesocosm and marine DOM. However, there was 〈 10% overlap between pure bacterial exometabolome with marine DOM, and in mixing ratios closest to mimicking natural environments (1% bacterial DOM, 99% marine DOM), only 4% of the unique bacterial exometabolites remained detectable. Further experiments with the bacterial exometabolome DOM mixtures using enhanced instrument settings resulted in increased detection of the exometabolites at low concentrations. At 1000 and 10,000 accumulated scans, 23% and 29% of the unique molecular formulae were detectable at low concentrations, respectively. Moreover, windowing a specific mass range encompassing a representative fraction of exometabolites tripled the number of unique detected formulae at low concentrations. Routine FT‐ICR‐MS settings are thus not always sufficient to distinguish bacterial exometabolome patterns from a seawater DOM background. To observe these patterns at higher sensitivity, we recommend a high scan number coupled with windowing a characteristic region of the molecular fingerprint.

Description: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft http://dx.doi.org/10.13039/501100001659

Description: The latest version of the Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT+) features several improvements compared with previous versions of the model, for example, the definition of landscape units that allow for a better representation of spatio‐temporal dynamics. To evaluate the new model capabilities in lowland catchments characterized by near‐surface groundwater tables and extensive tile drainage, we assess the performance of two SWAT+ model setups in comparison to a setup based on a previous SWAT model version (SWAT3S with a modified three groundwater storage model) in the Kielstau catchment in Northern Germany. The Kielstau catchment has an area of about 50 km2, is dominated by agricultural land use, and has been thoroughly monitored since 2005. In both SWAT+ setups, the catchment is divided into upland areas and floodplains, but in the first SWAT+ model setup, runoff from the hydrologic response units is summed up at landscape unit level and added directly to the stream. In the second SWAT+ model setup, runoff is routed across the landscape before it reaches the streams. Model results are compared with regard to (i) model performance for stream flow at the outlet of the catchment and (ii) aggregated as well as temporally and spatially distributed water balance components. All three model setups show a very good performance at the catchment outlet. In comparison to a previous version of the SWAT model that produced more groundwater flow, the SWAT+ model produced more tile drainage flow and surface runoff. Results from the new SWAT+ model confirm that the representation of routing processes from uplands to floodplains in the model further improved the representation of hydrological processes. Particularly, the stronger spatial heterogeneity that can be related to characteristics of the landscape, is very promising for a better understanding and model representation of hydrological fluxes in lowland areas. The outcomes of this study are expected to further prove the applicability of SWAT+ and provide useful information for future model development.

Description: The model performance of all three model setups was very good, but the SWAT+ model setup with runoff routing between landscape units performed best. Moreover, the SWAT+ model applications predicted a greater spatial heterogeneity of the water balance components. The representation of hydrological fluxes particularly with regard to groundwater flow, surface runoff, and tile drainage flow differed considerably between the SWAT and SWAT+ model setups.

Description: Pelagic bacteria can be classified into free‐living and particle‐attached life modes, which either dwell in the water column or attach to suspended particles. Bacteria with a generalist life style, however, can actively shift between these two habitats. Globally increasing densities of natural and artificial particles enhance habitat heterogeneity, with potential consequences for system stability and trophic transfer through aquatic food webs. To better decipher the dynamics of microbial communities, we investigated the influence of adaptive vs. fixed habitat choice on species coexistence for a simplified bacterial community by analyzing a corresponding food web model, consisting of two specialist bacterial prey species (free and attached), a generalist bacterial prey species with the ability to shift between both habitats, and two protist predators, specialized on either water or particle compartment. For simplicity we assume a shared resource pool, considering particles only for colonization but not as a source for nutrients or carbon, that is, inert particles like microplastics or inorganic sediments. The model predicts coexistence on a cyclic attractor between fixed and flexible bacteria, if the costs for adaptive habitat choice can be balanced by adaptation speed. The presence of adaptive prey dampens predator–prey cycle amplitudes, contributing to system stabilization resulting in higher mean predator biomass compared to specialist prey only. Thus, in pelagic microbial systems, flexible habitat choice at the prey level has important implications for system stability and magnitude of energy flow through the microbial loop.

Description: German Ministry of Education and Science

Description: German Science Foundation (DFG)

Description: Greenhouse gas fluxes (CO2, CH4, and N2O) from African streams and rivers are under‐represented in global datasets, resulting in uncertainties in their contributions to regional and global budgets. We conducted year‐long sampling of 59 sites in a nested‐catchment design in the Mara River, Kenya in which fluxes were quantified and their underlying controls assessed. We estimated annual basin‐scale greenhouse gas emissions from measured in‐stream gas concentrations, modeled gas transfer velocities, and determined the sensitivity of up‐scaling to discharge. Based on the total annual CO2‐equivalent emissions calculated from global warming potentials (GWP), the Mara basin was a net greenhouse gas source (294 ± 35 Gg CO2 eq yr−1). Lower‐order streams (1–3) contributed 81% of the total fluxes, and higher stream orders (4–8) contributed 19%. Cropland‐draining streams also exhibited higher fluxes compared to forested streams. Seasonality in stream discharge affected stream widths (and stream area) and gas exchange rates, strongly influencing the basin‐wide annual flux, which was 10 times higher during the high and medium discharge periods than the low discharge period. The basin‐wide estimate was underestimated by up to 36% if discharge was ignored, and up to 37% for lower stream orders. Future research should therefore include seasonality in stream surface areas in upscaling procedures to better constrain basin‐wide fluxes. Given that agricultural activities are a major factor increasing riverine greenhouse gas fluxes in the study region, increased conversion of forests and agricultural intensification has the possibility of increasing the contribution of the African continent to global greenhouse gas sources.

Description: Deutscher Akademischer Austauschdienst http://dx.doi.org/10.13039/501100001655

Description: IHE Delft Institute for Water Education

Description: Federal Ministry of Education and Research http://dx.doi.org/10.13039/501100002347

Description: Helmholtz Association http://dx.doi.org/10.13039/501100009318

Description: TERENO Bavarian Alps/ Pre‐Alps Observatory

Description: How will the theories and practices of democracy fare in a climate changing world? Are conventional democratic institutions ultimately doomed or are they able to become more responsive to a changing climate? Is there a need to reimagine democracy and how might it be reimagined? This article reviews the different responses to these questions by distinguishing between three “political imaginaries” in which the relationship between climate change and democracy takes distinct forms. I start by showing how the concept of “political imaginaries” can facilitate the comparison of the different ways in which the relation between democracy and climate change is constructed, before reviewing three such imaginaries. The skeptical imaginary, found in the “eco‐authoritarianism” of the 1970s that is echoed by much sociopolitical analysis today, casts doubt on the possibilities of democratic mechanisms to respond adequately and swiftly to the problem of climate change. Those who resist such skepticism often defend democracy by arguing that institutions and processes of democracy can be made more “ecologically rational”—the rational imaginary of climate democracy involves improvements in political representation and participation. Finally, I present the alternative radical democratic imaginary, in which the crisis of climate change provides a moment for the rupture of existing sociopolitical structures and the formation of alternatives. The article concludes that although none of these imaginaries is able to capture the entirety of climate change politics around the world, the radical democratic imaginary is responsive to the inevitable and valuable plurality around the issue of climate change. This article is categorized under: Climate, Nature, and Ethics 〉 Ethics and Climate Change Policy and Governance 〉 Multilevel and Transnational Climate Change Governance

Description: Climate protests may mobilise new political subjects.

Description: In recent years, the issue of high groundwater levels has caught attention. Unfavorable consequences of high groundwater levels are especially damage to buildings, infrastructure, and the environment. Processes that lead to high groundwater levels are hydrological (heavy or extended rainfall and flood events), or anthropogenic (reduced groundwater extractions, interaction with sewer networks, hydraulic engineering measures, structural interventions in the water balance, and mining activities). Several different map products have been prepared for the information of inhabitants and for planning purposes, and also methods for damage and risk analysis related to high groundwater levels have been developed. Groundwater management measures and structural measures are available to reduce the risk related to high groundwater levels. An operational management system could be combined from existing components, but operational forecasting systems for high groundwater levels are—different to flood forecasting systems—not yet common practice. A better understanding of the processes and the development of integrated approaches for modeling, design, planning, forecasting, and warning, as well as improvement of interdisciplinary collaboration between different organizations, are recommendations for the future. This article is categorized under: Engineering Water 〉 Engineering Water Water and Life 〉 Conservation, Management, and Awareness Science of Water 〉 Hydrological Processes Science of Water 〉 Water Extremes

Description: Pumping water from a basement during the Neiße flood 2010 in Saxony. The clear water indicates that the basement flooding originates from groundwater (photo: Reinhard Schinke).

Description: The Ghohroud granitoids (GG), containing mafic microgranular enclaves (MMEs) are located in the central part of the Urumieh‐Dokhtar Magmatic Arc (UDMA) in central Iran. They are associated with the subduction‐related magmatism in the Alpine‐Himalayan orogenic belt. The GG are comprised of a variety of intermediate and felsic rocks, including tonalite, granodiorite, granite, diorite porphyry and monzodiorite. The MMEs are gabbroic diorite and tonalite in composition and characterized by a fine‐grained hypidiomorphic microgranular texture with occasional chilled margins. They show rounded, sharp or irregular contact with the host granitoids. The occurrences of quartz, K‐feldspar and corroded plagioclase indicate that MMEs are the products of mixing between mantle and crust‐derived magmas. New ages of zircon U–Pb dating reveal that the GG in the Kashan area emplaced at ca. 19–17 Ma (Burdigalian). All the samples of MMEs and granitoid host rocks in this study are metaluminous and calc‐alkaline with I‐type affinities. They are enriched in light rare earth elements (LREEs) and show slight negative Eu anomalies (Eu/Eu* = 0.36–0.95). These features in a combination with the relative depletion in Nb, Ta, Ti and P, indicate the granitoids and MMEs are closely associated with subduction‐related magmas at an active continental margin. The host rocks yield relatively homogeneous isotopic compositions of initial 87Sr/86Sr ratios ranging from 0.706036 to 0.707055, εNd(t) values varying from −2.25 to 0.8, and the Nd model ages (TDM) vary in a limited range of 0.70–0.96 Ga. The MMEs show similar initial 87Sr/86Sr ratios (0.706420–0.707366), εNd(t) values (−1.32 to −0.27), TDM (0.68–1.09 Ga) and Pb isotopic compositions with host granitoids, which imply they attained isotopic equilibration during magma mingling and mixing. In combination with the petrographic, chemical and isotopic results, we suggest that the origin of MMEs and their host rocks were related to the interaction between crust‐derived melts and mantle‐derived mafic magmas. The magma‐mixing event possibly occurred during the transition from subduction to collision in the UDMA along with the closure of the Neotethyan ocean.

Description: A comprehensive dataset from petrographic characteristics to geochemical compositions of the mafic microgranular enclaves and granitoid host rocks from the Urumieh–Dokhtar Magmatic Arc (Iran) was presented. The new data provide significant insight into the evolution of magmatism in this area, which was tightly related to the Neotethyan closure. image

Description: National Nature Science Foundation of China

Description: TMU Research Grant Council

Description: Arctic and alpine aquatic ecosystems are changing rapidly under recent global warming, threatening water resources by diminishing trophic status and changing biotic composition. Macrophytes play a key role in the ecology of freshwaters and we need to improve our understanding of long‐term macrophytes diversity and environmental change so far limited by the sporadic presence of macrofossils in sediments. In our study, we applied metabarcoding using the trnL P6 loop marker to retrieve macrophyte richness and composition from 179 surface‐sediment samples from arctic Siberian and alpine Chinese lakes and three representative lake cores. The surface‐sediment dataset suggests that macrophyte richness and composition are mostly affected by temperature and conductivity, with highest richness when mean July temperatures are higher than 12°C and conductivity ranges between 40 and 400 μS cm−1. Compositional turnover during the Late Pleistocene/Holocene is minor in Siberian cores and characterized by a less rich, but stable emergent macrophyte community. Richness decreases during the Last Glacial Maximum and rises during wetter and warmer climate in the Late‐glacial and Mid‐Holocene. In contrast, we detect a pronounced change from emergent to submerged taxa at 14 ka in the Tibetan alpine core, which can be explained by increasing temperature and conductivity due to glacial runoff and evaporation. Our study provides evidence for the suitability of the trnL marker to recover modern and past macrophyte diversity and its applicability for the response of macrophyte diversity to lake‐hydrochemical and climate variability predicting contrasting macrophyte changes in arctic and alpine lakes under intensified warming and human impact.

Description: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft http://dx.doi.org/10.13039/501100001659

Description: National Natural Science Foundation of China http://dx.doi.org/10.13039/501100001809

Description: Second Tibetan Plateau Scientific Expedition and Research Program

Description: https://doi.pangaea.de/10.1594/PANGAEA.920866

Description: https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.k6djh9w4r

Description: Urban green space is increasingly viewed as essential infrastructure to build resilience to climate change by retaining water in the city landscape and balancing ecohydrological partitioning into evapotranspiration for cooling and groundwater recharge. Quantifying how different vegetation types affect water partitioning is essential for future management, but paucity of data and the complex heterogeneity of urban areas make water balance estimates challenging. Here, we provide a preliminary assessment of water partitioning from different sized patches of trees and grass as well as from sealed surfaces. To do this, we used limited field observations together with an advanced, process‐based tracer‐aided ecohydrological model at a meso‐scale (5 km2) in central Berlin, Germany. Transpiration was the dominant green water flux accounting for over 50% of evapotranspiration in the modelled area. Green water fluxes were in general greater from trees compared with grass, but grass in large parks transpired more water compared with grass in small parks that were intensively used for recreation. Interception evaporation was larger for trees compared with grass, but soil water evaporation was greater for grass compared with trees. We also show that evapotranspiration from tree‐covered areas comprise almost 80% of the total evapotranspiration from the whole model domain while making up less than 30% of the surface cover. The results form an important stepping‐stone towards further upscaling over larger areas and highlights the importance of continuous high‐resolution hydrological measurements in the urban landscape, as well as the need for improvements to ecohydrological models to capture important urban processes.

Description: Berlin University Alliance / Einstein Stiftung Berlin, Climate and Water under Change

Description: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft http://dx.doi.org/10.13039/501100001659

Description: Einstein Stiftung Berlin http://dx.doi.org/10.13039/501100006188

Description: Leverhulme Trust http://dx.doi.org/10.13039/501100000275

Description: Urban Climate Observatory (UCO) Berlin

Description: Iron flocculants play a major role in the remediation of water bodies, removing particulate pollutants such as microplastics through floc formation. Such flocs are prone to microbial iron reduction while lying on top of anoxic sediments, which possibly leads the release of bound microplastics. In this study, Shewanella oneidensis was employed to simulate the impact of microbial iron reduction on the release of polyethylene spheres from sunken flocs in 120 d batch experiments. Most of the flocs iron (oxyhydr)oxides were reduced (70–90%), but this did not affect their integrity. Only a negligible proportion (0.2–2.7%) of polyethylene spheres was released, while the majority remained bound inside the floc matrix. This study exemplifies that flocs are quite stable, even when experiencing microbial iron reduction under anoxic conditions. Thereby incorporation into such aggregates may display a potential mode of long‐term microplastics storage in freshwater sediments.

Description: Bundesministerium für Bildung und Forschung http://dx.doi.org/10.13039/501100002347

Description: https://doi.org/10.48758/ufz.11330

Description: The fluorophore [2‐(4‐pyridyl)‐5{[4‐dimethylaminoethyl‐aminocarbamoyl‐methoxy]phenyl}oxazole], in short PDMPO, is incorporated in newly polymerized silica in diatom frustules and thereby provides a tool to estimate Si uptake, study diatom cell cycles but also determine mortality‐independent abundance‐based species specific‐growth rates in cultures and natural assemblages. In this study, the theoretical framework and applicability of the PDMPO staining technique to estimate diatom species specific‐growth rates were investigated. Three common polar diatom species, Pseudo‐nitzschia subcurvata, Chaetoceros simplex, and Thalassiosira sp., chosen in order to cover a broad range of species specific frustule and life‐cycle characteristics, were incubated over 24 h in control (no PDMPO) and with 0.125 and 0.6 μM PDMPO addition, respectively. Results indicate that specific‐growth rates of the species tested were not affected in both treatments with PDMPO addition. The specific‐growth rate estimates based on the PDMPO staining patterns (μPDMPO) were comparable and more robust than growth rates estimated from the changes in cell concentrations (μcc). This technique also allowed to investigate and highlight the importance of the illumination cycle (light and dark phases) on cell division in diatoms.

Description: The pelagic ecosystem of the Arctic Ocean is threatened by severe changes such as the reduction in sea‐ice coverage and increased inflow of warmer Atlantic water. The latter is already altering the zooplankton community, highlighting the need for monitoring studies. It is therefore essential to accelerate the taxonomic identification to speed up sample analysis, and to expand the analysis to biomass and size assessments, providing data for modeling efforts. Our case study in Fram Strait illustrates that image‐based analyses with the ZooScan provide abundance data and taxonomic resolutions that are comparable to microscopic analyses and are suitable for zooplankton monitoring purposes in the Arctic. We also show that image analysis allows to differentiate developmental stages of the key species Calanus spp. and Metridia longa and, thus, to study their population dynamics. Our results emphasize that older preserved samples can be successfully reanalyzed with ZooScan. To explore the applicability of image parameters for calculating total mesozooplankton and Calanus spp. biomasses, we used (1) conversion factors (CFs) translating wet mass to dry mass (DM), and (2) length–mass (LM) relationships. For Calanus spp., the calculated biomass values yielded similar results as direct DM measurements. Total mesozooplankton biomass ranged between 1.6 and 15 (LM) or 2.4 and 21 (CF) g DM m², respectively, which corresponds to previous studies in Fram Strait. Ultimately, a normalized biomass size spectra analysis provides 1st insights into the mesozooplankton size structure at different depths, revealing steep slopes in the linear fit in communities influenced by Atlantic water inflow.

Description: Bundesministerium für Bildung und Forschung http://dx.doi.org/10.13039/501100002347

Description: Py4HIP is an open-source software tool for Heat-In-Place calculations implemented as a self-explanatory Jupyter notebook written in Python (Py4HIP.ipynb) Calculating the Heat In Place (HIP) is a standard method for assessing the geothermal potential for a defined geological unit (e.g., Nathenson, 1975; Muffler and Cataldi, 1978; Garg and Combs, 2015). The respective implementation in Py4HIP is based on a volumetric quantification of contained energy after Muffler and Cataldi (1978), where the geological unit at hand is considered spatially variable in terms of its temperature, thickness, porosity, density and volumetric heat capacity of its solid and fluid (brine) components. The energy values

Description: The airborne hyperspectral image was acquired by the AVIRIS-Next Generation (AVIRIS-NG) instrument during the AVIRIS-NG Europe 2021 HyperSense campaign that has been conducted as a joint effort of ESA, NASA/JPL and the University of Zurich. Acquired was an agricultural area near Irlbach, Germany on May 30th, 2021. The data was preprocessed (radiometrically, geometrically and atmospherically corrected) to contain 419 bands in the 402 - 2495 nm spectral range. Metadata was acquired on the same day for the variables Leaf Area Index (LAI), Leaf Chlorophyll content, crop height and phenology. An overview of metadata acquisition and processing can be found in the HYPERedu YouTube videos on ground reference data acquisition in the field and ground reference data acquisition in the lab. More details on LAI and chlorophyll acquisition can be found in the field data guides assembled by the authors of this dataset via enmap.org (Danner et al., 2015; Süß et al., 2015). The dataset is made publically available within the massive open online course (MOOC) "Beyond the Visible - Introduction to Imaging Spectroscopy for Agricultural Applications", available from December 2022.

Description: This dataset provides friction data from ring-shear tests on feldspar sand FS900S used for the simulation of brittle behaviour in crust- and lithosphere-scale analogue experiments at the Tectonic Modelling Laboratory of the University of Bern (Zwaan et al. in prep; Richetti et al. in prep). The materials have been characterized by means of internal friction parameters as a remote service by the Helmholtz Laboratory for Tectonic Modelling (HelTec) at the GFZ German Research Centre for Geosciences in Potsdam (Germany). According to our analysis both materials show a Mohr-Coulomb behaviour characterized by a linear failure envelope. Peak, dynamic and reactivation friction coefficients of the feldspar sand are μP = 0.65, μD = 0.57, and μR = 0.62, respectively, and the Cohesion of the feldspar sand is in the order of 5-20 Pa. An insignificant rate-weakening of less than 1% per ten-fold rate change is registered for the feldspar sand. Granular healing is also minor.

Description: This dataset includes five stations of an Ocean Bottom Seismometer (OBS) experiment conducted at the southern end of the Fonualei Rift and Spreading Center in the Lau Basin, southwestern Pacific. The OBS recorded continuously for 32-days on 4 components, including a hydrophone and a 3-component 4.5 Hz geophone. The experiment was conducted during RV Sonne cruise SO267, project ARCHIMEDES I. In the article, the authors report an increasing trend of methane emissions for June and July at a permafrost site in Siberia (Lena River Delta). Using the longest set of observational methane flux data in the Arctic, the authors demonstrate that the continuous warming has begun to trigger the projected enhancement of methane release in Arctic permafrost ecosystems. This software is written in MATLAB. Running the codes ([.m files](Code)) and loading the data files ([.mat files](Data)) requires the pre-installation of [MATLAB](/https://de.mathworks.com/products/matlab.html). IMPORTANT: The repository only contains dummy data. The data that is needed to run the code can be requested by Torsten Sachs and Christian Wille (contact authors). Although the scripts and the data files have been tested for newer versions of MATLAB (〉= MATLAB R2017a). The code might also run in older versions of MATLAB, but this has not been tested.

Description: Orbital products describe positions and velocities of satellites, be it the Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) satellites or Low Earth Orbiter (LEO) satellites. These orbital products can be divided into the fastest available ones, the Near Realtime Orbits (NRT), which are mostly available within 15 to 60 minutes delay, followed by Rapid Science Orbit (RSO) products with a latency of two days and finally the Precise Science Orbit (PSO) which, with a latency of up to a few weeks, are the most delayed. The absolute positional accuracy increases with the time delay. This dataset compiles the RSO products for various LEO missions and the appropriate GNSS constellation in sp3 format. The individual solutions for each satellite mission are published with individual DOI as part of this compilation. GNSS Constellation: • GNSS 24h (v01) • GNSS 30h (v02) LEO Satellites: • CHAMP • GRACE • GRACE-FO • SAC-C • TanDEM-X/ TerraSAR-X Each solution is given in the Conventional Terrestrial Reference System (CTS). • The GNSS RSOs are 30-hour long arcs starting at 21:00 the day before the actual day and ending at 03:00 the day after. The accuracy of the GPS RSO sizes at the 3-cm level in terms of RMS values of residuals after Helmert transformation onto IGS combined orbit solutions (Version 1 GNSS RSOs are 24-hour long arcs starting at 00:00 and ending at 24:00 the actual day). • The LEO RSOs are generated based on these 30-hour GNSS RSOs in two pieces for the actual day with arc lengths of 14 hours and overlaps of 2 hours. One starting at 22:00 and ending at 12:00, one starting at 10:00 and ending at 24:00. The accuracy of the LEO RSOs is at the level of 1-2 cm in terms of SLR validation. The exact time covered by an arc is defined in the header of the files and indicated as well as in the filename. This dataset compiles RSO products for various LEO missions and the corresponding GNSS constellation in sp3 format in a revised processing version 2. The switch from previous version 1 to 2 was performed on 18-Feb-2019. Major changes from version 1 to 2 are the change from IERS 2003 to IERS 2010 conventions and ITRF 2008 to ITRF-2014, as well as the temporal extension of the GNSS constellation from previous 24 hours (version 1) to 30 hours (version 2) arcs. This temporal expansion eliminates the chaining of two consecutive 24-hour GNSS constellation solutions previously used to process day-overlapping LEO arcs in Version 1. This 24h GNSS constellation (Version 1) will continue to operate and be stored on the ISDC ftp server, as discussed in more detail in Section 8.1. All RSO LEO arcs will no longer be continued in version 1 after the changeover date and will only be available in version 2 since then.

Description: The scope of the Science Plan is to describe the scientific background, applications, and activities of the Environmental Mapping and Analysis Program (EnMAP) imaging spectroscopy mission. Primarily, this document addresses scientists and funding institutions, but it may also be of interest to environmental stakeholders and governmental agencies. It is designed to be a living document that will be updated throughout the entire mission lifetime. Chapter 1 provides a brief overview of the principles and current state of imaging spectroscopy. This is followed by an introduction to the EnMAP mission, including its objectives and impact on international programs as well as major environmental and societal challenges. Chapter 2 describes the EnMAP system together with data products and access, calibration/validation, and synergies with other missions. Chapter 3 gives an overview of the major fields of application such as vegetation and forests, geology and soils, coastal and inland waters, cryosphere, urban areas, atmosphere and hazards. Finally, Chapter 4 outlines the scientific exploitation strategy, which includes the strategy for community building and training, preparatory flight campaigns and software developments. A list of abbreviations is provided in the annex to this document and an extended glossary of terms and abbreviations is available on the EnMAP website.

Description: The WHU-GRACE-GPD01s models are the latest monthly gravity field solutions recovered from GRACE intersatellite geopotential difference (GPD) data processed at the School of Geodesy and Geomatics, Wuhan University, China. The intersatellite GPDs are estimated from GRACE Level-1B (RL03) data based on the improved energy balance equation and remove-compute-restore (RCR) technique, and the background models are consistent with GRACE Level-2 processing standards document (RL06). Further details are presented in Zhong et al. (2020, 2022). The WHU-GRACE-GPD01s models include two sets of GRACE monthly solutions: one is the unconstrained monthly solutions with the maximum degree and order of 60, the other is the constrained monthly solutions up to the maximum degree and order 96 with Kaula regularization constraint, and the optimal regularization parameter is determined using variance component estimation (VCE). This work is supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 41974015, 41474019, 42061134007) and the Project Supported by the Special Fund of Hubei Luojia Laboratory (Grant No. 220100004).

Description: The International Geodynamics and Earth Tide Service (IGETS) was established in 2015 by the International Association of Geodesy. IGETS continues the activities of the Global Geodynamics Project (GGP) between 1997 and 2015 to provide support to geodetic and geophysical research activities using superconducting gravimeter (SG) data within the context of an international network. As part of this network, the Onsala station (code OS, instrument GWR OSG 054) was established in 2009 thanks to the financial support of the Committee for Infrastructure of the Swedish Research Council, until 2021, and of the Swedish geodetic survey Lantmäteriet since 2021. Continuous time-varying gravity and atmospheric pressure data from OS are integrated in the IGETS data base hosted by ISDC (Information System and Data Centre) at GFZ. The OS station (longitude: 11.9266 E; latitude: 57.3858 N and elevation: 7.93 m) is located at the Onsala Space Observatory, south of Gothenbourg, a well instrumented site for geodetic and meteorological studies (https://www.chalmers.se/en/researchinfrastructure/oso/Pages/default.aspx). An air-circulation system controls the humidity and temperature in the gravimeter house and there are 3 pillars available. Absolute gravity measurements are done every year by Lantmäteriet. - The time series of gravity and barometric pressure started in July 2009 and is going on. - The time sampling of the raw gravity and barometric pressure data of IGETS Level 1 is 1 minute. For a detailed description of the IGETS data base and the provided files see Voigt et al. (2016, http://doi.org/10.2312/GFZ.b103-16087). Rainfall data are also provided as auxiliary data to IGETS database. OS data are used in conjunction with projects of the Nordic Geodetic Commission (NKG) - Working Group for Geodynamics (https://www.nordicgeodeticcommission.com/working-group-of-geodynamics/). Interactive graphs are available at https://lab3.oso.chalmers.se/wx/gravimeter_data/

Description: Enhanced geothermal systems (EGS) are considered a cornerstone of future sustainable energy production. In such systems, high-pressure fluid injections break the rock to provide pathways for water to circulate in and heat up. This approach inherently induces small seismic events that, in rare cases, are felt or can even cause damage. Controlling and reducing the seismic impact of EGS is crucial for a broader public acceptance. To evaluate the applicability of hydraulic fracturing (HF) in EGS and to improve the understanding of fracturing processes and the hydromechanical relation to induced seismicity, six in-situ, meter-scale HF experiments with different injection schemes were performed under controlled conditions in crystalline rock in a depth of 410 m at the Äspö Hard Rock Laboratory (Sweden) by Zang et al. (2017). I developed a semi-automated, full-waveform-based detection, classification, and location workflow to extract and characterize the acoustic emission (AE) activity from the continuous recordings of 11 piezoelectric AE sensors. Based on the resulting catalog of 20,000 AEs, with rupture sizes of cm to dm, I mapped and characterized the fracture growth in great detail. The injection using a novel cyclic injection scheme (HF3) had a lower seismic impact than the conventional injections. HF3 induced fewer AEs with a reduced maximum magnitude and significantly larger b-values, implying a decreased number of large events relative to the number of small ones. Furthermore, HF3 showed an increased fracture complexity with multiple fractures or a fracture network. In contrast, the conventional injections developed single, planar fracture zones (Publication 1). An independent, complementary approach based on a comparison of modeled and observed tilt exploits transient long-period signals recorded at the horizontal components of two broadband seismometers a few tens of meters apart from the injections. It validated the efficient creation of hydraulic fractures and verified the AE-based fracture geometries. The innovative joint analysis of AEs and tilt signals revealed different phases of the fracturing process, including the (re-)opening, growth, and aftergrowth of fractures, and provided evidence for the reactivation of a preexisting fault in one of the experiments (Publication 2). A newly developed network-based waveform-similarity analysis applied to the massive AE activity supports the latter finding. To validate whether the reduction of the seismic impact as observed for the cyclic injection schemes during the Äspö mine-scale experiments is transferable to other scales, I additionally calculated energy budgets for injection experiments from previously conducted laboratory tests and from a field application. Across all three scales, the cyclic injections reduce the seismic impact, as depicted by smaller maximum magnitudes, larger b-values, and decreased injection efficiencies (Publication 3).

Description: Hydraulisch-stimulierte tiefengeothermale Systeme (Enhanced Geothermal systems, EGS) gelten als einer der Eckpfeiler für die nachhaltige Energieerzeugung der Zukunft. In diesen geothermalen Systemen wird heißes Tiefengestein durch Fluidinjektionen unter hohem Druck aufgebrochen, um Wegsamkeiten zur Erwärmung von Wasser oder anderen Fluiden zu schaffen. Beim Aufbrechen werden zwangsläufig kleine seismische Ereignisse ausgelöst (induzierte Seismizität), die in sehr seltenen Fällen an der Oberfläche spürbar sind, jedoch in extremen Fällen auch Schäden verursachen können. Die Kontrolle bzw. die Reduzierung der seismischen Aktivität in EGS ist daher ein entscheidender Punkt, damit diese Art der Energiegewinnung eine breite gesellschaftliche Akzeptanz findet. Grundlage dieser Dissertation ist eine Serie von kontrollierten, hydraulischen Bruchexperimenten mit Bruchdimensionen von einigen Metern. Die Experimente wurden in einer Tiefe von 410 m in kristallinem Gestein eines Versuchsbergwerks (Äspö Hard Rock Laboratory, Schweden) mit unterschiedlichen Injektionsstrategien durchgeführt. Die detaillierte Auswertung der Bruch-Experimente in dieser Dissertation zielt darauf ab, die Nutzbarkeit von hydraulischen Stimulationen (hydraulic fracturing, HF) in EGS zu untersuchen und das Verständnis von Bruchprozessen sowie der hydromechanischen Beziehung zur induzierten Seismizität zu verbessern. Um die Schallemissionsaktivität (acoustic emissions, AE), die durch 11 piezoelektrische AE-Sensoren kontinuierlich aufgezeichnet wurde, zu extrahieren und zu charakterisieren, wurde ein halbautomatischer, wellenformbasierter Detektions-, Klassifizierungs- und Lokalisierungsworkflow entwickelt. Mit Hilfe des resultierenden Katalogs von 20000 AEs wurde das Bruchwachstum detailliert kartiert und charakterisiert. Das Experiment mit der neuartigen, zyklischen Injektionsstrategie (HF3) weist einen geringeren seismischen Fußabdruck auf als die Standard-Injektionsstrategie. HF3 induzierte weniger AEs und eine kleinere Maximalmagnitude. Außerdem hatte das Experiment einen signifikant höheren b-Wert, was einer verringerten Anzahl von großen AEs relativ zur Anzahl der kleineren AEs entspricht. Darüber hinaus zeigte HF3 eine erhöhte Komplexität im Bruchmuster mit mehreren Brüchen bzw. einem Netzwerk von Brüchen. Im Gegensatz dazu entwickelten die Standard-Injektionen einzelne, ebene Bruchzonen (Publikation 1). Zusätzlich zu den induzierten AEs wurden transiente, langperiodische Signale auf den horizontalen Komponenten von zwei Breitband-Seismometern, die wenige Meter von den Brüchen installiert waren, ausgewertet. Diese Signale wurden als Neigungssignale interpretiert und mit modellierten Neigungssignalen verglichen. Der Vergleich zeigt unabhängig, dass hydraulische Brüche geöffnet wurden und bestätigt, dass die AE-basierte Analyse die Bruchgeometrie verlässlich kartieren kann. Die gemeinsame Betrachtung von AEs und Neigungssignalen offenbart verschiedene Phasen des Bruchprozesses: das (wiederholte) Öffnen des Bruches, das Bruchwachstum und das weitere Wachsen des Bruches nach dem Ende der Injektion. Außerdem liefert die Analyse Hinweise auf die Reaktivierung einer natürlichen Bruchzone in einem der Experimente (Publikation 2). Eine neuentwickelte und hier präsentierte Wellenform-Ähnlichkeitsanalyse, die Informationen des gesamten Sensornetzwerkes nutzt und zum ersten Mal auf einen umfangreichen AE-Katalog angewendet wurde, unterstützt diese Interpretation. Um zu validieren, ob die verringerte Seismizität während der zyklischen Injektion auf der Meter-Skala (Bergwerk) auf andere Maßstäbe übertragbar ist, wurden Energie-Budgets für Injektionsexperimente aus zuvor durchgeführten Laborversuchen und aus einem Tiefengeothermie-Projekt berechnet. Über alle drei Skalen hinweg zeigen die zyklischen Injektionen einen verringerten seismischen Fußabdruck mit kleineren Maximalmagnituden, größeren b-Werte und einem kleineren Verhältnis von seismisch-abgestrahlter zu injizierter Energie(Publikation 3).

Description: Hydraulic-driven fractures play a key role in subsurface energy technologies across several scales. By injecting fluid at high hydraulic pressure into rock with intrinsic low permeability, in-situ stress field and fracture development pattern can be characterised as well as rock permeability can be enhanced. Hydraulic fracturing is a commercial standard procedure for enhanced oil and gas production of rock reservoirs with low permeability in petroleum industry. However, in EGS utilization, a major geological concern is the unsolicited generation of earthquakes due to fault reactivation, referred to as induced seismicity, with a magnitude large enough to be felt on the surface or to damage facilities and buildings. Furthermore, reliable interpretation of hydraulic fracturing tests for stress measurement is a great challenge for the energy technologies. Therefore, in this cumulative doctoral thesis the following research questions are investigated. (1): How do hydraulic fractures grow in hard rock at various scales?; (2): Which parameters control hydraulic fracturing and hydro-mechanical coupling?; and (3): How can hydraulic fracturing in hard rock be modelled? In the laboratory scale study, several laboratory hydraulic fracturing experiments are investigated numerically using Irazu2D that were performed on intact cubic Pocheon granite samples from South Korea applying different injection protocols. The goal of the laboratory experiments is to test the concept of cyclic soft stimulation which may enable sustainable permeability enhancement (Publication 1). In the borehole scale study, hydraulic fracturing tests are reported that were performed in boreholes located in central Hungary to determine the in-situ stress for a geological site investigation. At depth of about 540 m, the recorded pressure versus time curves in mica schist with low dip angle foliation show atypical evolution. In order to provide explanation for this observation, a series of discrete element computations using Particle Flow Code 2D are performed (Publication 2). In the reservoir scale study, the hydro-mechanical behaviour of fractured crystalline rock due to one of the five hydraulic stimulations at the Pohang Enhanced Geothermal site in South Korea is studied. Fluid pressure perturbation at faults of several hundred-meter lengths during hydraulic stimulation is simulated using FracMan (Publication 3). The doctoral research shows that the resulting hydraulic fracturing geometry will depend “locally”, i.e. at the length scale of representative elementary volume (REV) and below that (sub-REV), on the geometry and strength of natural fractures, and “globally”, i.e. at super-REV domain volume, on farfield stresses. Regarding hydro-mechanical coupling, it is suggested to define separate coupling relationship for intact rock mass and natural fractures. Furthermore, the relative importance of parameters affecting the magnitude of formation breakdown pressure, a parameter characterising hydromechanical coupling, is defined. It can be also concluded that there is a clear gap between the capacity of the simulation software and the complexity of the studied problems. Therefore, the computational time of the simulation of complex hydraulic fracture geometries must be reduced while maintaining high fidelity simulation results. This can be achieved either by extending the computational resources via parallelization techniques or using time scaling techniques. The ongoing development of used numerical models focuses on tackling these methodological challenges.

Description: Hydraulische Risserzeugung (aus dem Englischen „Hydraulic Fracturing“; auch hydraulische Stimulation genannt) spielt eine Schlüsselrolle in unterirdischen Energietechnologien auf verschiedenen Skalen. Durch Injektion von Flüssigkeit mit hohem hydraulischem Druck im Gestein mit geringer Permeabilität können das Spannungsfeld und das Bruchentwicklungsmuster in-situ charakterisiert sowie die Gesteinspermeabilität erhöht werden. Hydraulic Fracturing ist ein kommerzielles Standardverfahren zur verbesserten Öl- und Gasförderung aus geringpermeablen Gesteinsformationen in der Erdölindustrie. Ein großes geologisches Problem bei der geothermischen Nutzung ist die ungewollte Erzeugung von Erdbeben aufgrund einer Verwerfungsreaktivierung, die als induzierte Seismizität bezeichnet wird und eine Größenordnung hat, die groß genug ist, dass sie an der Oberfläche zu spüren ist und sogar Gebäude beschädigen kann. Darüber hinaus ist die zuverlässige Interpretation von Hydraulic-Fracturing-Tests zur Spannungsmessung eine große Herausforderung für die Energietechnologien. Daher werden in dieser kumulativen Dissertation folgende Forschungsfragen untersucht: (1): Wie wachsen hydraulische Risse in Hartgestein in verschiedenen Skalen? (2): Welche Parameter steuern das hydraulische Versagen und die hydromechanische Kopplung? und (3): Wie kann hydraulische Risserzeugung in Hartgestein modelliert werden? In der Studie im Labormaßstab werden mehrere Hydrofracturing-Laborexperimente numerisch mit Irazu2D untersucht, die an intakten kubischen Pocheon-Granitproben aus Südkorea unter Anwendung verschiedener Injektionsprotokolle durchgeführt wurden. Das Ziel der Laborexperimente ist es, das Konzept der zyklischen sanften Stimulation zu testen, die eine nachhaltige Permeabilitätserhöhung ermöglichen kann (Veröffentlichung 1). Die Studie im Bohrlochmaßstab untersucht Hydraulic Fracturing Tests, die in Bohrlöchern in Mittel-Ungarn durchgeführt wurden, um das in-situ Spannungsfeld für eine geologische Standortuntersuchung zu bestimmen. In einer Tiefe von etwa 540 m zeigen die aufgezeichneten Druck-Zeit-Kurven im Glimmerschiefer mit einer Schieferung mit geringem Neigungswinkel eine atypische Entwicklung. Um diese Beobachtung zu erklären, wird eine Reihe von diskreten Elementberechnungen unter Verwendung von Particle Flow Code 2D durchgeführt (Veröffentlichung 2). In der Studie im Reservoirmaßstab wird das hydromechanische Verhalten des aufgebrochenen kristallinen Gesteins an einer der fünf hydraulischen Stimulationen am Pohang Enhanced Geothermal System (EGS) Standort in Südkorea untersucht. Mit FracMan wird die Fluiddruckstörung an Verwerfungen von mehreren hundert Metern Länge während der hydraulischen Stimulation simuliert (Veröffentlichung 3). Die Ergebnisse dieser Dissertation zeigen, dass die resultierende hydraulische Bruchgeometrie „lokal“, d. h. auf der Längenskala des repräsentativen Elementarvolumens (REV) und darunter (sub-REV) von der Geometrie und Stärke natürlicher Risse und „global“, d.h. bei Super-REV-Domänenvolumen, vom Spannungsfeld abhängt. In Bezug auf die hydromechanische Kopplung wird vorgeschlagen, separate Kopplungsbeziehungen für intakte Gesteinsmassen und natürliche Risse zu definieren. Darüber hinaus wird die relative Bedeutung von Parametern definiert, die die Größe des Formationsbruchdrucks beeinflussen, ein Parameter, der die hydromechanische Kopplung charakterisiert. Es kann auch festgestellt werden, dass es eine klare Lücke zwischen der Leistungsfähigkeit der Simulationssoftware und der Komplexität der untersuchten Probleme gibt. Daher muss die Rechenzeit der Simulation komplexer hydraulischer Rissgeometrien reduziert werden, währenddessen die Simulationsergebnisse mit hoher Genauigkeit beibehalten werden. Dies kann entweder durch Erweiterung der Rechenressourcen über Parallelisierungstechniken oder durch Verwendung von Zeitskalierungstechniken erreicht werden. Die Weiterentwicklung der verwendeten numerischen Modelle konzentriert sich auf die Bewältigung dieser methodischen Herausforderungen.

Description: This dataset provides results from rheological tests of glucose syrup from two suppliers tested within the EPOS Multi-scale Laboratories (MSL) trans-national access (TNA) program 2019 at the Laboratory of Experimental Tectonics (LET), Univ. Roma TRE, Italy. Syrups Glucowheat 45/81 (GW45) and Glucowheat 60/79 (GW60) are produced by Blattmann Schweiz AG, Switzerland (2019 batch). Syrups GlucoSweet 44 (GS44) and GlucoSweet 62 (GS62) are produced by ADEA (Amidi Destrini ed Affini), Italy (2019 batch) . The four tested glucose syrups are labeled according to their DE value (dextrose equivalent value). For tested products from Blattmann Schweiz AG, the second number refers to the weight percentage of dry substance. Glucose syrup GS44 is used in full lithospheric scale analogue experiments at the Tectonic Modelling Lab (TecLab) at the University of Bern, Switzerland as a low-viscosity material simulating the asthenospheric mantle lithosphere to provide isostatic equilibration. The materials have been analyzed using a MCR301 Rheometer (Anton Paar) equipped with parallel plates geometry and rotational regime . To prevent the evaporation of the samples during the measurements, an external water-lock device has been used.

Description: River floods are among the most devastating natural hazards worldwide. As their generation is highly dependent on climatic conditions, their magnitude and frequency are projected to be affected by future climate change. Therefore, it is crucial to study the ways in which a changing climate will, and already has, influenced flood generation, and thereby flood hazard. Additionally, it is important to understand how other human influences - specifically altered land cover - affect flood hazard at the catchment scale. The ways in which flood generation is influenced by climatic and land cover conditions differ substantially in different regions. The spatial variability of these effects needs to be taken into account by using consistent datasets across large scales as well as applying methods that can reflect this heterogeneity. Therefore, in the first study of this cumulative thesis a complex network approach is used to find 10 clusters of similar flood behavior among 4390 catchments in the conterminous United States. By using a…zeige mehr Flusshochwasser gehören zu den verheerendsten Naturkatastrophen weltweit. Ihre Entstehung hängt von klimatischen Bedingungen ab, weshalb vorhergesagt wird, dass sich ihre Magnituden und Häufigkeit durch den Klimawandel ändern werden. Daher ist es notwendig zu untersuchen, auf welche Art sich ein verändertes Klima - auch im Vergleich mit Effekten durch Landbedeckungsänderungen - auf Hochwasserentstehung und -gefahr auswirken könnte und das bereits getan hat. Diese kumulative Arbeit beleuchtet drei Teilaspekte dieses Themas. In der ersten Studie werden mittels maschinellen Lernens die wichtigsten Variablen entdeckt und untersucht, die die Änderungen von Hochwassermagnituden in 4390 Einzugsgebieten in den USA von 1960-2010 kontrolliert haben. Es wird gezeigt, dass Änderungen der Regenmengen der entscheidende Faktor waren, während Landnutzung regional von großer Bedeutung war. Die zweite Studie untersucht von 1960-2010 Änderungen in der Distanz innerhalb welcher Hochwasser in verschiedenen Flüssen gleichzeitig auftreten.

Description: Flusshochwasser gehören zu den verheerendsten Naturkatastrophen weltweit. Ihre Entstehung hängt von klimatischen Bedingungen ab, weshalb vorhergesagt wird, dass sich ihre Magnituden und Häufigkeit durch den Klimawandel ändern werden. Daher ist es notwendig zu untersuchen, auf welche Art sich ein verändertes Klima - auch im Vergleich mit Effekten durch Landbedeckungsänderungen - auf Hochwasserentstehung und -gefahr auswirken könnte und das bereits getan hat. Diese kumulative Arbeit beleuchtet drei Teilaspekte dieses Themas. In der ersten Studie werden mittels maschinellen Lernens die wichtigsten Variablen entdeckt und untersucht, die die Änderungen von Hochwassermagnituden in 4390 Einzugsgebieten in den USA von 1960-2010 kontrolliert haben. Es wird gezeigt, dass Änderungen der Regenmengen der entscheidende Faktor waren, während Landnutzung regional von großer Bedeutung war. Die zweite Studie untersucht von 1960-2010 Änderungen in der Distanz innerhalb welcher Hochwasser in verschiedenen Flüssen gleichzeitig auftreten. Daten von 3872 europäischen Flusspegeln zeigen, dass sich die Fläche der gleichzeitigen Überflutung in Westeuropa vergrößert und in Osteuropa verkleinert hat, was auf abnehmende Relevanz der Schneeschmelze bei der Hochwasserentstehung zurückzuführen ist. Die dritte Studie behandelt die Auswirkungen kaskadierender Naturkatastrophen auf Hochwasser am Beispiel der australischen Waldbrände 2019/2020. Die Untersuchung der verschieden stark betroffenen Nebenflüsse des Manning River zeigt, dass in einer Naturgefahrenkaskade selbst gewöhnliche Hochwasser substantielle Auswirkungen haben können. Diese Arbeit zeigt, dass die Menschheit Hochwassergefahren auf verschiedene Arten und mit räumlich sowie zeitlich variablen Resultaten beeinflusst. Diese Aspekte müssen zukünftig global näher untersucht und ihre Entwicklung für die Zukunft modelliert werden, um fundierte Entscheidungen in Hochwasserschutz treffen zu können. Für Hochwassermagnituden und die Fläche gleichzeitiger Überflutung können hierfür die präsentierten Methoden adaptiert werden.

Description: Major challenges during geothermal exploration and exploitation include the structural-geological characterization of the geothermal system and the application of sustainable monitoring concepts to explain changes in a geothermal reservoir during production and/or reinjection of fluids. In the absence of sufficiently permeable reservoir rocks, faults and fracture networks are preferred drilling targets because they can facilitate the migration of hot and/or cold fluids. In volcanic-geothermal systems considerable amounts of gas emissions can be released at the earth surface, often related to these fluid-releasing structures. In this thesis, I developed and evaluated different methodological approaches and measurement concepts to determine the spatial and temporal variation of several soil gas parameters to understand the structural control on fluid flow. In order to validate their potential as innovative geothermal exploration and monitoring tools, these methodological approaches were applied to three different volcanic-geothermal systems. At each site an individual survey design was developed regarding the site-specific questions. The first study presents results of the combined measurement of CO2 flux, ground temperatures, and the analysis of isotope ratios (δ13CCO2, 3He/4He) across the main production area of the Los Humeros geothermal field, to identify locations with a connection to its supercritical (T 〉 374◦C and P 〉 221 bar) geothermal reservoir. The results of the systematic and large-scale (25 x 200 m) CO2 flux scouting survey proved to be a fast and flexible way to identify areas of anomalous degassing. Subsequent sampling with high resolution surveys revealed the actual extent and heterogenous pattern of anomalous degassing areas. They have been related to the internal fault hydraulic architecture and allowed to assess favourable structural settings for fluid flow such as fault intersections. Finally, areas of unknown structurally controlled permeability with a connection to the superhot geothermal reservoir have been determined, which represent promising targets for future geothermal exploration and development. In the second study, I introduce a novel monitoring approach by examining the variation of CO2 flux to monitor changes in the reservoir induced by fluid reinjection. For that reason, an automated, multi-chamber CO2 flux system was deployed across the damage zone of a major normal fault crossing the Los Humeros geothermal field. Based on the results of the CO2 flux scouting survey, a suitable site was selected that had a connection to the geothermal reservoir, as identified by hydrothermal CO2 degassing and hot ground temperatures (〉 50 °C). The results revealed a response of gas emissions to changes in reinjection rates within 24 h, proving an active hydraulic communication between the geothermal reservoir and the earth surface. This is a promising monitoring strategy that provides nearly real-time and in-situ data about changes in the reservoir and allows to timely react to unwanted changes (e.g., pressure decline, seismicity). The third study presents results from the Aluto geothermal field in Ethiopia where an area-wide and multi-parameter analysis, consisting of measurements of CO2 flux, 222Rn, and 220Rn activity concentrations and ground temperatures was conducted to detect hidden permeable structures. 222Rn and 220Rn activity concentrations are evaluated as a complementary soil gas parameter to CO2 flux, to investigate their potential to understand tectono-volcanic degassing. The combined measurement of all parameters enabled to develop soil gas fingerprints, a novel visualization approach. Depending on the magnitude of gas emissions and their migration velocities the study area was divided in volcanic (heat), tectonic (structures), and volcano-tectonic dominated areas. Based on these concepts, volcano-tectonic dominated areas, where hot hydrothermal fluids migrate along permeable faults, present the most promising targets for future geothermal exploration and development in this geothermal field. Two of these areas have been identified in the south and south-east which have not yet been targeted for geothermal exploitation. Furthermore, two unknown areas of structural related permeability could be identified by 222Rn and 220Rn activity concentrations. Eventually, the fourth study presents a novel measurement approach to detect structural controlled CO2 degassing, in Ngapouri geothermal area, New Zealand. For the first time, the tunable diode laser (TDL) method was applied in a low-degassing geothermal area, to evaluate its potential as a geothermal exploration method. Although the sampling approach is based on profile measurements, which leads to low spatial resolution, the results showed a link between known/inferred faults and increased CO2 concentrations. Thus, the TDL method proved to be a successful in the determination of structural related permeability, also in areas where no obvious geothermal activity is present. Once an area of anomalous CO2 concentrations has been identified, it can be easily complemented by CO2 flux grid measurements to determine the extent and orientation of the degassing segment. With the results of this work, I was able to demonstrate the applicability of systematic and area-wide soil gas measurements for geothermal exploration and monitoring purposes. In particular, the combination of different soil gases using different measurement networks enables the identification and characterization of fluid-bearing structures and has not yet been used and/or tested as standard practice. The different studies present efficient and cost-effective workflows and demonstrate a hands-on approach to a successful and sustainable exploration and monitoring of geothermal resources. This minimizes the resource risk during geothermal project development. Finally, to advance the understanding of the complex structure and dynamics of geothermal systems, a combination of comprehensive and cutting-edge geological, geochemical, and geophysical exploration methods is essential.

Description: Zu den großen Herausforderungen bei der Erkundung und Nutzung geothermischer Ressourcen, gehören die strukturgeologische Charakterisierung eines geothermischen Systems sowie die Anwendung nachhaltiger Überwachungskonzepte, um Veränderungen im geothermischen Reservoir während der Förderung und/oder Injektion von Fluiden zu verstehen. Bei unzureichender Permeabilität des Reservoirgesteins stellen Verwerfungen und Kluftnetzwerke bevorzugte Bohrziele dar, da sie potentielle Wegsamkeiten für heiße und/oder kalte Fluide sind. Entlang dieser fluidführenden Strukturen können in vulkanisch-geothermischen Systemen auch erhebliche Mengen an Gasemissionen an der Erdoberfläche freigesetzt werden. Im Rahmen dieser Arbeit wurden verschiedene methodische Ansätze und Messkonzepte entwickelt und getestet, um die räumliche und zeitliche Variation verschiedener Bodengasparameter zu bestimmen und diese im Kontext struktureller Permeabilitäten zu interpretieren. Um das Potential der Bodengasanalytik als innovative geothermische Explorations- und Überwachungsmethode zu validieren, wurden die methodischen Ansätze auf drei verschiedene vulkanisch-geothermische Systeme angewendet. Diesbezüglich wurde für jeden Standort ein individueller Messansatz hinsichtlich der bekannten strukturgeologischen Merkmale und standortspezifischen Fragestellung entwickelt. Die erste Studie präsentiert Ergebnisse aus der kombinierten Messung des CO2-Flusses, der Bodentemperatur und der Analyse von Isotopenverhältnissen (δ13CCO2, 3He/4He), welche systematisch und flächendeckend in der geothermischen Produktionszone des Geothermalfeldes Los Humeros, Mexiko, gemessen wurden. Ziel war es, Bereiche mit einer Verbindung zum überkritischen (T 〉 374◦C and P 〉 221 bar) und bisher noch ungenutzten geothermischen Reservoir zu identifizieren. Das mit großem Punktabstand und systematisch generierte Messnetz (25 x 200 m) für die Bestimmung des CO2-Flusses erwies sich als schnelle und flexible Anwendung zur Identifizierung von Gebieten mit anomaler CO2-Entgasung. Basierend auf diesen Ergebnissen wurde anschließend mit geringeren Messabständen die genaue Ausdehnung und das heterogene Muster der anomalen Entgasungsgebiete aufgelöst. Dadurch war es möglich, die Entgasungsmuster mit der internen strukturgeologischen Heterogenität einzelner Störungssegmente in Verbindung zu bringen, wodurch Bereiche, die den Gasfluss besonders begünstigen, wie z.B. Störungsschnittpunkte, ermittelt werden konnten. Schließlich wurden vorher unbekannte, geothermisch interessante Bereiche, die eine erhöhte strukturelle Permeabilität aufweisen und eine Verbindung zum überkritischen Reservoir darstellen, identifiziert. Diese Bereiche gelten als besonders vielversprechend für die zukünftige geothermische Exploration und Entwicklung des Geothermalfeldes. In der zweiten Studie wird ein neuartiger Überwachungsansatz vorgestellt, bei dem kontinuierlich der CO2-Fluss gemessen wurde, um Veränderungen im Reservoir zu überwachen, die durch die Reinjektion von kaltem Thermalwasser verursacht werden. Zu diesem Zweck wurde ein automatisiertes Mehrkammer-CO2-Flusssystem innerhalb der Bruchzone einer Hauptstörung aufgebaut. Die Grundlage eines geeigneten Standortes wurde durch die Ergebnisse der CO2-Explorationsuntersuchungen gegeben. Es war von großer Wichtigkeit, dass der Standort eine Verbindung zum geothermischen Reservoir aufweist, erkennbar an hydrothermaler CO2-Entgasung und heißen Bodentemperaturen (〉 50 °C). Die Ergebnisse zeigten ein Sinken der Gasemissionen als Reaktion auf Änderungen der Reinjektionsraten innerhalb von 24 h, was auf eine aktive hydraulische Kommunikation zwischen dem geothermischen Reservoir und der Erdoberfläche hinweist. Dies ist ein vielversprechende Methode, da nahezu in Echtzeit und in situ Daten über Veränderungen im Reservoir angezeigt werden und eine rechtzeitige Reaktion auf unerwünschte Veränderungen (z.B. Druckabfall, Seismizität) möglich ist. Die dritte Studie präsentiert Ergebnisse aus dem Aluto-Geothermiefeld in Äthiopien, bei dem eine flächendeckende, Multiparameter-Analyse, bestehend aus CO2-Fluss, 222Rn- und 220Rn-Aktivitätskonzentrationen und Bodentemperaturen durchgeführt wurde, um verborgene fluidführende Strukturen zu erkennen. Die 222Rn- und 220Rn-Aktivitätskonzentrationen wurden als ergänzende Bodengasparameter zum CO2-Fluss verwendet, um ihr Potenzial als zusätzliche Explorationsparameter zu bewerten. Die kombinierte Messung aller Parameter ermöglichte die Entwicklung von Bodengas Fingerabdrücken – ein neuartiger Visualisierungsansatz. Dadurch lässt sich in Abhängigkeit von der Menge an Gasemissionen und deren Fließgeschwindigkeiten das Untersuchungsgebiet in vulkanisch (Wärme), tektonisch (Strukturen) und vulkanischtektonisch dominierte Gebiete unterteilen. Basierend auf diesem Konzept stellen vulkanischtektonisch dominierte Gebiete die vielversprechendsten Ziele für die zukünftige geothermische Exploration und Entwicklung an diesem Standort dar, da hier heiße hydrothermale Fluide entlang durchlässiger Strukturen migrieren. Zwei solche, bisher nicht berücksichtigte Gebiete wurden im Süden und Südosten identifiziert. Darüber hinaus konnten zwei bisher unbekannte Gebiete mit strukturell bedingter Durchlässigkeit anhand der Aktivitätskonzentrationen von 222Rn und 220Rn identifiziert werden. Schließlich wird in der vierten Studie ein neuartiger Messansatz zum Nachweis der strukturbedingten CO2-Entgasung im geothermischen Gebiet Ngapouri, Neuseeland, vorgestellt. Zum ersten Mal wurde die Tunable-Diode-Laser-Methode (TDL) in einem geothermischen Gebiet mit geringer Entgasung angewandt, um ihr Potenzial als geothermische Explorationsmethode zu bewerten. Obwohl der Messansatz auf Profilmessungen basiert, was zu einer geringen räumlichen Auflösung führt, zeigen die Ergebnisse einen Zusammenhang zwischen bekannten und unbekannten Störungen sowie erhöhten CO2-Konzentrationen. Somit erwies sich die TDL-Methode bei der Bestimmung der strukturbedingten Permeabilität auch in solchen Gebieten als erfolgreich, in denen keine offensichtliche geothermische Aktivität vorhanden ist. Mit systematischen und kleinskaligen CO2-Fluss-Messungen, kann anschließend die räumliche Auflösung der Abschnitte eines Profils mit erhöhten CO2-Konzentrationen, verfeinert werden. Mit den Ergebnissen dieser Arbeit konnte ich die Anwendbarkeit systematischer und flächendeckender Bodengasmessungen für geothermische Explorations- und Überwachungszwecke nachweisen. Die Kombination von verschiedenen Bodengasen und deren Messung anhand verschiedener Messnetze ermöglicht die genaue Identifizierung und Charakterisierung fluidführender Strukturen und wurde bisher noch nicht standardmäßig eingesetzt und/oder erprobt. Mit den Ergebnissen der jeweiligen Studien werden effiziente und kostengünstige Arbeitsabläufe dargelegt, die einen praxisorientierten Ansatz zeigen, der zu einer erfolgreichen und nachhaltigen Exploration und Überwachung geothermischer Ressourcen beitragen kann. Letztlich wird somit das Ressourcenrisiko bei der geothermischen Projektentwicklung minimiert. Um das Verständnis der komplexen Struktur und Dynamik geothermischer Systeme voranzutreiben, ist schließlich eine Kombination aus innovativen und flächendeckenden geologischen, geochemischen und geophysikalischen Methoden unerlässlich.

Description: The Andes are a ~7000 km long N-S trending mountain range developed along the South American western continental margin. Driven by the subduction of the oceanic Nazca plate beneath the continental South American plate, the formation of the northern and central parts of the orogen is a type case for a non-collisional orogeny. In the southern Central Andes (SCA, 29°S-39°S), the oceanic plate changes the subduction angle between 33°S and 35°S from almost horizontal (〈 5° dip) in the north to a steeper angle (~30° dip) in the south. This sector of the Andes also displays remarkable along- and across- strike variations of the tectonic deformation patterns. These include a systematic decrease of topographic elevation, of crustal shortening and foreland and orogenic width, as well as an alternation of the foreland deformation style between thick-skinned and thin-skinned recorded along- and across the strike of the subduction zone. Moreover, the SCA are a very seismically active region. The continental plate is characterized by a relatively shallow seismicity (〈 30 km depth) which is mainly focussed at the transition from the orogen to the lowland areas of the foreland and the forearc; in contrast, deeper seismicity occurs below the interiors of the northern foreland. Additionally, frequent seismicity is also recorded in the shallow parts of the oceanic plate and in a sector of the flat slab segment between 31°S and 33°S. The observed spatial heterogeneity in tectonic and seismic deformation in the SCA has been attributed to multiple causes, including variations in sediment thickness, the presence of inherited structures and changes in the subduction angle of the oceanic slab. However, there is no study that inquired the relationship between the long-term rheological configuration of the SCA and the spatial deformation patterns. Moreover, the effects of the density and thickness configuration of the continental plate and of variations in the slab dip angle in the rheological state of the lithosphere have been not thoroughly investigated yet. Since rheology depends on composition, pressure and temperature, a detailed characterization of the compositional, structural and thermal fields of the lithosphere is needed. Therefore, by using multiple geophysical approaches and data sources, I constructed the following 3D models of the SCA lithosphere: (i) a seismically-constrained structural and density model that was tested against the gravity field; (ii) a thermal model integrating the conversion of mantle shear-wave velocities to temperature with steady-state conductive calculations in the uppermost lithosphere (〈 50 km depth), validated by temperature and heat-flow measurements; and (iii) a rheological model of the long-term lithospheric strength using as input the previously-generated models. The results of this dissertation indicate that the present-day thermal and rheological fields of the SCA are controlled by different mechanisms at different depths. At shallow depths (〈 50 km), the thermomechanical field is modulated by the heterogeneous composition of the continental lithosphere. The overprint of the oceanic slab is detectable where the oceanic plate is shallow (〈 85 km depth) and the radiogenic crust is thin, resulting in overall lower temperatures and higher strength compared to regions where the slab is steep and the radiogenic crust is thick. At depths 〉 50 km, largest temperatures variations occur where the descending slab is detected, which implies that the deep thermal field is mainly affected by the slab dip geometry. The outcomes of this thesis suggests that long-term thermomechanical state of the lithosphere influences the spatial distribution of seismic deformation. Most of the seismicity within the continental plate occurs above the modelled transition from brittle to ductile conditions. Additionally, there is a spatial correlation between the location of these events and the transition from the mechanically strong domains of the forearc and foreland to the weak domain of the orogen. In contrast, seismicity within the oceanic plate is also detected where long-term ductile conditions are expected. I therefore analysed the possible influence of additional mechanisms triggering these earthquakes, including the compaction of sediments in the subduction interface and dehydration reactions in the slab. To that aim, I carried out a qualitative analysis of the state of hydration in the mantle using the ratio between compressional- and shear-wave velocity (vp/vs ratio) from a previous seismic tomography. The results from this analysis indicate that the majority of the seismicity spatially correlates with hydrated areas of the slab and overlying continental mantle, with the exception of the cluster within the flat slab segment. In this region, earthquakes are likely triggered by flexural processes where the slab changes from a flat to a steep subduction angle. First-order variations in the observed tectonic patterns also seem to be influenced by the thermomechanical configuration of the lithosphere. The mechanically strong domains of the forearc and foreland, due to their resistance to deformation, display smaller amounts of shortening than the relatively weak orogenic domain. In addition, the structural and thermomechanical characteristics modelled in this dissertation confirm previous analyses from geodynamic models pointing to the control of the observed heterogeneities in the orogen and foreland deformation style. These characteristics include the lithospheric and crustal thickness, the presence of weak sediments and the variations in gravitational potential energy. Specific conditions occur in the cold and strong northern foreland, which is characterized by active seismicity and thick-skinned structures, although the modelled crustal strength exceeds the typical values of externally-applied tectonic stresses. The additional mechanisms that could explain the strain localization in a region that should resist deformation are: (i) increased tectonic forces coming from the steepening of the slab and (ii) enhanced weakening along inherited structures from pre-Andean deformation events. Finally, the thermomechanical conditions of this sector of the foreland could be a key factor influencing the preservation of the flat subduction angle at these latitudes of the SCA.

Description: Die Anden sind eine ~7000 km lange N-S-verlaufende Hochgebirgskette, die entlang des westlichen südamerikanischen Kontinentalrandes entstanden ist. Aufgrund der Subduktion der ozeanischen Nazca-Platte unter die kontinentale südamerikanische Platte ist die Bildung des nördlichen und zentralen Teils des Gebirges typisch für eine nicht-kollisionale Orogenese. In den südlichen Zentralanden (SZA, 29-39° S) verändert sich der Subduktionswinkel der ozeanischen Platte zwischen 33 ° S und 35 ° S von fast horizontal (〈 5° Einfallen) im Norden zu einem steileren Winkel (~ 30 ° Einfallen) im Süden. Begleitet wird dieser Trend von systematischen, Süd-gerichteten Abnahmen der topographischen Erhebung, der Krusteneinengung und der Vorland- und Orogenbreite, sowie von Variationen im Deformationsstil des Vorlandes, wo die Einengung des Deckgebirges in unterschiedlichem Maße von einer entsprechenden Deformation des Grundgebirges begleitet wird. . Darüber hinaus sind die SZA eine seismisch sehr aktive Region. Die Kontinentalplatte zeichnet sich durch eine relativ flache Seismizität (〈 30 km Tiefe) aus, die sich hauptsächlich auf die Übergänge vom Orogen zu den Vorlandbereichen konzentriert; im Gegensatz dazu tritt tiefere Seismizität in den zentralen Bereichen des nördlichen Vorlandes auf. Darüber hinaus ist häufig auftretende Seismizität auch in den flachen Teilen der ozeanischen Platte und im Plattensegment mit flach einfallender Subduktion zwischen 31 ° S und 33 ° S festzustellen. Die beobachtete räumliche Heterogenität der tektonischen und seismischen Deformation in den SZA wurde auf mehrere Ursachen zurückgeführt, darunter Schwankungen der Sedimentmächtigkeit, das Vorhandensein vererbter Strukturen und Veränderungen des Subduktionswinkels der ozeanischen Platte. Es gibt jedoch bislang keine Studie, die den Zusammenhang zwischen der langfristigen rheologischen Konfiguration der SZA und den räumlichen Deformationsmustern untersucht hat. Darüber hinaus wurden die Auswirkungen der Dichte- und Mächtigkeitsvariationen in der kontinentalen Oberplatte und der verschiedenen Subduktionswinkel auf den rheologischen Zustand der Lithosphäre noch nicht grundlegend untersucht. Da die Rheologie von der Gesteinsart, dem Druck und der Temperatur abhängt, ist eine detaillierte Charakterisierung der Zusammensetzung, Struktur und des thermischen Feldes der Lithosphäre erforderlich. Daher habe ich unter Verwendung kombinierter Modellierungsansätze und geophysikalischer Daten die folgenden 3D Modelle für die Lithosphäre der SZA konstruiert: (i) ein auf seismischen Daten basierendes Struktur- und Dichtemodell, das anhand des beobachteten Schwerefeldes validiert wurde; (ii) ein thermisches Modell, das die Umwandlung von Mantelscherwellengeschwindigkeiten in Temperaturen mit Berechnungen des konduktiven Wärmetransports für stationäre Bedingungen in der obersten Lithosphäre (〈50 km Tiefe) integriert und durch Temperatur- und Wärmeflussmessungen validiert wurde; und (iii) ein rheologisches Modell der langfristig bedingten Lithosphärenfestigkeit, das auf den zuvor erzeugten Modellen gründet. Die Ergebnisse dieser Dissertation zeigen, dass die thermischen und rheologischen Bedingungen in den heutigen SZA durch verschiedene Mechanismen in unterschiedlichen Tiefen gesteuert werden. In flachen Tiefen (〈 50 km) wird das thermomechanische Feld durch die heterogene Zusammensetzung der kontinentalen Lithosphäre differenziert. Eine Überprägung durch die ozeanische Platte ist dort nachweisbar, wo die ozeanische Platte flach (〈 85 km tief) und die radiogene Kruste dünn ist, was insgesamt zu niedrigeren Temperaturen und einer höheren Festigkeit im Vergleich zu Bereichen führt, in denen die Platte steil einfällt und die radiogene Kruste dick ist. In Tiefen 〉 50 km treten die größten Temperaturschwankungen dort auf, wo die subduzierten Platte nachgewiesen wurde, was bedeutet, dass das tiefe thermische Feld den Subduktionswinkel gesteuert wird. Die Ergebnisse dieser Doktorarbeit legen nahe, dass der langfristige thermomechanische Zustand der Lithosphäre die räumliche Verteilung rezenter Seismizität beeinflusst. Der größte Anteil innerhalb der Kontinentalplatte registrierter Erdbebentätigkeit tritt oberhalb des modellierten Übergangs von spröden zu duktilen Bedingungen auf. Außerdem besteht eine räumliche Korrelation zwischen Erdbebenclustern und den Übergängen von den mechanisch rigideren Vorlandbereichen (Forearc und Foreland) zum mechanisch schwächeren Orogen. Demgegenüber wird vermehrte Seismizität innerhalb der ozeanischen Platte auch dort nachgewiesen, wo entsprechend der Modellierung langfristig duktile Bedingungen erwartet werden. Ich habe daher den möglichen Einfluss zusätzlicher Mechanismen untersucht, die ein Auslösen dieser Erdbeben begünstigen könnten, darunter die Kompaktion von Sedimenten an der Subduktionsgrenzfläche und Dehydrationsreaktionen innerhalb der Platte. Dazu habe ich eine qualitative Analyse des Hydratationszustandes des Mantels unter Verwendung des Verhältnisses zwischen Kompressions- und Scherwellengeschwindigkeit (Vp/Vs-Verhältnis aus einemseismischen Tomographiemodell) durchgeführt. Die Ergebnisse dieser Analyse zeigen, dass der Großteil der Seismizität räumlich mit hydratisierten Bereichen in der subduzierten Platte und im darüber liegenden kontinentalen Mantel korreliert, mit Ausnahme eines Erdbebenclusters, das innerhalb des flachen Plattensegments auftritt. In diesem Bereich wechselt die subduzierte Platte von einem flachen in einen steilen Subduktionswinkel und Erdbeben werden wahrscheinlich durch Biegevorgänge in der Platte ausgelöst. Auch die wichtigsten Variationen in den beobachteten tektonischen Mustern scheinen durch die thermomechanische Konfiguration der Lithosphäre beeinflusst zu sein. Die mechanisch starken Bereiche von Forearc und Foreland zeigen aufgrund ihrer Verformungsbeständigkeit geringere Verkürzungsraten als der relativ schwache Bereich des Orogens. Darüber hinaus bestätigen die in dieser Dissertation modellierten strukturellen und thermomechanischen Eigenschaften der Lithosphäre auch frühere Analysen geodynamischer Simulationen, denen zufolge der Deformationsstil im Orogen- und Vorlandbereich jeweils von Variationen in der Lithosphären- und Krustendicke, im Vorhandensein schwacher Sedimente und in der gravitativen potentiellen Energie kontrolliert wird. Eine Sonderstellung nimmt der nordöstliche Vorlandbereich der SZA ein, wo eine verstärkte Seismizität und eine das Deck-und Grundgebirge erfassende Deformation zu beobachten sind, obwohl die modellierte Krustenfestigkeit dort Werte übersteigt, die für die in diesem Gebiet anzunehmenden tektonischen Spannungen typisch wären. . Mechanismen zur Lokalisierung verstärkter Deformation in einem Gebiet beitragen können, das nach den vorliegenden Modellen einer tektonischen Verformung widerstehen sollte, sind: (i) erhöhte tektonische Kräfte durch ein steileres Abtauchen der Platte und (ii) Schwächezonen in der Kruste, die auf prä-andine Deformationsereignisse zurückgehen. Schließlich könnten die thermomechanischen Bedingungen in diesem Teil des Vorlands einchlüsselfaktor für die Erhaltung des flachen Subduktionswinkels in diesen Breiten der SZA sein.

Description: The new unconstrained GRACE monthly solution SWPU-GRACE2021 is recently developed with the dynamic approach. The reprocessed GRACE L1B RL03 data and de-aliasing product AOD1B RL06 are applied to compute SWPU-GRACE2021. The arc length is variable according to the L1B data quality, but the maximum is no more than 24 hours. The bias vector and scale matrix of the GRACE Accelerometer observation ACC1B product are estimable parameters. The data covers the period from April 2002 to Mai 2017. Due to data quality problems, there are some data gaps between September 2016 and April 2017.

Description: Ireland Array is an array of 20 broadband seismometers that was operated by the Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies across the Republic of Ireland. The array comprised up to 20 stations running simultaneously, all equipped with Trillium 120PA seismometers and Taurus data loggers. The 20 stations were installed in 20102012. Some of the stations were moved to new locations in Ireland in the course of the operation of the array, either in order to enhance the data sampling of the island or when the old deployment sites became unsuitable. Ireland Array dramatically increased the seismic data sampling of Ireland and enabled advances and discoveries in the studies of the structure and evolution of Ireland’s crust and lithosphere, seismicity of Ireland, and mechanisms of the Paleogene intraplate volcanism in Ireland and surroundings.

Description: Project SWEAP (Southwest Indian Ridge Earthquakes and Plumes), a collaborative effort led by the Alfred-Wegener-Institute, installed a network of 10 broad-band ocean bottom seismometers (OBS) along the ultraslow-spreading Oblique Supersegment of the Southwest Indian Ridge. The presented data set covers the continuous records of 8 stations of the network provided by the DEPAS instrument pool. One station of the original network could not be recovered, another one did not return data. The instruments were spaced at roughly 15 km intervals in a triangular shape network to either side of the rift axis covering about 60 km along axis between 13°E and 13.8°E and 60 km across axis between 52°S and 52.6°S. The determination of the OBS positions is described by Schmid et al. (2016). The network design was optimized for detecting and locating deep seismicity in the area. The rift valley was filled with soft silica ooze, producing considerable delay of S-phases at selected stations. Instrument deployment started during RV Polarstern cruise ANT-XXIX/2 on December 05 2012. Instrument recovery was completed during RV Polarstern cruise ANT-XXIX/8 on November 26 2013. 5 Refraction seismic lines were acquired by RV Polarstern cruise ANT-XXIX/8 from November 17 to 19 in 2013. All OBS could be synchronized with the GPS clock upon recovery such that skew values describing the clock drift are available for all stations. The non-linear clock drift of station SWE05 was determined by means of noise cross-correlations and applied to the data set. All other stations show a linear drift, which was corrected.

Description: Gakkel Deep is a pilot project that installed a network of four broadband ocean bottom seismometers (OBS) near Gakkel Deep, the deepest depression in the Arctic Ocean, at the eastern end of the ultraslow spreading Gakkel Ridge. The area is covered year-round by sea ice. In order to enable a safe recovery of the OBS in a sea ice covered ocean, the OBS were modified to include a positioning system that allows to track the instruments at meter accuracy during descent and ascent and when stuck beneath ice floes. This pilot studied aimed at testing the recovery procedure of the OBS, checking the performance of the modified instrument design, getting an overview of ambient seismic noise at the bottom of the Arctic Ocean and at contributing to a better understanding of the origin of the Gakkel Deep depression with more than 3000 m of topography. The network is shaped as a rectangle with 8 km and 10 km side length and is centered at about 82°N 119.5°E at water depths between 3600 m and 4100 m. It is positioned slightly to the east of the present plate boundary in an area with volcanic structures. Instruments from the German Instrument Pool of Amphibian Seismology (DEPAS) were deployed during RV Polarstern cruise PS115/2 on September 15, 2018. Instrument recovery was completed during RV Polarstern cruise PS122/1 on September 27, 2019. The data set contains about 377 days of continuous records at 250 Hz sample rate. The station locations were determined with Ultra Short Baseline (USBL) ranging, the accuracy is approx. 10 m. The non-linear clock drift was determined by means of noise cross-correlations and applied to the data set.