My research
Most of my current research focusses on how forested, snow-dominated mountainous catchments store and release water and how this affects the hydro-chemical signature of the river water.
Why is this important? Aquifers and rivers in mountainous headwater catchments are important freshwater resources that sustain downstream baseflow in the densely populated lowlands of Switzerland as well as in many other parts of the world. It is of great importance to protect and sustainably manage these fragile hydro(geo)logic systems - particularly in the face of future environmental changes. Adaption methods to these changes can, however, only be successful when underpinned by a holistic understanding of the links and feedbacks between the different variables of the water cycle.
Some of my research projects are:
Why is this important? Aquifers and rivers in mountainous headwater catchments are important freshwater resources that sustain downstream baseflow in the densely populated lowlands of Switzerland as well as in many other parts of the world. It is of great importance to protect and sustainably manage these fragile hydro(geo)logic systems - particularly in the face of future environmental changes. Adaption methods to these changes can, however, only be successful when underpinned by a holistic understanding of the links and feedbacks between the different variables of the water cycle.
Some of my research projects are:
TempAqua: Exploring catchment hydrology and water quality of temporary streams in Switzerland
A "lab in the field" for on-site analysis of water quality parameters and stable water isotopes at high temporal resolution.
Quantifying the contribution of seasonal snowmelt to groundwater recharge and river discharge to improve hydrological predictions.
Using stable water isotopes in precipitation and streamwater to estimate water ages and to study the relationship between water storage dynamics and catchments’ landscape properties.
Stable water isotopes are commonly used to identify the water sources of trees. However, tree roots may change the isotopic composition of soil water during water uptake.
News
- The new Twitter feed of the TempAqua project is online. Check it out!
- I visited Daniele Penna's group in Florence on December 8-12, 2019. I gave two seminars and visited their new field site, the Re della Pietra catchment - it was a lot of fun!
- Have a look at an interview I gave to the EGU Hydrology Division Blog about my research at the Rietholzbach catchment (May 2019)
- Our new HESS paper is online: Studying catchment storm response using event- and pre-event-water volumes as fractions of precipitation rather than discharge
- Currently I'm a visiting researcher at the Dawson Lab at UC Berkeley, California. I'm working on isotopic fractionation effects in soils due to plant water uptake.
- Check out our Lab's Twitter account: Kirchner Lab ETH
- The Summer School on "Catchment Transport Processes" (2-7 July 2017, Einsiedeln, Switzerland) was a great success!
- Watch the rapid streamflow responses during a snowmelt event in February 2017 at the Erlenbach river - click here!
