© David Ausserhofer/IGB
Mr Birkel, you develop mathematical models to predict the quantity and quality of water that flows through and is stored in the landscape. How do you combine field data with mathematics?
Field data and measurements are invaluable and form the basis of all modelling. The long-term hydrometeorological, ecological and biogeochemical data from the various experimental monitoring stations of IGB are unique worldwide and are essential for developing new modelling approaches, testing hypotheses and discarding models. This was ultimately also a decisive factor in my decision to come to Berlin.
Alongside existing measurements, I intend to conduct experiments that fascinate me, such as using geophysical methods to study water processes in the soil with high spatial and temporal resolution and investigating the role of vegetation in these processes. In this context, the measured data are analysed for spatial and temporal patterns. This helps with the structural design and development of model approaches and testing them against measurements to calculate their uncertainties. Only after such an evaluation can a model be considered representative of a specific purpose. The goal is, of course, to develop robust scenarios and communicate them to key stakeholders to support decision-making regarding water resource management.
You have been conducting research in Scotland and Costa Rica for some time, and you are now working in Germany too. How does your location influence your research focus?
While the fundamental physics and mathematics are, of course, independent of various research locations, most countries share concerns about hydroclimatic extremes and the impact of environmental changes on the water balance. However, hydrology, climate, socioeconomic conditions and all other biogeophysical processes can differ greatly, even within a small area. This is why, even when research focuses are partly similar, modelling approaches must be adapted to their specific environment. I have developed versions of core models tailored to tropical ecohydrological conditions – without snow or sub-freezing temperatures, but with ten times as much annual rainfall as in Berlin. This enables the adapted models to be applied to local research questions.
Which aquatic creatures do you particularly enjoy encountering in your work, if any?
In Costa Rica and other parts of the Latin American tropics, we had to exercise extreme caution when taking measurements and collecting samples in large, slow-flowing rivers due to the presence of impressive crocodiles and caimans. I’m relieved that I won’t encounter them in Berlin and Brandenburg, and I’m looking forward to hopefully seeing a beaver in action soon!
