Background of the Workshop
1948, four small research basins got instrumented in the Upper
Harz Mountains under extremely difficult financial and logistic
conditions. Very engaged researchers from the forestry administration
and the Research Centre of Hydrology (today Federal Institute of
Hydrology) concentrated ab initio on forest hydrological questions.
In the following decades however, miscellaneous research projects
were carried out in these basins, in particular in the Lange Bramke
basin. It hence disposes in November 2009 of a complete 60 years
discharge data series that was conjointly recorded by different
institutes and agencies.
Similarly, a great number of small basins is monitored under various
research aspects in many countries. These investigations contributed
to the attainment of aims published by IHD and IHP. The announced
Workshop affiliates to UNESCO IHP IHP-V Project 2.4 Comprehensive
assessment of the surficial ecohydrological processes, Phase VI,
Theme 3 Land Habitat Hydrology, and Phase VII Theme 3 Ecohydrology
for Sustainability. In the framework of IHP, small basin research
in Europe is implemented in the IHP-FRIEND cross-cutting component,
here especially the Northern European FRIEND Project 5 Catchment
Hydrological and Biogeochemical Processes in a Changing Environment,
and FRIEND AMHY. Additionally, European FRIEND research groups are
linked up under the Euromediterranean basin network ERB, and under
the IAHS PUB initiative.
Often, the continuous operation of small hydrological research
basins has proved difficult in times of limited resources. Long-term
monitoring though has reached in hydrological research a new rating
due to the expected global warming impacts on water balances and
availability, hence environments and societies. Process studies
and the integration of hydrological research findings, from small
study basins with their well defined boundary conditions in model
development may also obtain new importance. With the recent pan-European
implementation of the Bachelor/Master Degree new tasks are expected
to arise in capacity building.
The workshop will hence serve as a platform to asses the aspects
of where do we stand and what are we heading for in the operation
and research in small hydrological basins.
The Workshop addresses, besides researchers working in small hydrological
basins, extension services and administrative bodies covering hydrological
and water management aspects to elaborate recommendations for future
research and operation of small basins.
Objectives and Key Aspects of the Workshop
The Workshop aims in the first place at highlighting the hydrological
research results and benefits to hydrology at large that were derived
from works in small basins. Based on these deliverables work shall
focus on questions concerning the need for further operation of
small research basins and their role in hydrological research to
meet future challenges.
The Workshop will consist of paper and poster presentations with
discussion of the results in plenary sessions, and of working group
activities. Working groups will be installed at the beginning of
the Workshop. All Workshop participants will be invited to join
a working group.
The workshop will topically be arranged in two parts:
1. Prosperities and State of the Art
Papers and posters with oral presentations
1.1 Presently operated small hydrological research basins (key
note);
1.2 Fundamental hydrological research results drawn from studies
in/the operation of small basins;
1.3 Hydrological processes knowledge drawn from studies in/the
operation of small basins;
1.4 Importance of hydrological data and results from small basins
for hydrological modelling (i.e. regionalisation, forecast of water
balances e.g. due to changes in land use and of physical processes
from changing water fluxes, high/low water forecast).
2. Heading for Knowledge
Working groups with introductory papers
2.1 Concepts and strategies for future research in small basins
(key note);
2.2 Research on hydrological processes: Which achievements are
expected from research in small basins in the coming decades?
2.3 Which contribution to the monitoring and under-standing of
changes in physical processes, water fluxes, water balance and global
warming effects is expected by hydrological small basin research?
2.4 Research in small study basins: What may be the scientific
contribution to the PUB initiative and what is expected vice versa?
2.5 Do we need research results from small basins for the further
development of mathematical hydrological models?
2.6 What future contribution is expected by the operation of small
study basins in capacity building of specialists and researchers?
The main outcomes from the Workshop will be comprised in a special
Braunschweig Declaration that will point out future demands and
challenges for scientific activity in the field of small basin scale
hydrology. The Declaration is thought to address to scientists,
practitioners, stakeholders and policy makers and last but not least
to potential donors and invite them to start, continue or renew
their support of maintenance of and research in small study basins.
Language and Proceedings
The working language of the Workshop will be English.
Extended abstracts of papers and posters will be pre-published
for distribution at the Workshop. It is planned to post-publish
the Workshop proceedings in a renowned journal.
Important Dates
- 30.09.2008 : Submission of abstracts
- 30.11.2008 : Notification of acceptance of abstracts
- 31.01.2009 : Submission of extended abstracts
- 30.03 - 02.04.2009 : Workshop
- 30.05.2009 . Submission of full papers
- Autumn 2009. Delivery of Workshop proceedings
|
