Project Content
The DIRT-X project deals with the question to which extent future changes in climatic and socio-economic conditions will affect water resources and the available storage volume of reservoirs. The Institute for Modelling Hydraulic and Environmental System (IWS) at the University of Stuttgart is one out of six project partners from an interdisciplinary consortium and focuses primarily on reservoir sedimentation, various reservoir management strategies and soil erosion in the catchment area of the considered reservoirs. In addition, the consortium consists of experts in climate modelling and climate services (SMHI), hydrology and glaciology (LUH), bedload and sediment transport (UIBK), hydromorphological modelling (NTNU), coastal zone impacts (SMHI) and energy and economic assessment (UU).
Three local case studies, with different characteristics in Sweden, Austria and Albania will be investigated within the project, whereas several project partners interact in each case study.
The University of Stuttgart develops models to predict soil erosion in the catchment area as well as 2D- and 3D-hydromorphological models to simulate reservoir sedimentation. Through a comprehensive integration of different climate models and forecasts (with respect to spatial and temporal resolution), the expected effects of climate change on reservoir sedimentation and the associated uncertainties can be quantified by means of a model and parameter comparison for the soil erosion model as well as for the simulation of reservoir sedimentation. This should increase the quality, reliability and usability of the models for climate services. In addition, hydrological process modelling will be integrated with economic models in order to assess water demand, cross-sectoral conflicts and energy systems and to investigate the economic consequences of hydrological and climatic changes
Project Manager
Research assistant
Department
Duration
From: 2019.09.01
To: 2022.08.31
Partner
Swedish Meteorological and Hydrological Institute (SMHI), Schweden
Leibniz Universität Hannover (LUH), Deutschland
Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU), Norwegen
University of Innsbruck (UIBK), Österreich
Utrecht University (UU), Niederlande
Funding
Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF)
