PhD Defence Mostafa Daoud | Groundwater role in surface-groundwater interactions and ecosystems functioning - Use of integrated (ECO)-hydrological modelling, earth observation and optimization techniques

Groundwater role in surface-groundwater interactions and ecosystems functioning - Use of integrated (ECO)-hydrological modelling, earth observation and optimization techniques

Mostafa Daoud is a PhD student in the Department LIFE. (Co)Promotors are dr.ir. C. van der Tol and dr.ir. S. Salama from the Faculty of Geo-Information Science and Earth Observation and dr. M.W. Lubczynski from the University of A Coruña, Escuela de Caminos / CICA.

This research investigated groundwater (GW) role in surface–groundwater interactions and ecosystem functioning by advancing integrated hydrological (IHM) and ecohydrological modelling (IEM) frameworks, supported by remote sensing and optimization techniques. The research started with improvements to an IHM, then extended towards developing a new IEM to link GW with soil and vegetation processes. First, a Cascade Routing and Re-infiltration (CRR) concept is introduced within an IHM to represent re-infiltration (RE) process and cascade available water among evapotranspiration, RE, and surface runoff. Results demonstrate that the CRR improved water fluxes’ estimation, including recharge and discharge. Second, a new IEM framework is developed to enable two-way feedback between GW, soil moisture, temperature, vegetation transpiration, photosynthesis, and carbon fluxes. Results demonstrate that groundwater significantly influences soil and vegetation dynamics. Overall, this research advances representing GW processes in models to better understand GW role in water, energy and carbon cycles.