Clemens Geitner

Investigating the impact of initial soil moisture conditions on total infiltration by using an adapted double-ring infiltrometer

ABSTRACT This study presents an adaptation of the double-ring infiltrometer (DRI) device, which allows several infiltration experiments to be conducted at the same location. Hence, it becomes possible to use the DRI method to investigate infiltration behaviour under different initial soil moisture conditions. The main feature is the splitting of the inner ring into two parts. While the lower part remains in the soil throughout the investigation period, the upper part is attached to the lower one just before the infiltration experiment. This method was applied to eight test sites in an Alpine catchment, covering different land-use/cover types. The results demonstrated the applicability of the adapted system and showed correlations between total water infiltration and initial soil moisture conditions on pastures, independent of the underlying soil type. In contrast, no correlation was found at forest sites or wetlands. Thus, the study emphasizes the importance of paying special attention to the impact of initial soil moisture conditions on the infiltration—and consequently the runoff behaviour—at managed areas. Given the differences in the total infiltrated water of between 30 and 1306 mm, consideration of the interplay between initial soil moisture conditions, land-use/cover type, and soil properties in rainfall–runoff models is a prerequisite to predict runoff production accurately. EDITOR Z.W. Kundzewicz; ASSOCIATE EDITOR not assigned

Using the “Footprint” Approach to Examine the Potentials and Impacts of Renewable Energy Sources in the European Alps

The expansion of renewable energies is regarded as a key way to mitigate global climate change and to ensure the provision of energy in the long term. However, conflicts between these goals and local nature conservation goals are likely to increase because of the additional space required for renewable energies. This is particularly true for mountainous areas with biodiversity-rich ecosystems. Little effort has been undertaken to systematically compare different renewable energy sources and to examine their environmental impacts using an interdisciplinary approach. This study adapted the concept of the “ecological footprint” to examine the impact on ecosystem services of land use changes involved in exploiting renewable energy sources. This innovative approach made it possible to assess and communicate the potentials of those energy sources in light of both space consumption and sustainability. The European Alps are an ideal test area because of their high energy potentials and biodiversity-rich ecosystems and the high demand for multiple ecosystem services. Our results demonstrate that energy consumption in the Alps could not be covered with the available renewable energy potentials, despite the utilization of large parts of the Alpine land area and the majority of larger rivers. Therefore, considerable effort must be invested in resolving conflicting priorities between expanding renewable energies and nature conservation, but also in realizing energy-saving measures. To this end, the approach presented here can support decision-making by revealing the energy potentials, space requirements, and environmental impacts of different renewable energy sources.

Automated Extraction of Shallow Erosion Areas Based on Multi-Temporal Ortho-Imagery

In several areas of the Alps, steep grassland is characterized by shallow erosions. These erosions represent a hazard through the increased availability of unconsolidated material in steep locations, loss of soil and impaired landscape aesthetics. Generally, the erosions concern only small areas but sometimes occur in large numbers. Remote sensing technologies have emerged as suitable tools to study the spatio-temporal changes of these eroded areas. The detection of such eroded areas is often done by manual digitalization of aerial photographs, which is labour-intensive and includes a certain risk of subjectivity. In this study we present a methodological tool that allows the automatic classification of shallow erosions on the basis of orthophoto series. The approach was carried out within a test site in the inner Schmirn Valley, Austria. The study covers both the detection of erosion areas and a multi-temporal analysis of the geomorphological changes. The presented approach is an appropriate tool for detecting shallow erosions and for analysing them in multi-temporal terms. The multi-temporal analysis revealed one period of higher increases in eroded areas compared to shrinking during the other periods. However, the analysis of the change of all single erosions indicates that in each study period there was both increase and decrease of erosion areas. The differences in the rates of increase between the observation years are most likely due to the irregular occurrence of events that encourage erosion. In contrast, the rates of decrease are almost constant and suggest a continuous rate of recovery.

Climate change effects on hydrological system conditions influencing generation of storm runoff in small Alpine catchments

1 Institute of Geography, University of Innsbruck, Innsbruck, Austria 2 Institute of Meteorology, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna, Austria Department of Natural Hazards, Federal Research and Training Centre for Forests, Innsbruck, Austria 4 Institute for Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Potsdam, Potsdam, Germany Correspondence Gertraud Meißl, Institute of Geography, University of Innsbruck, Innsbruck, Austria. Email: gertraud.meissl@uibk.ac.at

Soil and Land Use in the Alps - Challenges and Examples of Soil-Survey and Soil-Data Use to Support Sustainable Development

Abstract The present chapter focuses on soil and land use in the Alps as well as related challenges regarding soil-survey and soil-data use in order to support sustainable land-use planning. Based on case studies from different landscapes in the Alps the chapter illustrates soil–society relations regarding both the land-use impact on soils as well as soil data needs for land-use management. In terms of soil survey in the Alps, we present and discuss innovative approaches to soil mapping, geographic information systems (GIS) embedding, and modeling in order to better integrate soil data in land-use planning and management. The examples demonstrate the wealth of soil knowledge and experience in soil management in Alpine countries. Nevertheless the chapter emphasizes that further research, cross-border knowledge, and soil protection best practice transfer as well as the improvement of soil-data collection and use are needed to strengthen daily sustainable soil management in the Alps.

Modelling peak runoff in small Alpine catchments based on area properties and system status

Floods are an often occurring natural hazard in the Alps and other mountainous regions. Thereby, also small mountain torrents can pose a major threat. Torrent catchments normally incorporate several altitudinal belts and often exhibit a steep relief and react rapidly to precipitation, particularly to small scale events of high intensity in the form of convection cells. If a catchment is affected by such an event then increased surface runoff and rapid subsurface flow take place and consequentially induce a rapid and strong rise in discharge.

Prioritizing Adaptation Needs for Ecosystem Services: A Regional Case Study in the Eastern Alps

Ecological systems and natural resources are significant sources to generate human well-being (Millennium Ecosystem Assessment 2005; TEEB 2010; Summers et al. 2012). Climatic and socio-economic changes will have many adverse impacts on natural systems and thus threaten human well-being (Schroter et al. 2005; Metzger et al. 2006; Staudinger et al. 2012). Therefore, there is an urgent need for society to adapt to these future challenges in order to preserve ecosystem services (ES) and secure human well-being for future generations. The amount of literature concerning impact assessments of climate change on ES has been growing in recent years, with the consensus being that climate change has already an effect on the supply of ES, thus threatening human well-being and that immediate action is needed (Schroter et al. 2005; Briner et al. 2012; Elkin et al. 2013; IPCC 2014). Facing this need for action requires the integration of ES in regional and local decision making processes on climate change adaptation (Daily et al. 2009; UNEP 2012; Loft et al. 2015). Including multiple ES simultaneously into this decision making process and identifying ES of concern, which require immediate action (Metternicht et al. 2014), reduces the risk of unintended trade-offs between adaptation measures.