Humanized River Systems
Key Data
Goal: Improvement of the process understanding of the anthropogenic influence on watercourses
Method: Sedimentological methods and numerical modelling
Duration: April 2019 to March 2022
Partner: 1
Description and goals
In the project "The influence of land use changes and industrialisation on the morphodynamics of small rivers in the transition from low mountain ranges to lowlands: Examples from the Rur catchment area", in short "Humanized River Systems", the consequences of land use changes and industrialisation on the morphodynamics of the (Eifel-)Rur are investigated. The Rur, a river in North Rhine-Westphalia, connects a low mountain range, which is today mainly forested, with a lowland area characterised by agriculture. Events such as deforestation, reforestation, ore mining and the construction of dams still have a great influence on the river system today.
The aim of the project is to investigate the consequences of different influences on the Rur at different periods of time (including the Middle Ages, modern times, today and in the future) using geoscientific and engineering methods. A special focus is on the comparison of fluvial morphodynamics in low mountain ranges and lowlands.
The IWW is part of an interdisciplinary team of geographers, geoecologists and engineers, which is used to answer the question of the impact of human influences on the Rur. In the project "Humanized River Systems", funded by the German Research Foundation (short DFG), the IWW is responsible for the sedimentological analysis of the River Rur with regard to morphodynamics. This is coupled to a hydro-numerical modelling with Delft3D in order to systematically investigate and superimpose partial influences on the morphodynamics.
Partners and funding
The following partners are involved in the research project:
- Institute of Hydraulic Engineeringand Water Resources Management (RWTH Aachen)
- Chair of Physical Geography and Geoecology (RWTH Aachen)
The project "Humanized River Systems" is funded by the German Research Foundation (DFG) under project number 418362535.