Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences - Ecohydrology

Below you will find proposals for possible topics around various aspects of ecohydrology. Each topic can be assigned as a bachelor’s thesis or master’s thesis. Further or similar topics according to your individual interests - related the research aims of the department of ecohydrology - are of course possible as well and will be supported.

Please let us know if you prefer a “desk-based” thesis (i.e. that would be mainly data and GIS analysis as well as some modeling); or a field based thesis (which would include field work and laboratory analysis as well as data and GIS analysis). In general, we conduct investigations at rural sites in a mixed land use catchment (with forest, agriculture, wetlands) or in the urban settings of Berlin.

The practical fieldwork can take place in our two main experimental field sites:

(a) in the mixed landuse catchment, the Demnitzer Muehlenfließ, a sub basin of the Spree, about 50 min to the Southeast of Berlin or,

(b) in urban catchments, the water bodies in Berlin (Erpe, Wuhle, Panke, Spree). We also conduct intensive high resolution measurements in collaboration with the TU at Steglitz in the Botanic garden.  

Here are some possible topics for a thesis (all can be conducted at the different field sites):

• Investigating sources and pathways of water using stable isotope tracers in different waters (precipitation, surface waters, groundwaters)
• Investigating effects of land use on spatial variability in soil moisture and soil water isotopes
• Investigating dynamics and variability in soil infiltration capacity in different urban green spaces using a novel infiltrometer
• Assessment and quantification of the spatial variability of precipitation amount and composition
• Assessment of vegetation characteristics and dynamics under different landuses
• Investigations in a restored wetland: Effects of drainage on travel times; role and dynamics of beaverdams; dynamics of animals on the riparian zone
• Quantifying groundwater inflow into rivers (e.g. Panke) using Radon as a tracer
• Application of isotope methods for an ecohydrological assessment of kettle holes in Brandenburg
• Use of novel technologies like UAVs to investigate ecohydrological processes
• Investigating high-resolution water quality dynamics using water quality sensor probes
• Laboratory experiments for the extraction of soil and plant water
• Cartographic mapping projects in agricultural areas in Mark Brandenburg about e.g. (a) wetlands and their temporal and spatial dynamics; (b) streams and drainage systems and their dynamics; (c) erosion

Please contact Prof. Dörthe Tetzlaff.