ITS4.1/SSS0.2 | Participatory Citizen Science, Critical Zone Science and Open Science as a new era of environmental knowledge for society
EDI
Participatory Citizen Science, Critical Zone Science and Open Science as a new era of environmental knowledge for society
Convener: Taru Sandén | Co-conveners: Jannis Groh, Sylvain Kuppel, Daniel Dörler, Florian Heigl, Tamer Abu-Alam, Dilek Fraisl
Orals
| Thu, 27 Apr, 14:00–15:45 (CEST)
 
Room 0.94/95
Posters on site
| Attendance Thu, 27 Apr, 16:15–18:00 (CEST)
 
Hall X3
Posters virtual
| Attendance Thu, 27 Apr, 16:15–18:00 (CEST)
 
vHall SSS
Orals |
Thu, 14:00
Thu, 16:15
Thu, 16:15
Several cross-boundary kinds of science are emerging in the field of geosciences.
Citizen science is gaining momentum across multiple disciplines, increasing multi-scale data production that is extending the frontiers of knowledge. Successful participatory science enterprises and citizen observatories can potentially be scaled-up in order to contribute to larger policy strategies and actions (e.g. the European Earth Observation monitoring systems), for example to be integrated in GEOSS and Copernicus. Making credible contributions to science can empower citizens to actively participate as citizen stewards in decision making, helping to bridge scientific disciplines.
Critical zone science is an integrative, transdisciplinary approach where the spatio-temporal interactions between life, energy and matter cycles in natural and anthropogenic environments are jointly considered through the combined lens of climatology, hydrology, soil science, ecology, geomicrobiology, biogeochemistry, geology and/or other fields. The number and richness of critical zone observatories established around the world are increasing and gaining strength (e.g., TERENO, OZCAR, DOE watersheds, eLTER).
Both citizen science and critical zone science can be seen in the context of Open Science, which is a broad movement embracing Open Data, Open Technology, Open Access, Open Educational Resources, Open Source, Open Methodology, and Open Peer Review. Increasingly, access to research data has become a core issue in the advance of science.
Open science, citizen science and critical zone science pose great challenges for researchers to facilitate effective participatory and actionable science, yet they are of critical importance to modern research and decision-makers.

We want to ask and find answers to the following questions:
Which approaches and tools can be used in Earth and planetary observation?
What are the biggest challenges in bridging geoscientific disciplines and how to overcome them?
How can we make knowledge on critical zone functioning transferable from one observatory to another place?
What kind of participatory citizen scientist involvement and open science strategies exist?
What kind of community-level perspectives exist regarding the limitations, challenges, and ethical considerations for collaborative, transdisciplinary and/or open science?
How can citizen science and open science approaches and initiatives be supported on different levels?

Orals: Thu, 27 Apr | Room 0.94/95

Chairpersons: Taru Sandén, Daniel Dörler, Sylvain Kuppel
14:00–14:05
Citizen Science and Open Science
14:05–14:15
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EGU23-2655
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On-site presentation
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Jouke de Baar and Irene Garcia-Marti

Motivation. Recent research shows promising results in gridding methods that aim to fuse official and citizen weather observations to produce high-resolution weather maps. These high-resolution weather maps are essential to verify weather models at finer spatial resolutions and are crucial for Early Warning Centres to provide measures of risk at neighborhood scale. In this way, citizen weather observations may be the key to better inform communities and decision makers about the local weather and important for future generation’s climate adaptation research. Citizen science weather collections like WOW-NL (http://wow.knmi.nl) offer dense monitoring networks, potentially providing sheer volumes of observations. Continuous growth is a desired characteristic of these alternative networks overall. However, a “guided growth” could prove a more robust strategy in the long term. For this purpose, in this research we focus on quantifying the insights of some questions: How important is it to keep increasing the volume of observations? When should we do so? And at which locations in a region should these stations be located? 

Approach. In this work we apply multi-fidelity adaptative sampling (MF-AS) to daily interpolations of WOW-NL air temperature and wind speed observations. MF-AS is a method developed in the discipline of simulation-based engineering, where it is used to efficiently optimise the design of vehicles. The questions that we try to answer are: what would be the best locations for a sequence of new stations? Should they be official stations or (clusters of) citizen stations? And how much improvement by the network can we expect? We apply and develop MF-AS for the Netherlands: 

We identify typical weather patterns and define some important focus areas for gridded weather products. In this example, we focus on three user areas for the accuracy for our weather products: accuracy over the entire country, accuracy in populated areas and accuracy for road traffic. We then develop and apply MF-AS. The performance for the different user areas, evaluated for different candidate station locations, defines the cost function for our MF-AS strategy. Then, during this MF-AS approach – again borrowing heavily from vehicle design optimisation – in each iteration we do not only quantify the expected improvement in accuracy, but we also determine whether the next station should be an official station or a cluster of citizen stations, as well as where in the country it should ideally be located. In this way, we aim to develop a strategy for efficient growth of the combined official / citizen station network. 

Results. This study acts a proof-of-concept for the use of quantitative methods to optimally design future multi-fidelity weather observation networks. The results will illustrate why, when and where, ideally, we should attract people to engage in citizen weather observation. We are convinced that these quantitative results can contribute to the broader effort to engage people in citizen weather science. 

How to cite: de Baar, J. and Garcia-Marti, I.: Towards quantifying why, when and where to engage citizens to participate in weather observation networks, EGU General Assembly 2023, Vienna, Austria, 23–28 Apr 2023, EGU23-2655, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu23-2655, 2023.

14:15–14:25
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EGU23-2698
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On-site presentation
Marlin M. Mueller, Christian Thiel, Soraya Kaiser, Josefine Lenz, Moritz Langer, Hugues Lantuit, Sabrina Marx, Oliver Fritz, and Alexander Zipf

The Arctic is experiencing severe changes to its landscapes due to the thawing of permafrost influenced by the twofold increase of temperature across the Arctic due to global warming compared to the global average. This process, which affects the livelihoods of indigenous people, is also associated with the further release of greenhouse gases and also connected to ecological impacts on the arctic flora and fauna. These small-scale changes and disturbances to the land surface caused by permafrost thaw have been inadequately documented.

To better understand and monitor land surface changes, the project "UndercoverEisAgenten" is using a combination of local knowledge, satellite remote sensing, and data from unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) to study permafrost thaw impacts in Northwest Canada. The high-resolution UAV data will serve as a baseline for further analysis of optical and radar remote sensing time series data. The project aims to achieve two main goals: 1) to demonstrate the value of using unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) data in remote regions of the global north, and 2) to involve young citizen scientists from schools in Canada and Germany in the process. By involving students in the project, the project aims to not only expand the use of remote sensing in these regions, but also provides educational opportunities for the participating students. By using UAVs and satellite imagery, the project aims to develop a comprehensive archive of observable surface features that indicate the degree of permafrost degradation. This will be accomplished through the use of automatic image enhancement techniques, as well as classical image processing approaches and machine learning-based classification methods. The data is being prepared to be shared and analyzed through a web-based crowd mapping application. The project aims to involve the students in independently acquiring data and developing their own scientific questions through the use of this application.

In September 2022, a first expedition was conducted in the Northwest Territories, Canada and UAV data was collected with the assistance of students from Moose Kerr School in Aklavik. The data consists of approximately 30,000 individual photos taken over an area of around 13 km². The expedition also provided an opportunity for the students to learn about the basics of data collection and the goals of the collaborative permafrost survey, which included the incorporation of local knowledge to address the questions of the local community.

By involving school students in the data acquisition, classification and evaluation process, the project also seeks to transfer knowledge and raise awareness about global warming, permafrost, and related regional and global challenges. Additionally, a connection through the shared research experience between students in Germany and Canada is established to enable the exchange of knowledge. The resulting scientific data will provide new insights into biophysical processes in Arctic regions and contribute to a better understanding of the state and change of permafrost in the Arctic. This project is funded by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research and was initiated in 2021.

How to cite: Mueller, M. M., Thiel, C., Kaiser, S., Lenz, J., Langer, M., Lantuit, H., Marx, S., Fritz, O., and Zipf, A.: UndercoverEisAgenten - Monitoring Permafrost Thaw in the Arctic using Local Knowledge and UAVs, EGU General Assembly 2023, Vienna, Austria, 23–28 Apr 2023, EGU23-2698, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu23-2698, 2023.

14:25–14:35
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EGU23-15940
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ECS
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On-site presentation
Caroline Michellier, Théo Mana Ngotuly, Jean-Claude Maki Mateso, Joseph Kambale Makundi, Jean-Marie Bwishe, Olivier Dewitte, and François Kervyn

In the Tropics, disasters associated with natural hazards (intense convective rainfalls, floods, landslides) occur regularly. However, the general scarcity of reliable and accurate data collected on these events does not allow for a complete picture of their frequency and magnitude, thus hindering effective Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR). Such situation is observed in the Kivu region, in the eastern part of the DR Congo. Recurrent insecurity, long distances to travel, poor communication networks and the lack of financial resources to reach the affected areas are the main challenges faced by the Congolese Civil Protection in building a database that would allow for a better knowledge of these phenomena, in view of an appropriate disaster response and, in the long term, efficient DRR.

Based on this observation, a group of 20 citizen observers was set up to collect data on six different types of natural hazard disasters (floods, landslides, wind storms, hail storms, lightning, and earthquakes) using smartphone technology connected to an online platform. This new approach, based on citizen science, makes it possible to significantly improve the documenting and understanding of the spatial and temporal occurrence of these disasters that affect the provinces of North and South Kivu. Since the establishment of this network in December 2019, more than 700 events have been recorded.

If the data collected by this network of citizen observers constitute above all an unprecedented amount of information on the disasters occurring in such a tropical environment, they also allow for the compilation of a WebGIS and quarterly reports illustrated with maps and graphs, disseminated by Civil Protection to key DRR stakeholders active in the region, for a more tailored response, its planification, and, to some extent, the anticipation of such events. Scientists from universities and research centers in Bukavu and Goma are associated to that data collection and analysis. Moreover, citizen observers position themselves within their communities as key actors in raising awareness about disaster risks. However, although this type of approach has proven to be effective in the short term, the motivation on the long term of citizen observers, as volunteers, has been identified as a weakness to be addressed.

How to cite: Michellier, C., Mana Ngotuly, T., Maki Mateso, J.-C., Kambale Makundi, J., Bwishe, J.-M., Dewitte, O., and Kervyn, F.: Tracking natural hazard disasters in non-surveyed regions: the “citizen” observer network of the Kivu in DR Congo, EGU General Assembly 2023, Vienna, Austria, 23–28 Apr 2023, EGU23-15940, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu23-15940, 2023.

14:35–14:45
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EGU23-12542
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Virtual presentation
Felix Schmidt, Claudia Schütze, Uta Ködel, Fabian Schütze, Christine Liang, David Schäfer, and Peter Dietrich

The possibilities of citizen science-based approaches to environmental research and especially climate monitoring have recently expanded. This is among other things due to the availability of diverse measuring equipment at low costs, so that citizen science-based measuring missions can be implemented with a large number of participants. The advantages of high data density and spatial coverage are obvious. These advantages have been exploited for years by platforms such as www.awekas.at or www.weatherunderground.com and many others. With the help of mobile monitoring systems, the spatial coverage can now be extended even further. This means that the variability of climate values such as air temperature and relative humidity in cities can be investigated and more accurate forecasting models can be used.

A crucial aspect here is the reliability and comparability of the data collected with different devices. Therefore, we tested and compared within the EU project CityCLIM (www.cityclim.eu) different measurement equipment. Important characteristics of these devices are their low cost, ease of use and data access, data security and protection and the reliability of the measurement data. In the experiments presented here, 4 mobile systems were used: Meteotracker, senseBox, CHEAL5, PAM-AS520. All of these devices can determine air temperature, relative humidity, GPS-location and time and partly also particulate matter. In order to compare these systems, several measurement trips were made in the city of Leipzig in Saxony/Germany at different times of the year.

Surprisingly, there are considerable deviations between the devices in all measured values. This starts with the time and the GPS position. Here, there are sometimes shifts of several minutes and several metres. These errors could certainly be corrected with the help of calibration. However, this must also be practicable for the citizen scientist. In general, this example shows that quality control and backup of the data is necessary. In this sense, it is advantageous if there is a possibility to check the data live from the measurement operator or citizen. For this purpose, a direct upload of the data into the online portal/dashboard is very helpful. This direct data transfer also allows a simple and automated evaluation and storage of the large amounts of data.

Also the measurements of the air parameters show larger differences. Here, air flow at the sensor during the journey, protection from direct sunlight and the sensors used influence the measurement results. In any case, it is necessary to provide the users with detailed guidelines for the use of the sensors in order to increase the data quality. In summary, it turned out that the mobile measuring systems are suitable for citizen science-based climate observation with some limitations. Through the experiments, clear requirements for the devices could be worked out, which is helpful for the planning of future projects. The investigation of further devices and especially of quality control tools for the data are important next steps.

How to cite: Schmidt, F., Schütze, C., Ködel, U., Schütze, F., Liang, C., Schäfer, D., and Dietrich, P.: Comparison of Mobile Environmental Sensors for Citizen Science Based Climate Monitoring, EGU General Assembly 2023, Vienna, Austria, 23–28 Apr 2023, EGU23-12542, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu23-12542, 2023.

14:45–14:55
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EGU23-14528
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ECS
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Highlight
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On-site presentation
Eva Posch

Academia is more and more under the demand to create both scientific and societally relevant research with beneficial effects for society. There is a strong consensus that the engagement of non-academic actors in research activities is associated with greater societal relevance and usability of science for society. Involving non-academic actors within natural hazards and disaster risk research has seen a rise in popularity with the advent of participatory and transdisciplinary research approaches. Particularly in countries of the Global South, the participation, engagement, or involvement of non-academic actors in research on natural hazards and disaster risk is seen as promising strategy for solving data issues, raising awareness and generating knowledge. However, besides beneficial consequences, the participation, engagement, or involvement in scientific research may also have negative side-effects for non-academic actors (e.g., causing mistrust, anxiety, or research-fatigue). Against this background, the aim of the ImSE-R project is to assess how the participation, engagement, or involvement in scientific research on natural hazards and disaster risk may have consequences – ranging from intended impacts to unintended implications and negative side-effects for non-academic actors. This contribution presents the results of a systematic review of studies on hazards and disaster risk in the Himalayan region (2000-2022) to better understand how academic actors negotiate and manage research relationships with non-academic actors in the context of natural hazards and disaster risk research. The contribution derives insights on how non-academic actors were involved in natural hazard and disaster risk research activities (actively, passively); underlying motivations and goals of academic actors for involving non-academic actors in natural hazard and disaster risk research; and perceived impacts and implications of involving non-academic actors in research. The results of the review feed into the development of a conceptual framework on research impacts and implications in the context of natural hazard and disaster risk research.

How to cite: Posch, E.: Side-effects of doing research? Potential consequences of involving non-academic actors in natural hazard research, EGU General Assembly 2023, Vienna, Austria, 23–28 Apr 2023, EGU23-14528, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu23-14528, 2023.

Critizal Zone Science
14:55–15:15
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EGU23-4538
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solicited
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On-site presentation
Pamela L. Sullivan and the SitS, FRES, and CZCN teams

Roots are physical and chemical engineers of the subsurface that are sensitive to changes in climate, and whose power to reshape the subsurface differs with land cover. Roots create and destroy porosity through enmeshment of particles, lateral and vertical boring through regolith, and cleaving of rocks from parent material. Their ability to translocate water, exude sugars and acids, and take up solutes influences hydrologic connectivity, water residence times, carbon transport and transformation, microbial access to resources, and chemical equilibrium conditions. Analysis of land-cover datasets suggest that root depth distributions are changing globally, shallowing in agricultural environments and deepening with woody encroachment. Yet where, when, and how changes in root distributions alter water and carbon dynamics in the critical zone is not well known. Using data generated at environmental observatories across the U.S. Long-Term Ecological Research program, the Critical Zone Collaborative Network, National Ecological Observatory Network, and the Department of Energy Watershed Focus Areas in combination with the Pedogenic and Environmental Dataset (PEDS), we ask: How do roots shape regolith hydrology and carbon dynamics? 


A clear signal is emerging from grassland, forest, and agricultural sites across the U.S. that indicates changes in rooting dynamics have measurable and meaningful impacts on critical zone functions. Evidence shows that changes from forest to crop and back to forest impacts soil structure deep beneath the plow line in systematic ways. Losses of rooting abundance upon conversion of grasslands to agriculture affects the propensity of organic carbon to form and protect aggregates throughout the subsoil. Reduced fire frequency at tallgrass prairie sites in the Midwest have led to rapid woody expansion in recent decades. Where woody encroachment persists, coarse roots, smaller mean soil aggregate diameters, and more readily destabilized carbon pools proliferate. Encroachment of woody plants increases the infiltration of soil water rich in  CO2 into deep rocks and enhances carbonate weathering as predicted by models. These woody plants rely on deeper water sources, draw soil moisture down to a greater degree at depth, and are likely responsible for reducing streamflow and changing the timing of groundwater contributions to the stream. At Rocky Mountains sites dominated by conifers and aspen, coarse- and fine-root abundances are elevated under aspen in the upper 75 cm of the soil profile compared to conifer sites. Elevated soil organic carbon, lower extractable organic carbon, lower C:N values and elevated enzyme activity indicate soil carbon under aspen is likely more stable as a result of more microbial processing. Finally, in a predominantly Douglas-fir forest in the Pacific Northwest, second-growth forests exhibit substantially fewer fine roots at depths <50 cm, which appears to exert control on nitrogen availability in this nutrient-limited system and thus potentially limits carbon stability as more extractable organic carbon is generated from second-growth forests at depth. Data from these sites demonstrate how alterations to rooting distributions change the physical structure and moisture status of soil, and may be linked to carbon stability as the proportion of fine and coarse roots dictate overall access to carbon pools.     

How to cite: Sullivan, P. L. and the SitS, FRES, and CZCN teams: How do roots restructure water and carbon dynamics in the critical zone?, EGU General Assembly 2023, Vienna, Austria, 23–28 Apr 2023, EGU23-4538, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu23-4538, 2023.

15:15–15:25
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EGU23-12067
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solicited
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Virtual presentation
Camille Bouchez, Ivan Osorio, Charlotte Le Traon, and Tanguy Le Borgne

In continental subsurface environments, biogeochemical reactions drive nutrient delivery, deep microbial life and mineral weathering, with crucial importance in the critical zone. Current models often simplify groundwater transport, using the residence time approach or hillslope models. However, increasing observations suggest that the nature, location and efficiency of reactions are strongly affected by groundwater 3D flow patterns, chemical gradients and subsurface heterogeneity. Here, we investigate how hydrological and geological structures control where and when biogeochemical reactions occur in the deep critical zone. For this purpose, our approach integrates long-term and widespread local observations in a catchment-scale framework and is based on data from two critical zone observatories of the French OZCAR national network. The first study took place in Guadeloupe (Obsera), where we integrated geophysical, hydrological and geochemical data in a reactive-hydrogeological model to simulate the 3D structure of groundwater flow paths and weathering. We found that the downstream evolution of the river chemistry is controlled by the pattern of hydrogeological circulations and by the depth of the weathering front. Furthermore, the calibrated 3D model allowed the delimitation of areas where weathering occurs and we showed that active weathering is restricted to catchment-areas where downward groundwater flows are deep. The second study focused on the dynamics of dissolved oxygen (DO) in a fractured aquifer at the Ploemeur catchment (Bretagne, France). Deep and intermittent inputs of DO in groundwater were observed, enabling the reaction of DO with dissolved Fe2+, in turn sustaining the development of deep microbial communities. In this study, we designed a simple model to simulate jointly the depth-distribution of DO and Fe2+ and to investigate the hydrological and geological factors controlling the DO depth-distribution. We found that the reducing capacity of the bedrock and the mean fluid transit time are the main parameters to explain and predict the depth of the oxic-anoxic transition in crystalline environments. In this presentation, we will provide new perspectives to observe and understand the origin of subsurface biogeochemical reactions and we will illustrate key processes that breakdown classical assumptions of reactive groundwater models.

How to cite: Bouchez, C., Osorio, I., Le Traon, C., and Le Borgne, T.: Groundwater flow patterns and subsurface heterogeneity drive critical zone geochemical reactions, EGU General Assembly 2023, Vienna, Austria, 23–28 Apr 2023, EGU23-12067, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu23-12067, 2023.

15:25–15:35
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EGU23-7816
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ECS
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On-site presentation
Mikael Gillefalk, Franziska Neumann, Matthias Bücker, and Ilhan Özgen-Xian

The ecohydrology of the Urban Critical Zone is characterised by strong heterogeneity and the entangling of hydrological and human time scales (Sivapalan & Blöschl, 2015). This not only poses a challenge to field measurements and the transfer of insights to other urban systems, but consequently limits the development of universal theoretical approaches for urban systems. In this contribution, we propose an interdisciplinary methodology to approach this challenge. Following the school of Darwinian hydrology (Harman & Troch, 2014), we hypothesise that analog to the co-evolution of natural systems, the history of a city and its neighbourhoods is a strong control on current ecohydrological patterns and processes. Thus, we argue that field measurements must be complemented by research into the historical evolution of the urban area to provide a full description and explanation of any observations made. While we need to be careful to avoid a too deterministic or simplistic view of history, research into the historical evolution of an urban area can strengthen explanation of current urban ecohydrological behaviour and potentially enable knowledge transfer and prediction capabilities in “ungauged” cities with similar historical development, as well as to help guide measurement campaigns. Hence, we search for historical and environmental patterns that correlate to provide a testable explanation of current ecohydrological function of urban space. Similar to the "uniqueness of place" in hydrology, every society and city has a unique history that is shaped by the complex interaction among culture, environment, and political events (Berking & Löw, 2008). Thus, we want to formulate a framework for determining similarities in historical development at relevant temporal scales. This requires a strictly interdisciplinary approach, because the application of historical sciences and the interpretation of results is non-trivial and should not be attempted separately. 
 
We discuss our current progress in developing such an interdisciplinary framework in a case study of the city of Braunschweig, Germany. Braunschweig has 250,000 inhabitants, a medieval city centre with Gründerzeit–era neighbourhoods surrounding it. The former fortifications of the city have been converted into urban green spaces during the 18th century. The Oker river that surrounds the medieval city centre has been heavily modified. The built areas of the city centre show very little green space with few trees, especially compared to the surrounding neighbourhoods, where we find a multitude of street trees, smaller green spaces scattered throughout, and large parks adjacent to the built-up area. This works as an example of how the policy regarding green spaces has changed over time. In this heterogeneous environment, we hunt for urban ecohydrological units. In particular, we are interested in whether similar historical development is an indicator of similar ecohydrological function in an urban context.

References
Berking, H. & Löw, M. (2008). Die Eigenlogik der Städte, Campus Verlag, Frankfurt, Germany.
Harman, C. & Troch, P. (2014), Hydrology & Earth System Science, 18, 417–433.
Sivapalan, M. & Blöschl, G. (2015), Water Resources Research, 51, 6988–7022.

How to cite: Gillefalk, M., Neumann, F., Bücker, M., and Özgen-Xian, I.: Darwinian approaches for the Urban Critical Zone — A case study in the city of Braunschweig, Lower Saxony, Germany, EGU General Assembly 2023, Vienna, Austria, 23–28 Apr 2023, EGU23-7816, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu23-7816, 2023.

15:35–15:45
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EGU23-11691
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On-site presentation
Slava Vasenev, Mirabel Vlaming, Josca Breeman, Olga Romzaykina, and Jetse Stoorvogel

Recent IPCC reports claim carbon neutrality as the key strategy for climate mitigation, therefore compensating greenhouse gases’ emissions by carbon (С) sequestration become the core of climate mitigation measures taken by cities. Developing urban green infrastructures is considered an efficient measure for C sequestration and climate mitigation in cities. However, most of these solutions consider C sequestration in aboveground biomass and ignore the role of urban soil-C stocks. Urban soils’ contribution to C balance in urban ecosystems remains overlooked so far, but gets increasingly important with ongoing climate change. Urban soils are exposed to direct and indirect anthropogenic influences, they are very heterogeneous and dynamic. This variability is driven by both environmental (e.g., vegetation, geomorphology, and parent material) and social (e.g., decisions on maintenance and management) factors. Traditional soil surveys focus on the environmental factor and barely ignore the social drivers, that might be appropriate for natural or agricultural areas, but can hardly be implemented to study soil C stocks in cities.  In the Netherlands, urban areas cover at least 15% of the territory and are projected to expand with more than 1000 km2 by 2040, however urban soils remain overlooked and sustainable urban development strategies are not supported by soil data. this study we aimed to explore the effect of natural and social factors on the spatial variability in soil C on Wageningen – a middle-size university town in the Netherlands.

Wageningen is a perfect case study to investigate factors influencing spatial variability of urban soil C. A long history and unique landscape diversity create conditions for high spatial variation in soil-forming factors. Based on the parent materials, the residential blocks outside the center can be subdivided into strata dominated by sandy and clayey soils. Urban expansion and building up new residential blocks, public and private green areas coincided with development and management of urban soils. A random stratified soil survey (n=56) allowed capturing the effect of parent materials, land cover and land-use history. The effect of the social factor was studied by expert interviews with the owners of the green areas (key plots, n=10), where detailed soil survey was done. Expert interviews included information on soil management as well as personal questions. In result, typical ‘portraits’ of landowners/ green-keepers were developed and related to soil C-stocks assessment. It was concluded that land-cover and land-use history/ historical zoning distinguished spatial patterns in soil C at the city level, whereas at the local scale social factors dominated. Moreover, local spatial variability distinguished by differences in maintenance/ management practices (e.g., minimal management in a student house in comparison to an intensive maintenance with irrigation and adding composts in a high-price cottage) was comparable or even higher than total variance at the city level.  This is an important message for urban planners and landscape designers, claiming that the social factors and personal decisions shall not be ignored in climate-resilient strategies and practices to develop and maintain urban green infrastructures.

How to cite: Vasenev, S., Vlaming, M., Breeman, J., Romzaykina, O., and Stoorvogel, J.: Environmental and social drivers behind spatial variability of soil carbon in urban green infrastructures of Wageningen, EGU General Assembly 2023, Vienna, Austria, 23–28 Apr 2023, EGU23-11691, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu23-11691, 2023.

Posters on site: Thu, 27 Apr, 16:15–18:00 | Hall X3

Chairpersons: Jannis Groh, Florian Heigl
Citizen Science and Open Science
X3.89
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EGU23-8411
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ECS
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Highlight
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Irene Garcia-Marti and Jan Willem Noteboom

In 2011 the UK Met Office established the Weather Observations Website (WOW) initiative, a global-coverage project in which users of personal weather stations (PWS) can contribute their weather observations to a central repository. In this decade, more than 10,000 PWS around the world have contributed 2 billion measurements to this project, with a remarkable presence of WOW users in Europe. The Dutch Met Office (KNMI) joined this initiative as partner in 2015. In the past 8 years, 1,000+ PWS located in the Netherlands have collected 250+ million observations of the most relevant weather variables, and the interest of the Dutch public in this network continues growing. 

In this context, the KNMI has two main roles with respect to WOW-NL observations: Platform Facilitator and Data Researcher. The KNMI facilitates WOW-NL to the public via the portal http://wow.knmi.nl, which enables visualizing the latest observations in a map, allows querying to inspect the historical data contributed by each station, and provides a space for news. As platform facilitator, the KNMI aims for a measurement system of PWS that provides optimal added value to our science and services. The Data Research teams at KNMI have dedicated continuous efforts to develop quality controls (QC) enabling a full quality assessment of the WOW-NL observations. The latest results show that the application of QC methods yields promising results for air temperature, rainfall, and wind speed measurements. This means that WOW-NL observations may have sufficient quality to be incorporated into successive research or operational workflows and become part of the ‘daily business’ of the organization. 

These two roles are designed to work independently, but we believe that bringing them together would positively and effectively impact quality of data for the organization’s science and services. Hence, how can we interlace them most optimally in a feedback loop and take them to the next level? How can we expand the Platform Facilitator role, to stimulate and provide guidance for citizens to obtain quality of crowd sourced data most optimal for our science and services? How to enable the Data Researcher role to deliver peer-reviewed scientific content to a broader audience and in a real-world set up? Last but not least, how to establish a dialogue with the users to create a community ensuring long-term data provision for national meteorological services?

In this work we investigate the relationship between the Platform Facilitator and the Data Researcher roles to balance investment in actions “upstream” (e.g. network design, PWS location) vs “downstream” (e.g. metadata, statistical QC procedures). We also elaborate on how the inclusion of WOW-NL in operational workflows might require revisiting or creating new policies for crowdsourced data or assessing the readiness of the digital infrastructure of the organization.

How to cite: Garcia-Marti, I. and Noteboom, J. W.: What does it mean to be a data researcher and platform facilitator of crowdsourced weather observations?, EGU General Assembly 2023, Vienna, Austria, 23–28 Apr 2023, EGU23-8411, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu23-8411, 2023.

X3.91
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EGU23-7238
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Christine Liang, Claudia Schütze, Uta Ködel, Thora Herrmann, Felix Schmidt, Fabian Schütze, Sophia Schütze, and Peter Dietrich

As citizen science is becoming a widely accepted research approach across multiple disciplines, it is essential to explore methods for effective recruitment, involvement, and retention of participants for these programs. An effective recruitment strategy results in motivated and engaged contributors, longer-term participation, and better communication exchange.

In this research, we present two marketing approaches adapted from best practice in customer-facing fields in order to identify appropriate stakeholder groups for citizen science and keep motivation and retention of the participants high. Firstly, stakeholder analysis is a major tool within the frame of stakeholder management and includes the systematic identification of stakeholders and their relevance and influence on a project. Thus, efficiency of citizen science projects can be improved significantly by targeted identification and selection of participants and groups through stakeholder analysis, which are suited to generate the data needed to reach the project and research goals. Secondly, the value proposition canvas approach is based on business strategies to match products and services to the market or customer. The value proposition canvas can be adapted to scientific processes and the data generated can help citizen science groups to build a communication strategy that can clearly communicate the value of their message and shared goals to the participants.

The application of stakeholder analysis and value proposition canvas is demonstrated using the case study of the project "Next Generation City Climate Services Using Advanced Weather Models and Emerging Data Sources" (CityCLIM, a European Union Horizon 2020 funded project), where the focus is to develop next-generation City Climate Services based on advanced weather forecast models enhanced with data from emerging data sources such as Citizen Science approaches for urban climate monitoring. Before meetings with citizens in pilot cities, stakeholder groups involved in the CityCLIM project were examined and their profiles were analysed using the value proposition canvas. Lessons learned from the use of these tools for engagement with citizens in pilot cities will be presented. Findings also provide an approach that can be used by citizen science groups in environmental observation to strategically target participants and tailor key communication messages, towards the goal of a focused and sustained monitoring of environmental processes.

How to cite: Liang, C., Schütze, C., Ködel, U., Herrmann, T., Schmidt, F., Schütze, F., Schütze, S., and Dietrich, P.: Improving efficiency of citizen science projects by targeted activation of selected stakeholder groups, EGU General Assembly 2023, Vienna, Austria, 23–28 Apr 2023, EGU23-7238, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu23-7238, 2023.

X3.92
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EGU23-172
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ECS
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Highlight
Kaori Otsu and Joan Masó

The increasing involvement of citizens in scientific projects over the last decade is another critical factor that has encouraged Open and FAIR data. Citizen science is in fact one of the eight priorities of the European Open Science Agenda (2018), along with the establishment of the European Open Science Cloud (EOSC) enabling a federation of multidisciplinary research infrastructures.

Until now, citizen science projects and platforms, also known as Citizen Observatories (COs) in Europe, are yet to be considered among the research sector in the EOSC ecosystem. With the ambition of overcoming this challenge, the Cos4Cloud (Co-designed Citizen Observatories Services for the EOS-Cloud) project was the first ‘Enabling an operational, open and FAIR EOSC ecosystem (INFRAEOSC)’ project to include citizen science as a core part of research infrastructure.

Specifically, the Cos4Cloud aimed to integrate citizen science in the EOSC through co-designing innovative services to support widely used COs in biodiversity and environmental monitoring. To make COs interoperable, the services adopted internationally recognized standards such as SensorThings API and Darwin Core. As a result, over 30 interoperability experiments have been reported in various combinations among the new services and existing COs during the project period; some of which are now offered in the EOSC Marketplace following open and FAIR principles. The Cos4Colud has also demonstrated that the services combined with AI technologies and robust algorithms could improve COs by leveraging the data quality to the research grade.

We thus expect more resources and services derived from COs to be reused in the EOSC ecosystem, eventually enabling to establish its own thematic cluster for citizen science in the research infrastructure as well as facilitate the reuse of data by other researchers. We conclude with the key role of such diverse scientific communities enriched in the EOSC that may create a bridge among researchers, citizens and decision-makers.

 (This work has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement no 863463.)

How to cite: Otsu, K. and Masó, J.: Open Science as the new normal, Citizen Science as the new component of research infrastructure, EGU General Assembly 2023, Vienna, Austria, 23–28 Apr 2023, EGU23-172, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu23-172, 2023.

X3.93
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EGU23-9605
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ECS
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Davia Dosias-Perla, Margaux Lefevre, and Pierre Camps

In the context of a double democratic and environmental crisis, participatory/collaborative action-research has multiplied in recent years with increased attention from institutions. Over the last ten years, many participatory research projects have taken up the democratic and environmental crises by proposing an emancipatory normative scheme to improve public participation and the effectiveness of environmental action.

Our paper presents the first results of a participatory science project, BREATHE, funded by the ANR. It aims to articulate two components : (1) a participatory measurement of fine particulate matter (PM) concentration (PM 10 - PM 2.5 - PM 1 - PM 0.1) and an identification of pollution sources) from passive filters (plants and sensors) and micro-sensors subject to standardization (2) a component of accompaniment and support of public policies based.

The project is based on a participatory science protocol (Chevalier and Buckles, 2009) based on participation engineering (Dosias-Perla et al., 2020). Our fieldwork covers three targets: (a) the incinerator (waste recovery center) - (b) a highways around a small town; (c) a street canyon, city of Montpellier, south of France. On the metrological level, the project aims at analyzing the implication and the effects of the Citizen Science device aiming at "co-constructing" at micro-scales a fine cartography of fine particles concentrations while discriminating the source and modeling the dispersion phenomena. On the political level, the project aims on the one hand to analyze the institutionalization process of the device and on the other hand to analyze its effects on the "co-production" of public policies and strategies through different regulatory frameworks (EPZ, PCAET, Mobility Plan, etc.).

We will also discuss the limits and contributions of this type of interdisciplinary and participatory approach aiming at acting on pollution with and for society. We will present current results and first analyses concerning the complex intertwining of technical and political issues related to air quality metrology, the importance and difficulties of standardizing measurement and of truly developing metrology at relevant scale levels when it comes to supporting public action and addressing health issues

How to cite: Dosias-Perla, D., Lefevre, M., and Camps, P.: Observing, measuring and tackling air pollution with citizens and elected officials: the case of public policy and technical democracy about particulates matter issue in Montpellier, France., EGU General Assembly 2023, Vienna, Austria, 23–28 Apr 2023, EGU23-9605, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu23-9605, 2023.

X3.94
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EGU23-7615
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ECS
Mathieu Turlure, Marc Grunberg, Hélène Jund, Fabien Engels, Antoine Schlupp, Philippe Chavot, and Jean Schmittbuhl

The SeismoCitizen (SismoCitoyen) project presents and tests a new paradigm of collaborative monitoring of geohazards in urban and peri-urban environments. Seismological observations are obtained using a large number of low cost internet-connected equipment (Raspberry Shake seismic sensors and associated open access data). The breakthrough strategy of the project relies on the deployment of the sensors in residences or administrative buildings of non-seismologist voluntary citizens or authorities. The aim is to use those stations to densify the french permanent seismic network, and to improve the detection and location of seismic events, in particularly small ones. The volunteers take part in a sociological survey to estimate the impact of that participative project on their perception of science. Candidates are primarily chosen according to the seismic interest of their location and for some of them to represent the social variability of the population. 

 

Since the “Sismocitoyen” project was launched in 2018 by BCSF-Rénass and EOST (CNRS and Strasbourg University), sixty sensors have been deployed and are currently hosted by voluntary citizens in the region of the Upper Rhine Graben, in the area of Strasbourg, Mulhouse and alongside Vosges mountains. They were able to strongly improve our monitoring of the seismic events induced by a deep geothermal project close to Strasbourg where several events have been largely felt (2019-2022). The topic is becoming a major issue in the development of renewable energies that involve the subsurface as seismic hazards are of significant public concern and can have major socio-economic impacts. 

 

With the new PrESENCE ANR project (2022-2025) we focus on seismic hazards induced by deep geothermal operations in northern Alsace and their associated societal perception.  Seventy Raspberry Shake seismic stations are being deployed since the end of 2022 and installations will continue in 2023. We will use our previous experience to improve, refine and develop all aspects such as site selection, protection of privacy and confidentiality of volunteers data and information, station calibration before deployment, data transmission and protocol to minimize data losses, stations monitoring and data analysis.

 

During the project, interactions with the station hosts will be reinforced, in particular with convivial meetings (Stammtisch) to answer questions, present the use of the data and the results obtained.

How to cite: Turlure, M., Grunberg, M., Jund, H., Engels, F., Schlupp, A., Chavot, P., and Schmittbuhl, J.: PrESENCE : a participative citizen seismic network., EGU General Assembly 2023, Vienna, Austria, 23–28 Apr 2023, EGU23-7615, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu23-7615, 2023.

X3.95
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EGU23-12615
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ECS
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Highlight
Xudong Zhou, Luwen Wan, Jingyu Lin, Manqing Shao, Sifang Feng, Beichen Zhang, Yuanhao Xu, Yuxin Li, Yuan Liu, Ming Liu, Libo Wang, and Xingyan Tan

The development of citizen science is still at a very early stage in China. There are three primary reasons: 1. The government has strict data collection and sharing regulations. 2. There are very limited official leading groups, guidelines, and financial support on citizen science. 3. The public still lacks enthusiasm and basic training in citizen science. However, given the large population, increasing educational level of the society, and the help of new technologies, we can see a bright future for citizen science in China. We need to be prepared for that.

Hydro90 is a bottom-to-top established scientific community within the field of hydrology and earth science. It shares the latest academic research, broadcasts latest news, and organizes lectures, webinars, and workshops. It aims to enhance the communication among scholars, and between scholars and the public, especially among the young ages. It has been run for almost three years, with around 20,000 followers on the social media platform. However, we are still exploring how to promote citizen science in China. We want to share our recent experiences and efforts to overcome the current barriers in citizen science in the EGU. We are also looking forward to the great suggestions from European communities.

How to cite: Zhou, X., Wan, L., Lin, J., Shao, M., Feng, S., Zhang, B., Xu, Y., Li, Y., Liu, Y., Liu, M., Wang, L., and Tan, X.: Exploring practical citizen science in China, EGU General Assembly 2023, Vienna, Austria, 23–28 Apr 2023, EGU23-12615, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu23-12615, 2023.

Critical Zone Science
X3.96
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EGU23-14567
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ECS
Chiara Richiardi, Maria Adamo, Andrea Scartazza, Lisa Sella, Ilaria Baneschi, Serena Botteghi, Enrico Brugnoli, Silvana Fuina, Olga Gavrichkova, Michael Maerker, Michele Mattioni, Elena Ragazzi, Valentina Rossi, Francesca Silvia Rota, Matteo Salvadori, Cristina Tarantino, Saverio Vicario, Alberto Zanetti, and Maddalena Pennisi

The stable presence of humans in the Alps dates back to the Bronze Age and peaked in the mid-19th century, deeply shaping the landscape and allowing the co-evolution of numerous plant and animal species. Since the 1950s, socio-economic changes have led to the gradual depopulation of mountain areas, and the consequent abandonment of traditional agro-pastoral activities. The rupture of the long-established balance between man and nature has triggered a process of transition, further exacerbated and accelerated by climate change. The Belmont Forum project ABRESO (Abandonment and rebound: Societal views on landscape and land-use change and their impacts on water and soils) started in 2021 and aims at advancing the understanding of mitigation and adaptation strategies to environmental change, through an international partnership involving five countries (the United States, France, Italy, Japan and Taiwan). Italy contributes to the project with three case studies: Gran Paradiso National Park, Val Grande National Park and the Tesino highlands are investigated in the Italian Alps. Using an interdisciplinary approach, the project aims to study the impact of the abandonment of traditional activities on ecosystem services provisioning, such as biodiversity conservation and soil sustainability, as well as the actual perception of the ongoing environmental changes by different stakeholders and its subsequent integration into local land management practices and policies. The land use and land cover change occurring due to land abandonment can have profound implications in the critical zone (CZ), inducing changes in soil, vegetation, carbon fluxes and water resources. This project integrates the natural and social sciences approaches to study the evolution of ecosystems in response to these factors. More specifically, advanced techniques that integrate Earth Observation, biogeochemical analyses and socio-economic investigation are used in the Italian sites to understand in which extent geo-biophysical and social landscapes reciprocally interact. The environmental variables collected for ecosystem monitoring and to study and upscale the ongoing dynamics in the CZ include snow cover and phenology parameters, soil organic carbon, and land use change maps extracted from time series of satellite imagery, validated via in situ measurements. Then, the observed processes will be compared to the perception of different stakeholders (local population, policy makers, tourists, business keepers, etc.) to unveil new insights into the way land use change in the mountain areas influence and is influenced by the local land management practices and policies.

How to cite: Richiardi, C., Adamo, M., Scartazza, A., Sella, L., Baneschi, I., Botteghi, S., Brugnoli, E., Fuina, S., Gavrichkova, O., Maerker, M., Mattioni, M., Ragazzi, E., Rossi, V., Rota, F. S., Salvadori, M., Tarantino, C., Vicario, S., Zanetti, A., and Pennisi, M.: The impact of landscape and land use changes on the critical zone and society: the Belmont Forum ABRESO project, EGU General Assembly 2023, Vienna, Austria, 23–28 Apr 2023, EGU23-14567, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu23-14567, 2023.

X3.97
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EGU23-17441
Jean Riotte and the Nutrilift team

Processes linking lower and upper parts of the Critical Zone (CZ) are crucial for sustaining life on continents and ecosystem services provided by eco- or agro-systems. Rock weathering at depth is expected to be an essential source of nutrients and deep-rooted trees are believed to induce water and nutrient ‘lift’, benefiting the whole community. However, quantifying this nutrient lift remains a challenge linked on the one hand to the hidden nature of the roots and on the other hand to the complexity of the rhizosphere dynamics. The Nutrilift project aims at quantifying the role of deep critical zone in the supply of nutrients to eco- and agrosystems, based on the hypothesis that while in natural forests, deep-rooted species can derive part of their nutrient resources from increased mineral weathering at depth, the relative importance of this process in shallow-rooted agrosystems is much less - and agroforestry systems represent an intermediate situation. Conducted within the framework of the Indo-French Cell for Water Sciences (IRD - CNRS - INRAE - UPS - Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, India), the project is based on long-term monitoring in the Mule Hole (diversified forest) and Berambadi (irrigated agriculture and agroforestry) watersheds of the M-TROPICS Observatory in Peninsular India. For this purpose, we study the vertical evolution of soil properties and associated pedological processes as a function of plant cover/land-use. Weathering processes and/or plant uptake will be studied in the vicinity of the roots using micro-characterization techniques, which will allow to calibrate combined hydro-geochemical models. The deep contribution to the nutrient budgets of each site will be quantified by intra-plant isotopic balances as well as by the identification of specific geochemical signatures to the deep contribution of the critical zone. An originality of the project is the observation of the deep critical zone (up to 10m) via instrumented pits with continuous pCO2 and moisture measurements, scanners (root dynamics) imaging and pore water collection. The effects of future changes -associated with climate and land uses- on the dynamics of the deep critical zone will be explored from scenarios co-constructed with local stakeholders.

How to cite: Riotte, J. and the Nutrilift team: Deep roots versus pumps: comparison of deep nutrient removal in dry tropical eco- and agrosystems (ANR project Nutrilift), EGU General Assembly 2023, Vienna, Austria, 23–28 Apr 2023, EGU23-17441, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu23-17441, 2023.

X3.98
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EGU23-8059
Thomas Puetz, Tobias Schnepper, Horst H. Gerke, Barbara Reichert, and Jannis Groh

Accurate precipitation measurements are essential for various applications such as determining the water balance of ecosystems and modelling soil-water fluxes in the earth critical zone. Gauge based point precipitation measurements are affected by wind, gauge design, and maintenance of the device. Ground-level gauges, like high precision weighing lysimeters, are less affected by environmental factors and thus provide more accurate data if well managed and the data are post-processed with filters. However, studies evaluating precipitation measuring methods with lysimeter references at multiple sites with high temporal resolution and detailed weather data are rare.

In the present study, high-precision weighing lysimeter precipitation data from four years of measurement with an hourly resolution were used as references to evaluate data from four different precipitation measurement methods at three sites under different climatic conditions. The methods were tipping bucket gauges (TB), weighing gauges (WG), acoustic sensors (AS), and laser disdrometers (LD). Different sites and climatic conditions were chosen to be able to draw conclusions as to whether deviations between the measurement and comparison data were environment-dependent or unit-specific. Methodically, the evaluation included correlation analyses, comparison of catch ratios, x-y scatter plots, and the application of correction schemes.

For the total period, all measurement methods recorded less precipitation than the lysimeters, with catch ratios between 33 to 92 % depending on the measuring method. Non-rainfall water inputs, like dew and fog, have been excluded for this study, therefore the measuring differences are attributed to the precipitation gauges. The bias of the hourly measurements varied between -0.69 to -0.01 mm h-1 based on the measuring method and no site-specific influence on the data was detected. Correction algorithms reduced the bias and improved the catching ratios of hourly precipitation data with similar improvements at all sites for the same gauge models, thus one adequate correction scheme may be sufficient to be used for the same model under different climatic conditions and environments. The findings suggest that a correction of the data by empirical or mathematical models appears to be necessary to ensure the quality of the precipitation data and to reduce over- and underestimations, which is the prerequisite for environmental studies in the critical zone.

How to cite: Puetz, T., Schnepper, T., Gerke, H. H., Reichert, B., and Groh, J.: Evaluation and correction of precipitation data obtained with different measurement methods using data from precision lysimeter network, EGU General Assembly 2023, Vienna, Austria, 23–28 Apr 2023, EGU23-8059, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu23-8059, 2023.

X3.99
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EGU23-14754
Modeling soil moisture variations for direct groundwater recharge estimation in the critical zone
(withdrawn)
Nina Krüger and Christoph Külls
X3.100
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EGU23-17513
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Simon Mooney, Eoin O’Neill, and Paul Hynds

While developed nations are assumed to provide high groundwater quality security, populations reliant on (typically rural, unregulated) private domestic groundwater wells are often uniquely vulnerable to supply contamination. The potential health ramifications of exposure to contaminated groundwater may be especially grave for immunosuppressed populations residing in service-deprived and climate-vulnerable areas, necessitating concerted government (educational) and household-level (behavioural) action. In response, a growing number of studies (spanning quantitative contamination risk assessments, policy strategies, communicative interventions and householder surveys) have emerged within the last several decades. To date, few investigations have sought to synthesise this literature and ascertain the potential generality of drivers of both private groundwater contamination and preventive responses in high-income countries.

 

The developed regions of the Republic of Ireland (ROI) and Ontario represent an appropriate point of comparison to establish research transferability. Both regions are characterised by high private groundwater reliance (> 10% of their respective populations), pervasive microbial groundwater contamination and significant associations between acute gastrointestinal illness (AGI) and private well use. Consumption of private well water contributes to approximately 4,800 annual cases of AGI in Ontario and as many as 80% of annual cases of verotoxigenic E.coli (VTEC) in the ROI. However, despite similarities, regional discrepancies exist with respect to policy landscapes (e.g., monetary requirements for private water quality testing) and contamination risk profiles (e.g., frequency of extreme weather event concurrence). In efforts to elucidate the potential implications of these phenomena, a scoping review of literature (1990-2022) in the ROI and Ontario outlining risk management measures to prevent private groundwater contamination in the was undertaken. The SPICE (Setting, Population/Phenomenon, Intervention, Setting, Perspective) methodology was utilised to inform literature search terms, with Scopus and Web of Science selected as primary databases for article searches. Following removal of duplicate studies and article screening, 92 articles (Canada = 70, ROI = 22) were retained for analysis.

 

Articles were predominantly comprised of quantitative contamination risk assessment studies (n = 68), with qualitative and quantitative questionnaire investigations (n = 16), interventions (n = 2) and policy studies (n = 6) noticeably less frequent. Quantitative risk assessments published after the year 2000 demonstrated an overwhelming focus on microbial supply contamination, identifying well type and proximity of agricultural activity as significant determinants of supply contamination. Survey studies in both regions also consistently highlighted gender, perceived confidence in maintaining supply and economic and convenience barriers as significant determinants of well user knowledge and behaviour. However, well users in Ontario demonstrated markedly higher rates of prior well testing (irrespective of adherence to regional guidelines), suggesting that incentivised (or free) well testing may lead to significant increases in uptake of well water quality testing. The paucity of identified intervention studies suggests that increased research investigating methods of well user outreach and groundwater risk communication will be necessary in the future to determine the broad efficacy of risk communication in developed nations.

How to cite: Mooney, S., O’Neill, E., and Hynds, P.: Top-down and bottom-up management of private groundwater contamination risk: A comparative scoping review of similarities, drivers and challenges in two developed regions, EGU General Assembly 2023, Vienna, Austria, 23–28 Apr 2023, EGU23-17513, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu23-17513, 2023.

X3.101
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EGU23-11150
Holly Michael, Dannielle Pratt, Yu-Ping Chin, Sergio Fagherazzi, Keryn Gedan, Matthew Kirwan, Angelia Seyfferth, Lee Slater, Stotts Stephanie, and Katherine Tully

Ghost forests and abandoned farms are stark indicators of ecological change along world coastlines, caused by sea level rise (SLR). These changes adversely affect terrestrial ecosystems and economies, but expanding coastal marshes resulting from SLR also provide crucial ecosystem services such as carbon sequestration and mediate material fluxes to the ocean. We introduce a US-NSF Critical Zone Network project designed to untangle the hydrological, ecological, geomorphological, and biogeochemical processes that are altering the functioning of the marsh-upland transition in the coastal critical zone. We have instrumented six sites in the mid-Atlantic region of the US, along the coastlines of the Atlantic Ocean, Delaware Bay, and Chesapeake Bay where marshes are rapidly encroaching into forests and farmland. We have installed field sensors to observe the effects of slow hydrologic change (i.e. SLR) and fast episodic events such as high tides and storm surges on water levels, land surface elevation, salinity, redox conditions, and sap flow. We are coupling these measurements to laboratory experiments and analyses, as well as modeling to elucidate drivers and feedbacks in these complex and highly transient critical zone systems.

How to cite: Michael, H., Pratt, D., Chin, Y.-P., Fagherazzi, S., Gedan, K., Kirwan, M., Seyfferth, A., Slater, L., Stephanie, S., and Tully, K.: Marsh migration in the coastal critical zone: Drivers and impacts of hydrological, biogeochemical, and ecological change, EGU General Assembly 2023, Vienna, Austria, 23–28 Apr 2023, EGU23-11150, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu23-11150, 2023.

Posters virtual: Thu, 27 Apr, 16:15–18:00 | vHall SSS

Chairperson: Tamer Abu-Alam
Citizen Science and Open Science
vSSS.2
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EGU23-9749
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Highlight
Chantal Gascuel-Odoux, Ulrike Aldrian, Sophia Goetzinger, Eloise Masson, Julia Miloczki, and Taru Sandén

Along with the development of citizen science, more and more citizen science initiatives on soils are emerging. Soils are key components of ecosystems and from where 95% of our food originates. Because soils integrate multiple impacts of human activities, they are increasingly taken into account in public policies (agroecology, biodiversity, food, climate). This presentation will share the results of an online survey on agricultural soil citizen science across Europe. Most reported citizen science projects were at the national level (56%, n=40), limited in time (64.9%, n=40) because of funding (82.6%, n=23), with a budget less than 50.000 € (41.7%, n=36) and funded by a national research funding agency (47.2%, n=36). Regarding agricultural soil systems, half of citizen science projects studied urban or urban-countering gardening and 39% studied cropping systems, 29% fruit-vegetables and grassland systems, 18% arboriculture and vineyards. Over 57% of the reported projects have generated soil biodiversity data, 46% and 35% vegetation cover and soil organic carbon data, respectively. According to citizen science coordinators (n=33), the benefits for the scientists taking part in citizen science were ranging from publication of research outputs (69.7%) and learning opportunities (63.6%) to the potential to influence policy (45.5%). The reported benefits for the citizen scientists (n=33) ranged from learning opportunities (81.8%) and satisfaction through contributing to scientific evidence (72.7%) to publication of research outputs (24.2%). ‘Project very time consuming’ and ‘funding temporary’ were identified as the main research challenges for citizen science projects (n=31). ‘More staff resources’ was reported as the most important prerequisites for citizen science work followed by ‘more financial resources’ and ‘more recognition from academia for citizen science’ (n=28). This synthesis shows the state of the art in agricultural soil citizen science, but also the main lockers for citizen science development on soils.

How to cite: Gascuel-Odoux, C., Aldrian, U., Goetzinger, S., Masson, E., Miloczki, J., and Sandén, T.: A synthesis of the use of citizen science on soils and agroecosystems across Europe, EGU General Assembly 2023, Vienna, Austria, 23–28 Apr 2023, EGU23-9749, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu23-9749, 2023.

Critical Zone Science
vSSS.3
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EGU23-12709
Brigitta Czauner, Szilvia Szkolnikovics-Simon, and Judit Mádl-Szőnyi

The depth of the Earth’s critical zone can be questionable especially in thousands meter deep sedimentary basins. Therefore, extension of the critical zone’s usually studied 10s of meters depth considering groundwater flow systems has critical importance. Growing demand for groundwater resources (water, geothermal energy), economic services of the groundwater flow related surface and subsurface processes and phenomena (e.g., groundwater dependent ecosystems, surface salinization), and the potential role of groundwater in the adaptation to and mitigation of the effects of human activities and climate change represent the significance and functions of groundwater flow systems in the critical zone.

Regarding the complexity of these flow systems, the primary goal could be the determination of their relative significance in the shallower parts of the critical zone. To this end, the present study proposes a methodology based on the hydrodynamic analysis of measured data to separate flow systems with different driving forces (topography, vertical compaction) and pore pressure regimes (normal or  close to hydrostatic, overpressured, underpressured). These characteristics define the renewability of groundwater resources, the near-surface conditions (e.g., distribution of nutrients, salts and heat, type of vegetation and soils, slope stability, etc.), and the exposure of flow systems to the effects of global and climate change.

As a case study, groundwater flow systems of the Great Hungarian Plain (Pannonian Basin, Hungary) were evaluated and characterized by analyzing about 5,800 measured hydraulic data (pre-production static water levels and static formation pressures) in hydraulic head vs. elevation and pressure vs. elevation profiles, tomographic maps, and hydraulic cross sections in combination with the geologic build-up and some surface phenomena (distribution of saline soils and vegetation). As a result, spatial extension and distinct functions in the critical zone were defined for three flow regimes, namely i) the near-surface topography-driven groundwater flow systems, ii) an underlying overpressured regime, and iii) the transition zone of i) and ii). For instance, outstanding significance of the upward flows of saline water from the transition zone was revealed in the generation of saline soils and vegetation.

The research was funded by the National Multidisciplinary Laboratory for Climate Change, RRF-2.3.1-21-2022-00014 project.

How to cite: Czauner, B., Szkolnikovics-Simon, S., and Mádl-Szőnyi, J.: The influence of deep groundwater flow systems on the Earth’s critical zone , EGU General Assembly 2023, Vienna, Austria, 23–28 Apr 2023, EGU23-12709, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu23-12709, 2023.