Ein besseres Verständnis des Lurbach-Karstsystems durch ein konzeptionelles Niederschlags-Abfluss-Modell

Abstract

A parsimonious lumped-parameter rainfall-runoff model was tested to determine if it could be used to appropriately represent a karst hydrological system, the Lurbach system in Austria. Simulated and observed hydrographs of spring discharge were favorably simulated for a time period of seven years in spite of the small number of free parameters. Following this period the four year discharge records were only reproducible using strongly different parameter values. Results suggest during this period overflow to neighboring catchments and the capacity of production or routing store have strongly increased. This relationship is also observed in tracer test and baseflow recession data sets and is attributed to the likely redistributions of sediments. Such dynamic processes are rarely accounted for in rainfall-runoff models, and may cause severe prediction uncertainties. However, in the Lurbach system a parsimonious hydrological model was used successfully to characterize changes in hydrological conditions. © 2013 The Author(s).