Höhere Bundeslehr- und Forschungsanstalt 16.

Gumpensteiner Lysimetertagung 2015, 143 – 146

Raumberg-Gumpenstein ISBN 13: 978-3-902849-19-9

The Hydrological Open Air Laboratory - HOAL Petzenkirchen

Catchment observations complementing lysimeter measurements
Markus Oismüller1*, Günter Blöschl1 und Peter Strauß2

Zusammenfassung Summary
Das im Westen von Niederösterreich liegende HOAL The Hydrological Open Air Laboratory (HOAL) Pet-
(Hydrological Open Air Laboratory) Petzenkirchen ist zenkirchen is a 66ha research catchment located in the
ein 66ha großes Einzugsgebiet mit Schwerpunkt auf western part of Lower Austria that aims at observing
der Beobachtung hydrologischer Prozesse. Durch das hydrological processes. The Institute for Land and Water
Institut für Kulturtechnik und Bodenwasserhaushalt Management Research Petzenkirchen (Federal Agency
Petzenkirchen (Bundesamt für Wasserwirtschaft) wurden of Water Management), has carried out catchment ob-
bereits seit 1945 Beobachtungen in diesem Versuchs- servations since 1945, in particular regarding runoff and
einzugsgebiet durchgeführt, insbesondere des Abflusses sediment concentrations. In the frame of the Doctoral
und der Schwebstoffkonzentrationen. Im Rahmen des Programme on Water Resource Systems, the HOAL
Doktoratskollegs Wasserwirtschaftliche Systeme startete Project was initiated in 2009 as a cooperation between the
das Projekt „HOAL“ im Jahr 2009 als eine Kooperation Federal Agency of Water Management and the Institute
zwischen dem Bundesamt für Wasserwirtschaft und of Hydrology and Water Resource Management (Vienna
dem Institut für Wasserbau und Ingenieurhydrologie University of Technology). Among other monitoring
(Technische Universität Wien). Unter anderem wurden equipment, runoff flumes at 10 tributaries within the
Abflussmessstationen an 10 Zubringern im Einzugs- catchment, a soil moisture network and groundwater
gebiet eingerichtet, Messungen der Wasserqualität und sensors were installed, monitoring of water quality and
mikrobiologischer Parameter, Messungen der atmo- microbial parameters and monitoring of atmospheric flu-
sphärischen Flüsse, ein Bodenfeuchtemessnetzwerk und xes started. The object of the high resolution monitoring
Grundwassersonden installiert. Das Ziel des hochaufge- is to better understand the transport and transformation
lösten Monitorings ist es, die Transport- und Umwand- processes associated with water, nutrients, pollutants,
lungsprozesse von Wasser, Nährstoffen, Schadstoffen, sediments and energy. These data collected in the HOAL
Sedimenten und Energie zu verstehen. Diese Ergebnisse are therefore complementary to lysimeter data.
können damit als ergänzende Daten für Lysimeterfrage- Keywords: catchment, monitoring, processes, mass ba-
stellungen herangezogen werden. lance, water balance
Schlagwörter: Einzugsgebiet, Monitoring, Prozessent-
stehung, Massenbilanz, Wasserhaushalt

Introduction The observations of hydrological processes in this research

catchment date back to 1945. The Institute for Land and
The Hydrological Open Air Laboratory (HOAL) Petzen- Water Management Research (Federal Agency of Water
kirchen is located in the western part of Lower Austria. Management) in Petzenkirchen started to observe the
It is 66h in area, land-use is mainly agricultural and has a catchment behaviour and the quality and quantitiy of the
humid climate. The mean annual temperature is 9,3°C and stream water. In the frame of the Doctoral Programme on
the mean annual rainfall is 716mm/yr. Catchment elevations Water Resource Systems (DK WRS), the HOAL Project
range from 268 to 323 m a.s.l. and the mean slope is 8%. was initiated in 2009 as a cooperation between the Federal
The dominant soil types in the catchment are Cambisols Agency of Water Management and the Institute of Hydro-
and Planosols (FAO 1998) with infiltration capacities from logy and Water Resource Management (Vienna University
medium to poor. Due to using the land for agricultural pur- of Technology). This doctoral programme is funded by the
poses, sub-surface drainage systems have been installed in Austrian Science Fund (FWF) and has been designed to
the 1950's to lower the water table. Furthermore, the upper run over a period of 12 years. The key priorities are cutting
part of the catchment stream (approximately 25%) has been edge research, interdisciplinary training and international
piped in the 1950's to extend the agricultural area. This led networking (BLÖSCHL et al. 2012). Currently eight inter-
to a current length of 590m of the stream that drains the national doctoral students from six nations are researching
catchment (EDER et al. 2010). in the HOAL.

1
Institute of Hydrology and Water Resource Management, Vienna University of Technology, Karlsplatz 13, A-1040 VIENNA
2
Federal Agency for Water Management, Institute for Land and Water Management Research, Pollnbergstraße 1, A-3252 PETZENKIRCHEN
*
Ansprechpartner: DI Markus Oismüller, [email protected]
144 The Hydrological Open Air Laboratory - HOAL Petzenkirchen - Catchment observations complementing lysimeter measurements

Figure 1: HOAL Petzenkirchen (EDER et al. 2010).

With the start of the project, the catchment was instrumented data is transferred automatically and can be displayed with
in a comprehensive way. Automatic discharge measure- an online database tool. This tool is used for several data
ments at all catchment tributaries were installed where, types that are collected in the catchment and displays the
additionally a number of water quality and microbiological data in real time. Therefore the screening and initial data
parameters were monitored, a flux tower was set up, com- quality check of the data is straightforward.
plemented by two mobile towers, a soil moisture network The discharge of the catchment stream and of the tributaries
and groundwater piezometers were established. With this to the catchment stream is measured every minute, using
equipment a permanent and automatic monitoring of the calibrated H-flumes and V-notch weirs and a pressure trans-
area with a high temporal and spatial resolution is achieved. ducer to monitor water level (EDER et al. 2010). Each weir
has its own calibration curve.
Research topics and technical equipment At the catchment outlet, automatic suction samplers are
Current research in the HOAL focuses on understanding pre- installed to take event water samples from the stream.
cipitation, runoff and sedimentation processes, catchment These samplers are triggered by a certain water level in the
scale evapotranspiration, the spatial and temporal variability H-flumes and the samples are analysed for chemical and
of soil moisture, nutrient and pollutant pathways as well as physical parameters. This installation is also used at the
turbulent wind load on structures. Precipitation is measured start of the stream and at two erosion gullies, which observe
in the catchment using four rain gauges. The precipitation occurring event water from overland flow from an agricul-
The Hydrological Open Air Laboratory - HOAL Petzenkirchen - Catchment observations complementing lysimeter measurements 145

tural field. The water samples from the erosion gullies are hydrological processes within the catchment, including the
used for erosion and soil loss studies in the catchment. In mass balances of water, nutrients and pollutants, sediments
addition, aerial photos from the catchment are taken from and energy. Since the focus is on the spatial patterns, the
a motorized paraglider to create digital terrain models by data will be able to link the local scales of lysimeters to the
using photogrammetry. small catchment scale.
In order to estimate nutrient and pollutant pathways the
samples of the automatic suction samplers at the catchment Acknowledgements
outlet and manual samples from the catchment tributaries are We would like acknowledge financial support from the
analysed. In addition, four devices for measuring enzymatic Austrian Science Fund (FWF) as part of the Vienna Doctoral
activity (GLUC) of water are operated. The enzymatic acti- Programme on Water Resource Systems (DK-plus W1219-
vity can be used as a surrogate for bacterial faecal pollution. N22). We would also like to acknowledge funding of part
Evapotranspiration is measured at a flux tower which is of the equipment in the Hydrology Open Air Laboratory
located in the centre of the HOAL catchment. It is equipped (HOAL) through the Innovative Projects Programme of the
with sensors for measuring air temperature, wind speed and Vienna University of Technology.
direction, radiation, relative humidity, soil moisture and soil
temperature, snow depth and rain drop size distribution and References
rainfall intensity. A scintillometer and three eddy covariance BLÖSCHL, G., G. CARR, C. BUCHER, A.H. FARNLEITNER, H.
systems are operated, two of them as mobile devices in order RECHBERGER, W. WAGNER and M. ZESSNER, 2012: Promoting
to monitor different parts of the catchment. interdisciplinary education – the Vienna Doctoral Programme on
Water Resource Systems. Hydrology and Earth System Sciences, 16,
A soil moisture network consisting of 21 permanent and 11
457-472, doi:10.5194/hess-16-457-2012.
temporal stations in the crop land is installed. The soil mois-
ture and soil temperature sensors are measuring at depths EDER, A., P. STRAUSS, T. KRUEGER and J.N. QUINTON, 2010:
Comparative calculation of suspended sediment loads with respect to
of 5, 10, 20 and 50cm and the data is transferred remotely
hysteresis effects (in the Petzenkirchen catchment, Austria). Journal
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et al. 2013).
2014: Re-suspension of bed sediment in a small stream – results from
An upcoming installation will be the mounting of wind two flushing experiments. Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 18, 1043–1052.
load sensors at the mast of the flux station, to identify wind doi:10.5194/hess-18-1043-2014.
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Early results from the HOAL catchment have been publis- FAO, ISRIC and ISSS, World Reference Base of Soil Resources: World
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comprehensive instrumentation in the catchment, a detailed P. HOGAN, G. BLÖSCHL and W. WAGNER, 2013: Towards a
spatial and temporal monitoring of this research area has high-density soil moisture network for the validation of SMAP in
been achieved. This will lead to a better understanding of the Petzenkirchen, Austria. Proceedings of IGARSS 2013:1865-1868.