Integrated monitoring and isotope-aided modelling to assess ecohydrological fluxes and storage dynamics in a drought sensitive lowland catchment, Germany

Continuing negative rainfall anomalies, coupled with climate change projections of increased drought severity and frequency, result in an urgent need to increase resilience and integration in land and water management strategies in many regions of the World. However, complex interactions between landcover change, hydrological partitioning and water availability are difficult to quantify, especially at different spatio-temporal scales. We will present insights from integrated monitoring and tracer-aided modelling approaches from the long-term experimental catchment Demnitzer Mill Creek catchment, NE Germany. We combine stable water isotopes measured at different compartments of the critical zone and landscape with process-based tracer-aided models of different complexity to investigate and quantify ecohydrological fluxes and dynamics of water storage, pathways and ages. Such tracer-aided, ecohydrological modelling frameworks provide robust science-based evidence for policy makers allowing quantitative assessment of landuse effects on water availability and effective communication with stakeholders. Our findings also underscore the urgent requirement for enhancing resilience and promoting integrated strategies in managing land and water resources to better respond to drought.