Proposal for Master Thesis
The Institute of Hydrology and Water Resources Management is looking for
an interested and qualified master student to work on the topic:
Assessment of the sensitivity of the SWAT model on different land use and
land management patterns in the Three Gorges Region, China
Background:
The master thesis is carried out in the course of the YANGTZE-GEO project,
which is funded by the German Ministry for Education and Research (BMBF).
The goal of this project is the estimation of sediment and phosphorous
loads into the Three Gorges Reservoir using a modelling approach with SWAT
for three catchments adjacent to the reservoir. For a detailed estimation
of the spatially-distributed loads of sediment and phosphorous into the
streams a sound knowledge of the land use and management and its
sensitivity to the SWAT model is crucial.
Working Tasks:
• Surveying and mapping of current land use and land management strategies
in three catchments in the Three Gorges Dam Region during a field campaign
in spring 2013
• Setup of a simple SWAT model with the basic characteristics of the
examined catchments using different land use and land management criteria
as surveyed in the field
• Comparison and discussion of the SWAT model results based on different
land use and land management inputs
Requirements:
• The applicant should have a background in Environmental Sciences,
Geography or Agricultural Sciences with a special interest in hydrology
and water resource management
• The applicant should be willing to participate in the project’s next
field campaign to China in spring 2013
• Basic (hydrological) modelling skills are an advantage
• For all applicants fluency in the English language is a must. Knowledge
of Chinese is an advantage, but not mandatory
Funding:
The funding for the field stay in China can be financially supported by a
DAAD (PROMOS) scholarship. The applicant should apply for such a
scholarship on his own initiative, with support of the Institute of
Hydrology and Water Resources Management.
Contact:
Alexander Strehmel: astrehmel@hydrology.uni-kiel.de
19-10-2012