Recent trends of groundwater temperatures in Austria

Climate change is one of if not the most pressing challenge modern society faces. Increasing temperatures are observed all over the planet and the impact of climate change on the hydrogeological cycle has long been shown. However, so far we have insufficient knowledge on the influence of atmospheric warming on shallow groundwater temperatures. While some studies analyse the implication climate change has for selected wells, large-scale studies are so far lacking. Here we focus on the combined impact of climate change in the atmosphere and local hydrogeological conditions on groundwater temperatures in 227 wells in Austria, which have in part been observed since 1964. A linear analysis finds a temperature change of +0.7±0.8K in the years from 1994 to 2013. In the same timeframe surface air temperatures in Austria increased by 0.5±0.3K, displaying a much smaller variety. However, most of the extreme changes in groundwater temperatures can be linked to local hydrogeological conditions. Correlation between groundwater temperatures and nearby surface air temperatures was additionally analysed. They vary greatly, with correlation coefficients of −0.3 in central Linz to 0.8 outside of Graz. In contrast, the correlation of nationwide groundwater temperatures and surface air temperatures is high, with a correlation coefficient of 0.83. All of these findings indicate that while atmospheric climate change can be observed in nationwide groundwater temperatures, individual wells are often primarily dominated by local hydrogeological conditions. In addition to the linear temperature trend, a step-wise model was also applied that identifies climate regime shifts, which were observed globally in the late 70s, 80s, and 90s. Hinting again at the influence of local conditions, at most 22% of all wells show these climate regime shifts. However, we were able to identify an additional shift in 2007, which was observed by 37% of all wells. Overall, the step-wise representation provides a slightly more accurate picture of observed temperatures than the linear trend

Die hydrogeologische Wirksamkeit von Störungen am Beispiel des Talhof-Störungs-System (Ostalpen, Österreich)

In der oberen Kruste sind Störungszonen üblicherweise aus komplexen Netzwerken von diskreten Brüchen unterschiedlicher Genese zusammengesetzt. Sie stellen daher meist maßgebliche Zonen bevorzugter unterirdischer Wasserwegigkeiten dar. Außerdem sind sie somit wesentlich für die hydrogeologische Beurteilung von Gebirgskörpern, da massive Wassereinbrüche im Untertagebau sehr häufig an Störungszonen gebunden sind. Solche Störungszonen zeigen für gewöhnlich eine räumlich-zeitliche Entwicklung vom Ausgangsgestein zu vollständig ausgeprägten Störungszonen mit einer internen strukturellen Gliederung (Protolith — damage zone — fault core). Die hydraulische Bewertung von Störungen ist ein wesentlicher Eingangsparameter für eine numerisch hydraulische Modellierung von Gebirgskörpern. Hierfür ist es notwendig das hydraulische Verhalten und die Wirksamkeit der verschiedenen Bereiche der Störung zu beschreiben und für die modellhafte Umsetzung mit hydraulischen Kenngrößen zu belegen. Das Ziel der Arbeit ist eine Korrelation von strukturgeologischen Parametern mit hydraulischen Parametern (kf , T, . . . ). Dies kann als eine hydraulische Kalibration der einzelnen Störungsklassen in Verbindung mit Wasserdurchlässigkeit angesehen werden. Für eine Fallstudie wurde als Testgebiet das Talhof-Störungssystem im Nordostteil der Ostalpen (Semmering- Raxgebiet, Österreich) gewählt...conferenc

The Austrian rock glacier inventory RGI_1 and the related rock glacier catchment inventory RGCI_1 in ArcGis (shapefile) format

Abstract: A first consistent and homogenized polygon-based inventory of rock glaciers of the Austrian Alps is presented. Compiling previous inventories and updating them by using digital elevation models (1 m grid resolution) derived from airborne laser scanning yield a dataset of 5769 rock glaciers in a ca. 48400 km² large area. A consistent methodological approach for assigning attributes, stored in a detailed attribute table, was developed and applied here to improve comparability and reproducibility. The majority (60 %) of the studied landforms is considered to be relict (no permafrost); the remaining 40 % may still contain permafrost ice and are thus classified as intact. Rock glaciers range in elevation from 476 to 3312 m a.s.l. and cover a total area of 303 km². The distribution of rock glaciers is mainly related to the topography of the Austrian Alps and related effects such as past glaciation history. In addition, a comprehensive analysis of the hydrological catchment areas of all individual rock glaciers was carried out. A hydrological catchment analysis in rock glacier areas is of great interest for sustainable water management issues in alpine catchments as these landforms represent shallow aquifer systems with a relatively high storage and thus buffer capability, especially in crystalline bedrock areas. A total area of almost 1280 km² is drained through rock glaciers. The presented rock glacier and rock glacier catchment inventories provide an important basis for further research, particularly for a better understanding of the hydrogeology and geomorphology of alpine catchments and their potential alteration in the light of climate change, but also in terms of paleoglaciation and deglaciation in the Alpine Lateglacial to Holocene period. As such, the inventories are seen as an important base to stimulate further research

Kinetic Gait Parameters in Unilateral Lower Limb Amputations and Normal Gait in Able-Bodied: Reference Values for Clinical Application

Unilateral lower limb amputations usually present with asymmetric interlimb gait patterns, in the long term leading to secondary physical conditions and carrying the risk of low physical activity and impairment of general health. To assess prosthetic fittings and rehabilitation measures, reference values for asymmetries as well as the most significant gait parameters are required. Kinetic gait data of 865 patients with unilateral lower limb amputations (hip and knee disarticulations, transfemoral, transtibial and foot amputations) and 216 able-bodied participants were quantitatively assessed by instrumented gait analyses. Characteristic spatiotemporal (stance time, walking speed, step length and width) and ground reaction force parameters (weight-acceptance and push-off peak) were contrasted to normal gait. All spatiotemporal and ground reaction force parameters differed significantly from normal gait with the largest differences in transfemoral amputations. These also differed between amputation levels and showed age-dependencies. The stance time and push-off peak difference were identified as the most discriminative parameters with the highest diagnostic specificity and sensitivity. The present results mark the first step to establishing universal reference values for gait parameters by means of which the quality and suitability of a prosthetic fitting and the rehabilitation progress can be assessed, and are generalizable for all adults with unilateral lower limb amputations in terms of level walking