Geomonitoring as a contribution to process understanding of river renaturation in post-mining areas – Example: Emscher catchment

The Emscher, formerly discredited as the "Köttelbecke", is being renaturalised at great expense by the EMSCHERGENOSSENSCHAFT / LIPPEVERBAND in the course of post-mining activities. In addition to the Emscher Canal as the central structure, this primarily affects the Emscher itself and the receiving waters in the catchment area, such as the Boye. River areas that have been redesigned to be close to nature are to be gradually transformed into functioning natural areas. Today the project faces the challenges of climate change. The question arises whether the Emscher can be supplied with enough water from the catchment area in the future to achieve the ambitious goals? FZN is tackling this question on behalf of EGLV together with its partner EFTAS. A complex data mix of sentinel satellite data, special multicopter sensor technology, in situ sensors and soil samples are fused in a model test to calibrate each other. This will result in a better hydro(geo)logical process understanding of the catchment over a hydrological year. The aim is to obtain area-wide, but reliable statements via the satellite level to be able to transfer the model test to other catchments. The lecture presents first results from the copter and in situ level. It describes the procedure and approaches for the experimental setup and the evaluations. In this context, inexpensive RFID/NFC data loggers from the greenhouse sector are tested for the first time to see how they can contribute to the overall hydrogeological/geological understanding as a future in situ component.