Ben Gilfedder

Since October 2024 at University of Trier, Professorship for Hydrology

I am interested in the connection between groundwater and surface water in rivers, streams, lakes and wetlands. This involves understanding water and biogeochemical fluxes between these compartments and also cycling within each compartment (e.g. hyporheic exchange/parafluvial flow). I am particularly interested in studying the dynamic nature of water and chemical exchange in response to environmental factors such as storms and high flow events using new high resolution techniques (e.g. ²²²Rn). This includes topics such as bank storage, hyporheic and parafluvial flow, biogeochemical processes, and transient groundwater discharge to surface water. My work attempts to couple the effects of water and chemical fluxes with ecological processes in surface water systems.

Funded Projects

2019-2023: Gilfedder, B.S. (PI), Obst, M. (CI), Fleckenstein, J. (PI) Project B02 in SFB 1357 ‚Verhalten und Transport von Mikroplastik in der strömungsarmen Wassersäule‘. 512,000 €, total SFB 1357 funding16M €.

2019-2023: Frei, S. (PI), Gilfedder, B.S. (CI), Fleckenstein, J. (PI) Project B03 in SFB 1357 ‚ Verhalten von Mikroplastik im System Fließgewässer-Grundwasser‘. 533,000 €, total SFB 1357 16M €.

2018-2021: Peiffer, S (PI) and Gilfedder, B.S. (PI) AQUAKLIF - influss multipler Stressoren auf Fließgewässer im Klimawandel, Teilprojekt 3, Einflusss multipler Stressoren auf N, C und Fe Umsätze in der hyporheischen Zone. Bayerisches Staatsministerium für Wissenschaft und Kunst 401,600 € total project 2.3 M€

2018-2021: Peiffer, S., (PI) Fleckenstein, J.,(PI) Hopp, L.,(CI) Gilfedder, B.S. (CI) Einfluss naturräumlicher Faktoren auf Konzentration, Qualität und Auswirkung des gelösten organischen Kohlenstoffs im Nationalpark Bayerischer Wald, Teilprojekt 1, Mechanismen der DOC-Mobilisierung, Schwerpunkt Hydrologie. GLASER-Stiftung und die PLETTNER-Stiftung 50,000€

2015-2019  Gilfedder, B.S. (PI) Tracer-Methoden zur Identifizierung von Grundwasser- und Zuflusseinschichtungen und deren Einfluss auf Wasserqualität und Trinkwassergewinnung am Beispiel des Bodensees -Seezeichen Teilprojekt 2: Identifizierung, Charakterisierung und Quantifizierung der Interaktion Grundwasser-See: ein Toolkit für die nachhaltige Bewirtschaftung der regionalen Wasserressourcen. BMBF ReWaM.  227,184 €, total 1.2 M€

2015-2019 Frei, S (PI), Gilfedder, B.S. (PI): A multi-disciplinary approach to delineate small scale interactions and couplings between hydrology and biogeochemistry in riparian wetlands. DFG 463,000 €

2011 Gilfedder B.S(PI), and Cartwright, I. Surface water – groundwater interactions on deep creek – case study and pilot program for the use of 222Rn, stable isotopes and major ions in delineating groundwater discharge zones. Melbourne Water $20,000 AUD

2012 Wilson, S.A., Cartwright, I., Gilfedder, B.S., Cook, P.L.M. Los Gatos Research carbon dioxide isotope analyser for field based measurements. Faculty grant. $44,000 AUD

Publications

[1]           Frei, S., Wismeth, F., Gilfedder, B.S., (2020): Quantifizierung lokaler Grundwasser-eintritte in die Spree und deren Bedeutung für die Verockerungsproblematik in der Laustiz. Grundwasser, accepted.

 [2]           Frei, S., Durejka, S., Le Lay, H.,  Thomas, Z., Gilfedder, B.S., (2019): Quantification of hyporheic nitrate removal at the reach scale: exposure times versus residence times. Water Resources Research, 55,11, 9808-9825, https://doi.org/10.1029/2019WR025540.

 [3]           Schaller, J., Faucherre, S., Joss, H., Obst, M., Goeckede, M., Planer-Friedrich, B., Peiffer, S., Gilfedder, B.S., Elberling, B., (2019): Silicon increases the phosphorus availability of Arctic soils. Scientific Reports, 9, 449 , DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-018-37104-6

 [4]           Wolf, T., Ebner, R., Harum, T., Leis, A., Noffke, A., Pflugbeil, T., Pöschke, F., Winde, V., Gilfedder, B.S., Keim, C., Schwalb, A., Bödekker, S., Bödekker, S., Schick, R., Faißt, M., Lang, U., Eckert, D., Wessels, M., Mirbach, S., (2019): Grundwasser in Seen – eine komplexe Spurensuche. Hydrologie und Wasserbewirtschaftung, 63, 5, 242-261, DOI: 10.5675/HyWa_2019.5_1

 [5]           Durejka, S., Frei, S., Gilfedder, B.S., (2019) : Increasing the temporal resolution of continuous  ²²²Radon measurements using a hydrophobic capillary membrane.  Journal of Environmental Radioactivity, 208-209, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvrad.2019.05.012.

 [6]           Frei, S., Piehl, S., Gilfedder, B.S., Löder, MGJ., Krutzke, J., Wilhelm, L., Laforsch, C., (2019): Occurrence of microplastics in the hyporheic zone of rivers. Scientific Reports, 9, 15256, DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-019-51741-5

 [7]           Keim, K. Mehler, F. Wolf, T. Gilfedder, B.S., (2019): Mapping spatial patterns of     groundwater discharge in a deep lake using high-resolution temperature Sensors.  Inland Waters, 9, 3, 334-344, DOI: 10.1080/20442041.2019.1609859

 [8]           Gilfedder, B.S., Cartwright, I., Hofmann, H., Frei, S., (2018): Explicit modelling of radon-222 in HydroGeoSphere during steady state and dynamic transient storage, Groundwater, 57, 36-47 DOI: 10.1111/gwat.12847

 [9]           Cartwright, I., Atkinson, A.P., Gilfedder, B.S., Hofmann, H., Cendon, D.I., Morgenstern, U., (2018): Using geochemistry to understand water sources and transit times in headwater streams of a temperate rainforest, Applied Geochemistry, 99, DOI : 10.1016/j.apgeochem.2018.10.018

 [10]          Gilfedder, B.S., Peiffer, S., Pöschke, F. and Spirkaneder, A., (2018): Grundwasserzufluss       zum Steißlinger See und Folgen für die Wasserchemie, Grundwasser, DOI:10.1007/s00767-017-0386-8

[11]          Biester, H., Pérez-Rodríguez, M., Gilfedder, B.S., Martínez Cortizas, A., Hermanns, Y-M., (2017): Solar irradiance and primary productivity controlled mercury accumulation in sediments of a remote lake in the Southern Hemisphere during the past 4000 years. Limnology and Oceanography, DOI: 10.1002/lno.10647

[12]          * Pittroff, M., Frei, S., Gilfedder, B.S., (2017): Quantifying nitrate and oxygen reduction rates in the hyporheic zone using ²²²Rn to upscale biogeochemical turnover in rivers, Water Resources Research 53, 563-579,DOI., 10.1002/2016WR018917

[13]          Pérez-Rodríguez, M., Gilfedder, B.S., Hermanns, Y-M., Biester, H., (2016): Solar Output Controls Periodicity in Lake Productivity and Wetness at Southernmost South America, Scientific Reports (6:37521), DOI: 10.1038/srep37521

[14]          Atkinson, A.P., Cartwright, I., Gilfedder, B.S., Hofmann, H., Unland, N., Cendon, D.I., Chisari, R., (2015): A multi-tracer approach to quantifying groundwater inflows to an upland river, Hydrological Processes, 29, 1-12 DOI: 10.1002/hyp.10122

[15]          Cartwright, I., Gilfedder, B.S., (2015): Mapping and quantifying groundwater inflows to Deep Creek (Maribyrnong catchment, SE Australia) using ²²²Rn, implications for protecting groundwater-dependant ecosystems, Applied Geochemistry, 52, 118-129, DOI:10.1016/j.apgeochem.2014.11.020

[16]          Frei, S., Gilfedder, B.S., (2015): Technical Note: FINIFLUX an implicit Finite Element model for quantification of groundwater fluxes and hyporheic exchange in streams and rivers using Radon, Water Resources Research, 6776–6786, DOI:10.1002/2015WR017212

[17]          * Gilfedder, B., Frei, S., Hofmann, H., Cartwright, I., (2015): Groundwater discharge to wetlands driven by storm and flood events: quantification using continuous Radon-222 and electrical conductivity measurements and dynamic mass-balance modelling, Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta, DOI:10.1016/j.gca.2015.05.037

[18]          Unland, N., Cartwright, I., Daly, E., Gilfedder, B.S., Atkinson, A.P., (2015): Dynamic river - groundwater exchange in the presence of a saline, semi - confined aquifer, Hydrological Processes, 29: 4817–4829, DOI: 0.1002/ hyp.10525 (2015)

[19]          Cartwright, I., Gilfedder, B., Hofmann, H., (2014): Contrasts between chemical and physical estimates of baseflow help discern multiple sources of water contributing to rivers, Hydrology and Earth System Sciences, 18, 15-30, DOI:10.5194/hess-18-15-2014

[20]          Cartwright, I., Hofmann, H., Gilfedder, B.S., Smyth, B., (2014): Understanding parafluvial exchange and degassing to better quantify groundwater inflows using Rn-222: The King River, southeast Australia, Chemical Geology, 380, 48-60, DOI: 10.1016/j.chemgeo.2014.04.009

[21]          Cartwright, I., Gilfedder, B.S., Hofmann, H., (2013) Chloride imbalance in a catchment undergoing hydrological change: Upper Barwon River, southeast Australia, Applied Geochemistry(31), 189-198, DOI: org/10.1016/j.apgeochem.2013.01.003

[22]          Unland, N., Cartwright, I., Andersen, M.S., Rau, G.C., Reed, J., Gilfedder, B.S., Atkinson, A.P., Hofmann, H., (2013) Investigating the spatio-temporal variability in groundwater and surface water interactions: a multi-technique approach, Hydrology and Earth System Sciences (17), 3437–3453, DOI:10.5194/hess-17-3437-2013

[23]          Gilfedder, B.S., Hofmann, H., Cartwright, I., (2012): Novel instruments for in-situ continuous Rn-222 measurement in groundwater and the application to river bank infiltration, Environmental Science and Technology, 47 (2), 993–1000, DOI 10.1021/es3034928

[24]          Hofmann, H., Gilfedder, B.S., Cartwright, I., (2012): A Novel Method Using a Silicone Diffusion Membrane for Continuous 222Rn Measurements for the Quantification of Groundwater Discharge to Streams and Rivers, Environmental Science and Technology(45), 8915–8921, DOI: 10.1021/es202683z

[25]          Gilfedder, B.S., Petri, M., Wessels, M., Biester, H., (2011): Bromine species fluxes from Lake Constance’s catchment, and a preliminary lake mass balance, Geochimica et Cosmochimica Act(75), 3385-3401, DOI: 10.1016/j.gca.2011.03.021

[26]          Frieß, U., Deutschmann, T., Gilfedder, B.S., Weller, R., Platt, U., (2010): Iodine monoxide in the Antarctic snowpack, Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics(10), 2439-2456

[27]          Gilfedder, B.S., Chance, R., Dettmann, U., Lai, S.C., Baker, A.R; Biester, H., (2010): Determination of total and non-water soluble iodine in atmospheric aerosols by thermal extraction and spectrometric detection (TESI), Analytical and Bioanalytical Chemistry(398), 519-526, DOI:10.1007/s00216-010-3923-1

[28]          Gilfedder, B.S., Petri, M., Wessels, M., Biester, H., (2010): An iodine mass-balance for Lake Constance, Germany: insights into iodine speciation changes and fluxes, Geochimica et Cosmochimica Act(74), 3090-3111, DOI: 10.1016/j.gca.2010.03.008

[29]          Gilfedder, B.S., Petri, M., Biester, H., (2009): Iodine speciation and cycling in fresh waters: a case study from a humic rich headwater lake (Mummelsee), Journal of Limnology (68), 396-408, DOI:10.3274/JL09-68-2-22.

[30]          * Gilfedder, B.S., Lai, S.C., Petri, M., Biester, H., Hoffmann, T., (2008): Iodine speciation in rain, snow and aerosols, Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics(8), 6069-6084

[31]          Gilfedder, B.S., Althoff, F., Petri, M., Biester, H., (2007): A thermo extraction–UV/Vis spectrophotometric method for total iodine quantification in soils and sediments, Analytical and Bioanalytical Chemistry(389), 2323-2329, DOI: 10.1007/s00216-007-1621-4

[32]          Gilfedder, B.S., Petri, M., Biester, H., (2007): Iodine and bromine speciation in snow and the effect of orographically induced precipitation, Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics(7), 2661-2669

[33]          Gilfedder, B.S., Petri, M., Biester, H., (2007): Iodine speciation in rain and snow: Implications for the atmospheric iodine sink, Journal of Geophysical Research(112), DOI:10.1029/2006JD007356