A comparison of geophysical and hydrogeological models: Examination of the threats to wetland habitats by groundwater exploitation in Ostfriesland (Germany)

Geophysical methods (electric and electromagnetic) allow mapping the resistivity distribution in the underground in multiple dimensions. Different soils show different resistivity; e.g. clay usually has a lower resistivity than sand. This allows us to differentiate between different sediment types using geophysical techniques.

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The shallow subsurface of present day urban areas has been severely modified by anthropogenic landscaping since pre-historic times. These changes of the geoenvironment can be reproduced by man made ground which shows a complex and heterogeneous distribution and structure.

Seismic activity in the Lower Rhine Embayment between Cologne, Bonn, Düren, Jülich and Aachen belongs to the highest in Europe north of the Alps. In the flat sediment basin site-effects are very important for the seismic hazard analysis.
Goal of this PhD-project of the Department for Earthquake Geology at the University of Cologne is to examine the influence of the local geology on amplitude, duration and frequency content of the earthquake ground motion. Of particular interest is the nonlinear absorption behavior of the unconsolidated sediments.

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