PhD defense: Mette C.S. Frandsen

Ecohydrological investigations of a groundwater-lake system
- A cross-disciplinary study in the interactions between biology, lake ecology and hydrology

Supervisors
Ole Pedersen, BIO
Bertel Nilsson, GEUS
Peter Engesgaard, Department of Geosciences and Natural Resource Management

Assessment committee
Jens Borum, BIO (chair)
Esperança Gacia (CEAB, Spain)
Henning S Jensen (SDU)

The research focus has been on groundwater-fed softwater lakes and how the seeping grounding impact upon the submerged isoetid vegetation and vice versa. Mette has shown that the submerged vegetation benefit from the inorganic carbon and the dissolved nutrients which is carried to the root of the isoetids by seeping groundwater. On the other, the submerged vegetation present an area of high resistance to flow so that the seeping groundwater has a tendency to flow under the vegetation and discharge at greater depth.

Finally, Mette has shown that the alkalinisation over the past 30 years in Lake Hampen is likely caused by denitrification processes in the sediment-water interface.

Mette’s PhD project was funded by a FNU mobility stipend.