Description du sujet de thèse

The EAU-SPRA project at ITES deals with the hydrological model NIHM, which has been developed in-house for about ten years by the Transferts dans les Hydrosystèmes Continentaux (TrHyCo) team at the Institute for Erath and Environment of Strasbourg. It is composed of two different modules - one that determines recharge by performing water and energy balances in surface compartments, and a second that describes flows in groundwater and the hydrographic network - and has been applied to several real systems.
The aim of this thesis is to develop and implement an uncertainty quantification approach for the NIHM hydrological model, which will then be deployed on the Alsace aquifer. More specifically, the person in charge of this work will:
I. Become familiar with the NIHM model, with existing pre- and post-processing tools. In particular, you will need to understand the founding concepts, the structure of the model, and the organization of input/output files in order to be able to run simulations.

II. Develop an approach for quantifying uncertainties, building on previous work using Monte Carlo methods. A specific point will concern the quantification of uncertainties in the hydrological module and the propagation of uncertainties between the two modules. It will also be necessary to propose a way of presenting the results to potential non-specialists.

III. Apply NIHM to the Alsace aquifer and quantify the associated modeling uncertainties. The aim here is to collect the data needed to create the input files, calibrate the NIHM model on the Alsace water table, and quantify the uncertainties using the approach developed above.

Contexte de travail

Physically-based hydrologic models describe all possible flow processes in watersheds, integrating the interactions between the main compartments, i.e. the subsurface, the topographic surface, vegetation and the atmosphere. This type of model has been developed in the community since the early 2000s. They are now considered as relevant tools for addressing a wide range of issues relating to the management of surface and/or groundwater bodies. It is in this context that the EAU-SPRA project was funded by ADEME (French Environment and Energy Agency). The aim of this project - carried out in collaboration between ANTEA Group, Mines de Paris and the Institute for Erth and Anvironement of Strasbourg (ITES) - is to develop a platform based on the results of several hydrological models, enabling managers and major users to visualize the quantitative evolution of water bodies in their territory in a relatively simple way. Three scientific challenges have been identified to enable the development of such a platform: uncertainty quantification, automatic calibration and change of scale. The proposed doctoral project falls within this general framework.
Expected training and skills:
Master's degree in Hydrology, Hydrogeology, Water Sciences or Geosciences OR Engineering degree in Water, Environment or Geosciences.
Advanced skills expected in hydrology, hydrogeology, environmental modeling and programming (Python or Fortran)
Enthusiasm and motivation to work on the development and application of numerical codes.
Other skills required: statistical and applied mathematical skills / ability to read and write in English / ability to work in a team / ability to communicate scientific results / ability to interact with non-scientists.
Working Environment:
The Institute for Earth and Environment of Strasbourg (ITES) is a Joint Research Unit (UMR-7063) under the auspices of the CNRS, the University of Strasbourg and ENGEES. This UMR is based on 4 disciplines to study the Earth and its surface environment: hydrology, geochemistry, geology and geophysics. ITES has 6 research teams. The work for this thesis will be carried out in the “Transfer in continental hydrosystems” team, which studies transfer processes in hydrological systems in the broadest sense, using modeling approaches (methodological developments and/or applications) or experimental approaches. The team's research focuses in particular on the qualitative and quantitative evolution of water bodies, transfer processes in the soil-plant-atmosphere continuum, transfer processes in complex systems, and the modeling of couplings between water flow, transport of elements and/or heat and mechanics.

Contraintes et risques

Constraints related to field trips