Spatio-temporal analysis of soil moisture and groundwater dynamics in Twente

Understanding how soil moisture and groundwater systems respond to climate variability and extreme weather is crucial for drought management, water resources planning, and climate adaptation in the Netherlands. The Twente region offers a unique opportunity for such research due to the availability of long-term soil moisture observations from the ITC Twente network (2009–present, in 4-5 different soil depths), complemented by extensive public datasets on groundwater, meteorology, soils, and land use. Within this thesis, the multi-year behaviour of soil moisture and groundwater across different sites in Twente should be investigated. Long-term trends, variability, and anomalies are to be identified. Furthermore, it should be quantified how soil moisture and groundwater levels respond to extreme meteorological events such as heavy rainfall, prolonged dry periods and/or heat waves. To better understand the spatial differences in hydrological responses, UAV-derived high-resolution topographic data (e.g., microtopography, local drainage patterns, small-scale elevation variation) or variations in vegetation density as well as evaporative cooling patterns on the canopies may be used at selected sites to characterise fine-scale landscape controls on soil moisture behaviour. By analysing both temporal dynamics and spatial variability in the Twente region, the study aims to understand if some locations are more sensitive to extremes than others, and how factors such as soil type, land use, topography, and human influences might contribute to these differences. The results will enhance our understanding of groundwater–soil moisture interactions, response to extreme weather conditions, and the role of landscape characteristics in shaping hydrological resilience.