Ambient temperature sensing plays an important role in a number of applications in agriculture, industry, daily health care. In this thesis project, we propose a new acoustic-based ambient temperature sensing method called Mtemp. Mtemp empowers acoustic-enabled IoT devices, smartphones to perform ambient air temperature sensing without additional hardware. Basically, Mtemp utilizes on-board speaker and microphone to calculate the propagation speed of acoustic signal by measuring the phrase of the target signal, thereby estimate the ambient temperature according to a roughly linear relationship between temperature and sound speed. Mtemp is portable and economical, making it competitive compared with traditional thermometers for ubiquitous sensing.

From the monitoring of deep ocean conditions to the imaging and exploration of the vast universe, optical sensors are playing a unique, critical role in all areas of scientific research. Optical fiber sensors, in particular, are not only widely used in daily life such as for medical inspection, structural health monitoring, and environmental surveillance, but also in high-tech, high-security applications such as missile guidance or monitoring of aircraft engines and structures. Measurements of physical parameters are required in harsh environments including high pressure, high temperature, highly electromagnetically-active and corrosive conditions. A typical example is fossil fuel-based power plants. Unfortunately, current optical fiber sensors for high-temperature monitoring can work only for single point measurement, as traditional fully-distributed temperature sensing techniques are restricted for temperatures below 800°C due to the limitation of the fragile character of silica fiber under high temperature. In this research, a first-of-its-kind technology was developed which pushed the limits of fully distributed temperature sensing (DTS) in harsh environments by exploring the feasibility of DTS in optical sapphire waveguides. An all sapphire fiber-based Raman DTS system was demonstrated in a 3-meters long sapphire fiber up to a temperature of 1400°C with a spatial resolution of 16.4cm and a standard deviation of a few degrees Celsius. In this dissertation, the design, fabrication, and testing of the sapphire fiber-based Raman DTS system are discussed in detail. The plan and direction for future work are also suggested with an aim for commercialization. / Ph. D.

Brillouin scattering has been verified to be an effective mechanism in temperature and strain sensing. This kind of sensors can be applied to civil structural monitoring of pipelines, railroads, and other industries for disaster prevention. This thesis first presents a novel fiber sensing scheme for long-span fully-distributed pressure measurement based on Brillouin scattering in a side-hole fiber. After that, it demonstrates that Brillouin frequency keeps linear relation with temperature up to 1000°C; Brillouin scattering is a promising mechanism in high temperature distributed sensing. A side-hole fiber has two longitudinal air holes in the fiber cladding. When a pressure is applied on the fiber, the two principal axes of the fiber birefringence yield different Brillouin frequency shifts in the Brillouin scattering. The differential Brillouin scattering continuously along the fiber thus permits distributed pressure measurement. Our sensor system was designed to analyze the Brillouin scattering in the two principal axes of a side-hole fiber in time domain. The developed system was tested under pressure from 0 to 10,000 psi for 100m and 600m side-hole fibers, respectively. Experimental results show fibers with side holes of different sizes possess different pressure sensitivities. The highest sensitivity of the measured pressure induced differential Brillouin frequency shift is 0.0012MHz/psi. The demonstrated spatial resolution is 2m, which maybe further improved by using shorter light pulses. / Master of Science

Der Zustrom von Grundwasser zu Seen (lacustrine groundwater discharge, LGD) kann signifikante Auswirkungen auf Qualität und Quantität des Seewassers haben. Viele Ansätze zur Identifikation und Quantifizierung von LGD basieren auf Temperaturunterschieden zwischen Grund- und Seewasser und der Messung des damit einhergehenden Wärmetransports. Ziel der Doktorarbeit ist es, Signalfortpflanzung und -ausbreitung des Grundwasserzustroms von der Punktskala an der Sediment-Wasser-Grenzfläche über den Wasserkörper bis zur Grenzfläche Wasseroberfläche-Atmosphäre zu untersuchen. Getestet wird die Hypothese, dass das im Verhältnis zum Umgebungswasser wärmere und daher leichtere Grundwasser in der kalten Wassersäule aufsteigt und die Detektion von LGD an der Wasseroberfläche mit thermalen Infrarot Aufnahmen (TIR) erlaubt. Zunächst wird mit der hierarchical patch dynamics ein Konzept entwickelt, das eine angemessene Kombination multipler Techniken zur Erfassung von Wärme- und Wasserflüssen anbietet (Kap. 2). Dabei werden verschiedene räumliche Skalen und ökohydrologische Grenzflächen abgedeckt. Darauf basierend werden in einem Mesokosmos-Experiment unterschiedliche LGD-Raten durch den Zustrom von warmem Wasser am Grund eines Outdoor-Pools simuliert (Kap. 3 und 4). Ein Glasfaserkabel (fibre-optic distributed temperature sensing, FO-DTS) wird in verschiedenen Tiefen installiert, um das Wärmesignal des Grundwasserzustroms unter verschiedenen Bedingungen zu verfolgen. Mit einer TIR-Kamera wird die Temperatur des Oberflächenwassers aufgezeichnet. Die Aufnahmen werden mit FO-DTS-Temperaturen von 2 cm unter der Wasseroberfläche validiert. Die Anwendung von TIR und FO-DTS ermöglicht die Detektion von LGD in der Wassersäule und an der Grenzfläche Wasseroberfläche-Atmosphäre. Wolkenbedeckung und der Tagesgang der Netto-Strahlung kontrollieren den Auftrieb von LGD und die Zuverlässigkeit der TIR-Ergebnisse. Die besten Ergebnisse werden bei Bewölkung und nachts erzielt. / Lacustrine groundwater discharge (LGD) can have significant impacts on lake water quantity and quality. There is a need to understand LGD mechanisms and to improve measurement methods for LGD. Approaches to identify and quantify LGD are based on significant temperature differences between GW and lake water. The main goal of this PhD thesis is to trace heat signal propagation of LGD from the point scale at the sediment-water interface across the overlying water body to the water surface-atmosphere interface. The PhD thesis tests the hypothesis that the positive buoyancy of warm GW causes upwelling across the cold water column and allows detection of LGD at the water surface by thermal infrared imaging (TIR). First, a general conceptual framework is developed based on hierarchical patch dynamics (HPD). It guides researchers on adequately combining multiple heat tracing techniques to identify and quantify heat and water exchange over several spatial scales and ecohydrological interfaces (Chapter 2). Second, the conceptual framework is used for the design of a mesocosm experiment (Chapters 3 and 4). Different LGD rates were simulated by injecting relatively warm water at the bottom of an outdoor mesocosm. A fiber optic distributed temperature sensing (FO-DTS) cable was installed in a 3D setup in the water column to trace the heat signal of the simulated LGD under different weather conditions and over entire diurnal cycles. Finally, a TIR camera was mounted 4 meters above the mesocosm to monitor water surface temperatures. TIR images were validated using FO-DTS temperature data 2 cm below the water surface (Chapter 4). The positive buoyancy of relatively warm LGD allows the detection of GW across the water column and at the water surface-atmosphere interface by FO-DTS and TIR. Cloud cover and diurnal cycle of net radiation strongly control the upwelling of simulated LGD and the reliability of TIR for detection of LGD at the water surface-atmosphere interface. Optimal results are obtained under overcast conditions and during night.

Microelectromechanical resonators have found widespread applications in timing, sensing and spectral processing. One of the important performance metrics of MEMS resonators is the temperature sensitivity of their frequency. The main objective of this dissertation is the compensation and control of the temperature sensitivity of silicon resonators through engineering of device geometry and structural composition. This has been accomplished through formation of composite platforms or novel geometries based on dispersion characteristics of guided acoustic waves in single crystalline silicon (SCS) microstructures. Furthermore, another objective of this dissertation is to develop efficient longitudinal piezoelectric transduction for in-plane resonance modes of SCS resonators that have lithographically-defined frequencies, to reduce their motional resistance (Rm). A uniformly distributed matrix of silicon dioxide pillars is embedded inside the silicon substrate to form a homogenous composite silicon-oxide platform (SilOx) with nearly perfect temperature-compensated stiffness moduli. Temperature-stable micro-resonators implemented in SilOx platform operating in any desired in- and out-of-plane resonance modes show full compensation of linear temperature coefficient of frequency (TCF). Overall frequency drifts as small as 80 ppm has been achieved over the industrial temperature range (-40°C to 80°C) showing a 40x improvement compared to uncompensated native silicon resonators. A 27 MHz temperature-compensated MEMS oscillator implemented using SilOx resonator demonstrated sub-ppm instability over the industrial temperature range. Besides this, a new formulation of different resonance modes of SCS resonators based on their constituent acoustic waves is presented in this dissertation. This enables engineering of the acoustic resonator to provide several resonance modes with mechanical energy trapped in central part of the resonator, thus obviating narrow tethers traditionally used for anchoring the cavity to the substrate. This facilitates simultaneous piezoelectric-transduction of multiple modes with different TCFs through independent electrical ports, which can realize highly accurate self-temperature sensing of the device using a beat frequency (fb) generated from linear combination of different modes. Piezoelectrically-transduced multi-port silicon resonators implemented using this technique provide highly temperature-sensitive fb with a large TCF of ~8500 ppm/°C showing 100x improvement compared to other Quartz/MEMS counterparts, suggesting these devices as highly sensitive temperature sensors for environmental sensing and temperature-compensated/oven-controlled crystal oscillator (TCXO/OCXO) applications. Another part of this dissertation introduces a novel longitudinal piezoelectric transduction technique developed for implementation of low Rm silicon resonators operating in lithographically defined in-plane modes. Aluminum nitride films deposited on the sidewalls of thick silicon microstructures provides efficient electromechanical transduction required to achieve low Rm. 100 MHz SCS bulk acoustic resonators implemented using this transduction technique demonstrates Rm of 33Ω showing a 100x improvement compared to electrostatically transduced counterparts. Low-loss narrow-band filters with tunable bandwidth and frequency have been implemented by electrical coupling of these devices, showing their potential for realization of truly reconfigurable and programmable filter arrays required for software-defined radios.

This dissertation presents the novel creation of a surface relief fiber Bragg grating on the flat surface of a D-shaped optical fiber. In order to produce an efficient surface relief grating the grating must be etched into the surface of the glass fiber close to the core. A short etch that removes the cladding above the core is performed in order to decrease the core-to-flat distance and allow the light to interact with the grating on the flat surface. Due to the unique D-shape of the optical fiber the mechanical integrity of the fiber remains high even after the fabrication process. For traditional fiber Bragg gratings the index modulation occurs in the core of the optical fiber. While this method can produce highly reflective gratings they are not well suited for many sensing applications. For example, the operating temperature range is limited to a few hundred degrees Celsius before the index modulation returns to a more uniform index profile. Also because the gratings are created in the core of the fiber, interaction with the surrounding environment is limited. The surface relief fiber Bragg grating created for this work overcomes some of the sensing challenges of traditional gratings. The major accomplishments of this dissertation show a dramatic increase in operating temperature to over 1000 degrees Celsius, the ability to measure multi-dimensional bend, the ability to measure material changes around the fiber such as chemical concentration, and the ability to use a Vernier effect to dramatically increase the sensors sensitivity. In addition to the sensing applications of this work a more thorough understanding of the reflection and transmission properties of the surface relief grating is also presented. Implementation of the transfer matrix method for simulation of the gratings is also shown to be a fast and accurate modeling tool for predicting the grating response.

Die Untersuchung von Klimaszenarien ergab, dass die Grundwasserneubildung in Nordostdeutschland abnehmen könnte. Um Süßgewässer zu erhalten müssen neue Strategien entwickelt werden. Im Gebiet des Lietzengrabens wird Klarwasser eingeleitet, um Feuchtgebiete und Seen zu erhalten. Diese Strategie wurde durch eine Szenarioanalyse erarbeitet, die sich auf das hydrologische iterative Modell ArcEGMO-ASM stützte. In dieser Arbeit wurde das voll integrierte Modell HydroGeoSphere genutzt, um den Fluss von Wasser an der Oberfläche und im Untergrund zu simulieren. Basierend auf dieser Simulation wurden Fließpfade und Aufenthaltszeiten abgeschätzt. Die Ergebnisse beider Modelle wurden analysiert und verglichen. Mit beiden Modellen war es möglich, die Abfluss- und Grundwasserdynamiken im Einzugsgebiet zu reproduzieren. Bei der Anwendung von HydroGeoSphere fehlten Möglichkeiten zur Berücksichtigung von z.B. Schneefall und Wehren, welche in ArcEGMO-ASM vorhanden sind. Die Kalibrierung des Modells lieferte Parameterwerte, die eine Reproduktion der Dynamiken erlaubten. Allerdings könnte HydroGeoSphere nur eingeschränkt nutzbar sein, da die Werte teils unrealistisch waren. HydroGeoSphere ermöglichte aber die Abschätzung von unterirdischen Fließpfaden und Aufenthaltszeiten. Weiter wurde der Austritt von Grundwasser in einen Bachabschnitt durch Messungen bestimmt und mit Simulationsergebnissen verglichen. Keines der Modelle war geeignet, die räumlichen Muster auf dieser Skala zu reproduzieren. Die simulierten Exfiltrationsraten wichen von den beobachteten ab. Der Vergleich von ArcEGMO-ASM und HydroGeoSphere zeigte die Vorteile und Grenzen der Modelle auf. Der Einsatz von HydroGeoSphere bei Untersuchungen von Bewirtschaftungsstrategien macht sich noch nicht bezahlt, vergleicht man den Aufwand mit den Vorteilen. Da HydroGeoSphere weiterentwickelt wird und die Rechenkapazitäten zunehmen, könnte das Modell in der nahen Zukunft in der Praxis nutzbar sein. / Analysis of climatic scenarios for North-East Germany showed that groundwater recharge could decline. In order to sustain freshwaters, new strategies must be developed. At the Lietzengraben catchment treated wastewater is discharged to sustain wetlands and lakes in the catchment. This management strategy was developed previously by scenario analysis, performed by the hydrological iterative model ArcEGMO-ASM. In this work, the fully integrated model HydroGeoSphere was used to simulate the surface and subsurface water flow in the catchment. Based on the simulation results, flow paths and residence times were estimated. The results of the simulations by both models were investigated and compared. It was possible to reproduce the catchment dynamics regarding discharge and groundwater heads reasonably well with both models. The application of HydroGeoSphere was limited due to the inability of the model to represent features like snowfall and weirs, which are represented in ArcEGMO-ASM. The calibrated parameter values enabled the model to reproduce the catchment dynamics reasonably well. HydroGeoSphere may be limited in its use since the obtained values are partially unrealistic. HydroGeoSphere allowed the approximation of subsurface flow paths and residence times. The exfiltration of groundwater to a stream reach was estimated by measurements and compared to simulation results. Both models were not able to reproduce the spatial patterns on a sub-reach scale and the calculated exfiltration rates did not match the observed rates. The comparison of ArcEGMO-ASM and HydroGeoSphere showed the advantages and limitations of both models. Comparing the overall additional effort to the benefits, however, the application of HydroGeoSphere to investigations regarding management strategies or scenario analyses may not pay off. Since HydroGeoSphere is under steady development and computational resources improve, the use of HydroGeoSphere may be applicable in the near future.

[EN] Fiber grating sensors and devices have demonstrated outstanding capabilities in both telecommunications and sensing areas, due to their well-known advantageous characteristics. Therefore, one of the most important motivations lies in the potential of customized fiber gratings to be suitably employed for improving the interrogation process of optical fiber sensors and systems. This Ph.D. dissertation is focused on the study, design, fabrication and performance evaluation of customized fiber Bragg gratings (FBGs) and long period gratings (LPGs) with the double aim to present novel sensing technologies and to enhance the response of existing sensing systems. In this context, a technique based on time-frequency domain analysis has been studied and applied to interrogate different kind of FBGs-based sensors. The distribution of the central wavelength along the sensing structures has been demonstrated, based on a combination of frequency scanning of the interrogating optical pulse and optical time-domain reflectometry (OTDR), allowing the detection of spot events with good performance in terms of measurand resolution. Moreover, different customized FBGs have been interrogated using a technology inspired on the operation principle of microwave photonics (MWP) filters, enabling the detection of spot events using radio-frequency (RF) devices with modest bandwidth. The sensing capability of these technological platforms has been fruitfully employed for implementing a large scale quasi-distributed sensor, based on an array of cascaded FBGs. The potentiality of LPGs as fiber optic sensors has also been investigated in a new fashion, exploiting the potentials of MWP filtering techniques. Besides, a novel approach for simultaneous measurements based on a half-coated LPG has been proposed and demonstrated. Finally, the feasibility of FBGs as selective wavelength filters has been exploited in sensing applications; an alternative approach to improve the response and performance of Brillouin distributed fiber sensors has been studied and validated via experiments. The performance of the reported sensing platforms have been analyzed and evaluated so as to characterize their impact on the fiber sensing field and to ultimately identify the use of the most suitable technology depending on the processing task to be carried out and on the final goal to reach. / [ES] Los sensores y dispositivos en fibra basados en redes de difracción han mostrado excepcionales capacidades en el ámbito de las telecomunicaciones y del sensado, gracias a sus excelentes propiedades. Entre las motivaciones más estimulantes destaca la posibilidad de fabricar redes de difracción ad-hoc para implementar y/o mejorar las prestaciones de los sensores fotónicos. Esta tesis doctoral se ha enfocado en el estudio, diseño, fabricación y evaluación de las prestaciones de redes de difracción de Bragg (FBGs) y de redes de difracción de periodo largo (LPGs) personalizadas con el fin de desarrollar nuevas plataformas de detección y a la vez mejorar la respuesta y las prestaciones de los sensores fotónicos ya existentes. En este contexto, una técnica basada en el análisis tiempofrecuencia se ha estudiado e implementado para la interrogación de sensores en fibra basados en varios tipos y modelos de FBGs. Se ha analizado la distribución de la longitud de onda central a lo largo de la estructura de sensado, gracias a una metodología que conlleva el escaneo en frecuencia del pulso óptico incidente y la técnica conocida como reflectometria óptica en el dominio del tiempo (OTDR). De esta manera se ha llevado a cabo la detección de eventos puntuales, alcanzando muy buenas prestaciones en términos de resolución de la magnitud a medir. Además, se han interrogado varias FBGs a través de una técnica basada en el principio de operación de los filtros de fotónica de microondas (MWP), logrando así la detección de eventos puntuales usando dispositivos de radio-frecuencia (RF) caracterizados por un moderado ancho de banda. La capacidad de sensado de estas plataformas tecnológicas ha sido aprovechada para la realización de un sensor quasi-distribuido de gran alcance, formado por una estructura en cascada de muchas FBGs. Por otro lado, se han puesto a prueba las capacidades de las LPGs como sensores ópticos según un enfoque novedoso; para ello se han aprovechados las potencialidades de los filtros de MWP. Asimismo, se ha estudiado y demostrado un nuevo método para medidas simultáneas de dos parámetros, basado en una LPG parcialmente recubierta por una película polimérica. Finalmente, se ha explotado la viabilidad de las FBGs en cuanto al filtrado selectivo en longitud de onda para aplicaciones de sensado; para ello se ha propuesto un sistema alternativo para la mejora de la respuesta y de las prestaciones de sensores ópticos distribuidos basados en el scattering de Brillouin. En conclusión, se han analizado y evaluado las prestaciones de las plataformas de sensado propuestas para caracterizar su impacto en el ámbito de los sistemas de detección por fibra y además identificar el uso de la tecnología más adecuada dependiendo de la tarea a desarrollar y del objetivo a alcanzar. / [CA] Els sensors i dispositius en fibra basats en xarxes de difracció han mostrat excepcionals capacitats en l'àmbit de les telecomunicacions i del sensat, gràcies a les seus excel¿lents propietats. Entre les motivacions més estimulants destaca la possibilitat de fabricar xarxes de difracció ad-hoc per a implementar i/o millorar les prestacions de sensors fotònics. Esta tesi doctoral s'ha enfocat en l'estudi, disseny, fabricació i avaluació de les prestacions de xarxes de difracció de Bragg (FBGs) i de xarxes de difracció de període llarg (LPGs) personalitzades per tal de desenvolupar noves plataformes de detecció i al mateix temps millorar la resposta i les prestacions dels sensors fotònics ja existents. En este context, una tècnica basada en l'anàlisi temps-freqüència s'ha estudiat i implementat per a la interrogació de sensors en fibra basats en diversos tipus i models de FBGs. S'ha analitzat la distribució de la longitud d'ona central al llarg de l'estructura de sensat, gràcies a una metodologia que comporta l'escaneig en freqüència del pols òptic incident i la tècnica coneguda com reflectometria òptica en el domini del temps (OTDR). D'esta manera s'ha dut a terme la detecció d'esdeveniments puntuals, aconseguint molt bones prestacions en termes de resolució de la magnitud a mesurar. A més, s'han interrogat diverses FBGs a través d'una tècnica basada en el principi d'operació dels filtres de fotònica de microones (MWP), aconseguint així la detecció d'esdeveniments puntuals utilitzant dispositius de ràdio-freqüència (RF) caracteritzats per un moderat ample de banda. La capacitat de sensat d'aquestes plataformes tecnològiques ha sigut aprofitada per a la realització d'un sensor quasi-distribuït a llarga escala, format per una estructura en cascada de moltes FBGs. D'altra banda, s'han posat a prova les capacitats de les LPGs com a sensors òptics segons un enfocament nou; per a això s'han aprofitat les potencialitats dels filtres de MWP. Així mateix, s'ha estudiat i demostrat un nou mètode per a mesures simultànies de dos paràmetres, basat en una LPG parcialment recoberta per una pel¿lícula polimèrica. Finalment, s'ha explotat la viabilitat de les FBGs pel que fa al filtrat selectiu en longitud d'ona per a aplicacions de sensat; per això s'ha proposat un sistema alternatiu per a la millora de la resposta i de les prestacions de sensors òptics distribuïts basats en el scattering de Brillouin. S'han analitzat i avaluat les prestacions de les plataformes de sensat propostes per a caracteritzar el seu impacte en l'àmbit dels sistemes de detecció per fibra i a més identificar l'ús de la tecnologia més adequada depenent de la tasca a desenvolupar i de l'objectiu a assolir. / Ricchiuti, AL. (2016). Design and fabrication of customized fiber gratings to improve the interrogation of optical fiber sensors [Tesis doctoral]. Universitat Politècnica de València. https://doi.org/10.4995/Thesis/10251/66343 / TESIS / Premios Extraordinarios de tesis doctorales

The Middle Fork John Day Basin in Northeastern Oregon is prime habitat for spring Chinook salmon and Steelhead trout. In 2008, a major tributary supporting rearing habitat, Big Boulder Creek, was restored to its historic mid-valley channel along a 1 km stretch of stream 800 m upstream of the mouth. Reduction of peak summer stream temperatures was among the goals of the restoration. Using Distributed Temperature Sensing (DTS) Fiber Optic Technology, stream temperature was monitored prior to restoration in June 2008, and after restoration in September 2008, July 2009, and August 2009. Data gathered was used to determine locations of groundwater and hyporheic inflow and to form a stream temperature model of the system. The model was used both to develop an evaluation method to interpret components of model performance, and to better understand the physical processes important to the study reach. A very clear decreasing trend in surface temperature was seen throughout each of the DTS stream temperature datasets in the downstream 500 m of the study reach. Observed reduction in temperature was 0.5°C (±0.10) in June 2008, 0.3°C (±0.37) in September 2008, 0.6°C (±0.25) in July 2009, and 0.2°C (±0.08) in August 2009. Groundwater inflow was calculated to be 3% of the streamflow for July 2009 and 1% during the August 2009 installation. Statistically significant locations of groundwater and hyporheic inflow were also determined. July 2009 data was used to model stream temperature of the 1 km (RMSE 0.28°C). The developed model performance evaluation method measures timelag, offset, and amplitude at a downstream observed or simulated point compared with the boundary condition, rather than evaluating the model based on error. These measures are particularly relevant to small scale models in which error may not be a true reflection of the ability of a model to correctly predict temperature. Breaking down model performance into these three predictive measures was a simple and graphic method to show the model's predictive capability without sorting through large amounts of data. To better understand the model and the stream system, a sensitivity analysis was conducted showing high sensitivity to streamflow, air temperature, groundwater inflow, and relative humidity. Somewhat surprisingly, solar radiation was among the lowest sensitivity. Furthermore, three model scenarios were run: a 25% reduction in water velocity, a 5°C increase in air temperature, and no groundwater inflow. Simulations of removal of groundwater inflows resulted in a 0.5°C increase in average temperature over the modeled time period at the downstream end, further illustrating the importance of groundwater in this stream system to reduce temperatures. / Graduation date: 2012

The need to consider groundwater and surface water as a single resource has fostered the interest of the scientific community on the interactions between surface water and groundwater. The region below and alongside rivers where surface hydrology and subsurface hydrology concur is the hyporheic zone. This is the region where water exchange determines many biogeochemical and ecological processes of great impact on the functioning of rivers. However, the complex processes taking place in the hyporheic zone require a multidisciplinary approach. The combination of innovative point and distributed techniques originally developed in separated disciplines is of great advantage for the indirect identification of water exchange in the hyporheic zone. Distributed techniques using temperature as a tracer such as fiber-optic distributed temperature sensing can identify the different components of groundwater-surface water interactions based on their spatial and temporal thermal patterns at the sediment-water interface. In particular, groundwater, interflow discharge and local hyporheic exchange flows can be differentiated based on the distinct size, duration and sign of the temperature anomalies. The scale range and resolution of fiber-optic distributed temperature sensing are well complemented by geophysics providing subsurface structures with a similar resolution and scale. Thus, the use of fiber-optic distributed temperature sensing to trace flux patterns supported by the exploration of subsurface structures with geophysics enables spatial and temporal investigation of groundwater-surface water interactions with an unprecedented level of accuracy and resolution. In contrast to the aforementioned methods that can be used for pattern identification at the interface, other methods such as point techniques are required to quantify hyporheic exchange fluxes. In the present PhD thesis, point methods based on hydraulic gradients and thermal profiles are used to quantify hyporheic exchange flows. However, both methods are one-dimensional methods and assume that only vertical flow occurs while the reality is much more complex. The study evaluates the accuracy of the available methods and the factors that impact their reliability. The applied methods allow not only to quantify hyporheic exchange flows but they are also the basis for an interpretation of the sediment layering in the hyporheic zone. For upscaling of the previous results three-dimensional modelling of flow and heat transport in the hyporheic zone combines pattern identification and quantification of fluxes into a single framework. Modelling can evaluate the influence of factors governing groundwater-surface water interactions as well as assess the impact of multiple aspects of model design and calibration of high impact on the reliability of the simulations. But more importantly, this modelling approach enables accurate estimation of water exchange at any location of the domain with unparalleled resolution. Despite the challenges in 3D modelling of the hyporheic zone and in the integration of point and distributed data in models, the benefits should encourage the hyporheic community to adopt an integrative approach comprising from the measurement to the upscaling of hyporheic processes.