Personal profile
Presentation
My research interests include hydrogeological modelling, where the description of heterogeneous structures has special focus. The description of fractured chalk, heterogeneous quaternary and pre-qurternary sediments is a main task. This includes estimation of model parameters which has been investigated using advanced calibration techniques (e.g., pilot points).
Saltwater intrusion has also been an area of significant focus, where the impact of climate change and sea level rise have been quantified for various coastal environments.
Hydrological modelling has been another focus area. Estimation of evapotranspiration from different surfaces (agriculture, forest, urban) has been in focus. The main goal has often been to estimate the water balance of a catchment and the associated uncertainty.
Climate change impacts on the hydrology, including adaptation and mitigation has been a focus area during the last couple of decades. Both flooding (primary from grounwater) and draught have been estimated on both rural and urban environments.
Curriculum vitae
|
Name |
Torben Obel Sonnenborg |
|
Date of Birth |
23 August 1967 |
|
Nationality |
Denmark |
|
Education |
M.Sc. in Civil Engineering (groundwater hydrology), Technical University of Denmark, 1993. Ph.D. in Civil Engineering (flow and transport in fractured porous media), Technical University of Denmark, 1998. |
|
Languages |
Danish (mother language), English (excellent), German (good) |
RESEARCH EXPERIENCE RECORD
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Year |
Employer |
Position |
Activity |
|
2014- |
University of Copenhagen |
Adjunct Professor |
Hydrogeological modeling, climate change impacts |
|
2005- |
GEUS |
Senior Scientist |
Hydrogeological modeling, hydrological modeling, climate change, uncertainty assessment |
|
2004-05 |
GI, University of Copenhagen |
Associate Research Professor |
Hydrogeology, geological modeling, uncertainty assessment |
|
2001-04 |
E&R DTU |
Associate professor |
Integrated hydrological modeling. Flow and transport in fractured formations. |
|
1993-2001 |
ISVA, DTU
|
PhD student and Research Assistant |
Remediation. Multiphase flow. Flow in fractures. Laboratory experiments. |
KEY PERSONAL ASSIGNMENTS AND EXPERIENCES
- Associate editor for Hydrogeology Journal (2005-2010)
- Referee for Water Resources Research, Journal of Hydrology, Journal of Contaminant Hydrology, Nordic Hydrology.
- Co-organizer for the continued education program EVA (Research based continued education in Water Resources) in cooperation with University of Copenhagen.
- Supervisor for 25 PhD and 66 M.Sc. students
RESEARCH GRANTS (Title; PI/Co-PI; Agency; Period - seleted)
MioMod – Multiple environmental tracer analysis and geological modeling of the deep Miocene aquifer within the Skjern Å catchment; PI; GeoCenter Denmark; 2005-2008
PRECIOUS - Prediction of Climatic Impacts on Pesticide Leaching to the Aquatic Environments; PI; Danish EPA; 2008-2009
HOBE - a Hydrological Observatory and Exploratorium; Co-PI; Villum Found.; 2007-2018
CLIWAT - Adaptive and sustainable water management and protection of society and nature in an extreme climate; Co-PI; Interreg; 2008-2011
HYACINTS - Hydrological Modelling for Assessing Climate Change Impacts at Different Scales; Co-PI; Danish Strategic Research foundation; 2008-2013
AQUACLEW - Advancing QUAlity of CLimate services for European Water; Co-PI; JPI Climate; 2017-2021
INTERCEPTION - Parameterization and quantification of interception loss from local to national scale; Co-PI; GeoCenter Denmark; 2017-2022
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- 1 Similar Profiles
Collaborations and top research areas from the last five years
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Beskrivelse af kvælstofretentionskort version 2025 til anvendelse i lokale grønne treparter via MARS
Højberg, A. L. (Editor), Thodsen, H. (Editor), Børgesen, C. D. (Editor), Andersen, A. H., Andersen, L. T., Audet, J., Bach, E. O., Møller Balling, I., Christensen, A.-S. H., Christiansen, D. T., Christiansen, D. A., Tirado Conde, J., Falk, F. A., Frederiksen, R. R., Giannini-Kurina, F., Gudbjerg, J., Hansen, B., Henri, C. V., Henriksen, E. S. & Hermansen, N. & 31 others, , 30 Apr 2025, København: GEUS. 101 p.Research output: Book/Report › Report (publicly available)
Open Access -
Compound Flooding From Storm Surges, Precipitation, Rivers, and Groundwater—Hydrodynamic Modeling in a Coastal Catchment
Seidenfaden, I. K., Skjerbæk, M. R., Henriksen, H. J., Kjeldsen, K. K. & Sonnenborg, T. O., Aug 2025, In: Water Resources Research. 61, 8, e2024WR037563.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › Research › peer-review
Open Access1 Citation (Scopus) -
Lack of robustness of hydrological models: a large-sample diagnosis and an attempt to identify hydrological and climatic drivers
Santos, L., Andréassian, V., Sonnenborg, T. O., Lindström, G., De Lavenne, A., Perrin, C., Collet, L. & Thirel, G., 5 Feb 2025, In: Hydrology and Earth System Sciences. 29, 3, p. 683-700 18 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › Research › peer-review
Open Access7 Citations (Scopus) -
National kvælstofmodel - version 2025. Udvikling af nye kvælstofretentionskort. Bilagsrapport
Højberg, A. L., Thodsen, H., Børgesen, C. D. (Editor), Andersen, A. H., Andersen, L. T., Audet, J., Bach, E. O., Christiansen, D. T., Christiansen, D. A., Tirado Conde, J., Falk, F. A., Frederiksen, R. R., Giannini-Kurina, F., Gudbjerg, J., Hansen, B., Henri, C. V., Henriksen, E. S., Hermansen, N., Hoffmann, C. C. & Høyer, A.-S. & 30 others, , 27 Aug 2025, København: GEUS. 609 p. (Særudgivelse).Research output: Book/Report › Report (publicly available)
Open Access -
National kvælstofmodel - version 2025. Udvikling af nye kvælstofretentionskort. Metoderapport
Højberg, A. L., Thodsen, H., Børgesen, C. D. (Editor), Andersen, A. H., Andersen, L. T., Audet, J., Bach, E. O., Christiansen, D. T., Christiansen, D. A., Tirado Conde, J., Falk, F. A., Frederiksen, R. R., Giannini-Kurina, F., Gudbjerg, J., Hansen, B., Henri, C. V., Henriksen, E. S., Hermansen, N., Hoffmann, C. C. & Høyer, A.-S. & 30 others, , 27 Aug 2025, København: GEUS. 155 p. (Særudgivelse).Research output: Book/Report › Report (publicly available)
Open Access
Activities
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Coupled events, flooding and nature-based solutions in Ribe
Seidenfaden, I. K. (Speaker), Sonnenborg, T. O. (Co-author) & Skjerbæk, M. R. (Co-author)
21 Feb 2025Activity: Talk or presentation › Scientific presentation without abstract/poster
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Tørke og Grundvandsstand: Sammenhængen mellem tørke og grundvandsniveauer samt fremtidens vandforvaltning
Seidenfaden, I. K. (Invited speaker), Sonnenborg, T. O. (Invited speaker), Schneider, R. J. M. (Co-author) & Stisen, S. (Co-author)
20 Nov 2024Activity: Talk or presentation › Scientific presentation without abstract/poster
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Combined occurrence of high precipitation and high sea level
Skjerbæk, M. R. (Invited speaker), Seidenfaden, I. K. (Co-author) & Sonnenborg, T. O. (Co-author)
28 Mar 2023Activity: Talk or presentation › Scientific presentation without abstract/poster
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Tørke og klimaekstremer på tværs af sæsoner - fremtidens undervurderede hydrologiske udfordringer?
Schneider, R. J. M. (Invited speaker), Nilsson, B. (Co-author), Henriksen, H. J. (Co-author), Seidenfaden, I. K. (Co-author), Sonnenborg, T. O. (Co-author) & Stisen, S. (Co-author)
26 Oct 2022Activity: Talk or presentation › Scientific presentation without abstract/poster
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Terrænnært grundvand, afstrømning og klima - styrende variabler nu og i fremtiden
Seidenfaden, I. K. (Invited speaker), Sonnenborg, T. O. (Co-author), Kidmose, J. B. (Co-author) & Stisen, S. (Co-author)
26 Oct 2022Activity: Talk or presentation › Scientific presentation without abstract/poster