GLOWA-Elbe

GLOWA-Elbe Book "Integrated Analysis of the Impacts of Global Change on Environment and Society in the Elbe River Basin" Frank Wechsung / Stefan Kaden / Horst Behrendt / Beate Klöcking (Eds.) December 2008, 401 pages, Hardcover, € 38,40; ISBN 978-3-89998-145-2 Weißensee Verlag, Berlin 2008 ordering: WeißenseeVerlag Medienhaus Viktoriahof Kreuzbergstraße 30 D-10965 Berlin, Germany Tel. (030) 91 207-100 Fax: (030) 91 20 7-111 www.weissensee-verlag.de mail@weissensee-verlag.de

Content:

Results are presented and discussed according to a methodological approach which leads step by step from formulation of scenarios to evaluation of management strategies, in doing so considering the differing interests of those involved in and those affected by water management planning. Among the most important results is the finding that in order to secure river inflow to Berlin under warmer and drier conditions than at present, it could be decisive that redundant mining pits in Lusatia are filled as quickly as possible. In addition, important insights are presented on the possibilities to further improve the water quality of the Elbe, on the impacts of climate change on wetlands, and on the potential for adaptation for the city of Berlin. The book is intended for not only for scientists, but also for authorities and those concerned with solving the problems of the availability and quality of surface waters in the Elbe river basin.

Background:

The River Elbe has shaped central Europe in both a geographic and socio-economic sense. The German part of the Elbe basin, around 2/3 of the whole river basin, is home to 18 million people. Of these, most live in the territory of the former East Germany, which covers 88% of the German Elbe basin. These areas are currently undergoing a process of socio-economic transformation, with far-reaching consequences for the economic use of water. Comprehensive de-industrialisation has led to an economic re-evaluation of the utility industry. The increasing importance of the water and energy utilities is particularly significant for the water balance. While the population is falling as a result of industrial decline, water management costs per inhabitant are increasing.

Water management in the Elbe basin not only needs to take the changing socio-economic framework into account, but also future climatic change. The German part of the basin is today characterised by its low water availability and a high nutrient burden in the river system. Calculations by climate models show that a further reduction of water availability due to declining levels of precipitation must be expected.

In the GLOWA-Elbe project - funded by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Science - scientists from 19 institutions have used simulation studies to investigate the possible impacts of climate change on the water balance of the German Elbe basin, looking at how these impacts should be evaluated in the light of emerging socio-economic developments, and what adaptation strategies should be preferred. The results, brought together under the title "Challenges of global change for the Elbe river basin" range from the climatic impacts on the water yield, agricultural yield potential and resulting economic effects, via nutrient inputs to the river system, to the adaptation opportunities arising from the flooding of 12,000 hectares of former lignite pits in the mining region of Lusatia.