About the book :
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.
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