Navigation and service

Logo: BfG - Federal Institute for Hydrology - links to homepage

Project 5.02: Impacts of climate change on nutrient and phytoplankton dynamics in navigable rivers

Dr Annette Becker, BfG
Tel. +49 (0) 261/1306-5520, becker@bafg.de

Paulin Hardenbicker, BfG
Tel +49 (0) 261/1306-5261, hardenbicker@bafg.de

Dr Helmut Fischer, BfG,
Department U2 - Ecological Interactions
Tel. +49 (0) 261/1306-5458, helmut.fischer@bafg.de

Objectives

This project describes climate-related shifts in nutrient budgets and phytoplankton dynamics. The effects of climate change on discharge and temperature conditions are used to model and analyse resulting effects on phytoplankton dynamics, nutrients and suspended matter.

The water quality model QSim of the German Federal Institute of Hydrology (BfG) will be refined and completed in order to illustrate processes that could be altered in the course of climate change. Thereby, an adequate tool will be provided for the modelling of climate change impacts on water quality.

The long-term dynamics of phytoplankton in free flowing rivers will be investigated, making it possible to define relationships between environmental conditions and phytoplankton dynamics. New research findings concerning temperature-related activity of mussels will be implemented into QSim. The QSim-module for vertical temperature stratification in standing waters will be refined and a new hydraulic module for river-lake-systems will be added. Oxygen consumption, nutrient cycling, denitrification as well as growth of cyanobacteria and zooplankton groups will be examined and used to improve water quality process modules. Finally, future states of water quality are modelled and possible courses of action are suggested and tested. Modelling is also used to examine the impact of hydraulic engineering measures under future climate conditions.

This Page

© 2009 - 2013 KLIWAS-Koordination