Frank Wechsung, Alfred Becker, Peggy Gräfe (Hrsg.): Auswirkungen des globalen Wandels auf Wasser, Umwelt und Gesellschaft im Elbegebiet Konzepte für die nachhaltige Entwicklung einer Flusslandschaft, Bd. 6 November 2005 Pages: 416 Format: DIN B5, Hardcover Price: 38,40 Euro ISBN-No.: 3-89998-062-X

Questions to the effects of global change and adequate adaptation strategies have not just come up since the recent storm and flood disasters. A European interdisciplinary team of researchers has been investigating the possible consequences of global change to water, environment and society in the Elbe region for some time. Upon completion of the 10-year research project in the Elbe catchment, the practice-oriented results will be presented at the conference „Integrative and sustainable river basin management“. The results are also being published in a book series.

In addition to implementation of the Water Framework Directive, global change poses new challenges to policy makers. For several years, researchers from diverse scientific backgrounds have been working in the field of Elbe research and on the development of computer-aided models, and been giving recommendations to policy makers. The latest results in river management research were presented together with Czech scientists at the conference „Integrative and sustainable river basin management - example Elbe“, on the 8th November 2005 in Leipzig.

„Impacts of Global Change on the Water Cycle in the Elbe Region - Risks and Options“, (short: GLOWA Elbe) is the title of volume 6 from the book series “Concepts for a sustainable development of a river landscape”. The book was published under the direction of the Potsdam Institute of Climate Impact Research (PIK), by Weißensee – publishers and presents research results from scientists from 19 institutions. Conflicts and adaptation strategies in different parts of the Elbe are evaluated by means of simulation studies. The most relevant results were presented by the publishers at the press conference.

About the book

There are few other rivers which have captured as much public attention in recent years as the Elbe. First, it was a symbol for the East-West divide, now it stands for the unification in Germany and Europe. These events are also reflected in the ecological conditions of the river landscape. Water quality deteriorated markedly until the 1990s. Meadows, on the other hand, exhibited quite large structural diversity.

In volume 6 of the book series “Concepts for a sustainable development of a river landscape” results from GLOWA Elbe research are published. The book is directed at scientists as well as stakeholders and authorities, which have an interest in solving problems in water availability and quality of surface waters in the Elbe river basin.

Simulation studies analysed and evaluated possible consequences of global change in the German part of the Elbe river basin. The results range from the effects of climate on water availability, agricultural yield potentials and resulting economic consequences, to nutrient entries and adaptation options for the flooding of 12.000 ha open pit residual holes from brown coal mining in Lusatia.

Extract of the content

Research questions – Methodological  Approach - Results
Challenges of global change for the Elbe region
Key aspects, approaches to dealing with future water conflicts in the Elbe region
Specification of global change, alternatives of action
Results of the development, analysis and assessment of global change scenarios in the first phase of the project GLOWA Elbe
The Integrative Methodological Approach (IMA) of GLOWA Elbe
Origin of IMA in Integrated-Assessment-Approaches from PIK and UFZ
The IMA -  base version, implementation of the IMA
The Integrative Methodological Approach in stringent language (considerations?)
Basis categories and agents

Scenarios and selected consequences for the German part of the Elbe region
Climate scenarios for the German part of the Elbe basin
Regional climate simulation to investigate precipitation under present or future climate
Climate projections of temperature, potential evaporation and precipitation by NEURO-FUZZY-Models
Simulation results of the regional climate model STAR
Potential effects of global change in the Elbe region
Policy and citizen scenarios
Scenario results for water and nutrient balances

Integrative regional analysis for selected areas
The Unstrut region - introduction, methodology and results
Analysis of present water and nutrient balances
How is land use changing?
Modelling of water and nutrient balances
under global change
Spree - Havel
Analysis of problems and conflicts for water management in the Spree-Havel region
Upper Spree
Spreewald
Berlin/Lower Havel

• Order book (Weißensee Verlag)

• About the book
• Extract of the content
• Order book