project
Weisse Elster
Decision Support for Integrated River Basin Management - Conflict Assessment and Solutions at the Example of the Weisse Elster
The main objective of the project was the development of a web- and GIS-based system for the decision support of an integrated river basin management. The system was applied on the example of the mesoscale Weisse Elster River Basin, which was done with stakeholder involvement. Natural-scientific, economic and juridical approaches were linked in the context of the WFD and enhanced.
Abstract
We worked on the following working packages:
- Simulation of the impact of land use changes to water quantity and quality using SWAT
- Investigation of the development of agricultural land management in the river basin by using agricultural statistics, remote sensing and scenarios of future land use development
- Estimation of tile-drained land and simulation of the point- and non-point source input into the river
- Setup of a databank with land management data for the Parthe subbasin (field level)
Contacts
Dr. Martin Volk, Dr. Dagmar Haase, Antje Ullrich.
Former staff members: Dr. Gerd Schmidt, Dr. Ulrike Hirt, Matthias Rosenberg
Publications
Rode, M., B. Klauer, D. Petry, M. Volk, G. Wenk & D. Wagenschein (2008): Integrated Nutrient Transport Modelling with respect to the Implementation of the European WFD: The Weisse Elster Case Study Germany. Water SA 34(4), 490-496
Haase, D., U. Hirt, B. Klauer, D. Petry, M. Rosenberg, M. Rode, J. Schiller, M. Volk & Dierk Wagenschein (2008): Kapitel 3: Die Weiße Elster als Fallbeispiel. - In: B. Klauer, M. Rode & D. Petry (Hrsg.): Flussgebietsmanagement nach EG-Wasserrahmenrichtlinie. - Metropolis, S. 63-74.
Rosenberg, M., U. Hirt, M. Volk, D. Wagenschein & M. Rode (2008): Kapitel 5: Modellierung des Entwicklungsrahmens. - In: B. Klauer, M. Rode & D. Petry (Hrsg.): Flussgebietsmanagement nach EG-Wasserrahmenrichtlinie. - Metropolis, S. 99-113.
Wenk, G., M. Rode, M. Volk, G. Schmidt & S. Liersch (2008): Kapitel 8: Modellierung von Wasserhaushalt und Stickstofftransport mit dem integrierten Modell SWAT (Soil Water Assessment Tool). - In: B. Klauer, M. Rode & D. Petry (Hrsg.): Flussgebietsmanagement nach EGWasserrahmenrichtlinie. - Metropolis, S. 147-157.
Funding:
BMBF (Federal Ministry for Education and Research).
The „Projektträger Jülich (PTJ)“ of the „Forschungszentrum Jülich“ was in charge for the technical, financial and administrative handling of the research project (funding number (FKZ: 0330228). Project duration: 2002 to 2005.
Partners
Collaboration with the working groups of Prof. Dr. W.-A. Flügel, University of Jena, Institute for Geography, Chair of Geoinformatics/Geohydrology and Modelling; Dr. Uwe Franko, Department Soil Physics of the UFZ; Dr. Michael Rode, Department Aquatic Ecosystems Analysis and Management of the UFZ.
Products (data, methods, tools, models, software)
The developed method focuses on nutrient management in order to achieve a good ecological status of surface waters. An integrated modelling of nitrogen transport was carried out that comprises combined terrestrial and in-stream transport processes. The river basin model SWAT and the water quality simulation model WASP were used. The mitigation of diffuse and point sources pollution is thereby essential to meet the environmental objectives. Land-use scenarios on both organic farming systems and best management practices were analysed and compared with different strategies to reduce point source. The results show that the possible reduction of nitrogen inputs from point sources is much lower compared to the reduction of diffuse inputs from agricultural land use. The results on in-stream nitrogen transformation show that different morphological factors influence the nitrogen retention considerably. The potential of management measures to reduce nitrogen loads by river restoration measures seems to be limited. This is caused by infrastructural facilities that restrict attaining a natural state of river morphology.