TY - JOUR A1 - Natho, Stephanie A1 - Tschikof, Martin A1 - Bondar-Kunze, Elisabeth A1 - Hein, Thomas T1 - Modeling the effect of enhanced lateral connectivity on nutrient retention capacity in large river floodplains BT - how much connected floodplain do we need? JF - Frontiers in Environmental Science N2 - Floodplains have been degraded in Central Europe for centuries, resulting in less dynamic and less diverse ecosystems than in the past. They provide essential ecosystem services like nutrient retention to improve overall water quality and thus fulfill naturally what EU legislation demands, but this service is impaired by reduced connectivity patterns. Along the second-longest river in Europe, the Danube, restoration measures have been carried out and are planned for the near future in the Austrian Danube Floodplain National Park in accordance with navigation purposes. We investigated nutrient retention capacity in seven currently differently connected side arms and the effects of proposed restoration measures using two complementary modeling approaches. We modeled nutrient retention capacity in two scenarios considering different hydrological conditions, as well as the consequences of planned restoration measures for side arm connectivity. With existing monitoring data on hydrology, nitrate, and total phosphorus concentrations for three side arms, we applied a statistical model and compared these results to a semi-empirical retention model. The latter was originally developed for larger scales, based on transferable causalities of retention processes and set up for this floodplain with publicly available data. Both model outcomes are in a comparable range for NO3-N (77-198 kg ha(-1)yr(-1)) and TP (1.4-5.7 kg ha(-1)yr(-1)) retention and agree in calculating higher retention in floodplains, where reconnection allows more frequent inundation events. However, the differences in the model results are significant for specific aspects especially during high flows, where the semi-empirical model complements the statistical model. On the other hand, the statistical model complements the semi-empirical model when taking into account nutrient retention at times of no connection between the remaining water bodies left in the floodplain. Overall, both models show clearly that nutrient retention in the Danube floodplains can be enhanced by restoring lateral hydrological reconnection and, for all planned measures, a positive effect on the overall water quality of the Danube River is expected. Still, a frequently hydrologically connected stretch of national park is insufficient to improve the water quality of the whole Upper Danube, and more functional floodplains are required. KW - floodplain KW - lateral hydrological connectivity KW - Danube KW - restoration KW - reconnection KW - inundation KW - nutrient retention KW - modeling Y1 - 2020 U6 - https://doi.org/10.3389/fenvs.2020.00074 SN - 2296-665X VL - 8 PB - Frontiers Media CY - Lausanne ER - TY - THES A1 - Hesse, Cornelia T1 - Integrated water quality modelling in meso- to large-scale catchments of the Elbe river basin under climate and land use change T1 - Integrierte Gewässergütemodellierung in mittel- bis großskaligen Einzugsgebieten der Elbe unter dem Einfluss von Klima- und Landnutzungsänderungen N2 - In einer sich ändernden Umwelt sind Fließgewässerökosysteme vielfältigen direkten und indirekten anthropogenen Belastungen ausgesetzt, die die Gewässer sowohl in ihrer Menge als auch in ihrer Güte beeinträchtigen können. Ein übermäßiger Eintrag von Nährstoffen verursacht etwa Massenentwicklungen von Algen und Sauerstoffdefizite in den Gewässern, was zum Verfehlen der Ziele der Wasserrahmenrichtlinie (WRRL) führen kann. In vielen europäischen Einzugsgebieten und auch dem der Elbe sind solche Probleme zu beobachten. Während der letzten Jahrzehnte entstanden diverse computergestützte Modelle, die zum Schutz und Management von Wasserressourcen genutzt werden können. Sie helfen beim Verstehen der Nährstoffprozesse und Belastungspfade in Einzugsgebieten, bei der Abschätzung möglicher Folgen von Klima- und Landnutzungsänderungen für die Wasserkörper, sowie bei der Entwicklung eventueller Kompensationsmaßnahmen. Aufgrund der Vielzahl an sich gegenseitig beeinflussenden Prozessen ist die Modellierung der Wasserqualität komplexer und aufwändiger als eine reine hydrologische Modellierung. Ökohydrologische Modelle zur Simulation der Gewässergüte, einschließlich des Modells SWIM (Soil and Water Integrated Model), bedürfen auch häufig noch einer Weiterentwicklung und Verbesserung der Prozessbeschreibungen. Aus diesen Überlegungen entstand die vorliegende Dissertation, die sich zwei Hauptanliegen widmet: 1) einer Weiterentwicklung des Nährstoffmoduls des ökohydrologischen Modells SWIM für Stickstoff- und Phosphorprozesse, und 2) der Anwendung des Modells SWIM im Elbegebiet zur Unterstützung eines anpassungsfähigen Wassermanagements im Hinblick auf mögliche zukünftige Änderungen der Umweltbedingungen. Die kumulative Dissertation basiert auf fünf wissenschaftlichen Artikeln, die in internationalen Zeitschriften veröffentlicht wurden. Im Zuge der Arbeit wurden verschiedene Modellanpassungen in SWIM vorgenommen, wie etwa ein einfacher Ansatz zur Verbesserung der Simulation der Wasser- und Nährstoffverhältnisse in Feuchtgebieten, ein um Ammonium erweiterter Stickstoffkreislauf im Boden, sowie ein Flussprozessmodul, das Umwandlungsprozesse, Sauerstoffverhältnisse und Algenwachstum im Fließgewässer simuliert, hauptsächlich angetrieben von Temperatur und Licht. Auch wenn dieser neue Modellansatz ein sehr komplexes Modell mit einer Vielzahl an neuen Kalibrierungsparametern und steigender Unsicherheit erzeugte, konnten gute Ergebnisse in den Teileinzugsgebieten und dem gesamten Gebiet der Elbe erzielt werden, so dass das Modell zur Abschätzung möglicher Folgen von Klimavariabilitäten und veränderten anthropogenen Einflüssen für die Gewässergüte genutzt werden konnte. Das neue Fließgewässermodul ist ein wichtiger Beitrag zur Verbesserung der Nährstoffmodellierung in SWIM, vor allem für Stoffe, die hauptsächlich aus Punktquellen in die Gewässer gelangen (wie z.B. Phosphat). Der neue Modellansatz verbessert zudem die Anwendbarkeit von SWIM für Fragestellungen im Zusammenhang mit der WRRL, bei der biologische Qualitätskomponenten (wie etwa Phytoplankton) eine zentrale Rolle spielen. Die dargestellten Ergebnisse der Wirkungsstudien können bei Entscheidungsträgern und anderen Akteuren das Verständnis für zukünftige Herausforderungen im Gewässermanagement erhöhen und dazu beitragen, ein angepasstes Management für das Elbeeinzugsgebiet zu entwickeln. N2 - In a changing world facing several direct or indirect anthropogenic challenges the freshwater resources are endangered in quantity and quality. An excessive supply of nutrients, for example, can cause disproportional phytoplankton development and oxygen deficits in large rivers, leading to failure of the aims requested by the Water Framework Directive (WFD). Such problems can be observed in many European river catchments including the Elbe basin, and effective measures for improving water quality status are highly appreciated. In water resources management and protection, modelling tools can help to understand the dominant nutrient processes and to identify the main sources of nutrient pollution in a watershed. They can be effective instruments for impact assessments investigating the effects of changing climate or socio-economic conditions on the status of surface water bodies, and for testing the usefulness of possible protection measures. Due to the high number of interrelated processes, ecohydrological model approaches containing water quality components are more complex than the pure hydrological ones, and their setup and calibration require more efforts. Such models, including the Soil and Water Integrated Model (SWIM), still need some further development and improvement. Therefore, this cumulative dissertation focuses on two main objectives: 1) the approach-related objectives aiming in the SWIM model improvement and further development regarding nutrient (nitrogen and phosphorus) process description, and 2) the application-related objectives in meso- to large-scale Elbe river basins to support adaptive river basin management in view of possible future changes. The dissertation is based on five scientific papers published in international journals and dealing with these research questions. Several adaptations were implemented in the model code to improve the representation of nutrient processes including a simple wetland approach, an extended by ammonium nitrogen cycle in the soils, as well as a detailed in-stream module, simulating algal growth, nutrient transformation processes and oxygen conditions in the river reaches, mainly driven by water temperature and light. Although this new approaches created a highly complex ecohydrological model with a large number of additional calibration parameters and rising uncertainty, the calibration and validation of the SWIM model enhanced by the new approaches in selected subcatchment and the entire Elbe river basin delivered satisfactory to good model results in terms of criteria of fit. Thus, the calibrated and validated model provided a sound base for the assessment of possible future changes and impacts in climate, land use and management in the Elbe river (sub)basin(s). The new enhanced modelling approach improved the applicability of the SWIM model for the WFD related research questions, where the ability to consider biological water quality components (such as phytoplankton) is important. It additionally enhanced its ability to simulate the behaviour of nutrients coming mainly from point sources (e.g. phosphate phosphorus). Scenario results can be used by decision makers and stakeholders to find and understand future challenges and possible adaptation measures in the Elbe river basin. KW - Elbe KW - SWIM KW - Wassergütemodellierung KW - water quality modelling KW - Nährstoffe KW - nutrients KW - Nährstoffretention KW - nutrient retention KW - Flussprozesse KW - in-stream processes KW - climate change KW - land use change KW - Klimaänderung KW - Landnutzungsänderung Y1 - 2018 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:kobv:517-opus4-422957 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Hattermann, Fred Fokko A1 - Krysanova, Valentina A1 - Habeck, Anja A1 - Bronstert, Axel T1 - Integrating wetlands and riparian zones in river basin modelling JF - Ecological modelling : international journal on ecological modelling and engineering and systems ecolog N2 - Wetlands, and in particular riparian wetlands, represent an interface between the catchment area and the aquatic environment. They control the exchange of water and related chemical fluxes from the upper catchment area to surface waters like streams and lakes. Their influence on water and nutrient balances has been investigated mainly at the patch scale. In this study an attempt was made (a) to integrate riparian zones and wetlands into eco-hydrological river basin modelling, and (b) to quantify the impacts of riparian wetland processes on water and nutrient fluxes in a meso-scale catchment located in the northeastern German lowland. The investigation was performed by analysing hydro-chemical field data and applying the eco-hydrological model SWIM (Soil and Water Integrated Model), which was extended to reproduce the relevant water and nutrient flows and retention processes at the catchment scale in general, and in riparian zones and wetlands in particular. The main extensions introduced in the model were: (1) implementation of daily groundwater table dynamics at the hydrotope level, (2) implementation of water and nutrient uptake by plants from groundwater in riparian zones and wetlands, and (3) assessment of nutrient retention in groundwater and interflow. The simulation results indicate that wetlands, though they represent relatively small parts of the total catchment area, may have a significant impact on the overall water and nutrient balances of the catchment. The uncertainty of the simulation results is considerably high, with the main sources of uncertainty being the model parameters representing the geo-hydrology and the input data for land use management. (c) 2006 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved. KW - riparian zones KW - wetlands KW - water quality KW - groundwater dynamics KW - nutrient retention KW - integrated river basin modelling Y1 - 2006 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecolmodel.2005.06.012 SN - 0304-3800 VL - 199 IS - 4 SP - 379 EP - 392 PB - Elsevier CY - Amsterdam ER -