scholarly journals Impacts of Climate Change on Riverine Ecosystems: Alterations of Ecologically Relevant Flow Dynamics in the Danube River and Its Major Tributaries

Water ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 8 (12) ◽  
pp. 566 ◽  
Author(s):  
Judith Stagl ◽  
Fred Hattermann
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Flow Dynamics ◽  
Danube River ◽  
The Danube River ◽  
Riverine Ecosystems ◽  
Impacts Of Climate Change

scholarly journals Future Projections of Water Scarcity in the Danube River Basin Due to Land Use, Water Demand and Climate Change

2018 ◽  
Vol 11 (3-4) ◽  
pp. 25-36 ◽  
Author(s):  
Berny Bisselink ◽  
Ad de Roo ◽  
Jeroen Bernhard ◽  
Emiliano Gelati
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Land Use ◽  
River Basin ◽  
Water Scarcity ◽  
Water Demand ◽  
Danube River ◽  
The Danube River ◽  
Warming Period ◽  
Water Scarce ◽  
Danube River Basin

Abstract This paper presents a state-of-the-art integrated model assessment to estimate the impacts of the 2°C global mean temperature increase and the 2061-2090 warming period on water scarcity in the Danube River Basin under the RCP8.5 scenario. The Water Exploitation Index Plus (WEI+) is used to calculate changes in both spatial extent and people exposed to water scarcity due to land use, water demand, population and climate change. Despite model and data uncertainties, the combined effects of projected land use, water demand and climate change show a decrease in the number of people exposed to water scarcity during the 2°C warming period and an increase in the 2061-2090 period in the Danube River Basin. However, the projected population change results in a decrease of exposed people in both warming periods. Regions with population growth, in the northwestern part of the Danube River Basin experience low water scarcity or a decrease in water scarcity. The largest number of people vulnerable to water scarcity within the Danube River Basin are living in the Great Morava, Bulgarian Danube and Romanian Danube. There, the combined effects of land use, water demand and climate change exacerbate already existing water scarce areas during the 2°C warming period and towards the end of the century new water scarce areas are created. Although less critical during the 2°C warming period, adjacent regions such as the Tisza, Middle Danube and Siret-Prut are susceptible to experience similar exposure to water scarcity within the 2061-2090 period. Climate change is the most important driver for the increase in water scarcity in these regions, but the strengthening effect of water demand (energy sector) and dampening effect of land use change (urbanization) does play a role as well. Therefore, while preparing for times of increased pressures on the water supply it would be advisable for several economic sectors to explore and implement water efficiency measures.

scholarly journals Cooperation of hydrologists from the Danube River Basin

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stevan Prohaska ◽  
Mitja Brilly ◽  
Andrej Kryžanowski
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
River Basin ◽  
Climate Change Impacts ◽  
Danube River ◽  
Station Network ◽  
The Danube River ◽  
Danube River Basin

Abstract. The development of the hydrology of The Danube River Basin has a long tradition from nineteen century and beyond. Cooperation in hydrology science started 1961 and up to day, 28 scientific conferences have been performed. Since 1975, cooperation between hydrologists of the Danube River Basin has been conducted within the framework of the International Hydrological Programme (IHP) of UNESCO and IHP National Committees established common Cooperation of the Danube River Countries. In addition, Cooperation produce several reports and two books. Cooperation IHP Danube propose common statements for further research and appeal for development water station network necessary for measurement of anthropogenic and climate change impacts.

scholarly journals Development of adaptive IWRM options for climate change mitigation and adaptation

2011 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
pp. 91-100 ◽  
Author(s):  
W.-A. Flügel
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
River Basin ◽  
Climate Change Impacts ◽  
Integrated Water Resources Management ◽  
River Basins ◽  
Danube River ◽  
Central Component ◽  
Mitigation And Adaptation ◽  
Well Data ◽  
Impacts Of Climate Change

Abstract. Adaptive Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM) options related to the impacts of climate change in the twinning basins of the Upper Danube River Basin (UDRB) and the Upper Brahmaputra River Basin (UBRB) are developed based on the results obtained in the different work packages of the BRAHMATWINN project. They have been described and discussed in Chapter 2 till Chapter 9 and the paper is referring to and is integrating these findings with respect to their application and interpretation for the development of adaptive IWRM options addressing impacts of climate change in river basins. The data and information related to the results discussed in Chapter 2 till 8 have been input to the RBIS as a central component of the IWRMS (Chapter 9). Meanwhile the UDRB has been analysed with respect to IWRM and climate change impacts by various projects, i.e. the GLOWA-Danube BMBF funded project (GLOWA Danube, 2009; Mauser and Ludwig, 2002) the UBRB has not been studied so far in a similar way as it was done in the BRAHMATWINN project. Therefore the IWRM option development is focussing on the UBRB but the methodology presented can be applied for the UDRB and other river basins as well. Data presented and analysed in this chapter have been elaborated by the BRAHMATWINN project partners and are published in the project deliverable reports available from the project homepage http://www.brahmatwinn.uni-jena.de/index.php?id=5311&L=2.

Enhancing River-Sea System Understanding by providing insights into headwaters– the Upper Danube Austria Supersite of DANUBIUS-RI

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eva Feldbacher ◽  
Stefan Schmutz ◽  
Gabriele Weigelhofer ◽  
Thomas Hein
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
River Basin ◽  
Human Activities ◽  
Danube River ◽  
Interactive Effects ◽  
The Black Sea ◽  
Study Region ◽  
The Danube River ◽  
Danube Catchment ◽  
Danube River Basin

<p>Austria has a share in three international river basins (Danube, Elbe, Rhine), but by far the most of its territory (> 96%) drains into the Danube. This Austrian territory accounts for 10% of the total area of the Danube River Basin and belongs entirely to the Upper Danube Basins, which extends from the source of the Danube in Germany to Bratislava at Austria’s eastern border to Slovakia. Austria contributes approx. 25% (ca. 50 km³/a ) to the total yearly discharge of the Danube into the Black Sea (ca. 200 km³/a).</p><p>Human activities have severely altered the Upper Danube catchment, impacting both the main stem and the main pre-alpine tributaries. Due to the Upper Danube’s considerable natural gradient and mountainous character, this part of the Danube is extensively used for hydropower production. Ten large (> 10 MW) hydropower plants are situated along the Austrian Danube (out of a total of 41), and only two Danube stretches can still be characterized as free-flowing (Wachau, Nationalpark Donau-Auen).  Besides energy generation, other human activities such as agriculture, shipping, industrialisation, urbanisation and tourism, have been and still are changing the process and system dynamics of the Upper Danube.  Climate change is additionally affecting this already heavily impacted River System.</p><p>The Upper Danube Austria and its pre-alpine network of tributaries is therefore an ideal case study region to investigate the multiple effects of human activities on riverine systems and was chosen as a “supersite” within Danubius-RI, the “International Centre for Advanced Studies on River-Sea Systems”. Danubius-RI is being developed as distributed Research Infrastructures with the goal to support interdisciplinary and integrated research on river-sea systems. DANUBIUS-RI aims to enable and support research addressing the conflicts between society’s demands, environmental change and environmental protection for river -sea systems worldwide and brings together research on freshwaters and the interface to marine waters, drawing on existing research excellence across Europe.</p><p>The supersite “Upper Danube Austria and its pre-alpine network of tributaries” covers the freshwater spectrum within the river-sea continuum, ranging from alpine and pre-alpine headwater streams along major Danube tributaries to the Danube River, including adjacent floodplains in the Upper Danube catchment. The research focus lies on the interactive effects of climate change, land use pressures, and hydromorphological alterations on the biodiversity, ecological functions, and the ecosystem service provision of streams and rivers in the Upper Danube basin and their role within the catchment.</p><p>The Supersite “Upper Danube Austria and its pre-alpine network of tributaries” joins forces of eight Austrian research institutions and is led by WasserCluster Lunz and the Institute for Hydrobiology and Aquatic Ecosystem Management (IHG) at the University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna (BOKU). Research on sustainable management and restoration of riverine landscapes (WFD, FD, HD, Biodiversity  Strategy) in the Upper Danube Catchment is an important contribution to a healthy River-Sea System of the Danube River Basin as a whole.</p>

scholarly journals Climate Change Impacts on the Water Resources in the Danube River Basin and Possibilities to Adapt – The Way to an Adaptation Strategy and its Update

2018 ◽  
Vol 11 (3-4) ◽  
pp. 13-24
Author(s):  
Roswitha Stolz ◽  
Monika Prasch ◽  
Michael Weber ◽  
Franziska Koch ◽  
Ruth Weidinger ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
River Basin ◽  
Adaptation Strategy ◽  
Danube River ◽  
Extreme Weather Events ◽  
Precipitation Trend ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Intergovernmental Panel ◽  
The Danube River ◽  
Danube River Basin

Abstract As the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change reported in 2013, climate change will have significant impacts on all water sectors. Since water is essential for live, culture, economy and ecosystems, climate change adaptation is crucial. Therefore, a legal and political framework was established by the commissions of the European Union, the United Nations and on national levels. For the Danube River Basin (DRB), the International Commission for the Protection of the Danube River got the mandate to develop an adaptation strategy in 2012 and to update this strategy in 2018. The natural science basis on which the adaptation strategy and its update are based on are two studies, conducted in 2011/2012 and updated and revised in 2017/18. Numerous documents from actual research and development projects and studies dealing with climate change and its impacts on water related issues were analysed in detail and the results summarised. It is agreed that temperature will increase basin-wide. The precipitation trend shows a strong northwest-southeast gradient and significant changes in seasonality. Runoff patterns will change and extreme weather events will intensify. However, the magnitude of the results shows a strong spatial variability due to the heterogeneity of the DRB., It is assessed that these changes will have mostly negative impacts on all water related sectors. Based on the scientific findings an approach for an improved basin-wide strategy on adaptation to climate change is developed. It includes guiding principles and five categories of adaptation measures targeting different objectives.

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