Authors:
Ottfried Dietrich, Susanne Schweigert and Jörg Steidl
Book:
After Wise Use – The Future of Peatlands, Proceedings of the 13th International Peat Congress: Pristine Mire Landscapes
Venue:
Tullamore, Ireland
Keywords:
climate-change, fen-wetlands, water-balance, water-balance-model
Documentfile:
Dietrich 2008: Impact of climate change on the water balance of fen wetlands in the Elbe Lowland
Summary:
The purpose was to determine the impact of climate change on the water balance of fen wetlands in the Elbe Lowland in Germany. Climate models forecast decreasing summer precipitation and increasing potential evapotranspiration for this region. The results of a water balance model show increasing water use conflicts in the Elbe Lowland in future with the consequence of lower ground water levels in the wetlands. This risk will increase especially in dry years.Water management options, such as improvement of the water storage capacity within the wetlands, can help to reduce the impact but not wholly compensate it.