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Influence of global change on phytoplankton and nutrient cycling in the Elbe River

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Abstract

The effects of changing climatic and socioeconomic conditions on the water quality of the Elbe River were investigated using the deterministic model QSim. Since the impact of global change on river water quality marks the endpoint of various processes in the catchment and in the atmosphere, this study was performed within a network of interacting models that determined input parameters for water quality simulations. The development of phytoplankton and nutrient concentrations under conditions of global change was modeled along a 700 km stretch of the river. The simulations revealed a strong, scale-dependent effect of climate change on phytoplankton biomass, leading to a longitudinal shift of the dominating processes (primary productivity vs. respiration) along the river continuum. Under reduced flow, combined with increasing temperature and global radiation, phytoplankton biomass increased and phytoplankton maxima shifted in upstream direction, followed by higher system respiration rates in the adjacent downstream sections. In contrast, higher flow shifted the phytoplankton maximum toward the downstream sections. Even a drastic reduction of phosphorus inputs from anthropogenic sources had only limited influence on algal biomass, due to the ability of algal cells to store phosphorus. A strong reduction in P-inputs especially in the headwaters would be necessary to counterbalance the possible climate-induced effects on algal biomass.

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Acknowledgments

This study has been carried out in the framework of the BMBF-funded project GLOWA-Elbe (Project No. 01LW0314). Input data for model validation and scenario simulations have been provided by the project partners and the following institutions: Deutscher Wetterdienst, ARGE ELBE, Brandenburg State Office for Environment (monitoring station Cumlosen), Czech Hydro-Meteorological Institute. We thank Johan Mooij for improving the language of the manuscript and two anonymous reviewers for valuable comments.

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  1. Katrin Quiel

    Present address: Leibniz-Institute of Freshwater Ecology and Inland Fisheries, Müggelseedamm 310, 12587, Berlin, Germany

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  1. German Federal Institute of Hydrology, Am Mainzer Tor 1, 56068, Koblenz, Germany

    Katrin Quiel, Annette Becker, Volker Kirchesch, Andreas Schöl & Helmut Fischer

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Quiel, K., Becker, A., Kirchesch, V. et al. Influence of global change on phytoplankton and nutrient cycling in the Elbe River. Reg Environ Change 11, 405–421 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10113-010-0152-2

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