Flood Plain Research Plattform
Research Platform Middle Elbe - an interdisciplinary research platform for floodplain ecology in the Middle Elbe
A multidisciplinary research platform has been established in the UNESCO Biosphere reserve Middle Elbe Different scientific groups inside and outside the UFZ are working together to understand floodplain ecology, functioning andgps campaign flood plain research plattform management. The platform is in the continuum of the successful multidisciplinary collaboration developed within the RIVA and HABEX projects which has allowed the collection of valuable data on floodplain ecosystems since 1998. One key activity is the Rosslau experiment.
The Rosslau experiment offers the unique opportunity to follow the first implemented floodplain restoration project in the UNESCO biosphere reserve Riverine Landscape Elbe. It is assumed that reactivated floodplains will restore dynamic alluvial habitats with high biodiversity and reinforce the multiple floodplain functions. The assessment of the effects of such restoration measures requires long-term research platforms for interdisciplinary research. An integrated multidisciplinary approach was chosen to study complex floodplain dynamics and interactions between the different environmental compartments successfully.
Since spring 2006, a multidisciplinary research platform is established by the UFZ to study exemplarily short-term and long-term effects of floodplain restoration on floodplain ecosystem services and functions in thescheme of study design Rosslau area. According to the needs to study effects of floodplain management, three different sub-areas have been chosen: restoration area, untouched active floodplain, and disconnected floodplain. The stratified, randomised study design with interdisciplinary study plots sets the scientific basis to all participating disciplines and is to be considered as the core of the research platform. It enables repeated surveys of the same plots for biotic (molluscs, insects, vegetation) and abiotic (soil, nutriments, pollutants, hydrology) factors.
Project objectives are:
- Analyses of biodiversity and ecosystem services in floodplains
- Quantification of filtration, transport and buffering processes
- Test of non-invasive monitoring methods for hydrogeology studies
- Prediction of habitat function using biological and environmental factors
- Assessment of potential effects of climate change on floodplain functions and biodiversity
- Integrated approach for mosquito management in floodplains
- Evaluation of the dike relocation from a socio-economical point of view
- Transferability of the results to other floodplain sectors or river systems
Further information about the Research Platform Middle Elbe (via UFZ)