Kapitel: 3.2.4 Klimatisch bedingte Gefährdung der Wasserqualität

Climate-related effects on water quality:

Many of the water quality problems we experience today are strongly influenced by global changes in climate. A higher surface water temperature in lakes increases the turnover of nutrients, in particular phosphorus.

This in combination with a higher water temperature and the associated longer stratification period favours blooms of potentially toxic blue-green algae. Furthermore, long-term analyses of lake data indicate an increase of phosphorus released from the sediment in deep lakes.

This climate-related eutrophication decreases the water quality of lakes and should receive special consideration in the European Water Framework Directive, which aims at achieving a good water quality status in European waters by 2015. Good co-operation between climatologists and water managers in an integrated system approach is therefore required.