Biological Workshop April 21/22, 2008
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Introduction to the development of the German
typology of surface waters and definition of reference
conditions
Mario Sommerhäuser
Emschergenossenschaft – Lippeverband
Biological Workshop April 21/22, 2008
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„Aquae sunt talis qualis terra per quam fluunt.“
Plinius the Elder, Naturalis historia, Book 31, § 52, Z. 5
Typology of surface waters is not a new invention…
Biological Workshop April 21/22, 2008
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The typology of surface waters
For about 100 years (classification of lakes)
Idea: to classify the large variety of natural water
bodies to more simple and applicable units
From individual water bodies to the idea of types: Lowland streams, Mountain streams …, Sandy streams, Gravel bed streams …
Now essential part of the philosophy of the WFD
Biological Workshop April 21/22, 2008
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Demands of the WFD
Why is typology so important?
Base for most of the further steps:
Definiton of type-specific reference conditions
Development of type-specific assessment systems
Designation of water bodies
Type-specific sensitivity against different stressors
Program of measures has to care for type-specific features of water bodies
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Decisions needed for typology
System A or System B? Same obligatory factors are used in both
(geographic position, altitude, size, geology) System A prescribes categories for these factors,
and ecoregions for the spatial aggregation of the types=> types remain rough and often do not reflect reality
System B has no prescriptions, permits additional factors; => types more flexible, reflect reality
WFD - Annex II:
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Methodological approaches
Top down approach
Bottom up approach
Abiotic features
Expert opinions
Similarity analyses
Biocoenoses, e. g. MZBR
iver
typ
es
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Advantages and disadvantages of Top down / Bottom up approach
Top down approach… only few abiotic data needed not necessarily biological meaningful (types have to be validated) time-saving (development: weeks – months)
Bottom up approach … huge biotic and abiotic data sets from reference sites needed depends on availability of data and quality of sites biologically meaningful, reference conditions implied time-consuming (up to several years…)
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Example: Stream typology Germany
Philosophy:
one typology for the whole country and all quality components (macrophytes, algae, MZB, fish)
„as many types as necessary, as few as possible“
scientifically sound and politically reasonable
simple approach (start: top down, validation: bottom up)
biologically meaningful
System B
Biological Workshop April 21/22, 2008
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Parameters
Obligatory parameters:- Ecoregion (Illies 1978)- Geology (Ca, Si, Org)- Size basin size classes 10 - 100 km² 100 - 1 000 km² 1 000 - 10 000 km² > 10 000 km²
(acc. System A)
Optional parameters:- Sub-ecoregions (aquatic land- scapes): more differentiated geology (granite, moraines…) valley form slope- dominant substratum (river bed material)
(acc. System B)
Clearly a „B-typology“.
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3 Ecoregions:
4: Alps
9: Lower Mountains
14: Lowlands
Step 1: “Ecoregions” Illies (1978)
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Step 2: Sub-ecoregions
about 40 ‚aquatic landscape units ‘ (=sub-ecoregions)
homogeneous regions for certain stream types
based on geo- morphology
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Step 2: Sub-ecoregions
Definition of sub-ecoregions (aquatic landscapes)
homogeneous regions with respect to the characters of surface waters (due to geology, soils, relief…)
main distribution areas of certain surface water types, but different types can occure e. g. due to changes in longitudinal zonation
can be depicted in maps for orientation
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„Super-Parameter“
integration of many typological relevant parameters as geology, soils, relief, valley sh apes, slope…
important for the drawing of GIS maps of stream types
Step 2: Sub-ecoregions
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biozönotischer Typ
Längszonierung Ausgewählte Gewässerlandschaften und Regionen
nach Briem (2001) Bach Kl.
Fluss Gr.
Fluss Strom
Ökoregion 4: Alpen, Höhe > 800 m
Kalkalpen, Flyschzone 1 1.1
Ökoregion 9 (und 8): Mittelgebirge und Alpenvorland, Höhe ca. 200 - 800 m und höher
Alpenvorland
Tertiäres Hügelland, Niederterrassen, Ältere Terrassen, Altmoränenland 2
Jungmoränenland 3
Auen (über 300 m Breite)
4
Mittelgebirge
Gneis, Granit, Schiefer, übrige Vulkangebiete 5
Buntsandstein, Sandbedeckung 5.1 9
Lössregionen, Keuper, Kreide 6
Muschelkalk, Jura, Malm, Lias, Dogger, Kalke 7 9.1
9.2
Auen (über 300 m) 10
Ökoregion 14: Norddeutsches Tiefland, Höhe < 200 m
Sander, Sandbedeckung, Grund- und Endmoräne 14
Lössregionen 18 15
Grund- und Endmoräne, Ältere Terrassen 16 17
Auen (über 300 m) 20
Marschen 22
Jungmoränenland: Grundmoränen 23
Ökoregion unabhängige Typen
Sander, Lössregionen, Auen (vermoort) 11 12
Auen (über 300 m) 19
Sander, Grund- und Endmoräne 21
Step 3:Aggregation of sub-ecoregions
Aggregated sub-ecoregions (base type)+ Longitudinal Zonation (biocoenotic type)
Step 4:Longitudinal zonation
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Biocoenotic analysis of whole Germany (ecoregions)
Biocoenotic analysis of several 1000 data sets up to now (best available sites, most of them preclassified as „very good“ or „good ecological status“)
Step 5: Biological validation
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NMS_EPTCOM_gen_total_20.11.2002; Stress: 0,285
Achse 1: 41,8 %
Ach
se 2
: 32,
0 %
Ökoregion
AlpenVoralpenMittelgebirgeTiefland
NMS „Germany “
Lowlands
Lower Mountains/(Pre)Alpine area
„non-metric multidimen-sional scaling“ (NMS)
Ordination diagram: similiar data sets (sites) are close together, different data sets are apart
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NMS_EPTCOM_adju_05112002_spring; Stress: 0,18
Achse 2: 27,1 %
Ach
se 3
: 31
,4 %
"Substrat-Größentyp"
keine AngabenSandbachmittelgr. Sandflussgr. SandflussKiesbachmittelgr. Kiesflussgr. Kiesflussorganischer Bach
Typ 20
Typ 17Typ 15
Typ 16Typ 14 (+13)
Typ 11
NMS Lowlands:
biocoenotic stream types
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Product I: Typology and Types
Table of 25 biocoenotic relevant stream types for Germany
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25 stream types:
4 types for the Alps and the Alpine foothills
8 types for the Central highlands
9 types for the Central lowlands
4 „Ecoregion-independent“ types
Product I: Typology and Types
Biological Workshop April 21/22, 2008
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depiction of stream types as digital map base: WFD-relevant river
network short description of the types („passports“) serve as a legend for the map
Product II: Map of stream types (GIS)
Biological Workshop April 21/22, 2008
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Product II: Map of stream types (GIS)
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Product II: Map of stream types (GIS)
Most common stream types of Germany:
Type 5: Small coarse substrate dominated, siliceous
highland rivers (17 %)
Type 14: Small sand dominated lowland rivers (11 %)
Type 19: Small streams in riverine floodplains (9%)
Typ 19: 9
%
Typ 1: 6%
Typ 5: 17
%
Typ 5.1: 7 %
Typ 14: 11 %
Typ 6: 8 %
Typ 15: 5 %
Typ 9: 5
%Typ 7: 5
%
Typ 16: 4 %
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Product II: Map of stream types (GIS)
Common stream type of the Ecoregion 4 Alps:Type 1: Alpine streams (95 %)
Common stream type of the Ecoregion 9 (8) Central Highlands:Type 5: Small coarse substrate dominated siliceous highland rivers (28 %)
Common stream type of the Ecoregion 14 Central plain:Type 14: Small sand dominated lowland rivers (28 %)
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Remarks:„... nowadays almost completely destroyed, due to intense land use in fertile loess areas.“
Product III: Type descriptions as passports
Morphological features:„... very distinct stream type... , winding to meandering in unregular arches in a U-shaped valley, ... naturally most deep cut stream type.Water often cloudy due to natural erosion of fine minerally particles from the bottom (clay, loam, loess).“
Substratum: „... dominant fine minerally particles (clay, loam, loess), organic materials rarely to be found, often aggregations of particles to slab, marl ...“
Biocoenoses: Macrophytes and Phytobenthos: „... aquatic flora only rarely to be found due to cloudy water. Mainly float leaf plants occuring e. g. Potamogeton pectinatus...“
Available in English: www.wasserblick.net or the HR
Twinning website
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comparable to high ecological status, (= no or only minimum deviance from undisturbed conditions in hydromorphology, water qualiy and biocoenoses) starting point of assessment!
Basis
1. best available surface waters
2. modelling, reconstruction
3. historical data
combinations
Reference conditions
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Criteria for reference conditions (AQEMconsortium 2002, REFCOND toolbox)
Land use : Influence of urbanisation, land use and forest management should be as low as possible
Morphology and stream habitats Floodplain at reference site: natural climax vegetation, extensive forests no migration barriers no removal of coarse woody debris no bank and bed fixation
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Criteria for reference conditions
Hydrology and regulation no alteration of natural regime no or only minor alteration of hydrology by dams, reservoirs, weirs, or sediment retaining structures no water abstraction etc.
Water quality no point-source pollution no point-source eutrophication no acidification no alteration of thermal regime no salinisation no toxic substances
Especially for large rivers and in the
lowlands: impossible!
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1. Data base of near-natural rivers or river stretches
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2. Historical data: example River Ems 1850-2000
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3. Reconstruction, modelling: River Sieg, 1822
Sandy habitats at the stream margins:Ephemera danicaseveral Leptoceridae
Wood accumulations:Macronychus quadrituberculatusPotamophilus acuminatusStenelmis canaliculata
Abandoned channels and floodplain ponds:Siphlonurus aestivalisSeveral Dytiscidae, Haliplidae, Gyrinidae
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Conclusions: stream typology of Germany
top down typology acc. to System B has been developed by expert opinion (integration of existing regional typologies)
base of typology: map of aquatic landscapes (sub-ecoregions)
biocoenotic validation: data base from existing data sets and new collected data has been compiled afterwords
typology could ± be validated „bottom up“ with these data sets
GIS map of stream types has been designed
types have been described in passports
typology as living document and iteration: can be updated in future
accepted by scientific projects and legislation
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Thank you for your attention!Thank you for your attention!
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Costs and time needed
typology acc. to System B: some months / 0 € (national experts)
map of aquatic landscapes (sub-ecoregions): 3 years / 75,000 € (private company) !!! hint: map was too detailed, can be developed much faster / ~ 40,000 €
biocoenotic validation: ongoing process since 4 years / ~ 60,000 € (scientific institute) !!! hint: data can be collected within the monitoring
GIS map of stream types: 1 year / 60,000 € (private company)
passports: some months / 0 € (national experts)
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Informations needed for typologies of surface waters (acc. to System B)
rough differentiation of the country and the regions (eco- regions, altitude, size classes, geology, e. g. acc. System A)
(digital) maps of surface waters, geology, soils, topography, relief/altitude lines, borderlines of ecoregions; historical maps
selection of relevant optional parameters for the definition of biocoenotic meaningful types - maybe different for the (sub-)ecoregions
(if available:) data sets of reference sites (abiotic and biotic data)
interdisciplinary experts who know their country and ist surface waters !
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typologies of neighbor countries differ due to different abiotic conditions and slightly different methods
Examples of stream typologies from neighbor countries
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usually System B was chosen, parameters were partly different
in medium sized and large countries number of types varies between 20–30
Examples of stream typologies from neighbor countries