Author(s)

I. Pohle, H. Koch, A. Gädeke, M. Kaltofen, M. Schramm, M. Redetzky, F. Müller, U. Grünewald

Abstract

The water balance of the Rivers Spree, Schwarze Elster and Lusatian Neisse is profoundly disturbed due to large-scale open-cast lignite mining activities and water management. Together with continental climate conditions this affects water resources and water users in the region. Driven by scenarios of the regional climate model STAR which assume increasing temperature and decreasing precipitation, two hydrological models, the Soil and Water Integrated Model SWIM and the catchment model EGMO simulate declining natural discharges in the region. Thus, decreasing managed discharges are simulated with the long term water management model WBalMo. The refinement of the simulation time step of WBalMo from months to weeks improves the consideration of climate variability and is also associated with higher simulated managed discharges in early summer. Management scenarios in terms of a reduced outlet capacity of a mining lake reservoir result in higher releases from other reservoirs and slightly reduced summer discharges in downstream river sections. Keywords: water management modelling, hydrological modelling, climate change, mining.

Keywords

water management modelling, hydrological modelling, climatechange, mining