Weser basin: flood, low flow, hydrometeorological conditions, water quality

Weser basin basin in Germany

The River Werra, originating in the Thuringian Forest and the River Fulda, flowing out of the Rhön Mountains, unite in the town Hannoversch Münden to the River Weser. The Upper Weser transforms at the Porta Westfalica into the Middle Weser and flows through the North German Plain. The tidal stretch of the Weser starts at the lock in Bremen-Hemelingen and flows into the North Sea at Bremerhaven. The total length of the Weser is 427 km: Upper and Middle Weser have a combined length of 362 km, the tidal Weser only 65 km.
The Weser chainage used for shipping and navigation begins at the confluence of the Werra and Fulda (km 0.0) and ends at river kilometer 366.72 (Wilhelm-Kaisen-Bridge, Bremen), where a new count (km 0.0 to 85.25) for the Lower Weser starts.
The Weser river basin district also includes the Jade catchment area and has a total size of around 49000 sq. km. This area is completely within Germany and extends over the federal states of Lower Saxony (60.1 %), Hesse (18.4 %), North Rhine-Westphalia (10.1 %), Thuringia (9.1 %) and Saxony-Anhalt, Bremen and Bavaria with significantly smaller shares. [1]
In addition to the headwaters Werra and Fulda, leftsided the Diemel, Werre, Große Aue, Ochtum and Hunte as well as the Aller and Lesum on the right-hand side are significant Weser tributaries.


Water protection and flood risk management measures on the Weser and its tributaries are coordinated by:

Weser:
Selection of gauges / water quality moni­toring sta­tions
Weser:
Current hydro­meteo­rological condi­tions
Weser:
Extreme floods / low flows
Weser:
Current water tempera­ture / oxygen con­tent

Overview Weser basin

Water quality

Accidental water pollution, warning and alarm plans

Flood / low flow

Research projects / programmes

  • PLAWES: Mikroplastikkontamination im Modellsystem Weser - Nationalpark Wattenmeer: ein ökosystemübergreifender Ansatz; Koordinierung: Universität Bayreuth und Alfred-Wegener-Institut Helmholtz-Zentrum für Polar- und Meeresforschung, Laufzeit 2017 - 2020