Elbe basin: flood, low flow, hydrometeorological condition, water quality

Elbe basin in Germany

The River Elbe originates in the Giant Mountains (Czech Republic) and flows into the North Sea near Cuxhaven. Its total length is about 1100 km, of which around 730 km are located in Germany. Ten German federal states lie partially (Saxony, Thuringia, Saxony-Anhalt, Brandenburg, Lower Saxony, Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, Schleswig-Holstein, Bavaria) or completely (Berlin, Hamburg) in the catchment area of ​​the Elbe.
The Elbstrom chainnage used for shipping and navigation on the Elbe inland waterway begins at the German / Czech border near Schöna (km 0.0) and ends at Cuxhaven-Kugelbake (sea border) (km 727.70). The Elbe / Labe chainage used in the Czech Republic has its zero position at Mělník (confluence of the Vltava).
The course of the River Elbe is divided into the sections "Upper Elbe" (source of the Elbe to Hirschstein Castle [near Meißen]), "Middle Elbe" (Hirschstein Castle to Geesthacht weir) and "Lower Elbe" (Geesthacht weir to the estuary mouth of the North Sea).
The entire catchment area of ​​the Elbe has a size of about 150,000 sq. km, 65.5 % in Germany, 33.7 % in the Czech Republic, 0.6 % in Austria and 0.2 % in Poland. The main tributaries of the Elbe are the Vltava, the Eger (Ohře), the Schwarze Elster, the Mulde, the Saale and the Havel. [1]


The following international and national commissions / working groups advocate for water protection and flood risk management on the Elbe and its tributaries:

Elbe:
Selection of gauges / water quality moni­toring sta­tions
Elbe:
Current hydro­meteo­rological condi­tions
Elbe:
Extreme floods / low flows
Elbe:
Current water tempera­ture / oxygen con­tent
Elbe:
Special moni­to­ring pro­gram for hydro­logi­cal ex­tremes

Overview Elbe basin

Water quality

Accidental water pollution, warning and alarm plans

The Elbe / Labe in the Czech Republic

Flood / low flow

Research projects / programmes

  • ELSA: Förderprojekt Schadstoffsanierung Elbsedimente; Koordinierung: Behörde für Umwelt und Energie Hamburg (BUE), Laufzeit 2010 - 2021
  • KLIWAS: Auswirkungen des Klimawandels auf Wasserstraßen und Schifffahrt in Deutschland; Programmkoordinierung: BfG, Programmpartner DWD, BSH, BAW, BfG; Träger: BMVBS, Laufzeit 2009-2013
  • GLOWA-Elbe: Wirkungen des globalen Wandels auf den Wasserkreislauf im Elbegebiet; Koordinierung: Potsdam Institut für Klimafolgenforschung (PIK), Förderung: BMBF, Laufzeit 2000 - 2011
  • RIMAX: Risikomanagement extremer Hochwasserereignisse; Koordinierung: GeoForschungsZentrum Potsdam (GFZ), Förderung: BMBF, Laufzeit 2005 - 2010
  • Gesamtkonzept Elbe, Koordinierung: Bundesministerium für Digitales und Verkehr, Bundesministerium für Umwelt, Naturschutz, nukleare Sicherheit und Verbraucherschutz.