The impact of climate change on the quality of urban and coastal waters
DiPol aims to collect knowledge on the impact of Climate Change on water quality, to communicate and raise awareness towards this knowledge, to improve the ability of decision makers to counteract these impacts on local and international level, and to facilitate public participation herein.
In 5 case sites, specific potential effects of climate change on the quality of urban and coastal waters were identified and knowledge gaps closed or reduced by event-based sampling surveys. The gathered data were used to feed a simulation tool, that was developed within diPol for decision makers.
Decision makers need to address complex, partly conflicting interests and to balance legislation, societal, environmental and economic concerns. In diPol, we developed a tool combining a complex system analysis technique with a previously developed relative regional risk model in order to help people’s understanding of complex environmental issues and to facilitate prioritization of measures.
In order to facilitate communication of these issues, diPol was accompanied by pupils from 2 schools, in Oslo and Hamburg. During the project, a link was formed between these two schools themselves and between schools, teachers, and scientist, exchanging ideas, knowledge and visions.
Results of the diPol-Project can be viewed on – MAPMYCLIMATE; GoogleEarth
Project Information
Funded by: NTERREG-IVB, North Sea Region Program (EU)
Project duration: 2009-2012
Coordinator: Technische Universität Hamburg Harburg, Prof. Dr. Wolfang Calmano
Team Members: Prof. Susanne Heise, Judith Angelstorf, Maximilia Kottwitz, Kirsten Offermann
Contribution of the Aquatic Ecotox work group:
- Impact of climate change on the quality of urban and coastal waters in the Elbe estuary
- Development of a software tool for applying the relative regional risk model (Landis and Wiegers 2007) to the diPol case site
Projekt partners:
- Hamburg Authority for Urban Development and the Environment (BSU) (Leadpartner) [Germany]
- University of Applied Sciences Lubeck (FHL) [Germany]
- Norwegian Geotechnical Institute (NGI) [Norway]
- VU University Amsterdam [Netherlands]
- Deltares [Netherlands]
- SGI – Swedish Geotechnical Institute) [Sweden]
- University of Gothenburg [Sweden]
- Albertslund Municipality [Denmark]
- Technical University of Denmark [Denmark]
- University of Copenhagen [Denmark]
- Grammar School Kirchdorf Wilhelmsburg [Germany]
- Elvebakken VG school [Norway]
- Hvidovre Forsyning A/S (Utilities) [Denmark]
- Copenhagen municipality, Vej og Park [Denmark]
- Glostrup municipality Natur og milj [Denmark]
- Norwegian Pollution Control Authority [Norway]
- IVL Swedish Environmental Research Institute [Sweden]
Publications