Application of a Numerical Model System to Evaluate Sediment Transport and Spawning Habitats for European Graylings in the High Rhine

摘要

The paper presents a complex multidimensional computer modelling system to investigate hydromorphological processes and fish habitat suitability as well as optimization potentials for large rivers. The software tool illustrates the possibilities of modern computer programs and their advantages using the High Rhine investigation as a study case. The results show that by applying these advanced tools the success and cost-effectiveness of the planned hydraulic and river engineering measures can be investigated and rated. Especially, the hydromorphological and habitat changes in the river should not be seen with "mean performance optics", but rather as processes with high spatial and temporal dynamics.