The groundwater balance in Western Pomerania-The anthropogenic impact, effects from climate change and ways to adopt

摘要

The groundwater balance in Western Pomerania is strongly influenced by human activities. These include changes in land use, beginning in the Early Middle Ages, as well as melioration intensifying in the last century. As a result, groundwater recharge and groundwater levels have dropped, compared to the potential natural conditions. In the coming decades, climatic changes will possibly lead to a further reduction in groundwater recharge. A groundwater flow model for the entire Western Pomerania region was established to quantify the current anthropogenic influences and to investigate which climate-related changes can be expected in the future. To prevent future water supply problems and to avoid harm to groundwater-dependent ecosystems, the effectiveness of possible measures to stabilize the groundwater balance were examined. It was shown that a combination of adaptation measures can lead to a significant reduction of the climate-related drawdown of the groundwater tables.