Gardening Events

With bangem view the cities and municipalities on the Rhine, at the Danube and at their tributaries look in the spring regularly toward alps. In this year much snow there particularly lies. Additionally even if strong precipitation should fall as with the Pfingsthochwasser 1999 to the thaw, the danger that rivers swell and step over their banks, in far parts of Germany would rise rapidly. Precipitation can be predicted however only few days in advance. Are the greater the importance of effective systems of early warning and new methods and current research projects of the flood protection present acqua the Alta, international congress with trade fair for climatic sequences and flood protection, from 10 to 12 November in the CCH Congress center Hamburg.
In the opinion of Reinhard Vogt, managing director of the flood authority center Cologne, improved flood early warning in Germany in the past years substantially: „ the flood reporting service gives in the meantime three times daily information about the current water levels, even if these did not reach yet the reporting heights. So the municipalities can prepare better for potenzielle dangers. \ " Helpful is also the network of the flood reporting centers, in which all relevant information gathers like current water levels and velocities of flow of the rivers. Reinhard Vogt participates in the international congress acqua the Alta as moderator: „ that is world-wide the only meeting, which concerns itself in such a manner comprehensively and intensively with the flood protection. \ "
A central role with early warning takes the German weather service (DWD). It supports offices for flood protection of the Federal states with forecasts over precipitation and thaw and advises the Ministries of the federation and the countries concerned with water affairs regarding the effects of weather and climaticon the congress acqua the Alta Dr. Bruno Rudolf, director/conductor of the department of hydraulic meteorology with the DWD over the meteorological aspects of high and Niedrigwasser will speak. „ the meeting makes an interdisciplinary exchange of experience and knowledge transfer possible also on international level \ " , Rudolf emphasizes the meaning acqua the Alta. An example of it is the Netherlands expert Dr. Jaap Kwadjik of wl Delft Hydrauliks, which will inform in Hamburg about hydrologic forecasts in the global framework.
Germany sees Rudolf well set up during the flood research in the international comparison. In addition the advancement program carries „ risk management of extreme flood events \ &quot in large measure; (RIMAX) of the Federal Ministry for education and research. For those altogether approximately 40 projects at German universities and universities, in which also flood protection authorities are involved, put the Ministry up to 25 million euro at the disposal. The projects are occupied with simulations of possible flood scenarios, from which efficient preventive measures can be derived; they examine weak points in the flood management or develop a flood protection concept for waters with small and middle catchment areas.
Also the DWD is merged with individual RIMAX projects, as Dr. Bruno Rudolf describes: „ we observe for example the project OPAQUE at the University of potsdam very exactly. It looks for ways to improve the forecast of discharges of floodwater in source areas and falls back thereby among other things to our rain radar. On basis of the results of this project we want to optimize our radar observation still further. \ " The RIMAX projects are accompanied contentwise by a coordination center at the helmet getting time center German geo research center (GFZ) in potsdam.
Professor Bruno Merz of the GFZ is &quot on acqua the Alta over the newest realizations at „ the flood risk management in times of the global change \; report. Merz in multi-functional solutions sees a much promising way: „ those are beginnings, which reduce the flood risk and at the same time further economic, social or bring environmental use. In addition count early warning systems, which predict not only floods, but are used likewise for the warning in relation to other dangers and information systems, which permit both the planning of flood to evacuation scenarios, and for different purposes of traffic and town planning to be used to be able. \ "
About these and other models and measures to the flood protection acqua the Alta will inform 2009 in Hamburg. Acqua the Alta, international congress with trade fair for climatic sequences and flood protection, takes place from 10 to 12 November 2009 in the CCH Congress center Hamburg. With the central topics of interest climatic sequences, flood protection, disaster management and water management offers it to all organizations involved, research institutes, local central associations and industries a platform for the technical exchange and the development of common strategies for the management of these global joint tasks. Further information to congress and fair as well as to Frühbucherrabatten is in the Internet under www.acqua-alta.de