Climate change
Climate adaptation in the Wadden: Grow with the sea
Climate change is a threat to the Wadden sea. In the Interview with WWF officer Jannes explains Cheerfully, as adaptations to sea-level rise can succeed – and why coastal and nature conservation Hand-in-Hand must work.
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The Character Of The Bird
The Oystercatcher is part of the Wadden sea. Its eye-catching appearance – red Beak, black-and-white Plumage makes it the character of the bird. Breeding area are the salt meadows in the Wadden sea, losing the climate change area. Especially the more frequent summer storm floods threaten the young Oystercatchers.
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Smart Guy
Sand Plovers are known for their clever way to get the food. By quick Pitter-Patter with the feet on the horrors soil animals are betrayed by their escape movements. Only about 1400 pairs of the Sand Plover breed on the coast of the Wadden sea. Coastal protection measures due to rising sea levels displace their habitats.
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Lousy Prospects
Mussels live on the watt surface. From the silt liberate yourself with the help of their neighbors: thanks to your support threads you stick together and pull themselves together out of the mud. However, the acidification of the oceans weakens the support threads. In addition, competition is threatening the Pacific oyster: The invasive kind of feels in a warming Wadden sea better than the mussels.
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Shrinking Foodie
Hopelessly overfished and climate change: The plaice, it has not been easy. As a result of climate change, plaice lose to body size, the rising water temperature forces them to migrate to colder climes. Still see billions of baby plaice every summer in the Wadden sea, the light of the world. For the Tail of the Wadden worms are a delicacy – but for how long?
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A whale is quite small
The harbour porpoise is easily confused with the Dolphin. But spirited jumps, one must not expect from him. The smallest Species is small enough to be in the shallow Wadden sea. In addition to the warming of the water due to climate change and harbour porpoises are mainly threatened by set nets of fishermen and by the noise pollution of the seas.
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Welcome back!
The Wadden sea is home to the largest predator in Germany: the grey seal. You can be up to 330 kg in weight and goes on herring hunting. The man had exterminated the ravenous seal once in the Wadden sea, almost – but now, the grey seals are back again, a real success story. Nevertheless, The rise in sea levels threatens the long-term litter places of the animal.
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The Character Of The Bird
The Oystercatcher is part of the Wadden sea. Its eye-catching appearance – red Beak, black-and-white Plumage makes it the character of the bird. Breeding area are the salt meadows in the Wadden sea, losing the climate change area. Especially the more frequent summer storm floods threaten the young Oystercatchers.
-
Smart Guy
Sand Plovers are known for their clever way to get the food. By quick Pitter-Patter with the feet on the horrors soil animals are betrayed by their escape movements. Only about 1400 pairs of the Sand Plover breed on the coast of the Wadden sea. Coastal protection measures due to rising sea levels displace their habitats.
-
Lousy Prospects
Mussels live on the watt surface. From the silt liberate yourself with the help of their neighbors: thanks to your support threads you stick together and pull themselves together out of the mud. However, the acidification of the oceans weakens the support threads. In addition, competition is threatening the Pacific oyster: The invasive kind of feels in a warming Wadden sea better than the mussels.
-
Shrinking Foodie
Hopelessly overfished and climate change: The plaice, it has not been easy. As a result of climate change, plaice lose to body size, the rising water temperature forces them to migrate to colder climes. Still see billions of baby plaice every summer in the Wadden sea, the light of the world. For the Tail of the Wadden worms are a delicacy – but for how long?
-
A whale is quite small
The harbour porpoise is easily confused with the Dolphin. But spirited jumps, one must not expect from him. The smallest Species is small enough to be in the shallow Wadden sea. In addition to the warming of the water due to climate change and harbour porpoises are mainly threatened by set nets of fishermen and by the noise pollution of the seas.
-
Welcome back!
The Wadden sea is home to the largest predator in Germany: the grey seal. You can be up to 330 kg in weight and goes on herring hunting. The man had exterminated the ravenous seal once in the Wadden sea, almost – but now, the grey seals are back again, a real success story. Nevertheless, The rise in sea levels threatens the long-term litter places of the animal.
The Ecosystem of the Wadden sea is in its size, unique in the world. The tide embossed Wadden area extends along the North sea coast of Germany, the Netherlands and Denmark. 30 percent of the area is periodically under water. In the mud, the salt, sand banks and dunes, life of about 10,000 animal and plant species, and meadows. Since 2009, the Wadden sea world natural heritage of UNESCO. The Schleswig-Holstein Wadden sea is the largest national Park in Germany. But climate change is threatening the fragile Ecosystem.
DW: What are the consequences of climate change gets the Wadden sea to feel currently?
WWF-speaker Jannes Fröhlich acceptable solutions in coastal protection for nature.
Jannes Fröhlich: as a result of climate change, the air and the water is warm here, also, the sea level is rising. Here are the most significant consequences for the Wadden sea are to be expected. For example, it will be due to rising temperatures in the future more and less icy winters, for the habitat and reproduction of individual species of importance.
We notice the warming of the water. The water temperature in the Wadden sea has increased since the 1980s. Also, a rise in sea level is observed. In the last century the sea level has risen by about 20 centimetres, and that will accelerate climate change. We anticipate an increase of up to approximately one Meter by the end of the century, and there are studies that assume a still greater increase.
Why is the sea level rise for the Wadden sea so dangerous?
The Wadden sea and drowns when the sea level rises too quickly. Mudflats, which are normally at low water, would permanently lie below sea level. Unique habitats are threatened, such as mudflats and salt meadows, migratory birds lose resting places and their food basis.
In the case of the salt marshes, we expect that you will lose weight in the area. If the sea level is higher and more frequent storm surges take place, the meadows to the Erosion of the salt. The affects of various animal and plant species and leads to a reduction in the size of the national Park Wadden sea. We want to avoid that.
What are the options for climate change adaptation are there?
There are different possibilities. Will be discussed, especially the “Grow with the sea”. Wadden and salt marshes grow not, if the sea level rises too fast, and Sand and silt to settle out. The sea level is rising too quickly, eroding these surfaces and the Wadden sea is not enough sediment available to the rise in sea level to provide a buffer. It is crucial to allow this to Grow in the Wadden sea in the future.
The Wadden sea is a resting place for millions of migratory birds
On the other hand, we can restore still meadows mudflats and salt – habitats that may have gone lost in the past. We should put our attention to the fact that habitats in the Wadden sea and also restore.
The Land of Schleswig-Holstein has decided in the last year, the “strategy for the Wadden sea 2100” for the adaptation to climate change, the WWF has been involved. What could cause this strategy to date?
The strategy is based, as the Name suggests, a time horizon up to 2100 and is only recently been created. Through the publication of a debate. This influenced also the decisions and research activities and small pilot projects. The Land of Schleswig-Holstein advance, for example, a research project to examine in more detail the Sand migration between the island of Sylt, Amrum and Föhr, in more detail, because these are important for sediment supply to the Wadden sea.
In addition, the Wadden sea strategy 2100 to affect the practical protection of the coast. The strategy foresees, in the future, especially a “soft” and near-natural coastal protection, affecting the nature as little as possible. Coastal protection and nature conservation must go Hand-in-Hand to affect habitats in the Wadden sea.
The dyke between the city of Husum and the Wadden sea should be strengthened in an environmentally compatible manner
In the past, coastal protection and nature conservation were often in the way. The pilot project for climate adaptation in the Wadden sea (PiKKoWatt) of the WWF to change that. How is this possible?
With the by the Federal Ministry for the environment funded project PiKKoWatt we want to bring examples of climate adaptation in the Wadden sea. We are involved in coastal protection planning and are committed to the ecologically sound solutions. For example, the state of Schleswig-Holstein wants to strengthen a dike between the city of Husum and the Wadden sea to sea level rise prepare. We have set ourselves for over a year with all stakeholders and professionals to the table and advise, at what point should the dike as nature-friendly as possible.
What needs to be done in the future, in order to protect the Wadden sea is sufficient from climate change?
The sediment supply to the Wadden sea is a Central theme. The Wadden sea suffers from a lack of sediments such as Sand, when the sea level is rising here in the Region too quickly. In the future, it might be wise, therefore, additional sediment from the North sea into the Wadden sea. This is a question to which we must find in the future, a response, also in order to clarify how something with a reasonable environment possible is to follow. We want to support, therefore, not jump to activities, because the top priority in such a national Park is to let nature be nature.
Jannes Fröhlich speaker is in the
The Wadden sea office of the WWF in Husum.
The Interview was conducted by Zurmühlen Oleg Ködding -.