News

Scientific memorandum "Energy transition not at the expense of aquatic biodiversity" formulates seven concrete proposals to defuse conflicts of goals between climate and biodiversity protection.

In the run-up to the UN Climate Change Conference, scientific societies in the field of water research once again recommend that the high relevance of inland waters should be better taken into account in the context of climate policy. The scientific findings and data from IGB also prove this urgency.

Recent studies show that this greenhouse gas is also produced in oxygen-rich waters: various phytoplankton species emit methane. IGB researcher Dr Mina Bizic pooled the knowledge on methane formation by phytoplankton and discussed the possible consequences.

After 25 years, the programme to reintroduce the European sturgeon into the Elbe and the Gironde is now bearing fruit – adult specimens have returned to the rivers for the first time this year. In an interview, IGB scientist Jörn Geßner tells of the obstacles encountered along the way, as well as more fortunate occurrences. And he explains why the task of reintroducing sturgeon into the North and Baltic Seas will continue to be difficult despite past successes.

Researchers led by IGB have summarised and evaluated the scientific literature on recreational ecology in a meta-study. Although all recreational activities can have negative impacts on plants, animals and the environment, they conclude that boat traffic and shoreline use have the most consistently negative impacts. 

If all the proposed dams were built, 19 percent of free-flowing rivers that are longer than 500 km and inhabited by freshwater megafauna will lose their free-flowing status. The study also finds that freshwater megafauna diversity is higher in future fragmented free-flowing rivers than in rivers that would remain free-flowing in the future or that are already fragmented.

Every year, the German Limnological Society (DGL) awards the Schwoerbel Benndorf Prize to three outstanding young scientists. This year’s 1st and 3rd place went to two young IGB researchers.

Missing or vague definitions and standards make it difficult to plan and evaluate aquaponic systems properly. Researchers from IGB have now tightened up the definitions and created a calculation model for resource use.