News

Freshwaters are underestimated sources of greenhouse gases. Researchers with IGB have now shown that even dry water bodies can release considerable amounts of methane. An overview of the causes and magnitudes of methane emissions from freshwaters and an outlook on future developments in climate change make this evident: cleaner waters and more moorland, please.

German scientists have summarised in a policy brief what smart flood protection should look like and what benefits nature-based solutions in particular provide. 

Various pesticides, nitrate and climate warming – many stress factors for lakes and their creatures. A French-German research team has studied the individual and combined effects of these stressors on the food web of macrophytes, algae and microorganisms in shallow lakes. 

Dry banks instead of expanses of water, trickles instead of torrents. With climate change, freshwater bodies are losing water. Researchers of IGB are investigating what this means for people and ecosystems. Over the next few weeks, they will answer 10 questions on the topic.

Our planet is experiencing a dramatic decline in biodiversity. Freshwater plants and animals are particularly at risk. IGB scientists reveal where and why freshwater habitats are declining.

Ecological flood control, i.e. measures that restore floodplains, is effective, technically possible and economically efficient. Yet, this approach is not consistently implemented worldwide because of the high administrative and legal hurdles.

What are the effects of climate change on underwater plants in German inland waters?

Small bodies of water, i.e. natural ponds, kettle holes and pools, account for 30 to 50 per cent of the world’s standing water. Owing to their size, however, the importance of small water bodies was long underestimated. On the occasion of World Water Day, experts from IGB take a look at these rather under-appreciated ecosystems.