Projects

IGB (project lead Thomas Mehner) is part of a consortium that is running a new Horizon 2020 project ‘PONDERFUL’, led by the University of Vic (Spain). The project’s overarching aim is to develop improved methods for maximising the use of ponds and pondscapes in climate change adaptation and mitigation, biodiversity conservation and the delivery of ecosystem services.

In this project, the effect of climate change on the physical processes of lakes will be investigated. Several lakes with a diverse set of boundary conditions (e. g. differing mean depth or different wind exposure) will be instrumented with logger chains. They will measure temperature and oxygen in high resolution and make it possible to resolve changes in physical conditions in response to varying climatic forcing.  In addition to direct measurements, numerical models can be used to reproduce water temperatures in lakes.

Mass development of aquatic macrophytes – causes and consequences of macrophyte removal for ecosystem structure, function, and services

We aim to unravel how C:nutrient ratios, polyphenol content and bacteria interact on macrophyte decomposition.

CLIMSHIFT aims for a mechanistic under-standing of stressor interactions acting on shallow aquatic systems, which are especially vulnerable to climate warming and agricultural run-off.

The main objectives of this research consortium are generating an ecological knowledge base behind environmental flow management and the training of a new generation of advanced experts in this field.

The Baltic Sea and its southern Lowlands: proxy – environment interactions in times of Rapid change

Synergistisc effects of periphyton shading and herbivory on macrophytes