Publications

Publication in the journal "Wasser und Abfall"

Changes in the area of tidal flats, reef bends and forelands have far-reaching effects, as the design-relevant sea state is determined by the available water depths. Lowland areas are currently drained by tide gates and pumping stations, whose drainage capacity does not yet adequately take into account the hydrological changes that have already been observed in recent decades. The slowly progressing salinisation of groundwater resources as a result of sea level rise represents a further problem on the coast. WAKOS analyzed the occurrence of compound events in which several of these hazards occur together or in quick succession. Due to the co-occurrence, even moderate individual events can have effects that go beyond those of individual extreme events. Decisions on adaptation measures must therefore take into account the interplay of climatic, hydrological, and societal changes.

Weisse, R., Gaslikova, L., Hagemann, S., Heinrich, P., Berkenbrink, C., Chen, J.J., Bormann, H., Kebschull, J., Ley, A., Massmann, G., Greskowiak, J., Thissen, L., Karrasch, L., Schoppe, A., Ratter, B.M.W., & Wessels, A.. (2024): Zusammenwirken von Naturgefahren im Klimawandel ist für die Nordseeküste zunehmend eine Herausforderung. Wasser und Abfall 26 (5), 38–45, doi:10.1007/s35152-024-1854-y

Zusammenwirken von Naturgefahren im Klimawandel ...

Publication in the journal "Bevölkerungsschutz und Katastrophenhilfe"

WAKOS brings together fragmented knowledge on climate impacts and climate adaptation and fills information gaps for the northwest German coastal region. It creates information bases for spatial planning and disaster risk management. Scenario-based maps of flood risk in the coastal lowlands can contribute to evacuation planning, the assessment of the vulnerability of critical infrastructure, and supply planning. Management options for floods (e.g. targeted flood relief) can thus be formulated for the scenarios under consideration before an event occurs and the need for action can be identified (e.g. emergency power supply in the event of a disaster). In the long term, strategic planning processes in the municipalities are also supported.

Bormann, H., Berkenbrink, C., Karrasch, L., Massmann, G., Ratter, B., Wessels, A., & Weisse, R. (2024): Wasser an den Küsten Ostfrieslands (WAKOS): maßgeschneiderte Klimaservices für die Anpassung. Notfallvorsorge 1/2024, S. 17-25

Synthesis papers from the RegIKlim working groups published

The RegIKlim working groups, in which employees from the RegIKlim model regions regularly exchange views on specific topics, have produced helpful guidelines on how to approach various challenges in climate adaptation. Employees from the WAKOS project have also contributed to these guidelines and incorporated their expertise and experience from the project.

In the RegIKlim working group Integrated assessment at regional and municipal level, different approaches to the assessment of adaptation measures were compiled and, as a result, a catalog of questions was compiled that can be used as a guideline in the preparation of the assessment of adaptation measures. From WAKOS, the process of vision development was presented in more detail as a procedure for the cooperative development of assessment goals. The guidelines are primarily intended to support local decision-makers in the evaluation and prioritization of climate adaptation measures, who are faced with the challenge of evaluating and selecting suitable options for action with the available resources.

Klimaanpassungsmaßnahmen bewerten – Herausforderungen und Lösungsansätze aus der Praxis

A cross-model-region working group was also set up for the subject-specific exchange on Regional adaptation capacities and adaptation needs. The resulting guideline presents common concepts for recording and assessing adaptation capacities and offers insight into the methodological diversity of the approaches used in RegIKlim. The guide offers scientists and practitioners a quick introduction to the topic and presents basic methodological starting points for analyses. WAKOS is presented as a practical example of analyzing collaborative adaptive capacity using a qualitative network perspective.

Erfassung und Bewertung von Anpassungskapazität - Ansätze aus der RegIKlim Forschung

The exchange between the model regions within the RegIKlim working group Transdisciplinary Processes was also documented in the form of guidelines that other transdisciplinary climate adaptation research projects can use for orientation. These guidelines aim to highlight experiences in transdisciplinary research in RegIKlim to guide follow-up projects in effectively building up regional climate knowledge through transdisciplinary approaches and thereby supporting climate action. For the WAKOS project, the fruitful cooperation with regional and local stakeholders from East Frisia was presented as part of the research work.

Transdisziplinäre Forschung in der regionalen Klimaanpassung - Erfahrungen aus der Fördermaßnahme RegIKlim

The RegIKlim working group Transferability and Transfer has developed a concept for the operational continuation and scaling of climate services as a central product of the collaboration, which incorporates the experiences from the model regions. The concept is intended to support applied adaptation research in successfully transferring research results in the project regions and developing an approach for scaling results and tools in other regions. The RegIKlim research networks, including WAKOS, are both addressees of this concept and examples of transfer and scaling activities.

Konzept zur operativen Verstetigung und Skalierung von Klimadiensten - Praktische Erfahrungen aus der Fördermaßnahme RegIKlim

Effect of compound events on inland flood events in the coastal lowlands

Inland flooding events pose an increasingly serious threat to coastal lowlands. In particular, the combination of storm surges and heavy rainfall poses major challenges for drainage systems. This article examines the extent to which climate model calculations for East Frisia include such compound events and the extent to which their impact on inland drainage will intensify in the future.

Bormann, H., & Kebschull, J. (2023): Wirkung von Ereignisbündeln (Compound events) auf Binnenhochwasserereignisse in den Küstenniederungen. In: Heft 44 2023 Forum für Hydrologie und Wasserbewirtschaftung, Nachhaltiges Wassermanagement - Regionale und Globale Strategien, Session 1: Monitoring und Analyse hydrologischer Extreme, S. 5-14

Heft 44 2023 Forum für Hydrologie und Wasserbewirtschaftung

RegIKlim recommendation paper - Strengthening climate adaptation at municipal and regional level

The project coordinators of the RegIKlim funding programme want to strengthen municipalities and regions in Germany in their ability to act on climate change through application-oriented research. In an iterative process, RegIKlim jointly developed key recommendations on how research and public administration can work together to achieve this goal. We further developed these recommendations with practitioners in various workshop and discussion formats (RegIKlim Status Conference 2022, AR6 Discussion Event of the German IPCC Coordination Centre 2022, KAHR Science Conference 2022).

The recommendations aimed at representatives of public administration at local, federal, and state levels to show how adaptation research can be used to implement measures. They further aim at research institutions and research funding organizations to outline ways for the effective further development of adaptation research.

Bernhofer, C., Birkmann, J., Braun, M., Cortekar, J., Garschagen, M., Göttsche, F., Heidenreich, M., Hildmann, C., Mahrenholz, P., McMillan, J., Pinto, J., Sieck, K., von Streit, A., Weber, F.-A., Weisse, R., Wessels, A., & Zimmermann. B. (2022): Empfehlungspapier Klimaanpassung auf kommunaler und regionaler Ebene stärken.

Download the RegIKlim recommendation paper