This is the result of an analysis by Germany’s Federal Institute of Hydrology (BfG) and the Dutch research institute Deltares on behalf of the International Commission for the Protection of the Rhine (ICPR).
“The Rhine is warming significantly as a result of climate change,” their study states. There are already effects on the ecology and economy that will intensify in the future. The rise in water temperature is directly linked to the rise in air temperatures due to climate change, according to a press release.
The researchers simulated the development of water temperatures and carried out modelling calculations. They expect the water in the Rhine to warm by between 1.1-1.8°C by the middle of the century. “By 2100, the average annual water temperature could even warm by 2.9-4.2°C, compared to the period from 1990 to 2010, which was used as a reference for all calculations,” the authors wrote.
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Half of Switzerland’s fish in danger, says study
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More than half the fish and cyclostomi (jawless fish such as lampreys) in Switzerland are threatened or vulnerable species, says a study.
On an annual average, the number of days on which the main part of the Rhine is below 10°C could fall significantly: from the current 170 to 104 days. At the same time, the number of days with temperatures above 21.5°C would increase from the current 32 to 106 days a year, according to the modelling.
On 50 of these days, the average temperature could even reach between 25-28°C. According to the study, the southern sections of the Rhine from Switzerland to Karlsruhe will be particularly affected.
What consequences?
“If critical temperature thresholds are exceeded over longer periods of time, ecological damage can occur,” said Tanja Bergfeld-Wiedemann, a biologist at the BfG. “At higher temperatures, the solubility of gases in the water also decreases, which means less oxygen is available to the animals.”
Restrictions on the use of water are also a possible consequence, according to the press release. “The rise in temperature will lead to less capacity being available for existing and new cooling water consumers.”
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Fish species are disappearing as Swiss lakes warm up
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As temperatures climb in Switzerland, Swiss lakes, fish species and their natural habitat are also suffering. A look at the impact on Lake Geneva.
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Providing you with automatically translated news gives us the time to write more in-depth articles. The news stories we select have been written and carefully fact-checked by an external editorial team from news agencies such as Bloomberg or Keystone.
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Switzerland eyes joining EU rearmament programme
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The Federal Council wants to explore the possibilities of joining the European Union’s €800-billion rearmament programme without compromising Swiss neutrality.
Premiere for Swiss Air Force on French National Day
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On July 14, the Swiss Air Force will take part in the traditional air parade in Paris to mark the French bank holidays with an F/A-18 fighter jet. This is a first for Switzerland.
Swiss launch competition for memorial to Nazi victims
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The victims of Nazi Germany are to be commemorated on the Casinoterrasse in Bern. A competition will be held to determine what the site will look like.
The Swiss business umbrella organisation Economiesuisse and the employers’ association broadly support the package of agreements negotiated with the European Union.
Top Swiss politician experiences drone attack in Ukraine
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Maja Riniker, president of the Swiss House of Representatives, said she had to spend two hours in a bunker during her trip to Ukraine because of Russian drone attacks.
