The Rhine Basin Hydrography, hydrology, geology, sedimentology human-impact history, channel geometry
Dr. Roy Frings RWTH Aachen University Hydrography The Rhine Basin Basin: 185,000 km2 Length: 1232 km Inhabitants: 58 Million Countries: 9 3 BELGIUM Discharge: 2300 m /s Societal functions Culture Ecology Food supply Recreation Shipping Waste disposal LIECHTENSTEIN 2 (Modified after CHR 1976) ITALY Water supply History of human impact
Since Neolithic Since Industrialisation • Land-use changes • Narrowing (canalisation) • Bank protection Since Middle ages • Barrages • Embankment • Shipping • Meander cut-offs • Sediment mining • Bifurcation modification • Sediment feeding
3 Hydrology
Major tributaries Aare Moselle Neckar Meuse Main
(Image: Paul Maas, 1998) 4 Hydrology
Max. discharge ever recorded: 12,200 m3/s (1926)
Mixed regime
Snow-melt regime
5 Geology and Relief
(SRTM data, H. Braxmeier) North Sea Basin
Lower Rhine Embayment
Rhenish Plateau
Upper Rhine Graben
Alps
6 Longitudinal bed profile
Alpine section Impounded section Freeflowing section Delta section
Delta branches
(Frings et al, 2008) 7 Erosion base The Alpine Section
Bodensee
Konstanz Alpenrhein
Vorderrhein
50 km Hinterrhein
Tectonic setting • Uplift
8 The Alpine Section
Bodensee
Konstanz Alpenrhein
Vorderrhein
50 km Hinterrhein
Tectonic setting • Uplift
9 The Impounded Section
Iffezheim
Oberrhein
Basel Hochrhein
50 km
Tectonic setting • Uplift / Subsidence
10 The free-flowing Section
Mainz
Oberrhein
50 km Iffezheim
Tectonic setting • Subsidence
11 The free-flowing Section
Bonn
Mittelrhein
Mainz 50 km
Tectonic setting • Uplift
12 The free-flowing Section
Lobith
Niederrhein
Bonn
50 km
Tectonic setting • Slight uplift
13 The Delta Section
North Sea
IJssel
Amsterdam Nieuwe Lek/ Waterweg Nederrijn
Waal Haringvliet 50 km
Tectonic setting • Subsidence
14 The Alpine Section
15 (Foto: Frings, 2013) Lai da Tuma The Alpine Section
16 Rein da Tuma The Alpine Section
(Foto: Frings, 2013)
17 Rein da Maighels The Alpine Section
(Foto: Frings, 2013)
18 Vorderrhein The Alpine Section
(Foto: Frings, 2013)
19 Rein da Somvitg The Alpine Section
(Foto: Frings, 2013)
20 Vorderrhein (Tavanasa) The Alpine Section
(Foto: Frings, 2013)
21 Vorderrhein (Rheinschlucht Flims) The Alpine Section
(Foto: Frings, 2012)
22 Hinterrhein The Alpine Section
(Foto: Frings, 2012) 23 Hinterrhein The Alpine Section
(Foto: Frings, 2012)
24 Hinterrhein (Viamala) The Alpine Section
(Foto: Frings, 2013)
25 Confluence Vorderrhein-Hinterrhein The Alpine Section
(Foto: Frings, 2013)
26 Alpenrhein (Vaduz) The Alpine Section
(Foto: Frings, 2013)
27 Alpenrhein (Vorstreckung) The Alpine Section
(Foto: Frings, 2013)
28 Bodensee The Alpine Section
(Foto: Rizzo, 2008)
29 Bodensee (Insel Mainau) The Alpine Section
(Foto: Frings, 2013)
30 Seerhein The Impounded Section
(Foto: Frings, 2013)
31 Hochrhein (Schaffhausen Dam) The Impounded Section
(Foto: Frings, 2012) 32 Hochrhein (Rheinfall) The Impounded Section
(Foto: Frings, 2013)
33 Hochrhein (Aare confluence) The Impounded Section
(Foto: Frings, 2013)
34 Hochrhein (canal Albbruck-Dogern) The Impounded Section
(Foto: Frings, 2013)
35 Oberrhein (Grand Canal d’Alsace) The Impounded Section
(Foto: Frings, 2013)
36 Oberrhein (Restrhein) The Impounded Section
(Foto: BfG)
37 Oberrhein (Wehr Kembs) The Impounded Section
(Foto: Frings, 2013)
38 Oberrhein (Weisweil) The Impounded Section
(Foto: BfG)
39 Oberrhein (Iffezheim dam) The free-flowing Section
(Foto: Gehres, 2010)
40 Mittelrhein The free-flowing Section
(Foto: Frings, 2011)
41 Mittelrhein (bed rock outcrop) The free-flowing Section
(Foto: Frings, 2013)
42 Moselle The free-flowing Section
(Foto: BfG)
43 Confluence of Mittelrhein and Moselle The free-flowing Section
(Foto: Frings, 2013)
44 Niederrhein (Emschermündung) The free-flowing Section
(Foto: Bilderbuch Köln)
45 Niederrhein (Cologne) The Delta Section
(Foto: Frings, 2013)
46 Waal The Delta Section
(Foto: Frings, 2013)
47 Pannerdensch Kanaal The Delta Section
(Foto: B. Boekhoven)
48 Pannerdensch Kanaal, Nederrijn, IJssel The Delta Section
(Foto: Van der Voort, 2004)
49 Merwede The Delta Section
(Foto: Frings, 2013)
50 Lek (Kinderdijk) The Delta Section
(Foto: Frings, 2013)
51 Port of Rotterdam The Delta Section
(Foto: Frings, 2013)
52 Port of Rotterdam The Delta Section
(Foto: Frings, 2013)
53 Nieuwe Waterweg (Mouth of the Rhine) The Delta Section
(Foto: Frings, 2013)
54 Haringvliet (Mouth of the Rhine) Thank you!
Dr. Roy Frings Institute of Hydraulic Engineering and Water Resources Management
RWTH Aachen University Mies-van-der-Rohe-Str. 17 52056 Aachen Germany
E-Mail: [email protected] www.iww.rwth-aachen.de
Birgit Astor Karin Banhold Dr. Roy Frings Nicole Gehres 55 Dr. Gudrun Hillebrand55 18. September 2013 Dr. Stefan Vollmer 25.03.2015