DROUGHT EVENTS IN THE GERMAN PART OF THE RHINE RIVER AND ADAPTATION MEASURES

10th International Çukurova Agricultural and Veterinary Congress, Adana, Türkiye, 22 - 23 Haziran 2025, ss.83, (Özet Bildiri)

In the twenty-first century, significant increases in the effects and frequency of disasters related

to climate change, such as droughts, have been observed globally and regionally. However, the

droughts and their characteristics can be estimated and predicted to a certain extent; their

timing, future estimates, and effects have not yet been fully defined, making it difficult to

manage the risks associated with drought events and causing significant economic losses. This

research aims to examine temporally and spatially the historical drought events experienced in

the Rhine River and the four surrounding states in Germany, which constitute the most

important maritime trade route of the country and where transportation activities on the river

have come to a halt due to drops in water levels due to significant drought events experienced

in recent years. Also, it aims to define the drought characteristics, discuss their possible effects,

and address the steps to be taken to adapt to the new situation, changing with climate change.

Within the scope of the research, Standardized Precipitation Index (SPI) at different timescales,

1-month (short), 6-month (medium), and 12-month (long), were carried out using sixty years

of precipitation data measured between 1964-2023 in the states of Nordrhein-Westfalen,

Rhineland-Palatinate, Hessen, and Baden-Württemberg, in Germany. The drought maps were

selected for the most critical dry month over the study period. The research results showed

significant drought events have occurred extremely in the last decade. The results indicated

events that had severe economic consequences in the region regarding hydrology and other

sectors. For example 2018, at Geisenheim station, the drought duration (SPI 12) was 34 months

with -0.87 intensity between 2019 and 2021. Also, the obtained drought maps showed the

spatial distribution of SPI over the study area. This research and the results obtained contain

the necessary basic scientific information for evaluating and discussing the necessary policies,

strategies, and plans to better understand the drought events that have emerged with climate

change in recent years and to ensure adaptation to current situations, and can be used.