Water Saxony: Sensitivity Study

The Sensitivity Study 2.0 analyzed how climatic changes affect runoff and water balance parameters of Saxon water bodies for the period 1961-2020 and how strong regional differences are. 88 catchment areas were evaluated using breakpoint, difference hydrograph, cluster and sensitivity analyses. The results are: two temperature jumps around 1987/88 and 2010/11 of approx. 1 °C, increasing real evaporation and a barely changed ratio of potential evaporation to precipitation. The greatest relative changes are in mountainous regions. This is also where the strongest decreases in runoff occur. Overall, negative runoff trends and declining groundwater runoff contributions predominate. The sensitivity of runoff to precipitation is at least twice as high as that of potential evaporation. Sensitive areas react to both variables. The results are presented as profiles.

© Corina Hauffe