Climate change in the Rhine basin: An assessment of impacts and policy options for river management

In recent years, climate change is understood to be a major driver of changes in the hydrological regime of the Rhine river. Based on Global Circulation Model - simulations, a set of climate change scenarios has been developed which has been used as input into largely physically- based hydrological models in the Rhine basin. Despite large uncertainties of the climate scenarios, the model results give a clear indication of the general trends of expected hydrological changes in the Rhine basin and selected sub-basins. These regime changes allow the assessment of impacts on a semi-quantitative basis. The derived policy options for river management are intended to provide guidance for managers and policy makers in the formulation of adequate response strategies to avoid negative effects of climate change and river management in the Rhine basin.