YANGTZE-PROJECT - MICROTOX

Project duration: 2010-2014

Funding: BMBF

Principle investigator

• Prof. Dr. Andreas Schäffer (Module1)
• Prof. Dr. Henner Hollert (Module 3)
• Dr. Martina Roß-Nockoll (Module 2)

Coordination and Processing

• Dr. Björn Scholz-Starke (Module 2)

Processing

• Ye Yuan, M.Sc. (Module 1)
• Dr. Tilman Floehr (Module 3)
• Katrin Strauch (Module 2)
• Dr. Burkhard Schmidt (Module 1)
• Dr. Dipl. Ing. Richard Ottermanns (Module 2)

Cooperation Partners

Germany

• Research Center Jülich
• Karlsruhe Institute of Technology
• Water Technology Center Karlsruhe
• IWW Water Centre Mülheim
• Helmholtz Center Munich / Technical University Munich
• University of Stuttgart

China

• Tongji University Shanghai
• University of Nanjing
• Chongqing University

Joint Research Project

• Sustainable Management of the Newly Created Ecosystem at the Three Gorges Dam (YANGTZE-PROJECT)

Research Group HYDRO

• Pollutants / Water / Sediment - Impacts of Transformation and Transportation Processes on the Yangtze Water Quality

Sub-Project

• Transformation, Bioaccumulation and Toxicity of Organic Micropollutants in the Yangtze Three Gorges Reservoir (MICROTOX)

The Three Gorges Dam is one of the great projects that enduringly change Chinas nature. Its Reservoir covers a total area of ca. 1085 km2 of the Yangtze river in a total length of 663 km. The creation of the reservoir caused the flooding of former urban, industrial and agricultural areas. This caused a release of substantial amounts of organic and inorganic pollutants into the reservoir. Additionally, contaminants and nutrients (e.g. nitrate, phosphate) enter the reservoir by runoff from adjacent agricultural areas as well as from sewage of industry, aquacultures and households. Periodical changes in water level cause flooding events and thereby a relocation of contaminated water, particulate matter and sediment onto agriculturally used areas along the reservoirs shore. The Three Gorges Reservoir and its surrounding area is the source of food and water for plenty of people. Based on these risks for the population and to preserve this newly created ecosystem it is of importance to develop techniques and procedures that sustainably limit the emission of contaminants into the reservoir.The recent project is integrated into the joint research framework 'Sustainable Management of the Newly Created Ecosystem at the Three Gorges Dam (YANGTZE-PROJECT)' financed by the Federal Bureau of Education and Science (BMBF) as part of the research cluster 'Pollutants / Water / Sediment – Impacts of Transformation and Transportation Processes on the Yangtze Water Quality'. The joint project is carried out in cooperation with numerous German and Chinese partners.
Aim of the presented project is to elucidate the fate (Module 1), potential of bioaccumulation (Module 2) and ecotoxicological properties of major Yangtze pollutants to indigenous organisms (Module 3). Overall objective is to develop a monitoring strategy to evaluate the degree of pollution and identify pollution hot spots in the Three Gorges Reservoir. Beyond may these findings serve as a starting point for a subsequent project on management strategies to reduce the pollution in temporary Yangtze flooding areas.