The early summer weather attracted the first swimmers to Lake Neusiedler this weekend. Although it has often made headlines in recent years due to the low water level, the first results this year were at least good. The water level is higher than last year, but evaporation now takes place all year round.
Mud in the bays, dry lagoons, dead fish and dying reeds. Because of all this, the Steppensee is regularly in the news, especially in the summer. It is no secret that the water at the edge of Lake Neusiedler is receding further and further.
But the water situation is probably good at the moment, says Harald Grabenhofer of the Neusiedler See-Seewinkel National Park. However, due to the mild temperatures and strong winds, evaporation now takes place almost all year round, Grabenhofer points out to climate change. To adapt to this, it is important to keep the water in the region.
Project started
Wind and high temperatures cause it to lose more water through heavy evaporation. This doesn’t just happen in the summer months: “Due to climate change, evaporation increases and takes place even in winter when there are no subzero temperatures,” Grabenhofer explains.
To stop the water loss in Lake Burgenland, there are countless experts who all want to know what needs to be done. Some want to let the lake dry out so that it retreats on its own, while others want to supply water from the Einser Canal or the Hungarian Danube via a pump. The ‘LIFE Pannonic Salt’ project was recently started, which should contribute to water retention and raising the groundwater level.
Water level higher this year
As for Lake Neusiedler, it is currently 115.41 meters above the Adriatic Sea, more than 40 centimeters more than in 2023. It is 17 centimeters less than the long-term average. The situation for waterfowl is therefore much better than last year. “We look forward to what we hope will be a successful breeding season,” Grabenhofer said. From August, the region will again be a resting place for migratory water birds and it is of course not yet possible to estimate what the situation will look like.
Source: Krone
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