Shifts in the Processes of Oxygen and Nutrient Balances in the River Elbe since the Transformation of the Economic Structure

The reduction of pollution in the river Elbe since 1990 has resulted in changes in the processes taking place in the river. The heterotrophic degradation which dominated until 1990 was accompanied by a lack of oxygen, floating masses of sewage fungi, and sludge formation in the areas of still water. Since the early 1990s, autotrophic processes have come to dominate, with an increase in pH fluctuations and the oxygen production potential, but evidently not the chlorophyll level during the growing season. The degradable organic pollution of the Elbe is determined by algae production. The high levels of ammonium previously encountered in the Elbe were attributable to not only dischargers but also in particular the lack of oxygen in the water. Via heterotrophic nitrate assimilation, nitrate served as an oxygen reserve, resulting in high levels of nitrite. At present, when the oxygen contents are sufficient, the concentration reductions of nitrate and nitrite along the reach of the Elbe are approximately parallel, which in view of the lack of ammonium indicates the denitrification of microzones low in oxygen. The relative proportion of structurally bound substance turnover will become increasingly important for the Elbeπs material budget.