Eco-morphological changes and potential salmon habitat suitability since pre-industrial times in the Mulde River system (Germany)

Offermann, Martin; Hein, Michael; Hegemann, Ronja; Gödecke, Kay; Hegner, Lucas; Henke, Yamuna; Schäfer, Nele; Shelukhina, Hanna; Liebscher, Erik; Opel, Severin; Rabiger-Völlmer, Johannes; Werther, Lukas; Zielhofer, Christoph

doi:10.5194/egqsj-74-325-2025

Articles | Volume 74, issue 2

https://doi.org/10.5194/egqsj-74-325-2025

© Author(s) 2025. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.

Special issue:

Floodplain architecture of fluvial anthropospheres

https://doi.org/10.5194/egqsj-74-325-2025

© Author(s) 2025. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.

Articles | Volume 74, issue 2

Research article

|

05 Dec 2025

Research article |

| 05 Dec 2025

Eco-morphological changes and potential salmon habitat suitability since pre-industrial times in the Mulde River system (Germany)

Martin Offermann, Michael Hein, Ronja Hegemann, Kay Gödecke, Lucas Hegner, Yamuna Henke, Nele Schäfer, Hanna Shelukhina, Erik Liebscher, Severin Opel, Johannes Rabiger-Völlmer, Lukas Werther, and Christoph Zielhofer

Supplement

https://doi.org/10.5194/egqsj-74-325-2025-supplement

Data sets

Gridded habitat ranges of Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) gathered from historical sources Yamuna Henke et al. https://doi.org/10.1594/PANGAEA.974401

Historical salmon (Salmo salar) catches in the Elbe catchment since the 16th century according to historical sources and recent catch data Ronja Hegemann et al. https://doi.org/10.1594/PANGAEA.974369

Short summary

A multi-temporal study investigates river morphology, connectivity, and floodplain land use in the Mulde River system, focusing on the local extinction of Atlantic salmon. The study uses old maps to identify historical barriers and floodplain land use as a proxy for pollution. First results show a negative relationship between increasing barriers counts, intensive floodplain land use, and salmon populations. Sinuous and meandering channel patterns correspond to higher salmon presence.