Within the framework of the joint project MediAN, hardwood floodplain forests are to be analyzed with regard to their ecosystem services of carbon conversion and storage as well as their effect in the event of flooding. The selected study area extends along the Elbe from Bleckede to Rühstädt.

The task of the Chair of Hydraulic Engineering was to investigate the role of hardwood floodplain forests in flood protection. For this purpose, vegetation structures of different forest categories were first recorded in the study area at different times of the year: By means of insitu measurements, the vegetation structures were recorded in representative forest sections using a photographic method. The photographs were then used to assign hydraulic resistance parameters (friction coefficient λ, GMS roughness coefficient kSt) to the vegetation.