Fish in Munich ponds are gasping for air. Toads are stranded. Even wasps thirst for water: the endless summer has Munich under control. And now the next heat wave is here. According to Guido Wolz from the German Weather Service (DWD), it could be around 35 degrees Celsius this Thursday – in the shade. Temperatures are significantly higher in shadeless pitches.
The renewed heat wave is already a “very tense situation,” says the weather expert. The 30-degree mark will probably be cracked on Friday as well, before “normal summer temperatures” of between 22 and 26 degrees are expected by the middle of next week. But then the next heat wave rolls on.
The high temperatures and the little rain of the past few weeks and months have had a dramatic impact on the flora and fauna in and around Munich. According to weather expert Wolz, the soil in the Munich area is “very dry” down to a depth of half a meter.
The grass is withering, which can already be seen on Promenadeplatz, although the lawn there is largely shaded by trees. According to Wolz, even a few thunderstorms in the evening bring little relief. It has to rain for hours to wet the top layer of soil enough. Four to six weeks of land rain would be needed for the rainwater to reach the groundwater. But the trees have long been under drought stress. Some are already losing their leaves or even their needles, so it’s already autumn in early August.
The spruce is particularly affected, says Rudolf Nützel. The managing director of the Bund Naturschutz München observed that spruce trees with their shallow root system can hardly get water. Birch trees are also in great danger of dying. They need a lot of water. Nützel, who is a forest scientist, has already seen birch trees losing their leaves. “But that depends on the location,” says the 59-year-old. In depressions and hollows, birch trees could survive the hot summer quite well, in exposed locations such as on free-standing hills they could have serious problems in the coming days.
The graylings are withdrawing from the inner-city Isar
It’s similar to the fish in Munich. The Isar is actually a so-called grayling region here. The bony fish needs cool, clear water, which actually applies to the Isar in the city. But due to the increasing heating of the river, he withdraws more and more. The Munich area is increasingly becoming a bream region, as Munich fishermen have been emphasizing for years. The carp fish especially loves warmer waters with a muddy bottom. This summer, the bream between Flaucher and Tivoli Bridge should actually feel particularly good.
Because of the summer temperatures, a brownish-green layer of algae has formed on the otherwise dazzling white pebbles on the Isargrund. Thanks to the Sylvenstein reservoir, there is still enough water flowing through Munich, but algae bloom when the water temperature sometimes exceeds 20 degrees, as Manfred Siering observed.
The chairman of the Ornithological Society in Bavaria is not only familiar with birds, but also knows that barbel and nase in the Isar “are getting less and less able to cope with the heat”. He finds the long-lasting drought and the recurring periods of heat this summer “really dramatic”. The Isar is warmer than ever at this time of year.
And Munich is starting to dry up. Just two days ago, Tobias Ruff happened to be out and about in Allach at some groundwater ponds. The full-time water ecologist and ÖDP city councilor discovered numerous fish in the almost dry pools that threatened to suffocate. “There were only ten centimeters of water left in the ponds,” he says. So he quickly collected them and relocated the fish to where there is more water. Even in small streams around Munich, such as the Gröbenbach, fish and other creatures in the river are currently under massive threat due to the heat and the increasing water shortage.
The goldfinch also needs water.
(Photo: Thomas Grüner)
Conservationist Manfred Siering has tips on how to help animals on the balcony or in the garden on hot days. “It’s often enough if you provide a flat plate with water,” he says. “Then the birds will come eagerly to bathe.” Some bird species have already left Munich in the heat of the day: the cuckoo set out two weeks ago. However, he does not want to go to cooler regions. Instead, he flies far south to Namibia with his conspecifics. It’s at least as hot there as in Munich.