Climatic change of soil water balance and soil element budget as well as groundwater recharge in the Emscher river catchment. The most important planning und prediction instruments for future groundwater management are numerical groundwater models. One of the key input parameter for these models is groundwater recharge, which is basically dependant on the soil water balance. Hence, the soil water balance is further investigated and where possible quantified with respect to soil development processes and soil properties which alter as a result of climate change. The investigations focus on urban soils (especially Technosols), which represent the type of soil covering wide areas of the Emscher region. Groundwater is influenced by a combination of recharge percolation rates as well as potentials for pollutant transport and biodegradability within the soil layer. The quality of surface water of gaining streams within the river catchment can therefore also be influenced by the described processes. Due to these coherences, the climatic impact on the pollutant transport and biodegradation potentials in soils as well as their influence on groundwater and surface water quality are investigated
