Lake Neusiedl/Fertő tó – An integrated data platform for optical and bathymetric surveys to support reed classification and sediment transport modelling

Lake Neusiedl/Fertő, a transboundary steppe lake in Austria and Hungary, faces several shared territorial challenges relating to reed beds and sediment transport. Furthermore, the low water level – caused by a decline in rainfall – combined with increased pollution in the catchment areas, fluctuating water quality and an ageing reed belt, indicates that further measures are needed to preserve Lake Neusiedl/Fertő as an ecological habitat.

To address these challenges, the Lake Neusiedl strategy study commissioned by the AT-HU Water Commission (2014), commissioned by the AT-HU Water Commission, highlights the importance of monitoring lateral reed growth and the structure of the reed population, the development of numerical models of sediment transport driven by wind, water and waves, and the ongoing adaptation of cross-border coordination of water management. Furthermore, the AT-HU Water Commission has agreed to launch a project on reed management and the joint management of morphological issues at Lake Neusiedl/Fertö, building on the developments of the previous GeNeSee and Reben projects.

The NeuBase project aims to develop an integrated data platform for optical and bathymetric surveys to support reed classification and the modelling of sediment transport.