The Rhine, in many ways the most important river in Europe has undergone not only tremendous contamination but also recreation. This book clearly demonstrates that the Rhine is by far the best investigated water body worldwide.

Many well known scientists have presented their knowledge in this book covering a wide span of different topics.

The development of the Rhine, its catchment area and hydrology is as well presented as the development of water protection requirements and early warning systems on the Rhine. Additionally the book describes many aspects of water quality from the Rhine but also from alpine lakes, tributaries, estuary and adjacent coastal waters connected with the Rhine. This work provides a great deal of data obtained from the analysis and up-to-date monitoring of organic micro pollutants, such as e.g. pesticides, pharmaceuticals, synthetic aromatic sulfonates, chelating agents, industrial chemicals and by-products from chemical syntheses.

The present knowledge on the Rhine, the most important river in Europe and by far the best investigated water body worldwide has been collected in this volume. In addition, it provides a great deal of data obtained from monitoring and analysis.

Inhalt
Jülich and Lindner: Hydrology.- Wilken: The Recovered Rhine and its History.- Lindner: The Development of Water Protection Requirements from the Point of View of Waterworks, with Emphasis on 30 Years of the Memorandum of the International Association ofWaterworks in the River Rhine Catchment Area (IAWR).- Diehl et al.: Early warning Strategies and Practices along the River Rhine.- Petri: Water Quality of Lake Constance.- Leemann and Forster: MTBE in Lake Zurich.- Peschka, Müller, Seel, and Knepper: Trends in Pesticide Transport into the River Rhine.- Weil and Knepper: Pharmaceuticals in the River Rhine.- Lange and Brauch: Analysis, Occurrence, and Fate of Aromatic Sulfonates in the Rhine and Its Tributaries.- Schmidt and Brauch: Occurrence, Fate and Relevance of Aminopolycarboxylate Chelating Agents in the Rhine Basin, Germany.- Knepper and Karrenbrock: Pollutants as Byproducts and Degradation Products of Chemical Syntheses.- Wisser and Hartkopf: Natural and Artificial Radioactivity in the Rhine and its Tributaries.- Bik, de Voogt, and Laane: Assessment of Organic Compounds in the Rhine Estuary.