Hydrology of Switzerland
Switzerland is sometimes called the "water tower of Europe".[1][2] Water from Switzerland reaches all northern, southern, western and eastern parts of Europe.
Surface water
All major lakes of Switzerland are located in the Rhine, Rhone and Po basins. Lakes in the Danube and Adige basins are less than 5 km². All basins except the Adige have glaciers.
Basin | Percent of Swiss territory[3] | Major affluents in Switzerland[4] | Cantons[4] | Largest lakes[4] | Largest glaciers[4] | Empties in | Location |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Rhine | 68 % | Rhine itself ( Thur, Limmat
|
Zurich
|
Lake Constance, Neuchâtel, Lucerne, Zurich | North Sea | Rhine–Meuse–Scheldt delta in the Netherlands | |
Rhone
|
18 % | Rhone itself, Doubs | Fribourg, Geneva, Jura, Neuchâtel, Valais, Vaud | Lake Geneva | Rhone
|
Western Mediterranean Sea | Rhone delta in France |
Po | 9.3 % | Ticino | Grisons, Ticino, Valais | Lake Maggiore, Lugano | Forno, Palü | Adriatic Sea | Po delta in Italy |
Danube | 4.4 % | Inn | Grisons | Lake Sils, Silvaplana | Morteratsch, Roseg | Black Sea | Danube Delta in Romania and Ukraine |
Adige | 0.3 % | Rom | Grisons | Lai da Rims | none | Adriatic Sea | North of Po delta in Italy |
Groundwater
Groundwater refers to water located beneath the ground surface, as opposed to surface water that forms lakes and rivers. This is called hydrogeology. The nature and location of the groundwater is defined by the geological nature of the soils. In the mid-twentieth century, knowledge of groundwater in Switzerland suffered from significant gaps. They were partially filled in the 1980s and 1990s, with a national research program.
The geological structure of Switzerland was formed by collision of two tectonic plates, the
Each year, one hectare of the Swiss plateau filter an average of four million liters of clean groundwater. According to the Federal Office of Environment, the Swiss basement contains about fifty billion m3 of water. Groundwater is by far the main source of drinking water in Switzerland, covering 80% of requirements. Considering other uses (drinking water and industrial water), groundwater covers 58% of requirements.
See also
- List of rivers of Switzerland
- List of lakes of Switzerland
- List of glaciers of Switzerland
- List of islands of Switzerland
- List of valleys of the Alps
- Geography of Switzerland
References
- ^ Eine grosse Verantwortung für das "Wasserschloss Europas" bafu.admin.ch. Retrieved 2011-04-12
- ISBN 978-3-95202620-5. Archived from the originalon 2015-01-20. Retrieved 2014-09-04.
- ^ Oskar Bär, Geographie der Schweiz, p. 33, 1973
- ^ a b c d "River basins on the Swiss National Map". Swisstopo. Retrieved 6 August 2022.
- The Hydrology of Switzerland admin.ch