In addition to scientific knowledge, the exchange with non-scientists is also important. It was noticeable that many people do not even know what floodplains are. River floodplains are more than just forests at the river, of which by the way there are hardly any left in Germany. That is why the construction of a submersible floodplain model was commissioned, which is used, for example, during the “children's university”.

The model depicts a typical extensively used floodplain, which is located in a curve in the river, a so-called meander. This grassland, a meadow, only contains a few tree relics, bushes and some dead wood. Often you can still find so-called oxbow lakes, as the loops of the river used to shift when the banks were not yet paved with stones. The model also has such an oxbow lake, which is connected to the river if a flood occurs through water flowing in from below. This is very important as it creates quiet zones when the water slowly runs up in the oxbow lake. In this way, fish can colonize the habitat again, spawn in gravel or grass and possibly leave the oxbow lake in good time at the end of the flood. If not they will remain as fodder and fertilizer for other living creatures ... The model river has a sandy-gravelly substrate, which would suggest that it flows at a relatively high flow rate. The curve shows the characteristic steep impact slope as well as a sliding slope and a gravel bank opposite, which can be overgrown with the first pioneer plants during long dry spells. But it can also be completely cleared again during the next major flood. Often this is connected to a shallow floodplain, which is flooded at even lower floods, while the higher parts of the floodplain are flooded far less often.

In practical terms this means: Garden hose screwed on, tap on and spout closed, and you can see exactly how a floodplain fills with water. And that can also be seen in the following video.