AN ALGEBRAIC GRAPHICAL TOOL TO COMPARE ECOSYSTEMS WITH RESPECT TO THEIR POLLUTION - THE GERMAN RIVER ELBE AS AN EXAMPLE .1. HASSE-DIAGRAMS

Often comparisons are to be performed, which have their basis not on s imple but on vectorial quantities. With the example of polluted sectio ns of the river Elbe and some of its tributaries the technique of Hass e-diagrams is shown. With respect to heavy metal pollution and some as pects of water quality the tributaries Saale and Mulde are maximally l oaded, however, the kind of loading is different from each other. Phen omenological interpretations are given and the importance of long and short range effects is outlined.