Water knowledge
Understanding Aare
Lakes and their regulation shape the Aare's flow. Tributaries including the Zulg and Gürbe join between Thun and Bern. A reading at Lake Thun's outlet therefore does not describe the full discharge in Bern. Check tributary locations and timestamps when comparing stations.
This overview includes 25 monitoring stations for water level, discharge, and water temperature. Not every station provides every measurement. Track changes at the same station, checking the timestamp, unit and source notes. Related waters in this overview: Lake Biel, Lake Brienz, and Lake Thun.
Discharge in m³/s is a volume per second, not the speed of the current. Station comparisons must account for location, measurement time and water travel time. A higher reading is neither automatically a flood warning nor an indication that the river is navigable.
Sources and further reading