H2020Индивидуална стипендия2017–2019

SHYDRO-ALP · Quantifying ecological effects of small hydropower in Alpine stream ecosystems

„Хоризонт 2020“ — Действия „Мария Склодовска-Кюри“

Период: 2017-05-01 → 2019-04-30
Финансиране от ЕС: 180 277 €
Участници: 1
Схема: MSCA-IF-EF-ST

Линиите свързват координатора с партньорите.

Накратко на български

Връзката между водните потоци и водните безгръбначки в Алпите се анализира чрез басейна на река Адидже. Това помага да се балансира производството на енергия от малки хидроцентрали с опазването на речната биоразнообразност.

Този кратък обзор е генериран от изкуствен интелект

Кратко обяснение, генерирано от езиков модел по текста на CORDIS. Оригиналът е по-долу.

Резултати накратко

Quantifying ecological effects of small hydropower in Alpine stream ecosystems

Among the sources of sustainable energy, hydropower (HP) production is booming globally, with expected rate of increase particularly high in Alpine regions. However, while the production of renewable energy from HP is rightly supported, such development must meet ecological criteria. The challenge is how to maintain hydropower production while reducing its negative impacts on the environment. To achieve this, a clear understanding of the relation between hydrologic regimes and riverine biodiversity is necessary. Using the Adige River basin (IT) as a rappresentative Alpine case-study, the key issues being address in the project are therefore: i) quantifying the relation between river flow characteristics and aquatic invertebrate communities; ii) assessing the extent to which current bio-indicators used to evaluate ecosystem integrity respond to river flow characteristics; iii) seek novel ecological / biological metrics that are sensitive to river flow alterations (e.g. due to hydropower facilities). This is a very timely topic, considering the accelerating pace with which global climate is changing and biodiversity is being eroded. The issue of balancing the production of hydropower and the maintenance of ecological integrity is particularly relevant in the Alpine area where hundreds of new small-hydropower facilities are planned or under construction. The main conclusions of the project are that: - The Adige River has lost most of its natural continuity and ecological connectivity due to not only hydropower facilities but also in-stream obstacles. - The current biological indicator based on aquatic invertebrates appears rather insensitive to flow alteration, while responding mostly to water quality. - Novel bio-indicators specifically designed to reflect hydrological conditions of rivers are needed.

Текст от CORDIS, на английски · Данни: CORDIS, © Европейски съюз

Цел на проекта

In Europe, hydropower is the largest renewable energy resource accounting for 16% of total production, most of which is concentrated in the Alpine region. However, this renewable energy comes at great environmental costs and development of large dams is now considered untenable in many Countries. While studies addressing the ecological implications of hydropower have mostly focused on large facilities, investigations on small hydropower (SHP) are scarcer. Yet, development of SHP is booming globally and in the Alps rising concerns about cumulative effects on riverine systems.This project proposes a multi-disciplinary investigation to better quantify hydrological alterations from SHP and its effects on Alpine stream ecosystems. Combining field-experiments, surveys and innovative modelling of existing flow data-series, the project will: i) quantify the spatio-temporal scales of hydrologic alterations associated with SHP using integrated analytical tools and modelling approaches applied to long-term, spatially distributed data; ii) experimentally mimic water abstractions from SHP using semi-natural flumes to assess the response of aquatic invertebrates and the link between community assembly and ecosystem function applying the Price Equation partition; iii) quantify flow-ecology relationships and the cumulative effects of multiple SHPs using novel functional regression models with streams hydrographs. The results will provide new insights into the short- and long-term effects of SHP on Alpine streams, with practical implication for the sustainable use of water resources.During the project, I will train intensively in methods and software to quantify and model alterations of river flow and habitat and in handling large datasets. I will exchange knowledge with modellers, engineers and freshwater ecologists and foster new collaborations, which will benefit my host organisation and myself. The fellowship will also allow me to return to my homeland after a decade.

Оригинален текст от CORDIS (на английски).

Участници

UNIVERSITA DEGLI STUDI DI TRENTO · TrentoКоординаторИталия