| projects-361 |
603629 |
GLOBAQUA |
MANAGING THE EFFECTS OF MULTIPLE STRESSORS ON AQUATIC ECOSYSTEMS UNDER WATER SCARCITY |
FP7 |
No data |
ENV.2013.6.2-1 |
2014-02-01 |
2019-01-31 |
Completed |
€ 009 985 396.08 |
Water and water-related services are major components of the human wellbeing, and as such are major factors of socio-economic development in Europe; yet freshwater systems are under threat by a variety of stressors (organic and inorganic pollution, geomorphological alterations, land cover change, water abstraction, invasive species and pathogens. Some stressors, such as water scarcity, can be a stressor on its own because of its structural character, and drive the effects of other stressors. The relevance of water scarcity as a stressor is more important in semi-arid regions, such as the Mediterranean basin, which are characterized by highly variable river flows and the occurrence of low flows. This has resulted in increases in frequency and magnitude of extreme flow events. Furthermore, in other European regions such as eastern Germany, western Poland and England, water demand exceeds water availability and water scarcity has become an important management issue. Water scarcity is most commonly associated with inappropriate water management, with resulting river flow reductions. It has become one of the most important drivers of change in freshwater ecosystems. Conjoint occurrence of a myriad of stressors (chemical, geomorphological, biological) under water scarcity will produce novel and unfamiliar synergies and most likely very pronounced effects. Within this context, GLOBAQUA has assembled a multidisciplinary team of leading scientists in the fields of hydrology, chemistry, ecology, ecotoxicology, economy, sociology, engineering and modeling in order to study the interaction of multiple stressors within the frame of strong pressure on water resources. The aim is to achieve a better understanding how current management practices and policies could be improved by identifying the main drawbacks and alternatives. |
https://cordis.europa.eu/project/id/603629 |
Rivers and estuaries', 'Water reservoir', 'Urban water' |
| projects-362 |
619137 |
INAPRO |
Innovative model and demonstration based water management for resource efficiency in integrated multitrophic agriculture and aquaculture systems |
FP7 |
No data |
ENV.2013.WATER INNO&DEMO-1 |
2014-01-01 |
2018-06-30 |
Completed |
€ 009 229 598.78 |
The objective of INAPRO is to mobilise industry, member states and stakeholders to promote a new and innovative technical and technological approach right up to an Aquaponic system which allows a nearly emission free sustainable production and contributes remarkably to global food security for the 21st century. Considering that traditional Aquaponic systems, combining aquaculture and hydroponics, have a great potential in saving water and energy and recovering nutrients from wastewater by value chains, the project aims at a real breakthrough for these systems towards commercialization. This will be achieved by a) the model based optimisation of the system concept in respect to water consumption and quality, environmental impact, waste avoidance, CO2 release and nutrient recycling, energy efficiency, management efforts and finally costs and b) the integration of new technologies containing cutting edge approaches such as: 1) innovative one-way water supply for horticulture and water retrieval by condensation, 2) alternative water and energy sources, 3) optimized filter systems, 4) intelligent sensor and management network for an optimized system construction and operation. The viability of INAPRO systems will be proved in concept-based demonstration projects both in rural and in urban areas that offer a potential economic advantage while simultaneously reducing water and carbon footprint. The dissemination activities (to policy, public and end-users) will open new market opportunities and improve market access inside and outside Europe for producers and technology suppliers. These ambitions meet perfectly with the EU strategies under Europe 2020 to face the challenges of dramatic water resource developments in Europe and worldwide. The project supports particularly the Innovation Union with the EIP Water as one key initiative and further the Common Agricultural Policy and will consequently be closely connected to an EIP Action Group in agricultural water management. |
https://cordis.europa.eu/project/id/619137 |
Urban water' |
| projects-363 |
227087 |
HIGHNOON |
HighNoon: adaptation to changing water resources availability in northern India with Himalayan glacier retreat and changing monsoon pattern |
FP7 |
No data |
ENV.2008.1.1.6.1. |
2009-05-01 |
2012-04-30 |
Completed |
€ 004 292 841.00 |
The hydrological system of Northern India is based on two main phenomena, the monsoon precipitation in summer and the growth and melt of the snow and ice cover in the Himalaya, also called the “Water Tower of Asia”. However, climate change is expected to change these phenomena and it will have a profound impact on snow cover, glaciers and its related hydrology, water resources and the agricultural economy on the Indian peninsula (Singh and Kumar, 1996, Divya and Mehrotra, 1995). It is a great challenge to integrate the spatial and temporal glacier retreat and snowmelt and changed monsoon pattern in weather prediction models under different climate scenarios. Furthermore, the output of these models will have an effect on the input of the hydrological models. The retreat of glaciers and a possible change in monsoon precipitation and pattern will have a great impact on the temporal and spatial availability of water resources in Northern India. Besides climate change, socio-economic development will also have an influence on the use of water resources, the agricultural economy and the adaptive capacity. Socio-economic development determines the level of adaptive capacity. It is a challenge to find appropriate adaptation strategies with stakeholders for each of the sectors agriculture, energy, health and water supply by assessing the impact outputs of the hydrological and socio-economical models. The principal aim of the project is to assess the impact of Himalayan glaciers retreat and possible changes of the Indian summer monsoon on the spatial and temporal distribution of water resources in Northern India and to provide recommendations for appropriate and efficient response strategies that strengthen the cause for adaptation to hydrological extreme events. |
https://cordis.europa.eu/project/id/227087 |
Snow and ice', 'Rivers and estuaries', 'Groundwater' |
| projects-364 |
283638 |
WaterBee DA |
WaterBee Smart Irrigation Systems Demonstration Action |
FP7 |
No data |
SME-2011-3 |
2011-07-01 |
2013-06-30 |
Completed |
€ 002 075 210.20 |
The WaterBee Smart Irrigation Demonstration Action is the follow-on phase from the very successful FP7-SME-007-1 WaterBee “Research for SMEs” project (222440) that ended in September 2010, & very convincingly researched, developed & proved the concept of the WaterBee Prototype to provide an unique scientific soil-moisture model that automatically adapts to each installation & crop with a distributed Web-based Wireless Sensor Networked (WSN) Smart Irrigation system to optimise Water Use Efficiency (WUE) in irrigation. There is a pressing need & excellent commercial opportunity for such a system in Agriculture, which is the largest industry in the world & (according to the WWF), wastes 60% of the 2,500 trillion litres of water it uses each year - which is 70% of the world's accessible water – a huge threat to the environment. A major culprit is inefficient water irrigation systems. In Europe irrigated agriculture is the biggest water consumer (over 60%) in the Mediterranean, where drought is an increasing problem. To bridge the gap from the very successful Research project, & enable its SMEs to be able to address this significant market opportunity, WaterBee will be scaled up to a full reliable operational field prototype service, that will be demonstrated & validated over a 15 month period with complete growing cycles of various crops in 6 contrasting sites across Europe, in Estonia, Italy, Malta, Sweden, Spain & UK, to quantify profitable operation of the WaterBee service for Growers, with water savings of 40% while enhancing crop quality in each site. The project will quantify the market & identify potential users of a commercial WaterBee Service. Based on these & ongoing feedback from the demonstration sites the project will disseminate the WaterBee service to potential customers & business partners through various media & 2 specific events, & develop/validate a Business Plan for the SMEs to commercially develop & exploit the service after this Demo Action ends. |
https://cordis.europa.eu/project/id/283638 |
Urban water' |
| projects-365 |
212250 |
ACQWA |
Assessment of Climatic change and impacts on the Quantity and quality of Water |
FP7 |
No data |
ENV.2007.1.1.5.2. |
2008-10-01 |
2014-03-31 |
Completed |
€ 008 542 585.04 |
As the evidence for human induced climate change becomes clearer, so too does the realization that its effects will have impacts on natural environment and socio-economic systems. Some regions are more vulnerable than others, both to physical changes and to the consequences for ways of life. The proposal will assess the impacts of a changing climate on the quantity and quality of water in mountain regions. Modeling techniques will be used to project the influence of climatic change on the major determinants of river discharge at various time and space scales. Regional climate models will provide the essential information on shifting precipitation and temperature patterns, and snow, ice, and biosphere models will feed into hydrological models in order to assess the changes in seasonality, amount, and incidence of extreme events in various catchment areas. Environmental and socio-economic responses to changes in hydrological regimes will be analyzed in terms of hazards, aquatic ecosystems, hydropower, tourism, agriculture, and the health implications of changing water quality. Attention will also be devoted to the interactions between land use/land cover changes, and changing or conflicting water resource demands. Adaptation and policy options will be elaborated on the basis of the model results. Specific environmental conditions of mountain regions will be particularly affected by rapidly rising temperatures, prolonged droughts and extreme precipitation. The methodological developments gained from a European mountain focus will be used to address water issues in regions whose economic conditions and political structures may compromise capacities to respond and adapt, such as the Andes and Central Asia where complex problems resulting from asymmetric power relations and less robust institutions arise. Methodologies developed to study European mountains and their institutional frameworks will identify vulnerabilities and be used to evaluate a range of policy options. |
https://cordis.europa.eu/project/id/212250 |
Rivers and estuaries', 'Snow and ice' |
| projects-366 |
607394 |
SEDITRANS |
Sediment transport in fluvial, estuarine and coastal environment |
FP7 |
No data |
FP7-PEOPLE-2013-ITN |
2013-09-01 |
2017-08-31 |
Completed |
€ 003 734 061.89 |
Sediment transport in the fluvial, estuarine and coastal environment causes significant morphological changes and results in the amplification of floods, storm surges and other inundation hazards. This increases considerably the risk of failure of structures, disruption of function of networks (water, energy), destruction of ecosystems and natural resources, as well as property and human loss. The impact of sediment transport is expected to be incremented due to climate change. Thus, it is very important to advance knowledge and train future engineers in this field. Herein we propose the formation of a Network for the training of young researchers in all application areas of sediment transport. The Network consists of six academic and four industrial partners and provides an elaborate and interdisciplinary training-through-research program to 12 early stage and 4 experienced researchers. It includes a comprehensive academic program, secondments at industrial partners, workshops, winter and summer schools, thematic conferences, production of guidelines and complementary activities. The proposed research focuses on: i) modeling and algorithm development for sediment transport in river and coastal flows and for inland and offshore turbidity currents or debris flows, and ii) experiments and simulations of sediment transport in river and coastal flows, and sediment-laden density underflows in reservoirs and submarine canyons. The experiments will allow for crucial phenomenological advances in the conceptual models upon which simulation tools are built. The latter, compatible with high performance computing, will be explored jointly by academic an industrial partners in real engineering applications during and after the duration of the project. This network is structured to help the coordination of research and educational activities in sediment transport in a European level and increase the European competitiveness in this important field of S&T. |
https://cordis.europa.eu/project/id/607394 |
Rivers and estuaries', 'Coastal waters', 'Water reservoir' |
| projects-367 |
289911 |
MUMOLADE |
Multiscale Modelling of Landslides and Debris Flows |
FP7 |
No data |
FP7-PEOPLE-2011-ITN |
2012-01-01 |
2015-12-31 |
Completed |
€ 004 318 727.00 |
Landslides and debris flows are serious geo-hazards common to countries with mountainous terrains. The high speed and the enormity of debris mass make debris flows one of the most dangerous natural hazards. Debris flows are often triggered by landslides partially or completely mobilizing into debris flows. Globally, landslides cause billions of dollars in damage and thousands of deaths and injuries each year. The numerous devastating events worldwide have made us aware of the complexity of landslides and debris flows and our insufficient knowledge to make reliable predictions. Traditional tools for prediction and design are based on limit equilibrium analysis for landslides and shallow water model with Finite Difference solver for debris flows. Usually soil and debris are modelled as single phase materials with constant material properties. That the simple models are unable to account for the complex behaviour of landslides and debris flows, which can be best described as multiphase and multiscale, is well known to researchers and stakeholders. Obviously there is an urgent need for better understanding of the triggering mechanisms, for reliable prediction of runout dynamics, deposition pattern and impact forces and for rational design of stabilization and protection structures. The last decade saw rapid developments in advanced constitutive models, experimental techniques in laboratory and in-situ, mechanics of multiphase media, localized deformation analysis, Discrete Element Method (DEM), advanced Finite Element Method (FEM) and Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD). Training in these subjects has been rather sporadic and scattered in various disciplines. By integrating these advances into a coherent research network we expect to achieve the breakthrough in the research on landslides and debris flows, i.e. a consistent physical model with robust numerical scheme to provide reliable prediction and rational design of protection measures for landslides and debris flows. |
https://cordis.europa.eu/project/id/289911 |
Rivers and estuaries' |
| projects-368 |
211108 |
FLADAR |
Flood zoning in Southeast Attica using gauge calibrated radar rainfall and advanced modeling techniques |
FP7 |
No data |
PEOPLE-2007-4-3.IRG |
2007-09-01 |
2011-08-31 |
Completed |
€ 000 100 000.00 |
The chief objective of the FLADAR project is to combine the main researcher’s expertise in flood assessment studies and the technical and personnel support of two major research institutes, the National Technical University of Athens (NTUA) and the National Observatory of Athens (NOA), to produce flood risk zones in selected areas southeast of Athens, Greece. No prior studies of flood risk maps exist for the city of Athens. The absence of flood zones prohibited the implementation of sound flood risk management plans and let people and properties vulnerable to flash floods during significant storm events. The FLADAR project aims to provide such input to the Competent Authorities by conducting a comprehensive flood study in a currently developing region of Athens, where effective flood management planning may not only mitigate flood impact but also prevent it. The study will use GIS and distributed modeling techniques supported by rain gauge calibrated radar rainfall from the polarimetric radar of the NOA and historical rainfall data from the METEONET gauge network operated by NTUA. During the last 5 years, the main researcher applied advanced modeling techniques in Rice University, Houston TX, to evaluate the impact of land use change and subsidence on urban flooding. For the last 7 months, the researcher is working under contract with NTUA and produced, in cooperation with NOA, a preliminary comparison of radar and rain gauge data in the greater Athens area, that will be presented in the 10th International Conference on Environmental Science and Technology in Cos, Greece. Getting funded for the FLADAR project will enable the researcher to continue the current cooperation and support a floodplain analysis study by purchasing radar rainfall data and advanced software, installing stream flow gauges, acquiring expert opinions, and employing support personnel. The FLADAR project aims to follow the guidelines and satisfy major goals of the proposed EU Flood Directive. |
https://cordis.europa.eu/project/id/211108 |
Urban water', 'Rivers and estuaries' |
| projects-369 |
291152 |
FLOODCHANGE |
Deciphering River Flood Change |
FP7 |
No data |
ERC-AG-PE10 |
2012-04-01 |
2017-03-31 |
Completed |
€ 002 263 565.00 |
Many major and devastating floods have occurred around the world recently. Their number and magnitude seems to have increased but such changes are not clear. More surprisingly, the exact causes of changes remain a mystery. Although, drivers such as climate and land use change are known to play a critical role, their complex interactions in flood generation have not been disentangled.The main objectives of this project are to understand how changes in land use and climate translate into changes in river floods, what are the factors controlling this relationship and what are the uncertainties involved. We decipher the relationship between changes in floods and their drivers by analysing the processes separately for different flood types such as flash floods, rain-on-snow floods and large scale synoptic floods. We then use data from catchments in transects across Europe to build a probabilistic flood-change model that explicitly describes the change mechanisms. The model is unconventional as it does not take a reductionist approach but conceptualises the dominant flood change processes at the catchment scale. We test the model on long high-quality flood data series. We use the model as well as the temporal and spatial data variability to quantify the sensitivity of floods to climate and land use change and estimate the uncertainties involved. The data are already available to me or will be made available through my excellent contacts in Europe.For the first time, it will be possible to systematise the effects of land use and climate on floods which will provide a vital step towards predicting how floods will change in the future. |
https://cordis.europa.eu/project/id/291152 |
Rivers and estuaries' |
| projects-370 |
622468 |
FLOODHAZARDS |
Effects of global change on hydro-geomorphological hazards in Mediterranean rivers |
FP7 |
No data |
FP7-PEOPLE-2013-IEF |
2015-09-01 |
2017-12-01 |
Completed |
€ 000 161 968.80 |
Mediterranean river basins are characterized by high (often extreme) temporal variability in precipitation, and hence discharge. Mediterranean countries are considered sensitive to so-called global change, considered as the combination of climate and land use changes. All panels on climate evolution predict future scenarios of increasing frequency and magnitude of floods and extended droughts in the Mediterranean region; both floods and droughts are likely to lead to huge geomorphic adjustments of river channels so, major metamorphosis of fluvial systems is expected as a result of global change. Water resources in the Mediterranean region is subjected to rising pressures, becoming a key issue for all governments (i.e. clear imbalance between the available water resources and the increasing water demand related to increasing human population). Such pressures are likely to give rise to major ecological and economic changes and challenges that governments need to address as a matter of priority. Changes in river flow regimes associated with global change are therefore ushering in a new era, where there is a critical need to evaluate hydro-geomorphological hazard from headwaters to lowland areas (flooding can be not just a problem related to being under the water). A key question is how our understanding of these hazards associated with global change can be improved; improvement has to come from integrated research which includes all physical conditions that influence the conveyance of water and sediments, and the river’s capacity (i.e. amount of sediment) and competence (i.e. channel deformation) that, in turn, will influence physical conditions of a given point in the river network. This is the framework of the present project; it is directed to develop an integrated approach which both improves our understanding of how rivers are likely to evolve as a result of global change, and addresses the associated hazards of fluvial environmental change. |
https://cordis.europa.eu/project/id/622468 |
Rivers and estuaries' |
