| projects-061 |
642258 |
MOSES |
Managing crOp water Saving with Enterprise Services |
H2020 |
H2020-WATER-2014-2015 |
WATER-1a-2014 |
2015-07-01 |
2018-10-31 |
Completed |
ā¬ 004 249 262.50 |
The main objective of MOSES is to put in place and demonstrate at the real scale of application an information platform devoted to water procurement and management agencies (e.g. reclamation consortia, irrigation districts, etc.) to facilitate planning of irrigation water resources, with the aim of:ā¢ saving water;ā¢ improving services to farmers;ā¢ reducing monetary and energy costs.To achieve these goals, the MOSES project combines in an innovative and integrated platform a wide range of data and technological resources: EO data, probabilistic seasonal forecasting and numerical weather prediction, crop water requirement and irrigation modelling and online GIS Decision Support System. Spatial scales of services range from river basin to sub-district; users access the system depending on their expertise and needs. Main system components are:1. early-season irrigated crop mapping2. seasonal weather forecasting and downscaling3. in-season monitoring of evapotranspiration and water availability4. seasonal and medium/short term irrigation forecastingFour Demonstration Areas will be set up in Italy, Spain, Romania and Morocco, plus an Indian organization acting as observer. Different water procurement and distribution scenarios will be considered, collecting data and user needs, interfacing with existing local services and contributing to service definition. Demonstrative and training sessions are foreseen for service exploitation in the Demonstration Areas.The proposed system is targeting EIP on Water āthematic prioritiesā related to increasing agriculture water use efficiency, water resource monitoring and flood and drought risk management; it will be compliant to INSPIRE. This SME-led project address to the irrigated agriculture users an integrated and innovative water management solution. |
https://cordis.europa.eu/project/id/642258 |
Rivers and estuaries', 'Urban water' |
| projects-062 |
744140 |
SMARTQUA |
Advanced ICT Risk Assessment Tool to Increase Climate Resilience, Water-Use Efficiency and Environmental Sustainability of Agricultural Production |
H2020 |
H2020-SMEInst-2016-2017 |
SMEInst-07-2016-2017 |
2016-11-01 |
2017-02-28 |
Completed |
ā¬ 000 071 429.00 |
"Water management in Europe and around the world is facing rising global temperatures, higher rainfall variability, population growth and water demand increases, freshwater pollution and other serious challenges. Current Modelling and ICT tools can help farmers to be more efficient regarding water management in agriculture. There are some potential ""smart water"" applications available mostly as research or information tools. However, there is still a lack of integrated-site-specific solutions offering an adapted service for the agriculture sector and no available commercialization. Zeta Amaltea, and GeoSlab conform the most complementary consortium with high level skills and background on innovative solutions for Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM) and planning. They will launch SMARTQUA as the first tool to fully take into account agricultural farmerās needs to provide effective water and risk management; considering key internal and external data input. SMARTQUA integrates water management and nitrate pollution EU legislation, watershed data and underground aquifers, all in a cheaper offer than competitors. The benefits of this service will provide an accurate decision-making via web (online platform) or mobile application and lead to significant return of saving up to 20-35% of farmerās operation efficiency and 15% of internal cost (saving water, energy and fertilizer use), whilst avoiding nitrate pollution and providing a higher climate resilience." |
https://cordis.europa.eu/project/id/744140 |
Groundwater', 'Urban water' |
| projects-063 |
660391 |
OPTWET |
Finding optimal size and location for wetland restoration sites for best nutrient removal performance using spatial analysis and modelling |
H2020 |
H2020-MSCA-IF-2014 |
MSCA-IF-2014-GF |
2015-04-01 |
2018-03-31 |
Completed |
ā¬ 000 240 507.00 |
Diffuse losses of nitrogen and phosphorus from agricultural areas contribute significantly to eutrophication of waterways, lakes, estuaries and coastal zones and water pollution is a growing and serious problem across much of the world. The role of wetlands in improving surface water quality is well known. The capacity of wetlands to improve water quality is dependent on a large number of parameters that have been widely studied, such as vegetation cover or type, water retention time, climatic variables, and also their size and spatial arrangement in the watershed. However, the question where wetlands should be located in agricultural catchments to achieve the most effective nutrient removal at the catchment level has not been clearly resolved. This project aims to determine the optimal sizing and location for wetlands in agricultural catchments to reduce nutrient (nitrogen and phosphorus) loads in catchments. The study consist of two parts performed on study areas with different landscape and climatic conditions. Firstly, potentially suitable wetland restoration/creation sites are identified by using high quality data and geospatial analysis techniques. Secondly, evaluation of the effectiveness of wetland nitrogen and phosphorus removal from surface waters at various potential locations indicated by the geospatial analyses under different hydrological regimes and land use scenarios will be done by using modelling with CLUES (Catchment Land Use for Environmental Sustainability model) and SWAT (Soil and Water and Assessment Tool). Important role in the study is also on using and integrating different datasets and modelling approaches. |
https://cordis.europa.eu/project/id/660391 |
Wetlands', 'Rivers and estuaries', 'Lakes', 'Coastal waters' |
| projects-064 |
793403 |
CHANGE |
Climate, Hydrology, and Alpine Glaciers |
H2020 |
H2020-MSCA-IF-2017 |
MSCA-IF-2017 |
2018-06-01 |
2020-05-31 |
Completed |
ā¬ 000 183 454.80 |
Global warming is clearly evidenced by receding glaciers and is largely threatening water supplies. Future glacier retreat in the European Alps, known as the Ā»water towersĀ« of Europe, will drastically affect the regional hydrology, since it is estimated that about 55-85% of summer glacier runoff will be lost by the end of the 21st century. Future water security is dependent on sustainable management of water resources, which is one of key policy challenges in the Alpine region. For developing policies that will ensure an optimal level of adaptation to climate change, it is essential to understand climate change impacts by delivering reliable, accurate and up-to-date data from a scientific community. In the light of this view, the main research objective is to make more accurate predictions of anticipated changes in glacier behaviour and runoff in the Alps that will not be relevant only to a scientific community, but also to policy-makers. This project will deliver new data about glacier response to a changing climate and its impact on meltwater runoff in the main glacierized Alpine catchments by applying state-of-the-art glaciological field techniques and glacio-hydrological modelling. The developments of the glacio-hydrological model will further provide the information on glacier runoff and complex pathways of meltwater over different lihologies including a variety of permeable and non-permeable substrates that represent the range of Alpine bedrock lithologies. Scientists from different, but complementary research fields will collaborate on the project by exchanging new knowledge and bringing their expertise on the state-of-the-art techniques. Apart from the scientific purpose, the project holds a clear strategy on dissemination, public engagement and exploitation with special focus on developing links and providing scientific advice for policy-makers. |
https://cordis.europa.eu/project/id/793403 |
Snow and ice', 'Rivers and estuaries', 'Groundwater' |
| projects-065 |
841407 |
CLOSeR |
Contribution of Land water stOrage to Sea-level Rise |
H2020 |
H2020-MSCA-IF-2018 |
MSCA-IF-2018 |
2019-07-01 |
2021-06-30 |
Completed |
ā¬ 000 224 933.76 |
Sea-level rise is one of the most dreadful consequences of future climate change. To estimate the associated risk and prepare ourselves better for its implications, we need to identify the spatiotemporal characteristics of the contributors to sea-level change. Out of all the contributors, land water storage change is the most debated one because studies so far do not even agree on its sign. In the framework of CLOSeR (Contribution of Land water stOrage to Sea-level Rise), I will estimate the spatiotemporal characteristic of contribution from land water storage to sea-level rise between 2002 and 2020, in a robust statistical framework called BHM (Bayesian Hierarchical Modelling) with the help of: 1) multi-mission satellite altimetry data over oceans 2) a new data-driven leakage corrected GRACE product 3) steric information from ARGO floats and 4) a novel data-driven GIA model. Within this two-year fellowship, hosted at University of Bristol, supervised by Prof. J. L. Bamber, I will develop a data-driven leakage corrected GRACE product for global applications, develop a BHM to solve for land water storage contribution while closing the sea-level budget, and identify the regions that contribute significantly to sea-level rise. The approach is unique, global in scale, and will address a multi-disciplinary problem comprehensively. The proposed action will complement the goals of GlobalMass project at University of Bristol and will go beyond. CLOSeR will produce significant advances in understanding the role of land water storage in contemporary sea-level change that will help us better predict the future. For the first time, we will produce spatial and temporal hot-spots of land water storage contribution to sea-level rise using a cutting edge statistical tool for signal separation: Bayesian Hierarchical Modelling. In this process, the training received, collaborations established, and knowledge gained, will help in making me an independent Earth scientist in future. |
https://cordis.europa.eu/project/id/841407 |
Snow and ice', 'Urban water', 'Coastal waters' |
| projects-066 |
676819 |
CAT |
Climbing the Asian Water Tower |
H2020 |
ERC-2015-STG |
ERC-StG-2015 |
2016-02-01 |
2021-07-31 |
Completed |
ā¬ 001 499 631.00 |
The water cycle in the Himalaya is poorly understood because of its extreme topography that results in complex interactions between climate and water stored in snow and glaciers. Hydrological extremes in the greater Himalayas regularly cause great damage, e.g. the Pakistan floods in 2010, while the Himalayas also supply water to over 25% of the global population. So, the stakes are high and an accurate understanding of the Himalayan water cycle is imperative. The discovery of the monumental error on the future of the Himalayan glaciers in the fourth assessment report of the IPCC is exemplary for the scientific misconceptions which are associated to the Himalayan glaciers and its water supplying function. The underlying reason is the huge scale gap that exists between studies for individual glaciers that are not representative of the entire region and hydrological modelling studies that represent the variability in Himalayan climates. In CAT, I will bridge this knowledge gap and explain spatial differences in Himalayan glacio-hydrology at an unprecedented level of detail by combining high-altitude observations, the latest remote sensing technology and state-of-the-art atmospheric and hydrological models. I will generate a high-altitude meteorological observations and will employ drones to monitor glacier dynamics. The data will be used to parameterize key processes in hydro-meteorological models such as cloud resolving mechanisms, glacier dynamics and the ice and snow energy balance. The results will be integrated into atmospheric and glacio-hyrological models for two representative, but contrasting catchments using in combination with the systematic inclusion of the newly developed algorithms. CAT will unambiguously reveal spatial differences in Himalayan glacio-hydrology necessary to project future changes in water availability and extreme events. As such, CAT may provide the scientific base for climate change adaptation policies in this vulnerable region. |
https://cordis.europa.eu/project/id/676819 |
Snow and ice', 'Rivers and estuaries' |
| projects-067 |
748625 |
SABER CULTURAL |
SAfeguarding Biodiversity and Ecosystem seRvices by integrating CULTURAL values in freshwater management: learning from MÄori |
H2020 |
H2020-MSCA-IF-2016 |
MSCA-IF-2016 |
2018-01-01 |
2020-12-31 |
Completed |
ā¬ 000 233 276.40 |
Freshwater ecosystems are essential to peopleĀ“s economic, cultural and social wellbeing, yet are still one of the most seriously threatened ecosystems on the planet. This conflict is reflected in political regulations that ask to halt the loss of, restore and safeguard freshwaters, their biodiversity and the ecosystem services they provide. Ecosystem-Based Management (EBM), a holistic approach advocated to help doing so, involves an overarching regulatory framework and local solutions with trade-offs and compromises - factors that make decision processes complex and easily co-opted. In SABER CULTURAL, we use a well-known participatory decision support framework (MCA) to tackle two major challenges in freshwater EBM: 1) including cultural values that build a conceptual link between natural resources/biodiversity and local knowledge, besides traditionally considered ecological and socio-economic ones, and 2) accounting for uncertainty. MCA is selected because it is i) transparent, ii) allows for the whole range of stakeholder values to be quantified and accounted for, iii) can be used to robustly test outcomes of different management scenarios, and iv) can ultimately be used to prioritise cost-effective management actions with collective buy in. To forecast ecosystem services flow under different management alternatives, MCA is coupled with a novel modelling approach (ARIES). We test the MCA-ARIES framework in New Zealand, where cultural MÄori-values play a prominent role in freshwater management, and transfer the flow models to the river basin scale to inform existing management plans and policies in Europe. With SABER CULTURAL we establish new standards for freshwater management in New Zealand, create knowledge that helps reaching EU biodiversity and environment targets and add value to the dialogue among EU policy sectors. Additionally, SABER CULTURAL provides a unique opportunity to gain the skills I need to become an established, independent researcher in Europe. |
https://cordis.europa.eu/project/id/748625 |
Rivers and estuaries', 'Lake', 'Wetlands', 'Groundwater' |
| projects-068 |
772751 |
RAVEN |
Rapid mass loss of debris covered glaciers in High Mountain Asia |
H2020 |
ERC-2017-COG |
ERC-2017-COG |
2018-05-01 |
2024-01-31 |
Completed |
ā¬ 002 000 000.00 |
The research proposed uses an integrated data-modelling approach to elucidate the role that debris-covered glaciers play in the water cycle of High Mountain Asia (HMA) and establish how future HMA glacier and runoff will evolve. Debris-covered glaciers are of great significance for the hydrology of HMA, with large contributions to headwater streamflow. Despite this, their mass balance, hydrological role and future changes are poorly constrained, challenging model predictions of future water resources. Debris mantles insulate the ice and reduce ablation, but large-scale research indicates that HMA debris-covered glaciers are losing mass at rates similar to debris-free glaciers. This anomalous behaviour has profound implications for future glacier mass balance and runoff, but has not been reproduced with models, a fundamental limitation to a global assessment. I aim to establish that: 1) supraglacial cliffs and ponds are responsible for higher than expected mass losses of HMA debris-covered glaciers, because they act as windows of energy transfer through the debris; and that 2) their inclusion into models of glacier evolution will provide essential new estimates of glacier changes and future water availability in HMA. RAVEN will achieve these aims through combination of high-resolution satellite observations, field data and physically-based models in four sites along the Himalayan arc. This unprecedented setup captures the variety of climate and glaciers across HMA. Using satellite images I will investigate the spatial distribution and temporal evolution of cliffs and ponds; the insights will be used to develop physically-based models of cliff and pond ablation, which will be included in a glacio-hydrological model. Future glacier and runoff response will be projected using downscaled climate scenarios, allowing new estimates of glacier changes and future runoff for a data-starved region where millions of people depend on the water resources from glaciers and snow. |
https://cordis.europa.eu/project/id/772751 |
Snow and ice', 'Rivers and estuaries', 'Groundwater' |
| projects-069 |
891090 |
MetaDryNet |
Drying river networks ā Understanding and mitigating drought impacts on river ecosystem functioning and biodiversity (MetaDryNet) |
H2020 |
H2020-MSCA-IF-2019 |
MSCA-IF-2019 |
2021-01-01 |
2022-12-31 |
Completed |
ā¬ 000 184 707.84 |
One of the greatest challenges of the 21st century is to understand and mitigate the effects of climate change on earth ecosystems. Climate change increases the frequency and intensity of hydrological droughts worldwide. In rivers, drying (i.e. the loss of surface water) is a severe disturbance that alters biodiversity and ecosystem functions such as organic matter (OM) decomposition with often negative consequences for ecosystem services (e.g. water purification) and human activities (e.g. water consumption). River networks are an aquatic continuum in a terrestrial matrix in which OM is transported, and organisms disperse laterally: from terrestrial to aquatic environment, vertically: from the riverbed surface to the subsurface and longitudinally: along the network. Drying, modifies OM transport and dispersal by cutting the water continuum, potentially altering an entire river networkĀ“s OM decomposition dynamics, and hence carbon cycling and CO2 emissions. Although, much is known about the effect of drying at local scales, very little is known about its effects at the entire river network scale. Only studies done at an appropriate large scale can adequately inform and help to develop an adaptive management that minimizes drying impacts on river ecosystems and human activities. By combining meta-analysis, network-scale field experiments and modelling, MetaDryNet will explore the effects of drying on OM transport and decomposer organism dispersal to determine how drying affects OM decomposition and CO2 emissions in river networks. Using new technologies, novel ecological theories and complex modelling approaches this research is highly innovative and will allow to improve our understanding of how resources and biodiversity are linked in space and time in drying river networks. This project will contribute to advance ecological theories but also offer guidance for river management and conservation under global changes. |
https://cordis.europa.eu/project/id/891090 |
Rivers and estuaries' |
| projects-070 |
791812 |
IntEL |
Investigating Climatic Extreme Events in Lakes |
H2020 |
H2020-MSCA-IF-2017 |
MSCA-IF-2017 |
2018-11-01 |
2020-10-31 |
Completed |
ā¬ 000 175 866.00 |
Extreme climatic events, such as storms, floods, and heat waves, can have a major influence on lake ecosystems. Evidence is now growing that the frequency and severity of extreme weather events are increasing as a result of directional climate change, and there is a growing realization that predicting the effects of future climatic conditions on lake ecosystems must explicitly incorporate extreme events. Understanding the impact of extreme weather is important because of the negative effects they can have on ecosystem services that lakes provide, such as the provision of safe water for drinking and irrigation, and economic benefits such as fisheries and tourism. As a result of EU funding initiatives, Europe has been at the forefront of high-frequency lake monitoring in recent decades and there now exists a globally unique long-term lake data archive of key parameters needed to investigate how extreme climatic events are critically altering freshwater resources across the continent. Using globally unique data, combined with sophisticated lake modelling tools, developed within the EU funded PROGNOS (Predicting in-lake responses to change using near real time models) Water JPI, IntEL will improve our understanding of how lakes are responding to the increased occurrence of extreme events, and will provide the first systematic detailed study of lake responses to extreme weather. The ability to investigate the influence of climatic extremes in lakes across Europe will result in a fundamental change in our understanding of the consequences of climatic extremes, and will produce a step-change in the scale of investigation that has previously been possible. IntEL will have positive impacts on society by providing improved knowledge on how climate extremes influence ecosystem functioning, water quality, and thus will provide economic benefits through safeguarding clean water for future generations. |
https://cordis.europa.eu/project/id/791812 |
Lake' |
