Scientific Results

This catalogue is obtained by conducting a systematic literature review of scientific studies and reviews related to monitoring, forecasting, and simulating the inland water cycle. The analysis maps scientific expertise across research groups and classifies findings by the type of inland water studied, application focus, and geographical scope. A gap analysis will identify missing research areas and assess their relevance to policymaking.

ID â–Č Type Year Authors Title Venue/Journal DOI Research type Water System Technical Focus Abstract Link with Projects Link with Tools Related policies ID
publications-41 BOOK SERIES 2011 Feld, C.K. From natural to degraded rivers and back again: a test of restoration ecology theory and practice 10.1016/b978-0-12-374794-5.00003-1 Uncategorized Uncategorized No abstract available 226273
publications-42 PEER REVIEWED ARTICLE 2011 Bennion, H. Identifying from recent sediment records the effects of nutrients and climate on diatom dynamics in Loch Leven 10.1111/j.1365-2427.2011.02651.x Uncategorized River Basins Summary1. Changes in nutrients and climate have occurred over approximately the same timescales in many European lake catchments. Here, we attempt to interpret the sedimentary diatom record of a large shallow lake, Loch Leven, in relation to these pressures using information gained from analysis of long‐term data sets of water quality, climate and planktonic diatoms.2. The core data indicate the enrichment of Loch Leven starting in c. 1800–1850, most likely from agricultural practices in the catchment, with a more marked phase since c. 1940–1950 caused by increased phosphorus inputs from sewage treatment works, land drainage and a woollen mill.3. While the recent diatom plankton remains are dominated by taxa associated with nutrient‐rich conditions, an increase in Aulacoseira subarctica relative to Stephanodiscus taxa since the mid‐1980s suggests that reductions in external catchment sources of nutrients (since 1985) may have resulted in partial recovery. This observation accords well with the long‐term monitoring series of water chemistry and phytoplankton.4. On a decadal‐centennial scale, the eutrophication signal in the sediment record outweighs any evidence of climate as a control on the diatom community. However, at an inter‐annual scale, while the diatom data exhibit high variability, there are several changes in species composition in the recent fossil record that may be attributed to climatic controls.5. The study highlights the value of a palaeolimnological approach, particularly when coupled with long‐term data sets, for developing our understanding of environmental change at a range of temporal scales. The diatom record in the sediment can be used effectively to track recovery from eutrophication, but requires greater understanding of contemporary ecology to fully interpret climate impacts.6. The study illustrates the complexity of ecosystem response to synchronous changes in nutrients and climate, and the difficulty of disentangling the effects of these multiple, interacting pressures. 226273
publications-43 PEER REVIEWED ARTICLE 2010 SĂžndergaard M. Submerged macrophytes as indicators of the ecological quality of lakes 10.1111/j.1365-2427.2009.02331.x Uncategorized Natural Water Bodies Summary1. We analysed submerged macrophyte communities from 300 Danish lakes to determine the efficacy of different species, maximum colonisation depth (Cmax) of plants as well as coverage and plant volume inhabited (PVI) as indicators of eutrophication.2. Most species occurred at a wide range of phosphorus and chlorophyll a (Chla) concentrations, but some species of isoetids (Lobelia, IsoĂ«tes) and Potamogeton (Potamogeton gramineus, Potamogeton alpinus and Potamogeton filiformis) were mainly found at low nutrient concentrations and hence may be considered as indicators of nutrient poor conditions. However, species typically found in nutrient‐rich conditions, such as Elodea canadensis and Potamogeton pectinatus, were also found at total phosphorus (TP) <0.02 mg P L−1 and Chla <5 Όg L−1 and therefore cannot be considered as reliable indicators of eutrophic conditions.3. Submerged macrophyte coverage, PVI and the Cmax were negatively correlated with TP and Chla. However, variability among lakes was high and no clear thresholds were observed. At TP between 0.03 and 0.07 mg P L−1 plant coverage in shallow lakes ranged from nearly 0 to 100%, whilst at concentrations between 0.10 and 0.20 mg P L−1 only 29% of the lakes had coverage >10%. Cmax was found to be a useful indicator only in deep lakes with unvegetated areas in the deeper part, whereas the use of coverage was restricted to shallow lakes or shallow areas of deep lakes.4. Overall, submerged macrophytes responded clearly to eutrophication, but the metrics investigated here showed no well‐defined thresholds. We developed a simple index based on species richness, presence of indicator species, coverage and Cmax, which might be used to track major changes in macrophyte communities and for lake classification. 226273
publications-44 PEER REVIEWED ARTICLE 2010 Johnson, R.K Tracing recovery under changing climate: response of phytoplankton and invertebrate assemblages to decreased acidification. 10.1899/09-171.1 Simulation & Modeling Uncategorized No abstract available 226273
publications-45 PEER REVIEWED ARTICLE 2010 Hering, D. The European Water Framework Directive at the age of 10: a critical review of the achievements with recommendations for the future 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2010.05.031 Uncategorized Wastewater Treatment Plants No abstract available 226273
publications-46 PEER REVIEWED ARTICLE 2012 Angeler, D. Temporal scales and patterns of invertebrate biodiversity dynamics in boreal lakes recovering from acidification 10.1890/11-1474.1 Simulation & Modeling Uncategorized Despite international policy implementation to reduce atmospheric acid deposition and restore natural resources from cultural acidification, evidence of ecological recovery is equivocal. Failure to meet recovery goals means that acidification still threatens biodiversity in many areas of the world. Managers thus need information to manage biodiversity, especially its components that are sensitive to stress (acid‐sensitive taxa). We analyzed 20‐year time series (1988–2007) of water quality and littoral invertebrates in acidified and circum‐neutral lakes across Sweden to evaluate regional biodiversity dynamics and the extent to which changes in water quality affect these dynamics. We used multivariate time series modeling to (1) test how individual species groups within invertebrate communities track changes in the abiotic environment and (2) reveal congruencies of taxon contributions to species group change across lakes. Chemical recovery in the lakes was equivocal, and increases of pH and alkalinity were observed in subsets of acidified and circum‐neutral lakes. Time series analyses revealed two different patterns of species groups for invertebrate communities across lakes; the first species group showed monotonic change over time, while the second group showed fluctuating temporal patterns. These independent species groups correlated distinctly with different sets of environmental variables. Recovery of pH and alkalinity status was associated with species group patterns only in a few lakes, highlighting an overall weak recovery of invertebrate species. The sets of species, including acid‐sensitive taxa, composing these species groups differed markedly across lakes, highlighting context‐specific responses of invertebrates to environmental variation. These results are encouraging because disparate local‐scale dynamics maintain the diversity of sensitive invertebrate species on a regional scale, despite persisting acidification problems. Our study can inform and help refine current acidification‐related policy focused on sensitive biodiversity elements. 226273
publications-47 PEER REVIEWED ARTICLE 2011 SĂžndergaard, M. Using chlorophyll a and cyanobacteria in the ecological classification of lakes 10.1016/j.ecolind.2011.03.002 Simulation & Modeling Uncategorized No abstract available 226273
publications-48 PEER REVIEWED ARTICLE 2012 Verisssimo, H. Ability of benthic indicators to assess ecological quality in estuaries following management 10.1016/j.ecolind.2011.06.014 IoT & Sensors Wastewater Treatment Plants No abstract available 226273
publications-49 PEER REVIEWED ARTICLE 2011 Baeta, A. Modelling the effects of eutrophication, mitigation measures and an extreme flood event on estuarine benthic food webs. 10.1016/j.ecolmodel.2010.12.010 Uncategorized Uncategorized No abstract available 226273
publications-50 PEER REVIEWED ARTICLE 2012 Gamito, S. The importance of habitat-type for defining the reference conditions and the ecological quality status based on benthic invertebrates: The Ria Formosa coastal lagoon (Southern Portugal) case study. 10.1016/j.ecolind.2011.08.004 Uncategorized Wastewater Treatment Plants No abstract available 226273