AQUATERRA: Understanding river-sediment-soil-groundwater interactions for support of management of waterbodies (river basin & catchment areas)

• Research unit: EU RFP
• Project number: 03.0353-2

Key words (English)

Biogeochemical and hydrological cycles; biogeochemistry (climate change); environment policies (climate change)

Alternative project number (English)

EU project number: 505428

Research programs (English)

EU-programme: 6. Frame Research Programme - 1.6.3 Urspr. Progr. Global change and ecosystems

Short description (English)

See abstract

Abstract (English)

Global and particularly climate change may have an adverse impact on water quantity and quality. In the water cycle, soil is a key element affecting groundwater recharge as well as chemical composition of both, subsurface and surface waters which additionally are affected by sediments. Proper functioning of the system depends on key biogeochemical processes determining the filter, buffer and transformation capacity of soils and sediments. Main objectives of this proposal are 1 ) to identify and quantify the relevant processes likely to be affected by climate change, 2) the early identification of adverse trends (in water quantity and quality) and 3) the development of integrated numerical soil-water system models reflecting all relevant transport processes. With that, the proposal addresses all relevant scales: starting from the micro-scale with key biogeochemical processes, transport of dissolved species, pollutants as well as suspended matter in soils and groundwater systems, input/output mass balances of priority pollutants at the catchment scale, and finally selected study cases at the watershed and regional scales from major river basins in Europe (accounting for different climates from the North to the South).
The proposal aims at the integration of the developed knowledge into the IP and the stakeholders needs, by a better merge of natural and engineering sciences with economic and social sciences, involving practitioners and community of application to elaborate operational tools for the different stakeholders (policy makers in relation with the current and future legal framework, water managers, land planners, transport planners, etc.).
A major effort of the proposal is focussed on the dissemination and exploitation of the project results through structured workshops, dedicated short courses, and active participation in national and international conferences.

References in databases (English)

Swiss Database: Euro-DB of the
State Secretariat for Education and Research
Hallwylstrasse 4
CH-3003 Berne, Switzerland
Tel. [phone]
Swiss Project-Number: 03.0353-2