Development of an information technology tool for the management of european southern lagoons under the influence of river-basin runoff

Deliverables

DITTY project produced important results for the knowledge of Ria Formosa. Several management tools were developed: a DataBase with information on the lagoon ecosystem (data sets for coastal waters, watershed, sediment, biota, climate) and a Geographical Information System (GIS) that was loaded with information on several environmental variables and administrative boundaries covering Ria Formosa and its watershed. The GIS was used as a two-way interface between environmental information and mathematical models coupling the watershed and the lagoon system. For the Ria Formosa watershed, the SWAT model was implemented, and successfully calibrated and validated for the Ria Formosa stream gauge stations. The SWAT model was used to force a coupled hydrodynamic-biogeochemical model of the lagoon with annual, monthly and daily freshwaters flows data. The lagoon 3D model was implemented with "EcoDynamo", an object oriented modelling software developed during the project. In the future, this model will constitute an important scientific tool to support the lagoon management, since several management scenarios defined by policy-makers and end-users may be analysed allowing the optimisation of lagoon resources exploitation. The first step in joining scientists and Ria Formosa stakeholders was already been taken during the DITTY Project, through the organization of technical meetings to define priorities for the sustainable management of the lagoon. The management options analysis (focusing mainly on dredging operations and bivalve aquaculture) within a socio-economic perspective was one of the most important outcomes of the DITTY project, since the monetary evaluation of costs and benefits was developed for the Ria Formosa stakeholders and activities for the first time. Utilisation of the SWOT analysis allowed identifying for the lagoon the Strengths and Weaknesses (internal factors which mainly depends on the stakeholders themselves) as well as the Opportunities and Threats (external factors which may influence the activity of the stakeholders). This approach provided useful guidelines and offered responses to local authorities (the Ria Formosa Natural Park and Ria Formosa municipalities) that may be used in the near future for planning the lagoon management. For example, the increasing bivalve culture density is not apparently a good management option, considering implications in water quality and reduction of bivalve growth. On the other hand, deepening of some channels seems to improve potentially both water and sediment quality. Another important information tool developed within the scope of the DITTY project was the Decision Support System (DSS), which is now available for the Ria Formosa Natural Park, the authority in charge of the lagoon management. The DSS integrated environmental and economic approach, which was achieved through the application of the qualitative and quantitative project tools within a socio-economic context, aimed at supporting the lagoon exploitation and management. For the dissemination of DITTY results, Portuguese partners will promote workshops open to scientists, policy-makers, environmental associations and the public in general, and will install the information tools developed within the project in local servers. Another important outcome of the overall DITTY project was the creation of PLANET "the Portuguese LAgoon NETwork", which is a collaborative network for researchers and poeple working on lagoons that may help identifying future applications of the tools developed by the project to other Portuguese lagoons.

Several international and national projects have been carried out in Sacca di Goro in the last decade providing data for a large number of variables relative to biogeochemical, climatic, environmental and socio-economic aspects. A large database was populated in the course of the Ditty Project including GIS maps for land use, land cover and hydrology of the watershed as well as for the Sacca di Goro lagoon. The core system in the local economy of Sacca di Goro district is clam production. Around this key activity the environmental and economical systems of the Sacca were firstly described and evaluate with qualitative analysis because some of the dynamics between the factors playing a role in the Sacca di Goro system are still unknown or not quantified and the system remains partially specified. Moreover Network analysis model was developed on nitrogen cycling in Sacca di Goro considering several techniques for the systematic analysis of ecological flow networks. Within the DITTY Project, the application and the reliability of the LOICZ biogeochemical model were analysed at different temporal and spatial scales. Firstly, the LBM was applied to the Sacca di Goro and other Italian lagoons following the standard procedure. Then, alternative assumptions were considered, taking into account benthic vegetation and sedimentary fluxes when enough information was available. In this way, the sensitivity of the basic LBM assumptions were evaluated and compared with alternative estimations. Finally, the LBM application was discussed thorough the inter-comparison of this set of Italian shallow coastal lagoons and within the context of the global LOICZ dataset. A 3D integrated biogeochemical model was developed for the Sacca di Goro lagoon following several steps. A continuous biogeochemical model was developed to test and validate, as a function of experimental data available, an ecological and geochemical model in the water column and in sediments which took into account the main compartments in Sacca di Goro, i.e. nutrient, phytoplankton, zooplankton, bacteria, and to study their stability and dynamic characteristics without taking into account spatial effects. Then a discrete-stage based model of clam farming was developed, implemented and coupled with the previous model. Afterwards the spatial variability in the lagoon was considered implementing and validating a 3D hydrodynamic model using the COHERENS model, in which biogeochemical cycles as well as clam farming were incorporated. At the end, a watershed model (ISSM) was developed to evaluate and predict the surface and subsurface water quality and quantity as affected by anthropogenic activities. ISSM (Integrated Surface and Subsurface model) is composed by the hydrological model SWAT, the groundwater models MODFLOW and MT3DMS and the in-stream water quality model QUAL2E. A series of scenarios was designed and quantified upon consideration of the main economical activities in the watershed-lagoon system. Information was then organised within a DPSIR scheme and the main options were identified and discussed with the decision makers and end-users. These are related to the development of the farming activity with an increase of the exploited area and integrated activities either in the lagoon or in the adjacent sea, the development of the Regional Park of the Po River Delta and land-based activities and the influence of climatic changes. The socio-economic analysis of DITTY project included a stakeholder analysis with the objective of identifying gainers and losers for various management options. All these approaches were integrated in a Decision Support System (DSS) applied to the management of clam farming. Here, local authorities were asked to grant new farming concessions for aquaculture, and have to decide the amount of such concessions. The aquaculture revenue, expressed by the Net Present Value (NPV), was chosen as a pure economic criterion. On the other hand, the Lagoon Water Quality Index (LWQI) was developed and used to express a pure environmental criterion related to water quality. A mixed environmental and economical criterion was expressed through the ratio of the Wasted Exergy (WE) and the NPV for the aquaculture economic sector. Several informal meetings were organised by DITTY participants with the local authorities and end-users in order to support scenario analysis and modelling activities as well as to disseminate the DSS and the other project results. Since the proposal of the DITTY project, the Sacca di Goro was included in the LaguNet network, a scientific observational network studying coastal lagoon ecology in Italy (http://www.dsa.unipr.it/lagunet). Studies on nutrients fluxes and other contaminants from lagoon catchments to the near coastal environment were developed and used as a template for similar studies in the DITTY consortium.

One of the objectives of the DITTY project was the development (WP8) of a prototypal Decision Support System (DSS) for the management of Southern European lagoons. By integrating different kinds of mathematical and analytical models, the developed DSS is able to simulate and analyse the effects on the ecosystem of multiple factors (e.g. lagoon fluid dynamics, river runoff influence, nutrients cycles, shellfish farming, macro-algal blooms, etc.), as well as the economical implications of different management options. It provides the local or national authorities with suitable techniques for assessing the effectiveness of actions designed to achieve a good environment quality status, as described, e.g., in the Water Framework Directive. Implementations and tests of the decision support system were accomplished in five lagoon sites: Ria Formosa (Portugal), Mar Menor (Spain), Etang de Thau (France), Sacca di Goro (Italy), and Gera (Greece). The choice of these sites was mainly dictated by their similar characteristics but different management issues to be solved. Moreover, long-term data sets were accessible, and each partner of the project had developed good working contacts with local and regional authorities ensuring the exchange of data and information. The characteristics of the DITTY DSS made it a very flexible structure into which decision problems of different types and at different levels of complexity can be easily cast. Indeed, flexibility of the DSS structure was a key issue for the designers, since the project case studies pursued different objectives, and were carried out in different geographical and socio-economic contexts, so that only a robust tool could be capable of facing these challenges. Based on the above considerations, the DITTY DSS represents a valuable contribution whose significance and applicability go beyond the specific targets of the project. Although the DSS development was initially directed to Mediterranean lagoons, in a wider European perspective the proposed DSS structure is in principle applicable to all types of coastal lagoons, for example in the Baltic, Black Sea, North Sea and along the Atlantic Coast, and even more generally to "transition systems". To a larger extent, the proposed structure may help successful DSS design in many (not only environmental) applications, thus contributing to spread the concepts of decision support and multi-criteria analysis, and making them accessible to a broader audience. Indeed, the proposed structure, which is the result of an effort of simplification and abstraction, makes the decision process and the use of models more transparent to stakeholders, but also to model developers, who might not have the know-how in the field of decision support and optimisation. In particular, the concept of robustness of the decision is clearly made accessible by explicitly taking into account all the sources of uncertainties, i.e. factors that are beyond the control of the decision maker. A prototypal user interface was developed for the DSS application to the Sacca di Goro lagoon.

The objective of WP3 was the development of a Web based GIS tool able to act as an interface for the visualization of datasets collected and stored in a spatial database and an integrative tool for spatial analysis and development of thematic maps, with the aim to support the management of coastal areas and especially, of the five southern European coastal lagoons studied in the framework of the DITTY Project. The main characteristics of this WebGIS tool are: (a) the direct interface with the database implemented in WP2 with all the available information compiled in WP1 and (b) the accessibility by all the DITTY partners through the web. In this way, the communication between developers and end-users is facilitated and the publication of new information is immediate and easily accessed. The partners involved in the project, including the developers and the end-users, defined the structure of a common WebGIS based tool applicable to the five test sites, considering the data from WP2, the information coming from WP1 and the requirements of the end-users. Therefore, a strong cooperation between WPs 1, 2 and 3 was established, an important fact for accomplishing part of the scope of the DITTY project. The WebGIS tool is accessed through the main web page of the DITTY project using standard client-server communication by a simple web browser, as the Microsoft Explorer; the data stored in the database are accessed through the same web page. The connection between the database and the WebGIS tool is direct, based on appropriate algorithms for the import of the data to the GIS for visualization and analysis. The users of the WebGIS tool have the ability to: (a) Visualize a map of a selected test site with all the available representative cartographic layers. (b) Perform spatial analysis to the data and save the results in ASCII files or picture format. (c) Visualize selected outputs of the simulation models developed in WP4 for each test site. (d) Visualize selected spatial/temporal indicators, the results of scenario analyses or the results of the application of more aggregated tools for coastal zone management (e.g. for eutrophication assessment) developed according to the needs of the end-users in WPs 6 and 7. It should be emphasized here that the role of the system described is to support local authorities in coastal management by enhancing, not replacing, the already available means of coastal decision-makers or public officials and by enhancing the role of the public in the implementation of this process. However, two points have been taken into account. The first concerns the copyright of the datasets shared over the Internet; in general, this issue is regarded as one of the most important constraints in the development of web-based GIS systems and should be well considered. The second refers to the response time of the application, which should be kept at low level. Functionality over the web is one of the most powerful characteristics of the system; consequently, high response times would discourage people from making use of it. The system is open to further operational expansion. Further improvement includes incorporation of specific methodologies widely applied in the management of coastal areas. The modules, which are to be incorporated, are the followings: (a) Multiple criteria analysis which is often applied in evaluating and ranking coastal areas, based on a pairwise comparison of defined management zones characterized by a number of criteria. (b) Models able to predict the response of an area to potential changes and to evaluate the likely impact of a proposed development scenario. However, attention should be given to keep a low time response of the application. Finally, the system could be adapted to an already available Decision Support System (DSS), designed for coastal areas, and represent a module focused on exploratory data analysis or could be combined with other existing GIS applications, such as GIS for urban planning or environmental management, aiming to create an integrated multi-disciplinary management tool.

On the Mar Menor site, Ditty project produced very important results at several levels: the specific products and outcomes obtained under each workpackage, the results arising from the integration of several tools and the overall benefits provided by the project taken as a whole. These three-levels results, conclusions and prospects are briefly presented. The Mar Menor database and the GIS-Mar Menor compiled, for the first time, all available climatic, physico-chemical, biological, lithological, hydrological and socio-economic variables, data and maps regarding the Mar Menor and its watershed. All this information constitute a valuable basis for improving the basic and applied research in Mar Menor site and also a very important tool for the end-users, especially CHS (Confederacion Hidrografica del Segura, the water management institution) and the Regional Office for Environment. The 0D-ecological model for the lagoon and the integrated watershed model, which includes an hydrological model specifically developed for the Mar Menor watershed, were also very important outcomes, especially taking into account the fact that the modelling background in Mar Menor site was very scarce. These models fully developed under Ditty project have set-up an integrated modelling framework, which allowed their extension and further important applications, which will go far beyond Ditty. The LOICZ budget was applied for the first time to the Mar Menor, one of the main coastal lagoons in the Mediterranean; this was also an important outcome, which will contribute to the extension and application of a standardized methodology to other coastal systems in Spain. The scenarios analysis emphasised the importance of the joint analysis of current trends (agricultural intensification, urban-tourist development) and different policy-target scenarios aiming at reducing the nutrient loads into the lagoon. Results obtained encouraged a closer integration among institutions, policies and administrative units and this will be one of the key issues in further dissemination activities of Ditty outcomes among local decision-makers and end-users. The stakeholder analysis revealed the perceptions and preferences of different social sectors regarding the main available options and scenarios for Mar Menor site. These perceptions supported the high priority given by CHS (the end-user partner, the Water Management Office) to the management options aiming at reducing the nutrient loads into the lagoon. The Cost-Effectiveness Analysis was one of the most valuable outcomes for CHS, since it offered responses to important management issues such as identifying measure or combination of measures, which could achieve the desired goal of reduction of nutrient loads into the lagoon in a most cost-effective way. This question had never been previously addressed. The work carried out under Ditty project showed that the recovery of wetlands, a management measure which was not initially considered by CHS, constitutes a better option to control nutrient loads into the lagoon and hence the eutrophication risks. The practical insights offered by the combined tools developed and applied under Ditty confirmed to the end-users the interest and usefulness of the overall approach of the project, which in turn encourages further collaboration initiatives and projects using similar approaches. The application of the Decision Support System to the Mar Menor site, actually in an advanced stage of development, is a very important outcome of Ditty in the Mar Menor site that will allow its use not only by CHS but also by other end-users, such as the Regional Office of Environment and the City councils in the Mar Menor area. Finally, the Ditty project brought other important outcomes. They included the establishment of an informal collaboration framework at Mar Menor site among researchers, the encouragement of an interdisciplinary work at UMU among experts from Ecology, Hydrology and Environmental economics and the strengthening of the applied approaches focusing on the point of view of the end-users and providing new management insights for CHS and other decision makers, such as the Regional Office of Environment. The creation of RedMarismas, the Spanish National Network on Coastal Lagoons and Wetlands (http://www.irta.es/redmarismas), is a key outcome that will go far beyond Ditty project. Since its foundation in March 2005, during the 5th Steering Committee of Ditty at Murcia, RedMarismas has carried out several steps to consolidate the network: a Co-ordination committee, where UMU is present, was designed and started to work; the first Workshop of RedMarismas was held in December 2005, attended by 45 participants, a second Workshop of RedMarismas took place in December 2006 and several contacts were taken with the Ministry of Environment regarding the implementation of the WFD for transitional waters.

Several outcomes of the DITTY project were very important for the test site of the gulf of Gera as well as for the application of integrated coastal zone management approaches to similar coastal areas in Greece. From the technical point of view, a large number of modern tools and methodologies were applied in support to the coastal zone management, including data bases and GIS, simulation models (watershed, hydrodynamic and ecological), the LOICZ budget, network analysis, loop analysis, scenario analysis, stakeholder analysis and DSS. These tools were elaborated and adapted according to the specific characteristics of coastal water bodies such as the gulf of Gera. Most of the developed methodologies were integrated methodologies combining information from both the natural and socio-economic environment, a key-point in the framework of coastal zone management. Important results were obtained as regard the functioning of the natural and socio-economic environment and potential effects of management option were also identified. The advantages, drawbacks and limits of application of each methodological tool in the framework of coastal zone management were also identified. Cooperation between the developer of the methodologies (University of the Aegean) and the end-user (Municipality of Gera) was strongly enhanced. Each methodology was specially adapted to the needs of the end-user and emphasis was placed on the development of user-friendly and flexible tools able to support policy-making in the near and far future. The information collected in the form of databases or GIS is easily accessible to the scientific and administrative staff of the end-user and is being used in a regular basis. Further enhancement of the existing cooperation is of key priority for the future. The DITTY reports produced for the test site will be translated into the national language and made available to the staff of the Municipality of Gera. Further research in the fields of integrated coastal management, water quality or ecology will continue under the framework of the cooperation established under DITTY. Cooperation was also enhanced at the national level through the foundation of ElNet, the Greek network of people working on coastal lagoons and transitional waters. Information is being exchanged in a regular basis among its members and common tools or methodologies are scheduled to be applied in coastal areas with similar characteristics. The information technology tools developed under DITTY (databases, GIS, models, DSS) form a standard methodological framework for the coastal zone management in Greece, which is easily transferable from site to site according to the main priorities of the end-users and the possible particularities of the natural or socio-economic environment of each area. Furthermore these standard methodologies and tools are considered as the basis for the application of the Water framework Directive in coastal areas in Greece.

The scenario analysis (WP6) was implemented in the process of coastal lagoon management, a complex task requiring interdisciplinary research and active interaction with end-users and stake-holders.). Southern European lagoons have the particularity of being subject to strong anthropogenic pressures due to tourism and/or heavy shellfish/fish farming. They are highly productive ecosystems and yet very sensitive in their functioning. The challenge for local authorities and managers is to forecast possible futures in order to anticipate at best possible evolution. The proposed scenario analysis is to take into account all relevant drivers from agriculture, urban and economics activities that affects the aquatic environment, at their present stage and considering possible future trends. Special emphasize was given to watershed land use (population growth, change in agriculture practice&) as materials transmitted from river catchment have a major effect on coastal ecosystems (eutrophication, bacterial contamination&). In order to cover a wide geographical range, five Southern European lagoon-estuarine systems were chosen representing an extended series of ecosystems, conflicting water use needs, and management resource requirement. For each site, the definition of different scenarios and their prioritisation by end-users were addressed. Based on this preliminary work, simulations were performed using various modelling tools and methodologies, which integrate relevant information, i.e. geomorphology, hydrology, biology and ecology, in compliance with environmental policies and socio-economic development plans. Different kinds of mathematical and analytical models (e.g., biogeochemical, hydrodynamic,..) developed in previous work-packages of the project were used for that purpose.

DITTY project produced several new management tools for the Thau lagoon and contributed to establish links or to strengthen the existing ones between administrative bodies, scientific institutions, universities and technical agencies. During the project, more than 30 meetings were organized. In order to complete the DITTY database (WP1), data description, standardization and intercalibration were performed. Relational databases developed under previous national or regional projects (PNEC "Chantier Lagunes mediterraneennes", SYSCOLAG, etc) were taken into account within the framework of DITTY project. The conception and the building up of an operational Observatory envisaged for the Thau lagoon and its watershed will benefit from DITTY inputs. A coherent GIS for Thau lagoon, its watershed and its connections with the sea was built up (WP3). GIS applications implied the integration of data compiled under WP1, results from SWAT and MARS-3D models (WP4) and spatialized environmental and socio-economic indicators developed according to the scenario analysis (WP6, WP7) with the view to set up the DSS (WP8). Among the specific products derived from the integrated approach based on GIS we may list i): development of a monograph on the Thau lagoon and its watershed based on a set of validated GIS maps ii): setting up of spatial indicators for the watershed and the lagoon as regard the microbiological contamination case study. Concerning comparative analysis (WP5), inter-comparison and benchmarking of COHERENS and MARS-3D models showed a good fit between hydrodynamic variables simulated with both models. Inter-comparison between the 5 sites was carried out by JRC-IES partner using the IFREMER classification scheme established for the French Mediterranean Coastal lagoons, which was aiming at implementing an operational tool for the assessment of the eutrophication of French Mediterranean lagoons (RSL network: Resau de Suivi Lagunaire). The results achieved offered good prospects for the generalisation of such an approach within the framework of the European Water Directive for Transitional Coastal Waters. The end-users gave a high priority to the microbiological contamination of the Thau lagoon's water and shellfish. Thus most of effort was concentrated on the effects of bacteria of sanitary concern. The main challenges were (i)to define the transfer functions for the rivers outlets along the lagoon coastline, (ii) to define the fluxes taking into account the meteorological conditions and the regulations with reference to the water quality and, (iii) to identify areas in the lagoon which are microbiologically contaminated and to assess the economical consequences. Significant results were obtained in this respect by the project. A specific methodology was developed in order to characterise and simulate effects on the lagoon of microbial contaminants originated from wastewater systems and urban development in the watershed. The existing MARS-3D hydrodynamic model and its biological module were used to define for each river outlet on the lagoon, a "Maximal Allowable Flux" (MAF) as the threshold for inputs flux values above which shellfish farming zones are considered under bacteriological contaminants impacts. These results (obtained in WP4 and WP8) were discussed with end-users from a management point of view. It is effectively necessary to estimate bacterial fluxes that really flow into the lagoon during flood events and to compare the values observed to the MAF. If, for a given river, the flux is below the MAF, no improvement of the wastewater processing infrastructures in the watershed is necessary. If observed fluxes are higher than the MAF values, management options on wastewater treatment plants (or others works) can be proposed and simulated to find the more efficient way to reduce the bacterial fluxes. A Decision Support System was developed for the Thau lagoon in order to establish, according to budgetary, socio-economical and environmental constraints, different scenarios required by the end-users. These scenarios could then be ranked according to the specifications of the end-users. A new programme called OMEGA THAU was launched at the end of 2006, with the view to explore new management tools and to forecast environmental crisis using early warning systems.

Workpackage 4 (Coastal lagoon modelling - an integrated approach) provided a general modelling framework with implementation of different modelling modules able to describe the system components, i.e. lagoon, river basin and coastal waters, as well as the ecosystem functioning and the hydrodynamics. These models were developed and implemented at each test site according to their specific characteristics, data availability and defined end-users scenario analysis and case studies. The approach consisted of using already developed parts, when available, and developing/implementing a shared modelling approach for the non- existing models. Each model for the watershed, hydrodynamical or biogeochemical component was calibrated separately. Finally, the coupling between watershed model and lagoon model (hydrodynamic and biogeochemical parts) provided an integrated representation of the entire watershed-coastal lagoon ecosystem and allowed scenarios simulations. The model outputs were then used to compare site responses and to calculate water quality indicators; linked to the economical indicators, they were the inputs required for the Decision Support System.

The socio-economic concerns, which were taken into account in the DITTY WP7 implied efforts at different levels. The objectives were to: - analyse the systems (and in particular of their anthropic components); - analyse the interactions between the actors of sector development and, between them and their environment ; - identify the problems arising from these interactions; - elaborate the specific or global scenarios; - evaluate the costs and benefits associated, with corresponding actions and strategies, - clarify the results from the WP8 (DSS) with reference to dialogue, negotiation and decision processes. The purposes of the studies were to identify the actors, to detect the problems arising from their interactions with their environment (direct environment and other territories), and then to determine the relevant stakes by studying various solutions to the problems identified in order to evaluate the related costs and benefits, including or not externalities, and to integrate them in the overall assessment. The following tasks were performed: 1: Identification of economically relevant impacts of various management options (scenarios) identified in WP6 and analysed in physical & socio-economical terms. 2: Stakeholders analysis: identify « gainers » and « loosers » for various management options. 3: Monetary valuation of costs and benefits of externalities (environmental, social and cultural, etc.), through Valuation transfer studies on DITTY sites. 4: Cost-Benefit Analysis and evaluation of the impacts of various management options through various models (micro & macro) 5: I/O modelling (macro-economic approach) on the site of Thau, for the evaluation of induced effects of scenarios on the employment and on the environment. The first four tasks were planed for implementation on all DITTY sites, whereas Task 5 was specifically related to the Thau lagoon. In addition, complementary studies were proposed by the project and carried out on Thau lagoon. RESULTS In order to develop a complete DSS, it was necessary to take into account ecosystem functioning and also the different actors involved. In parallel to the development of an integrated understanding of the ecosystem dynamics, a socio-economic study on the different stakeholders and the costs/benefits analysis of the different possible options were carried out with the aim to develop economic criteria to be included in the final project's product (the DSS). The main steps of this work involved: the collation of data on benefits and costs; a survey of all existing work on valuation in all sites, and the identification of opportunities for valuation transfers; a stakeholder analysis (identification of winners and losers for each management option); finally, CBA (Cost Benefit analysis) and CEA (Cost-Effectiveness analysis), based on a review and quantification of the impacts of the management options identified in the scenario analysis (WP6). When benefits of management options were not estimated or transferred, quality indicators were compiled to compare the options' costs. The results of this analysis were fed into the DSS to inform the policy choices in support to the management of the coastal lagoons. The study also identified further research needs in terms of benefit transfer and monetary valuation; also a pilot study on input/output modelling was used to explore opportunities with the view to apply this approach to other sites. One of the main problems was the scarcity of data and of analyses on some sites. Therefore, studies made available by the project were used as examples of application of socio-economic analysis in support to the management of the coastal lagoons.

WP5: A general biogeochemical model for coastal lagoons was developed within the COHERENS 3D framework. The model was implemented, validated with field data and coupled with a watershed model also developed in the DITTY project. The watershed model is a combination of SWAT, MODFLOW and QUAL2E models and had also been developed, implemented and validated for a specific watershed that is artificially managed using pumps and channels, i.e. water does not move following gravity. A set of thermodynamic indicators of ecological status was also developed applying the energy approach. Scenario analysis concerning clam-farming practices, following stakeholders priorities was carried out using the developed models. A reduced version of the model was incorporated into the Decision Support System developed by Siena University for Sacca di Goro.

Publications

A discrete stage-based model coupled with a continuous biogeochemical model: Management of clams (Tapes philippinarum) in Sacca di Goro

Author(s): ZALDÍVAR J M (European Commission, Joint Research Centre, Institute for Environment and Sustainability, Ispra (IT)), PLUS M (European Commission, Joint Research Centre, Institute for Environment and Sustainability, Ispra (IT)), MURRAY C N (European Commission, Joint Research Centre, Institute for Environment and Sustainability, Ispra (IT)), VIAROLI P (Department of Environmental Sciences, University of Parma (IT)), GIORDANI G (Department of Environmental Sciences, University of Parma (IT))
Published in: EUR 20561 EN (2003), 21pp. Free of charge, 2003, Page(s) 21

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