These days, many of us rely heavily on the continuous availability of electricity and we have a hard time imagining how our lives would be without it. This dependency comes at an inconvenient environmental cost, as the burning of fossil fuels increases the level of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. This continuous discharge of carbon dioxide (and other associated gases) strengthens the greenhouse effect of the atmosphere, which leads to globally higher temperatures and underlies various changes in regional climate conditions. Unfortunately, even the combination of existing awareness and scientific proof on the link between carbon dioxide emissions and climate change has failed to turn the tide, with few promises being actually implemented to effectively reduce emissions.
Nevertheless, the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions remains the main aim of the ongoing transition to more sustainable and efficient energy sources. Hydropower is a well-known and popular alternative to the burning of fossil fuels due to its simplicity and relatively low cost, contributing a significant fraction (up to 50 %) of the total amount of electricity generated in Latin America. Unfortunately, also hydropower installations are associated with environmental impacts at a wide spatial and temporal range. More specifically, the following impacts can be identified: ecosystem fragmentation (e.g. acting as a migration barrier for fish), hydrological alteration (e.g. reducing peak flows), biogeochemical disturbance (e.g. increased nutrient cycling within the reservoir), sediment trapping, socio-economic impacts, and greenhouse gas emissions. In short, even though hydropower is considered to be a sustainable energy source, there are certain environmental impacts that should be considered.
Globally, more than 38,000 dams have been constructed and additional damming is bound to irreversibly impact highly diverse systems such as the Amazon and Congo basins, causing the extinction of many freshwater species. Within the Amazon basin, large hydropower installations have substantially altered the hydrological regime of several tributaries, while headwaters have mostly been dammed for relatively small (< 50 MW) hydropower installations. Yet, by transporting nutrients and minerals, these Andean headwaters support extensive productive corridors and control numerous natural systems in the Amazonian lowlands. With several large dams (> 1000 MW) being planned within these headwaters and hydrological patterns changing due to melting glaciers and altered precipitation patterns, Andean communities and ecosystems are at significant risk of experiencing reductions in water supply, especially in regions with a high degree of urbanisation. As such, hydropower generation balances on the crossroads between energy provision, water availability, and ecological functioning.
The HydroCORE project starts from the notice that hydropower infrastructure impacts the environment and uses this as a basis to perform its activities, while using the Paute river basin in the Azuay province (Ecuador) as study area. The focus is directed towards local impacts through the study of abiotic (e.g. flow pattern, erosion, chemical profile) and biotic (e.g. macroinvertebrate assemblage) characteristics and extends towards more global influences (e.g. potential emission of carbon dioxide). As a result, the project entails a combined approach of fieldwork, remote sensing, and modelling to bring different data sources and insights together. Ultimately, the objective is to illustrate impacts associated with hydropower infrastructure and suggest mitigating measures aiming to directly improve environmental health and operational productivity. Indirectly, this will benefit human well-being through a better management of water resources and a reduced contribution to climate change.
In order to reach the abovementioned objectives and generate impact, various activities are planned and their mutual timing is of utmost importance. First of all, the collection of data through field observations is an essential element of the HydroCORE project and determines when other project-related activities can be scheduled. Fieldwork is foreseen every three months to collect information on the physicochemical conditions and greenhouse gas emissions, starting in the first month of the project to allow for sufficient time towards the end of the outgoing phase. In addition, fieldwork is foreseen every six months to collect information on the macroinvertebrate community, starting together with the first abiotic campaign. A total of three weeks per abiotic campaign and two months per combined campaign are planned. During the first year, the time between field campaigns is allocated to the development of a hydrological model (including data collection). Similarly, the time between field campaigns during the second year is allocated to applying the developed model through simulations. During the return phase, time is foreseen to acquire the necessary skills to use remote sensing for assessing morphological changes and greenhouse gas emissions. The remainder of the time is allocated to data analysis, outreach activities (including publications and seminars), and personal training.
