Descripción del proyecto
Medidas de eutrofización más eficaces
La eutrofización se produce cuando una gran masa de agua tiene una cantidad demasiado grande de minerales y nutrientes, lo que genera el crecimiento de las algas y puede agotar el oxígeno. La recuperación de estos entornos, sobre todo en los lagos, es esencial para garantizar la biodiversidad en el futuro y mantener la resiliencia ante el cambio climático. También es un imperativo legal según las directivas de la Unión Europea (UE). El objetivo del proyecto OSTRAP, financiado con fondos europeos, es reconstruir la eutrofización con una medida directa, cuantificable e independiente de fosfato. Gracias a esto, el proyecto mejorará considerablemente la capacidad de definir las condiciones de referencia en la restauración de lagos poco profundos, además de contribuir a la predicción del efecto del cambio climático en la biodiversidad de los entornos de agua dulce.
Objetivo
Shallow lakes provide extensive ecosystem services and are ecologically important non-marine resources, supporting a diverse flora and fauna. However, worldwide lakes are threatened by environmental degradation (e.g. nutrient pollution from agricultural fertilizers). The restoration of these environments is critical for future biodiversity, resilience to climate change, the provision of ecosystem services, and is legally binding under the EU Water Framework Directive (WFD).To meet the requirements of ‘good ecological status’, lakes must not be significantly altered from pre-defined ‘reference conditions’, which are the conditions expected in the absence of anthropogenic impacts. Due to limited long-term ecological monitoring data that covers centennial time-scales, palaeolimnology has been suggested as an alternative to define reference conditions for effective restoration. Existing approaches (e.g. diatom transfer functions) for reconstructing nutrient enrichment are, however, problematic due to their indirect approach that involves major assumptions. Multi-proxy studies attempt to disentangle drivers, but fail due to the lack of an independent measure of phosphate (P). Here, I propose a method to reconstruct eutrophication with a direct, quantifiable and independent measure of P via analysis of ostracod (small bivalved crustaceans) shell chemistry. To produce robust, quantitative palaeo-P reconstructions based on fossil ostracod shells, the research will combine laboratory, mesocosm and field experiments to establish calibrations in controlled and natural settings. I will demonstrate the quantitative reconstruction of P concentrations over the past ~200 years using well-dated lake sediment cores from sites across Europe. This project will be a significant advancement in the ability to 1) set reference condition P concentrations for shallow lake restoration targets under the WFD and 2) to predict the effects of future climate change on freshwater biodiversity.
Ámbito científico
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Programa(s)
Régimen de financiación
MSCA-IF - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Individual Fellowships (IF)Coordinador
8000 Aarhus C
Dinamarca