Objective TO IDENTIFY AND TO MEASURE THE NUTRIENT ROUTING THROUGH VARIOUS WETLAND TYPES IN NW- AND S-EUROPE IN RELATION TO THE VARIOUS LAND USES AS SCIENTIFIC BASIS FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF AN ADEQUATE MANAGEMENT STRATEGY. THIS JOINT RESEARCH PROJECT IS INTENDED AS THE PILOT PHASE OF A LARGER PROJECT ON ENDANGERED WETLANDS IN EUROPE. DURING THIS PHASE IT WILL START INVESTIGATIONS ON THE SOURCES, TRANSFORMATION, STORAGE, SINKS AND PATHWAYS OF NUTRIENTS IN WETLANDS ALONG AN ENVIRONMENTAL GRADIENTS FROM THE HIGHLY OCEANIC CONDITIONS OF IRELAND THROUGH THE LOWER RAINFALL CATCHMENTS OF SOUTH WEST ENGLAND TO THE HIGHLY SEASONAL WETLAND CONDITIONS OF THE MEDITERRANEAN. THE FIELD-BASED ANALYSES WILL INCLUDE : - VARIATIONS IN NUTRIENT LEVELS IN MAJOR ECOSYSTEM PARTITIONS: WATER, SOIL, VEGETATION - RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN ENVIRONMENTAL PARAMETERS (ESPECIALLY WATER REGIME, REDOX, O2, PH) AND NUTRIENT FLUX. THE COTTON STRIP TECHNIQUE WILL BE USED AS A BROAD ENVIRONMENTAL INDEX TO COMPARE ORGANIC MATTER DECOMPOSITION RATES IN THE DIFFERENT WETLAND SITES. LABORATORY-BASED INVESTIGATIONS : COMPUTER-CONTROLLED LABORATORY SCALE MICROCOSMS WILL BE ESTABLISHED TO MIMIC PARTICULAR COMBINATIONS OF ENVIRONMENTAL VARIABLES FOR EXPERIMENTAL CHEMICAL TRANSFORMATIONS AND STABILITY CHANGES IN NITROGEN AND PHOSPHORUS. THE LABORATORY WORK WILL ALSO INCLUDE THE DETERMINATION OF NUTRIENT SATURATION AND EQUILIBRIUM LEVELS OF DIFFERENT WETLAND SOIL TYPES AND OF VARIABLE WATER REGIMES, AS WELL AS THE SIMULATION OF CHANGES IN NUTRIENT LOADINGS AND ENVIRONMENTAL CONDITIONS TO ENABLE FORECASTS OF WETLAND ECOSYSTEM REACTIONS. THE JOINT RESEARCH PROJECT INVOLVES DIRECT COLLABORATION BETWEEN INSTITUTES IN THREE EC-COUNTRIES : UNIVERSITY OF EXETER, UK, UNIVERSITY OF MADRID, SPAIN, AND THE WILDLIFE SERVICE, IRELAND. ADDITIONAL COOPERATION IS FORESEEN WITH SCIENTISTS FROM THE NATURE CONSERVANCY COUNCIL (UK), TRINITY COLLEGE DUBLIN (IRL), FUNDACION JOSE MARIA BLANC, MADRID (E) AND ASSOCIACION NATURALISTA PARA LA DEFENSA DE CASTILLA, LA MANCHA (E). Fields of science natural sciencesbiological sciencesecologyecosystems Programme(s) FP1-ENVPROT 4C - Multiannual research and development programmes (EEC) in the field of the environment - Protection of the environment -, 1986-1990 Topic(s) Data not available Call for proposal Data not available Funding Scheme CSC - Cost-sharing contracts Coordinator University of Exeter Address Northcote house queen's drive EX4 4QJ Exeter United Kingdom See on map EU contribution € 0,00
