Objective
The overall objectives of the project are: to establish a network of catchments within Europe, covering a range of environmental conditions (including pollution climates) representative of Europe, where a common baseline programme of research and more intensive process and/or mechanistic studies will be carried out; to develop, or modify existing process based models to assess and predict the response of catchment ecosystems to natural and anthropogenic perturbations; and to identify indicators of environmental change and damage at different hierarchical levels within catchments suitable for the analysis and prediction of the effects of natural and anthropogenic perturbations.
Each site will provide common data on atmospheric inputs and drainage water outputs, (the network comprises 17 groups of experimental catchments in 7 countries), plus basic site and environmental data. Data collection, sampling and chemical analysis of samples will be carried out using common protocols. A central database will be established at the University of Goettingen and each site will provide data to this data base in common formats.
The following process studies will be carried out in subsets of the catchments.
Weathering rates and processes: quantification of base cation production from mineral weathering in a range of rock and soil types.
Quantification of atmospheric inputs: quantification of total atmospheric inputs to catchments; comparison of available methods; and production of protocols for future studies.
Water pathways and residence times: quantification of the contribution of water from different sources to streams at varying flows, in a range of catchment types represented by the network.
Ion exchange and A1 mobilization: development of improved models of ion exchange and A1 mobilization and immobilization for incorporation in hydrochemical models.
Sulphate fluxes: improved models of the processes controlling sulphate retention and production in soil plant systems.
Nitrate fluxes: improved models of the processes controlling nitrate retention and production in soil plant systems.
Experimental manipulations at selected catchments to allow testing, and further development of the models will be carried out: additions of nitric acid (a Gardsjon subcatchment); removal of excess nitrate and sulphate from atmospheric inputs (a Gardsjon subcatchment); liming (a Llyn Brianne subcatchment); clearcuttings (a Waroneu subcatchment); clearance of understorey vegetation (a Filebres subcatchment); burning (a Mont Lozere subcatchment); and addition of ammonium sulphate (a Schluchsee subcatchment).
Existing hydrochemical models (MAGIC, BIRKENES, RAINS) will be applied at catchments from each site to test the models over a wide range of environmental conditions, to identify key controlling processes and weaknesses in the models. Existing hydrochemical models using data from the process studies and experimental manipulations combined with results from application of the existing models across the network will be modified and enhanced.
Empirical models linking hydrochemistry to aquatic biota, initially using data from catchments in the United Kingdom will be developed and using data from other catchments in the network.
Forest growth models and hydrochemical models will be linked and tested using data from clearcutting studies and the sites in the network showing signs of frost damage.
Critical loads for forest soil systems and surface waters will be calculated at each site. The validation of currently proposed critical loads using data on aquatic biota and vegetation growth and status will be achieved.
Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
- natural sciences computer and information sciences databases
- natural sciences earth and related environmental sciences environmental sciences pollution
- natural sciences biological sciences ecology ecosystems
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Programme(s)
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
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Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
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Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
Funding Scheme
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
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Coordinator
SN2 1EU SWINDON
United Kingdom
The total costs incurred by this organisation to participate in the project, including direct and indirect costs. This amount is a subset of the overall project budget.