Project description
Including glacier mass balance and vegetation in ecohydrological models of glacier run-off
Glaciers play a vital role in Peruvian Andes’ communities, where water from melting ice is used for drinking, irrigation and hydroelectric power. Ecohydrological models integrating changes in climate, glaciers, hydrology and ecosystems are required to predict future run-off. Current models neglect the complex glacier mass balance and vegetation’s role in altering catchment water balance. With the support of the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions programme, the EPIC project will address these gaps. Using the advanced ecohydrological model Tethys-Chloris, big data via remote sensing methods to evaluate changes in land cover and wetland area, and an assessment of the region’s hydrology, the team will holistically analyse the modulators of catchment run-off.
Objective
Glacier runoff is vital for the downstream populations and ecosystems of the Peruvian Andes. However previous predictions of future runoff have failed to take account of the complexity of the glacier surface energy balance nor of future vegetation succession. Our project aims to provide a new, interdisciplinary understanding of the possible futures of the hydrology of the Cordillera Blanca, combining changes in climate, glaciers, hydrology and ecosystems, and disentangling their interactions. We will use the advanced ecohydrological model Tethys-Chloris, which takes a physically-based approach to representing glacier and catchment processes. We will determine both the key drivers of Peruvian glacier mass balance and the role of vegetation in altering the catchment water balance. Through ‘big-data’ remote sensing approaches we will identify the past changes in land cover and wetland area and how they have coincided with glacier recession. We will then assess the future of the region’s hydrology, including the changing climate, glacier evolution and scenarios of vegetation succession, to provide a holistic view of the controls on projected catchment runoff. The proposed fellow has a strong background in the glacier surface energy balance, remote sensing and glacier hydrology, but she will diversify her knowledge to encapsulate catchment modelling, ecological understanding and the use of large geospatial data archives. She will be supported by Dr Francesca Pellicciotti who is a world-class scientist specialising in the use of physically-based approaches to modelling high mountain catchments. This project will therefore not only provide unique insights into the future hydrology of the Peruvian Andes but will also provide a springboard for the fellow to become a truly interdisciplinary researcher working at the interface between glaciology, ecology and catchment hydrology.
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.
This project's classification has been human-validated.
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.
This project's classification has been human-validated.
- natural sciences earth and related environmental sciences hydrology ecohydrology
- natural sciences computer and information sciences data science big data
- engineering and technology environmental engineering remote sensing
- natural sciences computer and information sciences computational science multiphysics
- natural sciences earth and related environmental sciences physical geography glaciology
Keywords
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
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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HORIZON.1.2 - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA)
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Topic(s)
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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.
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.
HORIZON-TMA-MSCA-PF-EF - HORIZON TMA MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
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Call for proposal
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
(opens in new window) HORIZON-MSCA-2022-PF-01
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Net EU financial contribution. The sum of money that the participant receives, deducted by the EU contribution to its linked third party. It considers the distribution of the EU financial contribution between direct beneficiaries of the project and other types of participants, like third-party participants.
3400 Klosterneuburg
Austria
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