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EU Water Framework Directive (eu + water_framework_directive)
Selected AbstractsMonitoring and predicting channel change in a free-evolving, small Alpine river: Ridanna Creek (North East Italy)EARTH SURFACE PROCESSES AND LANDFORMS, Issue 14 2007Rossella Luchi Abstract The recent (25 years) morphodynamics of a proglacial reach of the Ridanna Creek, North-East Italy, evolving in the absence of human constraints, has been investigated by means of an intensive field activity and of the analysis of aerial photographs. The study reach mostly displays a braided morphology, with sharp downstream variations of valley gradient, sediment size and formative conditions within the main channel. These discontinuities are associated with different processes of channel adjustment at different timescales, which have been quantified by coupling hydrological with morphological information. Several processes of channel change and variations in braiding intensity have been documented along the whole reach and highlight how a regular, weakly meandering main channel may significantly affect the morphodynamics of the braided network. A first attempt to predict the morphological instability of this main channel at the observed spatial scales through existing linear theories of curved river channels shows a good agreement with field observations. Finally, the complete hydro-morphodynamical characterization of such an undisturbed alpine river reach can provide a relevant contribution to the definition of reference conditions for Alpine rivers required by the EU Water Framework Directive. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] The use of technical knowledge in European water policy-makingENVIRONMENTAL POLICY AND GOVERNANCE, Issue 5 2010Perry J. M. van Overveld Abstract Environmental policy-making often involves a mix of technical knowledge, normative choice and uncertainty. Numerous actors, each with their own distinct objectives, are involved in these policy-making processes. One question these actors face, is how they can effectively communicate their technical knowledge and represent their interests in policy-making. The objective of this paper is to identify the factors that influence the use of technical knowledge and its impact on decision-making in the European Union. This is done for case of water policy-making for organic micropollutants, such as pesticides and pharmaceuticals. These pollutants enter the surface water in many ways and although concentrations are low, adverse effects cannot be ruled out. Via the EU Water Framework Directive, legislation has been developed to reduce the emissions of pollutants that pose a risk to ecology or public health. Using the advocacy coalition framework, the formal EU decision-making processes are analyzed for the identification of priority pollutants (Priority Substances) and the derivation of maximum allowable concentrations (Environmental Quality Standards). To enable a detailed analysis, the focus is on three specific micropollutants that pose health risks via drinking water supply. The findings show the extent to which actors can influence the decision-making process with technical knowledge. Early involvement in the drafting process that is led by the European Commission is important to influence decision-making outcomes. For this, organizational capacity in coalitions to mobilize and coordinate the required targeted contribution of technical knowledge is crucial. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment. [source] Criteria for the assessment of processes for sustainable river basin management and their congruence with the EU Water Framework DirectiveENVIRONMENTAL POLICY AND GOVERNANCE, Issue 4 2008Beatrice Hedelin Abstract In order to manage the increasing pressure on the world's water resources, new planning methodologies/processes for sustainable river basin management are currently being developed. For such processes to work well, however, the legal context must allow, or support, such processes. In this study, a set of criteria relating to methodologies/processes for sustainable water management is used to assess the EU Water Framework Directive (WFD). The study suggests that the WFD erects few formal barriers to good planning practices. However, planning processes will need to be adapted to compensate for the weak legal support in a number of important areas, namely the use of knowledge from beyond the natural sciences, the use of methodologies for the explicit handling of values and the use of procedures for democratic participation. In so doing the issues identified here provide a basis for systematic thinking about how to design the necessary planning processes. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment. [source] Assessing macroinvertebrate metrics for classifying acidified rivers across northern EuropeFRESHWATER BIOLOGY, Issue 7 2010S. JANNICKE MOE Summary 1. The effects of acidification on ecological status of rivers in Northern Europe must be assessed according to the EU Water Framework Directive (WFD). Several acidification metrics based on macroinvertebrates already exist in different countries, and the WFD requires that they be comparable across northern Europe. Thus, we compiled macroinvertebrate monitoring data from the U.K. (n = 191 samples), Norway (n = 740) and Sweden (n = 531) for analysis against pH. 2. We tested new and existing acidification metrics developed nationally and used within the Northern Geographical Intercalibration Group. The new metrics were based on the acidification sensitivity of selected species and are proposed as a first step towards a new common indicator for acidification for Northern Europe. 3. Metrics were assessed according to responsiveness to mean pH, degree of nonlinearity in response and consistency in responses across countries. We used flexible, nonparametric regression models to explore various properties of the pressure,response relationships. Metrics were also analysed with humic content (total organic carbon above/below 5 mg L,1) as a covariate. 4. Most metrics responded clearly to pH, with the following metrics explaining most of the variance: Acid Water Indicator Community, Number of ephemeropteran families, Medin's index, Multimetric Indicator of Stream Acidification and the new metric ,Proportion of sensitive Ephemeroptera'. 5. Most metrics were significantly higher in humic than in clear-water rivers, suggesting smaller acidification effects in humic rivers. This result supports the proposed use of humic level as a typological factor in the assessment of acidification. 6. Some potentially important effects could not be considered in this study, such as the additional effects of metals, episodic acidification and the contrasting effects of natural versus anthropogenic acidity. We advocate further data collection and testing of metrics to incorporate these factors. [source] Risk assessment methodologies for predicting phosphorus losses,JOURNAL OF PLANT NUTRITION AND SOIL SCIENCE, Issue 4 2003Oscar F. Schoumans Abstract Risk assessment parameters are needed to assess the contribution of phosphorus (P) losses from soil to surface water, and the effectiveness of nutrient and land management strategies for the reduction of P loss. These parameters need to take into account the large temporal and spatial variation in P transfer from individual fields arising from (a) changing but predictable factors such as land use, soil P status, P application rates, forms and ways of fertilization and spreading, (b) predictable but inherent factors such as soil type, soil dispersivity, slope and hydrological routing, and (c) unpredictable weather factors such as rainfall amount and intensity. In most situations, water transport is the driving force of P loss from agricultural land to surface water. Therefore, the hydrological pathways determine to a large extent the relevance of these different factors. Over the last decade several soil P tests have been proposed as a first step to link field conditions to risk of P loss. The major reason is that these soil P tests are also meaningful in discussions with farmers. Recently, more complex P loss risk parameters have been derived based on different approaches. However, the scope and purposes of these P loss risk parameters vary remarkably. Finally, there is a need to evaluate the usefulness of new P tests that can be used as an indicator of P loss risk, e.g. in relation to monitoring purposes. The implementation of the EU Water Framework Directive will increase this need. In this paper, the practicable applicability of P parameters for risk assessment is discussed in relation to purpose, scale (from field, farm to catchment), effectiveness, sensibility etc. Furthermore, a conceptual framework for P indicators is presented and evaluated, based on the outcome of the presentations and the discussions in Zurich. No translation. [source] Linking ecological and hydromorphological data: approaches, challenges and future prospects for riverine scienceAQUATIC CONSERVATION: MARINE AND FRESHWATER ECOSYSTEMS, Issue S1 2010I. P. Vaughan Abstract 1.Research linking river ecology and hydromorphology is driven by concerns about hydromorphological pressures (e.g. abstraction, land-use change) and legislative (e.g. EU Water Framework Directive) or management needs (e.g. climate-change adaptation). Unfortunately, much of the science is still weak or qualitative (cf. links between ecology and water quality). 2.Rapid progress is required, but financial resources are limited. In response, research opportunities using existing ecological and hydromorphological data and survey methods need to be explored further. 3.There are challenges inherent in using existing data, which are often collected for different purposes, and this paper highlights aspects of spatial scale, temporal coverage, sampling biases, data quality and mining, and the problems faced when using pre-defined sets of variables. 4.While the prospects for exploiting existing data are mixed, distinct strengths arise from extensive geographic coverage, the ability to improve the evidence base rapidly and at low cost, and the generation of testable hypotheses. 5.Current survey methods usually record biological or hydromorphic patterns, or inventories of features (cf. physical processes, or ecosystem functions or services). Their greatest use is likely to be in extending current spatially extensive biological or water chemistry monitoring to more integrated ,eco-hydromorphic' monitoring. 6.With further methodological development, there is real scope for illuminating several aspects of riverine ecology, including the direct ecological and physical consequences of modifying river systems; revealing indirect sensitivity to other pressures, such as climate change; offering a more holistic picture of the distribution of pressures on river ecosystems; and developing hydromorphology as a unifying theme in river studies. However, such developments require funding commitments from research sponsors. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Estuarine eutrophication in the UK: current incidence and future trendsAQUATIC CONSERVATION: MARINE AND FRESHWATER ECOSYSTEMS, Issue 1 2009Gerald Maier Abstract 1.Increased inputs of nutrients to estuaries can lead to undesirable effects associated with eutrophication, including algal blooms, changes in species composition and bottom anoxia. Several estuaries and coastal areas around the UK have increased nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) concentrations, elevated concentrations of chlorophyll a and changes in algal community composition and abundance. This paper reviews the pressures that lead to high nutrient concentrations in estuaries and considers the likely effectiveness of current and proposed regulatory actions. 2.The main sources of nutrients to estuaries are river runoff, sewage discharges, atmospheric inputs and possibly submarine groundwater discharges, although little is known about the latter. Significant reductions in N and P inputs have been realized following application of the EU's Urban Waste Water Treatment Directive. Atmospheric NOx and NHx emissions have also decreased and are expected to decrease further in the next decade as implementation of existing legislation continues, and new controls are introduced for activities such as shipping. 3.Agricultural inputs reach estuaries principally through diffuse sources, either in surface water (and in some areas possibly groundwater) or, for N, via the atmosphere. Over 10 years ago the Nitrates Directive was introduced to tackle the problem of N discharges from agriculture but little change in N loads to estuaries has been recorded. 4.To meet the aims of the EU Water Framework Directive, for at least ,good' ecological status, more rigorous application and implementation of the Nitrates Directive, together with changes in the Common Agriculture Policy and farming practice are likely to be needed. Even then, the slow response of the natural environment to change and the inherent variability of estuaries means that their responses may not be as predicted. Research is needed into the relationship between policy drivers and environmental responses to ensure actions taken will achieve the planned results. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Typology in Mediterranean transitional waters: new challenges and perspectivesAQUATIC CONSERVATION: MARINE AND FRESHWATER ECOSYSTEMS, Issue 5 2006A. Basset Abstract 1.Transitional waters are ecotones between terrestrial, freshwater and marine ecosystems, being characterized by high spatial heterogeneity and temporal variability. 2.The EU Water Framework Directive (WFD) posed to the scientific community the challenge to classify these ecosystems into a small number of types, while retaining a functional classification of ecosystem types. 3.A niche theory approach is proposed to identify the limiting forcing factors organizing biological quality elements, i.e. the limiting niche dimensions. 4.The analysis of a macro-invertebrate dataset from published papers on 36 Italian lagoons suggested a two-level typological classification of Mediterranean lagoons. 5.Basic ecological theories, such as niche and island biogeography theories, have fundamental implications for the process of developing a typological classification for all aquatic ecosystems, as required by the WFD. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Notes on coastal lagoon typology in the light of the EU Water Framework Directive: Italy as a case studyAQUATIC CONSERVATION: MARINE AND FRESHWATER ECOSYSTEMS, Issue 5 2006Davide Tagliapietra Abstract 1.The European Water Framework Directive (WFD) requires that Member States differentiate the transitional water bodies into types. 2.WFD assigns coastal lagoons to two different water categories, ,transitional waters' and ,coastal waters' on the basis of freshwater influence. 3.The main physical factors that contribute to the genesis and characterization of coastal lagoons are coastal typology, tidal range and climate. 4.Italian lagoons are presented as an example of how these physical factors can be used in coastal lagoon characterization and typology. On this basis, a clear distinction of Italian lagoons into two main groups is possible: Northern Adriatic and Mediterranean. 5.Large lagoons can be profitably subdivided into a hierarchical system of sub-basins facilitating both the comparison of parts of the same lagoon and the comparison between different lagoons. 6.The basins are consistent water bodies that can be used as managerial units for environmental conservation, species protection and wise use of resources. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] New alternative and complementary environmental policy instruments and the implementation of the Water Framework DirectiveENVIRONMENTAL POLICY AND GOVERNANCE, Issue 6 2008Andy Gouldson Abstract Based on a study conducted for the Environment Agency for England and Wales, we discuss the contribution that new alternative and complementary environmental policy instruments might make to the realization of the objectives of the EU's Water Framework Directive. Following a survey that identified nearly 100 examples where alternative and complementary instruments are currently being applied in the UK, we categorize such instruments as information-based approaches, private and voluntary regulation or support and capacity building measures. Examples are given of each category of instrument before further findings on the preconditions for the successful application of such measures are presented. These preconditions relate to levels of commitment from key groups, levels of stakeholder understanding, the role of the lead actor, the importance of timing, the need to deliver a clear message, the importance of enforcement, the role of the media and the importance of social capital in key networks. We conclude that alternative and complementary measures have significant potential to contribute to the realization of the Water Framework Directive's objectives, but only where these preconditions are met. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment. [source] Integrating ecology with hydromorphology: a priority for river science and managementAQUATIC CONSERVATION: MARINE AND FRESHWATER ECOSYSTEMS, Issue 1 2009I.P. Vaughan Abstract 1.The assessment of links between ecology and physical habitat has become a major issue in river research and management. Key drivers include concerns about the conservation implications of human modifications (e.g. abstraction, climate change) and the explicit need to understand the ecological importance of hydromorphology as prescribed by the EU's Water Framework Directive. Efforts are focusing on the need to develop ,eco-hydromorphology' at the interface between ecology, hydrology and fluvial geomorphology. Here, the scope of this emerging field is defined, some research and development issues are suggested, and a path for development is sketched out. 2.In the short term, major research priorities are to use existing literature or data better to identify patterns among organisms, ecological functions and river hydromorphological character. Another early priority is to identify model systems or organisms to act as research foci. In the medium term, the investigation of pattern,processes linkages, spatial structuring, scaling relationships and system dynamics will advance mechanistic understanding. The effects of climate change, abstraction and river regulation, eco-hydromorphic resistance/resilience, and responses to environmental disturbances are likely to be management priorities. Large-scale catchment projects, in both rural and urban locations, should be promoted to concentrate collaborative efforts, to attract financial support and to raise the profile of eco-hydromorphology. 3.Eco-hydromorphological expertise is currently fragmented across the main contributory disciplines (ecology, hydrology, geomorphology, flood risk management, civil engineering), potentially restricting research and development. This is paradoxical given the shared vision across these fields for effective river management based on good science with social impact. A range of approaches is advocated to build sufficient, integrated capacity that will deliver science of real management value over the coming decades. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] | |||||||||||||