Integrated Project to Evaluate the Impacts of Global Change on European Freshwater Ecosystems (EURO-LIMPACS)

• A 6th Framework Programme Integrated Project
• Contract No.: GOCE-CT-2003-505540 (EU contract)
• Duration: 5 years
• Start date: 1 February 2004

Euro-limpacs is a €20m Integrated Project funded by the EU designed to assess the effects of future global change on Europe's freshwater ecosystems. The project is co-ordinated by the Environmental Change Research Centre, University College London and has 37 partners. The research programme is relevant to the EU Water Framework Directive and other European and international directives and protocols.

Euro-limpacs Coordinator

Dr Simon Patrick, University College London (UCL), London, UK
e-mail: InitialSurname@geog.ucl.ac.uk [spatrick]

SYKE contributes to most Euro-limpacs workpackages

SYKEs contribution in WP1 is focused on the effects of climatic factors on leaching from forested catchments, modeling climate change impacts on hydrological processes in lake catchments, and conducting a lake manipulation experiment on climate change effects (prof Martin Forsius and Dr. Bertel Vehviläinen).

WP3 is focused on studying food-web, nutrient and climate interactions in lakes;  using space-for-time data and stable isotope analysis (Mr Olli-Pekka Pietiläinen).

WP4 is focused on statistical analysis of long-term data (DOC changes and acidification recovery), impacts on climatic patterns on seasonal and episodic changes, and modeling impacts of global change on acidification recovery (SMART model) (prof Martin Forsius).

WP5 deals with the impact on global change effects on mercury processes in forested catchments. The work is closely linked to the lake manipulation study in WP1 (prof Matti Verta).

WP6 is focused on modeling of the impacts of global change at three representative sites using integrated, process-based nutrient models INCA-N and –P. The sites include northern river basin, south-western agricultural catchment, and catchment of Lake Pääjärvi (linked to WP7) where catchment-lake interactions are studied (Dr Ahti Lepistö).

WP7 deals with modelling of response surfaces describing the effect of climate change on lake water quality in relation to changing input from its catchment. The main study site is the Lake Pääjärvi catchment (Dr Ilona Bärlund).

Euro-limpacs contacts at SYKE

Prof Martin Forsius (project manager)
tel: +358 40 740 2364, +358 20 490 2308
e-mail: firstname.surname@ymparisto.fi [martin forsius]

Dr Ahti Lepistö (project co-leader)
tel: +358 400 148 824, +358 20 490 2238
e-mail: firstname.surname@ymparisto.fi [ahti lepisto]

Mrs Maria Vuorinen (financing)
tel: +358 40 740 2547, +358 20 490 2311
e-mail: firstname.surname@ymparisto.fi [maria vuorinen]