Network of Leading Ecosystem Scale Experimental AQUAtic MesoCOSM Facilities Connecting Rivers, Lakes, Estuaries and Oceans in Europe and beyond (Aquacosm-Plus)

Nature's Integration in Cities' Hydrologies, Ecologies and Societies (NICHES)

Using system diagnosis to assess pressures on aquatic systems

Inventive forecasting tools for adapting water quality management to a new climate (Inventwater)

Securing biodiversity, functional integrity and ecosystem services in DRYing rivER networks (Dryver)

Pharmaceuticals are therapeutic agents contaminating aquatic systems and hence included in the Water Framework Directive’s watch list of Contaminants of Emerging Concern. High global consumption of pharmaceuticals has led to their increased occurrence in aquatic systems. As they are designed to be therapeutically active at ng/L to μg/L concentrations, pharmaceuticals can affect non-target organisms in aquatic system exhibiting sub-lethal effects. Sub-lethal effects caused by pharmaceuticals can be direct when there are similarities in the mode of action. Indirect effects triggered by pharmaceuticals can be density-mediated and/or trait-mediated including the once caused by the disruption and/or mimicking of infochemicals involved in chemical communication between organisms.
In this project, we explore the sub-lethal effects of pharmaceuticals on aquatic food web functioning. Firstly, by understanding the impact of sub-lethal concentrations of pharmaceuticals on trophic interactions. Secondly, we assess the significance of these sub-lethal effects on aquatic food web functioning. Therapeutic drugs with high global occurrence, environmental relevance and persistence are used for all the experiments. The observations and findings of this project will inform the water managers about the significance of considering the sub-lethal effects of environmental concentrations of pharmaceuticals on aquatic ecosystems while determining their environmental risk limits.

MANTEL (Management of Climatic Extreme Events in Lakes & Reservoirs for the protection of Ecosystem Services) is a Marie Sklodowska-Curie European Joint Doctorate Innovative Training Network that trained a cohort of Early Stage Researchers (ESRs) to investigate the effects of extreme climatic events on water quality. As one of 12 ESRs, Qing's MANTEL project focus on mitigating negative impacts of extreme events on the sustained provision of lake ecosystem services.

The outputs will support stakeholders through development of measures that mitigate the negative consequences of extreme events, including toxic cyanobacterial blooms, and runoff induced high nutrient loads. Lowering the trophic status of surface waters is expected to increase resilience against predicted global warming and therewith reduce problematic cyanobacterial blooms. Cost-efficient mitigation calls for a tailor made benefit oriented restoration plan, building on an arsenal of restoration techniques, combined with innovative techniques (e.g. geo-engineering techniques).

Qing will be primarily based in the Netherlands Institute of Ecology, Netherlands, supervised by Dr Lisette de Senerpont Domis, and will be co-supervised by and spend study time with Dr Miquel Lurling, Wageningen University, and Dr. Rafa Marcé, Catalan Institute for Water Research, Spain. The PhD will be awarded by Wageningen University.

More information about this project can be found: https://www.mantel-itn.org/

At the AKWA group we are involved in numerous GLEON projects

Over a million Dutch citizens use psychopharmaca like anti-depressants and anti-psychotics, which enter surface waters after use. Designed to affect the nervous system, psychopharmaca will mimic so-called infochemicals, and influence communication and behaviour of organisms. Thereby psychopharmaca potentially disrupt ecosystem structure and functioning. Their expected increased use challenges the management of water quality. This project focuses on possible reductions of emissions and effects. We aim at possibilities to improve regulations, to design more friendly alternatives, understand ecosystem effects and mitigate effects by water treatment technologies and nature-based solutions. Psychopharmac'eau is a collaborative project between NIOO-KNAW, University of Amsterdam(UvA) and Wageningen University and Research(WUR).

Though shallow surface waters are known GHG emission hotspots, the quantification of its GHG emission levels is hampered by the lack of accurate measurements and sound spatial extrapolation methods. As a consequence, climate-smart decision-support tools for surface water management cannot be developed. This is an important caveat, because there is a large potential to reduce GHG emissions from shallow surface waters. The project will tackle this problem by providing a first evidence-based estimate of GHG emissions of shallow inland waters in the Netherlands, and by identifying measures to reduce GHG emission and increase carbon storage in surface waters. These data will be used to develop and validate climate-smart management tools that can be applied by the water management stakeholders involved in the project. DIGS will provide means that will directly contribute to the principal priority of the Dutch government to combat climate change: reduction of Netherlands’ GHG emissions by 49% in 2030, compared to 1990 levels. DIGS is funded by the Open Technology Program of NWO and has a term of four years starting in 2021.