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Alterations in the biogeochemical cycles of high-mountain watersheds in the context of global change: Implementation of a monitoring plan

Unlike the highly humanized areas of the planet, where societal activities directly influence local biogeochemical cycles, high-mountain areas, which are regions with limited industrial or agricultural activity, are preferred locations to study the modification of biogeochemical cycles at the global scale. High-mountain areas are excellent for monitoring global change, as they are among the regions where atmospheric influence on nature is most clearly manifested. In fact, high-mountain aquatic ecosystems are considered 'sensors' (or 'sentinels') of environmental change, as they integrate signals from both natural and anthropogenic disturbances occurring in the atmosphere and watersheds, ultimately influencing the ecology and chemistry downstream. Despite the evident effects of global change on high-mountain ecosystems, current knowledge is severely limited by: i) the lack of studies and/or monitoring plans that adopt a comprehensive landscape approach (considering processes in the atmosphere-soil-water continuum), ii) the lack of data collected at relevant spatial-temporal scales (e.g., high-frequency data or multi-watershed sampling), and iii) the lack of hydro-biogeochemical studies that consider the coupling (and interaction) between different biogeochemical elements (e.g., C and N), taking into account the magnitude of mutual influences.
This project aims to implement a monitoring plan (or observation network) that will enable the analysis of new evidence on the directional responses of high-mountain watersheds to environmental change and, consequently, generate new knowledge about the modification of biogeochemical cycles at regional and global scales. From this general objective, three specific objectives are derived, related to possible alterations in the biogeochemical cycles in high-mountain areas as a result of global change.

Funding: Ayudas Excelencia RYC-MaX (CSIC) para investigadores Ramón y Cajal de la convocatoria 2022 de la AEI. Proyecto Intramural Especial (CSIC).

Water management strategies and Adaptation acTions undER a global change context FOR the MEDiterranean region

The primary goal of WATER4MED is to provide a robust approach to enhance Mediterranean water governance models by managing water resources sustainably and efficiently, and providing viable alternatives to increase water storage capacity and mitigate floods. Approaches and alternatives to climate change adaptation will be developed and tested in 4 demonstration sites considering the Mediterranean dimension, while their replicability will be assessed in additional Mediterranean sites

Developing tools and strategies to ensure the availability of WATER resources in urban areas under CLIMATE change

Freshwater resources are suffering increasing pressure in urban areas due to several factors, such as climate change and growing population. Currently, Catalonia is facing a severe drought period of more than two years and this situation is especially critical at the Ter-Llobregat water system that is at 27% capacity. Droughts have been a recurrent phenomenon in these catchments in recent years and there is the urgent need to propose alternative water resources such as urban groundwater. Groundwater can be used as strategic resource to tackle the limited availability of surface water resources, meeting peak demands, but it is essential to investigate the groundwater quality, to explore its potential uses including drinking water supply and to forecast potential future scenarios considering the impact of climate change on groundwater resources.
In this context, the aim of WATERCLIMATE is to develop a set of tools and guidelines/strategies to ensure the availability of groundwater resources in urban areas to face climate change. These tools include source apportionment modelling tool (RE-MIX code) as well as numerical modelling, and will allow the better management of water resources improving qualitative and quantitative aspects. These tools will be applied in the Besòs River catchment at different scales but can be used in any other aquifer system of Catalonia and Europe.

Partners:

• - MAiMA group from the Universitat de Barcelona

Funding: AGAUR and 2023 CLIMA 0101

New tools for marine environmental monitoring: Omics, ARGs and chemical analysis of emerging and untargeted Contaminants

OMICHEMAR aims to assess the impact of regulated and emerging pollutants and their possible effects in the marine environment, using omics approaches such as the use of meta-genomics and meta-proteomics in environmental matrices such as sediment and biota and cutting-edge analytical approaches such as non-target analysis or the analysis of emerging pollutants such as nanoparticles or the presence of antibiotics and antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs). Hence, the results of the project can contribute to a significant improvement in the monitoring of marine ecosystems and transitional waters and to the development of new approaches to be implemented for assessing the environmental quality of coastal ecosystems.

DESARROLLO DE UNA PLATAFORMA INTELIGENTE DE MODELIZACIÓN Y VIRTUALIZACIÓN DE RECURSOS HÍDRICOS

En la actualidad, en la mayoría de los países del mundo es ejercida una presión sin precedentes sobre los recursos hídricos, con una población creciente y un escenario donde el cambio climático supone un factor de condicionalidad añadido a la escasez de estos recursos. Para el año 2030, según estimaciones de la FAO, la diferencia entre demanda y suministro disponible a nivel mundial será del 40%, realidad a la que, lejos de ser ajena, España es un país muy directamente afectado por esta problemática. En este sentido, las estimaciones de riesgo de desertificación de España, estimadas por el Ministerio para la Transición Ecológica y el Reto Demográfico, hacen saltar todas las alarmas, mostrando que 2/3 partes del territorio español se encuentran potencialmente afectadas por este proceso. Es necesario actuar con urgencia, afrontando el problema con nuevas herramientas, con capacidad y con innovación y E-HYDRO está llamado a ser una herramienta clave para ello.
Ante la problemática e imperiosa necesidad existente, identificada igualmente en la inclusión de esta temática dentro de los objetivos del programa Transmisiones 2023, la solución E-HYDRO dará respuesta mediante la dotación de capacidades altamente innovadoras para la Gestión de los Recursos Hídricos. Así, E-HYDRO permitirá una gestión a nivel Cuenca Hidrográfica y su red fluvial asociada, en la que el usuario contará con un Gemelo Digital de la cuenca, asistido por herramientas de virtualización y modelización con motores de inteligencia artificial específicamente desarrollados. E-HYDRO permitirá así consultar, simular y prevenir escenarios reales o potenciales en aras de la asistencia precisa a la toma de decisiones para la mejor gestión del recurso agua.

Funding: AEI/Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovación y Universidades i PLEC2023010215

Partners:

• - CEMOSA
• - ADASA
• - AEROLASER
• - INSITU
• - UNIVERSIDAD DE SALAMANCA

Estat sanitari de les anguiles europees d’estanys i cursos fluvials de la Mediterrània occidental: desenvolupament de mètodes no invasius d’estudi de fonts de contaminació i proposta de mesures de restauració

El projecte AnguillaMed analitzarà l’estat sanitari de les poblacions d’anguila europea (Anguilla anguilla) a la Mediterrània occidental, desenvolupant mètodes no invasius per a l’estudi de fonts de contaminació i fent propostes de mesures de restauració del seu estat sanitari. Des de mitjans del s. XX, la població d’anguila europea s’ha reduït a tot el món fins a tenir una presència mínima. Es calcula que els últims 50 anys els efectius d’aquesta espècie tan vulnerable s’han reduït a menys del 95%. Les causes principals en són la sobrepesca, la ruptura la malade la connectivitat ecològica, l’elevada la contaminació química de l’aigua (per metalls pesants, fàrmacs, i plaguicides) i infestacions parasitàriesdiverses malalties (presència deassociades a bacteris, virus i macroparàsits), entre altres.
Aquest projecte farà un estudi de camp ainclourà 12 llocs d’estudi, que corresponen a diverses masses d’aigua d’aquestes dues zonesmasses d’aigua. D’entrada, a la demarcació dels Pirineus Orientals (parts baixes dels rius Têt, Tech i Verdouble, i els llacs de Canet-Saint Nazaire i Salses – Leucata), a la de Girona (part baixa de la ribera de Llançà, Aiguamolls de l’Alt Empordà i Aiguamolls del Baix Ter) i a la de Barcelona (tram baix dels rius Tordera i Besós i llacunes del Delta del Llobregat),. Tots aquests llocs es considera que tenen llocs amb diferents nivells graus de pressions antropogèniques (produïdes pels éssers humans).
AnguillaMed combina sistemes tradicionals per avaluar l’estat sanitari de les anguiles (com ara l’anàlisi de contaminants a diferents òrgans dels peixos i, la dissecció i l’observaciódetecció de paràsits interns, etc.), amb sistemes innovadors que no requereixen el sacrifici d’individus (com les anàlisis del mucus extern dels peixos), un component aspecte essencial per poder fer un seguiment a llarg termini d’aquesta espècie peix en perill d’extinció.
Els resultats del projecte, permetran conèixer els nivell de degradaciól’estat ecològic dels ambients o hàbitats aquàtics continentals, llacunes costaneres i cursos fluvials (rius, rieres i torrents) i centrar-se en les causes del declivi de la biodiversitat: l’alteració de la hidromorfologia i la hidrodinàmica (règim hidrològiccanvis dels nivells d’aigua, cabals i, connectivitat fluvial i condicions morfològiquesecològica), la contaminació difusa, d’origen agrari o industrial, etc. A partir d’aquí, i tenint en compte que l’anguila és una espècie indicadora de la qualitat del medi aquàtic, la intenció éses proposaran les mesures de restauració més adequades per a aquests hàbitats, de comú ’acord amb els grups socials d’interès de cada lloc d’estudi. Els resultats de la recerca també s’esperaes considera que podranuguin ser extrapolables a altres regionsàree s mediterrànies i europees.

Partners:

• Fundació Universitària Balmes - CT BETA (UVIC-UCC) (Coordinator)
• Instituto de Investigación y Tecnología Agroalimentarias (IRTA)
• AGENCIA ESTATAL CONSEJO SUPERIOR DE INVESTIGACIONES CIENTÍFICAS - Instituto de Diagnostico Ambiental y Estudios del Agua - Institut de Diagnosi Ambiental i Estudis de l'Aigua
• Université de Perpignan Via Domitia (UPVD)

Integrated approach to assess the levels and impact of cONtaminants of Emerging concern on BLUE health and biodiversity modulated by climate change drivers

El projecte ONE-BLUE té com a objectiu abordar les creixents preocupacions sobre els contaminants emergents (CECs) en els entorns marins. Els CECs els podem trobar a productes farmacèutics, productes de cura personal, retardants de flama, pesticides, additius plàstics i micro i nanoplàstics. Aquests contaminants representen un risc significatiu per als ecosistemes marins i la biodiversitat. A més, el canvi climàtic agreuja aquests riscos en alterar les condicions marines i contaminants i l'acidificació dels oceans. El projecte pretén millorar la comprensió de la presència, comportament i impactes dels CECs en els ecosistemes marins sota la influència del canvi climàtic.
ONE-BLUE se centra a desenvolupar noves eines de monitoratge, metodologies avançades i una base de dades integral (CECsMarineDB) per recolzar la gestió efectiva i la presa de decisions polítiques. Els estudis inclouen campanyes de mostreig en les àrees marines seleccionades: oceà Atlàntic, Àrtic i mar Mediterrani, i experiments de mesocosmos marins controlats per investigar les interaccions entre els CECs i el canvi climàtic. A més, el projecte utilitza models predictius basats en l'aprenentatge automàtic per avaluar i predir els impactes futurs. Els resultats del projecte seran disseminats àmpliament i s'establiran plans d'explotació per garantir que les tecnologies desenvolupades siguin aplicades de manera efectiva.

Funding: European Union’s HORIZON-CL6-2023-ZEROPOLLUTION-01 Ref No. 101134929

Partners:
- AGENCIA ESTATAL CONSEJO SUPERIOR DE INVESTIGACIONES CIENTÍFICAS (CSIC)
- Institute of Environmental Assessment and Water Research (IDAEA-CSIC)
- Institute of Marine Sciences (ICM-CSIC)
- Institute for Physical and Information Technologies (ITEFI-CSIC)
- NATIONAL RESEARCH COUNCIL - WATER RESEARCH INSTITUTE (CNR-IRSA)
- ASSOCIAÇÃO PARA A INVESTIGAÇÃO E DESENVOLVIMENTO DE CIÊNCIAS (FCID)
- VENTHIC TECHNOLOGIES (VEN)
- DELFT UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY (TU DELFT)
- HELLENIC CENTRE FOR MARINE RESEARCH (HCMR)
- DUBLIN CITY UNIVERSITY (DCU)
- ALFRED- WEGENER- INSTITUT Helmholtz-Zentrum für Polar- und Meeresforschung (AWI)
- UNIVERSITY OF DUBROVNIK (UNIDU)
- OREBRO UNIVERSITY (ORU)

Non IDAEA personnel:
- Dra. Montse Sala Farré (CSIC-ICM) – Team member
- Dr. Ramiro Ernesto Logares (CSIC-ICM) – Team member
- Dr. Carles Josep Pelejero (CSIC-ICM) – Team member
- Dr.Alberto Ibañez Rodríguez (CSIC-ITEFI) – Team member
- Dra. Montserrat Parrilla Romero (CSIC-ITEFI) – Team member
- Dr. Luis Elvira Segura (CSIC-ITEFI) – Team member
- Dr.Oscar Martínez Graullera (CSIC-ITEFI) – Team member

Ciència ciutadana per conèixer l’exposició humana a additius del cautxú dels pneumàtics

CIRCULATE aims to monitor the environmental fate of tire wear particles in an urban environment and elucidate the routes of exposure in humans, while creating a research community with the public that will co-design and implement the study in the city of Barcelona. The project will elaborate a first participative and structured diagnosis of the presence of these chemical compounds in Barcelona using citizens science and social innovation with a planetary health approach that aims to raise community awareness of an environmental pollution problem not associated with the use of fossil fuels.

Funding: Ajuntament de Barcelona – Fundació “la Caixa”: Convocatòries per a l’atorgament de subvencions de recerca, creació artística i transferència de coneixement en el camp de la ciencia 2023
Reference: 23S06161-001

Characterization of Diffuse Glioma tumors’ chemical exposome and potential positive associations with environmental pollution through air particulate matter analysis and wastewater based epidemiology

Although chemicals enable a constant improvement of health, life quality and facilitate food production, industrial applications and advanced agricultural practices, their release into the environment may be followed by increased risks for human health. Humans (directly or indirectly) are exposed to a diverse mixture of chemicals through multiple pathways, which has been acknowledged to play an important role in common chronic diseases, including multiple types of cancer, but the specific exposure-disease associations have not been explored sufficiently in many cases.
This is particularly relevant for brain tumors, whose causes are still unknown, and it is suspected that the environmental components may play an important role since less than 5% of patients have a family history. Diffuse gliomas are the most common primary malignant brain tumors in adults with poor prognosis and survival, therefore, identifying environmental contributions to diffuse gliomas development and investigating links with chemical exposures is crucial for improving prognosis and treatment options.
The objectives of the EU-funded EnviBrain project are (i) to explore the chemical exposome (exogenous chemicals and associated metabolites) of brain tumor tissues by making use of a unique historical cohort of diffuse gliomas patients (Bellvitge Glioma Cohort; Hospital de Bellvitge; 2005-present) and (ii) assess the exposure of Barcelona citizens to a mixture of contaminants through the analysis of air particulate matter, wastewater and sewage sludge. State-of-the-art analytical chemistry techniques and data science methods are integrated to identify potential toxic organic chemicals and their metabolites/transformation products in the environment, that may influence the development of diffuse glioma in Barcelona. The generated results can be used by competent authorities to establish more surgical measures to reduce the emission of very hazardous chemicals and improve both air quality and population health.

Ecohydrological resilience of Mediterranean headwater catchments to disturbances in water availability

The WARMed project is grounded on the starting hypothesis that increasing disturbances in water availability will greatly modify the ecohydrological behavior of Mediterranean headwater catchments. How resilient will be Mediterranean headwater catchments to (i) potential changes in ecohydrological partitioning, (ii) expected modifications of ecohydrological connectivity, and (iii) alterations in hydrological threshold and hysteresis patterns. We therefore expect this project to broaden our knowledge of the ecohydrological resilience of Mediterranean headwater catchments to disturbances in water availability.
To achieve this goal WARMed aims to investigate how changes in water availability will affect ecohydrological dynamics at different scales through four different objectives: The first objective will investigate water partitioning under different soil water availability conditions at the forest plot scale. This will be complemented with a second objective investigating how water transits, is stored, mixes and is used by vegetation in response to rainfall in different water availability conditions. The third objective will investigate hillslope-stream hydrologic connectivity and its variations depending on water availability. Finally, the fourth objective will assess how and why increasing disturbances in water availability will affect hydrological response and behaviour of Mediterranean headwater catchments.
WARMed will combine up-to-date high-frequency isotopic and hydrometric measurements, with continuous long-term monitoring in the Vallcebre research catchments (NE Pyrenees) used by the Surface Hydrology and Erosion Group as long-term (>30 years) field laboratories.

Funding: Agencia Estatal de Investigación – PID2022-141868NB-I00