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WATER4MED
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
Start Date: 01/06/2024 – End Date: 31/05/2027
Funding: International Project
ESFERA
Upscaling of unstable flow, transport and reactions in heterogeneous porous media
The main purpose of ESFERA is to advance in the knowledge of the characterization of mixing, reaction and solute transport in unstable flow in porous media. Unstable flow is an key factor in natural and industrial processes such as sea water intrusion in coastal aquifers, CO2 and hydrogen underground storage, geothermal energy technologies and vapor transport in snow packs and soils. Specifically, ESFERA will characterize and upscale convection-dominated mixing and dissolution in heterogeneous media, study and upscale the effect of heterogeneity in the migration and dissolution of unstable gravity currents and study and upscale mixing-limited reactions and vapor fluxes in unstable flow in heterogeneous media. To achieve the project’s objective a methodology methodology based on numerical simulations and theoretical development. High resolution numerical simulations will inform the theoretical models. The upscaling methodology will be based on the identification of equivalent permeability fields and effective dispersion coefficients that account for the medium’s heterogeneity structure. The effective coefficients will be developed using a lamellar approach description based on the deformation of the material fluid elements.
Grant CNS2023-144134 funded by MICIU/AEI/10.13039/501100011033 and the European Union NextGenerationEU/PRTR
Start Date: 01/04/2024 – End Date: 31/03/2026
Assistència tècnica per a l’anàlisi de sediments, peixos i biomarcadors i realització de testos de toxicitat al meandre de Flix
És objecte d’aquest treball donar resposta a aquests requeriments. Concretament:
- Analitzar la matèria orgànica, els metalls i els compostos organoclorats de mostres de sediment.
- Analizar metalls i compostos organoclorats de mostres de peix.
- Analitzar biomarcadors de toxicitat i indicadors d’estrès en peixos i invertebrats.
- Realitzar assajos de toxicitat in vitro amb aigua i sediments de dins i fora del meandre.
Finançament: Agència Catalana de l'Aigua. Referència: CTN2300529.
Start Date: 01/04/2024 – End Date: 31/10/2025
Caracterización del Exposoma a sustancias disruptoras endocrinas en niños mediante el uso de espectrometría de masas de alta resolución y el análisis de datos avanzado
Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación. Proyectos Consolidación Investigadora 2023. Referencia: CNS2023-143649
Start Date: 01/04/2024 – End Date: 30/06/2026
BioRisk
Holistic assessment of the impact-interaction of chemical and microbiological micropollutats in the biosolid-soil-plant system. Risks and agricultural recommendations.
The BIORISK project focuses on the holistic evaluation of the impact of chemical and microbial micropollutants in the biosolid-soil-plant system. Biosolids, derived from sewage sludge, are widely used in agriculture as organic fertilizers due to their high nutrient content and role in promoting circular economy principles. However, their application may introduce emerging contaminants such as pharmaceuticals, heavy metals, and antibiotic-resistant bacteria into the soil, crops, and ultimately, the food chain. BIORISK aims to assess the risks associated with biosolid use in farming and explore innovative strategies to mitigate pollutant uptake, ensuring safe and sustainable agricultural practices.
The use of biosolids in agriculture presents both opportunities and risks. On one hand, they provide essential nutrients to crops, improve soil health, and reduce the need for synthetic fertilizers. On the other hand, biosolids may contain a mix of chemical pollutants (e.g., pharmaceuticals, pesticides, plasticizers, and heavy metals) and microbial contaminants (e.g., antibiotic-resistant bacteria and genes), which could pose risks to human health and the environment.
Currently, European regulations on biosolid use mainly focus on heavy metal content, leaving emerging pollutants unregulated. This knowledge gap makes it difficult to determine safe application levels and long-term impacts on soil, crops, and consumers. Without clear guidelines, farmers and policymakers lack the necessary tools to ensure food safety and environmental protection. BIORISK addresses these challenges by conducting comprehensive research to understand pollutant dynamics and develop mitigation strategies.
Funding: cofunded by the EU
Start Date: 01/03/2024 – End Date: 30/11/2026
https://biorisk.csic.es/
Uplift
Upscaling reactive transport in unsaturated media: from the pore to the vadose zone
The vadose zone is the unsaturated region connecting the land surface to groundwater, acting as a filter for nutrients and contaminants and controlling their access to aquifers. Reactive transport in unsaturated porous media is of central importance to our understanding of nutrient cycles and applications such as soil and groundwater remediation. Geological media are heterogeneous across scales, and desaturation leads to complex patterns of air and water and preferential flow channels, enhancing structural heterogeneity. Resolving all scales is unfeasible, severely limiting the capacity of current models to predict field-scale reactivity and the spatial distribution of dissolved reactant plumes in the vadose zone.
Uplift proposes a shift in perspective from empirical parameterization to the development of upscaled models rooted in a firm understanding of pore-scale dynamics. The underlying hypothesis is that a framework capable of quantifying subscale mixing limitations, combined with a coarse field-scale description of flow, can significantly improve current models. This requires a better understanding of pore-scale dynamics under unsaturated conditions, along with a theoretical framework capable of capturing their impact at larger scales. Uplift aims to address these challenges by connecting stochastic models of transport to statistical pore-scale features, and combining them with a novel population dynamics framework for reactive transport connecting effective reaction rates to delays due to transport limitations. To support the theoretical developments and complement available data, resolved simulation tools developed in the project will be employed to assess the role of degree of saturation, pore-scale structure, and transient forcings on phase distribution statistics and solute mixing. The proposed framework and its numerical implementation are expected to result in new reactive transport models for the vadose zone with significantly improved predictive power.
Funding: European Union, ERC Starting Grants 2023 (101115760)
Start Date: 01/03/2024 – End Date: 28/02/2029
https://ercuplift.wordpress.com/
WATERCLIMATE
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.
Funding: AGAUR and 2023 CLIMA 0101
Start Date: 29/01/2024 – End Date: 28/01/2026
Funding: European Project, National Project
https://swr.csic.es/waterclimate-2/
ONE BLUE
Integrated approach to assess the levels and impact of contaminants of emerging concern on blue health and biodiversity modulated by climate change drivers
The ONE-BLUE project aims to address the growing concerns about emerging contaminants (CECs) in marine environments. CECs can be found in pharmaceuticals, personal care products, flame retardants, pesticides, plastic additives, and micro- and nanoplastics. These contaminants pose a significant risk to marine ecosystems and biodiversity. Moreover, climate change exacerbates these risks by altering marine conditions, contaminant behaviour, and ocean acidification. The project seeks to enhance understanding of the presence, behaviour, and impacts of CECs in marine ecosystems under the influence of climate change.
ONE-BLUE focuses on developing new monitoring tools, advanced methodologies, and a comprehensive database (CECsMarineDB) to support effective management and policy decision-making. The studies include sampling campaigns in selected marine areas—the Atlantic Ocean, the Arctic, and the Mediterranean Sea—as well as controlled marine mesocosm experiments to investigate the interactions between CECs and climate change. Additionally, the project employs machine learning-based predictive models to assess and forecast future impacts. The project outcomes will be widely disseminated, and exploitation plans will be established to ensure the effective application of the developed technologies.
Funding: European Union’s HORIZON-CL6-2023-ZEROPOLLUTION-01 Ref No. 101134929
Start Date: 01/01/2024 – End Date: 30/06/2028
Funding: European Project
https://one-blue.eu/
Monitor en continuo, con alta resolución temporal, de concentración de múltiples metales en aerosoles atmosféricos.
Este equipamiento es parte de la ayuda EQC2024-008470-P, financiada por MCIN/ AEI/10.13039/501100011033/ y FEDER Una manera de hacer Europa.
Start Date: 01/01/2024 – End Date: 30/06/2026
Mejorando la caracterización molecular de mezclas complejas en estudios ambientales, humanos y toxicológicos mediante un enfoque integrado utilizando espectrometría de masas y movilidad iónica
Este equipamiento es parte de la ayuda EQC2024-008517-P, financiada por MCIN/ AEI/10.13039/501100011033/ y FEDER Una manera de hacer Europa.
Start Date: 01/01/2024 – End Date: 30/06/2026
