Water quality extremes in mountain rivers

WAQUEX – a project on water quality extremes in mountain rivers – investigates the occurrence and drivers of water temperature and sediment load extremes, especially under conditions with increasing droughts, heat waves and floods.

Mountains are an essential source of fresh water to rivers and lowland areas, with vital importance for human societies and for maintaining aquatic biodiversity and ecosystem services. Since mountain rivers are particularly sensitive to climate change, projected future changes in precipitation patterns, air temperature, snow and glacier cover, and flow regime are expected to increase stress for mountain river ecosystems and water quality.

The aim of this project is to

• Gain insight in the temporal and spatial variability of water temperature and sediment load extremes for different mountain regions within Europe.
• Identify the main drivers for water temperature and sediment load extremes.
• Address climate change impacts on these drivers and predict the impact on future extremes.