Project description
This project is focused on integrated forest, hydrological, atmospheric, and limnological research of headwater catchments existing on gradients from highland to alpine regions. Mountain lakes and small streams draining these catchments are very suitable model ecosystems, enabling the quantitative evaluation of the effects of a wide range of natural and anthropogenic environmental factors on these ecosystems. In this project, we will primarily concentrate on the impact of global climate changes and air pollution. Both these factors are related to the process of acidification-recovery, still the most important phenomenon affecting headwater catchments. We will use forest health parameters, catchment hydrology, mass-budget studies on major environmental elements, and stream biology as indicators quantifying the impacts of the above factors. Predictions of future changes will be performed using hydrogeochemical models and the application of regionally adapted global climate scenarios and anticipated trends in acid deposition to these models.

Lead partners
- Hydrobiological station, Institute for Environmental studies, Faculty of Science, Charles University in Prague
- Institue of Hydrobiology, Biology Centre of the ASCR, v.v.i.