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Freshwater Resources and Ecosystems in the Anthropocene: Challenges for a Sustainable Management

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A special issue of Sustainability (ISSN 2071-1050). This special issue belongs to the section "Social Ecology and Sustainability".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 July 2021) | Viewed by 34995

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Special Issue Editors

Dr. Konstantinos Stefanidis

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Hellenic Centre for Marine Research, Institute of Marine Biological Resources, and Inland Waters, Anavissos, Greece
Interests: aquatic ecology; limnology; river hydromorphology; aquatic macrophytes; climate change impact on freshwater ecosystems
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Dr. Elias Dimitriou

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Guest Editor

Institute of Marine Biological Resources and Inland Waters, Hellenic Centre for Marine Research, 19013 Anavyssos, Greece
Interests: environmental water requirements; water resources management; hydrochemistry; water resources monitoring
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The Anthropocene term is commonly used to describe an epoch that signifies the human impact on the Earth, including all human-induced global changes in the natural environment, such as anthropogenic climate and land-use changes. In this new era, freshwater ecosystems are greatly exposed to risk as anthropogenic activity continuously promotes the alteration of hydrological regimes, pollution, nutrient enrichment, expansion of invasive species, landscape degradation, and natural land cover loss. These environmental changes are responsible for a series of pressures that pose multiple threats not only for the ecological integrity of these ecosystems but also for freshwater as a natural resource. On top of that, given the anticipated impacts of climate and land-use changes on the global water resources, it is apparent that anthropogenic pressure on freshwaters will increase in the next few years, which increases the need to adapt current freshwater management and/or create new schemes that will ensure a sustainable use of freshwater resources.

This Special Issue welcomes innovative research studies from various disciplines that focus on the impact of anthropogenic disturbances on freshwater ecosystems and resources in the scope of sustainable water management. Submitted articles may deal with several relevant topics such as the following:

Climate change impacts on freshwater ecosystem functions and services
The effects of catchment landscape and land-use changes on the water quality, quantity, and availability of water resources
Modeling the responses of freshwater ecosystems to scenarios of global change and future management
New tools and methods for monitoring and quantifying the impacts of anthropogenic changes on freshwaters

Dr. Konstantinos Stefanidis
Dr. Elias Dimitriou
Guest Editors

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Keywords

climate change impact on freshwaters
effects of land use changes on water quality and quantity
water availability and demand under future scenarios
catchment modeling for sustainable management
anthropogenic impact on freshwater ecosystem services
water management adaptation to global changes

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Published Papers (9 papers)

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13 pages, 2796 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Do Cross-Latitude and Local Studies Give Similar Predictions of Phytoplankton Responses to Warming? An Analysis of Monitoring Data from 504 Danish Lakes

by Erik Jeppesen, Liselotte S. Johansson, Sh Tserenpil, Martin Søndergaard, Torben L. Lauridsen and Per Andersen

Sustainability 2021, 13(24), 14049; https://doi.org/10.3390/su132414049 - 20 Dec 2021

Cited by 7 | Viewed by 2037

Abstract

Cross-latitude studies on lakes have a potential to predict how global warming may cause major changes in phytoplankton biomass and composition, e.g., the development of favourable conditions for cyanobacteria dominance. However, results from these studies may be influenced by biogeographical factors, and the conclusions may, therefore, not hold when considering local response patterns. We used monthly monitoring data from 504 lakes in Denmark—a small and homogeneous geographical region—to establish empirical relationships between key phytoplankton groups and a set of explanatory variables including total phosphorus (TP), total nitrogen (TN), lake mean depth (DEP) and water temperature (TEMP). All variables had strong effects on phytoplankton biomass and composition, but their contributions varied over the seasons, with TEMP being particularly important in June–October. We found dominance of cyanobacteria in terms of biomass and also an increase in dinophytes biomass at higher TEMP, while diatoms and chlorophytes became less important. In May, however, the TEMP effect on total phytoplankton biomass was negative, likely reflecting intensified zooplankton grazing. Our results suggest that biogeographical effects are of minor importance for the response patterns of phytoplankton to temperature and that substantial concentration reductions of TN and TP are needed in eutrophic lakes to counteract the effect of the climate change-induced increase in TEMP. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Freshwater Resources and Ecosystems in the Anthropocene: Challenges for a Sustainable Management)

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21 pages, 1924 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Riparian Ecological Infrastructures: Potential for Biodiversity-Related Ecosystem Services in Mediterranean Human-Dominated Landscapes

by André Fonseca, Vera Zina, Gonçalo Duarte, Francisca C. Aguiar, Patricia María Rodríguez-González, Maria Teresa Ferreira and Maria Rosário Fernandes

Sustainability 2021, 13(19), 10508; https://doi.org/10.3390/su131910508 - 22 Sep 2021

Cited by 12 | Viewed by 3507

Abstract

Riparian Ecological Infrastructures are networks of natural and semi-natural riparian areas located in human-dominated landscapes, crucial in supporting processes that directly or indirectly benefit humans or enhance social welfare. In this study, we developed a novel multimetric index, termed Habitat Ecological Infrastructure’s Diversity Index (HEIDI), to quantify the potential of Riparian Ecological Infrastructures in supporting biodiversity, and related ecosystem services, in three managed landscapes: Intensive Agriculture, Extensive Agriculture, and Forest Production. Metrics describing the structure, composition, and management of riparian vegetation and associated habitats were used to derive the potential of Riparian Ecological Infrastructures in supporting three distinct biological dispersal groups: short-range dispersers (ants), medium-range dispersers (pollinators), and long-range dispersers (birds, bats, and non-flying small mammals). The composition of floristic resources, assessed by identifying trees and shrubs at the species and genus level, and herbaceous plants at the family level, was used as a proxy to evaluate the potential of Riparian Ecological Infrastructures in promoting seed dispersal and pollination ecosystem services provided by the three biological communities. Our research evidenced that Riparian Ecological Infrastructures located in the Forest Production and Intensive Agriculture landscapes exhibited the highest and lowest potential for biodiversity-related ecosystem services, respectively. The Forest Production landscape revealed higher suitability of forage resources for short- and medium-range dispersers and a higher landscape coverage by Riparian Ecological Infrastructures, resulting in more potential to create ecological corridors and to provide ecosystem services. The Riparian Ecological Infrastructures located in the Extensive Agriculture landscape seemed to be particularly relevant for supporting long-ranges dispersers, despite providing less habitat for the biological communities. Land-use systems in the proximity of Riparian Ecological Infrastructures should be sustainably managed to promote riparian vegetation composition and structural quality, as well as the riparian width, safeguarding biodiversity, and the sustainable provision of biodiversity-related ecosystem services. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Freshwater Resources and Ecosystems in the Anthropocene: Challenges for a Sustainable Management)

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14 pages, 1762 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Four Decades of Surface Temperature, Precipitation, and Wind Speed Trends over Lakes of Greece

by Konstantinos Stefanidis, George Varlas, Anastasios Papadopoulos and Elias Dimitriou

Sustainability 2021, 13(17), 9908; https://doi.org/10.3390/su13179908 - 3 Sep 2021

Cited by 9 | Viewed by 2728

Abstract

Climate change is known to affect world’s lakes in many ways. Lake warming is perhaps the most prominent impact of climate change but there is evidence that changes of precipitation and wind speed over the surface of the lakes may also have a significant effect on key limnological processes. With this study we explored the interannual trends of surface temperature, precipitation, and wind speed over 18 lakes of Greece using ERA5-Land data spanning over a period of almost four decades. We used generalized additive models (GAMs) to conduct time-series analysis in order to identify significant trends of change. Our results showed that surface temperature has significantly increased in all lakes with an average rate of change for annual temperature of 0.43 °C decade⁻¹. With regard to precipitation, we identified significant trends for most lakes and particularly we found that precipitation decreased during the first two decades (1981–2000), but since 2000 it increased notably. Finally, wind speed did not show any significant change over the examined period with the exception for one lake. In summary, our work highlights the major climatic changes that have occurred in several freshwater bodies of Greece. Thus, it improves our understanding on how climate change may have impacted the ecology of these important ecosystems and may aid us to identify systems that are more vulnerable to future changes. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Freshwater Resources and Ecosystems in the Anthropocene: Challenges for a Sustainable Management)

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22 pages, 45035 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Geoenvironmental Implications and Biocenosis of Freshwater Lakes in the Arid Zone of East Kazakhstan

by Talant N. Samarkhanov, Anar B. Myrzagaliyeva, Jiri Chlachula, Ludmila B. Kushnikova, Jolanta Czerniawska and Sayan B. Nigmetzhanov

Sustainability 2021, 13(10), 5756; https://doi.org/10.3390/su13105756 - 20 May 2021

Cited by 6 | Viewed by 3997

Abstract

Steppe and semi-desert lakes of Central Asia represent unique and still poorly known aquatic ecosystems. The paper provides summaries of multi-proxy environmental and biological investigations of the previously unexplored ground of Sibe lakes in the naturally pristine zone of East Kazakhstan, and of their contributions to people. Data on the taxonomic composition of zooplankton and zoobenthos of these freshwater lacustrine basins are presented in terms of the species’ frequency of occurrence; the abundance of the aquatic biomass and the analyzed water geochemical variables insofar as they are dependent and correlative. The qualitative and quantitative records display variability in the biocenosis diversity due to the lakes’ geochemistry and hydrology differences—some lakes being oligotrophic and others being moderately trophic. In the latter case, the lakes characterized by an increased macrozoobenthos biomass are favourable for local ichthyofauna. Sapro-biological analysis reveals the predominance of β-saprobic species in the zooplankton composition pointing to slight or moderate pollution of surface waters due to natural biotic substances. This observation is in agreement with differences in the water quality of solitary lakes. The uneven distributions of benthic invertebrates (in terms of taxonomy and species populations) in the water bodies suggest specific hydro-ecological conditions that predetermine the structure of the lakes’ biocenosis. The littoral part of the lakes is characterized by the highest abundance of zooplankton and benthic fauna. The Sibe lakes are an example of an autonomous functioning of the lacustrine basins in the upland arid steppe zone, which is characterized by pronounced climate “continentality” and a high level of the sub-aquatic flora and fauna endemism. The present results are relevant to the understanding of the ecosystems’ dynamics and the modern anthropogenic impacts upon the pristine parkland-steppe landscapes of Central Asia, with implications for regional nature protection and sustainable eco-recreation. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Freshwater Resources and Ecosystems in the Anthropocene: Challenges for a Sustainable Management)

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16 pages, 5882 KiB

Open AccessCommunication

Rivers and Wastewater-Treatment Plants as Microplastic Pathways to Eastern Mediterranean Waters: First Records for the Aegean Sea, Greece

by Christina Zeri, Argyro Adamopoulou, Angeliki Koi, Nicholas Koutsikos, Efthymios Lytras and Elias Dimitriou

Sustainability 2021, 13(10), 5328; https://doi.org/10.3390/su13105328 - 11 May 2021

Cited by 16 | Viewed by 4948

Abstract

The present work provides the first records on microplastic (MP) amounts and types in rivers and wastewater effluents entering the Aegean Sea, eastern Mediterranean. Two rivers were sampled using a manta net (mesh size, 0.33 mm): a small urban and a medium-sized river with a rural, semiurban catchment. MPs in wastewater samples were collected at two wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) within the Athens metropolitan area after secondary treatment and from a pilot biological membrane unit (MBR), using a series of sieves. MPs in the samples were identified using stereoscopic image analysis and spectroscopic techniques. MP concentrations in the rivers were found to be variable, with as high as 27.73 items m⁻³ in the urban river. Differences in MP shape types, sizes, and polymer types reflect catchment size and usage. MP concentration in wastewater effluents was found to be 100 times higher in the secondary treatment (213 items m⁻³) than that in the pilot MBR (2.29 items m⁻³), with filaments and polymers indicative of synthetic textiles and household use. Further research is needed in order to accurately determine variability in MP concentrations and fluxes from these two pathways in the eastern Mediterranean Sea and elucidate the role of rivers in MP retention. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Freshwater Resources and Ecosystems in the Anthropocene: Challenges for a Sustainable Management)

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24 pages, 6810 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Assessment of State Transition Dynamics of Coastal Wetlands in Northern Venice Lagoon, Italy

by Andrea Taramelli, Emiliana Valentini, Laura Piedelobo, Margherita Righini and Sergio Cappucci

Sustainability 2021, 13(8), 4102; https://doi.org/10.3390/su13084102 - 7 Apr 2021

Cited by 8 | Viewed by 4415

Abstract

Coastal wetlands represent particularly valuable natural resources, characterized by the interaction between their geomorphological and biological components. Their adaptation to the changing conditions depends on the rate and extent of spatial and temporal processes and their response is still not fully understood. This work aims at detecting and improving the understanding of the transition dynamics on eco-geomorphological structures in a coastal wetland ecosystem. The approach could support sustainable habitat management improving the detection and optimizing the offer of Earth Observation (EO) products for coastal system monitoring. Such course of action will strengthen evidence-based policy making, surface biophysical data sovereignty and the Space Data downstream sector through remote sensing techniques thanks to the capability of investigating larger scale and short-to-long-term dynamics. The selected case study is the Lido basin (Venice Lagoon, Italy). Our methodology offers a support in the framework of nature-based solutions, allowing the identification of ecosystem-level indicators of the surface biophysical properties influencing stability and evolution of intertidal flats on which a conceptual model is implemented. Landsat satellite imagery is used to delineate the spatial and temporal variability of the main vegetation and sediment typologies in 1990–2011. Within this period, specific anthropic activities were carried out for morphological restoration and flood protection interventions. Specifically, the lower saltmarsh shows its more fragmented part in the Baccan islet, a residual sandy spit in front of the Lido inlet. The area covered by Sarcocornia-Limonium, that triggers sediment deposition, has fluctuated yearly, from a minimum coverage of 13% to a maximum of 50%. The second decade (2001–2009) is identified as the period with major changes of halophytic and Algae-Biofilm cover typologies distribution. The power law and related thresholds, representing the patch size frequency distribution, is an indicator of the ecosystem state transition dynamics. The approach, based on multi-temporal and spatial EO analysis, is scalable elsewhere, from regional to local-to-global scale, considering the variability of climate data and anthropogenic activities. The present research also supports sustainable habitat management, improving the detection, and optimizing the offer of EO products for coastal system monitoring. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Freshwater Resources and Ecosystems in the Anthropocene: Challenges for a Sustainable Management)

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17 pages, 5091 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Aquatic Macroinvertebrate Indicators in the Zawgyi Irrigation Channels and a River in the Central Dry Zone of Myanmar

by Nyein Thandar Ko, Phil Suter, John Conallin, Martine Rutten and Thom Bogaard

Sustainability 2020, 12(21), 8788; https://doi.org/10.3390/su12218788 - 22 Oct 2020

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 3003

Abstract

Rivers and wetlands in Myanmar provide essential services to people in terms of transportation, agriculture, fisheries and a myriad of other ecosystem services, all of which are dependent on a healthy ecosystem. Irrigation channels are also an important part of the infrastructure for daily water use in Myanmar. The objective of this research is to describe the aquatic ecosystem of irrigation channels using aquatic macroinvertebrate communities. The research focused on the taxonomic composition of the aquatic macroinvertebrates of the Zawgyi River and the associated irrigation channels in central Myanmar, east of the city of Mandalay. Significant differences between the river and channels, and among individual channels, were shown using an analysis of similarity: Bray–Curtis similarity, a multivariate equivalent of the univariate statistical method of analysis of variance: ANOSIM and an analysis of similarity percentages: SIMPER by Plymouth Routines in Multivariate Ecological Research: PRIMER v6 software. The initial findings suggest that there is a clear separation between macroinvertebrate communities at the morpho-species level of identification between river and irrigation channels, while there is less separation between functional feeding groups (FFG) between them. The lower taxonomic level of discrimination at the family level using a water quality index showed no significant difference between river and channels. The preliminary field results indicate that a recently modified biomonitoring index method could be applied in Myanmar to assess the ecological water quality of the modified river, as well as human-made channels. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Freshwater Resources and Ecosystems in the Anthropocene: Challenges for a Sustainable Management)

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15 pages, 1442 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Filling the Gap between Ecosystem Services Concept and River Basin Management Plans: The Case of Greece in WFD 20+

by Ifigenia Kagalou and Dionissis Latinopoulos

Sustainability 2020, 12(18), 7710; https://doi.org/10.3390/su12187710 - 18 Sep 2020

Cited by 14 | Viewed by 2920

Abstract

The ecosystem services (ES) concept is embedded in all new European directives but its integration in the Water Framework Directive (WFD) is absent, despite the latter being the major legislative tool. The research aims to assess the knowledge of ES that lies within the River Basin Management Plans (RBMPs) in Greece so as to further depict their representation in the relevant planning tools, to support policy making and express the implementation experience to Member States for assisting EU reloading processes. The information on the ES’ status was extracted by the official RBMPs, processed and grouped following Common International Classification of Ecosystem Services (CICES) classification. The prioritization of ES included in the programs of measures (PoMs) further showed the targeting for each River Basin District (RBD). The results were not homogenous for the RBDs, revealing different needs in measures and indicating there is a lack in “communication” between the relevant EU and national regulations. Moreover, a wide suite of water-related ES is hindered in addressing multiple benefits coming from provisioning, regulating and cultural ES. For a proper WFD reload and continuation, the infusion of the ES concept and prerequisites in its objective, and the reviewing of the RBMPs’ target and the suggestion of integrated PoMs are necessary steps that could deliver added value in such legislation. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Freshwater Resources and Ecosystems in the Anthropocene: Challenges for a Sustainable Management)

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21 pages, 4420 KiB

Open AccessProject Report

Interdisciplinary Reservoir Management—A Tool for Sustainable Water Resources Management

by Milan Daus, Katharina Koberger, Kaan Koca, Felix Beckers, Jorge Encinas Fernández, Barbara Weisbrod, Daniel Dietrich, Sabine Ulrike Gerbersdorf, Rüdiger Glaser, Stefan Haun, Hilmar Hofmann, Dominik Martin-Creuzburg, Frank Peeters and Silke Wieprecht

Sustainability 2021, 13(8), 4498; https://doi.org/10.3390/su13084498 - 18 Apr 2021

Cited by 15 | Viewed by 6103

Abstract

Reservoirs are a common way to store and retain water serving for a multitude of purposes like storage of drinking and irrigation water, recreation, flood protection, navigation, and hydropower production, and have been built since centuries. Today, few reservoirs serve only one purpose, which requires management of present demands and interests. Since each reservoir project will cause negative impacts alongside desired advantages both on a local, regional and global scale, it is even more urgent to develop a common management framework in an attempt to mitigate negative impacts, incorporate different demands and make them visible within the discourse in order to avoid conflicts from early on. The scientific publications on reservoirs are manifold, yet a comprehensive and integrative holistic tool about management of this infrastructure is not available. Therefore, a comprehensive and integrated conceptual tool was developed and proposed by the authors of this paper that can contribute to the sustainable management of existing reservoirs. The tool presented herein is based on the results from the interdisciplinary CHARM (CHAllenges of Reservoir Management) project as well as the condensed outcome of relevant literature to aid and enhance knowledge of reservoir management. The incorporated results are based on field, laboratory and empirical social research. The project CHARM focused on five different aspects related to existing reservoirs in southern Germany (Schwarzenbachtalsperre, Franconian Lake District), namely: sedimentation of reservoirs, biostabilisation of fine sediments, toxic cyanobacteria(l) (blooms), greenhouse gas emissions from reservoirs and social contestation, respectively consent. These five research foci contributed to the topics and setup of a conceptual tool, put together by the research consortium via delphi questioning, which can be found alongside this publication to provide insights for experts and laymen. Conceptualising and analysing the management in combination with quantitative and qualitative data in one descriptive tool presents a novelty for the case studies and area of research. The distribution within the scientific community and interested public will possibly make a positive contribution to the goal of sustainable water resources management in the future. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Freshwater Resources and Ecosystems in the Anthropocene: Challenges for a Sustainable Management)

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