Climate change - a threat to aquatic ecosystems
Rivers, lakes and wetlands are under intense pressure from multiple use, pollution and habitat degradation. The services that aquatic ecosystems can provide to society have been reduced, and the biota is strongly affected, with several aquatic species disappearing from entire ecoregions.
In Europe, the principal legal instrument to halt the deterioration of aquatic ecosystems is the Water Framework Directive, which aims at restoring aquatic ecosystems back to good status; this is a task for generations. Many indicators have been developed to reflect the status of water bodies and the success of restoration.
Climate change, however, may counteract attempts to restore aquatic ecosystems. It adds additional threats (such as increase in water temperature) and it interacts in complex ways with other stressor types, such as eutrophication.
This website aims to give an overview on how Climate Change affects freshwater ecosystems in Europe and worldwide, and how it could be regarded in freshwater ecosystem monitoring. Individually we provide information on:
- Presently used assessment systems for aquatic ecosystems in Europe and how they address Climate Change effects
- Case studies addressing the effects of Climate Change on aquatic ecosystems
- Indicators potentially suited to detect the effects of Climate Change on European aquatic ecosystems
- Aquatic species which are affected by (or benefiting from) Climate Change
Please select the major ecosystem type you are interested in to find out more.
