Author(s): J. Bastian Höller; Anders G. Andersson; J. Gunnar I. Hellström
Linked Author(s):
Keywords: Ecohydraulics; Riparian vegetation; River regulation; Fluvial hydraulics
Abstract: In the pursuit of resource efficiency and emission reduction, renewable energy sources are globally gaining importance. Among them, hydropower plays a pivotal role due to its flexibility, allowing it to serve as a regulating energy source within the renewable energy mix. While hydropower contributes to reducing emissions in the energy sector, the induced river regulation has adverse impacts on the river ecosystem. Regarding riparian vegetation, which mainly relies on the natural hydrologic regime (Poff et al., 1997), river regulation often reduces the total riparian area, abundance and diversity of species. The riparian zone is the area between low- and high-water marks along rivers and streams (Naiman & Décamps, 1997). It can also be defined as the temporarily flooded zone between the aquatic zone and the terrestrial ecosystem. As a linkage between the two, it is of high ecological importance and serves as a habitat, migration corridor, buffer zone and fulfils numerous other functions. In regulated rivers, management of the riparian zones is necessary to maintain their rich biodiversity. In this work, ecohydraulic modelling is presented as a method to assess the influence of river regulation, management and restoration measures on riparian vegetation.
Year: 2025