Rivers of Europe

Klement Tockner, Urs Uehlinger, Christopher T. Robinson

• Publisher: Academic Press
• Year: 2009
• ISBN:
  9780080919089
• Topic: Physical Sciences
• Subtopic: Hydrology

Based on the bestselling book, Rivers of North America, this new guide stands as the only primary source of complete and comparative baseline data on the biological and hydrological characteristics of more than 180 of the highest profile rivers in Europe. With numerous full-color photographs and maps, Rivers of Europe includes conservation information on current patterns of river use and the extent to which human society has exploited and impacted them. Rivers of Europe provides the information ecologists and conservation managers need to better assess their management and meet the EU legislative good governance targets.

• Coverage on more than 180 European rivers
• Summarizes biological, ecological and biodiversity characteristics
• Provides conservation managers with information to resolve conflicts between recreational use of rivers, their use as a water supply, and the need to conserve natural habitats
• Data on river hydrology (maximum, minimum and average flow rates), seasonal variation in water flow
• Numerous full-color photographs
• Information on the underlying geology and its affect on river behaviour

Chapter 1

Introduction to European Rivers

Klement Tockner, Leibniz-Institute of Freshwater Ecology and Inland Fisheries (IGB), Müggelseedamm 310, Berlin, Germany; Institute of Biology, Freie Universität, Berlin, Germany

Diego Tonolla, Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology (Eawag), Box 611, 8600 Duebendorf, Switzerland

Urs Uehlinger, Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology (Eawag), Box 611, 8600 Duebendorf, Switzerland

Rosi Siber, Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology (Eawag), Box 611, 8600 Duebendorf, Switzerland

Christopher T. Robinson, Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology (Eawag), Box 611, 8600 Duebendorf, Switzerland

Fabian D. Peter, Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology (Eawag), Box 611, 8600 Duebendorf, Switzerland

Publisher Summary

Rivers recognize no political boundaries. This is particularly true for Europe, which has over 150 transboundary rivers. For example, the Danube is the 29th longest river globally and it drains parts of 19 countries and 10 ecoregions. Further, 8 of the 10 largest catchments in Europe are in the eastern plains of Russia and the Ukraine and information on their present status is highly limited. Europe also has a long history in river training with most rivers being severely fragmented, channelized, and polluted. The European Union launched an ambitious program called the Water Framework Directive (WFD), which requires a catchment management plan for all major European rivers for achieving “good ecological status” by 2015. This chapter provides a comprehensive overview of all major European catchments included in the book, starting with the bio-geographic setting, with an emphasis on physiography, hydrology, ecology/biodiversity, and human impacts.

1.1. Introduction

1.2. Biogeographic Setting

1.3. Cultural and Socio-economic Setting

1.4. Hydrologic and Human Legacies

1.5. Early and Recent Human Impact

1.6. Temperature and Precipitation

1.7. Water Availability and Runoff

1.8. Riverine Floodplains

1.9. River Deltas

1.10. Water Quality

1.11. Freshwater Biodiversity

1.12. Environmental Pressures on Biodiversity

1.12.1. Fragmentation

1.12.2. Water Stress

1.12.3. Land Use Change

1.12.4. Non-native Fish Species

1.13. The European Water Framework Directive

1.14. Knowledge Gaps

Acknowledgements

References

1.1 INTRODUCTION

Rivers recognize no political boundaries. This is particularly true for Europe, which has over 150 transboundary rivers (Whitton 1984). For example, the Danube is the 29th longest river globally, and it drains parts of 19 countries and 10 ecoregions. Further, 8 of the 10 largest catchments in Europe (Figures 1.1 and 1.2, Table 1.1) are in the eastern plains of Russia and the Ukraine and information on their present status is highly limited. Europe also has a long history in river training with most rivers being severely fragmented, channelized, and polluted (Petts et al. 1989; Kristensen & Hansen 1994; Tockner & Stanford 2002; UNEP 2004; Nilsson et al. 2005). Recently, the European Union launched an ambitious program called the Water Framework Directive...