News

Supersites are the components of the DANUBIUS-RI distributed Research Infrastructure which will be the test beds of the DANUBIUS-RI scientifically excellent ideas, areas where the developed concepts will be refined and verified.

Supersite "Hydrological Nexus of Central Europe" Within the integrated research programs and facilities of the DANUBIUS-CZ consortia (CENAKVA, CZECHGLOBE), we aim to provide the capacities for the complex investigation of the ongoing processes in freshwater ecosystems and their importance in the terms of biodiversity conservation, protection of aquatic environment, but also protection of water resources for life and human activities.

Located in the Czech Republic, the Hydrological Nexus of Central Europe, supersite is a headwater region for European rive systems. It is home to the Elbe, Morava (Danube) and the Odra rivers which support ecosystems, agricalture and transportaition across the whole of Europe.

CENAKVA and CZECHGLOBE research facilities specialise in freshwater ecosystems and aquaculture research supporting biodiversity conversation. Services include: water quality and pollution, ekosystem services, biodiversity research and aquaculture innovations. The supersite also offers passive sampling for the detection and observation of polar organic contaminants in the water environment. We connect aquaculturists, hydrobiologist, ecologist, toxicologists and economists studying different factors influencing both water and land ecosystems. This is key to tackling emerging pollutants and nutrients as main contributors to aquatic pollution, helping sustainable water management. This expertise within the supersite provides direct outputs for decision-makers, developing adaptation or mitigation strategies for critical ecosystems.

 DANUBIUS-RI pilot projects in the CENAKVA center

The CENAKVA Center is actively involved in the European DANUBIUS-RI consortium, providing unique services through our research programs VP1, VP2, and VP3.

The DANUBIUS-RI consortium, through its pilot call (DANUBIUS-IP project 101079778), focuses on early-career researchers and Ph.D. students addressing the theme of ‘Water, sediment and biotic variations and their impacts on aquatic ecosystems in River-Sea Systems under extreme events and climate change scenarios.’

The facilities and services of the CENAKVA center are used within the framework of two research projects that have passed the evaluation process of the first pilot call, which aims to test operational services in ‘real-world’ research scenarios.

Project 1: Evaluating the ecological benefits of upgrading to advanced wastewater treatment in freshwater river ecosystems (WW-IMPACT)

Project 2: Tire additives in road runoffs: monitoring and toxicity assessment within river-sea systems 

As part of the second pilot call, the following project was approved:

Project 3: Watercolor and water variability – what is the best for the aquatic vegetation along the coast of Gulf of Riga (W-BEST)

Details of the projects and the full article are available here.

The newsletter can be accessed here.

DANUBIUS-IP is an EU Horizon Europe project funded by the European Union (HORIZON-INFRA-2021-DEV-02) under grant agreement No 101079778.