Publication details
The development of a system to assess the ecological quality of streams based on macroinvertebrates - design of the sampling programme within the AQEM project
| Authors | |
|---|---|
| Year of publication | 2003 |
| Type | Article in Periodical |
| Magazine / Source | Internat. Rev. Hydrobiol. |
| MU Faculty or unit | |
| Citation | |
| Field | Hydrology and limnology |
| Keywords | stream assessment; stream typology; reference conditions; multi-habitat sampling; Water Framework Directive |
| Description | The EU Water Framework Directive (WFD) requires river assessment systems based on benthic invertebrates. The AQEM project is developing, at a European scale, such a methodology, based on a comparison of communities of reference streams and degraded streams. The project is focussing on three main impact types: morphological degradation, organic pollution and acidification. This paper presents the outline of the AQEM project with special emphasis on: - an overview of assessment systems with benthic invertebrates presently applied in Europe; - an overview of stream typology approaches in Europe; - the selection process of the stream types investigated in AQEM; - the criteria used to select reference sites; - the design of the sampling programme; - the microhabitat-based sampling method applied in AQEM; - the links and possibilities of integration between AQEM and existing assessment systems. |