(EUREGIO) The melting of rock glaciers (permafrost) and glaciers is often a source of enrichment in trace metals for high-altitude waters, where they reach concentrations that can exceed legislative limits for human use, thus affecting the chemical and biological quality, and functionality of Alpine aquatic ecosystems.

This project aims to understand and quantify the origin, fate, and effects of these trace elements in three glacial and periglacial basins on the north and south slopes of the central and eastern Alps, with a focus on abiotic and biotic processes that alter the concentration of metals in water and trophic networks (assimilation, bioaccumulation).

(Alpine Space 2021-2027) Mountain headwaters are a key component of Alpine water resources providing natural- and socio-ecosystem services. Climate change, with the degradation of the cryosphere (glaciers, permafrost, snow), and human pressure are increasingly impacting mountain headwaters availability and quality  in Alpine systems. These alterations challenge Alpine communities and impact ecosystem services. The design of effective adaptation plans and management strategies remains a challenge for policy makers and  stakeholders of Alpine territories, due to data gaps, difficulties to develop hydrological models enabling testing management scenarios and insufficient knowledge transfer from science to policy and from policy to science.

Thus, the WATERWISE project aims to provide solutions for communities and protected area managers to assess the vulnerability of headwater catchments and design sustainable management and adaptation strategies.