Development of a classification and decision-support tool for assessing lake hydromorphology

  • Authors:

  • J. S. Rowan;S. J. Greig;C. T. Armstrong;D. C. Smith;D. Tierney

  • Affiliations:

  • Centre for Environmental Change and Human Resilience (CECHR), University of Dundee, Dundee DD1 4HN, UK;Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA), Stirling, FK9 4TR, UK;Northern Ireland Environment Agency (NIEA), Lisburn, BT28 3AL, UK;Environment Agency of England and Wales (EA), Great Yarmouth, R31 9JA, UK;Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Dublin 14, Republic of Ireland

  • Venue:
  • Environmental Modelling & Software
  • Year:
  • 2012

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Abstract

Bridging the gap between policy aspirations and the ability of regulators to deliver robust evidence-based tools within affordable and realistic time-scales presents major challenges to the science community. Lake-MImAS (Morphological Impact Assessment System) is a hydromorphological classification and decision-support tool adaptable to any setting, developed in response to the EC Water Framework Directive (WFD) requirement to classify all surface waters in the European Union and achieve at least good ecological status by 2015. Lake-MImAS provides a transparent and consistent risk-assessment framework to assess the impact of hydromorphological pressures on ecologically relevant lake features and associated processes. Underpinned by expert-judgement, the tool quantifies lost 'system capacity' (%) relative to pristine, or un-impacted condition and does so on a type-specific basis. Morphological condition limits (MCLs) separate 'lost capacity' into five condition classes ranging from near natural to severely altered. Near natural (