Fact sheets & Key messages

On the FIP website we want to encourage scientists to leave their "ivory tower" and to propagate their knowledge in a digestible format. The fact sheets are designed as “quick feeds” or "key messages" for a diverse target-audience, including academics, administrators, practitioners, policy-makers, but also the interested public. Each fact sheet is written in a non-technical language of brief and concise style, not exceeding two to four pages in length or a short and easy to read web article.

MARS Freshwater
Information System - FIS

Factsheets on water management models

For each model general characteristics, applicability for the various water categories  hydromorphology, physico-chemistry and biology are summarised in a factsheet including contact information and links.

Open FIS fact sheets

MARS factsheet 01

MARS cookbook

Multiple stresses and freshwater ecosystem service provision. The MARS ‘cookbook’ methodology provides an invaluable tool to support the implementation of the Water Framework Directive in Europe.


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MARS factsheet 02

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Freshwater Information Platform

To make this detailed and wide-ranging knowledge of freshwater ecosystems accessible to all, integrating results and original data stemming from finished, on-going, and future freshwater research projects.

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MARS factsheet 03

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MARS scenarios and storyline

Scenarios and storylines are used to project the impacts of multiple stressors on aquatic ecosystems. They deliver a qualitative framework and, where possible, quantitative data for modellers to run simulations.

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MARS factsheet 04

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Multiple stresses on Europe’s freshwaters

To safeguard the health and diversity of Europe’s freshwaters, and the ecosystem services that they provide to humans, we need to better understand and manage the challenge of multiple stressors.

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MARS factsheet 05

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The Freshwater blog

A blog is an excellent tool for a wide spread dissemination and communication and to reach a large group of readers all over the world. Ideas, information and numbers from behind the scene.

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MARS factsheet 06

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HyTEC experiment

The HyTEC experiment: investigating the effects of pulse releases of water from hydropower on aquatic life.

Factsheet about the HyTEC experiments in the Austrian Alps.

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MARS factsheet 07

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Provisioning Freshwater Ecosystem Services

Provisioning services encompass all the outputs of materials, nutrients and energy from an eco-system.

What are ecosystem services and why are they important.

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MARS factsheet 08

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Regulating and Maintaining Freshwater Ecosystem Services

Services that regulate and maintain ecosystem processes, and in so doing, support ecosystem functioning and productivity.

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MARS factsheet 09

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Cultural Freshwater Ecosystem Services

Cultural ecosystem services are the non-material benefits that people obtain from ecosystems through recreation, tourism, intellectual development, spiritual enrichment, reflection and creative and aesthetic experiences.

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MARS factsheet 10

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Storylines: Fragmented World

As water management is usually site-specific, global data and predictions currently tells us little about water management in the future. Projections and data do tell us, however, about aggregate global demand and availability.

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MARS factsheet 11

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Storylines: Consensus World

As water management is usually site-specific, global data and predictions currently tells us little about water management in the future. Projections and data do tell us, however, about aggregate global demand and availability.

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MARS factsheet 12

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Storylines: Techno World

As water management is usually site-specific, global data and predictions currently tells us little about water management in the future. Projections and data do tell us, however, about aggregate global demand and availability.

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MARS factsheet 13

MARS fact sheet #13

The MARS Diagnostic Analysis Tool (DAT)

This tool aims to help water body managers identify and rank potential causes of ecological degradation at the scale of individual water bodies.

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MARS factsheet 14

MARS fact sheet #13

Four key messages of the MARS project

Four key messages emanated from the project activities, which provide a quintessential summary of the endeavours.

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GLOBAQUA factsheet 01

GLOBAQUA project

The project aims to study the effects of water scarcity in a multiple stressor framework to achieve a better understanding of how current management practices and policies could be improved.

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GLOBAQUA factsheet 02

Multiple-stressor mechanisms in European freshwater systems

The STRESSORS Module is designed to understand the mechanisms and connections of multiple stressors in the GLOBAQUA case- study river basins.

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GLOBAQUA factsheet 03

Multiple stressors effects on biodiversity and river ecosystem functioning

The RECEPTORS Module within GLOBAQUA aims to assess the effects of multiple stressors on the biodiversity of bacteria, algae, macrophytes, invertebrates and sh and on functioning of river ecosystems.

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GLOBAQUA factsheet 04

Ecosystem Services aligned with The Economics of Ecosystems and Biodiversity approach

The IMPLICATIONS Module aimed to valuate ESs in the case-study basins, by integrated modelling, development of methodologies for socioeconomic management & economic valuation.

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GLOBAQUA factsheet 05

Bridging EU water policy and scientific results

The Module ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT aims to deliver a better understanding of how current management practices and policies could be improved by identifying the main drawbacks and alternatives.

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SOLUTIONS factsheet 01

SOLUTIONS Project

The project addresses major gaps in assessing emerging pollutants and provides innovative approaches for assessing effects of emerging pollutants on the status of water resources.

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WISER key message 01

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Review of data and methods

Intercalibration is a fundamental prerequisite to compare the results of hundreds of bio-indicator systems in Europe & the WISER Central Database is of great value for future research.

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WISER key message 02

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Assessment and monitoring of lakes in Europe

The reliable assessment of the impact of different lake stressors requires the use of different Biological Quality Elements.

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WISER key message 03

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Transitional and coastal water assessment: Macroinvertebrates in transitional and coastal waters

Marine phytoplankton & macroalgae, invertebrates, zoobenthos, fish, size spectra index (SSI), pressure gradients, reference conditions, ecological potential, ...

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WISER key message 04

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Uncertainty in water body assessment

WISER improved the knowledge on the sources of uncertainty in ecological status classification, uncertainty may vary between different metrics calculated for the same BQE, ...

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WISER key message 05

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River management: Effects of management and climate change in rivers

Riverine assemblages respond differently to individual stressors and stress levels, environmental stressors act hierarchically, catchment and riparian land use control local habitat conditions, ...

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WISER key message 06

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Lake management: Effects of management and climate change

Climate warming causes profound changes in lake fish assemblages, include zooplankton as a BQE in assessment of lake ecological status, models can guide lake restoration, ...

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WISER key message 07

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Transitional and coastal water management: Effects of management and climate change

Benthic communities become more vulnerable to hypoxia with warming, hydrogen sulphide exacerbates effects of hypoxia, phytoplankton biomass yield relative to nutrients have doubled, ...

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WISER key message 08

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Integration of different Biological Quality Elements / Management across water categories

'One-out all-out' for combining BQEs into an integrated classification must be applied with caution, restoration can be successful when tackling all pressures simultaneously, recovery needs time, ...

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