Past, current and future Interactions between pressures, chemicaL status and bioLogical qUality eleMents for lakes IN contrAsting catchmenTs in IrEland (ILLUMINATE)

Abstract

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Ireland-funded project ‘Past, current and future interactions between pressures, chemical status and biological quality elements for lakes in contrasting catchments in Ireland’ (ILLUMINATE) demonstrates the benefits of integrating high quality ecological, environmental and palaeolimnological datasets within a dynamic modelling framework. The project also marks the first application of coupled ecological pressure-response models specifically calibrated for catchments in Ireland. Interactions between current and past ecological pressures and responses are quantified through analyses of a combination of contemporary, historical and palaeolimnological datasets. Results are then used to inform runs of coupled dynamic ecological pressure-response models that are used to simulate future scenarios of catchment-lake linkages.