Author(s): Martina Bussettini; Paolo Vezza
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Abstract: In order to ensure the provision of river ecosystem services, an appropriate level of functionality of fluvial processes has to be guaranteed. In particular, the establishment and maintenance of flow and sediment regimes may promote heterogeneous habitats and connectivity to sustain different biotic communities inside riverine ecosystems. The environmental flow (e-flows) science and the related scientific literature consider natural flow regimes as essential to sustaining the health of riverine ecosystems. Nevertheless, streamflow is mediated by river morphology to support many fundamental ecological processes and many scientists all over the world emphasize the need to broaden the e-flow regime concept, incorporating sediment transport and balance in the context of regulated river management. In an effort to frame a more comprehensive methodology for e-flows assessment, in this chapter we discuss how recently developed tools coming from different scientific disciplines (hydrology, fluvial geomorphology and biology) can be integrated and used together to describe the physical template of which depends on river ecological functions. A multiscale hydromorphological framework is presented to show the potential of such hydromorphological approach and to provide useful metrics that can be used for water resources management at large spatial and temporal scales.
Year: 2018