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Dr. Francesca Salmaso
Department of Theoretical and Applied Sciences, University of Insubria, Varese, Italy

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0 River
0 Diatoms
0 macroinvertebrates
0 Flow and sediment regime
0 Streamflow Alteration

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Review
Published: 18 July 2021 in Environments
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As the global demand for renewable electricity grows, hydropower development of river basins increases across the world. Hydropeaking, i.e., streamflow alteration consisting of daily or subdaily rapid and marked discharge fluctuations, can affect river reaches below hydropower units. Environmental effects of hydropeaking include geomorphological alterations and possible modifications of the freshwater biota. Among affected instream communities, benthic macroinvertebrates are receiving increasing attention and the related scientific research has experienced significant progress in the last decade. In this context, this paper aims to summarize state-of-the-art methods for the assessment of hydropeaking impacts on benthic macroinvertebrate communities. The present review could support the proper design of monitoring plans aimed at assessing the ecological impacts of hydropeaking and the effects of possible mitigation strategies.

ACS Style

Francesca Salmaso; Livia Servanzi; Giuseppe Crosa; Silvia Quadroni; Paolo Espa. Assessing the Impacts of Hydropeaking on River Benthic Macroinvertebrates: A State-of-the-Art Methodological Overview. Environments 2021, 8, 67 .

AMA Style

Francesca Salmaso, Livia Servanzi, Giuseppe Crosa, Silvia Quadroni, Paolo Espa. Assessing the Impacts of Hydropeaking on River Benthic Macroinvertebrates: A State-of-the-Art Methodological Overview. Environments. 2021; 8 (7):67.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Francesca Salmaso; Livia Servanzi; Giuseppe Crosa; Silvia Quadroni; Paolo Espa. 2021. "Assessing the Impacts of Hydropeaking on River Benthic Macroinvertebrates: A State-of-the-Art Methodological Overview." Environments 8, no. 7: 67.

Primary research paper
Published: 22 June 2021 in Hydrobiologia
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Instream hydraulics and riverbed substrate allow for the identification of mesohabitats, and contribute in shaping benthic macroinvertebrate assemblages. However, the role of different depositional conditions between mesohabitats in determining macroinvertebrate response to large sediment input still needs investigation. We studied the evolution of sediment deposits and benthic assemblages in two mesohabitats (a riffle and a glide) of an Alpine river affected by an extreme sediment input. Substrate and hydraulic characteristics were measured in each mesohabitat for 18 months after the sedimentation event. Benthic macroinvertebrates were sampled concurrently, and available pre-event data allowed for before/after comparison. We found evidence of a different response of benthic communities to siltation, associated to the physical structure of the mesohabitat they inhabit. Both substrate and macroinvertebrates were less impacted and recovered faster in the riffle than in the glide. Assemblages in the glide adjusted to the modified habitat through strong proliferation of sand tolerant and preferring families, resulting in higher density and lower diversity compared to the riffle. Our results could support the improvement of the impact assessment of sediment input events. This is particularly relevant given the current global warming, inducing the increase in frequency and intensity of severe rainfall events, and subsequent landslides.

ACS Style

Francesca Salmaso; Paolo Espa; Giuseppe Crosa; Silvia Quadroni. Impacts of fine sediment input on river macroinvertebrates: the role of the abiotic characteristics at mesohabitat scale. Hydrobiologia 2021, 1 -21.

AMA Style

Francesca Salmaso, Paolo Espa, Giuseppe Crosa, Silvia Quadroni. Impacts of fine sediment input on river macroinvertebrates: the role of the abiotic characteristics at mesohabitat scale. Hydrobiologia. 2021; ():1-21.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Francesca Salmaso; Paolo Espa; Giuseppe Crosa; Silvia Quadroni. 2021. "Impacts of fine sediment input on river macroinvertebrates: the role of the abiotic characteristics at mesohabitat scale." Hydrobiologia , no. : 1-21.

Journal article
Published: 03 November 2019 in Water
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In the Po plain, northern Italy, rivers within agricultural basins display steep summer increases in nitrate (NO3−) concentrations. Flood irrigation in overfertilized, permeable soils may drive such diffuse pollution, facilitating interactions between NO3−-rich groundwater and surface waters. We discuss multiple, indirect evidence of this mechanism in the Adda, Oglio, and Mincio rivers. These rivers drain agricultural soils with elevated nitrogen (N) surpluses, averaging 139, 193, and 136 kg ha−1 in the Adda, Oglio, and Mincio watersheds, respectively. The three rivers cross a transitional area between highly permeable and impermeable soils, where summer NO3− concentrations may increase by one order of magnitude over short distances (8–20 km). Upstream of this transitional area, a major fraction of the river flow is diverted for flood irrigation, a traditional and widespread irrigation technique for permeable soils. We speculate that diverted water solubilizes soil N excess, recharges the aquifer, and transfers soil N surplus into groundwater, resulting in NO3− pollution. Groundwater–river interactions were estimated experimentally, via water and NO3− budgets in 0.3 to 1 m3 s−1 km−1 and in 1500 to 5400 kg NO3−–N day−1. The data suggest a pronounced east–west gradient of groundwater to river diffuse water inputs among the three adjacent basins, reflecting the soil permeability and the width of the river–groundwater interaction zone. Given the large stock of NO3− in groundwater, management interventions performed at the basin scale and aimed at decreasing N excess will not produce an immediate decrease in river NO3− pollution.

ACS Style

Erica Racchetti; Francesca Salmaso; Monica Pinardi; Silvia Quadroni; Elisa Soana; Elisa Sacchi; Edoardo Severini; Fulvio Celico; Pierluigi Viaroli; Marco Bartoli. Is Flood Irrigation a Potential Driver of River-Groundwater Interactions and Diffuse Nitrate Pollution in Agricultural Watersheds? Water 2019, 11, 2304 .

AMA Style

Erica Racchetti, Francesca Salmaso, Monica Pinardi, Silvia Quadroni, Elisa Soana, Elisa Sacchi, Edoardo Severini, Fulvio Celico, Pierluigi Viaroli, Marco Bartoli. Is Flood Irrigation a Potential Driver of River-Groundwater Interactions and Diffuse Nitrate Pollution in Agricultural Watersheds? Water. 2019; 11 (11):2304.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Erica Racchetti; Francesca Salmaso; Monica Pinardi; Silvia Quadroni; Elisa Soana; Elisa Sacchi; Edoardo Severini; Fulvio Celico; Pierluigi Viaroli; Marco Bartoli. 2019. "Is Flood Irrigation a Potential Driver of River-Groundwater Interactions and Diffuse Nitrate Pollution in Agricultural Watersheds?" Water 11, no. 11: 2304.

Article
Published: 13 February 2019 in Environmental Monitoring and Assessment
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This work aims to evaluate the effects of different environmental factors (i.e., geographical, chemical, and hydrological) on benthic diatoms at 34 sites located in 13 watercourses of northern Italy, and to highlight possible misclassifications of the ecological status of watercourses, sensu Water Framework Directive, related to the normative index currently adopted in Italy (ICMi). The analysis of both the taxonomical and functional composition of diatom communities confirmed the presence of differences in terms of taxonomical richness, diversity, and taxa assemblages, associated to the altitude and the geological characteristics of the investigated watercourses. Moreover, the data analysis revealed differences due to chemical and hydrological alterations. Specifically, our results showed a clear link among these environmental perturbations and the communities’ functional composition expressed through the use of ecological guilds. High abundance and richness of motile diatoms were detected in sites characterized by nutrient enrichment, while high abundance of low-profile diatoms was linked to hydrological alteration. In contrast, these anthropogenic perturbations were not detected by the ICMi, which ranked more than 90% of the analyzed samples in the highest quality class. This study stresses the need for a different approach in diatom data interpretation in order to achieve reliable information about the ecological status of watercourses.

ACS Style

Francesca Salmaso; Silvia Quadroni; Stefania Compare; Gaetano Gentili; Giuseppe Crosa. Benthic diatoms as bioindicators of environmental alterations in different watercourses of northern Italy. Environmental Monitoring and Assessment 2019, 191, 158 .

AMA Style

Francesca Salmaso, Silvia Quadroni, Stefania Compare, Gaetano Gentili, Giuseppe Crosa. Benthic diatoms as bioindicators of environmental alterations in different watercourses of northern Italy. Environmental Monitoring and Assessment. 2019; 191 (3):158.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Francesca Salmaso; Silvia Quadroni; Stefania Compare; Gaetano Gentili; Giuseppe Crosa. 2019. "Benthic diatoms as bioindicators of environmental alterations in different watercourses of northern Italy." Environmental Monitoring and Assessment 191, no. 3: 158.

Article
Published: 20 December 2017 in Environmental Monitoring and Assessment
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An eco-hydraulic survey of the highly regulated Adda River (northern Italy) was carried out to highlight the ecological implications of the current water management, including minimum flows (MFs) set as environmental protection measures. Macroinvertebrates, flows, and other main physico-chemical parameters were monitored from 2010 to 2012 at seven sites located in two river reaches characterized by different water abstraction schemes. In the upper part of the river, water is mainly diverted for hydro-power, and, in water-depleted reaches, discharges equalled MF for more than 100 days y-1, mainly during winter. In the downstream river reach, where irrigation use prevails, discharges were on average three times higher than in the upper part of the river, and flow values similar to MF were detected only for short periods during summer. The two resulting streamflow patterns seem to have shaped different benthic communities, superimposing to the natural downstream variation. The upper reach is characterized by univoltine taxa, while the lower reach by multivoltine taxa adapted to a more disturbed environment. Chironomidae, a well-known tolerant benthic family, dominated at a site affected by point-source pollution, which turned out to be another determinant of macroinvertebrate community. Despite these differences among sites in the benthic community structure, the current water management seems to allow, for all of the investigated river sites, the achievement of the good ecological status as defined by the local law set in accomplishment of the Water Framework Directive.

ACS Style

Francesca Salmaso; Giuseppe Crosa; Paolo Espa; Gaetano Gentili; Silvia Quadroni; Serena Zaccara. Benthic macroinvertebrates response to water management in a lowland river: effects of hydro-power vs irrigation off-stream diversions. Environmental Monitoring and Assessment 2017, 190, 33 .

AMA Style

Francesca Salmaso, Giuseppe Crosa, Paolo Espa, Gaetano Gentili, Silvia Quadroni, Serena Zaccara. Benthic macroinvertebrates response to water management in a lowland river: effects of hydro-power vs irrigation off-stream diversions. Environmental Monitoring and Assessment. 2017; 190 (1):33.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Francesca Salmaso; Giuseppe Crosa; Paolo Espa; Gaetano Gentili; Silvia Quadroni; Serena Zaccara. 2017. "Benthic macroinvertebrates response to water management in a lowland river: effects of hydro-power vs irrigation off-stream diversions." Environmental Monitoring and Assessment 190, no. 1: 33.

Conference paper
Published: 13 December 2017 in Plant-Microbes-Engineered Nano-particles (PM-ENPs) Nexus in Agro-Ecosystems
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Water exploitation for hydropower and irrigation alters the natural hydrologic regime of rivers, and consequently instream biocenosis and ecological processes. The identification of management decisions able to protect freshwater ecosystems while maintaining important water uses is a crucial issue for both science and management. This study presents and compares water management schemes into two large Mediterranean river basins. Environmental issues linked to management are discussed taking into account different local features and the regulatory framework.

ACS Style

Francesca Salmaso; Paolo Espa; Ramon J. Batalla; Giuseppe Crosa; Gaetano Gentili; Livia M. L. Servanzi; Silvia Quadroni. Water Management and Related Environmental Issues in Large Mediterranean Basins: Case Studies from the Ebro and the Po Catchments. Plant-Microbes-Engineered Nano-particles (PM-ENPs) Nexus in Agro-Ecosystems 2017, 759 -761.

AMA Style

Francesca Salmaso, Paolo Espa, Ramon J. Batalla, Giuseppe Crosa, Gaetano Gentili, Livia M. L. Servanzi, Silvia Quadroni. Water Management and Related Environmental Issues in Large Mediterranean Basins: Case Studies from the Ebro and the Po Catchments. Plant-Microbes-Engineered Nano-particles (PM-ENPs) Nexus in Agro-Ecosystems. 2017; ():759-761.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Francesca Salmaso; Paolo Espa; Ramon J. Batalla; Giuseppe Crosa; Gaetano Gentili; Livia M. L. Servanzi; Silvia Quadroni. 2017. "Water Management and Related Environmental Issues in Large Mediterranean Basins: Case Studies from the Ebro and the Po Catchments." Plant-Microbes-Engineered Nano-particles (PM-ENPs) Nexus in Agro-Ecosystems , no. : 759-761.

Journal article
Published: 09 August 2016 in Journal of Limnology
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Thermal alteration is one of the adverse effects of flow regulation sharpened in recent years due to climate changes. In this work, we characterize the thermal regime of a highly regulated river located in Northern Italy, which is the emissary of Lake Maggiore. The thermal characteristics of the study reach are influenced by the presence of two dams and by climate warming. In the 15-year monitored period (1999-2013) a significant increase of the mean annual river temperature (i.e., +1.8°C) was indeed recorded. Minimum and maximum water temperatures were detected in correspondence of low-flow periods in February and August, respectively. During August the temperature reached a maximum of 27°C, that is a value below the upper thermal limit of tolerance for most of the aquatic taxa collected in the study area. Moreover, the local presence of seeps and the interaction with groundwater play an important ecological role by guaranteeing patches of cool water to the aquatic communities. Nevertheless, the sensitive early life stages of fish species that spawn in spring/summer may be affected by the high summer temperatures and the expected future climate warming. The wider range of temperatures preferred by alien fish species could result into a competitive disadvantage for autochthonous species. The current minimum flows established by local laws as environmental flows appeared to be able to guarantee an acceptable thermal alteration in morphologically heterogeneous reaches where river/groundwater interaction occurred, at least within the current climatic conditions.

ACS Style

Francesca Salmaso; Silvia Quadroni; Gaetano Gentili; Giuseppe Crosa. Thermal regime of a highly regulated Italian river (Ticino River) and implications for aquatic communities. Journal of Limnology 2016, 1 .

AMA Style

Francesca Salmaso, Silvia Quadroni, Gaetano Gentili, Giuseppe Crosa. Thermal regime of a highly regulated Italian river (Ticino River) and implications for aquatic communities. Journal of Limnology. 2016; ():1.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Francesca Salmaso; Silvia Quadroni; Gaetano Gentili; Giuseppe Crosa. 2016. "Thermal regime of a highly regulated Italian river (Ticino River) and implications for aquatic communities." Journal of Limnology , no. : 1.