This page has only limited features, please log in for full access.

Dr. Alberto Pistocchi
EC Joint Research Centre, 1050 Brussels, Belgium

Basic Info

Basic Info is private.

Research Keywords & Expertise

0 Hydraulics
0 Rivers
0 Spatial Analysis
0 Water Quality
0 environment

Fingerprints

Rivers
water resources management
environment
water balance

Honors and Awards

The user has no records in this section


Career Timeline

The user has no records in this section.


Short Biography

The user biography is not available.
Following
Followers
Co Authors
The list of users this user is following is empty.
Following: 0 users

Feed

Journal article
Published: 18 April 2021 in Ecological Indicators
Reads 0
Downloads 0

Understanding how anthropogenic pressures affect river ecological status is pivotal to designing effective management strategies. Knowledge on river aquatic habitats status in Europe has increased tremendously since the introduction of the European Union Water Framework Directive, yet heterogeneities in mandatory monitoring and reporting still limit identification of patterns at continental scale. Concurrently, several model and data-based indicators of anthropogenic pressures to freshwater that cover the continent consistently have been developed. The objective of this work was to create European maps of the probability of occurrence of river conditions, namely failure to achieve good ecological status, or to be affected by specific pervasive impacts. To this end, we applied logistic regression methods to model the river conditions as functions of continental-scale water pressure indicators. The prediction capacity of the models varied with river condition: the probability to fail achieving good ecological status, and occurrence of nutrient and organic pollution were rather well predicted; conversely, chemical (other than nutrient and organic) pollution and alteration of habitats due to hydrological or morphological changes were poorly predicted. The most important indicators explaining river conditions were the shares of agricultural and artificial land, mean annual net abstractions, share of pollution loads from point sources, and the share of upstream river length uninterrupted by barriers. The probability of failing to achieve good ecological status was estimated to be high (>60%) for 36% of the considered river network of about 1.6 M km. Occurrence of impact of nutrient pollution was estimated high (>60%) in 26% of river length and that of organic pollution 20%. The maps are built upon information reported at country level pursuant EU legal obligations, as well as indicators generated from European scale models and data: both sources are affected by epistemic uncertainty. In particular, reported information depend on data collection scoping and schemes, as well as national knowledge and interpretation of river system pressures. In turn, water pressure indicators are affected by heterogeneous biases due to incomplete or incorrect inputs and uncertainty of models adopted. Lack of effective reach- and site-scale indicators may hamper detection of locally relevant impacts, for example in explaining alteration of habitats due to morphological changes. The probability maps provide a continental snapshot of current river conditions, and offer an alternative source of information on river aquatic habitats, which may help filling in knowledge gaps. Foremost, the analysis demonstrates the need for developing more effective continental-scale indicators for hydromorphological alterations and chemical pollution.

ACS Style

Olga Vigiak; Angel Udias; Alberto Pistocchi; Michela Zanni; Alberto Aloe; Bruna Grizzetti. Probability maps of anthropogenic impacts affecting ecological status in European rivers. Ecological Indicators 2021, 126, 107684 .

AMA Style

Olga Vigiak, Angel Udias, Alberto Pistocchi, Michela Zanni, Alberto Aloe, Bruna Grizzetti. Probability maps of anthropogenic impacts affecting ecological status in European rivers. Ecological Indicators. 2021; 126 ():107684.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Olga Vigiak; Angel Udias; Alberto Pistocchi; Michela Zanni; Alberto Aloe; Bruna Grizzetti. 2021. "Probability maps of anthropogenic impacts affecting ecological status in European rivers." Ecological Indicators 126, no. : 107684.

Journal article
Published: 20 January 2021 in Journal of Hydrology: Regional Studies
Reads 0
Downloads 0

This study considers daily time series of 14 years of weather parameters (temperature, wind speed, rainfall, vapor pressure and radiation) for 671 functional urban areas (FUA) across Europe, from a latitude of 35° (Cyprus) to 65° (Finland). Quantification of urban greening effects usually requires relatively complex and integrated models. In this contribution, we apply well-established hydrological, biomass and energy balance equations to derive meta-models for the estimation of runoff reduction, urban surface heating and thermal protection of buildings, in order to quantify the effects of the greening of 1 m2 of impervious surface (e.g. roofs, sealed ground surfaces and underground parking lots). We propose empirical meta-models for the quick appraisal of urban greening benefits including: urban runoff reduction due to soil water retention and evapotranspiration, land surface temperature reduction, reduction of the indoor temperature beneath the greened surface, dry biomass growth. We show that the choice of vegetation growth parameters has a limited effect on the results, although the amount of produced bulk biomass obviously depends on vegetation type. The proposed meta-models can be applied for the assessment of urban greening benefits at the stage of policy evaluation, land planning and the programming of investments at regional or continental scale, before undertaking more detailed and site-specific calculations as required in the design phase.

ACS Style

Emanuele Quaranta; Chiara Dorati; Alberto Pistocchi. Meta-models for rapid appraisal of the benefits of urban greening in the European context. Journal of Hydrology: Regional Studies 2021, 34, 100772 .

AMA Style

Emanuele Quaranta, Chiara Dorati, Alberto Pistocchi. Meta-models for rapid appraisal of the benefits of urban greening in the European context. Journal of Hydrology: Regional Studies. 2021; 34 ():100772.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Emanuele Quaranta; Chiara Dorati; Alberto Pistocchi. 2021. "Meta-models for rapid appraisal of the benefits of urban greening in the European context." Journal of Hydrology: Regional Studies 34, no. : 100772.

Short communication
Published: 22 June 2020 in Desalination
Reads 0
Downloads 0

As desalination develops, the impacts of brine ocean disposal rise increasing concerns. Here we present a screening of the hurdles to brine disposal through pressurized submerged outfalls in the broader Mediterranean region. Using first-tier dilution models, we analyze how different environmental quality standards reflect in terms of initial outfall velocity. We show that achieving moderate dilution is usually not problematic, while higher environmental quality standards would often require excessively high initial velocities. Although this may not be so overwhelming a problem as to undermine the feasibility of brine discharge, it indicates possible hurdles to arise in the permitting of a project. We also show that increasing water recovery (i.e. having more concentrated brine) reduces jet extents, hence allows disposal in shallower waters, with smaller pipelines, causing an appreciable reduction of costs, while also slightly reducing pumping energy demand (which is rather small anyway in comparison with the overall energy demand of the desalination process). This makes recovery of water from the brine a potentially interesting management option, to be appraised against the costs of increasing recovery, and the difficulties arising from the higher dilution required at the outfall.

ACS Style

A. Pistocchi; T. Bleninger; C. Dorati. Screening the hurdles to sea disposal of desalination brine around the Mediterranean. Desalination 2020, 491, 114570 .

AMA Style

A. Pistocchi, T. Bleninger, C. Dorati. Screening the hurdles to sea disposal of desalination brine around the Mediterranean. Desalination. 2020; 491 ():114570.

Chicago/Turabian Style

A. Pistocchi; T. Bleninger; C. Dorati. 2020. "Screening the hurdles to sea disposal of desalination brine around the Mediterranean." Desalination 491, no. : 114570.

Review article
Published: 15 May 2020 in Water Research
Reads 0
Downloads 0

While we increasingly turn to desalination as a secure water supply, it is still perceived as an expensive and environmentally damaging solution, affordable only for affluent societies. In this contribution, we recast desalination from one of a last resort to a far-reaching, climate change mitigating, water security solution. First, we argue that the benefits of desalination go beyond the single-use value of the water produced. If coupled with water reuse for irrigation, desalination reduces groundwater abstraction and augments the water cycle. As such, it may support both adaptation to, and mitigation of climate change impacts by deploying plentiful water for human use, with all the benefits that entails, while helping preserve and restore ecosystems. Second, we counter two arguments commonly raised against desalination, namely its environmental impact and high cost. The environmental impact can be fully controlled so as not to pose long-term threats, if driven by renewable energy. Desalination may then have a zero carbon footprint. Moreover, appropriately designed outfalls make the disposal of brine at sea compatible with marine ecosystems.. Recovery of energy, minerals and more water from brine reject (particularly in the form of vapour for cooling to enable more crops and vegetation to grow), while possible, is often hardly economically justified. However, resource recovery may become more attractive in the future, and help reduce the brine volumes to dispose of. When fresh water becomes scarce, its cost tends to go up, making desalination increasingly economic. Moreover, desalination can have virtually no environmental costs. Considering the environmental costs of over-abstraction of freshwater, desalination tilts the balance in its favour.

ACS Style

A. Pistocchi; T. Bleninger; C. Breyer; U. Caldera; C. Dorati; D. Ganora; M.M. Millán; C. Paton; D. Poullis; F. Salas Herrero; M. Sapiano; R. Semiat; C. Sommariva; S. Yuece; G. Zaragoza. Can seawater desalination be a win-win fix to our water cycle? Water Research 2020, 182, 115906 .

AMA Style

A. Pistocchi, T. Bleninger, C. Breyer, U. Caldera, C. Dorati, D. Ganora, M.M. Millán, C. Paton, D. Poullis, F. Salas Herrero, M. Sapiano, R. Semiat, C. Sommariva, S. Yuece, G. Zaragoza. Can seawater desalination be a win-win fix to our water cycle? Water Research. 2020; 182 ():115906.

Chicago/Turabian Style

A. Pistocchi; T. Bleninger; C. Breyer; U. Caldera; C. Dorati; D. Ganora; M.M. Millán; C. Paton; D. Poullis; F. Salas Herrero; M. Sapiano; R. Semiat; C. Sommariva; S. Yuece; G. Zaragoza. 2020. "Can seawater desalination be a win-win fix to our water cycle?" Water Research 182, no. : 115906.

Journal article
Published: 10 April 2020 in Remote Sensing
Reads 0
Downloads 0

Recent developments in the fields of geographical object-based image analysis (GEOBIA) and ensemble learning (EL) have led the way to the development of automated processing frameworks suitable to tackle large-scale problems. Mapping riverscape units has been recognized in fluvial remote sensing as an important concern for understanding the macrodynamics of a river system and, if applied at large scales, it can be a powerful tool for monitoring purposes. In this study, the potentiality of GEOBIA and EL algorithms were tested for the mapping of key riverscape units along the main European river network. The Copernicus VHR Image Mosaic and the EU Digital Elevation Model (EU-DEM)—both made available through the Copernicus Land Monitoring Service—were integrated within a hierarchical object-based architecture. In a first step, the most well-known EL techniques (bagging, boosting and voting) were tested for the automatic classification of water, sediment bars, riparian vegetation and other floodplain units. Random forest was found to be the best-to-use classifier, and therefore was used in a second phase to classify the entire object-based river network. Finally, an independent validation was performed taking into consideration the polygon area within the accuracy assessment, hence improving the efficiency of the classification accuracy of the GEOBIA-derived map, both globally and by geographical zone. As a result, we automatically processed almost 2 million square kilometers at a spatial resolution of 2.5 meters, producing a riverscape-units map with a global overall accuracy of 0.915, and with per-class F1 accuracies in the range 0.79–0.97. The obtained results may allow for future studies aimed at quantitative, objective and continuous monitoring of river evolutions and fluvial geomorphological processes at the scale of Europe.

ACS Style

Luca Demarchi; Wouter Van De Bund; Alberto Pistocchi. Object-Based Ensemble Learning for Pan-European Riverscape Units Mapping Based on Copernicus VHR and EU-DEM Data Fusion. Remote Sensing 2020, 12, 1222 .

AMA Style

Luca Demarchi, Wouter Van De Bund, Alberto Pistocchi. Object-Based Ensemble Learning for Pan-European Riverscape Units Mapping Based on Copernicus VHR and EU-DEM Data Fusion. Remote Sensing. 2020; 12 (7):1222.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Luca Demarchi; Wouter Van De Bund; Alberto Pistocchi. 2020. "Object-Based Ensemble Learning for Pan-European Riverscape Units Mapping Based on Copernicus VHR and EU-DEM Data Fusion." Remote Sensing 12, no. 7: 1222.

Data descriptor
Published: 23 January 2020 in Scientific Data
Reads 0
Downloads 0

Estimation of domestic waste emissions to waters is needed for pollution assessment and modelling. We assessed quantity and location of domestic waste emissions to European waters for the 2010s. Specifically, we considered discharges of domestic waste Population Equivalent (PE, the amount of waste that equals to 60 g per day of Biochemical Oxygen Demand), and mean annual loads (t/y) of total nitrogen, total phosphorus, and 5-days Biochemical Oxygen Demand. The spatial resolution and extent of the analysis corresponded to the CCM2 River and Catchment Database for Europe, for catchments of mean area of 6.4 km2. The assessment is based on available European databases that allowed pinpointing waste emissions to a high spatial and conceptual resolution. Content gaps, particularly concerning domestic waste from isolated dwellings, were filled through alternative sources of information, exploiting population density and national statistics data. The dataset is of interest for assessing waste emissions to and fate through European fresh and marine waters also beyond the three pollutants evaluated in this study.

ACS Style

Olga Vigiak; Bruna Grizzetti; Michela Zanni; Alberto Aloe; Chiara Dorati; Fayçal Bouraoui; Alberto Pistocchi. Domestic waste emissions to European waters in the 2010s. Scientific Data 2020, 7, 1 -13.

AMA Style

Olga Vigiak, Bruna Grizzetti, Michela Zanni, Alberto Aloe, Chiara Dorati, Fayçal Bouraoui, Alberto Pistocchi. Domestic waste emissions to European waters in the 2010s. Scientific Data. 2020; 7 (1):1-13.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Olga Vigiak; Bruna Grizzetti; Michela Zanni; Alberto Aloe; Chiara Dorati; Fayçal Bouraoui; Alberto Pistocchi. 2020. "Domestic waste emissions to European waters in the 2010s." Scientific Data 7, no. 1: 1-13.

Short communication
Published: 10 January 2020 in Environmental Research
Reads 0
Downloads 0

Acknowledging the difficulty of modelling pollution conveyed by urban runoff, this contribution presents a first pan-European quantification of loads from this diffuse source. We estimate annual loads of 5-days biochemical oxygen demand (BOD5), nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P) and total suspended solids (TSS) using a simple event mean concentration (EMC) model initially proposed by Heaney et al., 1976. On a European scale, this yields discharges corresponding to untreated wastewater of about 31 million population equivalents (PE) for BOD5, about 18.5 million PE for N and P and about 280 million for TSS. These represent 51% of the pollution coming from treated wastewater for BOD5, 15% for N and P and 461% for TSS. Although the model applied for the assessment was developed more than 40 years ago, the results are consistent with those obtained using more recent parameterizations, except for a tendency to underestimate P loads. Although lack of data on pollution from urban runoff makes model verification impossible, and the uncertainty on EMC models is known to be very high, urban runoff emerges as a significant source of pollution, and should be properly addressed as such. Reducing runoff volume from urban areas through improved water retention is not only key to pollution control, but also a no-regret option thanks to its co-benefits, especially when incorporated at early stages of planning and design.

ACS Style

A. Pistocchi. A preliminary pan-European assessment of pollution loads from urban runoff. Environmental Research 2020, 182, 109129 .

AMA Style

A. Pistocchi. A preliminary pan-European assessment of pollution loads from urban runoff. Environmental Research. 2020; 182 ():109129.

Chicago/Turabian Style

A. Pistocchi. 2020. "A preliminary pan-European assessment of pollution loads from urban runoff." Environmental Research 182, no. : 109129.

Journal article
Published: 07 November 2019 in Scientific Reports
Reads 0
Downloads 0

Seawater desalination is already a largely adopted option to cope with the scarcity of natural water resources, but the increasing concerns about water availability in the future make it even more attractive. Because desalination is a highly energy-demanding process, its coupling with renewable energy sources is an essential step for the sustainable production of desalinated water at large scales. In this work we analyze the potential to deploy large-scale seawater desalination using reverse osmosis (RO) under the hypothesis that all the required energy is provided by photovoltaic (PV) production. A simulation over the extended Mediterranean area shows that securing desalinated water for up to about 200 million people in the region is technically possible using PV only, and the benefits of energy storage in batteries and/or water reservoirs are usually higher than its costs. This suggests that water management policies could consider desalination more broadly and encourage PV-based RO, as a possible win-win and cost-effective strategy to improve water and energy resources security.

ACS Style

D. Ganora; C. Dorati; T. A. Huld; Angel Udias; A. Pistocchi. An assessment of energy storage options for large-scale PV-RO desalination in the extended Mediterranean region. Scientific Reports 2019, 9, 1 -10.

AMA Style

D. Ganora, C. Dorati, T. A. Huld, Angel Udias, A. Pistocchi. An assessment of energy storage options for large-scale PV-RO desalination in the extended Mediterranean region. Scientific Reports. 2019; 9 (1):1-10.

Chicago/Turabian Style

D. Ganora; C. Dorati; T. A. Huld; Angel Udias; A. Pistocchi. 2019. "An assessment of energy storage options for large-scale PV-RO desalination in the extended Mediterranean region." Scientific Reports 9, no. 1: 1-10.

Journal article
Published: 09 January 2019 in Science of The Total Environment
Reads 0
Downloads 0

In this paper, we build a preliminary inventory of dissolved phase water emissions of 36 of the 45 chemical priority substances under the European Union's Water Framework Directive. For point sources, we consider the European Pollutant Release and Transfer Register (E-PRTR) containing reported emissions from major industrial facilities. We consider all other sources as diffuse, and we estimate European average chemical emission factors from available measurements of dissolved phase concentrations, assuming simple emission patterns such as population and agricultural land. The emission inventory enables modelling concentrations, which have been compared with independent measurements. Due to the way they are estimated, they cannot withstand a point-by-point comparison. However, predicted concentrations exhibit a frequency distribution and order of magnitude compatible with observations, and match a fair proportion of independently reported exceedances of environmental quality standards for many of the substances studied. While apparently a preliminary picture based on crude simplifications, our representation suggests that simple drivers such as population and agriculture are useful to describe chemical pollution at European scale. From our preliminary inventory, E-PRTR industrial point emissions seem to account for a relatively small share of total emissions. Consequently, apart from specific measures such as upgrades to urban wastewater treatment plants in certain high impact areas, the management of priority substances may require a more strategic approach to emission control, addressing chemical use across sectors and the management of out-phased, legacy chemicals. At the same time, we advocate that improving emission inventories requires monitoring data reflecting the variability of emission patterns across Europe, as presently available monitoring data do not enable a catchment-specific estimation of emissions.

ACS Style

Alberto Pistocchi; Chiara Dorati; Alberto Aloe; Antoni Ginebreda; Rafael Marcé. River pollution by priority chemical substances under the Water Framework Directive: A provisional pan-European assessment. Science of The Total Environment 2019, 662, 434 -445.

AMA Style

Alberto Pistocchi, Chiara Dorati, Alberto Aloe, Antoni Ginebreda, Rafael Marcé. River pollution by priority chemical substances under the Water Framework Directive: A provisional pan-European assessment. Science of The Total Environment. 2019; 662 ():434-445.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Alberto Pistocchi; Chiara Dorati; Alberto Aloe; Antoni Ginebreda; Rafael Marcé. 2019. "River pollution by priority chemical substances under the Water Framework Directive: A provisional pan-European assessment." Science of The Total Environment 662, no. : 434-445.

Conference paper
Published: 01 September 2018 in Smart and Sustainable Planning for Cities and Regions
Reads 0
Downloads 0

Combined sewer overflows (CSO) represent a potentially important source of pollution in several river basins. Yet, the quantification of CSO loads is still problematic, and their management may be consequently hampered. In this contribution we present a proof of concept for a simplified, screening level model to quantify CSO loads, for regional scale applications. The model has two parameters, a runoff coefficient of the drainage catchment and the effective dilution ratio at which CSO begins. These two parameters enable appraising the potentials associated with reduction of runoff (e.g. urban greening) and retrofitting of the sewer network. We present and discuss a preliminary calculation for the functional urban areas (FUA) of the European Union, highlighting the possibility to use the model in the screening of management options.

ACS Style

Alberto Pistocchi; Chiara Dorati. Combined Sewer Overflow Management: Proof-of-Concept of a Screening Level Model for Regional Scale Appraisal of Measures. Smart and Sustainable Planning for Cities and Regions 2018, 937 -941.

AMA Style

Alberto Pistocchi, Chiara Dorati. Combined Sewer Overflow Management: Proof-of-Concept of a Screening Level Model for Regional Scale Appraisal of Measures. Smart and Sustainable Planning for Cities and Regions. 2018; ():937-941.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Alberto Pistocchi; Chiara Dorati. 2018. "Combined Sewer Overflow Management: Proof-of-Concept of a Screening Level Model for Regional Scale Appraisal of Measures." Smart and Sustainable Planning for Cities and Regions , no. : 937-941.

Articles
Published: 26 April 2018 in Hydrological Sciences Journal
Reads 0
Downloads 0

Flow–duration curves (FDCs) are essential to support decisions on water resources management, and their regionalization is fundamental for the assessment of ungauged basins. In comparison with calibrated rainfall–runoff models, statistical methods provide data-driven estimates representing a useful benchmark. The objective of this work is the interpolation of FDCs from ~500 discharge gauging stations in the Danube. To this aim we use total negative deviation top-kriging (TNDTK), as multi-regression models are shown to be unsuitable for representing FDCs across all durations and sites. TNDTK shows a high accuracy for the entire Danube region, with overall Nash-Sutcliffe efficiency values computed in a leave-p-out cross-validation scheme (p equal to one site, one-third and half of the sites), all above 0.88. A reliability measure based on kriging variance is attached to each interpolated FDC at ~4000 prediction nodes. The GIS layer of regionalized FDCs is made available for broader use in the region.

ACS Style

A. Castellarin; S. Persiano; A. Pugliese; A. Aloe; J. O. Skøien; A. Pistocchi. Prediction of streamflow regimes over large geographical areas: interpolated flow–duration curves for the Danube region. Hydrological Sciences Journal 2018, 63, 845 -861.

AMA Style

A. Castellarin, S. Persiano, A. Pugliese, A. Aloe, J. O. Skøien, A. Pistocchi. Prediction of streamflow regimes over large geographical areas: interpolated flow–duration curves for the Danube region. Hydrological Sciences Journal. 2018; 63 (6):845-861.

Chicago/Turabian Style

A. Castellarin; S. Persiano; A. Pugliese; A. Aloe; J. O. Skøien; A. Pistocchi. 2018. "Prediction of streamflow regimes over large geographical areas: interpolated flow–duration curves for the Danube region." Hydrological Sciences Journal 63, no. 6: 845-861.

Journal article
Published: 01 February 2018 in Science of The Total Environment
Reads 0
Downloads 0

Sustainable water basin management requires characterization of flow regime in river networks impacted by anthropogenic pressures. Flow regime in ungauged catchments under current, future, or natural conditions can be assessed with hydrological models. Developing hydrological models is, however, resource demanding such that decision makers might revert to models that have been developed for other purposes and are made available to them ('off-the-shelf' models). In this study, the impact of epistemic uncertainty of flow regime indicators on flow-ecological assessment was assessed at selected stations with drainage areas ranging from about 400 to almost 90,000km in four South European basins (Adige, Ebro, Evrotas and Sava). For each basin, at least two models were employed. Models differed in structure, data input, spatio-temporal resolution, and calibration strategy, reflecting the variety of conditions and purposes for which they were initially developed. The uncertainty of modelled flow regime was assessed by comparing the modelled hydrologic indicators of magnitude, timing, duration, frequency and rate of change to those obtained from observed flow. The results showed that modelled flow magnitude indicators at medium and high flows were generally reliable, whereas indicators for flow timing, duration, and rate of change were affected by large uncertainties, with correlation coefficients mostly below 0.50. These findings mirror uncertainty in flow regime indicators assessed with other methods, including from measured streamflow. The large indicator uncertainty may significantly affect assessment of ecological status in freshwater systems, particularly in ungauged catchments. Finally, flow-ecological assessments proved very sensitive to reference flow regime (i.e., without anthropogenic pressures). Model simulations could not adequately capture flow regime in the reference sites comprised in this study. The lack of reliable reference conditions may seriously hamper flow-ecological assessments. This study shows the pressing need for improving assessment of natural flow regime at pan-European scale.

ACS Style

Olga Vigiak; Stefanie Lutz; Angeliki Mentzafou; Gabriele Chiogna; Ye Tuo; Bruno Majone; Hylke Beck; Ad de Roo; Anna Malagó; Fayçal Bouraoui; Rohini Kumar; Luis Samaniego; Ralf Merz; Christos Gamvroudis; Nikolaos Skoulikidis; Nikolaos Nikolaidis; Alberto Bellin; Vicenç Acuňa; Nataša Mori; Ralf Ludwig; Alberto Pistocchi. Uncertainty of modelled flow regime for flow-ecological assessment in Southern Europe. Science of The Total Environment 2018, 615, 1028 -1047.

AMA Style

Olga Vigiak, Stefanie Lutz, Angeliki Mentzafou, Gabriele Chiogna, Ye Tuo, Bruno Majone, Hylke Beck, Ad de Roo, Anna Malagó, Fayçal Bouraoui, Rohini Kumar, Luis Samaniego, Ralf Merz, Christos Gamvroudis, Nikolaos Skoulikidis, Nikolaos Nikolaidis, Alberto Bellin, Vicenç Acuňa, Nataša Mori, Ralf Ludwig, Alberto Pistocchi. Uncertainty of modelled flow regime for flow-ecological assessment in Southern Europe. Science of The Total Environment. 2018; 615 ():1028-1047.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Olga Vigiak; Stefanie Lutz; Angeliki Mentzafou; Gabriele Chiogna; Ye Tuo; Bruno Majone; Hylke Beck; Ad de Roo; Anna Malagó; Fayçal Bouraoui; Rohini Kumar; Luis Samaniego; Ralf Merz; Christos Gamvroudis; Nikolaos Skoulikidis; Nikolaos Nikolaidis; Alberto Bellin; Vicenç Acuňa; Nataša Mori; Ralf Ludwig; Alberto Pistocchi. 2018. "Uncertainty of modelled flow regime for flow-ecological assessment in Southern Europe." Science of The Total Environment 615, no. : 1028-1047.

Journal article
Published: 02 November 2017 in Water
Reads 0
Downloads 0

We present a novel method for the direct determination of the snowmelt coefficient of widely used degree-day models, using only cumulated temperature and precipitation over the days of snow cover. We develop a proof of concept using (1) local measurements of precipitation, temperature and snow water equivalent (SWE) at a set of well-monitored sites in the US, and (2) available time series of snow cover from satellite and gridded daily precipitation and daily average temperature for the study region of South Tyrol, in the Italian Alps. We demonstrate how the method can reproduce the snow water balance to an acceptable extent, critically depending on the accuracy of input precipitation and temperature, highlighting the importance of a reliable representation of weather forcing if the estimate has to be robust and representative. Although not always accurate at a point, our approach yields a SWE reasonably consistent with observations, and snowmelt flows compatible with measured streamflow. At the same time, the model allows an interpretation of discrepancies between observations and simulations to detect inconsistencies between snow cover and weather forcing. This method is in principle applicable for large-scale hydrological assessments thanks to the increasing global coverage of snow cover, precipitation and temperature data. As the only other type of observation available to calibrate models is often streamflow, the direct calibration of the snow component of a model using snow cover and weather forcing reduces the number of model processes and parameters to be calibrated with streamflow, and is expected to increase model robustness.

ACS Style

Alberto Pistocchi; Stefano Bagli; Mattia Callegari; Claudia Notarnicola; Paolo Mazzoli. On the Direct Calculation of Snow Water Balances Using Snow Cover Information. Water 2017, 9, 848 .

AMA Style

Alberto Pistocchi, Stefano Bagli, Mattia Callegari, Claudia Notarnicola, Paolo Mazzoli. On the Direct Calculation of Snow Water Balances Using Snow Cover Information. Water. 2017; 9 (11):848.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Alberto Pistocchi; Stefano Bagli; Mattia Callegari; Claudia Notarnicola; Paolo Mazzoli. 2017. "On the Direct Calculation of Snow Water Balances Using Snow Cover Information." Water 9, no. 11: 848.

Original article
Published: 29 March 2017 in Environmental Processes
Reads 0
Downloads 0

During the last years, we have developed a model, which is able to simulate hydrological processes at a Pan-European scale. The model has multiple possible uses, including flood forecasting, identification of groundwater recharge / discharge zones and large-scale water resources management. The integrated model is based on the LISFLOOD model, which simulates hydrological processes with a focus on snow and soil hydrology and streamflow routing. The area of interest is the full European continent, divided in 5 × 5 km cells. A conceptual 2D MODFLOW model was linked to improve groundwater simulation. With this coupling, it is now possible to simulate the water exchanges between adjacent cells, and between groundwater and river. Available meteorological data from 1-1-1990 to 31-10-2014 were used as input for the coupled model, together with values of aquifer properties derived from literature. We used observed data of recharge, discharge and hydraulic heads from the Danube river basin to check if the model results correspond to reality. The results show a reasonably high degree of agreement between observed and simulated data, taking into account the limitations of large scale modelling. This model is the first step to improve integrated groundwater and surface water modelling which includes the collection of data and the production of Pan-European groundwater parameter maps.

ACS Style

I. Trichakis; P. Burek; A. de Roo; A. Pistocchi. Towards a Pan-European Integrated Groundwater and Surface Water Model: Development and Applications. Environmental Processes 2017, 4, 81 -93.

AMA Style

I. Trichakis, P. Burek, A. de Roo, A. Pistocchi. Towards a Pan-European Integrated Groundwater and Surface Water Model: Development and Applications. Environmental Processes. 2017; 4 (S1):81-93.

Chicago/Turabian Style

I. Trichakis; P. Burek; A. de Roo; A. Pistocchi. 2017. "Towards a Pan-European Integrated Groundwater and Surface Water Model: Development and Applications." Environmental Processes 4, no. S1: 81-93.

Journal article
Published: 01 January 2017 in Science of The Total Environment
Reads 0
Downloads 0

The contribution illustrates an integrated assessment framework aimed at evaluating the relationships between multiple pressures and water body status for the purposes of river basin management. The framework includes the following steps. (1) Understanding how the different pressures affect the status of water bodies. This entails the characterization of biophysical state variables and the definition of a causal relationship between pressures and status. Therefore this step involves interaction between experts bearing ecological understanding and experts providing models to represent the effect of pressures. (2) Identifying the relevant pressures to be addressed through appropriate measures to improve the status of water bodies. (3) Evaluating reduction targets for the relevant pressures identified in a river basin, by weighting the effort associated to reducing individual pressures and the potential benefits in terms of water body status. (4) Designing management measures through a creative process and political discussion of alternative options, balancing costs, benefits and effectiveness based on engineering and economic analysis. (5) Simulating scenarios of implementation of a programme of measures in order to check their effectiveness and robustness against climate and land use change. We discuss the five steps of the assessment framework, and particularly the interaction between science and policy at the different stages. We review the assessment tools required at each step and, for setting optimal pressure reduction targets (step 3), we propose and illustrate a simplified multicriteria approach based on semi-quantitative assessment, which produces frontiers of optimal trade-offs between effort spent on measures, and achievements.

ACS Style

A. Pistocchi; Angel Udias; B. Grizzetti; Emiliano Gelati; P. Koundouri; R. Ludwig; A. Papandreou; I. Souliotis. An integrated assessment framework for the analysis of multiple pressures in aquatic ecosystems and the appraisal of management options. Science of The Total Environment 2017, 575, 1477 -1488.

AMA Style

A. Pistocchi, Angel Udias, B. Grizzetti, Emiliano Gelati, P. Koundouri, R. Ludwig, A. Papandreou, I. Souliotis. An integrated assessment framework for the analysis of multiple pressures in aquatic ecosystems and the appraisal of management options. Science of The Total Environment. 2017; 575 ():1477-1488.

Chicago/Turabian Style

A. Pistocchi; Angel Udias; B. Grizzetti; Emiliano Gelati; P. Koundouri; R. Ludwig; A. Papandreou; I. Souliotis. 2017. "An integrated assessment framework for the analysis of multiple pressures in aquatic ecosystems and the appraisal of management options." Science of The Total Environment 575, no. : 1477-1488.

Letter
Published: 01 May 2016 in Environmental Research Letters
Reads 0
Downloads 0

The potential exploitation of areas becoming ice-free in response to ongoing climate change has rarely been addressed, although it could be of interest from the water management perspective. Here we present an estimate for the potential of mitigating projected changes in seasonal water availability from melting glaciers by managing runoff through reservoirs. For the European Alps we estimate that by the end of the century, such a strategy could offset up to 65% of the expected summer-runoff changes from presently glacierized surfaces. A first-order approach suggests that the retention volume potentially available in the areas becoming deglacierized is in excess of the volume required for achieving the maximal possible mitigation by more than one order of magnitude. Obviously, however, such a strategy cannot compensate for the reduction in annual runoff caused by glacier ice depletion. Our estimates indicate that by 2070–2099, 0.73 ± 0.67 km3 a−1 of this non-renewable component of the water cycle could be missing in Alpine water supplies.

ACS Style

Daniel Farinotti; Alberto Pistocchi; Matthias Huss. From dwindling ice to headwater lakes: could dams replace glaciers in the European Alps? Environmental Research Letters 2016, 11, 054022 .

AMA Style

Daniel Farinotti, Alberto Pistocchi, Matthias Huss. From dwindling ice to headwater lakes: could dams replace glaciers in the European Alps? Environmental Research Letters. 2016; 11 (5):054022.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Daniel Farinotti; Alberto Pistocchi; Matthias Huss. 2016. "From dwindling ice to headwater lakes: could dams replace glaciers in the European Alps?" Environmental Research Letters 11, no. 5: 054022.

Journal article
Published: 22 May 2015 in Water
Reads 0
Downloads 0

In this contribution we analyze the performance of a monthly river discharge forecasting model with a Support Vector Regression (SVR) technique in a European alpine area. We considered as predictors the discharges of the antecedent months, snow-covered area (SCA), and meteorological and climatic variables for 14 catchments in South Tyrol (Northern Italy), as well as the long-term average discharge of the month of prediction, also regarded as a benchmark. Forecasts at a six-month lead time tend to perform no better than the benchmark, with an average 33% relative root mean square error (RMSE%) on test samples. However, at one month lead time, RMSE% was 22%, a non-negligible improvement over the benchmark; moreover, the SVR model reduces the frequency of higher errors associated with anomalous months. Predictions with a lead time of three months show an intermediate performance between those at one and six months lead time. Among the considered predictors, SCA alone reduces RMSE% to 6% and 5% compared to using monthly discharges only, for a lead time equal to one and three months, respectively, whereas meteorological parameters bring only minor improvements. The model also outperformed a simpler linear autoregressive model, and yielded the lowest volume error in forecasting with one month lead time, while at longer lead times the differences compared to the benchmarks are negligible. Our results suggest that although an SVR model may deliver better forecasts than its simpler linear alternatives, long lead-time hydrological forecasting in Alpine catchments remains a challenge. Catchment state variables may play a bigger role than catchment input variables; hence a focus on characterizing seasonal catchment storage—Rather than seasonal weather forecasting—Could be key for improving our predictive capacity.

ACS Style

Mattia Callegari; Paolo Mazzoli; Ludovica De Gregorio; Claudia Notarnicola; Luca Pasolli; Marcello Petitta; Alberto Pistocchi. Seasonal River Discharge Forecasting Using Support Vector Regression: A Case Study in the Italian Alps. Water 2015, 7, 2494 -2515.

AMA Style

Mattia Callegari, Paolo Mazzoli, Ludovica De Gregorio, Claudia Notarnicola, Luca Pasolli, Marcello Petitta, Alberto Pistocchi. Seasonal River Discharge Forecasting Using Support Vector Regression: A Case Study in the Italian Alps. Water. 2015; 7 (12):2494-2515.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Mattia Callegari; Paolo Mazzoli; Ludovica De Gregorio; Claudia Notarnicola; Luca Pasolli; Marcello Petitta; Alberto Pistocchi. 2015. "Seasonal River Discharge Forecasting Using Support Vector Regression: A Case Study in the Italian Alps." Water 7, no. 12: 2494-2515.

Journal article
Published: 15 October 2014 in Atmosphere
Reads 0
Downloads 0

The state-of-the-art of atmospheric contaminant transport modeling provides accurate estimation of chemical concentrations. However, existing complex models, sophisticated in terms of process description and potentially highly accurate, may entail expensive setups and require very detailed input data. In contexts where detailed predictions are not needed (e.g., for regulatory risk assessment or life cycle impact assessment of chemicals), simple models allowing quick evaluation of contaminants may be preferable. The goal of this paper is to illustrate and critically discuss the use of a simple equation proposed by Pistocchi and Galmarini (2010), which can be implemented through basic GIS functions, to predict atmospheric concentrations of lindane (γ-HCH) in Europe from both local and remote sources. Concentrations were computed for 1995 and 2005 assuming different modes of use of lindane and consequently different spatial patterns of emissions. Results were compared with those from the well-established MSCE-POP model (2005) developed within EMEP (European Monitoring and Evaluation Programme), and with available monitoring data, showing acceptable correspondence in terms of the orders of magnitude and spatial distribution of concentrations, especially when the background effect of emissions from extracontinental sources, estimated using the same equation, is added to European emissions.

ACS Style

Pilar Vizcaino; Alberto Pistocchi. Use of a Simple GIS-Based Model in Mapping the Atmospheric Concentration of γ-HCH in Europe. Atmosphere 2014, 5, 720 -736.

AMA Style

Pilar Vizcaino, Alberto Pistocchi. Use of a Simple GIS-Based Model in Mapping the Atmospheric Concentration of γ-HCH in Europe. Atmosphere. 2014; 5 (4):720-736.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Pilar Vizcaino; Alberto Pistocchi. 2014. "Use of a Simple GIS-Based Model in Mapping the Atmospheric Concentration of γ-HCH in Europe." Atmosphere 5, no. 4: 720-736.

Journal article
Published: 01 June 2014 in Science of The Total Environment
Reads 0
Downloads 0

Vegetated riparian areas alongside streams are thought to be effective at intercepting and controlling chemical loads from diffuse agricultural sources entering water bodies. Based on a recently compiled European map of riparian zones and a simplified soil chemical balance model, we propose a new indicator at a continental scale. QuBES (Qualitative indicator of Buffered Emissions to Streams) allows a qualitative assessment of European rivers exposed to pesticide input. The indicator consists of normalised pesticide loads to streams computed through a simplified steady-state fate model that distinguishes various chemical groups according to physico-chemical behaviour (solubility and persistence). The retention of pollutants in the buffer zone is modelled according to buffer width and sorption properties. While the indicator may be applied for the study of a generic emission pattern and for a chemical of generic properties, we demonstrate it to the case of agricultural emissions of pesticides. Due to missing geo-spatial data of pesticide emissions, a total pesticide emission scenario is assumed. The QuBES indicator is easy to calculate and requires far less input data and parameterisation than typical chemical-specific models. At the same time, it allows mapping of (i) riparian buffer permeability, (ii) chemical runoff from soils, and (iii) the buffered load of chemicals to the stream network. When the purpose of modelling is limited to identifying chemical pollution patterns and understanding the relative importance of emissions and natural attenuation in soils and stream buffer strips, the indicator may be suggested as a screening level, cost-effective alternative to spatially distributed models of higher complexity.JRC.H.1-Water Resource

ACS Style

Christof J. Weissteiner; Alberto Pistocchi; Dimitar Marinov; Fayçal Bouraoui; Serenella Sala. An indicator to map diffuse chemical river pollution considering buffer capacity of riparian vegetation — A pan-European case study on pesticides. Science of The Total Environment 2014, 484, 64 -73.

AMA Style

Christof J. Weissteiner, Alberto Pistocchi, Dimitar Marinov, Fayçal Bouraoui, Serenella Sala. An indicator to map diffuse chemical river pollution considering buffer capacity of riparian vegetation — A pan-European case study on pesticides. Science of The Total Environment. 2014; 484 ():64-73.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Christof J. Weissteiner; Alberto Pistocchi; Dimitar Marinov; Fayçal Bouraoui; Serenella Sala. 2014. "An indicator to map diffuse chemical river pollution considering buffer capacity of riparian vegetation — A pan-European case study on pesticides." Science of The Total Environment 484, no. : 64-73.

Book chapter
Published: 01 March 2014 in GIS Based Chemical Fate Modeling
Reads 0
Downloads 0
ACS Style

Alberto Pistocchi; Davide Geneletti; Ezio Crestaz; Paolo Mazzoli. Soft Computing Methods for the Overlaying of Chemical Data with Other Spatially Varying Parameters. GIS Based Chemical Fate Modeling 2014, 253 -277.

AMA Style

Alberto Pistocchi, Davide Geneletti, Ezio Crestaz, Paolo Mazzoli. Soft Computing Methods for the Overlaying of Chemical Data with Other Spatially Varying Parameters. GIS Based Chemical Fate Modeling. 2014; ():253-277.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Alberto Pistocchi; Davide Geneletti; Ezio Crestaz; Paolo Mazzoli. 2014. "Soft Computing Methods for the Overlaying of Chemical Data with Other Spatially Varying Parameters." GIS Based Chemical Fate Modeling , no. : 253-277.