Institutes & CentersInstitute for Alpine Environment - Projects - CLAIMES

CLAIMES

Climate response of alpine lakes: resistance variability and management consequences for ecosystem services

Alpine mountain lakes are considered as jewels of the mountain world. In the light of climate change, drastic ecological changes of these lakes are expected. The ecological functions of mountain lakes are closely linked to their contributions to human well-being: the so-called ecosystem services (ES). For example, natural mountain lakes are often destinations for outdoor recreationists but can also supply water for agriculture. To preserve both the ecosystems of mountain lakes and their ES in the future, gaining knowledge about possible consequences of ecological changes due to climate change and a potential increase of human use is important. In this context, the CLAIMES project compares a larger number of mountain lakes in the northern (Niedere Tauern, Austria) and the southern part of the Alps (South Tyrol, Italy), which are long-term monitored.

The first step is to analyze the response of mountain lakes to climate change within the last 20 years. For this purpose, (1) temperature trends will be calculated, (2) plankton organisms (such as bacteria and algae) and fish will be detected using modern DNA-based methods, and further (3) indicator organisms will be collected. These data will be compared with older measurement data and can, thus, provide information on the resilience of mountain lakes under climate change.

In a second step, ES will be collected for different lake types. The lake types studied are based on the UN criteria for sustainable development, such as access to clean water, intensity of use or climate-related sensitivity. Provisioning and regulating ES (e.g., water supply, water regulation, and water quality) are assessed with the help of statistical data, limnological measurement data, and modelling. Cultural ES (e.g., outdoor recreation) are recorded by means of geotagging or surveys. Based on IPCC climate scenarios, validated temperature models will provide information on the extent to which the expected ecological changes in the mountain lakes can also affect their ES.

In the third step, the current use of different mountain will be evaluated comparatively. For this purpose, (1) the relevant ES will be determined, (2) the ES will be weighed against each other with the help of surveys, and (3) indicators for the relevant ES must be defined. The ES will be evaluated under different climate scenarios. Finally, proposals for environmental policy instruments will be developed and presented with the aim of ensuring the sustainable use of mountain lakes in the future.

Project duration: July 2019 - June 2022
Project status:
Funding:
Public institutions (Other projects /Project)
Website: https://www.uibk.ac.at/projects/claimes/
Institute: Institute for Alpine Environment

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Scientific Publications

Journal article2023

An integrative approach to evaluate ecosystem services of mountain lakes using multi-criteria decision analysis

Fontana V, Ebner M, Schirpke U, Ohndorf M, Pritsch H, Tappeiner U, Kurmayer R

Veronika Fontana, Uta Schirpke, Ulrike Tappeiner

In view of the increasing demand for ecosystem services (ESs) and rising pressures from global change on mountain lakes, sustainable management strategies are increasingly needed. However, integrative assessments of ESs provided by small mountain lakes are lacking. This study adopted an integrative ES valuation perspective, applying multi-criteria decision analysis (MCDA) to four exemplary mountain lakes in South Tyrol, Italy. With the involvement of stakeholders, we identified five ESs of particular importance: provision of habitat, aesthetics, surface water, recreation, and representation. These ESs were weighted with respect to their perceived importance and quantified based on multi-metric indicators integrating biophysical and socio-cultural/economic aspects. The current ES provision of mountain lakes was then evaluated by applying PROMETHEE II. We showed that the quantity of ESs varied with distinct socio-ecological characteristics. Well accessible and larger lakes currently provide larger amounts of ES in high demand, such as habitat provision, aesthetics, and recreation, but remarkably, smaller and remote lakes also provide notable amounts of ES aesthetics. Our integrative approach provides insights to support sustainable ES management of mountain lakes considering future challenges that are potentially applicable in other regional contexts

DOI Source

DOI: 10.1016/j.ecolecon.2022.107678

Journal article2023

Climate response of alpine lakes and impacts on ecosystem services

Schirpke U, Ebner M, Fontana V, Enigl K, Ohndorf M, Pritsch H, Kurmayer R

Uta Schirpke

Small alpine lakes are highly sensitive to global warming and human influence, which can affect the ecological integrity of these freshwaters. However, the response of lakes is variable and knowledge about potential impacts on related ecosystem services is insufficient. The project CLAIMES (Climate response of alpine lakes: Resistance variability and management consequences for ecosystem services) therefore aimed at assessing potential impacts on ecosystem services for 15 study lakes located in Niedere Tauern (Austria) and South Tyrol (Italy). In a first step, the lakes’ ecological variability was characterized based on limnological data and lake surface temperature modelling. Adopting a participatory approach, the most important ecosystem services were identified, and their importance was evaluated by local stakeholders. The prioritized ecosystem services were quantified using multiple indicators, and potential future impacts were assessed based on different possible worst-case scenarios. Our findings predict that global warming reduces ice cover duration affecting ecosystem functions and consequently the trophic state. Perceptions of local stakeholders were mostly consistent, but key ecosystem services depend on the regional context. Our results also indicate that the provision of ecosystem services by lakes is largely influenced by the local socio-ecological characteristics. The projected decline in ecosystem services in the future calls for better integration of alpine lake ecosystem services into decision- and policymaking across different governance levels.

DOI Source

DOI: 10.3097/LO.2023.1109

Journal article2023

Plankton community composition in mountain lakes and consequences for ecosystem services

Pritsch H, Schirpke U, Jersabek CD, Kurmayer R

Uta Schirpke

Mountain lakes provide a variety of ecosystem services (ES) such as water, habitat, recreation and aesthetic values. However, global change pressures increasingly affect lake ecosystems, necessitating suitable indicators to monitor changes in ES so that targeted protection measures can be developed. Limnological data in ES assessments are mostly limited to transparency for evaluating recreational and aesthetic values, but to date, limnological parameters related to plankton community composition have rarely been associated with ES. This study therefore aims to link limnological parameters to potential ES provision using widely applied standard parameters as well as metabarcoding based on 16S/18S rDNA high-throughput sequencing (HTS) to obtain information on phytoplankton communities. We collected 10 limnological parameters of 26 mountain lakes in the European Alps (1,489 to 2,922 m a.s.L.) and related them to six ES identified by local stakeholders. Our results generally indicate low to moderate concentrations of total phosphorus and chlorophyll a and high Secchi depths. Therefore, the trophic state of the majority of lakes was classified as ultra- (n = 6) or oligotrophic (n = 18), while two lakes were assigned to oligo-mesotrophic conditions. The phytoplankton functional groups were generally in agreement with the trophic state, i.e., we observed a decreasing relative abundance of mixotrophic vs. phototrophic phytoplankton with increasing trophic state. With regard to the ES, our results indicate that most lakes had high potential in providing multiple ES. Only six of the 26 lakes were inhabited by larger cladocerans, indicating reduced food availability for newts and thus less potential for the maintenance of populations and habitats. The high transparency of most lakes indicated a high potential for aesthetic and recreational values, whereas a few lakes with a greater proportion (>30%) of phototrophic phytoplankton manifested reduced water clarity, probably due to eutrophication. Our findings suggest that a deterioration of ecological conditions in mountain lakes may negatively affect future ES provision. Therefore, it will become increasingly important to protect pristine lakes, with data on plankton community composition potentially providing useful guidance for deciding which lakes should receive priority for protection measures.

DOI Source

DOI: 10.1016/j.ecolind.2023.110532

Journal article2022

Combining multiple socio-cultural approaches – Deeper insights into cultural ecosystem services of mountain lakes?

Ebner M, Schirpke U, Tappeiner U

Uta Schirpke, Ulrike Tappeiner

Human interactions with freshwater blue spaces promote various benefits to well-being, which can be framed by the cultural ecosystem services (CES) concept. However, small natural mountain lakes remain scarcely explored in this regard, although a comprehensive understanding of their CES is needed to promote sustainable use. To support landscape management and planning, our aims were therefore to (1) assess multiple elements of human interactions from a CES perspective (i.e., natural assets, relevant CES, benefits to subjective well-being, and pressures/threats) and (2) to evaluate the potential of integrating different socio-cultural approaches in terms of knowledge generation and applicability. By combining an online survey, social media data and participatory stakeholder workshops conducted in the context of the European Alps, we were able to capture social perceptions in quantitative, qualitative, and spatially explicit terms. Complementarity of the approaches was evident, also considering aspects of scalability, social representation, and generalisability of findings. Convergence of findings emphasised the importance of intangible benefits to well-being such as connection to nature, relaxation, and peace, but partly limited the overall information gain. Thus, the integration of socio-cultural approaches can promote more effective knowledge generation, as none of the approaches alone was sufficient to capture all the elements under consideration while yet satisfying all aspects of applicability. To further operationalise the integration of CES into planning processes, future research could aim to quantify human interactions with mountain lakes and associated well-being outcomes, and deepen the understanding of potential conflicts arising from human use of CES as revealed by this study.

DOI Source

DOI: 10.1016/j.landurbplan.2022.104549

All Publications

Berglandschaften im Wandel? Bergseen als Indikator für Veränderungen von immateriellen Beiträgen und Benefits
Ebner M, Schirpke U, Tappeiner U, Fontana V, Kurmayer R (2024)
Presentation/Speech

Conference: IALE-D Jahrestagung | Bernburg | 30.10.2024 - 30.10.2024

Climate response of alpine lakes and impacts on ecosystem services
Schirpke U, Ebner M, Fontana V, Enigl K, Ohndorf M, Pritsch H, Kurmayer R (2023)
Journal article
Landscape Online

More information: https://www.landscape-online.org/index.php/lo/article/vi ...

https://doi.org/10.3097/LO.2023.1109

Plankton community composition in mountain lakes and consequences for ecosystem services
Pritsch H, Schirpke U, Jersabek CD, Kurmayer R (2023)
Journal article
Ecological Indicators

More information: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S14701 ...

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecolind.2023.110532

Our partners

University of Innsbruck, Faculty of Biology, Institute of Ecology

Universität für Bodenkultur Wien

Zentralanstalt für Meteorology und Geodynamik

Project Team

Veronika Fontana

Ulrike Tappeiner

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Journal article2023

Plankton community composition in mountain lakes and consequences for ecosystem services

Pritsch H, Schirpke U, Jersabek CD, Kurmayer R

Uta Schirpke

DOI Source

DOI: 10.1016/j.ecolind.2023.110532

CLAIMES