Danube River REsearch And Management…from Basic Research to Knowledge Society

NEED AND ADDED VALUE FOR THE DANUBE REGION STRATEGY: There is an urgent need to integrate the use and the protection of the Danube River in a sustainable way. Research is of fundamental importance to derive monitoring strategies, modelling and engineering solutions to improve measures suited to reach a win-win situation between economic use and environmental protection of the Danube River. This will be strongly related to the Danube River Basin Management Plan. The project DREAM provides the umbrella and coordination for setting up research topics. These topics are interconnected and cover several disciplines, from basic research, to be represented by advanced hydraulic labs and sophisticated 3D models on high computational technology, to applied research, providing field data to mitigate hydrological extremes and to improve existing situations in water regimes, sediment regime, flood risk, drought problems, revision of bio-engineering measures, restoration of streams and flood plains, etc. OBJECTIVE(S) OF THE PROJECT: a) An important aim is to enable research of hydrodynamics, sediment transport, morphodynamics and ecological processes in the various reaches of the Danube River by means of adequate hydraulic laboratories, that provide a significant discharge (up to 10 m³/s without pumping) and space (large scale models). b) On the basis of an improved process understanding, derived by the large scale physical models in the labs, computer-based simulations should be improved, leading to hybrid models. A further aim is to establish commonly agreed field study sites and stations along the Danube River to calibrate and validate physical and computer-based models as well as to develop and test advanced river engineering measures under 1:1 conditions. c) The cooperation of research institutions and laboratories along the Danube River is intended to improve scientific progress and to stimulate the transfer from basic research to the knowledge society. PLANNED PROJECT ACTIVITIES: Act. 1: Construction of two large Responsible River Modelling Centers/hydraulic and environmental engineering laboratories (up to 10m³): one in the upstream section, one in the downstream section of the Danube being able to undertake basic and applied, interdisciplinary Danube River Research, including the development and test of innovative river engineering measures to improve the situation (in the context of hydropower, navigation, ecology, flood risk management, drinking water supply, recreation, remobilisation of sediments etc.). Act. 2: Cooperation of existing hydraulic engineering laboratories for improvement of expertise in all partner countries and to provide knowledge transfer. An upgrade of laboratory instrumentation improves the ability of modern scale models to solve river engineering models. Cooperation with the large scale laboratories is intended. Act. 3: Formation of a cluster/network of river engineering simulation tools to be used by Danube countries (common software development and implementation), allowing to perform long-term and large scale analyses of the development of the Danube River (e.g. riverbed aggradation or degradation) and to predict effects of river engineering works. Act. 4: Establishment of a network of field study sites along the Danube River and tributaries or process analysis, model calibration and validation and test of advanced river engineering solutions, being suited for carrying out benchmarking studies related to basic abiotic and biotic processes and interrelations with river engineering measures. Act. 5: Construction and operation of a research vessel with diving shaft for the whole Danube area (e.g. operated from Serbian base) to enable river bed research at various parts of the Danube river and to perform in situ investigations of river bed dynamics/morphodynamics, sediment transport, effects of river engineering measures and biological processes, thus forming a strong link to management. Act. 6: Establishment of a network of existing and extended Danube River Research Institutions throughout all riparian countries, including a strong link to management and society for strengthening and improving the scientific knowledge on the Danube River. TRANSBOUNDARY IMPACT: All Danube riparian states and tributary states are (potential) partners, affected regions are suitable field study sites at the Danube and its tributaries as well as surrounding wetlands. Laboratory research will take place in qualified institutions and universities. All partners are participants, performing research, providing and gaining information and results, developing a sustainable and common procedure and management strategies for Danube river issues. PROJECT BENEFICIARIES / TARGET GROUPS: - Universities and research organisations along the Danube and its tributaries, - Public and private sectors (ministries, regions, hydroelectric companies, waterway administrations, NGOs).