Managing the small stream network for improved water quality, biodiversity and ecosystem services protection (SSNet)

Hydromorphological Inventory and Evaluation of the Upland Stream: Case Study of a Small Ungauged Catchment in Western Carpathians, Poland

The hydromorphological conditions of watercourses depend on numerous natural and anthropogenic factors such as buffer zones or human infrastructure near their banks. We hypothesised that, even in a small stream, there can be substantial differences in the hydromorphological forms associated with naturalness and human impact. The paper aims at the field inventory and evaluation of the hydromorphological conditions of a small upland stream in the conditions of contemporary human activity, against the background of meteorological and hydrological conditions. The study concerned a left-bank tributary of the Stradomka River located in the Wiśnicz Foothills (Western Carpathians). The analyses were conducted with the use of the Polish method, the Hydromorphological Index for Rivers (HIR), which conforms to the EU Water Framework Directive (WFD). The hydromorphological condition and quality of habitats were evaluated based on the Hydromorphological Diversity Score (HDS) and Habitat Modification Score (HMS). The study shows that the largest changes in stream hydomorphology and habitat conditions took place in the downstream, urbanised stream catchment area with an intensive development of construction and technical infrastructure. The hydromorphological condition of the examined stream sections was evaluated as good or poor. The best hydromorphological conditions were found in the section located in the semi-natural area, and the worst in the urbanised area. As our research shows, the strong influence of human activity, including weather extremes, and the risks and hydrological hazards of the hydromorphological conditions of the small, ungauged catchment, highlight the necessity to search for other research methods to support the decision-making cycle in the transformation of riverbeds and catchments.

Open science in practice: 300 published research ideas and outcomes illustrate how RIO Journal facilitates engagement with the research process

Since Research Ideas and Outcomes was launched in late 2015, it has stimulated experimentation around the publication of and engagement with research processes, especially those with a strong open science component. Here, we zoom in on the first 300 RIO articles that have been published and elucidate how they relate to the different stages and variants of the research cycle, how they help address societal challenges and what forms of engagement have evolved around these resources, most of which have a nature and scope that would prevent them from entering the scholarly record via more traditional journals. Building on these observations, we describe some changes we recently introduced in the policies and peer review process at RIO to further facilitate engagement with the research process, including the establishment of an article collections feature that allows us to bring together research ideas and outcomes from within one research cycle or across multiple ones, irrespective of where they have been published.