Topic 7: The role of the latest industrial revolutions on instream processes and ecological vulnerability of IRL
SupervisorChristoph Hauer, https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8704-2198 |
ContentThis project links river long term river morphological and sedimentological changes to the development of functional habitats, with a focus on river systems, which exhibit multi-pressures (e.g. hydropower, inland navigation) |
Skills and Qualifications
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Introduction/background
The four industrial revolutions (IRs) contained major paradigm shifts in handling environmental resources. Industrial revolution 1.0 (machine production) around 1800, industrial revolution 2.0 (assembly-line work) around 1890, industrial revolution 3.0 (computer work) around 1970 and industrial revolution 4.0 (digitalisation) around 2010, contained both, different needs concerning environmental resources and different impacts on the environment. In terms of industrial revolution 1.0 key resources were still mainly locally provided and the impacts closely found to the place of production. In terms of industrial revolution 3.0 and 4.0 natural resources from all over the world are used (e.g. rare earth material) with, however, very different impacts on the environment like increasing need of electricity (e.g. impoundment of rivers). Those developments, caused by the succession of industrial revolutions, shifted the cause-impact environmental scenarios drastically. Without a systematic analysis of the long-term co-evolution of the river as Socio-economic Hydrological Ecosystems and the various impacts of these 4 industrial revolutions, no integrative vulnerability assessment would be possible, providing the necessary knowledge for better future water management.
Main objective/research question/hypothesis
This project systematically analyses the ecohydrological and morphological consequences and conditions of European urbanization with different cases in Austria. Following main research questions should be answered:
- How shall we reassess the vulnerably of river systems with respect to the co-evolution of rivers and human society including the four industrial revolutions for the cause impact on river environments?
- What kind of socio-technological developments of climate change adaption will increase or decrease the vulnerability of IRL?
Approach/methods and time frame (Sites, areas, region of investigation)
The PhD-project will be based on both, (i) analysis of existing (historical) data and (ii) sampling / modelling work. Part (i) should make a clear systematic analysis of the various steps of human society in terms of the four phases of industrial revolutions, related to resource use from and environmental impacts on RL. An evaluation of the current situation and predictions will follow, which of the uses of river systems are still needed from a societal point of view (e.g. floodplain areas for food production) or which impacts/benefits can be expected in future resulting from industrial revolution 5.0. Part (ii) will include specific vulnerability analyses. In a joint work between hydraulic / sedimentological modelling, aquatic biota and pollution analysis, the vulnerability of river ecosystems will be reassessed based on various scenarios of cause-impact, highlighting the most sensitive processes with the risk of the manifestation of “points of no return”, especially in terms of climate change. Case studies should be situated in the Upper Danube basin (e.g. Steyr river, Enns river) were mining and iron industry (cp. IR 1.0) has a long history.