Fires can have severe impacts on water quality. Fires disturb vegetation cover, create an ash layer rich in potential contaminants, and increase contaminant mobilisation by enhancing runoff and erosion. This may lead to the contamination of surface and groundwater resources with suspended sediments, metals, organic compounds and nutrients. While many of the potential impacts are known, key knowledge gaps remain on their probability of occurrence, magnitude, and longevity. Overcoming these gaps is essential to support decision-makers in addressing these risks.
This session will join together researchers and managers from several European countries to discuss our current understanding of the impacts of fire on water quality, and available solutions to mitigate these impacts.
Register in https://forms.gle/LXgwy4j3MYfutp4U8 until 14 February.