Research database

Temporary rivers (TRs) are defined as watercourses that may dry up for some period of time within the year (European Water Framework Directive – WFD 2000/60/CE). This type of watercourses is ubiquitous in EU and all over the world, from the Alpine snow-fed creeks to occasionally water-filled streams in arid and semi-arid areas. TRs are becoming more and more common in this era due to the combined effect of climate change and increasing water demand. In addition, the increased future probability of rainfall deficit (seasonal or multi-year droughts) elevates the probability of flow intermittency in a large portion of the European territory, in both natural and regulated rivers. Often exploited to fulfil the growing water demand, TRs are currently degrading at alarming rates, although they are hotspots of regional biodiversity and pivotal for the functional integrity of river networks. Flow intermittency, that characterises TRs, can have a large range of intensity depending on the local context and a clear hydrological characterization of TRs is not available at the moment.