Puddle Jump
PUDDLE JUMP will contribute to “joined up” thinking about hydrological and other ecosystem services (ES) that can be provided by small artificial waterbodies (SAWs: ponds and wetlands).
Project name: PUDDLE JUMP: Promoting Upstream-Downstream Directed Linkages in the Environment: “Joined-Up” Management Perspectives
Project leader: Zahra Kalantari, KTH.
Participating universities: KTH Royal Institute of Technology, SLU
Projektperiod: 2022-2026
Finansiering: Formas
SAWs are found in many urban, agricultural, and forest landscapes. When designed, located, and managed appropriately, they can be multifunctional solutions for flood and drought risk mitigation, biodiversity promotion, and ES delivery. Using a catchment-oriented approach, PUDDLE JUMP tests how SAWs can manage water flows and will focus on SAW placement to mitigate against extreme hydrological events (both floods and drought).
We investigate the recreational and social ES offered by SAWs and use citizen science methods to increase public awareness of the multiple ESs that SAWs provide. We analyze the national and international policy context for SAWs focusing on multi-level governance and actions to meet both Water Framework and Floods Directive requirements.
The KTH team is actively involved in all aspects of this project. Our leadership role is centered on leveraging landscape hydrological connectivity for the deployment of nature-based solutions (NBS) to mitigate extreme hydrological events.
Our approach integrates scenario-neutral modeling with various climate pathways to anticipate changes in precipitation patterns and their consequent impacts. We prioritize the use of upstream SAWs to mitigate downstream hydrological extremes. This involves a crucial phase of establishing connectivity indices that are instrumental in identifying potential sources of runoff and favorable sites for SAWs, optimizing water retention in multiple capacities, ranging from flood prevention to biodiversity preservation.
Emphasizing multifunctional outcomes, our strategy entails overlaying map layers to pinpoint optimal SAW locations that align with catchment needs, effectively distributing water across the landscape in a controlled manner to enhance nutrient retention and ensure water security.
Other participants:
Amir Rezvani , KTH
Carla Sofia Santos Ferreira (Polytechnic Institute of Coimbra, Portugal)
Martyn Futter (SLU)
Dennis Collentine (SLU)
Faruk Djodjic SLU
Martyn Futter SLU
Pia Geranmayeh SLU
Katarina Kyllmar SLU
Emma Lannergård SLU
Brendan McKie SLU
Michael Peacock SLU
Malgorzata Blicharska UU