_22/01/2018

On February 14, 2018, will take place at the Faculty of Sciences of the University of Lisbon (FCUL) (Portugal) the Public Session "Impacts of Fire on Water Quality", which will bring to Lisbon senior researchers from Europe, North America and Australia, to discuss the state of the art in post-fire contamination risk assessment, identify pressing research needs, and propose a way forward. The session will take place at room 6.1.36 (Building C6), between 2:00pm and 6:00pm, and is organized by cE3c with support from COST Action ES1306 Connecteur and the H2020 PLACARD project.

2017 was marked by wildfires which ravaged Portugal and other regions around the world. The ash generated by these fires can contaminate downstream rivers and reservoirs, harming aquatic ecosystems and limiting water resources for human use.

There is an urgent need to understand transport pathways, determine postfire contamination risks, design effective mitigation measures, and support long-term landuse planning in fire-prone forests.

This session brings to Lisbon senior researchers from Europe, North America and Australia, to discuss the state of the art in post-fire contamination risk assessment, identify pressing research needs, and propose a way forward. We invite forest and water managers, local authorities and researchers working on water resources in fire prone regions to attend and contribute to the debate.

Entrance is free, but registration is required (email to amantunes@fc.ul.pt).

This meeting is organized by cE3c - Centre for Ecology, Evolution and Environmental Changes (FCUL), with support from COST Action ES1306 Connecteur and the H2020 PLACARD project.

PROGRAM:

14h00-14h10: Welcome and opening.

14h10-14h30: An overview of post-fire contamination: João Pedro Nunes, University of Lisbon.

14h30-14h50: Fire impacts on water supplies in Portugal: Marta Carvalho, Águas de Portugal.

14h50-16h40: post-fire contamination around the world – problems, solutions, and ongoing work:

-       Australia: Gary Sheridan, University of Melbourne,

-       USA: Charles Rhoades, USDA Forest Service,

-       Canada: Monica Emelko, University of Waterloo,

-       Mediterranean: Artemi Cerdà, University of Valencia.

16h40-17h00: Post-fire contamination control measures: Jacob Keizer, University of Aveiro.

17h00-18h00: public debate, moderated by Stefan Doerr, Swansea University.