The objectives of this project were to: Test a range of macroinvertebrate flow indices using historical and current data, and develop appropriate macroinvertebrate flow indices for use in Irish river monitoring programmes; Employ statistical modelling approaches, using historical and current data, to infer the impact of flow on fish communities, and develop fish flow metrics; Investigate the relationship between macrophytes and flow rates and develop a macrophyte-based flow index using historical and current data.
The project was funded by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), under the EPA Research Programme 2014-2020, and ran from 2020-2024. It was carried out in collaboration with Munster Technological University, Environmental Research Associates (UK), and the Environment Agency (UK).
One of the outputs from the project was an online dashboard that can be used to calculate hydroecological macroinvertebrate indices for flow, drought and sedimentation in Irish rivers. The dashboard can be found and used here.
