On Thursday 24th November, a seminar entitled “Hydropeaking: a multiscale perspective” held by Prof. Gabriele Chiogna, Professor of Hydrology and River Basin at the Technical University of Munich (TUM – Germany), will take place in room Donatori (Building 1, Piazza Leonardo da Vinci, 32).

You can join the conference online by cliking the following link: http://bit.ly/3tDhhU0

Abstract:

Hydropeaking, i.e., the discontinuous release of turbined water due to peaks of energy demand, causes artificial flow and river stage fluctuations downstream of hydropower plants. Such fluctuations have important consequences for the hydrological cycle, sediment transport, surface water-groundwater interaction and the quality of the riverine ecosystem. It is hence of utmost importance to improve our understanding of the processes affected by hydropeaking at multiple spatial and temporal scales. This presentation aims at covering different and interdisciplinary research aspects focusing on hydropeaking. We will present the consequences of hydropeaking at the catchment scale, how they changed in the past decades due to changes in legislation and the energy market and the role of hydropeaking in the context of energy complementarity. We will then focus on the effects of sudden river stage fluctuations at the reach scale and their impact on surface water-groundwater interaction and eventually on energy and mass transfer processes, considering seasonal and sub-daily time scales. Finally, laboratory scale investigations will show the effects of hydropeaking on solute mixing in porous aquifers. The environmental impact of hydropeaking on the ecosystem calls for effective mitigation strategies and policies to find a sustainable compromise between energy production and ecosystem preservation.