Dear Colleagues,
We would like to draw your attention to our Special Session (SS24) on “*Water regulation and reservoir management in a context of global change*” at the ASLO 2016 summer meeting in Santa Fe. We encourage you to submit your abstracts to this session before the upcoming deadline (2 February, 2016). *Session abstract:* River impoundments and associated hydrological modifications brought about by dams are suggested to be one of the major disturbances to aquatic ecosystem structure, function and biodiversity. Dams transform large rivers into storage reservoirs, modify watershed connectivity and sedimentation processes, and can alter discharge and water levels far beyond natural conditions. However it is unclear how climate change interacts with these more direct hydrological modifications. Climate change and water regulation may have synergistic effects on native biodiversity, ecosystem services and functions, the spread of invasive species and the likelihood of ecosystems regime shifts, but the magnitude and direction of impacts can vary as a function of the observed temperature and precipitation change as well as reservoir's locality, its morphometry and the characteristics of the watershed. A sound mechanistic understanding of the impacts of water regulation on aquatic ecosystems integrity in a context of global change is imperative in order to develop well-reasoned, strategic and responsible decision-making policies of water use. This session will focus on the links between ecological, hydrological and biogeochemical processes occurring in reservoirs and on the challenges of managing reservoirs in a context of global change. We welcome interdisciplinary contributions from the academia, government and industry perspectives. We look forward to seeing you in June! Sincerely, Katrine Turgeon ([email protected]), Irene Gregory-Eaves ([email protected]), and Alexander Latzka ([email protected]) McGill University -- Alex Latzka, PhD http://alexlatzka.weebly.com Department of Natural Resource Sciences McGill University Ste. Anne de Bellevue, QC, Canada
