Education in categorization and identification of Temporary Rivers to fight climate change
▶Summary
The main goal was to develop a European educational framework to enhance the understanding and classification of TRs, contributing to climate change adaptation strategies. Specific objectives incl...
▶Objectives
The main goal was to develop a European educational framework to enhance the understanding and classification of TRs, contributing to climate change adaptation strategies. Specific objectives included: - Identifying best practices for the identification, categorization, and management of TRs, as existing tools were insufficient or designed for perennial rivers. - Designing and developing dedicated educational activities and training materials focused on TRs. - Creating new, open-access, easy-to-use IT tools based on satellite imagery for the identification and categorisation of TRs. - Building an open-access GIS repository to map TRs over space and time and quantify flow intermittency dynamics across river networks.
▶Activities
The consortium successfully implemented a wide range of activities to enhance awareness and knowledge on Temporary Rivers (TRs). In particular, we: Conducted a comprehensive review of the state of the art and best practices for identifying and monitoring TRs. - Developed high-quality educational materials structured into seven modules on TR features, monitoring via remote sensing, and management methods. - Designed and validated a Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) in English and translated it into partners’ languages for broader accessibility. - Created a user-friendly, open-access IT tool for identifying and classifying TRs through satellite imagery. - Ran pilot courses in partner universities to test and refine the MOOC and IT tool. - Organized an international Hackathon to foster collaboration and innovation. - Promoted the project through newsletters, a website, social media, and academic events.
▶Impact
- An open-access report on “Best Practices in Identifying Temporary Rivers”, summarizing existing knowledge and methods. - A seven-module training curriculum on TRs’ definition, monitoring via remote sensing, ecological relevance, IT tool use, satellite-based classification, and field surveys. - A Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) in four languages (English, Italian, Greek, Spanish), tested through pilot courses with university students. - The “Temporary River Classifier”, an open-access IT tool for global TR investigation and monitoring using satellite imagery. - Engagement of over 110 university students trained in TR identification, classification, and sustainable management. - Engagement of 43 participants on the International Hackathon in River Monitoring. - Engagement of over 224 attendees to the MOOC. - A GIS-based open repository providing access to spatial and temporal data on Temporary Rivers, including flow dynamics for more than 200 rivers worldwide and over 200,000 classified satellite images. - Strengthened collaboration among partners, leading to two scientific papers on remote sensing and TR management.