Piotr Parasiewicz, Mikołaj Adamczyk
ABSTRACT. MesoHABSIM is a method for assessing and simulating changes in riparian fish habitats that describes the dependence between aquatic fauna and the abiotic environment. It permits identifying hydromorphological variability along entire streams in a manner that is applicable to tasks that have a high degree of generalization such as assessing the ecological status of entire catchment basins. It is an important tool for planning stream restoration and for conserving riparian ecosystems from anthropogenic impacts stemming from hydroelectric power facilities, water uptakes, and the like. This method quantifies the surface of aquatic fauna habitats, which is used in the model as a measurment value in river basin management scenarios. The MesoHABSIM system was developed and tested in 2000-2010 in the USA at Cornell University, the University of Massachusetts, and at the Rushing Rivers Institute. To date, the MesoHABSIM model has been used for 26 rivers in five countries. During testing, the model was improved and adapted to the specifics of these rivers. Simultaneously, the first and second versions of support software, SimStream, and a variety of tools for interpreting and presenting results were developed. This paper also presents initial results of studies performed in Poland by IFI on a segment of the Wisłoka River.
Słowa kluczowe: modeling, simulation, ecological flow, habitat studies, ichthyofauna, fisheries management, river restoration
Przyjęto po recenzji 16.06.2014 r.