Water research cluster Lunz

Acronym: WCL

The WasserCluster Lunz GmbH is an interdisciplinary non-profit aquatic ecosystem research center in conjunction with the University of Vienna, the University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences (BOKU), Vienna and the Danube University Krems and designed to advance and teach aquatic ecosystem science and to resolve challenges at the environment-society interface. The spectrum of research expertise of the three founding universities covers disciplines ranging from microbial ecology to biogeochemistry, from limnology to landscape ecology, and from ecotoxicology to technology. This combines aquatic ecology with other disciplines in a unique setup for innovative basic and applied research. This broad collection forms the basis for the 4 research groups established at the WasserCluster Lunz. The WCL staff consists of 1 full professor, 1 associated professor, 2 working group leaders, 2 senior scientists, 7 postdocs and 8 PhD students. The working group associated with the BOKU, led by Assoc. Prof. Dr. Thomas Hein, is closelylinked to the Institute of Hydrobiology and Aquatic Ecosystem Management (IHG) at BOKU, Vienna. The BOKU-IHG is an interdisciplinary team with biologists, ecological modellers, stream ecologists and river engineers. Bridging scales from the micro-scale to the landscape and facilitating science for society is an explicit aim of the WCL. The focus of the working group, BioFRAMES combines biogeochemical processes, biodiversity and management issues in riverine landscapes for an innovative mechanistic understanding using laboratory and field experiments at multiple scales. A key focus of the working group is dealing with the restoration and management of rivers and floodplains. The recent projects of the working group include the EU FP7 project WeTWin, an international research project for the Danube River (Danube Regional Project), several projects on wetland management, biodiversity and nutrient cycling in restored floodplains.

Website: http://www.wasserkluster-lunz.ac.at

Address:
Dr. Karl Kupelwieser Promenade 5
3293 Lunz am See
Austria

Projects:

• DANube macroregion: Capacity building and Excellence in River Systems (basin, delta and sea) (DANCERS)