EBRO - ADMICLIM

The Ebro Delta is an internationally important wetland area. At present the Delta is experiencing a loss of wetlands and rice fields due to coastal regression, caused by the lack of input of fluvial sediments – which are retained by the river dams along the Ebro basin. Within this context the LIFE EBRO-ADMICLIM project will allow for the development and application of new adaptation strategies to cope with this elevation loss caused by sea level rise and coastal regression in the Delta wetlands. Furthermore, the adaptation measures will be combined with mitigation measures designed to reduce the emissions of greenhouse gases (GHG) and increase the amount of carbon stored in rice fields and wetland areas. The principal pilot actions of adaptation are focussed on transferring sediments from the river Ebro to the Delta. A pilot test consists in evaluating the capacity of the Ebro River to transport sediments to the deltaic plain through its discharge in two specific points of the river. This pilot test will allow to determine the amount and type of sediment that the river can transport at the moment in function of different flows, and to calibrate theoretical models of water transport and sediment. This will allow us to analyze the feasibility of designing a sediment transfer system from the reservoirs to the river. The main stakeholders are the farmers of the delta and different departments of the local and regional administration, such as ACA and OCCC.