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INXCES project

The overall objectives of INXCES is to develop new innovative technological methods for risk assessment and mitigation of extreme hydroclimatic events and optimization of urban water-dependent ecosystem services at the catchment level, for a spectrum of rainfall events. It is widely acknowledged that extreme events such as floods and droughts are an increasing challenge, particularly in urban areas.

Specifically, INXCES has developed a Quick-scan method for flood prone areas in cities. It is based on readily available GIS data coupled with a 3D visualization, which is a key aspect of understanding the consequences of flooding on a policy and development level. Novel methodologies for characterising the behaviour of metals in urban stormwater runoff and snowmelt have been implemented and the implications of new knowledge generated for runoff and snowmelt treatment considered. Further INXCES has identified stormwater filters with high resilience for hydroclimatic extremes and coupled with high performance water treatment. Improved understanding of the snowmelt processes and modelling of climatic influences on such processes has been an important addition to closing the knowledge gap on snowmelt in urban settings. Drought resulting in water stress changes the soil moisture content, which in turn causes changes in the soil surface elevations on a micro scale. It is possible to map these changes through linking multiple time series of satellite observations (InSAR) to hydroclimatic events. This work has been initiated in the first half of the project, and has been expanded in the second half of the project period.

The INXCES project has conducted several collaborative field and laboratory experiments. For example, an evaluation of metal fractionation in rainfall, rain-on-snow and snowmelt runoff events and the full-scale stress test of urban mitigation measures such as raingardens. This adds important knowledge to the evidence base of the impact of precipitation type on pollutant behaviour and how these stormwater measures function during extreme events.