Impacts of climate change on reference sites used for ecohydrological restoration and research

The ecohydrology concept provides new perspectives on the control and regulation of water cycling and nutrients by integrating hydrological and biotic processes at the catchment scale. It is now recognised that anthropogenic climate change has the potential to affect many of these processes: directly (through temperature and moisture forcing); indirectly (through new hydrological, water quality, and biological interactions); and in concert with other factors (such as land use change, or diffuse pollution). Potential changes to ecosystem functioning, structure and distribution have implications for ecohydrological research and restoration by modifying the definition and objectives of “good ecological quality” at reference sites. Longterm records of past hydroclimatic variability highlight the dangers of characterising site status on the basis of short-term observations. Change factor and downscaling methods provide means of exploring future climate change impacts at sites where the dominant ecohydrological processes are well understood.