PhD Postgraduate Research Opportunity: Framework for characterising oligotrophic (3110 & 3160) lakes using practical methods and assessment tools

Applications are invited for a 3 year funded PhD position in the Marine and Freshwater Research Centre at Galway-Mayo Institute of Technology, based at our Galway campus.

Oligotrophic isoetid lake habitats (3110) and acid oligotrophic lake habitats (3160) are protected habitats under the EU Habitats Directive. Overall, their conservation status is bad (declining) for 3110 and inadequate for 3160 lake habitats with key conservation status criteria, structure and function, failing to meet the Habitats Directive objectives. Despite the fact that the Habitats Directive has been legislated for in Ireland for the past 12 years, structure and function criteria have not been clearly defined for these lake habitats due to a lack of baseline data on their distribution, characterisation, and environmental drivers and requirements. In turn, this has resulted in the delay of specific indicators and targets been defined for 3110 and 3160 oligotrophic lake habitats. More recently, there has been a realisation that substituting habitat specific monitoring and assessment measures with water quality standards may not provide sufficient protection to these protected habitats. It is now a priority of the second cycle of the River Basin Management Plan (RBMP) for Ireland 2018-2021, and for the EPA and NPWS to investigate the actions needed, develop supporting conditions and select measures for future management which will ensure favourable conservation status of these water-dependant protected lake habitats.

The proposed objective of the PhD is to gather much needed baseline data on 3110 and 3160 lakes under the following headings:

A. Characterise Annex I 3110 and 3160 oligotrophic lake habitats and their natural variations through physical, chemical and biological assessment;

B. Evaluate the environmental conditions necessary to maintain/restore Annex I 3110 and 3160 lake habitats in favourable conservation status;

C. Assess monitoring methods and assessment tools to ensure compliance with EU directives; and

D. Propose measures needed to maintain/restore Annex 1 3110 and 3160 lake habitats to favourable conservation status.