Nathalie Brandt Zak began her 3-year PhD program at NIVA Denmark on February 1st, 2024. Nathalie’s PhD project focuses on Environmental Flows (E-flows), an international concept concerning the water flow and conditions necessary for the existence and functioning of stream ecosystems. With increasing intensities, durations, and frequencies of extremely wet and extremely dry periods, stream ecosystems are facing growing pressures. This pressure is further exacerbated by society’s consumption of clean freshwater for drinking, household use, irrigation, etc. Consequently, there is a significant need for new knowledge to support the management of freshwater resources and establish boundaries for sustainable freshwater use. Nathalie’s PhD project aims to contribute to this knowledge for Danish streams.

The project is funded by the Innovation Fund and receives co-financing from NOVAFOS A/S. Technical University of Denmark (DTU Aqua), Geological Survey of Denmark and Greenland (GEUS), University of Copenhagen, and Australian Rivers Institute are all academic partners in the project, while NOVAFOS A/S is part of the project’s steering group.