ASPETTI IDROMORFOLOGICI E CARATTERE LENTICO-LOTICO DEI FIUMI MEDITERRANEI: RIVER HABITAT SURVEY E DESCRITTORE LRD

The general approach to defining the hydromorphological features of rivers, which have to be assessed to support the interpretation of biological data and set reference conditions for the Water Framework Directive, is concisely introduced. The main features of the River Habitat Survey (RHS) method are briefly described, with special emphasis on its South European version (SE_RHS), focusing on flow attributes and types at the micro- and meso-scale. The Lentic-lotic River Descriptor (LRD), which assesses river sites in terms of their lentic-lotic character on the basis of the SE_RHS application, is also presented in detail. The potential relevance of LRD in deriving information on the local, hydrologic character of rivers for the WFD implementation is also discussed.