IberHABITAT: evaluación de la Idoneidad del Hábitat Físico y del Hábitat Potencial útil para peces. Aplicación en el río Eume

摘要

The quantification and characterization of the Weighted Usable Area (WUA) for river fishes through hydraulic models has traditionally been based on the 1D hydraulic simulation approach, which has been technically surpassed, although not with equal robustness or breadth of use, by two-dimensional (2D) models. Therefore, a new module of the Iber 2D hydraulic model was developed as a tool to assess Physical Habitat Suitability (PHS), a basic variable for the estimation of the WUA. The new tool was applied to a case study to assess the physical available habitat for the brown trout (Salmo trutta ) as a function of depth and water velocity. The development of the model allowed direct evaluation of fish habitat suitability and the WUA, as well as providing discharge-WUA relationships.