According to ancient Greek mythology, the Limnads (“Λιμνάδες”) were naiads of freshwater lakes. In this project, we borrow their name hoping to help better understand and protect the wonder of alpine lakes.
Alpine zone ecosystems are found above the tree line and below the snowline on mountains around the world. They cover a small part of the Earth's land, but support an incredible diversity of species, as well as local communities which depend on them for their livelihood.
Today, the species, habitats and livelihoods of the people that depend on them, are in danger. Continued pressure from climate change and lack of management measures for unsustainable anthropogenic activities, pose important threats which can only be addressed and solved by the use of high-quality scientific data.
However, research on those beautiful, unique, and vulnerable ecosystems is sparse and scattered. The remote locations and harsh environmental conditions of the alpine zone, have and continue to pose significant limitations.
The LiMnADs project – Limnological Monitoring & Alpine zone Datasets – was launched in 2022, with an aim to create a better understanding about the processes taking place in the alpine zone - from the fields of hydrology and atmospheric science to biological diversity and human activities – in an effort to support evidence-based decision making when it comes to restoring, protecting and preserving these ecosystems for next generations.
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