SUNDANSE

The primary goal of the SUNDANSE Danube River Lighthouse project is to create a Sediment Management Handbook for the Danube River–Black Sea system. This handbook will include proven strategies to improve sediment management, focusing on sediment quality and quantity, and will be applicable to a range of regional and EU river basins. The specific objectives of SUNDANSE will support this goal and the KPIs of the project will include:
• R 1: A comprehensive Sediment Management Framework for sustainable sediment practices within the Danube River basin.
• R 2: Maps identifying critical areas for excessive sedimentation, erosion, sediment transport, and flow restoration.
• R 3: An action plan and roadmap for expanding sustainable sediment management solutions to associated regions.
• R 4: A model simulating sediment transport within the Danube River basin.
• R 5: A multi-level Driver-Pressure-State-Impact-Response (DPSIR) analysis for catchment, location/river, and water body levels.
• R 6: The SUNDANSE Database, connected with DanubeSediment and SIMONA, which are prior projects centered on the Danube basin.
• R 7: Prototypes of portable, vessel-based equipment for the direct analysis of microplastics and toxicity.
The handbook will provide a comprehensive list of sediment management solutions, complemented by a roadmap and action plan for application in other regions. The project will develop an open-source sediment prediction tool based on targeted measurements. This tool will forecast sediment transport, evaluate sediment management strategies, and test these solutions within the SUNDANSE project, assessing their applicability to other areas.
SUNDANSE will conduct extensive sediment measurements on the Danube River using the REXDAN research vessel, as well as equipment from project partners. In collaboration with SIMONA and DanubeSediments, SUNDANSE will expand the sediment data database, review the existing network of measurement stations, and add new observation points to improve ongoing sediment monitoring.
The project will demonstrate sediment management solutions for specific sites in Serbia, Romania, and Bulgaria, focusing on restoring sediment balance, quality, and flow. These solutions will include minimizing the impact of inland water transport (IWT) vessels on sediment transport and implementing nature-based solutions to reduce excessive sedimentation and erosion. Hydrodynamic measurements will help identify the best solutions for each location.
These sediment solutions will be evaluated for their broader applicability across at least five associated regions. Insights will be captured in the Action Plan, Roadmap, and the Sediment Management Handbook. To engage stakeholders, SUNDANSE will organize dissemination activities and workshops, utilizing the REXDAN vessel as a meeting venue during measurement campaigns to bring project insights directly to stakeholders.