MARS project aimed to support managers and policy makers in the practical implementation of the WFD, of related legislation and of the Blueprint to Safeguard Europe’s Water Resources by conducting new research and synthesizing existing knowledge concerning effects and management of multiple stressors in surface water and groundwater bodies; by advising the 3rd RMBP cycle and the revision of the WFD; and by developing new integrated tools for diagnosing and predicting multiple stressors in water resource management.

MARS project also focused on engaging with ongoing and finalized European initiatives addressing related topics, thus acting as an integrating project. Work was organized at the scales of water bodies, river basins and Europe; at each scale there is a direct link to water managers and decision makers. Nested within the scale structure, a suite of methods was employed: flume and mesocosm experiments to better understand the effects of selected stressor combinations with a focus on extremes and hydrological stress; linkage of “abiotic” and “biotic” models to predict effects of stressor combinations at a river basin scale; large-scale data analysis employing existing databases, but including additional variables, to gain a Europe-wide overview of stress, status and ecosystem services.