Project title: “Waterways of Olympus and climate change”

Team: The Olympus Hydronauts

16th Primary School of Larissa   Larissa   Greece   13 Student’s age: 10-11 years old

How does climate change affect the quantity and quality of water in Mount Olympus and what are the consequences for life and crops in the semi-mountainous areas of Lower Olympus?
Πώς η κλιματική αλλαγή επηρεάζει την ποσότητα και ποιότητα νερών του Ολύμπου και ποιες οι συνέπειές στη ζωή και τις καλλιέργειες στις ημι-ορεινές περιοχές του Κάτω Ολύμπου;

The research questions of the project concerned the long-term consequences of climate change in semi-mountainous areas of Kato Olympus and the Pinios Delta, concerning:
E1. Snow cover (actions D1, D2, D8)
Ε2. Quantitative sufficiency and quality of drinking/irrigation water (D3,D4,D9)
Ε3. Frequency and intensity of precipitation and extreme weather events (D3,D4,D9)
Ε4. Quality of life and impact on tourism and agricultural production (D3-D7, D9)
The water cycle on Mount Olympus involves the conversion of rain and snow into surface and underground flows and outflows from springs. This cycle was studied by students through a) classroom work, b) fieldwork, and c) expert workshops.
After teacher training (D8), students were trained in the use of satellite imagery for research on snow cover on Mount Olympus (D1). They studied and compared the images over time (D2). They visited Rapsani in the Municipality of Tempe (East Olympus) and with the help of the librarian of the Rapsani Municipal Library, Chaido Pantazi, they followed the waterways (D5): (a) in the upper district of Agios Athanasios with fountains and ditches watering bakshees, (b) in the Anilios area for an autopsy of the water tanks and the upper irrigation network, (c) a tour of the Wine and Vine Museum (D5), and (e) a visit to a village vineyard (D6).
Students interviewed elderly residents/farmers about changes in water quantity and quality over the past decades and the influence on daily life and crops (D4). In addition, the students were given a presentation on the water cycle in general, the flow of water, both surface and underground, in the area from Mount Olympus to the springs of Agia Paraskevi and the estuary in the Delta. They discussed the impact of climate on the quantity of water, the value of snow, rain and springs on the water quality of the Pinios and on crops in Rapsani and the Delta.

The results and conclusions are linked to the individual actions:
D1,D2,D8: Students using the sentinel-hub platform explored satellite images over a period of years and saw evidence of a decrease in snowfall, but also a decrease in the time period of snow cover.
D4: From the interviews they recorded the change in weather, the reduction of flow in streams, the drying of springs and less frequent but often more intense rainfall, and the minimization of snowfall. They also linked these figures to the change in the growing conditions of vineyards, which have gone from dryland farming to necessarily irrigated farming.
D5,D6: The visit to the Museum and to a real vineyard gave them more specialised knowledge about the needs of the vineyard and the process of turning grapes into wine. They also learned about the farmers’ return to old varieties after a temporary switch to non-native varieties, as the old ones were better adapted to the climate of the region, even in conditions of reduced water and increased temperature.
D9: The workshop on water and water management now theoretically tied together all the information they gathered to understand the complexity of the water cycle and how climate change affects surface and groundwater, springs, water quality and crops.
D3: In the final stage, the students analysed all the findings from the fieldwork and the laboratory, recorded the results and with critical thinking drew conclusions and recommendations.

Through their research and the analysis of their findings and results, the students proceeded to formulate proposals to mitigate the problems caused by climate change, but also to reduce the problem itself:
1- Better use of water supply water by implementing good practices and saving.
2 – Better use of irrigation water with better practices such as drip irrigation rather than using sprinklers, watering during low temperature hours, etc.
3-Less greenhouse gas emissions with less car use and more walking and use of bicycles and skates.
4- A shift to soft and renewable forms of energy.
5-Monitoring the course of snowfall, rainfall and all climate-related variables.

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This project was automatically translated into English.
Projects are created by the teams and they take the full responsibility of the shared data.
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