RESEARCH ARTICLE Assessing and forecasting the impacts of global change on Mediterranean rivers. The SCARCE Consolider project on Iberian basins Received: 3 March 2011 /Accepted: 27 June 2011 # Springer-Verlag 2011 Abstract Introduction The Consolider-Ingenio 2010 project SCARCE, with the full title “Assessing and predicting effects on water quantity and quality in Iberian Rivers caused by global change” aims to examine and predict the relevance of global change on water availability, water quality, and ecosystem services in Mediterranean river basins of the Iberian Penin- sula, as well as their socio-economic impacts. Starting in Responsible editor Thomas Braunbeck A. Navarro-Ortega (*) : D. Barceló IDAEA-CSIC, Jordi Girona, 18-26, 08034 Barcelona, Spain e-mail: alicia.navarro@idaea.csic.es V. Acuña : M. Petrovic : S. Sabater : D. Barceló ICRA, Edifici H2O, Emili Grahit, 101, 17003 Girona, Spain R. J. Batalla UdL/CTFC, Alcalde Rovira Roure 191, 25198 Lleida, Spain J. Blasco ICMAN-CSIC, Campus Rio San Pedro, 11510 Puerto Real, Cádiz, Spain UPM, Avda. Ramiro de Maeztu 7, 28040 Madrid, Spain A. Elosegi UPV/EHU, Barrio Sarriena s/n, 48940 Leioa, Spain F. Francés UPV, Camino de Vera s/n, Valencia, Spain F. La-Roca : Y. Picó UV, Avda. Blasco Ibáñez 13, Valencia, Spain I. Muñoz UB, Av. Diagonal, 645, 08028 Barcelona, Spain M. Petrovic ICREA, Passeig Lluís Companys, 23, 08010 Barcelona, Spain S. Sabater UdG, Institute of Aquatic Ecology, Campus Montilivi, 17071 Girona, Spain X. Sanchez-Vila UPC, Carrer Jordi Girona 31, Barcelona, Spain M. Schuhmacher ETSEQ, URV, Campus Sescelades, 43007 Tarragona, Spain D. Barceló King Saud University, Box 2455, 11451 Riyadh, Saudi Arabia Environ Sci Pollut Res (2012) 19:918–933 DOI 10.1007/s11356-011-0566-5 Alícia Navarro-Ortega & Vicenç Acuña & Ramon J. Batalla & Julián Blasco & Carlos Conde & Francisco J. Elorza & Arturo Elosegi & Félix Francés & Francesc La-Roca & Isabel Muñoz & Mira Petrovic & Yolanda Picó & Sergi Sabater & Xavier Sanchez-Vila & Marta Schuhmacher & Damià Barceló C. Conde : F. J. Elorza