Most water systems in the industrial regions of the world are already developed. At the same time they are highly complex. This is true with respect to physical configuration, managment, operation, political goals, environmental interactions, etc. Thus the basic systems are already in place. This realization is the starting point for any new water developments and for operation. From this we conclude that whatever we do to meet new exigencies requires an understanding of the presently in-place complex water systems. Their operation is the important thing. And how can we adjust their operation to meet the new demands upon the system? This book deals with complex water systems and their operation. Some chapters are highly theoretical while others are rooted in practical applications. How can we an lyze the operation of a complex water system and determine how its performance can be improved? Several chapters on mathematical analysis give approaches involving different aspects of this problem. But operation also has political, management, and physical aspects. These problems are addressed in chapters by managers who operate such systems. The main theme of all chapters is how to deal with the different aspects of a complex water system, already in place. We feel the book, in dealing with this question could be a start for new theoretical premises in water planning.

Floods constitute a persistent and serious problem throughout the United States and many other parts of the world. They are responsible for losses amounting to billions of dollars and scores of deaths annually. Virtually all parts of the nation--coastal, moun tainous and rural--are affected by them. Two aspects of the problem of flooding that have long been topics of scientific inquiry are flood frequency and risk analyses. Many new, even improved, tech niques have recently been developed for performing these analyses. Nevertheless, actual experience points out that the frequency of say a 100-year flood, in lieu of being encountered on the average once in one hundred years, may be as little as once in 25 years. It is there fore appropriate to pause and ask where we are, where we are going and where we ought to be going with regard to the technology of flood frequency and risk analyses. One way to address these questions is to provide a forum where people from all quarters of the world can assemble, discuss and share their experience and expertise pertaining to flood frequency and risk analyses. This is what constituted the motivation for organizing the International Symposium on Flood Frequency and Risk Analyses held May 14-17, 1986, at Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, Louisiana.

The Ebro is a typical Mediterranean river characterized by seasonal low flows and extreme flush effects, with important agricultural and industrial activity that has caused heavy contamination problems. This volume deals with soil-sediment-groundwater related issues in the Ebro river basin and summarizes the results generated within the European Union-funded project "AquaTerra." The following topics are highlighted: Hydrology and sediment transport and their alterations due to climate change, aquatic and riparian biodiversity in the Ebro watershed, occurrence and distribution of a wide range of priority and emerging contaminants, effects of chemical pollution on biota and integration of climate change scenarios with several aspects of the Ebro s hydrology and potential impacts of climate change on pollution.

The primary objective of the book is to lay the foundation for a better understanding of the behavior of environmental pollutants and their fluxes with respect to climate and land use changes."

Antarctica, the sixth continent, was discovered more than 160 years ago. Since then this large, mysterious continent of ice and penguins has attracted world interest. Scientific expeditions from various countries have begun to study the geographical and natural conditions of the icy continent. Systematic and comprehensive inves tigations in the Antarctic started in the middle of our century. In 1956 the First Soviet Antarctic Expedition headed to the coast of Antarctica. Their program included studies of the atmosphere, hydrosphere and cryosphere. Thirty years have since passed. Scientists have unveiled many secrets of Antarctica: significant geophysical processes have been investigated, and a large body of new information on the Antarctic weather, Southern Ocean hydrology and Antarctic glaciers has been obtained. We can now claim that the horizons of polar geo physics, oceanology, and particularly glaciology, have expanded. Scientific inves tigators have obtained new information about all Antarctic regions and thus have created the opportunity to use the Antarctic in the interests of mankind."

Proceedings of the NATO Advanced Study Institute, Aussois, France, September 4-15, 1985

In this book major construction projects are reviewed. The aim is to present case studies or topics which would stimulate discussion within the areas of environmental policy, economy, ethics or science. By carefully balancing the needs and interests of all involved stakeholders and by observing basic ethical principles, it is possible to resolve the conflicts and to proceed towards constructive cooperation with commonly accepted environmental objectives. The book further contains the key conclusions and recommendations resulting from the "First International Symposium on Large-Scale Constructions in Coastal Environments" held on the island of Norderney from 21-25 April 1997.

This volume is the result of an initiative of the Commission on the Coastal Environment of the International Geographical Union. The initial concept from which the plan has proceeded was presented at the 24th International Geographical Congress in Japan in 1980. AUTHORSHIP AND COVERAGE All of the articles in this volume have been written by specialists familiar with the coastal segment discussed. Nearly all have been prepared by citizens of the country (and, for that matter, even each subregion) considered. In the case of exceptions (e.g. Suriname), the authors have conducted fieldwork on the coast of the country they treat. In order to preserve the "on-the-spot" integrity of the volume, it was decided not to fill in the blanks along the world's coastline with library researched chapters. Thus, coverage is variable. Nearly every coastal country in Europe is represented whereas for Africa and South America there are major gaps. In addition, there are 2 instances of overlap. In the case of England (with a shoreline of nearly 3,000 km) a complementary chapter on Lincolnshire (with a shoreline of only 155 km) is included. The other case is the general article on the Baltic Coast of the USSR which is supported by chapters on Estonia and Lithuania.

This book provides a state-of-the-art overview of the development of concepts and methodology of hydrological sys tems analysis and its wide range of practical applications. Hydrological systems analysis involves the management, processing and interpretation of huge amounts of geoscien tific as well as ecological and historical data of many different types and sources, which can only be handled coherently and efficiently by using interactive geoscientific information systems. Geoscientific information systems as well as flow simulators are integral parts of the methodology. The methodology is clearly explained in the book and ample figures il lustrate the text. The emphasis of the book is on the practical applicability of hydrological systems analysis in integrated water re source management, nature conservation and environmental planning. The compilation of many case-studies, conducted by TNO geohydrologists and others in recent years, included in the book deals with different temporal and spatial scales and various geohydrological settings in The Netherlands, Poland, the European Union as well as in Indonesia. These case studies underpin the strength and elegance of hydrological systems analysis."

The problem of ice destruction comes most frequently to our attention in engineering glaciology and ice engineering because it is essential in the solution of many problems in the polar regions of the Earth. Ice destruction (like the destruction of any other material, in principle) is a complex problem at the junction of solid-state physics, continuum mechanics, and materials science. Ice, particularly sea ice, is characterized by known anomalies that can be explained by the simultaneous occurrence of solid, liquid and gaseous phases. Even minor temperature fluctuations cause changes in the relationship of these phases and, as a consequence, change the physico-mechanical properties of ice. New hydraulic engineering tasks, associated with the destruction of such a complex material, demand continuous improvement of methods and techniques. The present authors have brought these together in a form which is convenient for a wide range of users. This book covers only local ice destruction, by means other than icebreakers, requiring comparatively low consumption of power in proportion to the volume and mass of destroyed ice. Problems of natural ice destruction under the influence of solar radiation, tidal, wind and wave factors are not dis cussed. Mechanical and thermal methods were the first of many to be used for ice destruction. Their application has involved a greater num ber of techniques, so the first two chapters are the longest."

The Fourth American Physical Society Topical Conference on Shock Waves in Condensed Matter was held in Spokane, Washington, July 22-25, 1985. Two hundred and fifty scientists and engineers representing thirteen countries registered at the conference. The countries represented included the United States of America, Australia, Canada, The People's Repub lic of China, France, India, Israel, Japan, Republic of China (Taiwan), United Kingdom, U. S. S. R, Switzerland and West Germany. One hundred and sixty-two technical papers, cov ering recent developments in shock wave and high pressure physics, were presented. All of the abstracts have been published in the September 1985 issue of the Bulletin of the American Physical Society. The topical conferences, held every two years since 1979, have become the principal forum for shock wave studies in condensed materials. Both formal and informal technical discussions regarding recent developments conveyed a sense of excitement. Consistent with the past conferences, the purpose of this conference was to bring together scientists and engineers studying the response of condensed matter to dynamic high pressures and temperatures. Papers covering experimental, theoretical, and numerical studies of con densed matter properties were presented. A noteworthy feature of this conference was the participation by several leading scientists engaged in static high pressure research. Donald Curran served as the Master of Ceremonies at the conference banquet, which was at tended by two hundred and seventy-five conference participants and guests including Dr. Samuel Smith, the new President of Washington State University. Dr.

This book covers topics on the basic models, assessments, and techniques to calculate evapotranspiration (ET) for practical applications in agriculture, forestry, and urban science. This simple and thorough guide provides the information and techniques necessary to develop, manage, interpret, and apply evapotranspiration ET data to practical applications. The simplicity of the contents assists technicians in developing ET data for effective water management.

J. J. Beukema, w. J. Wolff & J. J. W. M. Brouns Man is changing the biosphere at an ever increasing Netherlands ministery of Housing, Physical Planning rate. Several of these man-made changes are on a and Health (represented by Dr. G. P. Hekstra), chaired worldwide scale, such as the increase in atmospheric by Dr. w. J. Wolff (Research Institute for Nature concentrations of several gases. In particular the Management) and housed by the Netherlands In ongoing increase of the concentration of at stitute for Sea Research (N. I. O. Z., represented by Dr. mospheric carbon dioxide, by excessive burning of J. J. Beukema). fossil fuels and forest destruction, is well The written versions of the presentations by 23 par documented. By the year 2050, CO levels will ticipants have been brought together in these pro 2 almost certainly be twice the pre-industrial concen ceedings of the Workshop. trations and this is expected to have far-reaching consequences. Direct effects include higher rates of The first paper, by G. P. HEKSTRA, explains how plant production (also in agriculture). Indirect effects trace gases affect UV-B radiation, alkalinity of the might be less favourable: by the intensified sea, rate of photosynthesis, and greenhouse warm 'greenhouse process' (to which several other gases ing."

In the past decades, environmental scientists, economists and physicists have been juggling critical issues within environmental strategies and environmental management styles in order to find a feasible medium between limited resources, long term demands and objectives, and interest groups. In the search for best management alternatives, practice has undergone a pendulum swing between stages that can be characterised as frontier economics, radical environmentalism, resource management/allocation, selective environmentalism and sustainable environmental management. The next stage of management must answer such questions as: Can there be a global - uniform environmental strategy?', or Based on their characteristics, can different issues, different regions and different applications have unique environmental strategies?' Based on this premise, the next stage of management may be identified as risk based sustainable environmental management. The goal of this style will be the risk based, long term, harmonious management of economic resources and environmental preservation for health, safety and prosperity of sustainable populations. When evaluation of risk or risk based ranking of management alternatives enter the picture as part of the overall puzzle, then social policy, ethics and health issues assume a very important role in the management strategy. Economic incentives and environmental constraints have to be considered harmoniously, the main emphasis being placed on protection and preservation of human health and the long term sustaining of populations.

Viewed from space, the Earth appears as a globe without a beginning or an end. Encompassing the globe is the atmosphere with its three phases- gaseous, liquid, and solid--moving in directions influenced by sunlight, gravity, and rotation. The chemical compositions of these phases are determined by biogeochemical cycles. Over the past hundred years, the processes governing the rates and reactions in the atmospheric biogeochemical cycles have typically been studied in regions where scientists lived. Hence, as time has gone by, the advances in our knowledge of atmospheric chemical cycles in remote areas have lagged substantially behind those for more populated areas. Not only are the data less abundant, they are also scattered. Therefore, we felt a workshop would be an excellent mechanism to assess the state of-knowledge of the atmospheric cycles of sulfur and nitrogen in remote areas and to make recommendations for future research. Thus, a NATO Advanced Research Workshop ' he Biogeochemical Cycling of Sulfur and Nitrogen in the Remote Atmosphere" was held at the Bermuda Biological Station, St. Georges, Bermuda, from 8-12 October 1984. The workshop was attended by 24 international scientists known for their work in atmospheric cycling in remote areas. This volume contains the back ground papers and the discussions resulting from that workshop. The workshop was organized along the lines of the atmospheric cycle. There were working groups on emission, transport, transformation, and deposi tion."

It is the task of the engineer, as of any other professional person, to do everything that is reasonably possible to analyse the difficulties with which his or her client is confronted, and on this basis to design solutions and implement these in practice. The distributed hydrological model is, correspondingly, the means for doing everything that is reasonably possible - of mobilising as much data and testing it with as much knowledge as is economically feasible - for the purpose of analysing problems and of designing and implementing remedial measures in the case of difficulties arising within the hydrological cycle. Thus the aim of distributed hydrologic modelling is to make the fullest use of cartographic data, of geological data, of satellite data, of stream discharge measurements, of borehole data, of observations of crops and other vegetation, of historical records of floods and droughts, and indeed of everything else that has ever been recorded or remembered, and then to apply to this everything that is known about meteorology, plant physiology, soil physics, hydrogeology, sediment transport and everything else that is relevant within this context. Of course, no matter how much data we have and no matter how much we know, it will never be enough to treat some problems and some situations, but still we can aim in this way to do the best that we possibly can.

The Workshop on Parameter Identification and Inverse Problems in Hydrology, Geology and Ecology, Karlsruhe, April 10-12, 1995, was organized to bring to gether an interdisciplinary group drawn from the areas of science, engineering and mathematics for the following purposes: - to promote, encourage and influence more understanding and cooperation in the community of parameter identifiers from various disciplines, - to forge unity in diversity by bringing together a variety of disciplines that attempt to understand the reconstruction of inner model parameters, un known nonlinear constitutive relations, heterogeneous structures inside of geological objects, sources or sinks from observational data, - to discuss modern regularization tools for handling improperly posed pro blems and strategies of incorporating a priori knowledge from the applied problem into the model and its treatment. These proceedings contain some of the results of the workshop, representing a bal anced selection of contributions from the various groups of participants. The reviewed invited and contributed articles are grouped according to the broad headings of hydrology, non-linear diffusion and soil physics, geophysical methods, mathematical analysis of inverse and ill-posed problems and parallel algorithms for inverse problems. Some of the issues adressed by the articles in these proceedings include the rela tion between least squares and direct formulations of inverse problems for partial differential equations, nonlinear regularization, identification of nonlinear consti tutive relations, fast parallel algorithms for large scale inverse problems, reduction of model structures, geostatistical inversion techniques.

Shortly after the creation of the Vrije Universiteit Brussel (Free University Brussels) in 1970, currently labelled as VUB, a Department of Quaternary Geology was installed within the Faculty of Science in 1974. At the beginning it dealt mainly with the study of periglacial loess deposits of the Pleistocene Glacial Period in Central Belgium and with coastal deposits in relation to sea level rise during the warm Holocene period covering the last 10,000 years, in which the dawn of civilization took place step by step. Today the same research teams widen their scope of interest: they are presently studying the loess plateau in the People's Republic of China and the world-wide problems associated with sea level rise, coastal erosion being one of the most devastating natural hazards. More and more emphasis is put on problems concerning environmental engineering and those dealing with global change. Since 1975 UNESCO sponsored a number of symposia of the International Union for Quaternary Research (INQUA), whose secretariat was located on the VUB Campus grounds from 1973 to 1982. In 1981 the Applied Geology Department ofthe Faculty of Applied Sciences was created. The NATO-Advanced Research Workshop (ARW) , organized in Fuerteventura (Canary Islands, Spain) in March 1989 was a climax of this series of Global Change gatherings. As Rector of the VUB, I am satisfied that the VUB, through its Earth Technology Institute, of both USA and Belgium could cooperate with NATO and the National Science Foundations in cosponsoring such an initiative.

This text is the first international and comprehensive discussion of the impacts of climatic fluctuations and climate change on water resources management. The book presents an overview of the impacts of climatic change/fluctuations on a wide variety of water resources sectors including river runoff, water quality, water temperature, water use and demand, reservoir management and water resource planning and management. The book is unique in that it then presents a series of case studies to both demonstrate the application of climate change impact assessment methodologies and to provide insights to catchment, river basin, and national scale impacts of climate change/fluctuations on the water resources of Africa, Europe, and North America. Audience: Researchers, scholars and students of hydrology and water management who are concerned with the issues of climate change as well as the climate change impact assessment community.

The protection of groundwater resources has emerged in recent years as a high priority topic on the agenda of many countries. In responding to the growing concern over deteriorating groundwater quality, many countries are developing a comprehensive regulatory framework for the management of subsurface water resources with management referring to both quantity and quality aspects. Within this framework, groundwater models are rapidly coming to playa central role in the development of protection and rehabilitation strategies. These models provide forecasts of the future state of the groundwater aquifer systems and/or the unsaturated zone in response to proposed management initiatives. For example, models will predict the effects of implementing a proposed management scheme on water levels and on the transport and fate of pollutants. The models are now used in the formulation of policies and regulations, the issuing of permits, design of monitoring and data collection systems, and the development of enforcement actions. The growth in the use of these sophisticated tools has led to many unforeseen problems in groundwater management. Lingering issues include reliability of codes, quality assurance in model development and applications, efficient utiliza tion of human and material resources, technology transfer and training. Some issues have legal ramifications, as in cases where the applications of models have been contested in courts."

The irrigated area in the Aral Sea basin totals about 7. 5 million hectare. Part of the water supplied to this area is consumed by the irrigated crop; the remainder of the supplied water drains to the groundwater basin, to downstream depressions, or back to the rivers. During its use, however, this drained part of the water accumulates salts and chemicals. The disposal of this polluted water causes a variety of (environmental) problems. If the percentage consumed water of the total water supply to an irrigated area (the so-called overall consumed ratio) can be increased, less water needs to be drained. This alleviates part of the related (environmental) problems. Further, if the overall consumed ratio for the above 7. 5 million hectare is improved, less water needs to be diverted from the rivers. Hence, more water can flow towards the Aral Sea. As mentioned above, part of the non-consumed irrigation water drains to the groundwater basin. Commonly, the natural discharge capacity of this basin is insufficient to handle this imported water. As a result, the groundwater table rises towards the land surface causing waterlogging. In (semi-)arid zones this waterlogging triggers a soil salinity problem resulting to a significant reduction in crop yields. The artificial increase of the discharge capacity, and lowering of the groundwater table, solves the soil salinity problem.

Floods constitute a persistent and serious problem throughout the United States and many other parts of the world. They are responsible for losses amounting to billions of dollars and scores of deaths annually. Virtually all parts of the nation--coastal, moun tainous and rural--are affected by them. Two aspects of the problem of flooding that have long been topics of scientific inquiry are flood frequency and risk analyses. Many new, even improved, tech niques have recently been developed for performing these analyses. Nevertheless, actual experience points out that the frequency of say a IOO-year flood, in lieu of being encountered on the average once in one hundred years, may be as little as once in 25 years. It is therefore appropriate to pause and ask where we are, where we are going and where we ought to be going with regard to the technology of flood frequency and risk analyses. One way to address these ques tions is to provide a forum where people from all quarters of the world can assemble, discuss and share their experience and expertise pertaining to flood frequency and risk analyses. This is what con stituted the motivation for organizing the International Symposium on Flood Frequency and Risk Analyses held May 14-17, 1986, at Louisiana State Universj. ty, Baton Rouge, Louisiana."

In recent years, much concern has been expressed on the deleterious effects that anthropogenic emissions of acidic pollutants have on ecosystems of both industrialized countries and remote areas of the world. In many of these regions, seasonal snowcover is a major factor in the transfer of atmospheric pollutants, either to terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems or to the more permanent reservoirs of glaciers and ice sheets. The recognition of the role that seasonal snowcovers can thus play in the chemical dynamics of whole ecosystems was recently echoed by the Committee on Glaciology of the National Research Council (National Academy of Sciences, National Academy of Engineering and the Institute of Medicine) which recommended that studies on "Impurities in the snowpack, their discharge into runoff, and management of the problem" be rated at the highest prority level (ref. a). It is in this context that the Advanced Research Institute (ASI) brought together scientists active in the fields of snow physics, snow chemistry and snow hydrology. The programme was structured so as to facilitate the exchange of information and ideas on the theories for the chemical evolution of seasonal snowcovers and snowmelt and on the impact of the chemical composition of the meltwaters on the different components of hydrological systems. As a consequence the ASI also attracted participants from potential users of the information that was disseminated; these were particularly concerned with the effects of snowmelt and snowcover on terrestrial biota and those of lakes and streams.

Remote sensing is the study of a region from a distance, particularly from an airplane or a spacecraft. It is a tool that can be used in conjunction with other methods of research and investigation. This tool is especially applicable to the study of the deserts and arid lands of the Earth because of their immense size and their inaccessibility to detailed study by conventional means. In this book examples are given of the utility of aerial photographs and space images in the study of semi-arid, arid, and hyper-arid terrains. Emphasis is placed on the physical features and terrain types using examples from around the world. The authors I have called upon to prepare each chapter are renowned specialists whose contributions have received international recognition. To the general reader, this book is a review of our knowledge of the relatively dry parts of the Earth, their classification and varied features, their evolution in space and time, and their development potentials. To the specialist, it is a detailed account of the deserts and arid lands, not only in North America, but also their relatively unknown counterparts in North Africa, Australia, China, India, and Arabia.

Trans-boundary water resources are often a cause of conflict among riparian entities. Increasing demand for water resources and deterioration of existing water sources underscore the need to resolve conflicts over the allocation of consumption and pollution rights among conflicting uses and users. Because economic growth of the entities that share a water resource depends on sustainability of the resource, water has great potential as a basis for cooperation among political entities. However, enforcement of cooperation particularly in international settings is limited. Thus, parties sharing a water resource will form and remain in a cooperating coalition only when economic incentives for each can be identified. This book offers an economic approach to resolution of conflicts by identifying economic mechanisms that encourage sustainable cooperation. The book includes discussions on international, interstate, and intrastate disputes regarding both water quantity and water quality issues. It presents mechanisms for facilitating cooperation among users from agricultural, industrial, domestic, and environmental sectors.It considers the experience and potential in many regions around the world including Australia (the Muray-Darling Basin), Latin America (Chile), the Middle East (Israel and the Palestinian Authority), the U.S. (California, Florida's Everglades, Hawaii, and the Chesapeake Bay), and Africa (South Africa, Lesotho). Part I of the book discusses international experience in forming water coalitions and offers an illustrative model of water quality coalitions. It emphasizes the dependence of sustainability of international agreements on the practical ability to create incentives through economic mechanisms and political linkages that overcome the problem of limited enforcement due to sovereignty claims. Part II of the book discusses management of intrastate U.S. water resources involving competing local jurisdictions or user groups and the U.S. and Australian attempts to facilitate state management of interstate water resources through federal cooperation. Part III of the book explores the expanding scope of trans-boundary water resource issues that contribute to complexity of conflict beyond traditional interests such as allocation and navigation rights.In particular, it analyzes the economic implications of nutrient, land, and airshed management in an environment where the interaction of trans-boundary water resources with the ecological system is considered. Trans-boundary water usage and infrastructure are discussed in the context of privatization and political uncertainty. Part IV of the book examines economic solutions to trans-boundary water allocation including water markets, tradable water permits, contractual arrangements, and coordinated management. The interaction between ground and surface water and the interaction between desalinated, recycled, and fresh water is analyzed in the context of optimal water allocation. The book concludes with a critical discussion of the role and potential of the economics profession in contributing to conflict resolution and management of trans-boundary water resources. The strengths and weaknesses of economic analysis are discussed with special consideration of the modern tools of bargaining theory and game theory that go beyond economic efficiency in considering political realities.