This book gives an overall analysis of the current knowledge status about structures, functions, utilization for German Baltic coast ecosystems. The main focus of this book is on the aquatic area, but land/sea interactions as well as river outfalls are included as well. Characteristic for this book is the inclusion of social science aspects. Approximately one third of its extent will be about the ecosystem services. In this segment the results of the last 6 years are presented in which a comprehensive quantification of the social relevance of ecosystems was carried out covering the entire area of the German Baltic Sea. This part builds directly on the results of scientific investigations and are in relation to social ideals. The assessment will not only be economically and ethically but also the mechanisms that are used for the valorisation of the ecosystem services will be evaluated. Both sub-areas, the classic natural science part as well as the part of social science aspects, deal with the changes caused by increasing anthropogenic influence and social (including demographic) changes. This will be among others in the sense of an exemplary historical outline. The final chapter of the synthesis therefore not only presents a summary of the level of knowledge gained and a deduction of the research needs. It further contains a presentation of the application aspects resulting from the analysis of the social relevance gained from basic scientific research. The book is aimed at scientists (and students) of natural, life and social sciences, analysing functioning and structures of coastal ecosystems with regard to sustainable use and nature protection, including aspects of coastal protection. Besides, it is thought to become a reference for all levels of decision makers and stakeholders in coastal and marine management of the Baltic and North Sea region, providing also a blueprint for system analysis respecting for societal as well as biological aspects world-wide.

Environmental politics has traditionally been a peripheral concern for international relations theory, but increasing alarm over global environmental challenges has elevated international society's relationship with the natural world into the theoretical limelight. IR theory's engagement with environmental politics, however, has largely focused on interstate cooperation in the late twentieth century, with less attention paid to how the eighteenth- and nineteenth-century quest to tame nature came to shape the modern international order. The ideal river examines nineteenth-century efforts to establish international commissions on three transboundary rivers - the Rhine, the Danube, and the Congo. It charts how the Enlightenment ambition to tame the natural world, and human nature itself, became an international standard for rational and civilized authority and informed our geographical imagination of the international. This relationship of domination over nature shaped three core IR concepts central to the emergence of early international order: the territorial sovereign state; imperial hierarchies; and international organizations. The book contributes to environmental politics and international relations by highlighting how the relationship between society and nature is not a peripheral concern, but one at the heart of international politics. -- .

This volume contains papers presented either in oral or poster form at the international symposium Limnology of Mountain Lakes', held at Stara Lesna (Slovakia) between 1 and 7 July 1991. Several papers covered contributions from the fields of physical and chemical limnology, palaeolimnology, zooplankton, phytoplankton and phytobenthos, and bacteria. Acidification, a process affecting water chemistry and biota of many mountain lakes in Europe was dealt with also. A series of papers on the lakes in Sumava has highlighted different aspects of these lakes, which are in the last stage of acidification. Other geographical areas covered extensively were the Tatras and the Alps. "

In the 20th century, water management focused on the local scale of interest. In the 21st century we will be facing changes in quantity and quality of our water cycle. Triggering forces behind these new challenges are industrialisation, population growth and the delayed awareness that we are to expect a global change. The magnitude and distribution of global changes are not exactly predictable, because we live in an always changing environment, are faced with severe and interfering processes, which all are not yet sufficiently understood. Therefore, to shoulder this task, hydrology should embrace more integrative and interdisciplinary approaches than already existing and has to achieve more flexibility in assessments and decisions. To better approach this challenge, catchments related solutions are more important than local solutions, to satisfy the water demand of agriculture, ecosystems, industry and the private sector. And we should keep in mind that the environment has a "sustainable memory" and our knowledge about attenuation capacities and resilience of the environment is still low.

Any numerical subsurface model is comprised of three components: a theoretical basis to translate our understanding phenomena into partial differential equations and boundary conditions, a numerical method to approximate these governing equations and implement the boundary conditions, and a computer implementation to generate a generic code for research as well as for practical applications. Computational Subsurface Hydrology: Reactions, Transport, and Fate is organized around these themes. The fundamental processes occurring in subsurface media are rigorously integrated into governing equations using the Reynolds transport theorem and interactions of these processes with the surrounding media are sophisticatedly cast into various types of boundary conditions using physical reasoning. A variety of numerical methods to deal with reactive chemical transport are covered in Computational Subsurface Hydrology: Reactions, Transport, and Fate with a particular emphasis on the adaptive local grid refinement and peak capture using the Lagrangian-Eulerian approach. The topics on coupled fluid flows and reactive chemical transport are unique contributions of this book. They serve as a reference for research as well as for practical applications with a computer code that can be purchased from the author. Four computer codes to simulate vertically integrated horizontal solute transport (LEMA), contaminant transport in moving phreatic aquifers in three dimensions (3DLEMA), solute transport in variably saturated flows in two dimensions (LEWASTE), and solute transport under variably saturated flows in three dimensions (3DLEWASTE) are covered. These four computer codes are designed for generic applications to both research and practical problems. They could be used to simulate most of the practical, real-world field problems. Reactive chemical transport and its coupling with fluid flows are unique features in this book. Theories, numerical implementations, and example problems of coupled reactive transport and flows in variably saturated media are presented. A generic computer code, HYDROGEOCHEM 3.0, is developed. A total of eight example problems are used to illustrate the application of the computational model. These problems are intended to serve as examples for setting up a variety of simulations that one may encounter in research and field-site applications. Computational Subsurface Hydrology: Reactions, Transport, and Fate offers practicing engineers and scientists a theoretical background, numerical methods, and computer codes for modeling contaminant transport in subsurface media. It also serves as a textbook for senior and graduate course on reactive chemical transport in subsurface media in disciplines such as civil and environmental engineering, agricultural engineering, geosciences, soil sciences, and chemical engineering. Computational Subsurface Hydrology: Reactions, Transport, and Fate presents a systematic derivation of governing equations and boundary conditions of subsurface contaminant transport as well as reaction-based geochemical and biochemical processes. It discusses a variety of numerical methods for moving sharp-front problems, expounds detail procedures of constructing Lagrangian-Eulerian finite element methods, and describes precise implementation of computer codes as they are applied to subsurface contaminant transport and biogeochemical reactions.

Computational hydraulics and hydrologic modeling are rapidly developing fields with a wide range of applications in areas ranging from wastewater disposal and stormwater management to civil and environmental engineering. The fields are full of promise, but while an abundance of literature now exists, it contains a plethora of new terms that are not always defined.

Computational Hydraulics and Hydrology: An Illustrated Dictionary defines more that 4000 basic terms and phrases related to water conveyance with emphasis on computational hydraulics and hydrologic modeling. Compiled by Nicolas G. Adrien, a noted consulting engineer with three decades of experience, this dictionary includes detailed references to actual modeling studies, nearly 100 illustrations, 150 equations and formulas, and many notations. It also includes a chapter of application examples and another containing more than 6000 other related terms with a list of resources where interested readers can find further definitions.

Other dictionaries and glossaries related to these areas tend to be either dated or much narrower in scope. This dictionary offers broad, practice-based coverage of terms culled directly from the latest texts, references, and actual engineering reports. Computational Hydraulics and Hydrology: An Illustrated Dictionary stands alone in providing ready access to the vocabulary of these subjects.

In order to provide water security in the twenty-first century, there is universal agreement that a continuation of current policies and extrapolation of trends is not an option. Also clear is that from both water supply and development perspectives, the world's arid and semi-arid regions are those currently and potentially experiencing the highest water stresses. One third of the world's land surface is classified as arid or semi-arid, and about half of all countries are directly affected in some way by problems of aridity. The hydrology of arid and semi-arid areas is also known to be substantially different from that in more humid regions. It is therefore essential that investigation methods appropriate to the former are developed and applied, and that strategies for arid and semi-arid region water resources development recognise the principal characteristics of in-situ hydrological processes.

Flood disasters continue to occur in many countries in the world and cause tremendous casualties and property damage. To mitigate the effects of floods, a range of structural and non-structural measures have been employed including dykes, channelling, flood-proofing property, land-use regulation and flood warning schemes. Such schemes can include the use of Artificial Neural Networks (ANN) for modelling the rainfall run-off process as it is a quick and flexible approach which gives very promising results. However, the inability of ANN to extrapolate beyond the limits of the training range is a serious limitation of the method, and this book examines ways of side-stepping or solving this complex issue.

Egypt is a country of tremendous land resources but limited water resources The area of cultivated land is only 3.2% of the gross area. The river Nile is the main sources of water. In the recent years the Governement established large-scale agricultural projects in light of food security related to the population growth. Expansion of irrigated agriculture has to be predomantly relalized bt increasing the water use efficiency. In Egypt, the dominant irrigation method is surface irrigation, which covers approximately 83% of the irrigated areas. Surface irrigation or gravity methods are generally characterized by a low efficiency. One opportunity to increase the efficiency is to convert surface irrigation to modern irrigation systems, which are generaly highly expensive for a country like Egypt. Another option to increase the efficiency of surface irrigation systems is to convert the traditional irrigation method based on continuous flow to surge flow irrigation. Surge flow irrigation is the intermittent application of water to furrows in a series of relatively short on and off time periods. This study has been carried out to demonstrate the applicability of surge flow irrigation for water saving under the short field conditions that prevail in Egypt. The results indicate that surge flow irrigation is an effective irrigation method to save water and to increase crop production.

Hydrometry presents a thorough introduction to the science of hydrometry: the measurement of flow in open channels. Dealing with both traditional techniques and innovative new methods and instruments, in line with the latest ISO standards, this book deals with the main themes of hydrometry: the measurement of water levels and bed levels, of discharge and of sediment transport; it considers the use of flow measuring structures, hydrological networks and the organization of surveys. Dr Boiten has extensive experience of teaching students from many countries and backgrounds, and has distilled this experience into a clear and comprehensive account of hydrology and water resource management. Hydrometry will appeal to graduate students and to professionals engaged in hydrology and the management of water resources.

This wide-ranging selection of original papers covers many aspects of desertification including environmental and weather factors, land management policy, groundwater resources, understanding biodiversity in fragile ecosystems, technological approaches to the study and remedy of desertification.

The text covers the problems concerning optical properties and remote sensing of turbid and surface-polluted oceans and lakes. In four chapters Helgi Arst compares remote sensing data with data collected from similar examination of clean waters. Chapter 1 provides an overview of the main radiative and remote sensing characteristics and provides discussion on the properties of optically active substances (OAS) in the water and their variability and concentration, drawing on original data obtained in the Baltic Sea region. Chapter 2 focuses on the investigation of the influence of surface oil slicks on the reflection and absorption of solar radiation for both calm and ruffled sea surfaces. A model is provided for determining the temperature and the reflected component in upwelling rough seas. Chapter 3 provides remote sensing results obtained mainly for the Baltic Sea region, including some lakes. Correlations between the concentrations of OAS, water transparency and total remote sensing reflectance are investigated. Chapter 4 deals with subsurface irradiance and optical classification of turbid waters. This chapter analyses the different criteria of the euphotic depth, drawing on a semi-empirical model for the estimation of underwater light scattering. The conclusion provides discussion on the results obtained.

In Water from Stone, Jason O'Donoughue investigates the importance of natural springs to ancient Floridians. Throughout their history, Florida's springs have been gathering places for far-flung peoples. O'Donoughue finds that springs began flowing several millennia earlier than previously thought, serving as sites of habitation, burials, ritualized feasting, and monument building for Florida's earliest peoples. O'Donoughue moves beyond the focus on the ecological roles of springs and the current popular image of springs as timeless and pristine, approaches taken by many archaeologists and conservationists. He argues for an archaeological perspective that emphasizes the social and historical importance of springs, explaining how this viewpoint creates a bridge between past and present, enhances the intrinsic value of springs, and is vital to the success of contemporary conservation efforts.

The latest developments regarding the theory and practice of effectively resolving conflict in water resources and environmental management are presented in this book by respected experts from around the globe. Water conflicts are particularly complex and challenging to solve because water and environmental issues span both the societal realm, in which people and organizations interact, and the physical world which sustains all human activities. For instance, when large-scale water diversions take place across political jurisdictions, conflicts may ensue among stakeholders within and across regions, while the water transfers may cause severe damage to sensitive ecological systems. Therefore, to arrive at realistic and fair resolutions, one must take into account not only the economics and politics of the situation but also the water quantity and quality changes that may occur within the altered hydrological system as well as the ecosystems contained therein. When the effects of climate change and the closely connected activities of energy production and usage are also considered, the complexity of the problem becomes even greater and messier. Accordingly, one must adopt an integrative and adaptive approach to water and environmental governance that specifically recognizes the conflicting value systems of stakeholders, including nature and future generations even though they are not present at the bargaining table. The 16 chapters in this leading-edge book are written by authors who presented their original research at the International Conference on Water Resources and Environment Research (ICWRER) 2013, which was held in Koblenz, Germany, from June 3rd to 7th, 2013, and subsequently submitted expanded versions of their research for review and publication in this timely book. The rich range of contributions are put into perspective in the first chapter and then categorized into four main interconnected parts: Part I: Management and EvaluationPart II: Global, Trans-boundary and International Dimensions Part III: Consensus-building, Bargaining and Negotiation Part IV: Ecological and Socio-economic Impacts

Arid and semi-arid regions can be defined as environments in which water is the limit ing factor for bio-systems. This means that survival of life in these regions involves a constant struggle to obtain this limited commodity and draw the maximum benefit out of it. However, despite the difficulties for plants, animals, and man to live in, these regions, they are being utilized more and more because of the pressure of world population growth. This is expressed in the expansion of agricultural activities in desert lands as well as by the formation and rapid growth of urban and industrial centers. These trends result in a growing demand for water on the one hand, and the disposal of vast amounts of waste water, as well as other types of refuse, on the other. Meeting the first demand, namely, supplying water to the agricultural communities and urban centers, involves, in many instances, the over-exploitation and misuse of nat ural water resources. The surplus of waste water, sometimes highly loaded with toxic compounds, is likely to cause irreversible damage to the environment. The geoscientists and engineers face a challenge on two conflicting fronts. Success on one front, namely, in answering the full demand for water, may lead to an increase in the pollution of the environment by waste water."

A stand-alone working document, Stormwater Effects Handbook: A Toolbox for Watershed Managers, Scientists, and Engineers assists scientists and regulators in determining when stormwater runoff causes adverse effects in receiving waters. This complicated task requires an integrated assessment approach that focuses on sampling before, during, and after storms. The Handbook supplies assessment strategies, sample testing and collection methods, and includes illustrative figures and tables.

The authors introduce an innovative design that can be tailored to address a wide range of environmental concerns, such as: ecological and human health risk assessments, water quality or biological criteria exceedences, use impairment, source identification, trend analysis, determination of best management practices, stormwater quality monitoring for NPDES Phase I and II permits and applications, and total maximum daily load assessments. They provide case studies to illustrate the effectiveness of this approach and the data that can be compiled.

Containing reviews of emerging technologies that hold promise for more effective receiving water evaluations, this book gives you detailed information on selecting methods and carrying out comprehensive evaluations. It includes guidance for the experimental design measurements, as well as standard and advanced statistical methods for data evaluations. Despite the complexity of stormwater management, successful and accurate assessments of their impact are possible by following the integrated approaches described in Stormwater Effects Handbook: A Toolbox for Watershed Managers, Scientists, and Engineers.

This book provides an overview of flood and drought in the Lower Mekong Basin, reviews the characteristics of flood and drought, and details structural and non-structural measures for flood and drought mitigation employed in the basin countries, as well as their flood and drought mitigation capacity. Given its scope, the book offers a valuable resource for researchers and engineers in the field of transboundary rivers, especially those with an interest in the Lower Mekong River.

An exploration of the relationship between river behaviour and environmental change. The research involves a wide range of disciplines including geomorphology, geophysics, archaeology, palaeoecology, engineering and planning.

The applications of stochastic methods in design by reliability include the better utilisation of hydrological information. With statistical methods one can evaluate the safety component of hydraulic systems. Based on these, extra safety features can be added to ensure the reliable performance of an hydraulic system. One such example is the design of a dam, which features a number of random variables, each with a very distinct and quite different probability function. This book reports on developments in stochastic hydraulics across a wide range of applications, including river hydraulics, sediment transportation, waves and coastal processes, hydrology, hydraulic works and structure, and environmental hydraulics.

Carbonate aquifers are an important source of water throughout the world. They are complicated systems and not always easy to interpret. Caves and channels form in the rock, leading to complex flow pathways and unpredictable contaminant behaviour. This volume covers the range of techniques used to analyse groundwater flow and contaminant transport in carbonate aquifers. The book opens with a review of thoughts and methods, and continues by discussing the use of tracers, hydrograph and hydrochemograph evaluation, estimation of aquifer properties from outcrop studies, numerical simulation, analogue simulation, and 3-D visualization of conduits. Other papers address the critical evaluation of matrix, fracture and conduit components of flow and storage. An understanding of these approaches is important to engineers or hydrogeologists working in carbonate aquifers.

This book applies the 'ecosystem services' framework to coastal environments, showing how it could facilitate an adaptive management strategy. The contributors describe a decision support system (DSS) based on the 3 Ps - pluralism, pragmatism and precaution - that leads to a more flexible, 'learn by doing' approach to the stewardship of coastal environments. The book lays out a "Balance Sheets Approach" to formatting, interrogating and presenting data and findings. The opening chapter defines coastal zones, their characteristics and natural resources, and describes their complex and dynamic nature. The chapter shows that large-scale trends and pressures have led to a global loss of 50% of marshes, leading to significant declines in biodiversity and habitat. Part I presents a conceptual framework, describes natural science techniques for coastal and shelf modeling, and describes valuation of ecosystem services. Part II outlines practical ecosystem indicators for coastal and marine ecosystem services, reviews literature on valuation of coastal and marine ecosystem services, explores scenarios, outlines marine and coastal ecosystem services data and offers tools for incorporating data into decision-making. PART III offers case studies including one linking the ecosystem services of Marine Protected Areas to benefits in human wellbeing; and another on valuing blue carbon captured by oceans and coastal ecosystems. Also included are a study of managed realignments and the English coastline and their value estimate transferability; and studies of the impact of jellyfish blooms on recreation in the UK and on fisheries in Italy.

Since human beings first appeared on the earth, we have changed land cover and land use for our own purposes, such as conveniences and high productivity. As a result of the land cover and land use changes, many serious environmental problems occur on the earth. Studying meteorological and hydrological effects of vegetation and land cover/use changes helps us to understand the environmental changes and problems happening near the earth surface, because the vegetation distributes the solar energy and water on the earth surface into atmosphere and geosphere. Subsurface hydrological responses to land cover and land use changes have drawn only regional environmental concerns, although global change caused by biosphere change has been studied in various scientific fields. The changes in land cover and land use alter water, solute and heat cycles in basins and elements of those balances, including evapotranspiration, groundwater recharge rate, discharge rates into rivers or ocean and soil moisture content, which are directly or indirectly related to the global environmental issues. Therefore, the changes in biosphere may substantially alter the subsurface hydrological system. For instance, increased groundwater recharge rates following clearing forest into grasses might be one consequence resulting in rising water tables and salinization.

In aquatic ecosystems, the oligochaetes are often a major component of the community. Their relevance in sediment quality assessment is largely related to their benthic and detritivorous life habit. In this book, we aim to present the state of the art of Pollution Biology using oligochaete worms in laboratory and field studies. Future research will require the combination of a variety of methodological approaches and the integration of the resulting information, avoiding fragmented and often conflicting visions of the relationships of the species with their environment. Current approaches to ecotoxicology and bioaccumulation using ecological risk assessment provide the opportunity to relate community studies with probability of effects. This book addresses three main themes: Ecological and Field Studies using the composition and structure of oligochaete communities, Toxicology and Laboratory Studies, and Bioaccumulation and Trophic Transfer Studies. Two appendices list values of toxicological parameters (LC50, EC50) and several bioaccumulation variables (bioaccumulation factors, biological half-life, toxicokinetic coefficients, and critical body residues) for different oligochaete species. Additional information is provided on Methodological Issues and on the Taxonomy of several oligochaete families, with information on the most recent taxonomic debates. Each chapter includes a critical view, based on the authors experience, of a number of current issues which have been raised in the literature.

Containing over one hundred and sixty line drawings, maps and one hundred tables, this book explains the fundamental hydrologic principles and favoured methods of analysis. Aimed at students interested in natural resources and environmental science, spreadsheet exercises and worked examples help to develop basic problem solving skills.