This book is open access under a CC BY 4.0 license. This volume focuses on microscopic plastic debris, also referred to as microplastics, which have been detected in aquatic environments around the globe and have accordingly raised serious concerns. The book explores whether microplastics represent emerging contaminants in freshwater systems, an area that remains underrepresented to date. Given the complexity of the issue, the book covers the current state-of-research on microplastics in rivers and lakes, including analytical aspects, environmental concentrations and sources, modelling approaches, interactions with biota, and ecological implications. To provide a broader perspective, the book also discusses lessons learned from nanomaterials and the implications of plastic debris for regulation, politics, economy, and society. In a research field that is rapidly evolving, it offers a solid overview for environmental chemists, engineers, and toxicologists, as well as water managers and policy-makers.

The Mekong Region has come to represent many of the important water governance challenges faced more broadly by the mainland Southeast Asian region. This book focuses on the complex nature of water rights and social justice in the Mekong region. The chapters delve into the diverse social, political and cultural dynamics that shape the various realities and scales of water governance in the region, in an effort to bring to the forefront some of the local nuances required in the formulation of a larger vision of justice in water governance. It is hoped that this contextualized analysis will deepen our understanding of the potential of, and constraints, on water rights in the region, particularly in relation to the need to realize social justice. The authors show how vitally important it is that water governance is democratized to allow a more equitable sharing of water resources and counteract the pressures of economic growth that may pose risks to social welfare and environmental sustainability.

Advanced Tools and Models to Improve River Basin Management in Europe in the Context of Climate Change - AquaTerra has developed from an integrated project of the 6th EU RTD Framework Programme that aims to provide the scientific basis for an improved river basin management through a better understanding of the river-sediment-soil-groundwater system as a whole, by integrating both natural and socio-economics aspects at different temporal and spatial scales. This book aims: * to provide better understanding of the river-sediment-soil-groundwater system at various temporal and spatial scales * to relate expected climate alterations to changes in deposition, mobility and distribution of pollutants in European river basins. * to provide the scientific basis for improved river basin management * to introduce novel tools for water and soil quality monitoring * to show the necessity of integrated modelling frameworks for impact evaluation of pollution as well as climate and land-use changes for definition of long-term management schemes The work illustrates the dynamic behavior of the pathway of pollutants in soils, groundwater, surface water and sediments. It highlights the fundamental importance of integrating knowledge from sereral combineddisciplines on various environmental compartments in order to understand the large number of processes that govern pollutant input, transport and turnover. Results shows that a significant step forward has been made in the development new analytical methods and of process-based numerical models that are capable of making predictions of likely trends and environmental changes to be expected in the near or distant future at the basin-scale. These models can be used e.g. to generate hydrologic scenarios based on climate models and to simulate pollutant distribution and turnover rates from decades to millennia.

Cyanobacterial toxins are among the hazardous substances most widely found in water. They occur naturally, but concentrations hazardous to human health are usually due to human activity. Therefore, to protect human health, managing lakes, reservoirs and rivers to prevent cyanobacterial blooms is critical. This second edition of Toxic Cyanobacteria in Water presents the current state of knowledge on the occurrence of cyanobacteria and cyanotoxins as well as their impacts on health through water-related exposure pathways, chiefly drinking-water and recreational activity. It provides scientific and technical background information to support hazard identification, assessment and prioritisation of the risks posed by cyanotoxins, and it outlines approaches for their management at each step of the water-use system. It sets out key practical considerations for developing management strategies, implementing efficient measures and designing monitoring programmes. This enables stakeholders to evaluate whether there is a health risk from toxic cyanobacteria and to mitigate it with appropriate measures. This book is intended for those working on toxic cyanobacteria with a specific focus on public health protection. It intends to empower professionals from different disciplines to communicate and cooperate for sustainable management of toxic cyanobacteria, including public health workers, ecologists, academics, and catchment and waterbody managers. Ingrid Chorus headed the department for Drinking-Water and Swimming-Pool Hygiene at the German Environment Agency. Martin Welker is a limnologist and microbiologist, currently with bioMerieux in Lyon, France.

The Ganges is one of the most complex yet fascinating river systems in the world. The basin is characterized by a high degree of heterogeneity from climatic, hydrological, geomorphological, cultural, environmental and socio-economic perspectives. More than 500 million people are directly or indirectly dependent upon the Ganges River Basin, which spans China, Nepal, India and Bangladesh. While there are many books covering one aspect of the Ganges, ranging from hydrology to cultural significance, this book is unique in presenting a comprehensive inter-disciplinary overview of the key issues and challenges facing the region. Contributors from the three main riparian nations assess the status and trends of water resources, including the Himalayas, groundwater, pollution, floods, drought and climate change. They describe livelihood systems in the basin, and the social, economic, geopolitical and institutional constraints, including transboundary disputes, to achieving productive, sustainable and equitable water access. Management of the main water-use sectors and their inter-linkages are reviewed, as well as the sustainability and trade-offs in conservation of natural systems and resource development such as for hydropower or agriculture.

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. These fields are full of promise, but the abundance of literature that now exists contains many new terms that are not always defined. Computational Hydraulics and Hydrology: An Illustrated Dictionary defines more that 4,000 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 6,000 related terms with a list of resources where interested readers can find additional 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.

Comprehensive overview of the process dynamics and interactions governing ecohydrological interfaces Summarizing the interdisciplinary investigation of ecohydrological interface function, this book advances the understanding of their dynamics across subject boundaries. Overall, it offers a detailed explanation of the underlying processes and interactions governing ecohydrological interface functioning from the micro scale to the ecosystem and regional scale. The multidisciplinary team of authors integrates and compares knowledge of the functioning of different ecohydrological interfaces to develop a unifying concept of their functions and process dynamics. The work introduces novel experimental and model-based methods for characterizing and quantifying ecohydrological interface processes, taking account of innovative sensing and tracing technologies as well as microbial and molecular biology approaches. Key questions addressed in the book include: Which conditions stimulate the transformative nature of ecohydrological interfaces? How are ecohydrological interfaces organized in space and time? How does interface activity propagate from small to large scales? How do ecohydrological interfaces react to environmental change and what is their role in processes of significant societal value? As a research level guide on the functionality and performance of ecohydrological interfaces, this book is primarily aimed at academics and postgraduate researchers. It is also appropriate for university libraries as �further reading� on a range of geographical, environmental, biological, and engineering topics.

This illustrated introduction to Central American Chironomidae offers extensive photographic material, as well as detailed morphological and ecological descriptions of chironomid subfossils found in Central American lake sediments. The book uniquely provides two identification keys: one for living larvae occurring (or potentially being present) in Central America and one for the recorded subfossil remains, using limited morphological characters. Paleolimnological investigations using chironomid remains have undergone a resurgence of interest, and this taxonomic guide will aid the thorough analysis of the diversity and distribution of the taxa encountered to date in Central America. Out of the total 64 described genera, the book brings 20 endemic genera, and more than half of the presented morphotypes are new. Plates are included for each taxon with generic characters and also provide a key to morphotypes, if present, their specific characters, distribution, and ecology. Authored by a (paleo)limnologist and a taxonomist, the guide draws on a thorough taxonomical knowledge of the region's recent chironomid fauna. It uses a paleolimnological approach to transmit this information to morphotypes that can be linked with ecology and used to reconstruct the past development of nature. The book thus helps paleo-workers and taxonomists to learn more about these fascinating insects and, through them, to discover the world around us. Providing a comprehensive reference for aquatic ecologists, paleolimnologists, students, and researchers, the guide will also be of interest to non-academic professionals working on applied research and biomonitoring of lakes. It will be useful for people studying both recent and subfossil material, not only in Central America, but in the whole Neotropical region.

This illustrated introduction to Central American Chironomidae offers extensive photographic material, as well as detailed morphological and ecological descriptions of chironomid subfossils found in Central American lake sediments. The book uniquely provides two identification keys: one for living larvae occurring (or potentially being present) in Central America and one for the recorded subfossil remains, using limited morphological characters. Paleolimnological investigations using chironomid remains have undergone a resurgence of interest, and this taxonomic guide will aid the thorough analysis of the diversity and distribution of the taxa encountered to date in Central America. Out of the total 64 described genera, the book brings 20 endemic genera, and more than half of the presented morphotypes are new. Plates are included for each taxon with generic characters and also provide a key to morphotypes, if present, their specific characters, distribution, and ecology. Authored by a (paleo)limnologist and a taxonomist, the guide draws on a thorough taxonomical knowledge of the region's recent chironomid fauna. It uses a paleolimnological approach to transmit this information to morphotypes that can be linked with ecology and used to reconstruct the past development of nature. The book thus helps paleo-workers and taxonomists to learn more about these fascinating insects and, through them, to discover the world around us. Providing a comprehensive reference for aquatic ecologists, paleolimnologists, students, and researchers, the guide will also be of interest to non-academic professionals working on applied research and biomonitoring of lakes. It will be useful for people studying both recent and subfossil material, not only in Central America, but in the whole Neotropical region.

Recent contributions have significantly enhanced the understanding of the SCS-CN method and consequently its application potential. In the simplest form, the fundamental proportionality concept of the method relates the two orthogonal hydrological processes of surface water and ground water and the other hypothesis relates to the atmospheric process. Qualitatively, the method broadly integrates all the three major processes of the hydrologic cycle; and therefore it can form one of the fundamental concepts of hydrology. This textbook is aimed at presenting an up-to-date account of the SCS-CN method and clarify its potential for practical applications, and especially those other than originally intended.

The subject matter of the book is divided into nine chapters, treating the following topics: a brief introduction of rainfall-runoff modeling and elements of catchment, precipitation, interception, surface detention and depression storage, evaporation, infiltration, runoff, and the runoff hydrograph; the factors affecting the curve number (CN), the determination of CN, the use of NEH-4 tables, sensitivity analysis, advantages and limitations of the SCS-CN method, and application to distributed watershed modeling; an analytical derivation of the SCS-CN method focusing on the Mockus and other methods; a determination of S' using the volumetric concept encompassing an analytical derivation, verification of the existing AMC criteria, determination of S, use of NEH-4 tables and advantages and limitations of the modified model; the determination of S' using physical principles, involving Fokker-Planck equation of infiltration, description of S, S/P relations for the modified model anddetermination of Ds from universal soil loss equation; simulation of infiltration and runoff hydrographs, with particular emphasis on SCS-CN-based infiltration and runoff models and application of infiltration and runoff models; long-term hydrologic simulation and hydrologic models of Williams and LaSeur, Hawkins, Pandit and Gopalkrishnan, and Mishra and others; rainfall-excess computation, soil moisture budgeting, catchment routing, and baseflow computation; transport of pollutants in urban watersheds; and sediment yield.

Audience: This volume will be of interest to agricultural scientists, agricultural and civil engineers, environmental engineers, forest and range scientists, as well as watershed managers. It will also be useful to college students and faculty members engaged in environment and water related studies.

The revitalizing and restoration of rivers, creeks and streams is a major focus of urban conservation activity throughout North America and Europe. This book presents models and examples for organizing multiple stakeholders for purposes of waterway revitalization-if not restoration-within a context of fairness and environmental justice. After decades of neglect and misuse the challenge of cleaning up urban rivers and streams is shown to be complex and truly daunting. Urban river cleanup typically involves multiple agendas and stakeholders, as well as complicated technical issues. It is also often the situation that the most affected have the least voice in what happens. The authors present social process models for maximum inclusion of various stakeholders in decision-making for urban waterway regeneration. A range of examples is presented, drawn principally from North America and Europe.

This Report synthesizes the main results obtained throughout the ADVISOR research project ("Integrated Evaluation for Sustainable River Basin Governance") funded by the European Commission, under the - 'Energy, Environment and Sustainable Development' theme of the 5th Framework Research Programme. The aim of ADVISOR was to improve the understanding of evaluation processes as part of river basin planning and management and to provide a framework supported by a toolkit for the conduct of integrated and participatory evaluations. The project comprised four work-packages. Work Package 1 examined past water project or plan evaluation cases in five EU states and drew insights on the problems of past evaluation practices. Work Package 2 interpreted these past experiences from different analytical angles leading to a theory for an integrated evaluation process, emphasising issues of deliberation, multiple values, quality in the use of information and governance. Work Package 3 moved from theory to practice. Different tools which could contribute to integrated evaluation processes were tested in experimental case applications. These included scenario workshops, mediated modelling supported by a quality assurance protocol, social multi-criteria evaluation, cost-effectiveness analyses and monetary valuation. Work Package 4 aimed at transferring the experience and lessons learned during the ADVISOR project to policy makers, contributing especially to the implementation process of the Water Framework Directive. A guidance document for designing and implementing Integrated Deliberative Decision Processes (IDDP) was developed, detailing a step-by-step procedure to achieve integrated evaluations. The synthesis of the main results achieved throughout the ADVISOR project is presented in this report in three parts: Part A sets the stage for the role of integrated evaluations in river basin planning and management; Part B unfolds the set of relevant principles and tools developed in the project and Part C concludes with futures challenges for integrated evaluation processes.

As they provide a negotiating space for a diversity of interests, Multi-Stakeholder Platforms (MSPs) are an increasingly popular mode of involving civil society in resource management decisions. This book focuses on water management to take a positive, if critical, look at this phenomenon. Illustrated by a wide geographical range of case studies from both developed and developing worlds, it recognizes that MSPs will neither automatically break down divides nor bring actors to the table on an equal footing, and argues that MSPs may in some cases do more harm than good. The volume then examines how MSPs can make a difference and how they might successfully co-opt the public, private and civil-society sectors. The book highlights the particular difficulties of MSPs when dealing with integrated water management programmes, explaining how MSPs are most successful at a less complex and more local level. It finally questions whether MSPs are - or can be - sustainable, and puts forward suggestions for improving their durability.

Irrigation is the dominant consumer of fresh water world-wide, accounting for as much as 80% of use in many water-short countries. Two issues dominate the problems in water resources management generally, and especially the management of irrigation systems: shortage of water to meet competing demands, and schortage of funds to finance operation, maintenance and renewal of existing facilities. Various international conferences, donor policies and academic papers have pointed to the contribution that appropriate irrigation service charging systems can make to both problems. This book is unique in that it connects policy objectives in water pricing with the practicalities of a setting up an irrigation water charging system. It discusses the different types of water charging systems as well as the basis for quantifying and calculating the charges in the real world. Based on practical experiences in a range of countries, it also looks at possibilities for cost rationalizations and developing a broad range of revenue streams.The book concludes with a systematic explanation on how to design an irrigation water charging system - looking at assessment, billing and improving collection performance. The book is uniqu in that it does not cover the theory of cost recovery but the practicalities of it.

Watershed management is an integrated approach that evaluates system-wide implications of natural resource problems. It has received considerable attention among communities and resource managers as an appropriate approach to deal with complex problems. Problem-solving is an important aspect of watersheds that involves diagnosis, assessment, solution, and implementation issues that often need processing of enormous amount of information. A typical problem requires compilation of information from a variety of sources and is time consuming. This book will use a problem-based approach to present information on each problem facing watersheds. The subject area derives from a variety of disciplines and experiences and presented in clear and systematically throughout the book for easy reading and understanding. The problems that are covered in the book are major ones facing watersheds through the globe. The first chapter introduces principles of watershed management and is followed by chapters that are problem specific. Each problem is dealt systematically from introduction, analysis, strategies, and further references. Watershed Management provides a valuable reference to professions, students, scientists, and common citizens who are interested in learning about the variety of problems and approach in watershed management.

Integrated water resource management has been discussed since at least the Civil War; yet, there is still no integrated framework for sustainably managing water. Recognizing this need, the Water Environment Research Foundation (WERF) funded a research project to develop an integrated, conceptual framework for sustainable water resources management. Through WERF funding, this framework was developed over the past four years. Development of the framework was guided by the U.N. Agenda 21, Global Water Partnership, the Enlibra Principles, and Panarchy Theory. The conceptual framework for Sustainable Water Resources Management considers water as a renewable, but finite resource with global and regional constraints. It integrates ecological, economic, and social considerations through institutional and legal/regulatory constructs to move toward sustainable water resources. Implementation of the framework is guided by a process flow chart that considers both crisis management and proactive management activities. Sustainability is as much an outcome as a goal. If water resources are viewed within a total systems context and monitored, assessed and adaptively managed through time, sustainable water resources are the outcome.

This book, first published in 1984, has both a geomorphic and a hydrologic message. It examines and analyses the role of groundwater in landscapes in a series of articles by authors of diverse backgrounds and experience.

This book represents the outcome of the Second IWA Leading-Edge Conference held in Sydney, Australia in November 2004. Sustainability is a paradoxical concept. We know we want to protect the environment from human-induced change, yet ecosystems are dynamic, constantly changing and adapting in response to a multitude of factors, the combined effect and subtleties of which are probably well beyond human calculation. Furthermore, our conscious desire to protect the environment - which forces us to think of humans as sitting outside ecosystems - conflicts with the unavoidable fact that we are an unconscious actor within those ecosystems. We must also recognise that the goal of 'protecting the environment' is not a clear-cut objective. Perhaps, because of its complexity and propensity to change, we cannot know what the fully protected environment would look like. Individual preferences too make the conceptualisation of an ideal state impossible; do we strive for an ecosystem in which we play a minor part - barely influencing natural outcomes - or one that is more actively managed and provides for our needs or wants? Neither this volume, nor the conference from which it draws, resolve the paradoxes described above. The papers presented here do, however, provide insight into the innovative thinking and practical projects undertaken across the globe that move us from patently unsustainable conditions to those in which our economic activity, impact on ecosystems and desire for positive social outcomes are in better balance.

Water is a precious natural resource, which is crucial to our survival. It needs to be used judiciously in the context of an increasing population not only to sustain essential requirements such as those for drinking and domestic usage, but also for increased food production, industrial usage, power generation, navigational requirements, pisciculture, recreation, landscaping etc. There are many books dealing with hydrology, hydraulics and hydraulic structures, which generally deal with larger problems of development, analysis, design and implementation of water resources. However, there are few books, which deal with small-scale development of water resources consistent with the environmental concerns as well as application of relevant eco-friendly technologies. This book provides both the perspectives.

Finally, someone has written a comprehensive, easily readable explanation of the tides on earth that is both simple enough for students and solid enough for their professors. Step by step, by analogy and illustration, Beyond the Moon describes how the cyclical motion of the near solar system is impressed upon the earth's oceans, and how the hydraulics over the continental shelf and the geography of the coastline orchestrate this rhythm into the bewildering variety of tide patterns seen around the globe. This volume demystifies the complexity of the tides by systematically examining its many constituents and demonstrates that: "Nature is, at once, awesome in complexity and beautiful in simplicity."

Flooding accounts for one-third of natural disasters worldwide and for over half the deaths that occur as a result of natural disasters. As the frequency and volume of flooding increases, due to climate change, there is a new urgency amongst researchers and professionals working in flood risk management. River Basin Modelling for Flood Risk Mitigation brings together thirty edited papers by leading experts who gathered for the European Union's Advanced Study Course at the University of Birmingham, UK. In this book, coverage ranges in scope from issues concerning the protection of life to river restoration and wetland management. Eminent experts examine a variety of topics, including climate change, hydroinformatics, hydrometeorology, river flow forecasting systems, and dam-break modeling. They also explore risk and uncertainty issues for flood management, the social and economic impacts of flooding, and developments in flood forecasting and early warning systems. Case studies illustrate the concepts and methods presented throughout the text. With broad yet integrated coverage, River Basin Modelling for Flood Risk Mitigation is an informative and accessible reference tool for professional engineers involved with flood risk management.

Modern hydrology is more interdisciplinary than ever. Staggering amounts and varieties of information pour in from GIS and remote sensing systems every day, and this information must be collected, interpreted, and shared efficiently. Hydroinformatics: Data Integrative Approaches in Computation, Analysis, and Modeling introduces the tools, approaches, and system considerations necessary to take full advantage of the abundant hydrological data available today. Linking hydrological science with computer engineering, networking, and database science, this book lays a pedagogical foundation in the concepts underlying developments in hydroinformatics. It begins with an introduction to data representation through Unified Modeling Language (UML), followed by digital libraries, metadata, the basics of data models, and Modelshed, a new hydrological data model. Building on this platform, the book discusses integrating and managing diverse data in large datasets, data communication issues such as XML and Grid computing, the basic principles of data processing and analysis including feature extraction and spatial registration, and modern methods of soft computing such as neural networks and genetic algorithms. Today, hydrological data are increasingly rich, complex, and multidimensional. Providing a thorough compendium of techniques and methodologies, Hydroinformatics: Data Integrative Approaches in Computation, Analysis, and Modeling is the first reference to supply the tools necessary to confront these challenges successfully.

Containing over 7,500 entries, covering all genres of rock, from classic rock, to heavy metal; punk, rap, disco, British Invasion and much more, this second edition of a well-received book has been revised and updated to produce an invaluable index. Rock Song Index, 2nd edition indexes the classic songs of the rock canon, from the late 1940s through to the end of the twentieth century. The study of the history of rock music has exploded over the last decade; all college music departments offer a basic rock-history course, covering the classic artists and their songs. Arranged A to Z by song, the index includes composer, performer, record label, release date, annotation about the song's significance and now has new indexes for artist, songwriter, producer, and year. Any student, professional, scholar or general reader will find this an invaluable reference book in the field of rock music.

One approach to the introduction of computational material to the classroom is to supplement a textbook with modern computer codes. Unfortunately most codes are expensive, designed for commercial use, without source code and may require special software. Visual Hydrology provides a cheaper and simpler alternative, supplying computational exercises that can be fully assimilated by students, and allowing them to activate, understand and reproduce modern computer code. Visual Hydrology aims to: explain the structure of modern object-oriented computer code provide the source code for worked examples numerically check the worked examples used in text show how worked examples can be used with alternative data describe and reference the underlying theory provide additional exercises with each worked example use Microsoft Excel software alone Requiring only a basic knowledge of Microsoft Excel, this Primer teaches the use of modern and readily-available computer code for engineering computation. Visual Hydrology demonstrates codes for common and practical examples used in hydrological engineering, and will be a valuable resource to students, research workers and consulting engineers in the water-related sector. Examples of source code to accompany this publication can be downloaded by clicking here.

Thermal enrichment of coldwater streams by heated stormwater in summer months is often overlooked and even exacerbated by traditional management practices that typically account for flow moderation and pollutant removal only. Initiated in 1999, this study evaluated and identified innovative and traditional approaches to moderate this temperature impact by monitoring and analyzing the hydrologic and thermal regimes of an urban stormwater treatment system consisting of two traditional wet detention ponds and an enhanced natural wetland. Data analysis clearly shows temperature increases in the open detention ponds and the ability of the wetland to mitigate this thermal enrichment. Event-based thermal loading and temperature regime analysis indicated flow reduction via infiltration and effective vegetative cover in the wetland were the primary mechanisms for mitigating stormwater thermal enrichment. Using the concept of temperature equivalent, we also established the locations and strength of thermal enrichment areas. A heat transfer model was developed to simulate runoff temperature. Results indicated that rainfall characteristics, temperature difference between rainfall and the ground surface, and the runoff flow depth were the most important factors affecting runoff temperature.