Most large river basins in the world are transboundary. Experience with such basins emphasizes the urgent need for more efficient transnational water management. This book details recent initiatives undertaken in the Meuse basin (North-West Europe) to develop a transnational adaptation strategy to deal with the impact of climate change. In the 21st century, floods in the Meuse basin are expected to become more intense and more frequent, while summers will be hotter and drier. The transnational adaptation strategy combines scientific research to fill important gaps in knowledge, innovative natural and structural water retention measures, and enhanced (transnational) crisis management. As a scientific basis for this adaptation strategy, common climate and hydrological scenarios have been developed, as well as more uniform methods for transnational flood risk assessment and mapping. The contributions in Transboundary Water Management in a Changing Climate were presented at the final conference of the European project AMICE (Sedan, France, March 2013). They demonstrate that the development of a vision at the level of the river basin, rather than within the national or regional boundaries, faces many practical challenges but offers unique opportunities for adaptation. Covering a wide range of topics, from the latest advances in climate and hydrological research to practical implementation of adaptation measures and communication issues, Transboundary Water Management in a Changing Climate offers a genuine bridge between research and practice, and also reports on similar developments in other river basins.

In an increasingly urbanized world, water systems must be designed and operated according to innovative standards in terms of climate adaptation, resource efficiency, sustainability and resilience. This grand challenge triggers unprecedented questions for hydro-environment research and engineering. Shifts in paradigms are urgently needed in the way we view (circular) water systems, water as a renewable energy (production and storage), risk management of floods, storms, sea level rise and droughts, as well as their consequences on water quality, morphodynamics (e.g., reservoir sedimentation, scour, sustainability of deltas) and the environment. Addressing these issues requires a deep understanding of basic processes in fluid mechanics, heat and mass transfer, surface and groundwater flow, among others.