Download or read book Rivers for Life written by Sandra Postel and published by Island Press. This book was released on 2012-06-22 with total page 265 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The conventional approach to river protection has focused on water quality and maintaining some "minimum" flow that was thought necessary to ensure the viability of a river. In recent years, however, scientific research has underscored the idea that the ecological health of a river system depends not on a minimum amount of water at any one time but on the naturally variable quantity and timing of flows throughout the year. In Rivers for Life, leading water experts Sandra Postel and Brian Richter explain why restoring and preserving more natural river flows are key to sustaining freshwater biodiversity and healthy river systems, and describe innovative policies, scientific approaches, and management reforms for achieving those goals. Sandra Postel and Brian Richter: explain the value of healthy rivers to human and ecosystem health; describe the ecological processes that support river ecosystems and how they have been disrupted by dams, diversions, and other alterations; consider the scientific basis for determining how much water a river needs; examine new management paradigms focused on restoring flow patterns and sustaining ecological health; assess the policy options available for managing rivers and other freshwater systems; explore building blocks for better river governance. Sandra Postel and Brian Richter offer case studies of river management from the United States (the San Pedro, Green, and Missouri), Australia (the Brisbane), and South Africa (the Sabie), along with numerous examples of new and innovative policy approaches that are being implemented in those and other countries. Rivers for Life presents a global perspective on the challenges of managing water for people and nature, with a concise yet comprehensive overview of the relevant science, policy, and management issues. It presents exciting and inspirational information for anyone concerned with water policy, planning and management, river conservation, freshwater biodiversity, or related topics.

Download or read book Management of Transboundary Rivers and Lakes written by Olli Varis and published by Springer Science & Business Media. This book was released on 2008-03-15 with total page 316 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Transboundary rivers and lakes are often the remaining new sources of water that can be developed for human uses. These water sources were not used in the past because of the many complexities involved. Written and edited by the world’s leading water and legal experts, this unique and authoritative book analyses the magnitudes of the transboundary water problems in different parts of the world. It also examines difficulties and constraints faced to resolve these problems.

Download or read book River Futures written by Gary J. Brierley and published by Island Press. This book was released on 2012-09-26 with total page 325 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Across much of the industrialized world, rivers that were physically transformed and ecologically ruined to facilitate industrial and agricultural development are now the focus of restoration and rehabilitation efforts. River Futures discusses the emergence of this new era of river repair and documents a comprehensive biophysical framework for river science and management. The book considers what can be done to maximize prospects for improving river health while maintaining or enhancing the provision of ecosystem services over the next fifty to one-hundred years. It provides a holistic overview of considerations that underpin the use of science in river management, emphasizing cross-disciplinary understanding that builds on a landscape template. The book frames the development of integrative river science and its application to river rehabilitation programs develops a coherent set of guiding principles with which to approach integrative river science considers the application of cross-disciplinary thinking in river rehabilitation experiences from around the world examines the crossover between science and management, outlining issues that must be addressed to promote healthier river futures Case studies explore practical applications in different parts of the world, highlighting approaches to the use of integrative river science, measures of success, and steps that could be taken to improve performance in future efforts. River Futures offers a positive, practical, and constructive focus that directly addresses the major challenge of a new era of river conservation and rehabilitation—that of bringing together the diverse and typically discipline-bound sets of knowledge and practices that are involved in repairing rivers. It is a valuable resource for anyone involved in river restoration and management, including restorationists, scientists, managers, and policymakers, as well as undergraduate and graduate students.

Download or read book Geomorphology and River Management written by Gary J. Brierley and published by John Wiley & Sons. This book was released on 2013-04-29 with total page 424 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book outlines a generic set of procedures, termed the River Styles Framework, which provides a set of tools for interpreting river character, behavior, condition, and recovery potential. Applications of the framework generate a coherent package of geomorphic information, providing a physical template for river rehabilitation activities. management and restoration of rivers is a rapidly growing topic for environmental scientists, geologists and ecologists - this book provides a learning tool with which to approach geomorphic applications to river management describes the essential geomorphological principles underlying river behaviour and evolution demonstrates how the River Styles Framework can turn geomorphic theory into practice, to develop workable strategies for restoration and management based on real case studies and authors extensive experience applicable to river systems worldwide synthesises fluvial geomorphology, ecology and management

Download or read book Large Rivers written by Avijit Gupta and published by John Wiley & Sons. This book was released on 2008-02-28 with total page 712 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Large Rivers: Geomorphology and Management explores an important topic in geomorphology and sedimentology: the form and function of major rivers. Our knowledge of the big rivers of the world is limited. It is currently difficult to recognise large rivers of the past from relict sedimentary deposits or to structure management policies for long international rivers. This exciting book brings together a set of papers on large rivers of the world, as a unique introduction to a demanding subject. The book includes thirty chapters and is organised into three sections. The first part is on the environmental requirements for creating and maintaining a major river system. The second is a collection of case studies on 14 large rivers from different continents, covering a range of physical environments. The third section includes chapters on the measurement and management of large rivers. First book to offer in a single volume state-of-the-art knowledge on management and geomorphology of large rivers of the world A pioneering study, pushing the boundaries of our knowledge related to big rivers Includes comprehensive case studies covering the major large rivers of the world including Amazon, Mississippi, Nile, Congo, Indus, and Mekong Written by a leading team of distinguished, international contributors Large Rivers: Geomorphology and Management is essential reading for postgraduate students and researchers in fluvial geomorphology, hydrology, sedimentary geology, and river management. It is also of relevance to engineers and environmental consultants in the private and public sectors working on major rivers of the world.

Download or read book River Basin Management in the Twenty First Century written by Victor Roy Squires and published by CRC Press. This book was released on 2014-07-10 with total page 544 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Worldwide development of agriculture and industry creates burgeoning demands on natural resources. Management of the rivers and the surrounding landscape is one of the important tasks for today and for the foreseeable future. Lessons learned from centuries of management (and mismanagement) have been distilled into principles and practices which form the subject matter for this book. It provides both a global perspective and an entrée to the special problems associated with management of transboundary rivers.

Download or read book River Dynamics and Integrated River Management written by Zhao-Yin Wang and published by Springer Science & Business Media. This book was released on 2014-09-24 with total page 855 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "River Dynamics and Integrated River Management” provides comprehensive information on rivers for integrated management, including natural processes, stresses resulting from human activities, and restoration of various parts of the river basin, including the watershed, mountain streams, alluvial rivers, estuaries, and natural and man-made lakes. Essential concepts, traditional and modern, such as river patterns, step-pool systems, vegetation-erosion charts, habitat diversity, and flushing times of bays, are clearly defined physically and explained with figures and pictures. Detailed mathematics and rigorous analyses are avoided so as to facilitate a holistic view of the subject of integrated river management. Researchers can easily familiarize themselves with the science of river management in its widest sense with the impressive pictures and examples in this book. Dr. Zhaoyin Wang is a professor at the Department of Hydraulic Engineering, Tsinghua University, China. Dr. Joseph H.W. Lee is a Chair Professor at the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, The Hong Kong University of Science & Technology, China. Dr. Charles S. Melching is a Professor at the College of Engineering, Marquette University, Milwaukee, WI, USA.

Download or read book Riverine Ecosystem Management written by Stefan Schmutz and published by Springer. This book was released on 2018-05-08 with total page 562 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This open access book surveys the frontier of scientific river research and provides examples to guide management towards a sustainable future of riverine ecosystems. Principal structures and functions of the biogeosphere of rivers are explained; key threats are identified, and effective solutions for restoration and mitigation are provided. Rivers are among the most threatened ecosystems of the world. They increasingly suffer from pollution, water abstraction, river channelisation and damming. Fundamental knowledge of ecosystem structure and function is necessary to understand how human acitivities interfere with natural processes and which interventions are feasible to rectify this. Modern water legislation strives for sustainable water resource management and protection of important habitats and species. However, decision makers would benefit from more profound understanding of ecosystem degradation processes and of innovative methodologies and tools for efficient mitigation and restoration. The book provides best-practice examples of sustainable river management from on-site studies, European-wide analyses and case studies from other parts of the world. This book will be of interest to researchers in the field of aquatic ecology, river system functioning, conservation and restoration, to postgraduate students, to institutions involved in water management, and to water related industries.

Download or read book River System Analysis and Management written by Nayan Sharma and published by Springer. This book was released on 2016-11-13 with total page 413 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The main thrust of this book is focused on addressing the various interrelated processes, analysis and activities bearing upon sound river management. River basins are complex systems. They are open systems with sometimes ill-defined boundaries. It refers to various aspects essential to achieve a sustainable development of river basins, including water demand and river management. Intensified erosion, land water degradation and stream flow pollution which call for appropriate river restoration and training measures. A viable theory for river management must reconcile the various processes that occur at different scales in order to develop a knowledge base by synthesizing research and field studies results. The book is intended to augment the knowledge base of behaviour of rivers and analyse the issues related to rivers so as to develop river system management techniques emerging from in-depth scientific analysis as a priority. This book pools together the expertise, the in-depth knowledge and the experience of the people representing different disciplines bearing on the related aspects of analysis and management of river systems. Audience The book is expected to be useful to academics, practitioners, scientists, water managers, environmentalists, administrators, researchers and students who are involved and have stakes in water management and river system analysis.

Download or read book From Catchment Management to Managing River Basins written by M. Dinesh Kumar and published by Elsevier. This book was released on 2019-06-08 with total page 368 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: From Catchment Management to Managing River Basins: Science, Technology Choices, Institutions and Policy synthesizes key scientific facts crucial for catchment assessment, planning and river basin water accounting. The book presents extensive reviews of international literature on catchment hydrology, forest hydrology and other hydrological processes, such as groundwater-surface water interactions. It discusses not only the science of catchment assessment and planning, but also the catchment planning process. It documents several of the positive international experiences with integrated catchment management and integrated basin management, distilling key learnings. Case studies from India and other parts of South Asia are also included, along with new pilot studies. Finally, the book discusses the theoretical and operational aspects of integrated catchment management and integrated water management in river basins using international best practices and case studies. - Discusses the theoretical nuances of scale effects in hydrology and land-use hydrology interactions - Focuses on managing water in a situation in which water has become scarce - Provides a theoretical discussion on water accounting procedures that is followed by an application of the methodology and tools in real-life case studies in two river basins of India - Presents applications of the concept of integrated water resources management for developing a WRM plan for an Indian river basin

Download or read book Rivers by Design written by Karen M. O'Neill and published by Duke University Press Books. This book was released on 2006-05-03 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The United States has one of the largest and costliest flood control systems in the world, even though only a small proportion of its land lies in floodplains. Rivers by Design traces the emergence of the mammoth U.S. flood management system, which is overseen by the federal government but implemented in conjunction with state governments and local contractors and levee districts. Karen M. O’Neill analyzes the social origins of the flood control program, showing how the system initially developed as a response to the demands of farmers and the business elite in outlying territories. The configuration of the current system continues to reflect decisions made in the nineteenth century and early twentieth. It favors economic development at the expense of environmental concerns. O’Neill focuses on the creation of flood control programs along the lower Mississippi River and the Sacramento River, the first two rivers to receive federal flood control aid. She describes how, in the early to mid-nineteenth century, planters, shippers, and merchants from both regions campaigned for federal assistance with flood control efforts. She explains how the federal government was slowly and reluctantly drawn into water management to the extent that, over time, nearly every river in the United States was reengineered. Her narrative culminates in the passage of the national Flood Control Act of 1936, which empowered the Army Corps of Engineers to build projects for all navigable rivers in conjunction with local authorities, effectively ending nationwide, comprehensive planning for the protection of water resources.

Download or read book Floodplain Management written by Bob Freitag and published by Island Press. This book was released on 2012-06-22 with total page 255 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A flooding river is very hard to stop. Many residents of the United States have discovered this the hard way. Right now, over five million Americans hold flood insurance policies from the National Flood Insurance Program, which estimates that flooding causes at least six billion dollars in damages every year. Like rivers after a rainstorm, the financial costs are rising along with the toll on residents. And the worst is probably yet to come. Most scientists believe that global climate change will result in increases in flooding. The authors of this book present a straightforward argument: the time to stop a flooding rivers is before is before it floods. Floodplain Management outlines a new paradigm for flood management, one that emphasizes cost-effective, long-term success by integrating physical, chemical, and biological systems with our societal capabilities. It describes our present flood management practices, which are often based on dam or levee projects that do not incorporate the latest understandings about river processes. And it suggests that a better solution is to work with the natural tendencies of the river: retreat from the floodplain by preventing future development (and sometimes even removing existing structures); accommodate the effects of floodwaters with building practices; and protect assets with nonstructural measures if possible, and with large structural projects only if absolutely necessary.

Download or read book Colorado River Basin Water Management written by National Research Council and published by National Academies Press. This book was released on 2007-06-30 with total page 222 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Recent studies of past climate and streamflow conditions have broadened understanding of long-term water availability in the Colorado River, revealing many periods when streamflow was lower than at any time in the past 100 years of recorded flows. That information, along with two important trends-a rapid increase in urban populations in the West and significant climate warming in the region-will require that water managers prepare for possible reductions in water supplies that cannot be fully averted through traditional means. Colorado River Basin Water Management assesses existing scientific information, including temperature and streamflow records, tree-ring based reconstructions, and climate model projections, and how it relates to Colorado River water supplies and demands, water management, and drought preparedness. The book concludes that successful adjustments to new conditions will entail strong and sustained cooperation among the seven Colorado River basin states and recommends conducting a comprehensive basinwide study of urban water practices that can be used to help improve planning for future droughts and water shortages.

Download or read book River Ecology and Management written by Robert Naiman and published by Springer Science & Business Media. This book was released on 2001-02-16 with total page 734 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: As the vast expanses of natural forests and the great populations of salmonids are harvested to support a rapidly expanding human population, the need to understand streams as ecological systems and to manage them effectively becomes increasingly urgent. The unfortunate legacy of such natural resource exploitation is well documented. For several decades the Pacific coastal ecoregion of North America has served as a natural laboratory for scientific and managerial advancements in stream ecology, and much has been learned about how to better integrate ecological processes and characteristics with a human-dominated environment. These in sightful but hard-learned ecological and social lessons are the subject of this book. Integrating land and rivers as interactive components of ecosystems and watersheds has provided the ecological sciences with impor tant theoretical foundations. Even though scientific disciplines have begun to integrate land-based processes with streams and rivers, the institutions and processes charged with managing these systems have not done so successfully. As a result, many of the watersheds of the Pacific coastal ecoregion no longer support natural settings for environmental processes or the valuable natural resources those processes create. An important role for scientists, educators, and decision makers is to make the integration between ecology and con sumptive uses more widely understood, as well as useful for effective management.

Download or read book River Dynamics written by Bruce L. Rhoads and published by Cambridge University Press. This book was released on 2020-04-29 with total page 544 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Rivers are important agents of change that shape the Earth's surface and evolve through time in response to fluctuations in climate and other environmental conditions. They are fundamental in landscape development, and essential for water supply, irrigation, and transportation. This book provides a comprehensive overview of the geomorphological processes that shape rivers and that produce change in the form of rivers. It explores how the dynamics of rivers are being affected by anthropogenic change, including climate change, dam construction, and modification of rivers for flood control and land drainage. It discusses how concern about environmental degradation of rivers has led to the emergence of management strategies to restore and naturalize these systems, and how river management techniques work best when coordinated with the natural dynamics of rivers. This textbook provides an excellent resource for students, researchers, and professionals in fluvial geomorphology, hydrology, river science, and environmental policy.

Download or read book Water for the Environment written by Avril Horne and published by Academic Press. This book was released on 2017-08-16 with total page 760 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Water for the Environment: From Policy and Science to Implementation and Management provides a holistic view of environmental water management, offering clear links across disciplines that allow water managers to face mounting challenges. The book highlights current challenges and potential solutions, helping define the future direction for environmental water management. In addition, it includes a significant review of current literature and state of knowledge, providing a one-stop resource for environmental water managers. - Presents a multidisciplinary approach that allows water managers to make connections across related disciplines, such as hydrology, ecology, law, and economics - Links science to practice for environmental flow researchers and those that implement and manage environmental water on a daily basis - Includes case studies to demonstrate key points and address implementation issues

Download or read book Rivers in the Landscape written by Ellen Wohl and published by John Wiley & Sons. This book was released on 2014-03-07 with total page 585 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Rivers in the Landscape: Science and Management offers a comprehensive and accessible overview of the current state of knowledge for river process and form, taking a holistic approach to the subject with coverage of integrated river science and management in practice. The processes and forms present in channelized surface flow–rivers–are systematically explored in this book to • emphasize the connectivity between rivers and the greater landscape by explicitly considering the interactions between rivers and tectonics, climate, biota, and human activities; • provide a concise summary of the current state of knowledge for physical process and form in rivers; • reflect the diversity of river environments, from mountainous, headwater channels to large, lowland, floodplain rivers and from the arctic to the tropics; • reflect the diverse methods that scientists use to characterize and understand river process and form, including remote sensing, field measurements, physical experiments, and numerical simulations; • reflect the increasing emphasis on quantification in fluvial geomorphology and the study of Earth surfaces in general; • provide both an introduction to the classic, foundational papers on each topic, and a guide to the latest, particularly insightful and integrative references. Aimed at advanced undergraduate students, graduate students, and professionals looking for a concise summary of physical aspects of rivers, this book emphasizes general principles and conceptual models, as well as concrete examples of each topic drawn from the extensive literature on river process and form.