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Water Resource Management (water + resource_management)
Selected AbstractsRecognition of Indigenous Interests in Australian Water Resource Management, with Particular Reference to Environmental Flow AssessmentGEOGRAPHY COMPASS (ELECTRONIC), Issue 3 2008Sue Jackson Australia's new national water policy represents a substantial change from the previous approach, because it recognises a potential need for allocations to meet particular indigenous requirements, which will have to be quantitatively defined in water allocation plans. However, indigenous values associated with rivers and water are presently poorly understood by decision-makers, and some are difficult to quantify or otherwise articulate in allocation decisions. This article describes the range of Australian indigenous values associated with water, and the way they have been defined in contemporary water resource policy and discourse. It argues that the heavy reliance of indigenous values on healthy river systems indicates that, theoretically at least, they are logically suited for consideration in environmental flow assessments. However, where indigenous interests have been considered for assessment planning purposes indigenous values have tended to be overlooked in a scientific process that leaves little room for different world views relating to nature, intangible environmental qualities and human relationships with river systems that are not readily amenable to quantification. There is often an implicit but untested assumption that indigenous interests will be protected through the provision of environmental flows to meet aquatic ecosystem requirements, but the South African and New Zealand approaches to environmental flow assessment, for example, demonstrate different riverine uses potentially can be accommodated. Debate with indigenous land-holders and experimentation will show how suited different environment flow assessment techniques are to addressing indigenous environmental philosophies and values. [source] The Adaptation Deficit in Water Resource ManagementIDS BULLETIN, Issue 3 2004Ian Burton First page of article [source] Effects of wetting and drying cycles on in situ soil particle mobilizationEUROPEAN JOURNAL OF SOIL SCIENCE, Issue 2 2008S. Majdalani Summary Understanding particle mobilization and transport in soils is a major concern for environmental protection and water resource management as they can act as vectors for sorbing pollutants. In natural soils, the existence of a finite size and renewable pool of dispersible particles has been hypothesized. Even though freeze-thaw and wetting-drying cycles have been identified as possible mechanisms of pool replenishment between rainfall events, to date the underlying phenomena ruling the renewal of particle pools are still largely unexplored. We carried out a series of infiltration-drainage experiments to study systematically the effects of periods without rain (pauses) on in situ particle mobilization in undisturbed soil columns. We found that, for a given column, pause duration between two rainfall events has a major influence on subsequent particle mobilization: the mass of leached particles increases with pause duration until it reaches a maximum (mass for a 200-hours pause is 15 time greater than for a 1-hour pause), and then it decreases for even longer pauses. This behaviour was correlated with soil water content, and can be explained by soil matrix weakening due to differential capillary stresses during drying. The consequences of this finding are important because the 15-fold increase in mass of leached particles, when pause duration is changed from 1 hour to 4 days, might overwhelm variations caused by changes in other parameters such as the ionic strength of the incoming solution or the rainfall intensity. [source] Methods for retrieving hydrologically significant surface parameters from remote sensing: a review for applications to east Asia regionHYDROLOGICAL PROCESSES, Issue 4 2009Bunkei Matsushita Abstract As human populations and resource use continue to increase, water quality and water resource management will become major problems. With its advantages of large area coverage, high spatial resolution, frequent update and consistent quality, remote sensing has been widely used for hydrological studies and water resources management. This paper focuses on three potential functions of remote sensing for hydrological analysis in east Asia: (1) monitoring water quality in turbid lakes; (2) extracting impervious surface areas (ISAs) from watersheds and (3) estimating evapotranspiration in semi-arid areas. Reviewing the results of the above three topics, it becomes clear that the ability of the current remote sensing technique is still limited in terms of its use in hydrological simulations. An alternative to improving the sensors is developing effective algorithms to compensate for the limitations of current satellite sensors. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Multifractal detrended fluctuation analysis of streamflow series of the Yangtze River basin, ChinaHYDROLOGICAL PROCESSES, Issue 26 2008Qiang Zhang Abstract Scaling and multifractal properties of the hydrological processes of the Yangtze River basin were explored by using a multifractal detrended fluctuation analysis (MF-DFA) technique. Long daily mean streamflow series from Cuntan, Yichang, Hankou and Datong stations were analyzed. Using shuffled streamflow series, the types of multifractality of streamflow series was also studied. The results indicate that the discharge series of the Yangtze River basin are non-stationary. Different correlation properties were identified within streamflow series of the upper, the middle and the lower Yangtze River basin. The discharge series of the upper Yangtze River basin are characterized by short memory or anti-persistence; while the streamflow series of the lower Yangtze River basin is characterized by long memory or persistence. h(q) vs q curves indicate multifractality of the hydrological processes of the Yangtze River basin. h(q) curves of shuffled streamflow series suggest that the multifractality of the streamflow series is mainly due to the correlation properties within the hydrological series. This study may be of practical and scientific importance in regional flood frequency analysis and water resource management in different parts of the Yangtze River basin. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] The Multivariate Analysis Biplot as tool for conflict analysis in MCDAJOURNAL OF MULTI CRITERIA DECISION ANALYSIS, Issue 5 2001Fabio B. Losa Abstract In this paper, the use of multivariate statistical analysis techniques to aid in conflict analysis in a multi-actor group is demonstrated. In particular, the covariance biplot technique is focused on and the resulting graphical output, called the conflict diagram, is interpreted in terms of relationships between actors, profiles of alternatives under consideration, and the interactions between actors and alternatives in terms of the conflict and its possible resolutions (consensus, coalition, etc.). The conflict analysis is divided into two distinct phases. The descriptive phase is used to represent the conflict. The prescriptive phase is used in two ways: (i) to visualize the effects of changes in parameters (,conflict resolution aid'), hopefully bringing the actors closer together, and (ii) as a tool to enhance the creative search for new alternatives (,alternative generation'). The conflict analysis process is illustrated by examining ex post a practical case study in water resource management. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] CLIMATE FORECASTS IN FLOOD PLANNING: PROMISE AND AMBIGUITY,JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN WATER RESOURCES ASSOCIATION, Issue 6 2002Kris Wernstedt ABSTRACT: Recent technical and scientific advances have increased the potential use of long term, seasonal climate forecasts for improving water resource management. This paper examines the role that forecasts, in particular those based on the El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO) cycle, can play in flood planning in the Pacific Northwest. While strong evidence exists of an association between ENSO signals and flooding in the region, this association is open to more than one interpretation depending on: (a) the metric used to test the strength of the association; (b) the definition of critical flood events; (c) site specific features of watersheds; and (d) the decision environment of flood management institutions. A better understanding and appreciation of such ambiguities, both social and statistical, will help facilitate the use of climate forecast information for flood planning and response. [source] Water rights and legal pluralism: four contexts for negotiationNATURAL RESOURCES FORUM, Issue 1 2001Bryan Randolph Bruns Abstract Increasing water scarcity is increasing pressure on water management institutions, particularly in the area of water rights. A common response is to formalise water tenure, one of several options for securing access and resolving conflicts concerning water allocation. This article looks at four contexts where negotiation, self-governance and concepts of legal pluralism may help improve water resource management. Existing users and potential new users need to negotiate before water resources are developed. Users can participate in forums with authority to solve basin management problems through self-governance. Negotiated water transfers offer an alternative to water acquisition by expropriation. [source] Local governance and water resource management: experiences from Northern NamibiaPUBLIC ADMINISTRATION & DEVELOPMENT, Issue 3 2008Farhad Hossain Abstract Like many semi-arid countries in Africa, Namibia has been experiencing water shortage for a long period of time. Prior to its independence in 1990, most of Namibia's water points,namely, the boreholes,served white-Namibians (about 7% of the national population of predominantly German descent) and their commercial farming areas. But their water needs have been satisfied at the expense of those indigenous Namibians and their communal areas (where some 80% of the national population originates). Independence, however, brought with it a new hope for the indigenous population: since 1990, the government has been working diligently to reform the country's local governance, and make local government agencies more effective, efficient and responsive to common people and their needs. This article sheds light on how, within the background of the government's decentralisation efforts, the management and distribution of water resources have changed in an independent Namibia, reporting findings from research conducted in a newly emerged village council in the north of the country. Drawing on historical and contemporary practices, we describe and analyse the role of decentralised local government in water resource management in northern Namibia, where today, more than 50% of the national population (i.e. the indigenous Oshiwambo-speaking people) resides. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Resource and environmental management: connecting the academy with practiceTHE CANADIAN GEOGRAPHER/LE GEOGRAPHE CANADIEN, Issue 2 2008BRUCE MITCHELL politique publique; recherche fondamentale et appliquée; évaluation et développement de politiques et de plans; gestion intégrée des ressources en eau; renforcement des capacités The rewards and challenges related to a research program that involves interactions between basic and applied research are shared. Specific experience is examined regarding integrated water resource management, capacity enhancement in developing countries and writing textbooks. Key lessons include the manner in which applied research and practice inform and enhance basic research, the role of theoretical and conceptual frameworks in guiding applied research, the need to understand the distinction between multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary models and the importance of facilitating evolution from visions, strategies and plans to action. La gestion des ressources et de l'environnement : établir des liens entre l'université et la pratique Cet article examine les récompenses et défis entourant un programme de recherche fondé sur l'interaction entre des éléments de recherche fondamentale et de recherche appliquée. Des expériences particulières en matière de gestion intégrée des ressources en eau, de renforcement des capacités dans les pays en voie de développement, et de rédaction de manuels sont abordées. Les principales leçons que l'on peut tirer comprennent notamment la manière dont la recherche appliquée et la pratique inspirent et mettent en valeur la recherche fondamentale, comment les cadres théoriques et conceptuels éclairent la recherche appliquée, la nécessité de comprendre les différences entre les modèles multidisciplinaires et interdisciplinaires, et l'importance de faciliter la progression des visions, stratégies et plans vers l'action. [source] | ||||||||||||||||