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River Science: Integrated Management of Water Resources in the Anthropocene
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River Science: Integrated Management of Water Resources in the Anthropocene

A special issue of Water (ISSN 2073-4441). This special issue belongs to the section "Water Resources Management, Policy and Governance".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (10 December 2023) | Viewed by 15018

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Martin Schletterer

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Institute of Hydrobiology and Aquatic Ecosystem Management, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna, Austria
Interests: water quality; biodiversity; aquatic science; freshwater ecology; conservation biology
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

River science is a “rapidly developing interdisciplinary field at the interface of the natural sciences, engineering and socio-political sciences. It recognises that the sustainable management of contemporary rivers will increasingly require new ways of characterising them to enable engagement with the diverse range of stakeholders” (sensu Gilvear et al. 2016).

In the Anthropocene, rivers face multiple stressors, which require a holistic view of river systems to support the integrated management of water resources. Based on abiotic and biotic monitoring, sustainable water management can be implemented. This Special Issue aims to (i) outline the needs for integrated water management in the 21st century and to (ii) provide examples from research (which support process understanding) as well as (iii) application.

Dr. Martin Schletterer
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Water is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • river science
  • monitoring
  • multiple stressors
  • hydrobiology
  • hydromorphology
  • river restoration
  • habitat modeling

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Related Special Issue

Published Papers (7 papers)

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Research

25 pages, 55392 KiB  
Article
An Environmental History of the First Attempts to Straighten the River Inn in Tyrol (1745–1792)
by Reinhard Ferdinand Nießner
Water 2024, 16(11), 1568; https://doi.org/10.3390/w16111568 - 30 May 2024
Viewed by 1053
Abstract
The first systematic attempts to straighten the River Inn in Tyrol for shipping and land reclamation date back to the middle of the 18th century. A dedicated hydraulic engineering authority—the so-called Main Ark Inspection—was established to realize this challenging task. The one-man authority [...] Read more.
The first systematic attempts to straighten the River Inn in Tyrol for shipping and land reclamation date back to the middle of the 18th century. A dedicated hydraulic engineering authority—the so-called Main Ark Inspection—was established to realize this challenging task. The one-man authority was unable to straighten the Alpine river through the period of its existence up to 1792. The reasons for this were by no means related to a lack of technical resources and knowledge. On the contrary, a micro- and environmental-historical analysis of the attempts to straighten the River Inn highlights the complexity of the causes, which were mutually reinforcing and multifactorial. In this paper, four key causes are examined in more detail: (1) the social organization of water engineering, (2) social conflicts between riparian communities among themselves and with the hydraulic engineering authority, (3) conflicts between Tyrol and Bavaria at the wet border downstream of Kufstein, and (4) increased bedload discharge into the main river by tributaries. To illustrate the causes mentioned above, historical river maps are analyzed in great detail, drawing on contemporaneous written sources. The approach thereby highlights the overall complexity of pre-modern hydraulic engineering in all its facets, be they social, technical, natural, administrative, or organizational. To conclude, the results of this environmental history research are embedded and discussed in the context of integrated river management in the Anthropocene. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue River Science: Integrated Management of Water Resources in the Anthropocene)
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23 pages, 7012 KiB  
Article
Sensor Fish Deployments at the Xayaburi Hydropower Plant: Measurements and Simulations
by Pedro Romero-Gomez, Thanasak Poomchaivej, Rajesh Razdan, Wayne Robinson, Rudolf Peyreder, Michael Raeder and Lee J. Baumgartner
Water 2024, 16(5), 775; https://doi.org/10.3390/w16050775 - 5 Mar 2024
Viewed by 1330
Abstract
Fish protection is a priority in regions with ongoing and planned development of hydropower production, like the Mekong River system. The evaluation of the effects of turbine passage on the survival of migratory fish is a primary task for informing hydropower plant operators [...] Read more.
Fish protection is a priority in regions with ongoing and planned development of hydropower production, like the Mekong River system. The evaluation of the effects of turbine passage on the survival of migratory fish is a primary task for informing hydropower plant operators and authorities about the environmental performance of plant operations. The present work characterizes low pressures and collision rates through the Kaplan-type runners of the Xayaburi hydropower station. Both an experimental method based on the deployment of Sensor Fish and a numerical strategy based on flow and passage simulations were implemented on the analysis of two release elevations at one operating point. Nadir pressures and pressure drops through the runner were very sensitive to release elevation, but collision rates on the runner were not. The latter showed a frequency of occurrence of 8.2–9.3%. Measured magnitudes validated the corresponding simulation outcomes in regard to the averaged magnitudes as well as to the variability. Central to this study is that simulations were conducted based on current industry practices for designing turbines. Therefore, the reported agreement helps turbine engineers gain certainty about the prediction power of flow and trajectory simulations for fish passage assessments. This can accelerate the development of environmentally enhanced technology with minimum impact on natural resources. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue River Science: Integrated Management of Water Resources in the Anthropocene)
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21 pages, 9286 KiB  
Article
The Influence of Typhoon Events on the Design Storm for the Shanghai Metropolitan Area in the Yangtze River Delta, China
by Yuting Jin, Shuguang Liu, Zhengzheng Zhou, Qi Zhuang and Min Liu
Water 2024, 16(3), 508; https://doi.org/10.3390/w16030508 - 5 Feb 2024
Viewed by 1664
Abstract
Given the fact that the high frequency of extreme weather events globally, in particular typhoons, has more of an influence on flood forecasting, there is a great need to further understand the impact of typhoon events on design storms. The main objectives of [...] Read more.
Given the fact that the high frequency of extreme weather events globally, in particular typhoons, has more of an influence on flood forecasting, there is a great need to further understand the impact of typhoon events on design storms. The main objectives of this paper are to examine the magnitude, occurrence, and mechanism of typhoon events in southeast coastal China and their contribution to the design storm study. We take Shanghai, which is a typical metropolitan region in the Yangtze River Delta, China, as an example. The impact of typhoons on the rainfall frequency analysis is quantitatively evaluated using stochastic storm transposition (SST)-based intensity–duration–frequency (IDF) estimates with various temporal and spatial structures under different return periods. The results show that there is significant variability in the storm magnitude within the transposition domain across different durations, highlighting the spatiotemporal heterogeneity over the coastal area. Moreover, the probability of random storm transposition exhibits an uneven distribution. The frequency of typhoon rainfall events within the transposition domain is notably high, and there is considerable variability in the structure of rainfall. Typhoon rainfall amplifies the intensity of design storms, and its contribution increases with return periods. The variability in design storms increases accordingly. Based on the advantages of SST, which retains the spatiotemporal structure of the rainfall in the generated scenarios, the overall framework provides an effective way to examine the impact of diverse characteristics of typhoon rainfall on frequency analysis and facilitate a deeper exploration of the direct impact of various types of extreme storms on the intensity, spatial, and temporal distributions of design storms amidst evolving environmental conditions over this metropolitan region. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue River Science: Integrated Management of Water Resources in the Anthropocene)
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15 pages, 4098 KiB  
Article
Water Quality Monitoring in the Volga Headwaters
by Vyacheslav V. Kuzovlev, Irina L. Grigoryeva, Ekaterina A. Chekmareva and Martin Schletterer
Water 2024, 16(3), 491; https://doi.org/10.3390/w16030491 - 2 Feb 2024
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1704
Abstract
The Volga River is the largest river in Europe in terms of basin area (1.36 mio. km2), length (3531 km), and water content (annual flow 254 km3). We conduct long-term water quality studies in the Volga headwaters: in the [...] Read more.
The Volga River is the largest river in Europe in terms of basin area (1.36 mio. km2), length (3531 km), and water content (annual flow 254 km3). We conduct long-term water quality studies in the Volga headwaters: in the Upper Volga Lakes, the free-flowing section, as well as in the Ivankovskoye and Uglich Reservoirs. At the source of the river, the water is very soft, slightly mineralized, characterized by high color indicators (up to 400 degrees Pt-Co scale) and permanganate oxidation (60.3–72 mgO/L). In the Upper Volga Lakes, water mineralization increases to 110 mg/L, and the color of the water decreases significantly. In the Ivankovo Reservoir, higher concentrations of manganese and BOD5 are noted than in the Volga above Tver. Based on total phosphorus concentrations, the Upper Volga Reservoir (Lake Volgo) and the free-flowing section of the Upper Volga (from Selizharovo to Tver) belong to the “mesotrophic” class, and the Ivankovskoye Reservoir belongs to the “eutrophic” class. We characterize the Volga headwaters based on physico-chemical parameters “balanced” and discuss the relevance of “natural pollution”. Especially the free-flowing section comprises an important reference section for lowland rivers; thus, long-term monitoring of abiotic and biotic aspects is an important issue. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue River Science: Integrated Management of Water Resources in the Anthropocene)
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17 pages, 6074 KiB  
Article
Landscape Changes in the Bavarian Foothills since the 1960s and the Effects on Predicted Erosion Processes and Control
by Sarah Höfler, Gerald Ringler, Clemens Gumpinger, Felix Reebs, Johannes Schnell and Christoph Hauer
Water 2024, 16(3), 417; https://doi.org/10.3390/w16030417 - 27 Jan 2024
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1082
Abstract
Socio-economic changes, technical progress, and a variety of funding and planning interventions have significantly changed land use in Central Europe since World War II. The aim of this study was to illustrate these changes in the Alpine foothills in Bavaria and to calculate [...] Read more.
Socio-economic changes, technical progress, and a variety of funding and planning interventions have significantly changed land use in Central Europe since World War II. The aim of this study was to illustrate these changes in the Alpine foothills in Bavaria and to calculate the effects of these changes on soil erosion. This was performed in a two-step procedure: a GIS-based orthophoto evaluation and a cause–effect model using the revised universal soil loss equation (RUSLE). Key findings were that field sizes (+370%) and lengths (+35%) have changed significantly since the 1960s. Moreover, the uninterrupted runoff paths on arable land have increased in length by about 70% on average, with corresponding effects on soil erosion. The discussion shows that the possibilities for erosion control measures in the field are already severely limited due to the effects of the climate crisis and structural changes in agriculture. Furthermore, the often-assumed rule, according to which only a small part of the arable land causes a large share of the eroded material, was largely confirmed. The findings underline the overlapping impacts of land use change and climate crisis on agriculture erosions rates with the need for integrative and adaptive management. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue River Science: Integrated Management of Water Resources in the Anthropocene)
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22 pages, 8098 KiB  
Article
Removing Plastic Waste from Rivers: A Prototype-Scale Experimental Study on a Novel River-Cleaning Concept
by Yannic Fuchs, Susanne Scherbaum, Richard Huber, Nils Rüther and Arnd Hartlieb
Water 2024, 16(2), 248; https://doi.org/10.3390/w16020248 - 11 Jan 2024
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 5057
Abstract
Mismanaged plastic waste threatens the sustainable development goals of the United Nations in social, economic, and ecological dimensions. In the pollution process, fluvial systems are critical transport paths for mismanaged plastic waste, connecting land areas with oceans and acting as plastic reservoirs and [...] Read more.
Mismanaged plastic waste threatens the sustainable development goals of the United Nations in social, economic, and ecological dimensions. In the pollution process, fluvial systems are critical transport paths for mismanaged plastic waste, connecting land areas with oceans and acting as plastic reservoirs and accumulation zones. The complex fluid–plastic particle interaction leads to a strong distribution of transported particles over the entire river width and flow depth. Therefore, a holistic plastic removal approach must consider lateral and vertical river dimensions. This study investigates the conceptual design of a comprehensive river-cleaning system that enables the removal of both floating and suspended litter particles from watercourses withstanding flow variations. The innovative technical cleaning infrastructure is based on a self-cleaning system using rotating screen drum units. In 42 prototype-scale experiments using ten representative plastic particle types (both 3D items and fragments) of five different polymer types, we prove the self-cleaning concept of the infrastructure and define its parameters for the best cleaning performance. Its cleaning efficiency is strongly dependent on the polymer type and shape. The overall cleaning efficiency for 3D items amounts to 82%, whereas plastic fragments are removed less efficiently depending on hydraulic conditions. Adaptions to the prototype can enhance its efficiency. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue River Science: Integrated Management of Water Resources in the Anthropocene)
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16 pages, 37919 KiB  
Article
Comparative Biotic Monitoring of a Modified Denil Fishway and a Pool and Weir Fishway on a Small Tributary in the Upper Trout Region
by Georg Seidl and Josef Schneider
Water 2023, 15(13), 2322; https://doi.org/10.3390/w15132322 - 21 Jun 2023
Viewed by 1574
Abstract
Modified Denil fishways have a centred gabion containing gravel and are intended to enable the free passage of riverbed-oriented species and invertebrates. An experimental plant was built at a small hydropower station which provided a newly arranged Denil fishway and a pool and [...] Read more.
Modified Denil fishways have a centred gabion containing gravel and are intended to enable the free passage of riverbed-oriented species and invertebrates. An experimental plant was built at a small hydropower station which provided a newly arranged Denil fishway and a pool and weir fishway parallel to one another. It was possible to alternately operate the systems for monitoring purposes owing to the parallel design, allowing an appropriate comparison and analysis of the results to be carried out. The primary objective of this study is to qualitatively and quantitatively compare the size selectivity and ascent numbers between the new development and the conventional construction type. An important component of this study is the test to prove the passage of bullheads in the modified Denil fishway using an experimental set-up. The results of this study depict a similar size distribution of ascended fish in both construction types and thus provide no evidence of selectivity for small fish sizes. Likewise, no deficit of the modified Denil fishway compared with the pool and weir fishway could be proven within the scope of a monitoring. The successful passage of bullheads could be demonstrated in the experiment as well as during monitoring. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue River Science: Integrated Management of Water Resources in the Anthropocene)
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