Climate and water resources

Abstract

River runoff and the resulting water resources which provide the needs of mankind for fresh water are subject to variations in space and time mainly depending on the space and time variability of climate characteristics. Thus there are close interrelations between the problems of the provision of fresh water and the problems of both natural and anthropogenic changes in climate. Moreover, these interrelations are characterized by specific features both under natural conditions and during a period of man's intensive impact on water resources. The problem of these interrelations has acquired a particular scientific and practical importance during recent years in which climatologists have attempted to predict global anthropogenic changes in climate for the near future, changes unknown on our plant for millennia. The present paper has been prepared mainly on the basis of research results obtained at the State Hydrological Institute in Leningrad. It describes the global interrelations between climatic characteristics and water resources under natural conditions and in the case of intensive water resources development; up-to-date ideas on the anthropogenic changes of the global climate are given; the possible consequent effects on future water resources are analysed.     

Boundary methods in water resources

A brief review of boundary methods is presented. Emphasis is placed on alternatives to boundary integral equations. Different theoretical questions required to give a firm foundation to these procedures are discussed. Extensions to non-linear problems are explained. Examples of application to fluid problems are included.     

Integrated water resources management: Concepts and issues

After the describing the historical developments that led the development of Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM), the paper defines this important concept. It subsequently deals with the thorny issue of water security as well as water conflict, after which the major issues over which thus far no consensus has been achieved are briefly reviewed. The paper concludes with an analysis of the role of the IAHS International Commission on Water Resources Systems (ICWRS) in promoting IWRM.     

Stochastic methods and reliability analysis in water resources

Considerable progresses have been accomplished in recent years on two of the probability based subjects in water resources. Many stochastic methods have been developed for data generation, forecasting and simulation. Likewise, new techniques have been proposed for comprehensive evaluation of the reliability of water systems, accounting for not only the occurrence frequency of rainfall or flood but also other contributing factors. A general view of stochastic methods and reliability analysis is given in this presentation.     

Challenges for integrated water resources management

During the past century, while world population tripled, the use of water increased sixfold. Irrigation accounts for 70% of global water withdrawals, industry for 20%, and municipal use for 10%. To meet the water resources challenges, a series of transitions is under way, with major implications for water management. The present paper underlines the major issues and the new role of engineers in charge of development and project management.     

Tracing water resources flows by complementary use of hydrological and water accounting models

Historically, there has been a dispute over water allocation between users and policymakers in Iran's Zayandeh-Roud Basin (ZRB). In this study, we used the “System of Environmental-Economic Accounting for Water” (SEEAW) framework in combination with the hydrologic model “Soil and Water Assessment Tool” (SWAT) to achieve the water balance in ZRB. We used SEEAW to combine a wide range of water-related statistics across stakeholders and SWAT to evaluate the unknown agricultural water use. The SWAT model is calibrated based on the stream flows and crop yields in the basin. The model assess the renewable water of the basin into two components, about 363 and 70 mm as green and blue water, respectively. Also results from the physical water supply and water use tables demonstrates that the agricultural sector uses 78% of the total renewable freshwater, followed by the residential, 16%, and the industrial sector, 6%. The flows of water from source to services in ZRB are traced based on the water supply and water use tables. The flow diagram shows that 8 MCM of industrial reused water was transferred to the agricultural sector, and 137 MCM and 18 MCM of water from the wastewater treatment plants to the agricultural and industrial sectors, respectively. Furthermore, the results show that the index of the basin dependence on groundwater resources is high (61%), the value of water stress is high (0.88) and the dependence of the basin on transboundary water resources is 30%. Therefore, this method is highly beneficial for achieving a conceptual water balance in disputed basins without enough agricultural water uses data.     

Information-analytical systems for water resources quality management

The need to develop information-analytical systems (IAS) for water resources quality management is substantiated. The structure and principles of IAS organization, developed by the authors, are specified. A mathematical model that serves as a basis for the simulation block of proposed IAS is discussed and the results of model calculations are given.     

Modelling blue and green water resources availability in Iran

Knowledge of the internal renewable water resources of a country is strategic information which is needed for long‐term planning of a nation's water and food security, among many other needs. New modelling tools allow this quantification with high spatial and temporal resolution. In this study we used the program Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) in combination with the Sequential Uncertainty Fitting program (SUFI‐2) to calibrate and validate a hydrologic model of Iran based on river discharges and wheat yield, taking into consideration dam operations and irrigation practices. Uncertainty analyses were also performed to assess the model performance. The results were quite satisfactory for most of the rivers across the country. We quantified all components of the water balance including blue water flow (water yield plus deep aquifer recharge), green water flow (actual and potential evapotranspiration) and green water storage (soil moisture) at sub‐basin level with monthly time‐steps. The spatially aggregated water resources and simulated yield compared well with the existing data. The study period was 1990–2002 for calibration and 1980–1989 for validation. The results show that irrigation practices have a significant impact on the water balances of the provinces with irrigated agriculture. Concerning the staple food crop in the country, 55% of irrigated wheat and 57% of rain‐fed wheat are produced every year in water‐scarce regions. The vulnerable situation of water resources availability has serious implications for the country's food security, and the looming impact of climate change could only worsen the situation. This study provides a strong basis for further studies concerning the water and food security and the water resources management strategies in the country and a unified approach for the analysis of blue and green water in other arid and semi‐arid countries. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

淀山湖水量的初步研究

分析了淀山湖水量的主要补给来源及淀山湖水量受潮沙影响的泄流规律,并用1988年的实测资料研究枯水年型的淀山湖水量平衡。计算结果表明:淀山湖区在1988年降水稀少,但它可获取邻近河湖及长江等水体的水源补给,使湖水量达到年内基本平衡。     

Factorial two-stage stochastic programming for water resources management

This study presents a factorial two-stage stochastic programming (FTSP) approach for supporting water resource management under uncertainty. FTSP is developed through the integration of factorial analysis and two-stage stochastic programming (TSP) methods into a general modeling framework. It can handle uncertainties expressed as probability distributions and interval numbers. This approach has two advantages in comparison to conventional inexact TSP methods. Firstly, FTSP inherits merits of conventional inexact two-stage optimization approaches. Secondly, it can provide detailed effects of uncertain parameters and their interactions on the system performance. The developed FTSP method is applied to a hypothetical case study of water resources systems analysis. The results indicate that significant factors and their interactions can be identified. They can be further analyzed for generating water allocation decision alternatives in municipal, industrial and agricultural sectors. Reasonable water allocation schemes can thus be formulated based on the resulting information of detailed effects from various impact factors and their interactions. Consequently, maximized net system benefit can be achieved.     

马湖水资源的初步分析

详细阐述了马湖的地理位置、湖盆形态、流域水系特征及湖区自然概况。从研究水资源的角度出发,实测了水下地形,并进行了湖水的水量平衡分析计算。分析湖水的理化特性,包括:水色、透明度、温度、溶解性气体、pH值、营养物质、矿化度和水型等,并根据其水资源特点,提出了开发和综合利用的措施。