本书精选了会议的30余篇论文,以干旱区水资源可持续利用为核心,讨论了干旱区植被-水文-沙漠的相互作用机理、水循环系统模型及其构建方法等。

This study provides an overview of the water security situation in the People's Republic of China. It assesses the policy and institutional requirements for addressing issues and recommends strategic areas for strengthening and reform. The five dimensions of water security covered in the research are domestic water security, economic production water security, environmental water security, ecological water security, and resilience to water-related disasters. A summary of key policy recommendations identifies the essential measures needed to effectively move forward the alleviation of water security issues in different time frames.

This book examines the possible impacts of climate change on hydrology and water resources in the vast arid region of Northwest China, which is one of the world’s largest arid places. The first chapter offers an introductory discussion of the physical geography and socioeconomic conditions in the region. Chapters 2 through 7 discuss the climate system and hydrologic system changes in the region, and assess some implications of these changes in relation to potential evapotranspiration, the hydrological cycle and spatiotemporal variations of the snow cover and glaciers as measured via remote sensing, geographic information systems, and statistical analysis. Chapters 8 and 9 focus on model description and experimental design for interpreting the hydro-climatic process, emphasizing the integration of water, climate, and land ecosystems through field observations and computer-based simulations. Chapter 10 examines some extreme hydrological events and presents a study using the historical trend method to investigate the spatial and temporal variability of changing temperature and precipitation extremes in the hyper-arid region of Northwest China. A concluding chapter discusses possible strategies for sustainable watershed management. The contributors are acknowledged experts who bring broad, relevant experience on water resources research in China’s cold and arid regions. The lessons of this volume will prove useful for understanding arid areas elsewhere in the world.

This book investigates water resources management and policy in China over the last two decades with a core focus on the role of water for socioeconomic development and sustainability. Recent policies, such as the Three Red Lines and the Water Ten Plan are evaluated for sustainable water supply, use and quality control. The book appraises solutions through demand management, water rights and pollution trading, virtual water and water footprint. Supply management is discussed taking examples from the Three Gorges Dam and the South North Water Transfer Project. The water market is investigated uncovering the active engagement of the private sector and includes discussions on how transboundary rivers demonstrate China’s engagement with its riparian countries for benefit sharing. This book will be an invaluable reference for researchers in the field as well as practitioners and students who have an interest in water and development in China.

This book explores water resources management issues in China and possible solutions. It analyzes a wide range of general and specific topics, providing case studies and a balanced review of the past and present situation as well as future developments. The book begins with a general introduction and an overview of hydrology, water resources, and development issues in China. It then presents a management framework, including a management system, management institutions, river basin management, water pricing, water rights, and groundwater management, and discusses its implementation, covering water resources allocation and regulation in the Yellow River, integrated water affair management reforms, and agricultural water management in northern China. The last section focuses on the current reforms and hot topics, with strong emphasis on stringent water resource strategies applied to the river and lake principle system, recycled water use and water resources asset management, as well as climate change impacts, and concludes with a summary of the many changes in the water sector in China and a look at the road ahead and the areas that still need to be reformed.

Wetlands are usually located in complex landscapes. Multiple ecosystem services delivered by wetlands to human well-being should be considered in broader contexts of wetland functions, water quality, water resource management and wetland conservation. Natural wetlands are 'kidneys' and 'sponges' of the earth that remove water pollutants and provide hydrological regulation functions vital to the environment. Where the functions of the wetlands are weakened, actions of rehabilitations are needed to revitalize those functions. While worldwide many natural wetlands have disappeared due to climate change and/or human activities, constructed wetlands, which may be seen as 'artificial kidneys/sponges' of the earth, have been increasingly built to replicate the functions of the natural wetlands. This Research Topic aims to collect and present the latest research developments in natural and constructed wetlands in relation to either water resource functions or water quality. Articles published in this Research Topic will showcase new understandings of water balances and flow patterns, vegetation characteristics, and pollutant transformations in wetland systems; innovative designs and efficiencies of wastewater treatment wetlands; and technologies that revitalize the ecosystem functions of natural wetlands. These articles are expected to bring benefits to research communities, water and wastewater industries, and government agencies that deal with wetland water management and conservation. High-quality Original Research and Review articles in this field are all welcome for submission to this Research Topic. Research interests include but are not limited to the following areas: 1. Water balances and flow patterns in natural wetland systems. 2. The hydrological regulation functions and importance of natural wetlands in their environmental context. 3. Vegetation characteristics of natural wetlands and their functional importance in wetland water pollution control. 4. Techniques for the rehabilitation of degraded wetlands. 5. The role of constructed wetlands in wastewater treatment. 6. Innovative designs and efficiencies of wastewater treatment wetlands. 7. The modeling of hydrological and/or pollutant dynamics in wetland systems. 8. The ecohydrology of wetlands. 9. The role of wetlands in the global carbon cycle. 10. Impacts of climate change and human activities on wetland hydrology and water resources. Recognizing that hydrological and biogeochemical processes are basically coupled in wetlands and their landscapes, manuscripts that report their interactions are particularly welcome.