1,999 research outputs found

    Publicationes Instituti Geographici Universitatis Tartuensis 110

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    Lifelong Learning ProgrammeAntti Roose: Progressing water geography discourses in the framework of the Erasmus seminar series - Silvia Piovan and Pierpaolo Faggi: The tradition of the European Seminar on Geography of Water in Padova: Experience in research and training - Leandro del Moral, Maria Fernanda Pita, BelĂ©n Pedregal, Nuria HernĂĄndez-Mora, Natalia Limones: Current paradigms in the management of water: Resulting information needs - Arvo JĂ€rvet: Morphological assessment of the quality of running water bodies for water management planning - Milada MatouĆĄkovĂĄ and Kateƙina Ć merousovĂĄ: Hydromorphological reference condition of streams based on the European Water Framework Directive - Andrea Corsale and Giovanni Sistu: The changing relations among resources, communities and institutions in Sardinian wetlands - Franca Battigelli and Andrea Guaran: Drinking water(s) in Italy: Bottled, tap or kiosk water? - Levente Ronczyk, Szabolcs CzigĂĄny, Zoltan Wilhelm: Urban water damages in PĂ©cs triggered by extreme weather events - Daniela Zlatunova and Panka Babukova: Flood risk assessment – a basis for sustainable spatial development. Case study: the Republic of Bulgaria - Chronicle of European seminars of water geography 2005–2014:Tartu 2005, Sevilla 2006, Sofia 2008, Udine 2009, Cluj-Napoca 2010, Cagliari 2011, Munich–Fischbachau 2012, Zadar 2013, Padova 201

    A Glimpse into International Regimes Governing the Use of Transboundary Freshwater Resources

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    This article discusses the legal and institutional frameworks that apply to transboundary freshwater resources. Water has increasingly become one of the most critical environmental concerns of the twenty-first century. The quantum leap in global populations and economies has created enormous environmental change that is presently threatening the quantity and quality of freshwater resources. To address this concern, the international community has over the years designed, negotiated and ratified treaties and rules for the management of freshwater resources in international river basins as a necessary step to overcome some of the conflicts related to international waters. This article provides a general glimpse into transboundary freshwater treaties and rules governing the use of water resources, with a focus on major international regional agreements and non-treaty instruments; the institutional framework for the management of transboundary water resources and international water law Cases. The development of transboundary freshwater treaties and rules governing the use of water resources by the international community is bound to have a clear impact on the regime. These treaties and rules help to address the environmental concerns in transboundary freshwater management, and represent significant efforts in this long and difficult process of resolving water-related international challenges. Keywords: International waters, river basins, transboundary freshwater treaties, water resources, shared river management, international water law, dispute resolutio

    UN-Water Thematic Paper - Transboundary Waters: Sharing Benefits, Sharing Responsibilities

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    This paper is about regional cooperation over transboundary waters and transboundary aquifers. This paper discusses seven pillars that are usually considered for long-term, sustainable and reliable transboundary cooperation: 1) legal instruments, 2) institutional structures and capacity development, 3) an integrated approach, 4) exchange of information and joint monitoring and assessment, 5) a participatory approach, 6) benefits and costs-sharing, and 7) financing

    Source control SUDS delivery on a global scale and in Scotland including approach by responsible organisations and professional groups

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    Background to researchThe Sustainable Urban Drainage Scottish Working Party via CREW commissioned this work on the implementation of source control for SUDS in Scotland. The project is being carried out by researchers based at Abertay University Dundee involves three phases. These are presented in separate reports; this report covers phase 2 of that work. Source control sustainable urban drainage systems (SUDS) are an established technique in many parts of the world. Source control SUDS are a key component of what is termed the stormwater treatment train. Source controls manage the more frequent but smaller polluting rainfall events as close to the source as possible (where the rain falls). Site and regional control SUDS are larger downstream structures which manage the longer term rainfall events and provide additional treatment when required. One of the key advantages of managing the more frequent rainfall events at source is that downstream site and regional SUDS will have longer life spans resulting in overall cost efficiencies. Scotland is regarded as a frontrunner in the UK regarding implementation of SUDS with site and regional drainage structures now considered ‘business as usual’. However the uptake of source control is less routine than would be expected.Objectives of researchPhase one of this research looked at the background to the evolution of source control in Scotland to provide an insight into the enabling factors and obstacles for uptake of the systems since. Phase two(this report) appraises delivery of the systems in seven countries and case studies are developed to understand why source control was implemented and how it was achieved. The current delivery by responsible organisations and professional groups which encourage and influence the source control agenda in Scotland is also appraised. Using these findings, the transition pathway from traditional drainage to source control SUDS are reconstructed and mapped out to highlight the historical and current enabling (and disabling) factors to realise the transition to date. A transition framework is used to highlight the transition strengths developed by responsible organisations over the last two decades which had assisted in accelerating the transition.Key findings and recommendationsKey outcomes of this research include:* In Scotland the source control vision and agenda is fragmented due to different stakeholder drivers and funding mechanisms.* There are examples of the use of incentives in Scotland (i.e. legislative, regulatory, financial,social and environmental) to drive integrated agendas. However these have not been successfully showcased to provide the evidence base for encouraging replication and up-scaling of the methodologies and techniques.* There are limited frontier source control SUDS ‘niches’ to nurture innovative techniques such as raingardens – a learning by doing concept. A more focused research agenda to validate these systems as viable sustainable solutions for Scotland would assist in accelerating uptake.* Lack of sector engagement, particularly with the public is a disabling factor for uptake.A final observation from this phase of the study is that requests from various interested parties for CREW / SUDS Working Party to share outputs indicates the need for this research

    Inland Waterways as Modern Landscapes in Northeast Italy: Recovering a Cultural Heritage for Sustainable Governance

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    It’s well known the role of modern States in both managing river catchments and reclaiming wetlands, probably the most relevant issues in an effectual creation of “modernity”. The process of hydraulic modernization starts in North East Italy in the last decades of 19th century, following the annexation of the Veneto Region to the Italian Kingdom (1866). Subsequently, and sympathetic with the coeval nationalist discourses on skilful exploitation of natural/national resources, large schemes were set up, taking advantage of the advancements in water engineering. In this context inland navigation is another meaningful economic aspect that it’s worth to be considered, especially when in the very first years of 20th it was addressed as one of the pre-eminent issues of the Italian economic development. During the second world war the majority of Veneto and Friuli navigable rivers and canals was heavily damaged and the following economic recession did not allow its efficient maintenance. Therefore the decline of the water transport led to a functional decadence of some fluvial and canal landscapes. Only recently a more mature appreciation of the cultural heritage related to riverscapes developed. In this light the importance of waterways today shifts from mere engineering point of view to wider cultural and recreational goals to the extent that rivers and canals are showing their undeniable relevance in whatever intervention of environmental planning

    Meander belt delineation: Developing a predictive model for meander belt width

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    The delineation of a meander belt has been recognized in Ontario through land use planning policies as a primary tool for determining the extent a river or stream requires for natural meandering tendencies; thus, providing input to channel restoration projects, development constraints or limits, and regulated areas for species-at-risk. Current delineation procedures utilize site-specific historical migration assessments, or published empirical equations to predict meander belt width. In the case of altered, low order watercourses in southern Ontario, the meander belt width dimension is usually assessed by the application of empirical relations, as the available historic record often lacks the information necessary to conduct meander morphology and migration assessments. There is limited research concerned with the variables controlling meander belt development, and on the precision and reliability of the measurement of belt width. Drawing on a sample population of river reaches in the Credit River watershed, this research project evaluates the current standards of practice for meander belt delineation in southern Ontario, focusing on empirical equations to determine whether the width of the meander belt can be reliably predicted from hydro-geomorphic variables. Results suggest meander belt width is scaled to drainage area, discharge, and bankfull channel width. These results differ from equations commonly used in Ontario assessments suggesting further need for model testing and assessment of the reliability of meander belt width as a planning tool

    Wilket Creek: urbanization, geomorphology, policy, and design

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    The understanding of the morphology of an urbanized channel is currently limited to a ‘black box’ understanding in that the main driving force of morphological change is hydrologic. This study aimed to expand our understanding of urbanized channels by conducting a socio-geomorphological investigation; that is, the natural and policy-driven events and processes leading to the current channel form. A fluvial audit including historical analysis and fieldwork was conducted in Wilket Creek, a southern Ontario urbanized channel, along with a review of provincial and municipal policy and reports. Overall, it was concluded that the current morphology of Wilket Creek is the result of a complex combination of urbanization, conservation policy, and channel reconstruction and design. This in-depth analysis provides the sequence of events and processes which took place in the catchment which has led to the current urban morphology

    Governance of International Rivers: Threats, Gaps and Challenges

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    In light of the growing water shortages world-wide and concerns over freshwater disputes arising from essentially a growing world population, an increase in per-capita consumption and the limited supplies of freshwater resources, this thesis looks at issues of governance of international rivers in terms of threats to them, gaps in their governance regimes and challenges associated with closing those gaps. International river basins globally are currently threatened with over-extraction, pollution, damming and infrastructural development as well as the impact of climate change. If left unaddressed, the pressure on the international river basins, as riparian States compete for its limited supplies, is only going to exacerbate any chances of freshwater disputes between them. The United Nations Convention on the Non-Navigational Uses of International Watercourses offers a guidance framework to enable riparian States of international rivers to achieve ‘equitable utilization’ of water resources as well as management of the basin in order to avoid freshwater disputes. This thesis analyses the adequacy of the Convention to address the four main threats. The analysis is supplemented by the Berlin Rules, international cases and arbitral awards. The thesis has also undertaken a study of the European regional framework as an example of best regional practice, given that it not only has a similar Convention to the UN Watercourses Convention being the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe’s Convention on the Protection and Use of Transboundary Watercourses and International Lakes, but it also has other pieces of legislative and policy documents to guide the European Union States to achieve the paramount objective of the EU water policy, which is ‘good ecological status’ for all its water bodies by 2015. This is to ensure sustainable water supply for its current and future populations. In order to test the viability of the UN Watercourses Convention against individual basin’s legal regimes, the thesis has taken the Jordan, the Nile and the Indus River Basins as case studies as they are already considered to be ‘hot spots’ for freshwater disputes and the four main threats to them, which if not adequately addressed, will only aggravate the already existing tension. The analysis of the case studies’ legal regimes involve an examination of the extent of the specific threats in each river basin and the strengths and weaknesses of each governance regime in order to ascertain where it is lacking. In order to enable an international legal framework that is apt to guide riparian States to deal with any of the four main threats to any international river basin, this thesis proposes recommendations for changes to the UN Convention based on other sources of international law and policy, the EU framework as well as the strengths of the governance regimes of the case studies. In order to minimize any chances of freshwater disputes and increase water security in the case studies, the thesis also makes recommendations for improvement to each legal governance regime based on international law and policy, the EU framework as well as the strengths of the governance regime of the other case studies. In doing so, this thesis provides a comprehensive overview of the current international law, policy, case law and arbitral awards relating to each major threat that has been identified. It also highlights the progress being made in addressing these threats in the European region through the practical application of the relevant treaties, directives and policy documents. Finally, it puts together the legal responses that are required to effectively address the four main threats in the Jordan, the Nile and the Indus River Basins

    Potential pollution risks of historic landfills in England: Further analysis of climate change impacts

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    Five years ago, an article in WIREs Water provided the first comprehensive analysis of historic (legacy) landfill sites vulnerable to coastal flooding and erosion at a national scale (England). This update expands upon that article by considering the potential impacts of climate change upon inland historic landfills. Globally, there are hundreds of thousands of landfills that predate modern environmental regulations, and where waste is not isolated from the surrounding environment, but climate change impacts on the pollution risk from historic landfills in freshwater environments has received little attention. Where climate change causes an increase in the frequency and magnitude of fluvial flood events, this will increase leachate generation and the probability of landfill erosion and solid waste release. Where there is increased drought the landfill capping materials may crack, opening up new pollutant pathways, and increasing the risk of solid waste release. Changes to groundwater movement resulting from climate change may open new leachate pathways, and in England alone, thousands of historic landfills are in (groundwater) Source Protection Zones where modern regulations to protect drinking water supplies would not permit their construction. This increased contaminant release from historic landfills in freshwater environments may impact surface and/or groundwater quality and ecological health, increase costs for drinking water monitoring/treatment, or make some abstraction sources unviable. This is especially of concern where receptors are subject to multiple pressures and may cause tipping points to be reached. Further research is warranted into contaminant behavior, receptor vulnerability, historic landfill risk prioritization, and mitigation/remediation methods. This article is categorized under: Engineering Water > Engineering Water Science of Water > Water Quality Science of Water > Water and Environmental Change Water and Life > Stresses and Pressures on Ecosystems

    Effects of Land Use on the Ecohydrology of River Basin in Accordance with Climate Change

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    Water deficit affects various regions of the world. Effective approach can be based on ecohydrological solutions and the design of blue–green infrastructure. In our scientific book, we focused on papers that consider water management and adaptation of urban and rural development areas to the progressive climate change. The Special Issue includes a drought-prone place (valleys in Mexico City), reflections on the state and water resources in Lithuania, and engineering and technical articles from China and Poland. In addition, one chapter is dedicated to grassland protection in mountainous areas
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