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Water
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Large Rivers in a Changing Environment
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Large Rivers in a Changing Environment

A special issue of Water (ISSN 2073-4441).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 October 2022) | Viewed by 12129

Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Helmut Habersack

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Guest Editor
Institute of Hydraulic Engineering and River Research, Department of Water-Atmosphere-Environment, BOKU – University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna, Austria
Interests: sediment transport; river morphodynamics; ecohydraulics; river restoration; integrated flood risk management; sustainable hydropower
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Michael Tritthart

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Guest Editor
Department of Water, Atmosphere and Environment, Institute of Hydraulic Engineering and River Research, BOKU—University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences Vienna, Muthgasse 107, 1190 Vienna, Austria
Interests: fluvial hydraulics; numerical modelling; hydrodynamics; sediment transport; hydraulic engineering; ecohydraulics; river restoration
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Martin Schletterer

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Guest Editor
TIWAG - Tiroler Wasserkraft AG, Innsbruck, Austria
Interests: aquatic ecosystem management; long-term ecological research and monitoring; ecohydraulics; river restoration; sustainable hydropower
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Markus Eder

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Water, Atmosphere and Environment, Institute of Hydraulic Engineering and River Research, BOKU—University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences Vienna, Muthgasse 107, 1190 Vienna, Austria
Interests: integrated flood risk management; floodplain evaluation; numerical modelling; sediment transport; river restoration

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The pressures and impacts on the world’s large rivers have increased greatly in recent years. Large rivers are particularly exposed to problems of multiple uses, often with conflicting aims. At the global scale, there is no comprehensive assessment of the current status of the world’s large rivers, the conflicting demands on such rivers, and likely future anthropogenic impacts, as well as the potential for restoration and the associated problems.

Especially in the context of climate change, rivers are facing multiple challenges. This Special Issue presents research findings from large rivers all over the world, documenting the changes of the past decades and providing possible solutions for a better management of these very important water bodies.

Prof. Dr. Helmut Habersack
Prof. Dr. Michael Tritthart
Dr. Martin Schletterer
Markus Eder
Guest Editors

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

  • world’s large rivers
  • climate change
  • changing environment
  • adaptation strategies

Published Papers (5 papers)

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Research

31 pages, 4859 KiB  
Article
How Can We Identify Active, Former, and Potential Floodplains? Methods and Lessons Learned from the Danube River
by Markus Eder, Francesca Perosa, Severin Hohensinner, Michael Tritthart, Sabrina Scheuer, Marion Gelhaus, Bernd Cyffka, Tímea Kiss, Boudewijn Van Leeuwen, Zalán Tobak, György Sipos, Nándor Csikós, Anna Smetanová, Sabina Bokal, Andrea Samu, Tamas Gruber, Andreea-Cristina Gălie, Marinela Moldoveanu, Petrişor Mazilu and Helmut Habersack
Water 2022, 14(15), 2295; https://doi.org/10.3390/w14152295 - 24 Jul 2022
Cited by 7 | Viewed by 3126
Abstract
Floodplains are a fundamental source of multiple functions and services. Despite their various benefits, a dramatic reduction in floodplain areas has occurred in most large river systems over the last few centuries, and is still ongoing. Human modifications (such as river regulation, dam [...] Read more.
Floodplains are a fundamental source of multiple functions and services. Despite their various benefits, a dramatic reduction in floodplain areas has occurred in most large river systems over the last few centuries, and is still ongoing. Human modifications (such as river regulation, dam construction, and land use changes) due to economic growth, increasing population size, etc., were and still are drivers of major floodplain losses. Therefore, studies offering solutions for floodplain preservation and restoration are of great importance for sustainable floodplain management. This paper presents methods to identify active, former, and potential floodplains, and their application to the Danube River. We used hydraulic data, historical sources, and recent geospatial data to delineate the three floodplain types. Fifty hydraulically active floodplains larger than 500 ha were identified. According to our results, the extent of Danube floodplains has been reduced by around 79%. With the support of different representatives from the Danube countries, we identified 24 potential floodplains. However, the share of active and potential floodplains in relation to former floodplains ranges between 5% and 49%, demonstrating the huge potential for additional restoration sites. This analysis contributes to an understanding of the current and the past floodplain situation, increases awareness of the dramatic floodplain loss along the Danube, and serves as a basis for future floodplain management. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Large Rivers in a Changing Environment)
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15 pages, 5936 KiB  
Article
The Modified Method of Reanalysis Wind Data in Estuarine Areas
by Zhengjin Tao, Yongping Chen, Ao Chu, Shunqi Pan, Min Gan, Yuhang Chen, Zhumei Che and Ye Zhu
Water 2022, 14(11), 1826; https://doi.org/10.3390/w14111826 - 6 Jun 2022
Viewed by 2152
Abstract
High-quality wind field data are key to improving the accuracy of storm surge simulations in coastal and estuarine water. These data are also of great significance in studying the dynamic processes in coastal areas and safeguarding human engineering structures. A directional correction method [...] Read more.
High-quality wind field data are key to improving the accuracy of storm surge simulations in coastal and estuarine water. These data are also of great significance in studying the dynamic processes in coastal areas and safeguarding human engineering structures. A directional correction method for ECMWF reanalysis wind data was proposed in this paper based on the correlation with the measured wind speed and direction. The results show that the accuracies of wind speed and direction were improved after being modified by the correction method proposed in this paper. The modified wind data were applied to drive the storm surge model of the Yangtze Estuary for typhoon events, which resulted in a significant improvement to the accuracy of hindcasted water levels. The error of the hindcasted highest water levels was reduced by 16–19 cm. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Large Rivers in a Changing Environment)
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20 pages, 3130 KiB  
Article
Key Factors for the Findability of Fish Passes in Large Epipotamal Rivers: The Case of the River Drava
by Andreas Brandl, Gregor Laaha, Sabine Käfer and Helmut Mader
Water 2022, 14(10), 1530; https://doi.org/10.3390/w14101530 - 10 May 2022
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1584
Abstract
Restoring the longitudinal connectivity of rivers through fish passes is of great importance for achieving good ecological status of surface waters. However, the key stimuli determining the findability of the entrance of these structures is still subject to debate. In this article, the [...] Read more.
Restoring the longitudinal connectivity of rivers through fish passes is of great importance for achieving good ecological status of surface waters. However, the key stimuli determining the findability of the entrance of these structures is still subject to debate. In this article, the influence of water temperature, light and acoustic stimuli in addition to flow parameters on fish movement is assessed. Analyses are based on a comprehensive dataset of 40,000 fish migrations covering time accurate recording of ascending individuals during the observation periods from 2015 to 2020 in various fish passes on the river Drava in Carinthia, Austria. The data are assessed by technical, fish ecological and statistical methods. Results indicate that the effect of the water temperature gradient between the fish pass and the main river has most impact on the ascent rates, whereas the two factors of light and acoustic, as well as most of the flow parameters, have no or negligible effect on the findability. A favourable thermal environment can be important to ensure efficient upstream migration and thus facilitate the findability of fish passes. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Large Rivers in a Changing Environment)
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13 pages, 1289 KiB  
Article
Variability of Mean Annual Flows in Southern Quebec (Canada)
by Ali Arkamose Assani
Water 2022, 14(9), 1370; https://doi.org/10.3390/w14091370 - 23 Apr 2022
Viewed by 1404
Abstract
Snow is the main source of streamflow in temperate regions characterized by very cold and snowy winters. Due to global warming, these regions are experiencing a significant decrease in snowfall. The main objective of this study is to analyze the impacts of snowfall [...] Read more.
Snow is the main source of streamflow in temperate regions characterized by very cold and snowy winters. Due to global warming, these regions are experiencing a significant decrease in snowfall. The main objective of this study is to analyze the impacts of snowfall on the spatio-temporal variability of mean annual flows (MAFs) of 17 rivers, grouped into three hydroclimatic regions, from 1930 to 2019 in southern Quebec. In terms of spatial variability, snowfall is the variable most correlated with MAFs (positive correlation), followed by drainage density (positive correlation) and wetland surface areas (negative correlation). Due to the influence of these three factors, MAF values are generally higher in the most agricultural watersheds of the southeastern hydroclimatic region on the south shore than in the less agricultural watersheds of the southwestern hydroclimatic region on the north shore of the St. Lawrence River. As for temporal variability, the four statistical tests applied to the hydrological series detect no significant downward trend in MAFs, despite having reduced snowfall. Instead, they suggest an evolution toward an increase in mean annual flows, as a result of increased rainfall due to the increase in temperature. This evolution is more pronounced on the north shore than on the south shore, likely due to the presence of wetlands and others water bodies, whose runoff water storage capacity does not change over time to be able to store the surplus of the quantity of water brought by the increase in rain. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Large Rivers in a Changing Environment)
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19 pages, 2690 KiB  
Article
Detecting the Planform Changes Due to the Seasonal Flow Fluctuation and 2012 Severe Flood in the Amazon River near Iquitos City, Peru Based on Remote Sensing Image Analysis
by Karen Garcia Angulo and Kwan Tun Lee
Water 2022, 14(3), 509; https://doi.org/10.3390/w14030509 - 8 Feb 2022
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 2352
Abstract
The Upper Amazon River forms an anabranching planform, which has been found to have significant changes in migration rate and river morphology. Previous studies have elaborated long-term evolution of the anabranching systems; however, research on the influence of the water level on temporal [...] Read more.
The Upper Amazon River forms an anabranching planform, which has been found to have significant changes in migration rate and river morphology. Previous studies have elaborated long-term evolution of the anabranching systems; however, research on the influence of the water level on temporal changes in anabranching is absent. According to the theory of river hydraulics, fluvial scour usually occurs when the shear force possessed by the high flow exceeds the resistance of the streambank. In contrast, deposition occurs when the tractive force of the low flow is insufficient to overcome the forces of gravity and friction. This study investigated the Muyuy anabranching planform change of the Upper Peruvian Amazon River due to the seasonal flow fluctuations and a severe flood in 2012. The Muyuy anabranching area is located 20 km upstream of Iquitos City, Peru. Landsat images from the wet and dry seasons in 2008, 2009, 2012, and 2013 were collected. The images were classified into three land cover classes (water, bare soil, vegetation and others) based on NDVI analysis. Quantitative analysis of the erosion/deposition shows that deposition is more noticeable than erosion in the Muyuy anabranching area. Considerable deposition can be found on the island of the anabranching system, and the streambank erosion occurred in the outer (concave) side of the main channel. This phenomenon of river erosion and deposition consistently occurred in 2008 and 2009 because of the periodical variation among the wet and dry seasons. However, prominent erosion was observed in 2012 and it was recognized to be caused by the severe flood. Furthermore, the extensive island was formed in 2013, which means substantial depositions accumulated in the recession of the 2012 flood. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Large Rivers in a Changing Environment)
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