International Hydrological Programme Research Articles

Reconfiguration of ecohydrology as a sustainability tool for Himalayan waterways

AbstractTwenty first century faces unprecedented challenges for the management of global waterways. The Himalayan waterways in Asia are exposed to unpredictable climatic warming together with anthropogenic perturbations caused by population growth, land use change and socio‐economic development. Given the increased public concerns on the Himalayan Mountain development programmes including the hydropower and tourism, there has been a growing need of the use of interdisciplinary scientific approaches to address water resources challenges that the Himalayan region has faced during the 21st century. Ecohydrology is an emerging scientific tool that explores key hydrological processes regulating structure and function of ecosystems, as well as assessing the impact of biological processes on water cycle variables under rapidly changing environment. The International Geosphere‐Biosphere Programme and the International Hydrological Programme hosted by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization have adopted ecohydrology as a sustainable development tool by linking water resources and poverty eradication and ecosystem restoration, irrigation, energy and sanitation. However, ecohydrology tool needs to be reconfigured for sustainable development of rapidly changing Himalayan waterways. Here we propose the advancement of ecohydrology by developing various integrated frameworks of ecology, hydrology, hydraulics and sociology for resilient waterways in the Asian Himalayas.

THE “ONE HEALTH” APPROACH AS A POSSIBLE MODE OF ECOLOGICAL RISK ASSESSMENT (EXAMPLE OF CYANOTOXINS)

Cyanobacteria are a big group of photosynthetic prokaryotic organisms inhabiting fresh and sea waters and damp soils. Cyanobacteria produce secondary metabolites – cyanotoxins, which are potentially dangerous for humans and animals if present in drinking water, and pose real danger for waterfowl, fish, and zooplankton. Therefore, cyanobacteria are often considered as pathogenic organisms albeit they are unable to develop in animals’ organisms. As reported by the UNESCO international hydrological program CYANONET, cyanobacteria and cyanotoxins were found in surface waters in 65 countries. To study the occurrence of cyanobacteria and cyanotoxins in European lakes, two international cooperation programs were implemented, namely CYANOCOST in 2012–2016 and EMLS (European Multi Lake Survey) in 2015. Cyanotoxins are divided into groups according to their action on human organisms (hepatotoxins, neurotoxins, dermatoxins, and cytotoxins). Lately, the health impacts of harmful cyanobacteria have been more frequently detected and reported. However, reports of human and animal illnesses or death associated with harmful cyanobacteria tend to be investigated separately. One Health is an approach that recognizes that the health of people is closely connected to the health of animals and our shared environment. This review illustrates how the investigation of cyanotoxin-associated animal illnesses and death can be used to reduce the risks of human exposure to harmful cyanobacteria. The One Health approach is an environmental risk management method that requires the integration of efforts of different specialists.

A commentary on ecohydrology as a science-policy interface in implementing the UN Sustainable Development Goals

Ecohydrology, as an integrating discipline, can contribute strongly to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) especially in the context of Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM). Using ecohydrology principles in applying IWRM affords a better understanding of the links between water, biodiversity, and human wellbeing in the catchments. One problem with the SDGs is that they are presented in a “silo” style, which means there are few if any connections between SDG6 “clean water and sanitation” and SDG 15 “life on land”, which deals with wetlands and catchments. Ecohydrology principles, drawing on the need to better understand green and blue infrastructure, can help bridge between the SDGs in an IWRM context, allowing thus for their more successful achievement.The Convention on Wetlands (Ramsar, 1971) has degrees of overlap and redundancy with the UNECE Water Convention (1992). And both rely on better science, policy, and management of catchments for effective implementation. Ecohydrology can help promote and develop the science base of these Multilateral Environment Agreements allowing for interpretation of catchment processes and dynamics, and thus better application of IWRM, and ultimately better policies for management of water resources, and thus alleviation of water scarcity.Ecohydrology can also play a role in fostering social science research in catchments, heritage management and conservation. So far in UNESCO, ecohydrology has been largely dealt with by the International Hydrological Programme, in the Division of Water Sciences. There is a future role for ecohydrology as a cross-cutting theme across all UNESCO Sectors, led by the Natural Sciences Sector.

Transboundary Hydro-Governance: From Conflict to Shared Management: Book Review. Written by Jacques Ganoulis and Jean Fried. Springer: Cham, Switzerland, 2018, 222 pages. ISBN 978-3-319-78624-7; eBook ISBN 978-3-319-78625-4

This book came as a support of the UNESCO International Hydrological Programme (IHP) activities on the International Shared Aquifer Resources Management (ISARM) project launched in the year 2000, with the goal of developing wise practices and guidance tools for the shared management of groundwater resources and to contribute to the multifaceted efforts required for global water cooperation [...]

The Main Activities of United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)

The article describes the main activities of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). The main documents (conventions, recommendations, declarations) on which the work of the Organization is based are covered. It is determined that the cultural component of the work of UNESCO consists of topical issues: the dialogue of cultures, the preservation of cultural heritage, the protection of intangible cultural heritage. It was found that education has a priority place in the activities of the Organization, special attention was paid to the main goals of Education for All. The important programs in the scientific sphere were characterized: “Man and the Biosphere”, the International Hydrological Program, etc. The role of such composite activities of UNESCO as communication and information in the modern world is emphasized. The outlook for the activities of UNESCO has been identified and the importance of the active cooperation of the internationalcommunity in preserving peace has been pointed out.

UNESCO’s Contribution to Face Global Water Challenges

The current world population of 7.6 billion is expected to reach 8.6 billion in 2030, 9.8 billion in 2050 and 11.2 billion in 210, with roughly 83 million people being added every year. The upward trend in population size along with an improved quality of life are expected to continue, and with them the demand for water. Available water for human consumption and development remains virtually the same. Additional to the different pressures of the demand side on the available resources (offer side), climate variability and change apply further pressures to the management of the resource. Additional to the increase in evaporation due to temperature rise, climate change is responsible for more frequent and intense water related extreme events, such as floods and droughts. Anthropogenic activities often result in the contamination of the few pristine water resources and exacerbate the effects of climate change. Furthermore, they are responsible for altering the state of the environment and minimizing the ecosystem services provided. Thus, the water security of countries is compromised posing harder challenges to poor countries to address it. This compromise is taking place in a complex context of scarce and shared resources. Across the world, 153 countries share rivers, lakes and aquifers, home to 40% of the world’s current population. The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) is the scientific arm of the United Nations and its International Hydrological Programme (IHP) is the main vehicle for work in water sciences at an intergovernmental level. IHP VIII, IHP’s medium term strategy, aims to assist UNESCO’s Member States (MS) in achieving water security by mobilizing international cooperation to improve knowledge and innovation, strengthening the science-policy interface, and facilitating education and capacity development in order to enhance water resource management and governance. Furthermore, the organization has established an Urban Water Management Programme (UWMP) aiming at promoting sustainable water resource management in urban areas.

Editorial

Editorial

Topical Collection: Climate-change research by early-career hydrogeologists

Scientific outreach, international networking, collaboration and adequate courses are needed in both developed and developing countries to enable early-career hydrogeologists to promote long-term multidisciplinary approaches to cope with climate-change issues and emphasize the importance of groundwater in a global strategy for adaptation. One such collaboration has involved the Early Career Hydrogeologists’ Network of the International Association of Hydrogeologists (ECHN-IAH) and the UNESCO International Hydrological Programme’s (IHP) Groundwater Resources Assessment under the Pressures of Humanity and Climate Changes (GRAPHIC) project. This collaboration seeks to foster the education and involvement of the future generation of water leaders in the debate over groundwater and climate change.

Strengthening drought risk management and policy: UNESCO International Hydrological Programme's case studies from Africa and Latin America and the Caribbean

Droughts have resulted in significant socio-economic impacts in the regions of Africa and Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC), especially in developing countries. The main gaps to mitigate its effects, identified in both Africa and LAC regions, include a lack of human and institutional capacity, a lack of access to relevant early warning information for decision-making, the identification of vulnerable communities within the countries and the integration of these two components into drought management policies. UNESCO International Hydrological Programme (UNESCO-IHP) has been providing support to enhance human capacity, policy guidance and tools to the countries to address drought-related challenges and this paper presents some examples. Through capacity building at regional institutions in Western, Eastern and Southern Africa, drought monitoring and early warning tools have been transferred and validated for inclusion into national climate risk management plans. In LAC, a drought atlas was produced to identify the frequency of meteorological droughts and the exposure of population to droughts. Also in LAC, national drought observatories were developed in two pilot countries, providing locally relevant and actionable drought monitoring and early warning information, socio-economic vulnerabilities and appropriate drought indicators for decision-making to strengthen current drought policies for these countries.

A comparative study on a simple two-parameter monthly water balance model and the Kajiyama formula for monthly runoff estimation

ABSTRACTA two-parameter monthly water balance model to simulate runoff can be used for a water resources planning programme and climate impact studies. However, the model estimates two parameters of transformation of time scale (c) and of the field capacity (SC) by a trial-and-error method. This study suggests a modified methodology to estimate the parameters c and SC using the meteorological and geological conditions. The modified model is compared with the Kajiyama formula to simulate the runoff in the Han River and International Hydrological Programme representative basins in South Korea. We show that the estimated c and SC can be used as the initial or optimal values for the monthly runoff simulation study in the model.EDITOR M.C. Acreman; ASSOCIATE EDITOR S. Kanae

Assessment of rainfall aggregation and disaggregation using data-driven models and wavelet decomposition

The objective of this study is to develop hybrid models by combining data-driven models, including support vector machines (SVM) and generalized regression neural networks (GRNN), and wavelet decomposition for aggregation and disaggregation of rainfall. The wavelet-based support vector machines (WSVM) and wavelet-based generalized regression neural networks (WGRNN) models are obtained using mother wavelets, including db8, db10, sym8, sym10, coif6, and coif12. The developed models are evaluated in the Bocheong-stream catchment, an International Hydrological Program representative catchment, Republic of Korea. WSVM and WGRNN models with mother wavelet db10 yield the best performance as compared with other mother wavelets for estimating areal and disaggregated rainfalls, respectively. Among 12 rainfall stations, SVM, GRNN, WSVM (db10 and sym10), and WGRNN (db10 and sym10) models provide the best accuracies for estimating the disaggregated rainfalls at Samga (No. 7), and the worst accuracies for estimating the disaggregated rainfalls at Yiweon (No. 11) stations, respectively. Results obtained from this study indicate that the combination of data-driven models and wavelet decomposition can be a useful tool for estimating areal and disaggregated rainfalls satisfactorily, and can yield better efficiency than data-driven models.

Modeling of Rainfall by Combining Neural Computation and Wavelet Technique

The objective of this study is to develop the hybrid models by combining neural computation, including support vector machines (SVM) and generalized regression neural networks (GRNN), and wavelet technique for rainfall modeling. The wavelet-based support vector machines (WSVM) and wavelet-based generalized regression neural networks (WGRNN) models are obtained using mother wavelets, including db8, db10, sym8, sym10, coif6, and coif12. The developed models are evaluated in the Bocheong-stream catchment, an International Hydrological Program (IHP) representative catchment, Republic of Korea. Results obtained from this study indicate that the combination of neural computing and wavelet technique can be a useful tool for modeling of rainfall satisfactorily and can yield better efficiency than neural computing.

Preface: Prevention and mitigation of natural and anthoropogenic hazards due to land subsidence

An awareness of problems related to land subsidence and its anthropogenic causes has been growing worldwide since the second half of the Twentieth century. The problem of land subsidence was first included by the UNESCO program of the International Hydrological Decade (IHD), 1965– 74. In 1969 UNESCO convened the 1st International Symposium on Land Subsidence in Tokyo. In 1975 land subsidence was retained under the framework of the International Hydrological Program (IHP) as subproject 8.4 “Investigation of Land Subsidence due to Groundwater Exploitation”, and UNESCO IHP formally codified the Working Group on Land Subsidence. In collaboration with UNESCO IHP, IAHS, and other scientific organizations, the UNESCEO– IHP Working Group on Land Subsidence convened eight more International Symposia on Land Subsidence in different countries in Asia, Europe and North America: Anaheim, USA (1976); Venice, Italy (1984); Houston, USA (1991); The Hague, Netherlands (1995); Ravenna, Italy (2000); Shanghai, China (2005); Queretaro, Mexico (2010); and Nagoya, Japan (2015). Though subsidence is a global phenomenon, the consequences and their remediation generally are local. Land subsidence has become an important area of research in Japan, and globally. The proceedings of the Ninth International Symposium on Land Subsidence (NISOLS, Nagoya, 2015) represents a body of high quality and globally relevant scientific and technical information for scientists, engineers, and other stakeholders concerned about land subsidence and the associated hazards. The papers in this volume cover international science and social issues related to land subsidence and the role of natural resources development. The main topics addressed by NISOLS includes Land Subsidence processes related to (1) Aquifer-system compaction and subsidence caused by groundwater withdrawal, (2) Risk management of subsidence related hazards, (3) Anthropogenic land subsidence in coastal regions, (4) Land subsidence related to soil oxidation, (5) Anthropogenic uplift (CO2-sequestration included), (6) Land subsidence and liquefaction, due to the East Japan Great Earthquake of March 11, 2011, (7) Ground failure (fracturing, fault activation, fissuring), (8) Land surface displacement, measuring and monitoring, (9) Numerical modelling, (10) Social, cultural and economic influence of land subsidence, (11) Water management strategies, (12) Subsurface deformation due to shale gas production, (13) Settlements and geotechnical construction activities and (14) Seismic activity, triggered by fluid extraction and injections. Many presenters describe the development of new techniques for monitoring, analysis, interpretation and prediction of subsidence and (or) related fracturing processes – an emphasis of NISOLS. This symposium and the proceedings are of particular interest for Japan because of the close relation between land subsidence, ground fracturing, and groundwater use and management. These phenomena provoke widespread problems in the rapidly growing urbanized areas of central Japan. The analysis of these phenomena requires a multidisciplinary approach to improve understanding of the triggering factors, failure modes, and propagation processes of fracturing. Resolution of the often conflicting socio-economic demands placed on our natural resources and the desires to protect and preserve our natural resources is an inevitable condition for the sustainable development in developed areas. To face this challenge in Japan and elsewhere we need to improve our understanding of Land Subsidence processes. An effort was made in NISOLS to integrate a broad spectrum of the subsidence-interest community; three peripheral technical meetings were convened to focus on subsidence-related topics: (1) Workshop on Subsidence Monitoring, (2) Work-

Spatial Disaggregation of Areal Rainfall Using Two Different Artificial Neural Networks Models

The objective of this study is to develop artificial neural network (ANN) models, including multilayer perceptron (MLP) and Kohonen self-organizing feature map (KSOFM), for spatial disaggregation of areal rainfall in the Wi-stream catchment, an International Hydrological Program (IHP) representative catchment, in South Korea. A three-layer MLP model, using three training algorithms, was used to estimate areal rainfall. The Levenberg–Marquardt training algorithm was found to be more sensitive to the number of hidden nodes than were the conjugate gradient and quickprop training algorithms using the MLP model. Results showed that the networks structures of 11-5-1 (conjugate gradient and quickprop) and 11-3-1 (Levenberg-Marquardt) were the best for estimating areal rainfall using the MLP model. The networks structures of 1-5-11 (conjugate gradient and quickprop) and 1-3-11 (Levenberg–Marquardt), which are the inverse networks for estimating areal rainfall using the best MLP model, were identified for spatial disaggregation of areal rainfall using the MLP model. The KSOFM model was compared with the MLP model for spatial disaggregation of areal rainfall. The MLP and KSOFM models could disaggregate areal rainfall into individual point rainfall with spatial concepts.

Responding to the challenges of water security: the Eighth Phase of the International Hydrological Programme, 2014–2021

Abstract. This paper presents the major water challenges at global, regional and local levels, including the need to adapt to climate change. It relates how the International Hydrological Programme (IHP) – an intergovernmental scientific programme – will respond in its Eighth Phase to the water-related risks and seize potential opportunities, thereby contributing to ensure Water Security at all levels. The Member States of UNESCO IHP periodically define priorities for research, technological development, innovation and education. To implement the priorities in a coordinated manner, the Member States can count on the team and the projects of IHP based at UNESCO, as well as on the "UNESCO Water Family|, consisting to date of a Category 1 centre UNESCO-IHE located in the Netherlands; the World Water Assessment Programme, based in Italy, which produces the World Water Development Report of the United Nations; 30 Category 2 water centres under the auspices of UNESCO; and 35 water chairs in various parts of the world. Governments can access the powerful network of the UNESCO Water Family through IHP and its Intergovernmental Council.

A Case Study in the Architecture of Global Water Governance

The purpose of this paper is to engender a more structured debate by all stakeholders with an interest in improved water management through development of either a global agreement or a series of agreements at regional levels. In the past decade various committees of the United Nations including the UN General Assembly and the UN Security Council have ramped-up the discussion on the importance of water to economic development, health and prosperity, human rights and even national and regional security (UNCESCR, 2002; UNGA, 2003; UNGA, 2010). All of this attention has catalyzed new fields of study and a robust international debate as to the responsibilities of “water rich” countries to those countries in less fortunate regions of the world and how to mitigate inevitable water conflicts. And while the U.S. is not classified as a “water poor” country, Canada’s Ambassador to the U.S., Gary Doer, recently noted that the relationship with the U.S. would be increasingly impacted by water. “I think five years from now we will be spending diplomatically a lot of time and a lot of our work dealing with water. There will be pressure on water quality and water quantity”(Note 1). Shortly after these comments, President Obama acknowledged as much in his 28 May 2014 foreign policy speech by noting “…the spirit of cooperation that must energize the global effort to combat”, among other issues, conflicts over “water and food” (Note 2). And if there is some degree of tension between neighbors as close as Canada and the U.S., imagine the tenor of the debate in other regions of the world with shared water resources and in come cases where one country entirely controls the water resources of another. Additionally, the importance of developing more precise goals and targets through the International Hydrological Program (UNESCO-IHP), the World Water Council (WWC), UN Water, the Millennium Development Goals, and the investment strategies of both the private sector and the NGO community cannot be overstated. This paper explores the importance of global water governance and outlines the possibilities of an international freshwater convention, optimistically one with binding responsibilities, leading to better water management.

Brazil’s Commitment to Train the Next Generation of Water Leaders: the Potential Role of UNESCO-Hidroex

Brazil has made a strategic decision and formal commitment to the International Community to invest in developing a post-graduate water education center to help train the next generation of water leaders in Latin America and Portuguese-speaking Africa in response to the demand of the UNESCO Member States. The International Centre for Education, Capacity Building and Applied Water Research – Hidroex will, overtime, greatly augment the work of the UNESCO Institute for Water Education (UNESCO-IHE) in Delft, the Netherlands as a member-institution of the proposed UNESCO Global Campus for Water Education. This center of excellence will also develop a new institutional model in two regards: first by implementing the concept of a “water condominium” which will attract scientists from around the world sharing a common research interest providing logistical support including laboratories, analytical capacity, video conference facilities and offices – all with the aim of addressing complex, priority water research issues, and resulting in new networks of collaborating scientists, and secondly by integrating the goals of eighth phase of the UNESCO International Hydrological Program into the education and research programs of Hidroex to develop the environmental conscience of all citizens – from young children to the highest level of technical knowledge – within an appropriate cultural context. This paper documents the institutional roadmap, logic and progress in realizing that ambitious goal.

Flood Forecasting Using Neural Computing Techniques and Conceptual Class Segregation

AbstractVarious neural networks models are developed and applied for flood forecasting at Sangye station (no. 1) of the Bocheong Stream catchment, which is one of the International Hydrological Program's representative catchments, Republic of Korea. The neural networks models (NNMs) are multilayer perceptron‐neural networks model (MLP‐NNM), generalized regression neural networks model (GRNNM), and Kohonen self‐organizing feature maps neural networks model (KSOFM‐NNM). Data used for model training and testing are divided into two groups: such as floods and typhoon events. Single conventional application and class segregation implementation are applied to evaluate the neural networks models. KSOFM‐NNM forecasts flood discharge more accurately than do MLP‐NNM and GRNNM for the testing data of Methods I and II for single conventional application and class segregation implementation. This study shows that class segregation can capture the dynamics of different physical processes and overcome the difficulties using single conventional application of neural networks models.

Scientific concepts in play internationally with respect to the Great Laurentian Basin and similar ecosystems during 1993: An overview

Scientific concepts in play internationally with respect to the Great Laurentian Basin and similar ecosystems during 1993: An overview

G-WADI PERSIANN-CCS GeoServer for extreme precipitation event monitoring

The Center for Hydrometeorology and Remote Sensing at the University of California, Irvine (CHRS) has been collaborating with UNESCO’s International Hydrological Program (IHP) to build a facility for forecasting and mitigating hydrological disasters. This collaboration has resulted in the development of the Water and Development Information for Arid Lands--a Global Network (G-WADI) PERSIANN-CCS GeoServer, a near real-time global precipitation visualization and data service. This GeoServer provides to end-users the tools and precipitation data needed to support operational decision making, research and sound water management. This manuscript introduces and demonstrates the practicality of the G-WADI PERSIANN-CCS GeoServer for monitoring extreme precipitation events even over regions where ground measurements are sparse. Two extreme events are analyzed. The first event shows an extreme precipitation event causing widespread flooding in Beijing, China and surrounding districts on July 21, 2012. The second event shows tropical storm Nock-Ten that occurred in late July of 2011 causing widespread flooding in Thailand. Evaluation of PERSIANN-CCS precipitation over Thailand using a rain gauge network is also conducted and discussed.