International Water Resources Research Articles

Special issue – Contributions to the International Water Resource Economics Consortium 11th Annual Meeting

Special issue – Contributions to the International Water Resource Economics Consortium 11th Annual Meeting

Forty years of Water International: on track but not in a rut

Ven Te Chow and Indira Gandhi Other covers over timeForty years ago, the Newsletter of the International Water Resources Association (IWRA) was delayed in production by three months. When it finall...

Clearing the muddy waters of shared watercourses governance: conceptualizing international River Basin Organizations

Institutions that have been set up by riparian states to internationally govern shared water resources—international River Basin Organizations (RBOs)—play a key role in river basin governance. Despite an increased attention paid to RBOs in international relations and water scholarship, there has been little focus on defining and conceptualizing RBOs and, subsequently, on comprehensively identifying the RBOs that exist around the world. This has challenged research around RBOs in both methodological and theoretical ways. This paper aims to meet this challenge by offering a theoretically grounded definition of an international RBO and crafting a comprehensive list of international RBOs. We do so deductively, building from the larger neo-institutionalist research and international water resources governance literature. Our definition identifies three broad categories of constitutive elements: internationalization, institutionalization and governance. We apply this definition to potential cases to better identify the extent of RBOs around the world today and outline which cases qualify as RBOs and which cases fail to meet our constitutive criteria. This allows us to compile a comprehensive list of all existing international RBOs, including the identification of RBOs with specific characteristics. The article concludes by crafting an agenda for future research around RBOs that builds on this more complete understanding of RBOs.

Flooding Regime Impacts on Radiation, Evapotranspiration, and Latent Energy Fluxes over Groundwater-Dependent Riparian Cottonwood and Saltcedar Forests

Radiation and energy balances are key drivers of ecosystem water and carbon cycling. This study reports on ten years of eddy covariance measurements over groundwater-dependent ecosystems (GDEs) in New Mexico, USA, to compare the role of drought and flooding on radiation, water, and energy budgets of forests differing in species composition (native cottonwoodversusnonnative saltcedar) and flooding regime. After net radiation (700–800 W m−2), latent heat flux was the largest energy flux, with annual values of evapotranspiration exceeding annual precipitation by 250–600%. Evaporative cooling dominated the energy fluxes of both forest types, although cottonwood generated much lower daily values of sensible heat flux (<−5 MJ m−2 d−1). Drought caused a reduction in evaporative cooling, especially in the saltcedar sites where evapotranspiration was also reduced, but without a substantial decline in depth-to-groundwater. Our findings have broad implications on water security and the management of native and nonnative vegetation within semiarid southwestern North America. Specifically, consideration of the energy budgets of GDEs as they respond to fluctuations in climatic conditions can inform the management options for reducing evapotranspiration and maintaining in-stream flow, which is legally mandated as part of interstate and international water resources agreements.

The institutional design of river basin organizations – empirical findings from around the world

ABSTRACTRiver basin organizations (RBOs) have become a key feature of international water resources governance, providing riparian states with multiple means for overcoming collective action problems that emerge due to the transboundary nature of resources. However, little is known about the RBOs themselves, especially with regard to their organizational structure as well as the mechanisms they actually employ for governing water resources. This paper presents a comprehensive overview of the institutional design of all international RBOs by summarizing the empirical data available through the RBO Institutional Design Database in the context of the Transboundary Freshwater Dispute Database. It contributes to both water resources governance research, requiring institutional design data in order compare different RBOs or to comprehensively assess the contributions RBOs can make to better governing shared watercourses, as well as policy, facing the challenge of establishing new or reforming existing RBOs for more sustainable water resources governance in shared basins.

Evaluation of a fine sediment biomonitoring tool across a wide range of temperate rivers and streams

Summary Elevated levels of fine sediment (suspended and deposited) are a common cause of ecological degradation in freshwater ecosystems. However, it is time‐consuming and expensive to monitor these parameters to support national and international water resource legislation. The Proportion of Sediment‐sensitive Invertebrates (PSI) index is a biomonitoring tool that is designed to identify the degree of sedimentation in rivers and streams. Despite having a sound biological basis, until now, the PSI index has only been tested against observed fine sediment data in two catchments; other published applications of the PSI index have relied on inferred fine sediment values. In this study, we report the results of a comprehensive analysis of the performance of the PSI index across a wide range of reference condition temperate stream and river ecosystems, including 835 sites with data on deposited sediment and 451 sites with data on suspended solids (>12 500 data points measured between 1978 and 2002). The effect of taxonomic level and taxonomic resolution on the performance of the PSI index was also examined, as was the performance of the PSI index against other non‐sediment‐specific indices, including Average Score Per Taxon (ASPT), Lotic‐invertebrate Index for Flow Evaluation (LIFE), Ephemeroptera, Plecoptera and Trichoptera (EPT) abundance, % EPT abundance, EPT richness and % EPT richness. The results of this study show that the PSI index was more correlated with fine sediment metrics than the other biological indices tested: rs = −0.64, (P < 0.01, n = 2502) for deposited sediment and rs = −0.50 (P < 0.01, n = 1353) for suspended solids. We highlight the optimal conditions for applying the PSI index, in its current form. Given the variability in the relationship between PSI and fine sediment metrics, we propose that the use of data from more objective, quantitative methods of measuring deposited fine sediment may help to enhance the performance of the model for future applications and advance understanding of fine sediment dynamics and the pressure–response relationship.

Interdisciplinary Perspectives on International Law and International Relations: The State of the Art. Edited by Jeffrey L. Dunoff and Mark A. Pollack. Cambridge, New York: Cambridge University Press, 2013. Pp. xv, 680. Index. $125, cloth; $44.99, paper.

Interdisciplinary Perspectives on International Law and International Relations: The State of the Art. Edited by Jeffrey L. Dunoff and Mark A. Pollack. Cambridge, New York: Cambridge University Press, 2013. Pp. xv, 680. Index. $125, cloth; $44.99, paper.

The Protection of Freshwater Ecosystems Revisited: Towards a Common Understanding of the ‘Ecosystems Approach’ to the Protection of Transboundary Water Resources

The possible implications of States adopting, or of general international law imposing, a meaningful ‘ecosystems approach’ to the protection and management of shared international water resources are far‐reaching. However, the constituent elements of an ecosystems approach, as well as the practical means for its implementation, continue to emerge, though they have become increasingly well understood in recent years. Following the publication of an article ten years ago in RECIEL, this brief article sets out to update the reader on a number of key developments over the last ten years including, in particular: the proliferation of technical guidance on implementation of an ecosystems approach; recent focus on the need to safeguard ecological flows and the development of related methodologies; the emergence of the ecosystem services concept in international law and policy discourse; and the innovative employment of various ecosystem‐oriented measures in national legislative frameworks in recent years.

Desalination as a game-changer in transboundary hydro-politics

This article demonstrates how the availability of seawater desalination is important, not just as an additional source of water supply on a national scale, but as a potential ‘game changer’ in transboundary hydro-political interactions. The advent of desalination can change the nature of relations from a zero-sum game based on resource capture to a mutually beneficial business-like relationship typical in international commodity trade. It also allows for flexibility in policy approaches, and challenges the advantages and disadvantages hitherto thought of as inherent in upstream–downstream relations. This has wide ramifications for possible cooperation and conflict over international shared water resources. This study analyses the possible implications of desalination on hydro-politics, and then presents a case study of the hydro-political relations between Israel and Jordan in order to demonstrate how different aspects of transboundary political interactions are already being affected by the development of desalination. It demonstrates the ways in which the option of desalination allows states to pursue both unilateral and collaborative policies that were not practical in the period prior to desalination. The paper concludes by emphasizing the need for a revised analytical paradigm for analysis of hydro-politics in light of the development of desalination.

Analysis of temporal-spatial precipitation variations during the crop growth period in the Lancang River basin, southwestern China

In recent years, droughts and upstream/downstream water conflicts (such as those between water supply and demand) have been occurring frequently in the Lancang River basin, threatening local food security. In this research, the empirical orthogonal function (EOF) analysis and the rotated empirical orthogonal function (REOF) analysis were employed to investigate the temporal and spatial characteristics of precipitation variations during the crop growth period over 1960 to 2009. The results indicated the following: (1) annual precipitation increased slightly over the period of 1960–2009 but decreased significantly (at the 5% significance level) since 2001. An increasing trend was observed in the northern region, while a decreasing trend was observed in the southern region; (2) five regions with different precipitation variation patterns were identified in the crop growth period, including the northern, the northeastern, the southwestern, the western, and the southernmost end patterns; (3) overall, a slightly increasing trend was identified in summer over the study period. Over the period of 2000–2009, precipitation in the summer and autumn decreased, (the strongest decreasing trend was observed in the autumn). Unlike that of the whole area, precipitation in the northern region decreased insignificantly in summer and increased slightly in autumn. Results of this study may facilitate the prevention of potential disasters (e.g., abnormal precipitation) and the reduction of the associated losses through early warning and forecasting of variation trends of regional precipitation. The approach could provide a support for decision-making related to international rivers and agricultural water resources management under global climate change.

A dynamic graphical interface for visualizing projected, measured, and reconstructed surface water elevations on the earth's largest lakes

There is a growing need within the international water research and water resources management community, and the general public, for easy access to time-series of projected, measured, and reconstructed marine and freshwater coastal surface water elevations. There is also a need for effectively communicating variability among different surface water elevation data sets, as well as the intrinsic uncertainties in surface water elevation forecasts. Here, we introduce an interactive web-based interface, the Great Lakes Water Level Dashboard (GLWLD), designed to address this need for the North American Laurentian Great Lakes, the largest assemblage of unfrozen fresh surface water bodies on planet Earth, and one with a coastline of over 16,000 km (roughly 10,000 miles). The GLWLD is a Flash-based tool that can simultaneously display time-series of measured monthly and annual water level data and seasonal forecasts for each of the Great Lakes, reconstructed lake levels from paleoclimate research, and decadal lake level projections under alternative climate scenarios. By employing a suite of novel data transfer, processing, and visualization tools, the GLWLD allows users to seamlessly transition not only between alternate displays of Great Lakes water levels over different temporal scales, but between different data sets and forecasts as well. Furthermore, the unique GLWLD interface can help users understand the extent to which decisions regarding the use of the lakes depend on an appreciation of uncertainty and variability within, and between, different sources of Great Lakes water level information.

Distributional considerations of international water resources under externality: The case of Ethiopia, Sudan and Egypt on the Blue Nile

Common pool resources, such as international river basins with multiple riparian states, are hard to manage efficiently and equitably. In this paper, we suggest a methodology to assess the distributional aspects of various water allocation schemes applied to the Blue Nile in Africa. Based on previous analysis, a social planner allocation is found superior to the existing status quo in that it is inclusive, and expands the net benefit frontier of the basin. Water trade is introduced to demonstrate that such institution can alleviate the performance of existing institutions associated with the status quo and enable cooperation. Cooperative game theory concepts that address relative power of the riparian states in capturing incremental benefits from cooperation, such as the Core, the Shapley Value, and the Nash–Harsanyi (N–H) solution are compared under several scenarios, namely with and without water trade, and with and without existence of unidirectional externalities in the form of soil erosion and siltation impact. We find that the stability of Shapley and N–H benefits allocations are sensitive to the initial water rights allocation, which may explain the present caution of the basin states to be engaged in cooperation arrangements. We also find that when a Core exists it is very small, which indicates also a fragile basis for cooperation.

Utilization of shared international freshwater resources – the meaning and role of “equity” in international water law

The principle of equitable and reasonable utilization is the predominant normative rule of international law relating to the utilization of international water resources. Hence, allocation of state rights in the use of an international watercourse has long been based on the somewhat nebulous concept of equity. This article investigates the meaning and role of equity. It argues that one reason for confusion about equity in international water law is that it has historically been invoked in relation to a number of different roles, ranging from that of a substantive rule of water apportionment to that of ensuring procedural fairness.

Special Issue—10th Annual Meeting International Water Resource Economics Consortium

Special Issue—10th Annual Meeting International Water Resource Economics Consortium

Water Resources Research supports water economics submissions

AGU's international interdisciplinary journal Water Resources Research (WRR) publishes original contributions in hydrology; the physical, chemical, and biological sciences; and the social and policy sciences, including economics, systems analysis, sociology, and law. With the rising relevance of water economics and related social sciences, the editors of WRR continue to encourage submissions on economics and policy. WRR was originally founded in the mid 1960s by Walter Langbein and economist Allen Kneese. Several former WRR editors have been economists—including David Brookshire, Ron Cummings, and Chuck Howe—and many landmark articles in water economics have been published in WRR.

Governing Iberian Rivers: from bilateral management to common basin governance?

Traditionally, international water resources have been managed by riparian states based essentially on a technical hydraulic approach, addressing navigation concerns, water flows at the border and shared hydraulic structures, besides the definition of political borders. During the 1990s, the possibility of a paradigm change emerged, where a “technical hydraulic management approach” seemed to be giving way to a more “political environmental governance approach”. Yet, in many cases, this change did not ensue. This article argues that several riparians are trapped in stalemate due to a too strong sovereign approach to their water relations. Adopting a critical perspective on hydro-hegemony, this article argues that this framework of analysis is too limited since it is embedded in a Westphalian concept of sovereignty. To support this argument, the article draws on the Iberian Peninsula water politics. These riparians are still embedded in notions of territorial sovereignty, not being able to take on a holistic water basin governance regime embedded on considerations of equity, human rights and social justice. The article concludes that it is vital to move beyond a static sovereignty-based analysis of riparian relations and engage in a dynamic discussion of different water governance models and their consequences concerning peace and development.

Building Climate Resilience in the Blue Nile/Abay Highlands: A Framework for Action

Ethiopia has become warmer over the past century and human induced climate change will bring further warming over the next century at unprecedented rates. On the average, climate models show a tendency for higher mean annual rainfall and for wetter conditions, in particular during October, November and December, but there is much uncertainty about the future amount, distribution, timing and intensity of rainfall. Ethiopia’s low level of economic development, combined with its heavy dependence on agriculture and high population growth rate make the country particularly susceptible to the adverse effects of climate change. Nearly 90% of Ethiopia’s population lives in the Highlands, which include the critical Blue Nile (Abay) Highlands—a region that holds special importance due to its role in domestic agricultural production and international water resources. A five year study of climate vulnerability and adaptation strategies in communities of Choke Mountain, located in the center of the Abay Highlands, has informed a proposed framework for enhancing climate resilience in communities across the region. The framework is motivated by the critical need to enhance capacity to cope with climate change and, subsequently, to advance a carbon neutral and climate resilient economy in Ethiopia. The implicit hypothesis in applying a research framework for this effort is that science-based information, generated through improved understanding of impacts and vulnerabilities of local communities, can contribute to enhanced resilience strategies. We view adaptation to climate change in a wider context of changes, including, among others, market conditions, the political-institutional framework, and population dynamics. From a livelihood perspective, culture, historical settings, the diversity of income generation strategies, knowledge, and education are important factors that contribute to adaptive capacities. This paper reviews key findings of the Choke Mountain study, describes the principles of the climate resilience framework, and proposes an implementation strategy for climate resilient development to be applied in the Abay Highlands, with potential expansion to agricultural communities across the region and beyond.

Environmental Information in European Transboundary Water Management

Environmental Information in European Transboundary Water Management aims to examine the role of information in transboundary river basin and water management, and the way it is used (or not) in policy and decision and decision-making within the wider European area. While having forward-looking perspective justified by the ongoing implementation of the EU water Framework Directive among EU Member States and Candidates Countries, many of the chapters draw on the experiences gained from the past and existing transboundary river basin co-operation experiences. Chapters are organised according to a framework that shows the sharing of water resources to be based upon a foundation of integrated water resources management, supported by three pillars: Politics - concerned with the enabling of sharing water resources, including the recognition of differences in riparian interests and international collaboration. Technical cooperation - concerned with concrete co-operation including exchange of information; tools and techniques to produce, use and disseminate information; joint research programmes; joint river basin plans; and joint ventures i.e. jointly performed water management actions. Legal-institutional - dealing with institutions and legal instruments that support the vision of fair and equitable sharing of international water resources; this pillar finds its basis in internationally laid down principles of cross border co-operation. Environmental Information in European Transboundary Water Management will appeal to professionals involved in the various aspects of transboundary river basin co-operation, both on strategic and operational levels, but also to the academic community concerned with the study of transboundary river basin or water management. It will also be an important source for graduate students in (transboundary) river basin management. ISBN: 9781843390381 (Print) ISBN: 9781780402666 (eBook)

Honors

Peter Gleick, president of the Pacific Institute, in Oakland, Calif., received the 2011 Ven Te Chow Award from the International Water Resources Association (IWRA). The award is named in honor of IWRA founder Ven Te Chow.

Water Resource Sustainable Utilization Study of Based on Water Footprint

water footprint and virtual water emerge as new concepts of international water resource studies in recent years and they also become prevailing topics in the study of international water resource at present. These concepts liberate the studies from the limitation of real water viewpoint and introduce the perspective of virtual water, which makes a vital contribution to the study of sustainable use of water resource. This paper introduces the internationally leading water resource footprint model and calculation method of virtual water into the water resource system of Jinan for the first time, giving a quantified measurement of the amount of virtual water contained in the main agricultural products and industrial products of Jinan. According to the calculation and analysis based on water footprint model of Jinan, it is concluded that Jinan is a net exporter of virtual water with an import dependence factor of 0, which directly endangers the water resource security of Jinan. Therefore, it is suggested to make adjustments on virtual water trade structures and strategies to upgrade industrial structures and increase the export volume of industrial products which contained less water, so as to use the water resource in a sustainable and effective way; with limited water resource, Jinan must seek innovations on water resource management concepts in addition to saving water and making better use of water resource, to alter consumption modes and implement the strategy of virtual water by introducing “outer source”, aiming to relieve water resource shortage through virtual water trade with no efforts spared.