Lake Water Resources Research Articles

HOW CLIMATE UNCERTAINTY SHOULD BE INCLUDED IN GREAT LAKES MANAGEMENT: MODELING WORKSHOP RESULTS1

ABSTRACT: In two workshops, we evaluated decision analysis methods for comparing Lake Erie levels management alternatives under climate change uncertainty. In particular, we wanted to see how acceptable and effective those methods could be in a public planning setting. The methods evaluated included simulation modeling, scenario analysis, decision trees and structured group discussions. We evaluated the methods by interviewing the workshop participants before and after the workshops. The participants, who were experienced Great Lakes water resources managers, concluded that simulation modeling is user‐friendly enough to enable scenario analysis even in workshop settings for large public planning studies. They felt that simulation modeling can improve not only understanding of the system, but also of the options for managing it. Scenario analysis revealed that the decision for the case study, Lake Erie water level regulation, could be altered by the likelihood of climate change. The participants also recommended that structured group discussions be used in public planning settings to elicit ideas and opinions. On the other hand, the participants were less optimistic about decision trees because they felt that the public might view subjective probabilities as difficult to understand and subject to manipulation.

Managing natural resources: A social learning perspective

This article presents a social learning perspective as a means to analyze and facilitate collective decision making and action in managed resource systems such as platforms. First, the social learning perspective is developed in terms of a normative and analytical framework. The normative framework entails three value principles, namely, systems thinking, experimentation, and communicative rationality. The analytical framework is built up around the following questions: who learns, what is learned, why it is learned, and how. Next, this perspective is used to analyze two managed resource systems: Fishery management in Lake Aheme, Benin and water resources management in Gelderland, The Netherlands. To assess platform performance in resource use negotiation, emerging lessons from the case studies are combined with propositions concerning membership of platforms, accessibility of platform meetings, skills and relations of platform members, realization of platforms, and third party facilitation of platform activities.

The TEAM Approach, “Together for Environmental Assessment and Management”: A Process for Developing Effective Lake Management Plans or Water Resource Policy

ABSTRACT TEAM, “Together for Environmental Assessment and Management,” offers a new approach for developing comprehensive and integrative lake management plans and water resource policy. TEAM is a three-step process, one ideally sponsored by a legislative or executive arm of government. It involves “stakeholders,” lay citizens, and technical “experts” which may include academics, private professionals, and regulatory or management agency personnel. Using the TEAM approach, stakeholders and lay citizens together in a citizens' forum identify, define, and prioritize their concerns and potential courses of action concerning a water resource issue (s). Then, “pro” and “con” teams of professionals provide technical information and a peer-reviewed debate of technical aspects of citizens' concerns. Last, with this information citizens discuss and ultimately vote on a course(s) of action with regard to a lake management plan or a water resource policy. The recommendation(s) of citizens is provided to appropriate ...

The role of agency goals and local context in Great Lakes water resources public involvement programs

As complex social phenomena, public involvement processes are influenced by contextual factors. This study examined agency goals for public involvement and assessed the importance of local context in remedial action planning, a community-based water resources program aimed at the cleanup of the 42 most polluted locations in the Great Lakes Basin. Agency goals for public involvement in remedial action plans (RAPs) were agency-oriented and focused on public acceptance of the plan, support for implementation, and positive agency-public relations. Corresponding to these goals, citizen advisory committees were created in 75% of the RAP sites as a primary means for public input into the planning process. Factors that influenced the implementation of public involvement programs in remedial action planning included public orientation toward the remediation issue, local economic conditions, the interaction of diverse interests in the process, agency and process credibility, experience of local leadership, and jurisdictional complexity. A formative assessment of “community readiness” appeared critical to appropriate public involvement program design. Careful program design may also include citizen education and training components, thoughtful management of ongoing agency-public relations and conflict among disparate interests in the process, overcoming logistical difficulties that threaten program continuity, using local expertise and communication channels, and circumventing interjurisdictional complexities.

Preliminary study on water resources of Dianshan Lake

分析了淀山湖水量的主要补给来源及淀山湖水量受潮沙影响的泄流规律,并用1988年的实测资料研究枯水年型的淀山湖水量平衡。计算结果表明:淀山湖区在1988年降水稀少,但它可获取邻近河湖及长江等水体的水源补给,使湖水量达到年内基本平衡。;The main water supply source and the regularity of flow discharge influenced by tide in Dianshan Lake are discussed,to study the water balance during years of drought on the basis of the hydrometerologic data measured in 1988.Acoording to the result,it makes clear that all though rainfall was scarce in Dianshan Lake basin in 1988.the lake water still reached to its balance, because of the water supply by the neighboring rivers and lakes and the Changjiang River.It is suggested that succesive hydrometerologic data should be gathered for making full and rational use of Dianshan Lake, water resources.

Characteristics of water regime in Taihu Lake

根据太湖湖区及环湖河道主要测站的历年水文气象资料,分析探讨了太湖的径流、水位、增减水现象和河湖流向等水情特征,为合理利用和保护湖泊水资源提供依据。;On the basis of the year-to-year hydrometeorological data from the main stations of the lake area and the rivers around the lake,the water regime characteristics on the runoff of lake catchment,the lake levels the wind backwater and the current direction of the rivers and the lake are studied,providing scientific basis for reasonable utilization and protection of the lake water resources.

The water resources of lakes in China

This paper deals mainly with the water resources of China’s lakes scattered over five drainage basins with a total area of 71,787 km2 and a total storage capacity of 7,088 million m3, the fresh water capacity of which amounts to about 2,261 million m3, varying from year to year or even within a year. Attention should be paid to the reasonable utilization of water resources and the problems that have already emerged should be carefully and skillfully handled.

The water resources of lakes in China

This paper mainly deals with water resources of China's lakes. Lakes in China are mainly scattered over five drainage basins, with a total area of 73,580 km2 and a storage capacity of 746,000 million m3, in which the fresh water amounts to 221,000 million m3. The water resources of lakes are not evenly distributed in the regions. Their variations within a year and between years are great. So attention should be paid to the rational utilization of water resources and the problems in mangement need careful and skilful handling.

A WATER RESOURCE PLANNING PROCEDURE FOR RURAL TOWNS1

ABSTRACT: Six new techniques have been developed for lake watershed analysis and water resource management. The techniques are for determining: (1) watershed land use intensity with reference to water quality, (2) lake vulnerability, (3) water quality, (4) watershed carrying capacity, (5) the economic value of the lake, and (6) the potential of undeveloped lake‐shore. These analyses are designed for use by rural planning commissions with guidance and assistance from state agencies and the state university. The comprehensive rural watershed land and water use plan developed by this procedure is inexpensive in time and money, understandable by the layman, and scientificially sound. It is based on presently available information. This water resource planning procedure has been demonstrated in several town planning projects. It is suggested that this method, or modification of it, could be adopted in all rural states by action by a few administrators and without any new enabling or appropriations legislation.

Chicago Area Program: A Major New Atmospheric Effort

A series of mesoscale meteorological research projects have developed since 1975 in the area over and around the south end of Lake Michigan. These regionally focused projects, under the label of the Chicago Area Program (CAP), are being performed by scientists from 12 research groups or universities using funds from a variety of state and federal agencies. Efforts to date have led to the installation and operation of a major rain gage network, other weather networks and sondes, several weather radars, meteorological aircraft, and a ship. This sizeable program is addressing five major study areas including lake meteorology, water resources and hydrometeorology, inadvertent weather modification, air pollution and its impacts, and severe weather. Multigroup field experiments and the exchange of data are coordinated at the scientist level.

Laguna de Bay-Philippines. Etude de la protection et de l'utilisation des ressources en eaux

Laguna de Bay-Philippines. Etude de la protection et de l'utilisation des ressources en eaux

GREAT LAKES USE - A MUNICIPAL VIEWPOINT

A review of the various municipal user demands on the Great Lakes is presented. Conflicts between the demands of municipal users and other groups are identified and an argument is made in support of the development of a comprehensive plan for the staged development of the water resources of the Great Lakes and the related land resources.

Total lake water resources of the planet

Total lake water resources of the planet

“Hydrology and fate on Great Salt Lake” and “Numbers and flow in the Great Lakes”

The Great Salt Lake and Utah's Water Resources, Proceedings of the First Annual Conference of the Utah Section of the American Water Resources Association, November 1972, Salt Lake City, Utah, 214 pp., 1973.The theme of this symposium is stated, perhaps unintentionally, by one of the authors (D. L. Thompson), who said ‘Great Salt Lake is a victim of incredible bad luck in its physical characteristics, environmental setting, and political management.’ The 19 papers that make up the volume rather well document Thompson's evaluation.