Landscape Dynamics Soils And Hydrological Processes In Varied Climates

The book presents the processes governing the dynamics of landscapes, soils and sediments, water and energy under different climatic regions using studies conducted in varied climatic zones including arid, semi-arid, humid and wet regions. The spatiotemporal availability of the processes and fluxes and their linkage to the environment, land, soil and water management are presented at various scales. Spatial scales including laboratory, field, watershed, river basin and regions are represented. The effect of tillage operations and land management on soil physical characteristics and soil moisture is discussed. The book has 35 chapters in seven sections: 1) Landscape and Land Cover Dynamics, 2) Rainfall-Runoff Processes, 3) Floods and Hydrological Processes 4) Groundwater Flow and Aquifer Management, 5) Sediment Dynamics and Soil Management, 6) Climate change impact on vegetation, sediment and water dynamics, and 7) Water and Watershed Management.

This book is about the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam newly being built on the Blue Nile, a transboundary river. Due to rising population and increasing water demand in the Nile basin, major projects raise interest and concern by millions with potential for water conflict. The dam design, reservoir filling policy, operation of the dam, riparian countries response, dam site importance and social impact and economy of the dam are presented in the book.

This book tackles the main feature of water-smart, soil-smart and crop-smart practices and their integration to sustainably enhance food production. The book includes some insights on the implications of using climate-smart practices in irrigated and rain-fed agriculture, and suggests approaches to eradicate the negative effects of water scarcity, climate variability and climate change. The book reviews the most important crops resilient to climate variability and their resistance to other biotic and abiotic stresses, and contains the existing practices in Egypt that achieved the three pillars of climate-smart agriculture

This monograph is a fundamental study of watershed erosion and runoff processes. It utilizes decades of soil erosion data to take a comprehensive and balanced approach in covering various watershed erosion processes. While there are many works on soil erosion and conservation, this book fills the gaps in previously published research by focusing more on mass movement, gully erosion, soil piping/tunnel erosion, and the spatial interactions of different erosion processes. Additionally, the book examines erosion processes in extreme rainfall events, something typically absent in short-term studies but discussed in detail here as the book draws on 60 years of research and observations, including 30 years of the author's own investigations of erosion under a wide range of rainfall conditions. The book is divided into 3 parts, and is intended for soil erosion researchers and practitioners, and postgraduate students studying soil erosion and water conservation. Part 1 opens with a comprehensive and critical review of existing literature on soil erosion processes, discusses this book's place among existing literature, and examines the major erosion processes (rainwash, gully erosion, tunnel erosion, and mass movements) including their controlling factors and mechanisms. Part 2 explores the spatial interactions of these different erosion processes to provide a prerequisite for effective design of comprehensive soil erosion control measures in a watershed. Part 3 evaluates the relative significance of these erosion processes in sediment production, the effectiveness of comprehensive soil and water conservation programs, and the applications of watershed modelling in determining the impact of land-use changes on soil erosion and other ecological processes.

The scholarly theme of the book lends itself to the discipline of earth and atmospheric sciences, with a specific focus on water-climate studies. The book is a scholarly discourse by researchers in the natural sciences, including Hydrologists, Climate Scientists, Environmental Engineers and Water Scientists. The purpose of the book is to address the limited complementarity between the water and climate studies; which is crucial in promoting scientific research that informs policy decisions and implementation of water security plans. The chapters were selected to represent water-climate models and policy research conducted in different river basins in the arid and semi-arid environments. Therefore, the water-climate management tools highlighted in this book include General Circulation Models (GCMs), Coupled Model Inter-comparison Project Phase 5 (CMIP5), Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT), Africa Flood and Drought Monitor (AFDM), Extreme Precipitation Events (EPEs), R ClimDex, Mixed strategy game models, Standard Precipitation Indices (SPIs), Water Evaluation and Planning System (WEAP), Penman Calculator, and Saturated Volume Fluctuation (SVF).

Groundwater is the largest natural resource in the world. The estimation of groundwater resources as well as their sustainable management are challenges for users, practitioners, managers, and decision-makers. These challenges can be solved based on the progress in three domains: (1) data modeling (2) data science, and (3) advanced systems of ground measurement and Earth data. This book contributes to the progress of groundwater characterization by addressing some challenges through applications and discussions of relevant case studies as well as new approaches. It contains six chapters that discuss various approaches and tools used to study and investigate the impacts of climate change and pollution risks. They also present techniques for accessing water that may contribute to sustainable exploitation and management of groundwater resources.

This book comprises the select proceedings of the International Conference on Water, Environment, Energy and Society. The book is divided into four parts. Part I deals with some aspects of climatic characteristics ranging from changes in temperature and sunshine hours to downscaling to global climate patterns and effects of El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) and Indian Ocean Dipole (IOD) on extreme rainfall. Part II covers rainfall analysis, including changes in regional rainfall series, analysis of non-stationarity, summer monsoon and rainfall scenarios. Impacts of climate change are treated in Part III. Change point analysis, greenhouse gas emissions, rainfall variability, water resources variability, and water resources sustainability are discussed in this part. The concluding Part IV is on low flow and drought. It deals with the Standardized Precipitation Index (SPI) concept and assessment of drought. This book is of interest to researchers and practitioners in the field of water resources, hydrology, environmental resources, agricultural engineering, watershed management, and earth sciences, as well as those engaged in natural resources planning and management. Graduate students and those wishing to conduct further research in water and environment and their development and management find the book to be of value.

This unique volume focuses on Egypt’s conventional water resources and the main water consumer: Egypt’s agriculture. It provides an up-to-date overview and the latest research findings, and covers the following main topics: · History of irrigation and irrigation projects · Key features of agriculture, the administrative and legal framework in Egypt · Land resources for agriculture development · Food insecurity due to water shortages and climate change; resulting challenges and opportunities · Assessment of water resources for irrigation and drinking purposes · Impacts of upstream dams, such as the GERD and Tekeze Dam, on Egypt’s water resources and crop yield · Sustainable use of water resources and the future of mega irrigation projects · Quantity and quality of water in Egypt’s water resources bank This book and the companion volume Unconventional Water Resources and Agriculture in Egypt offer invaluable reference guides for postgraduates, researchers, professionals, environmental managers and policymakers interested in water resources and their management worldwide.