Mountain water resources

Chen et al. [24] provide a good review of Al techniques used for modeling environmental systems. Pongracz et al. [25] presents the application of a fuzzy-rule based modeling technique to predict regional drought. Artificial neural networks model have been applied for mountainous water-resources management in Cyprus [26] and to forecast raw-water quality parameters for the North Saskatchewan River [27]. 

Iliadis LS, Maris E (2007) An artificial neural network model for mountainous water-resources management the case of Cyprus mountainous watersheds. Environ Modell Softw 22 1066-1072... 

Mountain water resources provide vital services for nature, the economy, food production, and human health and well-being. Mountain water functions comprise a wide spectrum from economic uses like energy production, life support such as... 

Demands on mountain water resources are driven by local, regional or supra-regional interests and the different interests can be in conflict. For example, hydropower generation and river correction are often in sharp conflict with the... 

Further increasing our knowledge about mountain water resources will help us to understand the interaction between mountains and lowlands. It is this interaction that needs to be accorded high priority in terms of watershed management and in the interests of mitigating any conflicts that may arise over the distribution of this precious resource. 

I MUST ADMIT THAT the book is not ultimately my own idea. The original concept came from an undergraduate paper turned in for a Water Resource Management class I taught at the University of Iowa in 1996. D ara Houdeks work for that course—a class otherwise primarily focused on big bureaucracies and economies (such as the Army Corps of Engineers and the Los Angeles Chamber of Commerce)-focused on the water quality implications of her own lawn, and opened my eyes to a class of problems that would occupy me for the next decade. When I last heard, Dara was a master instructor at the Appalachian Mountain Club, far from her family s lawn. I owe her the debt of this idea. 

Abstract The elements of the water balance, namely precipitation, runoff, evapo-transpiration, and storage change, their interaction and special attributes in the mountains are presented using the example of the European Alps, with particular reference to Switzerland. Strong differentiation in the alpine climate over time and space exerts a significant influence on the water cycle. This chapter therefore discusses each of the elements of the water balance with particular reference to the influence of mountains and their measurement, as well as the spatial differentiation characteristics. The analysis of the water balance is accompanied by a discussion on the attributes and differences at different altimdes and in different climatic regions. Finally, the importance of alpine water resources for water supplies in the adjacent lowlands is examined. 

The role played by changes in land use is less certain to predict. While population growth in mountains is likely to lead to intensified land use, with the resultant local soil degradation and erosion, the effects on downstream water resources are likely to be less marked. 

Weingartner R, Viviroli D, Schadler B (2007) Water resources in mountain regions a methodological approach to assess the water balance in a highland-lowland-system. Hydrol Processes 21 578-585... 

Clivaz C, Reynard E (2008) Crans-Montana water resources management in an alpine tourist resort In Wiegant E (eds) Mountains sources of water, sources of knowledge. Adv Global Change Res 31 103-119... 

Part 1, Alpine Water Resources, examines the hydrological basics, the impacts of climate change in the Swiss Alps, and human interventions in mountain waters. Part 11, Biogeochemistry and Pollution of Alpine Waters, deals with the chemistry of mountain rivers, the effects of acid deposition on high elevation lakes, the glaciers as archives of atmospheric deposition, and the occurrence of persistent organic contaminants. 

The quality of fresh water resources in the world (river, ground or lake water) is relevant for all life on Earth. It should be noted that only 20 % of the world s population has access to good quality drinking water. The water quahty of natural water sources for hfe is affected by their origin (e.g., mountain aquifers may be contaminated in densely populated regions with industrial and agricultural activities). These numerous sources of pollution have the potential to contaminate the aquifer. 

Bencala, K. E., V. C. Kennedy, G. W. Zellweger, A. P. Jackman, and R. J. Avanzino. 1984. Interactions of solutes and streambed sediment. 1. An experimental analysis of cation and anion transport in a mountain stream. Water Resources Research 20 1797-1803. 

Kroitoru, L., Carmi, I., and Mazor, E. (1987) Groundwater 14C activity as affected by initial water-rock interactions in a carbonatic terrain with deep water tables Judean Mountains, Israel. Ini. Symp. on the Use of Isotope Techniques in Water Resources Development, IAEA, Vienna, extended abstract, 134-136. 

Mazor, E., Dubois, J.D., Soom-Fluck, J., and Wexsteen, P. (1990) Time-data series as a major diagnostic tool in groundwater hydrology case studies from Switzerland II. International Conference on Water Resources in Mountainous Regions, IAH and IAHS, Lausanne, Switzerland, Memoires of the 22nd Congress of IAH, vol. XXII, 281-288. 

The severity of a storm s impact on humans is exacerbated by deforestation, which often occurs as a result of population pressure. When trees disappear along coastlines, winds and storm surges can enter land with greater force. Deforestation on the slopes of hills and mountains increases the risk of violent flash floods and landslides caused by the heavy rain associated with tropical cyclones. At the same time, the beneficial effects of the rainfall—replenishment of the water resources— may be negated because of the inability of a deforested ecosystem to absorb and retain water. 

Mountain-front recharge along the east side ofthe Albuquerque Basin, central New Mexico (revised) U.S. Geological Survey Water-Resources Investigations Report 00-4010, 36 p. 

Masi, M. A., J. I. Dri-.viiR, and J. Baron. 1990. Chemical weathering in the Loch Vale Watershed, Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado. Water Resources Research 26(12) 2971-78. 

Yang, I. C., G. W. Rattray, and P. Yti. 1996. Interpretations of chemical and isotopic data from boreholes in the unsaturated-zone at Yucca Mountain, Nevada. U.S. Geol. Survey Water-Resources Inv. Rept. WRIR 96-4058. (In press.)... 

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