Coupling of Human and Hydrological Systems

A special issue of Hydrology (ISSN 2306-5338). This special issue belongs to the section "Hydrology and Economics/Human Health".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (15 January 2024) | Viewed by 6016

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
Instituto de Pesquisas Hidraulicas, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, Brazil
Interests: hydropower; urban water use; hydro-economic models; water management
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Guest Editor Assistant
UFRGS · Departamento de Obras Hidráulicas (DOH), Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, Brazil
Interests: water resources management; water quality; integrated water resources mnagement; wter resources; hydrologic and water resource modeling and simulation

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Natural and hydrological systems are responsible for several key ecosystem services that humankind needs to thrive. The provision of water, regulation of its quality, role in local cultures, and support for water and nutrient cycles and soil formation all depend on the behavior of hydrological systems. Societies have, however, long explored natural resources with limited perception of consequences to hydrological systems, which leads to increasing impacts that reduce water availability and quality, also increasing flood risks. All these impacts ultimately affect water security to cities and production systems.

Human decisions are driven by their cultural, social, technological and economic contexts, which reflect on the hydrological systems. Those decisions determine not only the rates of extraction of resources such as water and emissions such as wastewater, but also land and floodplain use, which will reflect on future hydrological behavior and provision of ecosystem services. For societies to effectively manage increasingly scarcer land and water, a broader understanding of how human and hydrological systems interact is essential. Coupling human and hydrological systems is not only important to better understand, and mitigate, the negative impacts on the hydrological systems, but also to find adaptive solutions on how to boost the output of those systems for the benefit of society and the environment itself, improving resilience and support capacity.

This Special Issue aims to gather contributions on how human and hydrological systems can be coupled to improve decisions on the use of land and water. The contributions to this Special Issue will encompass a broad range of topics, including but not limited to:

  • Adaptation pathways to urban water supply systems;
  • Hydro-economic modeling and analysis;
  • Economic instruments to water and land management;
  • Representation of social, environmental, and economic networks;
  • Reservoir operation and ecosystem services;
  • Water–food–energy nexus;
  • Application of nature-based solutions (NbS) to improve drought and flood preparedness.

Prof. Dr. Guilherme F. Marques
Guest Editor

Ana Paula Dalcin
Guest Editor Assistant

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Hydrology is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 1800 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • coupled natural–human systems (CNH)
  • hydro-economics
  • water-food-energy nexus
  • nature-based solutions
  • economic instruments
  • water resources management
  • ecosystem services

Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

17 pages, 2197 KiB  
Article
The Cantareira System, the Largest South American Water Supply System: Management History, Water Crisis, and Learning
by Antonio Carlos Zuffo, Sergio Nascimento Duarte, Marco Antonio Jacomazzi, Maíra Simões Cucio and Marcus Vinícius Galbetti
Hydrology 2023, 10(6), 132; https://doi.org/10.3390/hydrology10060132 - 14 Jun 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1792
Abstract
Located in the southeast region of Brazil, the Cantareira System consists of six interconnected reservoirs and supplies around 14 million people in the state of São Paulo. Built in the 1970s, when extensive fluviometric series were not available in the region, the system [...] Read more.
Located in the southeast region of Brazil, the Cantareira System consists of six interconnected reservoirs and supplies around 14 million people in the state of São Paulo. Built in the 1970s, when extensive fluviometric series were not available in the region, the system underwent several operating rules that culminated in the water crisis caused by the 2014/2015 drought. This article makes a brief critical account of what has been experienced in these almost 50 years of operating the system, the factors that influenced the water crisis, and what has been learned. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Coupling of Human and Hydrological Systems)
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23 pages, 4720 KiB  
Article
IWRM Incorporating Water Use and Productivity Indicators of Economic Clusters Using a Hydro-Economic SDSS
by Gerald Norbert Souza da Silva, Márcia M. G. Alcoforado de Moraes, Laíse Alves Candido, Carlos Alberto G. de Amorim Filho, Nilena B. M. Dias, Marcelo Pereira da Cunha and Lourdinha Florêncio
Hydrology 2023, 10(3), 72; https://doi.org/10.3390/hydrology10030072 - 22 Mar 2023
Viewed by 1586
Abstract
IWRM should include the integration of management instruments towards intersectoral efficient water allocation. A platform linking economywide and network-based models, available from a Spatial Decision Support System (SDSS), was used to analyze allocation decisions in 4-interlinked basins in Northeastern Brazil during a period [...] Read more.
IWRM should include the integration of management instruments towards intersectoral efficient water allocation. A platform linking economywide and network-based models, available from a Spatial Decision Support System (SDSS), was used to analyze allocation decisions in 4-interlinked basins in Northeastern Brazil during a period of water scarcity. The SDSS can integrate water allocation issues considering hydrologic and socioeconomic aspects. In this study, we applied a normalized concentration index and exploratory spatial data analysis to socioeconomic data to identify job hotspots in economic sectors. Hydro-economic indicators were determined and used as economic weights of those hotspots and individual users for water allocation. This innovative method of allocation simulates the use of economic instruments. Removing the weights, the use of non-economic instruments is also simulated. The economic allocation transfers water from agriculture and industry to the services sector compared to the non-economic. This is justified given the low indicators of the main sectors of agriculture and industry in the region: sugarcane cultivation and the sugar–alcohol industry. Moreover, regional transfer results show that without using economic criteria and maintaining the current distribution network, there is a transfer of water stored in drier to humid regions. These results can support the decision-making process by defining effective management instruments. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Coupling of Human and Hydrological Systems)
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15 pages, 1256 KiB  
Article
Promoting Water Efficiency in a Municipal Market Building: A Case Study
by Ana M. Antão-Geraldes, Matheus Pinto, Maria João Afonso, António Albuquerque, Cristina Sousa Coutinho Calheiros and Flora Silva
Hydrology 2023, 10(3), 69; https://doi.org/10.3390/hydrology10030069 - 18 Mar 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1818
Abstract
This study aimed to determine the water demand of a Municipal Market building to propose water use efficiency measures. The flushing cisterns have the highest water consumption (63.15%), followed by washbasins, restaurant and coffee shop taps, and hairdresser’s showerhead (31.64%). Therefore, the implementation [...] Read more.
This study aimed to determine the water demand of a Municipal Market building to propose water use efficiency measures. The flushing cisterns have the highest water consumption (63.15%), followed by washbasins, restaurant and coffee shop taps, and hairdresser’s showerhead (31.64%). Therefore, the implementation of two main categories of solutions: reducing water consumption through the adoption of efficient devices and installing a rainwater harvesting system (RWHS) when drinking water quality is not required, was evaluated. These solutions were organized in four distinct scenarios: (1) Flushing cistern replacement by dual-flush ones; (2) washbasins, restaurant, coffee shop taps, and hairdresser showerhead replacement; (3) scenario 1 combined to a RWHS for recharging the replaced flushing cisterns and (4) combining scenarios 3 and 4. Under scenarios 1, 2, 3, and 4, the expected water consumption reduction was 28.36%, 17.06%, 57.36%, and 74.41%, respectively. As a result, the annual water bill reduction was €3835.81 (scenario 1), €2307.07 (scenario 2), €7757.65 (scenario 3), and €10,064.73 (scenario 4). Furthermore, to ensure the harvested rainwater attains the required standard for recharge flushing cisterns, it is advisable to dispose of the first-flush rainwater collected after a long dry period. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Coupling of Human and Hydrological Systems)
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