The book reports the first systematic monitoring and modelling study on water availability, water quality and seawater intrusion of the Shatt al-Arab River (SAR) on the border of Iraq and Iran, where causes and concentration levels of salinity have not yet been fully understood, let alone addressed, leading to conflicting perceptions of its origin (external or internal), the natural conditions and the practices that can explain the current critical conditions. Current scientific knowledge on the SAR salinity problem is deficient, partially due to the complex and dynamic interaction between marine and terrestrial salinity sources, including return flows by water users of the different water sectors in the Euphrates and Tigris rivers upstream of the SAR. The development of a new series of monitoring stations and various modelling approaches helped to better understand the interactions between these different sources. The comprehensive and detailed dataset formed the basis for a validated analytical model that can predict the extent of seawater relative to other salinity sources in an estuary, and for a hydrodynamic model that can predict salinity changes. The adaptability of the models to changing conditions makes them directly applicable by water managers. The procedure can be applied to other comparable systems. @en

Accelerated sea level rise (SLR) is the most important climate change impact for coastal areas. However many coastal deltas lack necessary data for evaluation of the vulnerabilities. The Niger delta is one of the coastal areas with little data for coastal planning and management. Use of satellite data helps bridge the data gap by providing ancillary data - imagery, elevation, altimetry etc. This thesis therefore uses satellite data as the main sources of data for hydrodynamic modelling and GIS analysis to assess the impact of SLR on the Niger delta land area, coastline, and surface water. The thesis results show that because of high subsidence levels, a rise in sea levels of 0.14m already inundates Niger delta areas. Consequently, 4.6–5.2% (1119.3–1254km2) of the Niger delta land area can be lost to inundation by 2030, and 4.9–6.8% (1175.9–1633km2) by 2050. From the thesis, major mitigation/adaptation measures that can be used for the Niger delta include:dykes, by–pass channels, storm surge barriers, coastline shortening and legislation to ensure compliance by all. Furthermore, some of the existing sustainable local practices in the Niger delta should be included in SLR mitigation/adaptation planning. Such practices include: planting of Bamboo trees for erosion control, use of sandbags as bridges and dykes (flood control), and use of flood receptor pits as temporary flood water reservoirs. @en

The Ning-Meng reach of the Yellow River basin is located in the Inner Mongolia region at the Northern part of the Yellow River. Due to the special geographical conditions, the river flow direction is towards the North causing the Ning-Meng reach to freeze up every year in wintertime. Both during the freeze-up and break-up period, unfavourable conditions occur which may cause ice jamming and ice dam formation leading to dike breaching and overtopping of the embankment. Throughout history this has often led to considerable casualties and property loss. Enhanced economic development and human activities in the region have altered the characteristics of the ice regime in recent decades, leading to several ice disasters during freezing or breaking-up periods. The integrated water resources management plan developed by the Yellow River Conservancy Commission (YRCC) outlines the requirements for water regulation in the upper Yellow River during ice flood periods. YRCC is developing measures that not only safeguard against ice floods, but also assure the availability of adequate water resources. These provide the overall requirements for developing an ice regime forecasting system including lead-time prediction and required accuracy. In order to develop such a system, numerical modelling of ice floods is an essential component of current research at the YRCC, together with field observations and laboratory experiments. In order to properly model river ice processes it is necessary to adjust the hydrodynamic equations to account for thermodynamic effects. In this research, hydrological and meteorological data from 1950 to 2010 were used to analyse the characteristics of ice regimes in the past. Also, additional field observations were carried out for ice flood model calibration and validation. By combining meteorological forecasting models with statistical models, a medium to short range air temperature forecasting model for the Ning-Meng reach was established. These results were used to improve ice formation modelling and prolong lead-time prediction. The numerical ice flood model developed in this thesis for the Ning-Meng reach allows better forecasting of the ice regime and improved decision support for upstream reservoir regulation and taking appropriate measures for disaster risk reduction.@en