River Science

Research and Management for the 21st Century

David J. Gilvear, Malcolm T. Greenwood, Martin C. Thoms, Paul J. Wood, David J. Gilvear, Malcolm T. Greenwood, Martin C. Thoms, Paul J. Wood

• Publisher: Wiley-Blackwell
• Year: 2016
• Print ISBN: 9781119994343
• eBook ISBN: 9781118643501
• Edition: 1
• Topic: Physical Sciences
• Subtopic: Hydrology

River Science is a rapidly developing interdisciplinary field at the interface of the natural sciences, engineering and socio-political sciences. It recognises that the sustainable management of contemporary rivers will increasingly require new ways of characterising them to enable engagement with the diverse range of stakeholders.

This volume represents the outcome of research by many of the authors and their colleagues over the last 40 years and demonstrates the integral role that River Science now plays in underpinning our understanding of the functioning of natural ecosystems, and how societal demands and historic changes have affected these systems. The book will inform academics, policy makers and society in general of the benefits of healthy functioning riverine systems, and will increase awareness of the wide range of ecosystem goods and services they provide.

Chapter 1
An introduction to river science: research and applications

Martin C. Thoms¹, David J. Gilvear², Malcolm T. Greenwood³ and Paul J. Wood³

¹Riverine Landscapes Research Laboratory, Geography and Planning, University of New England, Australia

²School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences, Plymouth, UK

³Centre for Hydrological and Ecosystem Science, Department of Geography, Loughborough University, Loughborough, UK

Introduction

River science is a rapidly developing interdisciplinary field of study focusing on interactions between the physical, chemical and biological components within riverine landscapes (Thoms, 2006; Dollar et al., 2007) and how they influence and are influenced by human activities. These interactions are studied at multiple scales within both the riverscape (river channels, partially isolated backwaters and riparian zones) and adjacent floodscape (isolated oxbows, floodplain lakes, wetlands and periodically inundated flat lands). It is an exciting and robust field of study because of the integrative nature of its approach towards understanding complex natural phenomena and its application to the management of riverine landscapes.

The modern era of river science is a challenging one because climate, landscapes and societies are changing at an ever-increasing rate. Thus, our use, perceptions and values related to riverine landscapes are also changing. The twenty-first century will be different to the twentieth century both in terms of the way in which we undertake research and manage rivers. Increasing globalisation and data availability will allow unique opportunities for sharing of information and experiences, at unparalleled rates. Therefore, we can expect an exponential upward trajectory in societies' understanding of rivers and their appreciation of them as one of the globe's key ecosystems. This will be especially true as the goods and services that rivers provide, in particular the demand for water as the resource, becomes scarcer in many regions. Water security is predicted to become a key global issue in the twenty-first century (Gleick, 2003). Thus river ecosystems and their associated landscapes are likely to be viewed and valued by society in the same way that the importance of tropical rainforests, as a regulator of climate change, became evident in the twentieth century.

Rivers and their associated landscapes are ubiquitous global features, even in the driest and coldest regions of the world (Hattingh and Rust, 1999; Bull and Kirby, 2002; Doran et al., 2010). The physical, geochemical and ecological characteristics of the world's riverine landscapes are as diverse as the peoples of the world and their cultural origins (Miller and Gupta, 1999; Cushing et al., 2006). Many rivers meander slowly through lowland regions, with some never making their way to the sea, while those that do so often rush down steep rocky gorges or flow hidden beneath the ground within alluvial aquifers or limestone caves. Some rivers flow in multiple channels and others exist as a series of waterholes connected by intermittent channels for most of the time. Some rivers only flow after prolonged rainfall and some flow all year round with little variation in water levels.

Human societies and populations have been drawn to these landscapes for millennia because of the provision of important resources, like water for human survival, irrigation, power, navigation, food and timber. The flat fertile lands of river floodplains have drawn people to them for agriculture and have been used by them as important transport routes, even in contemporary societies where road, rail and air freight may be more rapid. However, rivers and their floodplains also present challenges to those that choose to inhabit these landscapes because of their propensity to flood, erode their banks as well as to contract and even become dry during extended periods of drought (Lake, 2009; Pennington and Cech, 2010). The prosperity of human societies is closely linked to natural variations in the character and behaviour of riverine landscapes both regionally and over time, in many parts of the world (cf. Petts et al., 1989; Wohl, 2011). Past civilisations have waxed and waned, and even disappeared, as result of the unpredictable and highly variable nature of riverine landscapes (e.g., Schumm, 2005).

Riverine landscapes and their associated ecosystems are the foundation of our social, cultural and economic wellbeing. The degraded condition of many of the world's rivers and floodplains is a testament to our failure to understand these complex systems and manage them wisely. The exponential increase in the number of riverine studies, from various regions, highlights the growing stresses placed on river systems in response to demands made directly upon them and their surrounding catchments. A recent assessment of the worlds 100 most-populated river basins, by The World Resources Institute, found 34 of these basins displayed high to extreme levels of stress, while only 24 had minimal levels of stress. This was primarily a result of water related pressures in these basins. These rivers flow through countries with a collective GDP of $US 27 trillion (World Resources Institute, 2014). Similarly, other studies with a more regional focus, demonstrate the impact of inappropriate activities on the health and/or condition of river systems. The Sustainable Rivers Audit undertaken in the Murray Darling Basin, Australia, for example, found rivers in 21 of the 23 sub-basins were in poor to very poor condition in terms of their hydrology, physical form, vegetation, fish and macroinvertebrate communities, because of changes in hydrological regimes, land use and inappropriate channel management (Murray-Darling Basin Authority, 2013). River science is the interdisciplinary study of these complex biophysical systems and seeks to understand the drivers that influence pattern and process within these critically important systems. In order to minimise future river catastrophes and degradation, river science should underpin our approach to their management and the setting of policy regarding these landscape scale systems.

Many animal and plant communities depend upon riverine landscapes and their associated ecosystems for some or all of their lifecycle. Most rely on riverine landscapes as a source of water and nutrients. The strong linkage between rivers, humans and biological communities is strongest where human societies are also heavily dependent upon riverine landscapes for food and where fish is a major component of their diet. In many of these locations the concept of a ‘healthy river’ was, or remains, culturally important and an intuitive component of human survival (Kelman, 2006). Given the dependency on rivers and their health or productivity by humans and organisms, it is surprising that the subject of river science as a discipline in its own right has only emerged in recent years. The journal River Research and Applications and its predecessor Regulated Rivers: Research and Management, the pre-eminent scientific publication devoted to river ecosystems, only commenced publishing in 1987. In part, this is a reflection and response to the distancing of many human societies from riverine landscapes and the ecosystem goods and services, and environmental hazards that are an inherent component of these natural landscapes. Historically a gulf between river scientists and river managers has existed resulting in a lag between the advancement of the science and improved river management (Cullen, 1996; Parsons et al., Chapter 10 in this volume): this lag, in part, still exists today.

The development of the discipline of river science

River science is a relatively recent discipline compared to the traditional academic disciplines of biology, chemistry, geology, mathematics and physics. However, river science does have a recognisable lineage within some disciplines, most notably biology, geology, geomorphology, hydrology and limnology. One of the first to document interactions between humans and their environment was George Marsh in 1864 (Lowenthal, 2000). Marsh highlighted the links between the collapse of civilisations through environmental degradation, most notably catchment land-use changes and the resource condition of catchment ecosystems, including its soil and water resources. It is no exaggeration to say that Man and Nature (Marsh, 1864) helped launch the modern conservation movement and helped many to recognise the damage that societies across the globe were doing to the natural environment. It also challenged society to behave in more responsible ways toward the earth and its natural systems. Man and Nature (Marsh, 1864) stands next to Silent Spring (Carson, 1962) and A Sand County Almanac (Leopold, 1949) by any measure of historic significance within the modern conservation movement (Lowenthal, 2000).

Three merging paths of...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Title Page
• Copyright
• Dedication
• Table of Contents
• List of contributors
• Preface
• Chapter 1: An introduction to river science: research and applications
• Part 1: Fundamental principles of river science
• Part 2: Contemporary river science
• Index
• End User License Agreement