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The Mediterranean basin is one of the most sensitive areas of the world regarding possible consequences of the present, anthropogenic-induced climate change. Besides temperature increase, most models consistently project rainfall decreases both on annual basis and for all seasons. On the basis of results from general circulation models (as presented in the recent Fourth Assessment Report of the IPCC)...
In most of the world’s watercourses, dramatic modifications have occurred as a consequence of intensive use by human societies. The simplification of the channel network and the alteration of water fluxes have an impact upon the capacity of fluvial systems to recover from disturbances, because of their irreversible consequences. However, human impacts on river hydrology, such as those that derive...
Human activity is responsible for the entrance of toxic substances into aquatic ecosystems. These substances entail a risk for the components of the ecosystem (toxicological stress). As a result of global change, aquatic ecosystems are under strong environmental stress due to changes in water flow or nutrient concentration among others. This chapter presents a review of experimental and field studies...
Climate variability, climate change, climate risk, and climate adaptation are topics of great interest worldwide. Mediterranean climates are particularly vulnerable to these climate-related issues because of the strong seasonality of precipitation, high human demand for water, and predicted increasingly variable worldwide climate. I will address some of these issues in Mediterranean climates from...
The importance of water resources stored in reservoirs on a global scale is not matched with a sound knowledge of the possible impacts of climate change on reservoir water quality. This is especially relevant in the Mediterranean regions, where most countries rely on reservoirs to fulfill their water supply needs, and virtually all climate models predict increasing water shortage in the next 20 years...
The contribution of water reuse to water resource management is still greatly undeveloped in the Mediterranean. The reasons for this gap are not only technological. They can be found in the long lasting absence of common regulations, in the slow acceptation to shift from agricultural irrigation to other more economically efficient applications such as urban and industrial uses, as well as in the real...
Mediterranean countries face water supply challenges due to water scarcity. Water regeneration, recycling and reuse address these challenges by resolving water resource issues and creating new sources of high-quality water supplies. Among others, industrial activities worldwide account for about a quarter of all water consumption and there is hardly any industry that does not use large amounts of...
Environmental decision support systems (EDSS) can be defined as intelligent information systems that are able to integrate numerical models (linear or nonlinear) with artificial intelligence (AI) techniques, together with geographical information and environmental ontologies. EDSS emulate the expert’s reasoning processes in decision making, integrating geographical information and environmental ontologies,...
An important number of major infectious diseases are related to water. The greatest consequences for the human population are the faecal-oral water-borne infectious diseases, which are transmitted by ingestion of the causal agents that are released into water through faeces. The occurrence of outbreaks of water-borne infectious diseases could be affected by water scarcity at different degrees depending...
Extensive regions of the Mediterranean Region are currently facing serious problems regarding the supply of sufficient water resources to cover their increasing water supply demands. In the year 2025, several countries will have less than 200 cubic meters per capita per year. This problem of water scarcity in the region is continuously aggravating: while the renewable water resources decrease, the...
Despite an array of significant technological advances, effluents from wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) generate abrupt physical and chemical discontinuities along the fluvial continuum. These discontinuities not only alter the water quality, but also significantly affect fluvial ecosystem structure and function. In particular, WWTP effluents increase nutrient concentrations and introduce toxic...
Occurrence of emerging contaminants in environmental waters is directly related to their removal in wastewater treatment plants (WWTP) and the flow rate of the receiving waters. Mediterranean rivers are characterized by important fluctuations in the flow rates and heavy contamination pressures from extensive urban, industrial, and agricultural activities. This translates in contamination levels most...
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