Special Section on Sustainable Development of Water Resources and Protection of the Aquatic Ecological System

Climate change and anthropogenic influence have significant effects on water resources and the aquatic ecological system. Such effects were seen in China in an unprecedented way as China experienced large economic development and devastating environmental degradation over the last two decades. Restoration and protection of these water systems require a better understanding of interactions among hydrologic processes, ecobiologic processes, and human activities within the river basin. This special section includes papers in water resources and ecology-related areas. Topics covered by the papers include the impact of climate change and hydraulic projects on the hydrology in large river basins, optimization and risk assessment of water resources, and stream ecology. Although many advances in these research areas have been achieved, comprehensive study with an integrated field, laboratory, and numerical approach is required to address various aspects of the impacts of environmental changes (e.g., climate change and land-use and land-cover changes) on the ecohydrologic system, such as the spatiotemporal distribution of water resources in response to these changes, the management of water and ecological systems in the watershed, and restoration and protection of the aquatic ecological system.