The megadeltas of Asia comprising the Indus, Bengal, Mekong, Red River, and Yangtze, are the most dynamic economic and environmental systems in the Global South. These low-lying coastal landforms are home to nearly 360 million people and extremely vulnerable to rising sea levels and anthropogenic pressures. The abundance of freshwater resources, both surface water and groundwater, that characterises the Asian megadeltas has been a key driver of their rapid population growth and economic development over the last century. Human activity together with the impacts of climate variability and change have led to both depletion of groundwater and deterioration in water-quality (e.g. salinity contamination) across many of these Asian megadeltas. Such adverse impacts currently threaten the sustainability of development, as well as human lives and livelihoods.
The nature and magnitude of the impacts that rising sea levels, climate variability (e.g. precipitation intensity, increasing risks of floods and droughts, frequent coastal storms, and cyclones), growing human pressure, and development will exert more pressure on freshwater storage, and its renewal also remain poorly understood. To realise climate-resilient water supplies, nations occupying these deltas require improved water resources management, robust monitoring systems, and adaptation strategies to global change. For this Research Topic, we seek studies that improve our understanding of (1) the hydroclimatology of the Asian megadeltas and controls on water resources; (2) potential impacts of anthropogenic and climate impacts on freshwater quality and quantity; (3) tools and techniques for water resources monitoring and management; and (4) good governance and better water adaption and resilience to global change.
We welcome original research, research reports, physical and/or social science case studies, data-driven research and modelling studies, policy and practice reviews, and perspectives. Topics of interest include, but are not limited to:
- Spatiotemporal distribution of freshwater resources in Asian megadeltas
- Water supply, water-quantity- and -quality-related challenges and solutions
- Social and economic impacts of water resources in the region
- Exploration of new datasets and tools (e.g. remote sensing) to characterise water resources
- Impacts of global change (i.e. anthropogenic and climate stressors) on freshwater availability
- Sustainable water resources management, good governance, and policy implications
- Human behaviour and collective social action to safeguard water resources
- Innovative solutions and adaptation techniques to overcome challenges in the water sector
- Future water availability as a function of climate change and population growth
- Uncertainty in the assessment of water-supply security and vulnerability
- Water security risks under global change (i.e. rising sea levels, precipitation, land-use change)
The megadeltas of Asia comprising the Indus, Bengal, Mekong, Red River, and Yangtze, are the most dynamic economic and environmental systems in the Global South. These low-lying coastal landforms are home to nearly 360 million people and extremely vulnerable to rising sea levels and anthropogenic pressures. The abundance of freshwater resources, both surface water and groundwater, that characterises the Asian megadeltas has been a key driver of their rapid population growth and economic development over the last century. Human activity together with the impacts of climate variability and change have led to both depletion of groundwater and deterioration in water-quality (e.g. salinity contamination) across many of these Asian megadeltas. Such adverse impacts currently threaten the sustainability of development, as well as human lives and livelihoods.
The nature and magnitude of the impacts that rising sea levels, climate variability (e.g. precipitation intensity, increasing risks of floods and droughts, frequent coastal storms, and cyclones), growing human pressure, and development will exert more pressure on freshwater storage, and its renewal also remain poorly understood. To realise climate-resilient water supplies, nations occupying these deltas require improved water resources management, robust monitoring systems, and adaptation strategies to global change. For this Research Topic, we seek studies that improve our understanding of (1) the hydroclimatology of the Asian megadeltas and controls on water resources; (2) potential impacts of anthropogenic and climate impacts on freshwater quality and quantity; (3) tools and techniques for water resources monitoring and management; and (4) good governance and better water adaption and resilience to global change.
We welcome original research, research reports, physical and/or social science case studies, data-driven research and modelling studies, policy and practice reviews, and perspectives. Topics of interest include, but are not limited to:
- Spatiotemporal distribution of freshwater resources in Asian megadeltas
- Water supply, water-quantity- and -quality-related challenges and solutions
- Social and economic impacts of water resources in the region
- Exploration of new datasets and tools (e.g. remote sensing) to characterise water resources
- Impacts of global change (i.e. anthropogenic and climate stressors) on freshwater availability
- Sustainable water resources management, good governance, and policy implications
- Human behaviour and collective social action to safeguard water resources
- Innovative solutions and adaptation techniques to overcome challenges in the water sector
- Future water availability as a function of climate change and population growth
- Uncertainty in the assessment of water-supply security and vulnerability
- Water security risks under global change (i.e. rising sea levels, precipitation, land-use change)
