Introduction
Fresh Surface Water theme is a component of Encyclopedia of Water Sciences, Engineering and Technology Resources in the global Encyclopedia of Life Support Systems (EOLSS), which is an integrated compendium of twenty one Encyclopedias.
The occurrence of surface water in abundance is unique to planet Earth among the inner or terrestrial planets. This is only one of the environmental consequences of the anomalous properties of water. Water has been central to human life and human thought throughout history. The availability of fresh surface water varies between continents, between regions within any given continent, between countries in a given region, and between catchments in a given country.Five key topics have been identified under the theme of Fresh Surface Water. These are: Origin, Resources and Distribution of Rivers and Streams; Characteristics of River Systems; Transport Processes in River Systems; River Ecosystems; The Uses of River Water and Impacts, which are then expanded into multiple subtopics, each as a chapter.
These three volumes are aimed at the following five major target audiences: University and College students Educators, Professional practitioners, Research personnel and Policy analysts, Managers, and Decision makers and NGOs.
Editor(s) Biography
James C. I. Dooge graduated from the National University of Ireland B.E. (Civil Engineering), B.Sc. (1942). M.E. (NUI 1952). M.Sc. in Fluid Mechanics and Hydraulics (Iowa 1956). Junior engineer on river improvement works 1943–1946. Design engineer on hydroelectric projects 1946–1958. Professor of Civil Engineering, University College, Cork, 1958-–1970. Professor of Civil Engineering, University College, Dublin, 1970–1984. Visiting Professor in engineering hydrology, University College, Galway, 1984–1986. Research consultant, Center for Water Resources Research, University College, Dublin, 1986 to date. President of the Institution of Engineers of Ireland 1968–1969. President International Association for Hydrological Sciences, 1975–1979. President of the Royal Irish Academy 1987–1990. President of the International Council for Science 1993–1996. Honorary doctorates from the Universities of Wageningen (Dr. Agr. Sc. 1978), Lund (Dr. Tech. 1980), Birmingham (D.Sc. 1985), Dublin (Sc.D. 1988), Heriot-Watt (Dr. Eng. 2000), Cracow (Dr. Ing. 2000), NUI (D.Sc. 2001), Madrid (D. Sc. 2001). Foreign Member of the Polish Academy of Sciences. Foreign Member of the Russian Academy of Sciences. Foreign Member of the Spanish Academy of Sciences. Foreign Member of the Royal Academy of Engineering (UK), International Prize for Hydrology (1983). Bowie Medal of the American Geophysic Union (1986). Leonardo da Vinci Medal of the European Society for Engineering Education (1990). John Dalton Medal of the European Geophysical Society (1998). International Prize for Meteorology (1999).
