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Though water circulates continuously and seamlessly on Earth, various research areas such as oceanography, surface hydrology, subsurface hydrology, climatology and glaciology are usually undertaken separately. However, recent findings related to interactions of water in land, oceans, and the atmosphere encourage researchers to more comprehensively understand the behavior of water through collaborative works that go beyond the boundaries of each discipline. Water is also separated by numerous human-made boundaries such as national borders, vertical administrative systems and so on. When these human-created boundaries disrupt natural water circulation, water-related environmental problems can be invoked, and/or it gets very difficult to cope with these issues. Thus, mainly in the social science, boundaries that are drawn artificially in natural water circulation are important topics that need to be reconsidered. In the book, we will especially focus on two boundaries; one is that between surface water and ground water; the other is that between drainage area and ocean water. The book consists of 4 sections on these two boundaries: (I) Ignored linkages between surface and sub-surface environments, (II) Trans-boundary linkage of land and ocean, (III) Impact of human-made boundaries, and (IV) Challenges for new management going beyond boundaries. In sections (I) and (II), we consider the importance of interactions between land water and ocean water, and between surface water and groundwater based on findings from the natural sciences. Next, in sections (III) and (IV), we consider the impact of human-made boundaries, mainly based on findings from the social science. Finally, we made conclusions and statements in which we try to redraw the traditional catchment concept into a new one that might overcome the disadvantages caused by artificial boundaries.
List of contents
Preface
Part I Ignored Linkage between Surface and Sub-surface Environments
Part II Transboundary Linkage of Land and Ocean
Part III Impacts of Human-made Boundaries
Part IV Challenge for New Management beyond the Boundaries
Index
List of Authors
Key word index.
Summary
Water circulates continuously and seamlessly on Earth with little regard for the boundaries we draw. There are natural boundaries as between land and ocean and surface and subsurface environments, as well as human or demographic boundaries between nations, cultures, and religions. Although considered necessary by societies, these human-created boundaries disrupt natural water circulation, leading to serious water-related environmental problems. The dilemma of how to manage water beyond our boundaries remains, and nations have different ways and means of controlling each form of water, whether as vapor, surface water, groundwater, or seawater. Recent findings on the interaction of water from land, oceans, and the atmosphere encourage researchers to undertake collaborative work that goes beyond the boundaries of each discipline, be it oceanography, surface and subsurface hydrology, climatology, or glaciology. Drawing on all these fields, the book focuses on two major boundaries: that between surface water and ground water, and that between terrestrial water and ocean water. This comprehensive work is of great value to experts in academia, international organizations, consulting firms, water resources, fisheries, and urban development planning agencies.
