water-logo

Journal Browser

Journal Browser

Sustainable Water Resources Management in a Changing Environment

A special issue of Water (ISSN 2073-4441). This special issue belongs to the section "Water Resources Management, Policy and Governance".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 June 2026 | Viewed by 5373

Special Issue Editors


E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Territorial and Production Systems Sustainability Department, Italian National Agency for New Technologies, Energy and Sustainable Economic Development (ENEA), 00123 Rome, Italy
Interests: anthropocene; geomorphology and engineering geology; natural resources; ecosys-tems; natural and anthropogenic impacts
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Institute of Polar Sciences of the National Research Council of Italy (ISP CNR), 00015 Rome, Italy
Interests: ecosystems; vegetation patterns; geospatial models; climate; sustainability
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

In the context of addressing sustainability findings and establishing adaptive strategies to preserve the value of natural resources like water, vegetation and soils, it is of strategic relevance to identify spatial patterns and temporal trends in climate and biodiversity variables. The increasing trends in climate variability at all latitudes, coupled with anthropogenic stresses, are inducing water cycle changes, the degradation of underlying land, and changes in ecological evolution.

The main topics of concern in this field are the evaluation of groundwater reservoirs, the role of dams in river flux diversion, water loss in water basins, drainage and evapotranspiration patterns, the cause–effect relationship between vegetation and water in ecosystem service provision, and societal adaptation and vulnerability assessment during droughts under climate change scenarios. Thanks to the abundance of geospatial modelling and monitoring data, coupled with the growing availability of satellite data and thematic products, the complexity of water-dominated systems (coasts, mountains and plains from polar to tropical latitudes) can be captured through synoptic approaches and innovative data processing analytics.

This Special Issue will assemble innovative and original research related to the abovementioned issues and welcomes papers focusing on, but not limited to, the following topics:

  • Geomatics for analyzing territorial issues and spatio-temporal patterns;
  • Urban, landscape and natural resource management;
  • Climate–water–land interactions;
  • Water bodies from mountains to coastal areas;
  • River discharge, dams and sediment transport;
  • Water and natural hazards.

Dr. Sergio Cappucci
Dr. Emiliana Valentini
Dr. Andrea Petroselli
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Water is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • geomatics
  • GIS and remote sensing applications
  • water and landscape management
  • the management of natural resources (soil, water, sediment) from dams, channels and river banks
  • water–climate interactions
  • earth surface processes, coastal erosion and river drainage networks
  • landslides and flooding
  • natural hazards
  • wetland reclamation
  • “Ecologically sustainable” water and wastewater treatment and management

Benefits of Publishing in a Special Issue

  • Ease of navigation: Grouping papers by topic helps scholars navigate broad scope journals more efficiently.
  • Greater discoverability: Special Issues support the reach and impact of scientific research. Articles in Special Issues are more discoverable and cited more frequently.
  • Expansion of research network: Special Issues facilitate connections among authors, fostering scientific collaborations.
  • External promotion: Articles in Special Issues are often promoted through the journal's social media, increasing their visibility.
  • Reprint: MDPI Books provides the opportunity to republish successful Special Issues in book format, both online and in print.

Further information on MDPI's Special Issue policies can be found here.

Published Papers (3 papers)

Order results
Result details
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:

Research

23 pages, 5469 KB  
Article
Water Resource Management in Wetland: Developing a Predictive Model for Climate Resilience in the Pantanello Natural Park, Italy
by Angelica Rizzoli, Sergio Cappucci, Massimo Amodio and Claudio Alimonti
Water 2026, 18(5), 542; https://doi.org/10.3390/w18050542 - 25 Feb 2026
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 504
Abstract
The Pantanello Natural Park (Pontine territory, Central Italy) is the result of a rewetting project that created five para-natural basins and new habitats at the foot of the Lepini Mountains (Monumento Naturale Giardino di Ninfa). In the present paper, we describe the hydrological [...] Read more.
The Pantanello Natural Park (Pontine territory, Central Italy) is the result of a rewetting project that created five para-natural basins and new habitats at the foot of the Lepini Mountains (Monumento Naturale Giardino di Ninfa). In the present paper, we describe the hydrological model implemented by using data and information from the plan project, high-resolution topographic data (Lidar), and monthly meteorological and climatic data from 2010 to 2020. The model is designed to identify the conditions necessary for effective water-resource management, a key factor for ensuring the long-term success of rewetting interventions and the ecosystem services they support. The recent water crisis, primarily caused by increased use of the spring that feeds both the wetland system and the local population, has significantly affected the ecosystem. The use of the model highlights that, in 53% of cases, the system condition is dry when no external supply is considered. We found a huge improvement: considering a supply of 10 L/s from April to September, the proportion of dry cases reduces to 10%, highlighting the substantial benefits of targeted water supply management. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Water Resources Management in a Changing Environment)
Show Figures

Figure 1

22 pages, 6852 KB  
Article
Hydropower–FPV Hybridization for Sustainable Energy Generation in Romania
by Octavia-Iuliana Bratu, Eliza-Isabela Tică, Angela Neagoe and Bogdan Popa
Water 2025, 17(21), 3144; https://doi.org/10.3390/w17213144 - 1 Nov 2025
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1854
Abstract
This paper investigates the integration of hydropower and solar energy within the Lower Olt River cascade as a pathway toward sustainable energy generation in Romania. The study focuses on the conceptual design of future hybrid power plants consisting of existing hydropower facilities where [...] Read more.
This paper investigates the integration of hydropower and solar energy within the Lower Olt River cascade as a pathway toward sustainable energy generation in Romania. The study focuses on the conceptual design of future hybrid power plants consisting of existing hydropower facilities where floating photovoltaic panels are proposed to be installed on the reservoir’s surfaces. An estimation of electricity production from both sources was performed, followed by the formulation of a trading strategy for the July–September 2025 period. The paper also explores the interaction between tactical and strategic management in hydropower operation and planning, describing how forecasting and decision-making processes are structured within the institutional framework. Finally, results for the selected hydropower plants demonstrate the positive influence of floating photovoltaic deployment on company performance, the national energy mix, and the overall sustainability of energy generation in Romania. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Water Resources Management in a Changing Environment)
Show Figures

Figure 1

18 pages, 3479 KB  
Article
Development of Hydrological Criteria for the Hydraulic Design of Stormwater Pumping Stations
by Alfonso Arrieta-Pastrana, Oscar E. Coronado-Hernández and Vicente S. Fuertes-Miquel
Water 2025, 17(20), 3007; https://doi.org/10.3390/w17203007 - 19 Oct 2025
Viewed by 1638
Abstract
For the design of stormwater pumping stations, there is often uncertainty regarding the selection of an appropriate rainfall event to determine the required pumping capacity and temporary storage volume for managing extreme events of a given magnitude. To account for the risk of [...] Read more.
For the design of stormwater pumping stations, there is often uncertainty regarding the selection of an appropriate rainfall event to determine the required pumping capacity and temporary storage volume for managing extreme events of a given magnitude. To account for the risk of system failure, the return period is considered, as recommended based on the size of the catchment’s drainage area or other considerations, depending on the local regulations of a country. This study focused on analysing the direct runoff volume from the catchment, the storage volume required for the operation of the pumping system, and the order of magnitude of the design flow rate. The results indicate that a rainfall event with a duration of at least twice the time of concentration should be used. The design flow rate should range between 50% and 70% of the peak discharge, and designing for flow rates near the peak is not advisable, as it can lead to intermittent pump operation and result in an oversized installed capacity. The methodology developed in this research was applied to the Coastal Protection Project located in the city of Cartagena, Colombia, which includes a 2045.6-m-long box culvert with a cross-sectional area of 2 × 2 m, and three pumping stations, each equipped with three pumps rated at 0.75 m3/s, for a total installed capacity of 6.75 m3/s. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Water Resources Management in a Changing Environment)
Show Figures

Figure 1

Back to TopTop