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Advance in Hydrology and Hydraulics of the River System Research 2025

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A special issue of Water (ISSN 2073-4441). This special issue belongs to the section "Hydrology".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 December 2025 | Viewed by 4758

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Dr. Karol Plesiński

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Guest Editor

Department of Hydrotechnic Engineering and Geotechnics, University of Agriculture in Krakow, Krakow, Poland
Interests: water engineering; water resources; hydraulic modeling; hydrodynamic modeling; sediment transport; open channel hydraulics
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

This Special Issue is intended to serve as a collection of the latest works on developing hydrology and hydraulics in the context of river systems. It is also intended to be a valuable review of the achievements and shortcomings in these fields, which can serve their further development.

This call is open to all research that concerns:

River flow dynamics:

Analysis of river flows, including hydraulic modeling.
Research the characteristics of unsteady flows and extreme hydrological phenomena (e.g., floods and droughts).
Changes in river flow due to climatic and anthropogenic changes.

River basin hydrology:

The hydrological cycle at the river basin scale and its variability.
Recharge processes of surface and groundwater in the context of river systems.
Hydrological modeling of river basins—water flow, water balance.

Sediment transport in rivers:

Research on the mechanisms of sediment transport in rivers.
The influence of erosion and sedimentation on the morphology of the river channel.
Modeling sediment transport and their impact on hydrotechnical infrastructure.

Morphological changes in rivers:

Morphological evolution of river channels in response to natural and anthropogenic changes.
Research on river geomorphology and the processes of forming meanders, deltas, and river channels.
The impact of dams on river dynamics and their morphology.

Interactions of surface and groundwater:

Exchange processes between surface and groundwater in river ecosystems.
Modeling hydrodynamic interactions between groundwater and surface water.
The impact of these processes on water quality and biodiversity.

Use of technology in hydrological research:

The use of drones, sensors, and other modern technologies in river system research.
Modern hydrological and hydraulic modeling tools (e.g., GIS and 3D models).
Innovative methods of data collection and monitoring water flow in river systems.

Ecohydrology and environmental hydraulics:

The impact of hydrological changes on biodiversity and river ecosystems.
Sustainable management of aquatic ecosystems and protection against pollution.
River restoration projects and their impact on water flows and quality.

Hydrotechnical infrastructure and its impact on river systems:

Research on the impact of dams, barrages, canals, and other hydrotechnical structures on river hydrodynamics.
Water management in urban and industrial infrastructures - canals, retention reservoirs, dams.
Innovative water engineering projects aimed at minimizing the effects of river degradation.

Impact of climate change on river systems:

The effects of climate change on river hydrology: changes in precipitation, floods, droughts.
Adaptation of river systems to extreme climate phenomena.
Modeling climate change and its impact on the future of river systems.

Dr. Karol Plesiński
Guest Editor

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 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

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

hydraulics
hydrology
river system
flow dynamics
numerical and physical modeling
hydrotechnics
geomorphologic
sediment transport
climate changes

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Published Papers (8 papers)

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Research

32 pages, 24319 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Long-Term Water Level Projections for Lake Balkhash Using Scenario-Based Water Balance Modeling Under Climate and Socioeconomic Uncertainties

by Sayat Alimkulov, Lyazzat Makhmudova, Elmira Talipova, Gaukhar Baspakova, Akhan Myrzakhmetov, Zhanibek Smagulov and Alfiya Zagidullina

Water 2025, 17(13), 2021; https://doi.org/10.3390/w17132021 - 4 Jul 2025

Viewed by 25

Abstract

The study presents a scenario analysis of the long-term dynamics of the water level of Lake Balkhash, one of the largest closed lakes in Central Asia, taking into account climate change according to CMIP6 scenarios (SSP2-4.5 and SSP5-8.5) and socio-economic factors of water use. Based on historical data (1947–2021) and a water balance model, the contribution of surface runoff, precipitation and evaporation to the formation of the lake’s hydrological regime was assessed. It was established that the main source of water resources for the lake is the flow of the Ile River, which feeds the western part of the reservoir. The eastern part is characterized by extremely limited water inflow, while evaporation remains the main element of water consumption, having increased significantly in recent decades due to rising air temperatures. Increasing intra-seasonal and interannual fluctuations in water levels have been recorded: The amplitude of short-term fluctuations reached 0.7–0.8 m, which exceeds previously characteristic values. The results of water balance modeling up to 2050 show a trend towards a 30% reduction in surface inflow and an increase in evaporation by 25% compared to the 1981–2010 climate norm, which highlights the high sensitivity of the lake’s hydrological regime to climatic and anthropogenic influences. The results obtained justify the need for the comprehensive and adaptive management of water resources in the Balkhash Lake basin, taking into account the transboundary nature of water use and changing climatic conditions. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advance in Hydrology and Hydraulics of the River System Research 2025)

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18 pages, 5272 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Twin-Peaks Streamflow Timing: Can We Use Forest and Alpine Snow Melt-Out Response to Estimate?

by Lenka G. Doskocil, Steven R. Fassnacht, David M. Barnard, Anna K. D. Pfohl, Jeffrey E. Derry and William E. Sanford

Water 2025, 17(13), 2017; https://doi.org/10.3390/w17132017 - 4 Jul 2025

Viewed by 10

Abstract

Snow-dominated watersheds experience a snowmelt-driven peak in streamflow that occurs in the spring or early summer. Some of the headwater basins in Colorado, USA have two or more peaks in streamflow, including the Uncompahgre River, a Colorado River tributary. The timing of peak streamflow is important for water management and recreational planning. As such, we examined the connection between the timing of each streamflow peak and readily available snow measurement information in the forest and alpine zones. These station data are the date of the initiation of snowmelt, 50% melt-out, and complete melt-out or the snow disappearance date (SDD). When it occurs before mid-June (14 of 20 years), the timing of the first peak is well correlated with the forested snow measurement station SDD. The second streamflow peak timing is well correlated with SDD from the alpine station except for very early (3 years) and very late (2 years) SDD. We also examine the spatial variability of snow disappearance and peak snow water equivalent (SWE) across the four seasonally snow-covered headwater sub-basins using a dataset from a coupled meteorological–snowpack model. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advance in Hydrology and Hydraulics of the River System Research 2025)

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18 pages, 4276 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Sediment Transport Processes in the Kelani River Basin, Sri Lanka: Formation Process of Bed Material Size Distribution

by Pavithra Sudeshika Dissanayaka Mudiyanselage, Daisuke Harada, Yoshiyuki Imamura and Shinji Egashira

Water 2025, 17(11), 1683; https://doi.org/10.3390/w17111683 - 2 Jun 2025

Viewed by 391

Abstract

This study investigates sediment transport processes in the Kelani River Basin, Sri Lanka, focusing on the formation of bed material sediment size distributions. Sediment transport processes during the flood events in 2016 and 2018 are evaluated using two approaches: assuming an equilibrium condition (Case 0) and evaluating basin-scale sediment transport using a distributed Rainfall–Sediment–Runoff (RSR) model based on the unit channel (Cases 1 and 2). Case 1 considers sediment transport only inside river channels, while Case 2 considers sediment supply at upstream end unit channels. The results indicate significant sediment deposition in the downstream reach, particularly downstream of Location 7. In Case 1, the sediment size distribution downstream rapidly coarsens, while in Case 2, considering sediment supply, the bed sediment size distribution downstream is close to the observed one, regardless of flood magnitude. This suggests that with sufficient sediment supply, the bed sediment size distribution forms based on channel conditions such as width and slope. Case 0 shows a similar trend in sediment transport rate to Case 2, demonstrating the applicability of this simple approach. In conclusion, this study has revealed the formation process of the present sediment bed conditions, which provides insight into effective and sustainable river management, including sand mining activities. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advance in Hydrology and Hydraulics of the River System Research 2025)

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17 pages, 9097 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Dimensional Analysis of Hydrological Response of Sluice Gate Operations in Water Diversion Canals

by Hengchang Li, Zhenyong Cui, Jieyun Wang, Chunping Ning, Xiangyu Xu and Xizhi Nong

Water 2025, 17(11), 1662; https://doi.org/10.3390/w17111662 - 30 May 2025

Viewed by 352

Abstract

The hydrodynamics characteristics of artificial water diversion canals with long-distance and inter-basin multi-stage sluice gate regulations are prone to sudden increases and decreases, and sluice gate discharge differs from that of natural rivers. Research on the change characteristics of hydrological elements in artificial canals under the control of sluice gates is lacking, as are scientifically accurate calculations of sluice gate discharge. Therefore, addressing these gaps in long-distance artificial water transfer is of great importance. In this study, real-time operation data of 61 sluice gates, pertaining to the period from May 2019 to July 2021, including data on water levels, flow discharge, velocity, and sluice gate openings in the main canal of the Middle Route of the South-to-North Water Diversion Project of China, were analyzed. The discharge coefficient of each sluice gate was calculated by the dimensional analysis method, and the unit-width discharge was modeled as a function of gate opening (

e

), gravity acceleration (

g

), and energy difference (

H

). Through logarithmic transformation of the Buckingham Pi theorem-derived equation, a linear regression model was used. Data within the relative opening orifice flow regime were selected for fitting, yielding the discharge coefficients and stage–discharge relationships. The results demonstrate that during the study period, the water level, discharge, and velocity of the main canal showed an increasing trend year by year. The dimensional analysis results indicate that the stage–discharge response relationship followed a power function (

Q \propto {(\frac{H}{e})}^{c o n s t a n t}

) and that there was a good linear relationship between

l g^{(\frac{H}{e})}

and

l g^{(\frac{K}{e})}

(R² > 0.95,

K = {(q^{2} / g)}^{1 / 3}

). By integrating geometric, operational, and hydraulic parameters, the proposed method provides a practical tool and a scientific reference for analyzing sluice gates’ regulation and hydrological response characteristics, optimizing water allocation, enhancing ecological management, and improving operational safety in long-distance inter-basin water diversion projects. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advance in Hydrology and Hydraulics of the River System Research 2025)

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16 pages, 6338 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Technical Note: Drainage Density-Preserving River Network Delineation Algorithm

by Heng Yang, Shuanglong Chen and Hui Zheng

Water 2025, 17(11), 1636; https://doi.org/10.3390/w17111636 - 28 May 2025

Viewed by 307

Abstract

Accurate representation of drainage density in a river network delineation is crucial for large-domain hydrodynamic simulations, but existing digital elevation model (DEM)-based methods fail to preserve observed drainage density across the entire network. This study introduces a fundamentally improved DEM-based river network delineation method that preserves observed drainage density by incorporating a novel concept of upstream accumulation length, which integrates flow direction and drainage density. A test case demonstrated the method’s compatibility with widely used critical drainage area-based methods; they produced identical results when using the same drainage density. The method was then applied to the Chinese Mainland using the MERIT-Hydro flow direction dataset and a drainage density dataset from the Third National Land Resources Survey of China. The resulting dataset shows superior performance in capturing drainage density variations, particularly in regions with complex topography, compared to existing datasets. The method is promising for delineating more accurate river networks by combining satellite-derived or surveyed drainage density with DEMs, thereby laying a valuable foundation for large-domain hydrodynamic simulations in vast regions of the globe, where there is a lack of manually maintained river geometry datasets. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advance in Hydrology and Hydraulics of the River System Research 2025)

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15 pages, 7110 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Estimation of Solöz River Water Balance Components and Rainfall Runoff Pattern with WEAP Model 1

by Bihter Sezer Güney and Feza Karaer

Water 2025, 17(8), 1129; https://doi.org/10.3390/w17081129 - 10 Apr 2025

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 377

Abstract

In this study, in order to draw a road map for lake water budget modeling, model calibration was performed with statistical results by modeling in a stream that feeds the lake basin and has flow observation results. The aim was to make a preliminary estimation and evaluation for calibration of the model result to be obtained in streams without flow observation results in the lake basin. The WEAP (“Water Evaluation and Planning” System) model was used for this purpose. With WEAP, Soloz Stream was selected to determine the amount of flow in streams with no flow. Soloz Stream was selected to determine the amount of flow in streams that do not flow with WEAP. Climate data, flow values obtained from Princeton University climate data, and flow observation results from the data obtained by including the spring flows of DSI (General Directorate of State Hydraulic Works) were modeled comparatively. Studies on the hydrology part of the model are limited in the literature, and this study contributes to the literature with a hydrological evaluation. In this context, the total annual water budget was extracted together with the water budget components, and an estimation was made with the model result for the main flow in the stream from the flow continuity curve. As a result of this study, the findings obtained from the modeling research with WEAP indicate that the model results and the observed results are compatible based on statistical calibration parameters. However, the consistent results observed include the source measurements, so the flow results obtained from precipitation alone are not consistent enough, and it is observed that the model gives reasonable results when climate and source flows are modeled together. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advance in Hydrology and Hydraulics of the River System Research 2025)

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19 pages, 5929 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Vertical Profile Characteristics of Dissolved Organic Matter Biochemistry in the Tropical Reservoir Shaped by Hydrodynamic Forces

by Zongyue Liu, Miao Chen, Huiran Liu, Han Wang, Ziyu Ning, Wen Zhang, Yuqin Liu and Min Tang

Water 2025, 17(2), 203; https://doi.org/10.3390/w17020203 - 14 Jan 2025

Viewed by 882

Abstract

Dissolved organic matter (DOM) exerts a crucial role in biogeochemical processes and ascertaining water quality in reservoirs, where it is vulnerable to the dynamic impacts of surface water inflows. However, understanding how DOM quantity and biochemical features responds to hydrodynamic forces in tropical reservoirs remains limited. To enhance our understanding of the vertical profiles of DOM characteristics under varying hydrodynamic forces (strong, moderate, and weak regions) in the Chitian Reservoir (18°43′–18°42′ N, 109°68′–109°70′ E), in December 2023, we investigated the concentrations and biochemical characteristics of water column DOM samples using multispectral techniques, a parallel factor model, and two-dimensional correlation analysis. Our results indicated that DOM concentrations (4.34 ± 0.36 mg/L) are the highest in the reservoir center, whereas total nitrogen (0.52 ± 0.04 mg/L), total phosphorus (0.02 ± 0.03 mg/L), and nitrate nitrogen (1.01 ± 0.07 mg/L) present their highest values in the inlet region. As hydrodynamic force decreases, microbial activity increases, whereas DOM’s humification degree and molecular weight decline. DOM in the Chitian Reservoir comprises humic-like components, including three terrestrial sources (accounting for 85.38%~87.03%) and one microbial source, with dominant characteristics of allochthonous origin. The relative abundance of microbial components decreased from 14.62% to 12.97% with the increasing hydrodynamic force and increased with depth. DOM functional groups in the strong hydrodynamic force region and the reservoir’s upper layer show high consistency and uniformity. Phenolic O–H is the most reactive functional group concerning changes in water depth across all hydrodynamic areas, followed by polysaccharide C–O, owing to its high photoactivity. In contrast, aromatic C–H demonstrates the weakest reactivity. DOM’s spectral features are closely linked to nutrient form concentrations (N and P). Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advance in Hydrology and Hydraulics of the River System Research 2025)

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14 pages, 2471 KiB

Open AccessArticle

The Bioaccumulation of Potentially Toxic Elements in the Organs of Phragmites australis and Their Application as Indicators of Pollution (Bug River, Poland)

by Elżbieta Skorbiłowicz, Mirosław Skorbiłowicz and Marcin Sidoruk

Water 2024, 16(22), 3294; https://doi.org/10.3390/w16223294 - 17 Nov 2024

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1364

Abstract

The bioaccumulation of potentially toxic elements (PTEs) in aquatic plants is critical in assessing the quality of aquatic environments and the risks associated with anthropogenic activities. This research involved using Phragmites australis as a bioindicator in a comprehensive assessment of the spatial variation in pollution within the Bug River catchment, employing advanced statistical methods to identify pollution sources. The study aimed to investigate the bioaccumulation of PTEs in different parts of the P. australis plant and to evaluate their suitability as bioindicators of contamination. Plant samples were collected from 32 locations in the Bug River catchment, and the concentrations of metals such as Cd, Pb, Cr, Ni, Zn, Cu, Fe, and Mn were determined by atomic absorption spectrometry. The results indicated that PTE accumulation was highest in the roots, underscoring their crucial role in monitoring metal concentrations. Metal concentrations differed based on land use within the catchment area, with the highest levels observed in urbanized regions, highlighting the significant impact of human activities like wastewater discharge and transport emissions. The highest concentrations were observed for Fe, Mn, and Zn, while Cd concentrations were notably elevated in agricultural areas. The analyses confirmed that P. australis serves as an effective bioindicator of heavy metal contamination and can be employed in long-term biomonitoring programs. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advance in Hydrology and Hydraulics of the River System Research 2025)

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