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Climate Change Adaptation in Water Resource Management
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Climate Change Adaptation in Water Resource Management

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 July 2026 | Viewed by 4997

Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Athanasios Loukas

E-Mail Website1 Website2
Guest Editor
Department of Rural and Surveying Engineering, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, 54124 Thessaloniki, Greece
Interests: surface hydrology; water resource management and engineering; climate change impacts on hydrology and water resources; extreme hydrological events (floods and droughts); applications of GIS and remote sensing in water resources
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Aikaterini Lyra

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Civil Engineering, University of Thessaly, Volos, Greece
Interests: climate change adaptation; climate change impacts on water resources; integrated water resources management; coastal water resources; bias correction; groundwater; nitrate pollution; seawater intrusion

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Climate change presents unprecedented challenges to the availability, quality, and distribution of water resources and management worldwide, from altered hydrological cycles and extreme events to rising competition for water across sectors. This Special Issue will focus on innovative approaches, tools, and strategies for adapting to climate change within the field of water resource management from high-quality, original research and reviews that address how water resource management systems and society can adapt to climate-induced stressors through science, policy, and practice.

We invite the submission of contributions that explore the following topics:

  • Adaptive governance and water policy reforms;
  • Integrated water resource management (IWRM);
  • Innovative modeling and decision-support tools;
  • Nature-based solutions and ecosystem-based adaptation;
  • Case studies on urban, agricultural, or transboundary water adaptation;
  • Adaptation to climate change and extreme hydrological events induced;
  • Water resource systems in transition;
  • Water quality under climate stressors;
  • Socioeconomic and equity considerations.

This Special Issue aims to foster a cross-disciplinary dialog, improve resilience in water systems, and inform decision-making under future climate scenarios. It seeks to bridge scientific research with practical applications, supporting adaptive decision-making in water resource planning under uncertainty. It will contribute to the ongoing discourse on sustainable water management and climate resilience by bringing together interdisciplinary insights from engineering, hydrology, environmental sciences, and policy frameworks for water resource sustainability.

Prof. Dr. Athanasios Loukas
Dr. Aikaterini Lyra
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

  • climate change adaptation
  • water resources management, policy and governance
  • hydrological modeling
  • groundwater
  • climate downscaling
  • integrated water resources management (IWRM)
  • seawater intrusion
  • water quality
  • sustainable water systems
  • agricultural catchment
  • floods
  • droughts

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

Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

21 pages, 4007 KB  
Article
Contrasting Water Quality Responses During Drought Development Versus Recovery in Poyang Lake
by Shan He, Jijun Xu and Kuibing Zhao
Water 2026, 18(3), 413; https://doi.org/10.3390/w18030413 - 4 Feb 2026
Viewed by 553
Abstract
Drought leads to declining water levels and reduced water volume in lakes, significantly altering their water quality. Current research has primarily examined water quality during drought episodes or compared conditions before and after such events. However, the variations in water quality indicators and [...] Read more.
Drought leads to declining water levels and reduced water volume in lakes, significantly altering their water quality. Current research has primarily examined water quality during drought episodes or compared conditions before and after such events. However, the variations in water quality indicators and their relationships with hydrological factors across different drought stages, particularly during development and recovery periods, remain poorly understood. To address this gap, we investigated the stage-specific impacts of hydrological drought on lake water quality. Hydrological drought events were identified and segmented into development and recovery stages using the Standardized Water Level Index. Eight water quality indicators, including total nitrogen (TN) and total phosphorus (TP), were analyzed together with hydrological variables using Grey Relational Analysis (GRA). Poyang Lake, the largest freshwater lake in China, served as the case study. The results revealed significant spatio-temporal heterogeneity in both drought characteristics and water quality responses. Development periods were generally longer than recovery periods. Dissolved oxygen (DO) was consistently lower during drought development, whereas TP increased during recovery. GRA indicated that the main drivers of TN and TP shifted across drought stages. During the development period, TN and TP were more closely coupled, and permanganate index and turbidity exerted strong influences. In contrast, during the recovery period, TN was primarily associated with conductivity, while TP became mainly dominated by turbidity. This paper not only supplements the theoretical understanding of the interaction between hydrological drought and water quality, but also provides scientific support for water quality early warning, and the water resource management of large freshwater lakes under drought scenarios. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Climate Change Adaptation in Water Resource Management)
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31 pages, 3779 KB  
Article
Assessing Climate Change Impacts on Future Precipitation Using Random Forest Statistical Downscaling of CMIP6 HadGEM3 Projections in the Büyük Menderes Basin
by Ismail Ara, Mutlu Yasar and Gurhan Gurarslan
Water 2026, 18(2), 277; https://doi.org/10.3390/w18020277 - 21 Jan 2026
Viewed by 940
Abstract
Climate change increasingly threatens the sustainability of regional water resources; therefore, robust station-scale precipitation projections are essential for basin-level planning. This study aims to develop and evaluate a hybrid, machine-learning-based statistical downscaling framework to generate monthly precipitation projections for the 21st century in [...] Read more.
Climate change increasingly threatens the sustainability of regional water resources; therefore, robust station-scale precipitation projections are essential for basin-level planning. This study aims to develop and evaluate a hybrid, machine-learning-based statistical downscaling framework to generate monthly precipitation projections for the 21st century in the Büyük Menderes Basin, western Türkiye, using the HadGEM3-GC31-LL global climate model from the CMIP6. Monthly observations from 23 rainfall observation stations and ERA5 reanalysis predictors were employed to train station-specific Random Forest (RF) models, with optimal predictor sets identified through a multistage selection procedure (MPSP). Coarse-resolution general circulation model (GCM) fields were harmonized with ERA5 data using a three-stage inverse distance weighting (IDW), Delta, and Variance rescaling approach. The downscaled projections were bias-corrected using Quantile Delta Mapping (QDM) to maintain the climate-change signal. The RF models exhibited strong predictive skill across most stations, with test Nash–Sutcliffe Efficiency (NSE) values ranging from 0.45 to 0.81, RSR values from 0.43 to 0.74, and PBIAS values from −21.99% to +5.29%. Future projections indicate a basin-wide drying trend under both scenarios. Relative to the baseline, mean annual precipitation is projected to decrease by approximately 12.2, 19.6, and 33.7 mm in the near (2025–2050), mid (2051–2075), and late (2076–2099) periods under SSP2-4.5 (Shared Socioeconomic Pathway 2-4.5, a moderate greenhouse gas scenario). Under the high-emission SSP5-8.5 scenario, projected decreases are 25.2, 53.2, and 86.9 mm, respectively. Late-century reductions reach approximately 15–22% in several sub-basins. These findings indicate a substantial decline in future water availability and underscore the value of RF-based hybrid downscaling and trend-preserving bias correction for water resources planning in semi-arid Mediterranean basins. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Climate Change Adaptation in Water Resource Management)
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20 pages, 18938 KB  
Article
Hydrological Analysis of the 2024 Flood in the Upper Biała Lądecka Sub-Basin in South Poland
by Jakub Izydorski and Oscar Herrera-Granados
Water 2025, 17(24), 3593; https://doi.org/10.3390/w17243593 - 18 Dec 2025
Viewed by 829
Abstract
The SCS-CN (Soil Conservation Service Curve Number) model is important for flood forecasting as it provides a relatively simple and widely used methodology for estimating the amount of surface runoff from a rainfall event, which is a crucial input in predicting flood volumes [...] Read more.
The SCS-CN (Soil Conservation Service Curve Number) model is important for flood forecasting as it provides a relatively simple and widely used methodology for estimating the amount of surface runoff from a rainfall event, which is a crucial input in predicting flood volumes and peaks in ungauged or data-scarce watersheds. Thus, the authors developed a hydrological model based on the SCS-CN curve methodology and GIS (Geographic Information Systems) to estimate the flood hydrograph in the upper parts of the Biała Lądecka River basin in Poland. The numerical model was calibrated based on the data available from the Polish Institute of Meteorology and Water Management (IMGW). The output of the model demonstrates the effect in the flood hydrograph at the town of Lądek-Zdrój. Additionally, hydraulic routing calculations were included to analyze the possible causes of the dam failure of the Stronie Śląskie reservoir in the year 2024. The main purpose of this study is to corroborate the influence of climate change on flood events and their consequences, as well as to assist in forecasting future catastrophic hydrological events and thus earlier adaptation and reinforce the infrastructure in our territories against future flooding. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Climate Change Adaptation in Water Resource Management)
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23 pages, 3749 KB  
Article
Strengthening Dam Safety Under Climate Change: A Risk-Informed Overtopping Assessment
by Wan Noorul Hafilah Wan Ariffin, Lariyah Mohd Sidek, Hidayah Basri, Adrian M. Torres, Ali Najah Ahmed and Nurul Iman Ahmad Bukhari
Water 2025, 17(19), 2856; https://doi.org/10.3390/w17192856 - 30 Sep 2025
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1662
Abstract
Climate change is intensifying hydrological extremes, posing growing threats to the safety and operational reliability of embankment dams worldwide, particularly those in regions susceptible to heavy rainfall and flooding. This study evaluates the overtopping risk for Batu Dam, a critical flood mitigation and [...] Read more.
Climate change is intensifying hydrological extremes, posing growing threats to the safety and operational reliability of embankment dams worldwide, particularly those in regions susceptible to heavy rainfall and flooding. This study evaluates the overtopping risk for Batu Dam, a critical flood mitigation and water supply structure near Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, under future climate scenarios, with the aim of informing risk-informed dam safety strategies. Using historical hydrological data (1975–2020) and downscaled climate projections from the CMIP5 database under three Representative Concentration Pathways (RCP4.5, RCP6.0, RCP8.5), we conducted flood routing simulations and probabilistic risk assessments employing the iPRESAS software. Our results demonstrate that the annual probability of overtopping increases substantially under higher-emission scenarios, reaching up to 0.08% by the late century under RCP8.5, driven by increased frequency and intensity of extreme rainfall events. These projections highlight significant spillway capacity limitations and underscore the heightened risk of downstream consequences, including economic losses exceeding RM 200 million and potential loss of life surpassing 2900 individuals in worst-case scenarios. The findings confirm the urgent need for both structural adaptations, such as spillway expansion and crest elevation, and non-structural measures, including enhanced real-time monitoring and early warning systems. This integrated approach offers a robust and replicable framework for strengthening dam safety under evolving climate conditions. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Climate Change Adaptation in Water Resource Management)
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