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Editorial Board Members’ Collection Series: The Impact of Climate Change on Water Resources

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

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (28 February 2026) | Viewed by 6258

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Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Enedir Ghisi

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Research Group on Management of Sustainable Environments, Department of Civil Engineering, Federal University of Santa Catarina, Campus Universitario, Trindade, Florianópolis 88040-900, SC, Brazil
Interests: stormwater harvesting; water consumption in buildings; water efficiency; rainwa-ter use in buildings; sustainability; permeable pavements; energy efficiency; buildings; climate change
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Prof. Dr. Rafael J. Bergillos

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Guest Editor

Institute of Water and Environmental Engineering, Department of Hydraulic Engineering and Environment, School of Civil Engineering, Polytechnic University of Valencia, Camino de Vera s/n, 46022 Valencia, Spain
Interests: climate change; water resources; watershed management; hydraulic engineering; renewable energies; coastal engineering; coastal management
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Prof. Dr. Ognjen Bonacci

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Faculty of Civil Sciences, Architecture and Geodesy, Split University, 21000 Split, Croatia
Interests: engineering hydrology; karst hydrology; ecohydrology; climate changes; water resources research
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Dr. Cesar Andrade

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Research Institute for Volcanology and Risks Assessment, University of the Azores, 9500-321 Azores, Portugal
Interests: hydrogeochemistry; hydrology; groundwater; lake, water resources management; climate change; carbon dioxide; water resources
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

In order to show our gratitude to our Editorial Board Members, we our launching a Special Issue entitled “Editorial Board Members’ Collection Series: The Impact of Climate Change on Water Resources”. This Special Issue will be composed of feature papers selected by the Editorial Board Members.

We invite researchers to submit high-quality papers related to the impact of climate change on water resources. These can encompass the following: urban water supply, urban drainage, sponge cities, stormwater harvesting, rainwater use in buildings, green roofs, permeable pavement systems to filter stormwater, urban water contamination, the effects of urbanisation, sustainable development, urban wastewater reuse, flood risk management, water resources, and climate change, among others.

Prof. Dr. Enedir Ghisi
Prof. Dr. Rafael J. Bergillos
Prof. Dr. Ognjen Bonacci
Dr. Cesar Andrade
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

urban water supply
urban drainage
sustainable urban water management strategies
sponge cities
stormwater harvesting
rainwater use in buildings
green roofs
permeable pavement systems to filter stormwater
urban water contamination
effects of urbanisation
sustainable development
urban wastewater reuse
flood risk management
water resources
climate change

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Related Special Issue

Editorial Board Members’ Collection Series: The Impact of Climate Change on Water Resources, 2nd Edition in Water

Published Papers (6 papers)

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Research

26 pages, 5412 KB

Open AccessArticle

Projected Climate Change Impacts on Rainwater Harvesting in Brazilian Single-Family Houses

by Igor Catão Martins Vaz, Andréa Teston, Eugénio Rodrigues, Enedir Ghisi, André Simões Ballarin and Abderraman Róger de Amorim Brandão

Water 2026, 18(7), 792; https://doi.org/10.3390/w18070792 - 27 Mar 2026

Viewed by 511

Abstract

Climate change is expected to impact rainfall amount, seasonality, and dry/wet patterns, with direct implications for rainwater harvesting systems. This study aims to quantify how future rainfall may affect rainwater harvesting systems across Brazil by combining multi-model climate projections with a daily water balance model. A single-family social housing archetype (60 m² roof area; four occupants; 150 L/day/person; non-potable demand equal to 30% of total demand) was simulated for 652 Brazilian cities, using bias-corrected daily rainfall from the CLIMBra dataset and nineteen climate models. Historical conditions were compared with near-future and far-future projections under the SSP2-4.5 and SSP5-8.5 scenarios. Historically, the greater potential for potable water savings has occurred in wetter, less seasonal climates, such as those in the North. In contrast, more seasonal and drought-prone areas, such as the Northeast, showed lower reliability. In future climates, most models indicate relative reductions in the potential for potable water savings in the North, Northeast, and Centre–West, with larger reductions under SSP5-8.5 and in the far-future scenarios. The South shows the most significant divergence between models and may increase the potential for potable water savings in some projections. On the other hand, in the South, the volume of rainwater harvesting system overflow increases under future scenarios. This work contributes to the literature by delivering a national-scale, multi-model, uncertainty-aware evaluation of rainwater harvesting performance under non-stationary rainfall regimes. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Editorial Board Members’ Collection Series: The Impact of Climate Change on Water Resources)

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24 pages, 11507 KB

Open AccessArticle

Cooling Effects of Wetlands in a Tropical Megacity: Evidence from the East Kolkata Wetlands, India

by Pawan Kumar Yadav, Priyanka Jha, Md Saharik Joy, Taruna Bansal, Wafa Saleh Alkhuraiji and Mohamed Zhran

Water 2026, 18(6), 672; https://doi.org/10.3390/w18060672 - 13 Mar 2026

Viewed by 796

Abstract

Rapid urbanisation in tropical megacities intensifies urban heat islands, especially during summer. Peri-urban wetlands help combat surface thermal stress through evapotranspiration, thermal inertia, and hydrological connectivity. However, their cooling effects are often oversimplified. This study assesses the complex cooling role of peri-urban wetlands, using a geospatial framework with Landsat imagery. We analyse land surface temperature (LST) variability and cooling patterns across the East Kolkata Wetlands (EKW). Results show a sharp thermal gradient, with waterbodies as the coolest surfaces (mean 25.4 °C) and dumping grounds as intense hotspots (mean 35.75 °C). Built-up areas adjacent to water are significantly cooler than urban cores. Cooling exhibits non-linear distance-decay and directional asymmetry, extending several kilometres but attenuated by dense western urban development. Internal thermal disruptions from dumping grounds create localised heat plumes. The findings demonstrate that wetland cooling is governed by hydrological connectivity and landscape permeability. Thus, conserving waterbody networks and mitigating thermally disruptive land uses are therefore critical. This positions peri-urban wetlands as dynamic climate-regulating infrastructure, offering a nature-based solution for urban heat adaptation that aligns with the sustainable development goals (SDGs). Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Editorial Board Members’ Collection Series: The Impact of Climate Change on Water Resources)

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28 pages, 14678 KB

Open AccessArticle

Flood Event Escalation and Urban Drainage Design Implications Under Nonstationary Rainfall in São Paulo State, Brazil

by Abderraman R. A. Brandão, Maria A. R. A. Castro, Mateo H. Sánchez, Marcus N. Gomes, Jr., José Gescilam S. M. Uchôa, Igor C. M. Vaz, Enedir Ghisi, Jamil A. A. Anache, Edson C. Wendland, Paulo T. S. Oliveira, Eduardo M. Mendiondo and André S. Ballarin

Water 2026, 18(5), 561; https://doi.org/10.3390/w18050561 - 27 Feb 2026

Viewed by 735

Abstract

Reliable urban stormwater design under nonstationary rainfall is becoming increasingly important, yet quantitative links between floods occurrence, updated design requirements, and associated costs remain limited. This study (i) characterizes the evolution and impacts of flood-related events in São Paulo State, Brazil (1991–2024), and (ii) quantifies how nonstationary rainfall projections (CMIP6 SSP2-4.5 and SSP5-8.5) affect culvert sizing and construction costs across municipalities for standardized hypothetical catchments, across multiple return periods and future horizons. Observations indicate an increase in flood occurrence, from an average of 7.8 events per year in the 1990s to 72.9 events per year in the 2010s. In the immediate future (2015–2055), SSP2-4.5 projected costs remain close to the baseline for most municipalities (for return periods ≤ 25 years, 68% show increases up to 10%), whereas for the distant future (2056–2100) 86% exceed 10% under SSP5-8.5. However, under SSP5-8.5 in the immediate future (2015–2055), and for RP > 25 years, approximately 46% of municipalities exceed 10% additional costs. Design discharges generally rise by 9–43% in the immediate future, with stronger increases under SSP5-8.5 toward the late century. Mapping required hydraulic area to commercially available nominal sizes discretizes upgrades and creates threshold behavior, with larger basins crossing size classes more often. These findings challenge the assumption of stationary design and support the adoption of nonstationary adaptation strategies to reduce the long-term probability of structural failure. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Editorial Board Members’ Collection Series: The Impact of Climate Change on Water Resources)

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18 pages, 2456 KB

Open AccessArticle

Linking Precipitation Deficits to Reservoir Storage: Robust Statistical Analyses in the Monte Cotugno Catchment (Sinni Basin, Italy)

by Marco Piccarreta and Mario Bentivenga

Water 2026, 18(2), 223; https://doi.org/10.3390/w18020223 - 14 Jan 2026

Viewed by 564

Abstract

This study examines the hydroclimatic controls on reservoir storage dynamics in the Sinni River basin (southern Italy), with a specific focus on the Monte Cotugno dam—the largest earth-fill reservoir in Europe. Using monthly precipitation data (2000–2024) from eight gauges and standardized indicators (SPI at multiple timescales and SRI for storage), we apply robust trend, correlation, autocorrelation, and causality analyses, supported by advanced preprocessing (TFPW), to disentangle climatic influences from anthropogenic pressures. Results show a statistically significant and persistent decline in the SRI series, indicating progressive storage depletion, despite stationary or slightly positive trends in precipitation at annual and hydrologically relevant timescales. These findings highlight the dominant role of cumulative operational losses and systemic inefficiencies—rather than sustained climatic drying—as primary drivers of reservoir decline. Granger causality and lagged-correlation analyses reveal that multi-month to annual precipitation anomalies (SPI-3, SPI-6, SPI-12) exert the strongest influence on storage variations, yet the basin’s ability to convert rainfall into effective reservoir supply is severely constrained by infrastructural and management limitations. The study underscores the urgent need to integrate climate-based monitoring with infrastructural modernization and governance reforms to address the combined climatic and anthropogenic pressures increasingly affecting Mediterranean water systems. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Editorial Board Members’ Collection Series: The Impact of Climate Change on Water Resources)

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21 pages, 2339 KB

Open AccessArticle

Flood Frequency Analysis and Trend Detection in the Brisbane River Basin, Australia

by S M Anwar Hossain, Sadia T. Mim, Mohammad A. Alim and Ataur Rahman

Water 2025, 17(18), 2690; https://doi.org/10.3390/w17182690 - 11 Sep 2025

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1165

Abstract

This study presents a comprehensive flood frequency analysis for Australia’s Brisbane River basin using annual maximum flood (AMF) data from 26 stream gauging stations. This evaluates five different probability distributions in fitting the AMF data of the selected stations, which are the Lognormal, Log Pearson Type III (LP3), Gumbel, Generalized Extreme Value (GEV), and Generalized Pareto (GP) distributions (the recommended distributions in FLIKE software (School of Civil Engineering, University of Newcastle Australia, Australia, Release_x86_5.0.306.0). Three different goodness-of-fit tests (Chi-Squared, Anderson–Darling, and Kolmogorov–Smirnov) are adopted. This study also examines trends in the observed AMF data using several trend tests. It is found that the LP3 is the best-fit probability distribution at majority of the selected stations, followed by the GP distribution. Although the AMF data at most of the stations show an increasing linear trend, these trends are generally statistically non-significant. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Editorial Board Members’ Collection Series: The Impact of Climate Change on Water Resources)

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14 pages, 4489 KB

Open AccessArticle

Modifying Design Standards: The 2023 Extreme Flood’s Impact on Design Discharges in Slovenia

by Mojca Šraj and Nejc Bezak

Water 2025, 17(15), 2198; https://doi.org/10.3390/w17152198 - 23 Jul 2025

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1819

Abstract

An extreme flood event occurred in Slovenia in August 2023. This study evaluated the influence of this extreme flood on the design discharges in Slovenia. This evaluation was based on flood frequency analysis for the data from 33 gauging stations. Analyses were conducted with and without the 2023 peak discharge, i.e., for the periods 1961–2022 and 1961–2023, using eight different theoretical distribution functions. In addition, specific discharge values for the 2023 flood event were analyzed and compared with regional envelope curves for Europe. The findings of the study indicate that the impact of a single flood event on the design discharge values can be substantial. Moreover, an analysis of the specific discharges resulting from the 2023 flood event in Slovenia reveals that the values for all gauging stations considered are below the regional envelopes. Concurrently, the analysis indicates that a flood event larger than the 2023 event may occur in the future. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Editorial Board Members’ Collection Series: The Impact of Climate Change on Water Resources)

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