Computational Methods in the Management of Hydro-Environmental Systems
Application of the computer modelling to the analysis of the behaviour of natural water systems started many decades ago. Investigators with backgrounds in hydraulics engineering, civil engineering, mathematics, earth science, geology, oceanography, chemical engineering, computer science and many other disciplines have contributed to the progress of the techniques and methodologies used in such models. Further to the expected growth of a scientific discipline during a relatively long time span of more many decades, the diversity of the backgrounds of the researchers who worked in this area, combined with the phenomenal advances of computer technology during the last twenty years, have resulted in the development of an unprecedented number of modeling schemes, procedures and methodologies for the simulation of wide ranging hydro-environmental phenomena. The enormity of the area of knowledge which is currently considered to be the discipline of the computer modelling of natural water systems is such that even adopting a very restrictive approach all of the core topics of this subject cannot be discussed and presented in a single book. A comprehensive presentation of the mathematical backgrounds of hydro-environmental computer models would require more than a single volume on its own. However, despite of the relative complexity and vastness of this discipline the urgency of the issues related to the safeguard of vital resources such as natural water systems have provided imperatives for younger generations all over the world to take up the study of this subject.
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Resources
The issues in this article are covered in the book,Computational Methods in the Management of Hydro-Environmental Systems (V. Nassehi, DB Das, 2007).
The book provides concise, up-to-date and easy-to-follow information on the important area of hydro-environmental analysis and management. It covers important fundamental aspects of both surface and subsurface water quality management, as they are inseparable components of aquifers and the flow in the physical domains occurs in combination with other. However the main emphasis of the book is on the practical development and application of computer based algorithms, via appropriate schemes, for modelling realistic problems.
The aim of Computational Methods in the Management of Hydro-Environmental Systems is to cover the basic aspects of the computer modelling of hydro-environmental phenomena. Mathematical theories are not covered in detail as they could be found in many expert books. Realistic case studies demonstrating the application of typical modelling schemes, comparison of the performance and their advantages and shortcomings are included to provide illustrative examples for the readers. Inevitably some areas of hydro-environmental issues and some types of systems have received wider coverage than the others, however, the book has endeavoured to show at least one example from each category of problems.
The target audiences of the book are primarily engineering and science graduates who are either starting a career in the monitoring and management of natural water systems or a post-graduate course related to water environment pollution subjects. Therefore in this text starting from basic principles various stages of the construction and implementation of computer models for different types of hydro-environmental systems have been explained. The objective has been to enable the reader to gain a practical knowledge about the fundamental aspects of these models and their methodology. In selecting the modelling schemes themselves the aim has been to start from simpler and more basic techniques and gradually build up to more sophisticated methods which provide powerful tools for very detailed simulations. However, the merits of both simple and elaborate techniques have been discussed and situations under which the use of a simple scheme may be more suitable for the purpose of the modeller than a sophisticated approach have been highlighted.
References
Computational Methods in the Management of Hydro-Environmental SystemsV Nassehi, DB Das, , IWA Publishing 2007, ISBN: 9781843390459
