Land Use and Hydrology

Abstract

Water quality and quantity are widely recognized as important environmental resources for society (Arnell et al., 2001). Quantity refers to the presence of a sufficient supply of fresh water to support the human and natural systems dependent on it, while quality refers to the suitability of the supply for its intended use (e.g. agricultural, domestic, industrial, or natural). Water is a dynamic substance, however, and the water cycle is a series of fluxes between reservoirs of varying size, residence time, and state. This interconnected property means that there are important consequences of the life history of water on a landscape, from its first appearance in precipitation to its exit to the ocean. The water carries a signature of its history (i.e., nutrient and pollutant loads) that has impacts and consequences on the reservoirs through which it passes.