Integrated Surface Water and Groundwater Analysis

<p>Comprehensive understanding of surface water and groundwater interaction is essential for effective water resources management. Groundwater and surface water are closely connected components that constantly interact with each other within the Earth's hydrologic cycle. Many studies utilized observations to explain the surface water and groundwater interactions by carefully analyzing the behavior of surface water features (streams lakes reservoirs wetlands and estuaries) and the related aquifer environments. However unlike visible surface water groundwater an invisible water resource is not easy to measure or quantify directly. Nevertheless demand for groundwater that is highly resilient to climate change is growing rapidly. Furthermore groundwater is the prime source for drinking water supply and irrigation and hence critical to global food security. Groundwater needs to be managed wisely protected and especially sustainably used. However this task has become a challenge to many hydrologic systems in arid to even humid regions because of added stress caused by changing environment climate land use population growth etc. In this issue the editors present contributions on various research areas such as the integrated surface water and groundwater analysis sustainable management of groundwater and the interaction between surface water and groundwater. Methodologies strategies case studies as well as quantitative techniques for dealing with combined surface water and groundwater management are of interest for this issue.</p>