Integrated Water Resources Research: Advancements in Understanding to Improve Future Sustainability

Anthropogenic and natural disturbances to freshwater quantity and quality are a greater issue for society than ever before. To successfully restore water resources requires understanding the interactions between hydrology climate land use water quality ecology and social and economic pressures. This Special Issue of Water includes cutting edge research broadly addressing investigative areas related to experimental study designs and modeling freshwater pollutants of concern and human dimensions of water use and management. Results demonstrate the immense globally transferable value of the experimental watershed approach the relevance and critical importance of current integrated studies of pollutants of concern and the imperative to include human sociological and economic processes in water resources investigations. In spite of the latest progress as demonstrated in this Special Issue managers remain insufficiently informed to make the best water resource decisions amidst combined influences of land use change rapid ongoing human population growth and changing environmental conditions. There is thus a persistent need for further advancements in integrated and interdisciplinary research to improve the scientific understanding management and future sustainability of water resources.