| Session Details | |
| Section | HS - Hydrological Sciences |
| Session Title | River Basins and Environmental Change |
| Main Convener | Prof. David Higgitt (National University of Singapore, Singapore) |
| Co-convener(s) | Dr. Xi Xi Lu (National University of Singapore, Singapore) |
| Session Description | Rivers act as conduits for transferring sediment and nutrients from terrestrial sources to the coastal shelf. This role has motivated geoscientists to explore a number of issues concerning quantification of sediment flux and denudation rates and the estimation of sediment and carbon budgets. The functioning of river basins is impacted by both natural and human induced environmental change. Human-induced changes in river basins, particularly those associated with the retention of sediment behind impoundments, have implications for large scale geochemical cycles and, in turn, for the functioning of aquatic ecosystems. Reconstructing changes in river basin dynamics from sediment archives and other proxies is another challenge. The aim of this session is to explore the impacts of environmental change on river basins, with particular attention to Asian rivers where the magnitude of human impact through land use change and water resource management has increased rapidly. |