Riverine quality at the Anthropocene: Propositions for global space and time analysis, illustrated by the Seine River

Abstract

The control of riverine quality (water, particulates) by human-related pressures is now a major feature of the Anthropocene era. A set of general typologies and approaches to address the complex relationships between pressures, environmental impacts and some of the related social responses is proposed here on the basis of various examples, among others the Seine basin. Riverine quality management is described through a dozen major types illustrated by river fluxes and riverine quality trends (ӷ10 years). A successful restoration cycle, still seldom documented, is used as an example of the decomposition of the multiple social, societal and hydrological inertia and time lags, generally spanning several decades. Human impacts can also be described by finer temporal analysis, over hourly to year-on-year scales, and spatial analysis including classical longitudinal profiles, stream-order

Global analysis of river systems: from Earth system controls to Anthropocene syndromes

“…Although riverine fluxes of nutrients and pollutants are generally increasing, they can also decrease if the anthropogenic retention (e.g. in reservoirs) and the transformation processes exceed the additional sources of material (Meybeck 2002).…”

“…Basin size should also be considered in further river basin analyses because, for pollution point sources, the impact severity is very much linked to the dilution capacity, i.e. to basin size as is observed for the Seine River (Meybeck 2002). The historical development of river engineering (dams, channelization, canals, irrigation), of the evolution of aquatic biocenoses (including species introduction, acclimatization, extinction, invasion), of thermal changes, radionuclide contamination and water-borne diseases should also be addressed to complement this river chemistry analysis.…”

Sediments and the “System”: from site-specific to regional-scale research

“…Comparing key reports of regulatory agencies like the US Army Corps of Engineers (Anonymous 1983 versus Anonymous 2002) also shows this change in paradigm. In addition, it is being recognised that natural and anthropogenic impacts in the spatial parts of the basin (brook, stream, river, estuary) exhibit differences in time response varying between days and centuries (Meybeck 2002).…”

Evaluation of the River-Shallow Aquifer Exchange Process Effect on Surface Water Quality Deterioration

“…State of America, South Korea, Nepal and central Asia [11]- [19]. These studies showed that the anthropogenic activities greatly deteriorate the water quality in major rivers, passing through communities with an absence or inadequate wastewater treatment facilities [14].…”