Through rivers, wetlands, streams, and lakes, the flow of water sustains life. In addition to the myriad lifeforms that freshwater ecosystems support, including our own, they also provide opportunities for recreation and personal reflection. Unfortunately, our freshwaters have become seriously impacted and degraded by various stressors, including pollution, forestry, agriculture, urbanisation, exploitation of species, and more.

In this comprehensive book, Richardson lays out the origins and nature of the most prominent environmental stressors to freshwater systems. The first two chapters provide a review of freshwater biology and hydrology. Each of the next 12 chapters focuses on a particular class of stressors, interactions they may have with other stressors, and a range of solutions currently available to mitigate the problems they cause. The last two chapters pull together key concepts to focus on the restoration of freshwater ecosystems and the importance of long-term monitoring.

This work is ideally suited for students in upper and graduate-level college courses focused on freshwater ecology, biology, environmental sciences, and environmental engineering, as well as practitioners in these respective fields. Today, more than ever, we need trained individuals who understand how to protect and restore freshwater ecosystems for both human and non-human use, and this book provides the essential information required to get there.

Key Features:

Provides 28 case studies demonstrating scientific applications for the mitigation of stressors/impacts on aquatic ecosystems and nearly 100 colour illustrations and charts. Delves into impacts from both point source and non-point source pollution. Addresses issues with water withdrawals and transfers, as well as flow management and channelisation. Discusses solutions to problems resulting from erosion and sediment transport. Designed for use as a one-term college course, with each chapter covering two class periods. Chapters include thought-provoking homework activities for students Includes comprehensive references for additional reading and research.