Hydrological Processes of the Danube River Basin: Perspectives from the Danubian Countries

The Danube River Basin is shared by 19 countries and there is no river basin in the world shared by so many nations. Europe’s second largest river basin with a total 2 area of about 800,000 km is also home to 83 million people of different cultures, languages and historical backgrounds. Management of common water sources and overcoming dif?culties caused by droughts and ?oods requires co-operation between the countries. In 1971 these c- mon interests stimulated the hydrologists of – at that time – eight Danube countries to begin regional co- operation in the framework of the International Hydrological Decade of UNESCO. The result of this research was The Hydrological Monograph of the Danube and its Catchment, which was published in 1986. Since 1975 this co-operation has continued under the umbrella of the International Hydrological Programme (IHP) of UNESCO. In the past 20 years political turbulence has caused an increase in the number of countries, making the co-operation dif?cult at times.

The Danube River Basin is shared by 19 countries and there is no river basin in the world shared by so many nations. Covering an area of about 800,000 km², it is Europe's second largest river basin and home to 83 million people of different cultures, languages and historical backgrounds.

Management of common water sources and overcoming difficulties caused by droughts and floods requires co-operation between these countries. In 1971 these common interests motivated the hydrologists of (at that time) eight Danube countries to start regional co- operation in the framework of the International Hydrological Decade of UNESCO.

Since 1975 co-operation has been under the umbrella of the International Hydrological Programme (IHP) of UNESCO.

This volume brings together the reports and papers related to regional co-operation. It is the result of a major collaboration and examines a broad range of topics. These include hydrological forecasting, real-time informational forecasting systems, models for rainfall-runoff processes, hydro-meteorological extremes, meteorological data and hydrological modeling, long-term statistical methods, examples of extreme flood and drought events, global climate change and hydrological processes, ecological aspects of hydrological changes, water management, water framework directive and integrated water quality processes, morphological processes, monitoring of watershed and river bed, models of erosion and sediment transport, and developments in hydrology. The book includes the efforts of many hydrologists and technical staff from different Universities and Agencies from all countries of the Danube River Basin.

Key themes: the Danube River Basin - hydrology - forecast - water resources - water management - water measurement

Mitja Brilly is Professor of Hydrology and Management of Water Regime at the University of Ljubljana, Slovenia, head of the Chair of Hydrology and Hydraulic Engineering, member of theFaculty of Civil and Geodetic Engineering Senate, head of University Post-graduate Study Programme in Environmental Protection, chairman of the Slovenian National Committee for the International Hydrological Programme (IHP) of UNESCO. He was responsible for organization of several international conferences such as Regional¬ization in Hydrology 1990, FRIEND 97 and XXIVth Conference of the Danubian Countries 2008. He has conducted more than 70 investigations in hydrology, hydraulic engineering and environment, and has more than 40 publications.