Surface water and the maintenance of hydrological regimes

Abstract

Wetlands provide essential ecosystem functions and services which are mostly influenced by the specifics of its hydrological regime. Reflecting the spatio- temporal pattern of inflow, storage and outflow of water of a specific wetland, the wetland regime varies with the specific wetland type and the given, often interacting, environmental conditions. In order to remediate, mitigate and prevent human and climate change impacts, the majority of efforts to maintain or restore the hydrological regime focus on the stabilization of water flow dynamics.