The Rivers of Greece: Evolution, Current Status and Perspectives (The Handbook of Environmental Chemistry, 59)

This volume provides essential information on the origin and evolution of Greek rivers, as well as their ecological and anthropogenic characteristics. The topics covered include geomythology, biogeography, hydrology, hydrobiology, hydrogeochemistry, geological and biogeochemical processes, anthropogenic pressures and ecological impacts, water management – both in the antiquity and today – and river restoration. The book is divided into four parts, the first of which explores the importance of rivers for ancient Greek civilization and the natural processes affecting their evolution during the Holocene. In the second part, the hydrological, hydrochemical and biological features of Greek rivers and the unique biogeographical characteristics that form the basis for their high biodiversity and endemism are highlighted, while the third part comprehensively discusses the impacts of environmental pollution on the structure and function of Greek river ecosystems. In turn, the final part describes the current socio-economic factors in Greece that are affecting established water management practices, the application of ecohydrological approaches in restoring fragmented rivers, and the lessons learned from restoring aquatic ecosystems in general as a paradigm for understanding and minimizing anthropogenic impacts on water resources, at the Mediterranean scale. Given the breadth and depth of its coverage, the book offers an invaluable source of information for researchers, students and environmental managers alike. Front Matter ....Pages i-xiv Ancient Greece and Water: Climatic Changes, Extreme Events, Water Management, and Rivers in Ancient Greece (Ilias D. Mariolakos)....Pages 3-30 Natural Processes Versus Human Impacts During the Last Century: A Case Study of the Aliakmon River Delta (Michael Styllas)....Pages 31-49 The Biogeographic Characteristics of the River Basins of Greece (Stamatis Zogaris, Alcibiades N. Economou)....Pages 53-95 The State and Origin of River Water Composition in Greece (Nikos Skoulikidis)....Pages 97-127 Long-Term Hydrologic Trends in the Main Greek Rivers: A Statistical Approach (Angeliki Mentzafou, Elias Dimitriou, Anastasios Papadopoulos)....Pages 129-165 Agro-Industrial Wastewater Pollution in Greek River Ecosystems (Ioannis Karaouzas)....Pages 169-204 Overview of the Pesticide Residues in Greek Rivers: Occurrence and Environmental Risk Assessment (Dimitra Lambropoulou, Dimitra Hela, Anastasia Koltsakidou, Ioannis Konstantinou)....Pages 205-240 Geochemical Processes of Trace Metals in Fresh–Saline Water Interfaces. The Cases of Louros and Acheloos Estuaries (Michael Scoullos, Fotini Botsou)....Pages 241-277 The Evrotas River Basin: 10 Years of Ecological Monitoring (Ioannis Karaouzas, Christos Theodoropoulos, Leonidas Vardakas, Stamatis Zogaris, Nikolaos Skoulikidis)....Pages 279-326 Macroinvertebrate Assemblages and Biological Status of Rivers in Northern and Central Greece (Lazaridou Maria, Ntislidou Chrysoula)....Pages 327-354 Socio-Economics and Water Management: Revisiting the Contribution of Economics in the Implementation of the Water Framework Directive in Greece (Phoebe Koundouri, Dimitrios Reppas, Vassilis Skianis)....Pages 357-377 Environmental Impacts of Large-Scale Hydropower Projects and Applied Ecohydrology Solutions for Watershed Restoration: The Case of Nestos River, Northern Greece (Georgios Sylaios, Nikolaos Kamidis)....Pages 379-401 River and Wetland Restoration in Greece: Lessons from Biodiversity Conservation Initiatives (Stamatis Zogaris, Nikolaos Skoulikidis, Elias Dimitriou)....Pages 403-431 Back Matter ....Pages 433-439