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Water - a key security asset 8. Pilot studies on water management Contents   1. Water - a key security asset   2. Security through Science  3. Committee on the Challenges of Modern Society  4. Countering the environmental degradation of the Black Sea  5. Wetlands restoration in the Aral Sea  6. Artemia production in the salt water of the Aral Sea  7. Real-time monitoring of the Nistru and Prut rivers  8. Pilot studies on water management  9. The South Caucasus Cooperative River Monitoring Project Editorial Note   Important publisher and editorial information about this document Other Formats English PDF (~640Kb) Printable version with colour illustrations Order a hardcopy version using the online order form. The widespread aquatic environmental problem arising from surplus nutrients from sources such as municipal sewage, and agricultural runoff, led NATO's CCMS to initiate a pilot study on Modelling Nutrient Loads and Response in River and Estuary Systems. The objective of the study was to develop water quality management tools for water bodies impacted by an over-abundance of nutrients. The study resulted in the creation of scientific information and predictive models through field sampling, laboratory studies and analysis. The locations chosen for this project were Belarus, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Russia, Slovenia, Spain, Turkey and the United States. In 1995, a pilot study on Ecosystem Modelling of Coastal Lagoons for Sustainable Management was launched by CCMS. The first phase of this project was finalised in 2000, with Turkey acting as the pilot country and the United States as the co-pilot country. It came to four main conclusions about coastal lagoons: they are the most valuable components of coastal areas in terms of ecosystem and natural capital; the concept of sustainable management of lagoons is neither clearly understood nor applied; the use of models as management tools has not yet been experienced or utilised; various models are being developed by many research groups and are being utilised. This first phase is being followed by a second phase, under the leadership of Turkey, during which participants will apply ecological models in selected coastal lagoons as a decision-making tool for sustainable use and development. Did you know? Estuaries provide habitat for 75 per cent of commercial fish catch and 80-90 per cent of recreational fish catch. 60 per cent of the world's population lives near an estuary. 66 per cent of the largest cities in the world are located on estuaries. What is a lagoon? A lagoon is an area of relatively shallow, quiet water with access to the sea but separated from it by sandbars, barrier islands, or coral reefs. The term lagoon is used to describe two types that share the physical characteristics described, but are otherwise distinct: coastal lagoons, found on most land margins, and coral reef lagoons.

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