This paper introduces this special issue of Aquatic Sciences. It outlines a multi-scale, hierarchical framework for developing process-based understanding of catchment to reach hydromorphology that can aid design and delivery of sustainable river management solutions. The framework was developed within the REFORM (REstoring rivers FOR effective catchment Management) project, funded by the European Union’s FP7 Programme. Specific aspects of this ‘REFORM framework’ and some applications are presented in other papers in this special issue.

This research presents an analysis of river responses to flow regulation and other disturbances over time. The study was conducted in the Porma and Curueño rivers, using the hierarchical multi-scale process-based framework developed within the European REFORM Project.

This paper explores the use of ALOS (Advanced Land Observing Satellite) PALSARL-band (Phased Array type L-band Synthetic Aperture Radar) and RADARSAT-2 C-band data for land-cover classification in a tropical moist region. Transformed divergence was used to identify potential textural images which were calculated with the gray-level co-occurrence matrix method. The standard deviation of selected textural images and correlation coefficients between them were then used to determine the best combination of texture images for land-cover classification.

In much of the United States and elsewhere, urbanization continues to transform landscapes. In central Texas, anthropogenic conversion of land is due in part to a rapidly growing population in the Austin and San Antonio metro areas and the subsequent infrastructure and resources needed to support that growth. Protected natural areas adjacent to urbanized landscapes are often intended to mitigate the impact of land development by serving as wildlife habitat.

Encroachment of nitrogen-fixing trees and shrubs into grasslands and savannas is a well-documented land cover change that occurs worldwide. In the Rio Grande Plains region of southern Texas, previous studies have shown woody encroachment by leguminous Prosopis glandulosa (mesquite) trees increases soil C and N, decreases microbial biomass N relative to soil N, and accelerates N mineralization and nitrification.

The main objective of the present work is to delineate the groundwater potential zones in Bilari watershed of district Shivpuri, Madhya Pradesh. Remote Sensing data and GIS were used to delineate the groundwater potential zones of the area. IRS-1D (LISS III) data have been utilized to extract information on various themes such as geomorphology, structure, drainage and land use/land cover. Available lithology and soil maps have also been used.

High N₂O emissions have been observed in semi-arid grasslands, especially during freeze/thaw periods, when denitrification might be the main process of N₂O production. However, there have been few denitrification studies in semi-arid grassland. This study was designed to determine the denitrification potential of four representative land cover types (typical steppe, meadow steppe, marshland, arid steppe) in two grasslands in Inner Mongolia, China.

AIM: Anthropogenic environmental change is having a major impact on biodiversity. By identifying traits that correlate with changes in species range, comparative studies can shed light on the mechanisms driving this change; but such studies will be more useful for conservation if they have true predictive power, i.e. if their trait‐based models can be transferred to new regions. We aim to examine the ability of trait‐based models to predict changes in plant distribution across seven geographic regions that varied in terms of land cover and species composition.

This research examined the spatial and temporal patterns of error in time-series classified maps as a first step to creating a model to propagate error in post-classification change analysis. Two Landsat images were acquired for Pittsfield Township, MI, USA, classified, and overlaid to produce a map of change. Error variables were created for the classified maps. Hypotheses were proposed describing the spatial and temporal structures of error in the classified maps, and evaluated using geostatistics and point pattern analysis.

AIM: For many applications in biodiversity and ecology, existing remote sensing‐derived land‐cover products have limitations due to among‐product inconsistency and their typically non‐continuous nature. Here we aim to help address these shortcomings by generating a 1‐km resolution global product that provides scale‐integrated and accuracy‐weighted consensus land‐cover information on an approximately continuous scale. LOCATION: Global. METHODS: Using a generalized classification scheme and an accuracy‐based integration approach, we integrated four global land‐cover products.

The rapid population growth and ongoing development activities has resulted in natural resources demolition. However, the dynamics of the natural resources in relation to different biophysical and socio-economic factors are still remains poorly understood. The present study investigates the basic natural resources i.e. forest, rangeland and surface water bodies’ status using satellite data for the years 1990, 1998, and 2006, and their change detection in relation to biophysical and socio-economic factors.

The impact of climate change on hydrological processes and nutrient input is one of the major uncertainties in projecting future global warming. The Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) model is applied to simulate the effects of temperature on the hydrology and sediment and nutrient load in the lower Pearl River Basin, South China. Calibration and validation results for SWAT showed that the Yamen estuary is appropriate for simulating the impacts of temperature change on both hydrological processes and nutrient input.