The world’s growing population faces the challenge of meeting ever-larger demands for  fresh water, not only for drinking but also for agriculture, industry and recreation. Already some one billion people are at risk from over-use, water withdrawals and pollution of these water bodies So scientific knowledge of the lakes and reservoirs, which hold about 90% of the world's surface fresh water, is increasingly critical to meeting the multiplicity of needs.

The Encyclopedia of Lakes and Reservoirs offers a comprehensive and authoritative review of physical, chemical and ecological characteristics of lakes and reservoirs, as well as describing their uses and environmental conditions and trends in all parts of the world.

More than 165 scientists from over 30 countries have contributed in both large and small ways to this authoritative volume. Superbly illustrated throughout, it includes some 200 entries in a wide range of topics, including acidification, artificialisation, biology, canals, climate change effects, chemicals, dams, dew ponds, drainage, ecological, eutrophication, evaporation, fisheries, geographical, geological, hydrological, hydro-electric power, nutrients, organic pollution, paleolimnology, reservoir capacities and depths, sedimentation, water resources.

These include many of the most current and most controversial environmental problems.

Lars Bengtsson is professor in Water Resources Engineering at Lund University, Sweden. He was previously professor of hydrology at Uppsala University and Luleå Technical University and visiting professor in the USA, Canada and Hungary. He is and has been editorial board member of a large number of scientific journals. He has published more that 100 papers in international peer-reviewed journals. He specializes in physical processes in lakes and rivers and cold climate hydrology. 

Reginald Walter Herschy is a British consultant in hydrology dealing mainly with rivers, lakes and reservoirs. His work has taken him to Ireland, China, India, South Africa, Lesotho, Kenya, USA, Canada and South America. Dr Herschy was formerly with the UK Government for many years as head of hydrometry in England and Wales.  He is the author of some 60 technical papers on hydrology and meteorological satellites and author of several books. He is co-editor with the late Professor Rhodes Fairbridge ofthe Encyclopedia of Hydrology and Water Resources.