Short Description of Lecture

China is a country of great hydrological contrasts: too little precipitation in the north; much more rainfall in the south. Disastrous floods and droughts have occurred throughout China’s history. And the over-supply of fine sediment from rapidly eroding areas such as the Loess Plateau has caused sedimentation of major rivers in China. The talk will examine the cultural importance of rivers in China, and its long history of hydraulic engineering, before considering human and natural impacts on three of China’s largest rivers. Recent findings will be presented on changes to water and sediment fluxes in the Yellow River, Yangtze River, and the Mekong River. Important changes are due to climate change, sedimentation, sand dredging, and the construction of major dams. The challenge is how civil engineers can contribute towards China’s large rivers achieving long-term sustainability, and thus turning China’s ‘sorrow’ into joy.

Alistair Borthwick: Short Biography

Alistair Borthwick has more than 45 years’ experience in engineering science. He is an Emeritus Fellow of St Edmund Hall Oxford, Emeritus Professor at The University of Edinburgh, and Professor of Applied Hydrodynamics at the University of Plymouth.He was previously a Professor of Engineering Science at the University of Oxford where he worked from 1990 to 2011 and was Head of Civil & Environmental Engineering at University College Cork from 2011-13. His research interests includeriver, coastal, and ocean engineering, and marine renewable energy. He was awarded a DSc from the University of Oxford in 2005, an honorary doctorate by Budapest University in 2016, the Gold Medal from the Institution of Civil Engineers in 2019, the YanYuan Friendship Award by Peking University in 2020, and the Zhongguancun Award for International Cooperation in 2024. He is a Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering, and a Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh.