Water

430 KiB

Open AccessReview

Evolution of Marine Organisms under Climate Change at Different Levels of Biological Organisation

by Ben P. Harvey, Balsam Al-Janabi, Stefanie Broszeit, Rebekah Cioffi, Amit Kumar, Maria Aranguren-Gassis, Allison Bailey, Leon Green, Carina M. Gsottbauer, Emilie F. Hall, Maria Lechler, Francesco P. Mancuso, Camila O. Pereira, Elena Ricevuto, Julie B. Schram, Laura S. Stapp, Simon Stenberg and Lindzai T. Santa Rosa

Water 2014, 6(11), 3545-3574; https://doi.org/10.3390/w6113545 - 21 Nov 2014

Cited by 34 | Viewed by 21444

Abstract

Research to date has suggested that both individual marine species and ecological processes are expected to exhibit diverse responses to the environmental effects of climate change. Evolutionary responses can occur on rapid (ecological) timescales, and yet studies typically do not consider the role [...] Read more.

Research to date has suggested that both individual marine species and ecological processes are expected to exhibit diverse responses to the environmental effects of climate change. Evolutionary responses can occur on rapid (ecological) timescales, and yet studies typically do not consider the role that adaptive evolution will play in modulating biological responses to climate change. Investigations into such responses have typically been focused at particular biological levels (e.g., cellular, population, community), often lacking interactions among levels. Since all levels of biological organisation are sensitive to global climate change, there is a need to elucidate how different processes and hierarchical interactions will influence species fitness. Therefore, predicting the responses of communities and populations to global change will require multidisciplinary efforts across multiple levels of hierarchy, from the genetic and cellular to communities and ecosystems. Eventually, this may allow us to establish the role that acclimatisation and adaptation will play in determining marine community structures in future scenarios. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Impact of Ocean Acidification on Marine Organisms—Unifying Principles and New Paradigms)

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382 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Assessment of Short Term Rainfall and Stream Flows in South Australia

by Mohammad Kamruzzaman, Md Sumon Shahriar and Simon Beecham

Water 2014, 6(11), 3528-3544; https://doi.org/10.3390/w6113528 - 19 Nov 2014

Cited by 12 | Viewed by 6792

Abstract

The aim of this study is to assess the relationship between rainfall and stream flow at Broughton River in Mooroola, Torrance River in Mount Pleasant, and Wakefield River near Rhyine, in South Australia, from 1990 to 2010. Initially, we present a short term [...] Read more.

The aim of this study is to assess the relationship between rainfall and stream flow at Broughton River in Mooroola, Torrance River in Mount Pleasant, and Wakefield River near Rhyine, in South Australia, from 1990 to 2010. Initially, we present a short term relationship between rainfall and stream flow, in terms of correlations, lagged correlations, and estimated variability between wavelet coefficients at each level. A deterministic regression based response model is used to detect linear, quadratic and polynomial trends, while allowing for seasonality effects. Antecedent rainfall data were considered to predict stream flow. The best fitting model was selected based on maximum adjusted R² values (R²_adj ), minimum sigma square (σ²), and a minimum Akaike Information Criterion (AIC). The best performance in the response model is lag rainfall, which indicates at least one day and up to 7 days (past) difference in rainfall, including offset cross products of lag rainfall. With the inclusion of antecedent stream flow as an input with one day time lag, the result shows a significant improvement of the R²_adj values from 0.18, 0.26 and 0.14 to 0.35, 0.42 and 0.21 at Broughton River, Torrance River and Wakefield River, respectively. A benchmark comparison was made with an Artificial Neural Network analysis. The optimization strategy involved adopting a minimum mean absolute error (MAE). Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Water Resources in a Variable and Changing Climate)

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7025 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Application of Hydrologic Tools and Monitoring to Support Managed Aquifer Recharge Decision Making in the Upper San Pedro River, Arizona, USA

by Laurel J. Lacher, Dale S. Turner, Bruce Gungle, Brooke M. Bushman and Holly E. Richter

Water 2014, 6(11), 3495-3527; https://doi.org/10.3390/w6113495 - 18 Nov 2014

Cited by 17 | Viewed by 10675

Abstract

The San Pedro River originates in Sonora, Mexico, and flows north through Arizona, USA, to its confluence with the Gila River. The 92-km Upper San Pedro River is characterized by interrupted perennial flow, and serves as a vital wildlife corridor through this semiarid [...] Read more.

The San Pedro River originates in Sonora, Mexico, and flows north through Arizona, USA, to its confluence with the Gila River. The 92-km Upper San Pedro River is characterized by interrupted perennial flow, and serves as a vital wildlife corridor through this semiarid to arid region. Over the past century, groundwater pumping in this bi-national basin has depleted baseflows in the river. In 2007, the United States Geological Survey published the most recent groundwater model of the basin. This model served as the basis for predictive simulations, including maps of stream flow capture due to pumping and of stream flow restoration due to managed aquifer recharge. Simulation results show that ramping up near-stream recharge, as needed, to compensate for downward pumping-related stress on the water table, could sustain baseflows in the Upper San Pedro River at or above 2003 levels until the year 2100 with less than 4.7 million cubic meters per year (MCM/yr). Wet-dry mapping of the river over a period of 15 years developed a body of empirical evidence which, when combined with the simulation tools, provided powerful technical support to decision makers struggling to manage aquifer recharge to support baseflows in the river while also accommodating the economic needs of the basin. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Policy and Economics of Managed Aquifer Recharge and Water Banking)

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623 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Using a Statistical Model to Examine the Effect of COD: SO₄²⁻ Ratio, HRT and LA Concentration on Sulfate Reduction in an Anaerobic Sequencing Batch Reactor

by Rajesh Singh, Chungman Moon, Sathyanarayan S. Veeravalli, Saravanan R. Shanmugam, Subba Rao Chaganti and Jerald A. Lalman

Water 2014, 6(11), 3478-3494; https://doi.org/10.3390/w6113478 - 14 Nov 2014

Cited by 6 | Viewed by 5925

Abstract

Taguchi statistical design, an orthogonal array (OA) method, was used to study the impact of the COD/SO₄²⁻ ratio, hydraulic retention time (HRT) and linoleic acid (LA) concentration on sulfate (SO₄²⁻) reduction in an anaerobic sequencing batch reactor using [...] Read more.

Taguchi statistical design, an orthogonal array (OA) method, was used to study the impact of the COD/SO₄²⁻ ratio, hydraulic retention time (HRT) and linoleic acid (LA) concentration on sulfate (SO₄²⁻) reduction in an anaerobic sequencing batch reactor using glucose as the electron donor. Based on the OA, optimum condition for maximum SO₄²⁻ reduction was evaluated. Increasing the COD/SO₄²⁻ ratio and HRT caused decreasing SO₄²⁻ reduction while increased SO₄²⁻ reduction was observed with increasing LA concentration (1 g L⁻¹). In control (not fed LA) cultures, higher SO₄²⁻ reduction (87% ± 3%) was observed at a low COD/SO₄²⁻ ratio of 0.8. This indicates that increasing SO₄²⁻ reduction was observed at increasing SO₄²⁻ loading rates. In general, results from this study reveal that limiting the substrate concentration with high SO₄²⁻ levels (low COD/SO₄²⁻ ratio) favors high SO₄²⁻ removal. Surface plots were used to evaluate the significant interactions between the experimental factors. Accuracy of the model was verified using an analysis of residuals. Optimum conditions for maximum SO₄²⁻ reduction (97.61%) were observed at a COD/SO₄²⁻ ratio of 0.8 (level 1), 12 h HRT (level 1) together with 1000 mg L⁻¹ LA addition (level 3). In general, the Taguchi OA provided a useful approach for predicting the percent SO₄²⁻ reduction in inhibited mixed anaerobic cultures within the factor levels investigated. Full article

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312 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Understanding Irrigator Bidding Behavior in Australian Water Markets in Response to Uncertainty

by Alec Zuo, Robert Brooks, Sarah Ann Wheeler, Edwyna Harris and Henning Bjornlund

Water 2014, 6(11), 3457-3477; https://doi.org/10.3390/w6113457 - 14 Nov 2014

Cited by 10 | Viewed by 5733

Abstract

Water markets have been used by Australian irrigators as a way to reduce risk and uncertainty in times of low water allocations and rainfall. However, little is known about how irrigators’ bidding trading behavior in water markets compares to other markets, nor is [...] Read more.

Water markets have been used by Australian irrigators as a way to reduce risk and uncertainty in times of low water allocations and rainfall. However, little is known about how irrigators’ bidding trading behavior in water markets compares to other markets, nor is it known what role uncertainty and a lack of water in a variable and changing climate plays in influencing behavior. This paper studies irrigator behavior in Victorian water markets over a decade (a time period that included a severe drought). In particular, it studies the evidence for price clustering (when water bids/offers end mostly around particular numbers), a common phenomenon present in other established markets. We found that clustering in bid/offer prices in Victorian water allocation markets was influenced by uncertainty and strategic behavior. Water traders evaluate the costs and benefits of clustering and act according to their risk aversion levels. Water market buyer clustering behavior was mostly explained by increased market uncertainty (in particular, hotter and drier conditions), while seller-clustering behavior is mostly explained by strategic behavioral factors which evaluate the costs and benefits of clustering. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Water Resources in a Variable and Changing Climate)

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1445 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Comparison of Performance between Genetic Algorithm and SCE-UA for Calibration of SCS-CN Surface Runoff Simulation

by Ji-Hong Jeon, Chan-Gi Park and Bernard A. Engel

Water 2014, 6(11), 3433-3456; https://doi.org/10.3390/w6113433 - 12 Nov 2014

Cited by 32 | Viewed by 8629

Abstract

Global optimization methods linked with simulation models are widely used for automated calibration and serve as useful tools for searching for cost-effective alternatives for environmental management. A genetic algorithm (GA) and shuffled complex evolution (SCE-UA) algorithm were linked with the Long-Term Hydrologic Impact [...] Read more.

Global optimization methods linked with simulation models are widely used for automated calibration and serve as useful tools for searching for cost-effective alternatives for environmental management. A genetic algorithm (GA) and shuffled complex evolution (SCE-UA) algorithm were linked with the Long-Term Hydrologic Impact Assessment (L-THIA) model, which employs the curve number (SCS-CN) method. The performance of the two optimization methods was compared by automatically calibrating L-THIA for monthly runoff from 10 watersheds in Indiana. The selected watershed areas ranged from 32.7 to 5844.1 km². The SCS-CN values and total five-day rainfall for adjustment were optimized, and the objective function used was the Nash-Sutcliffe value (NS value). The GA method rapidly reached the optimal space until the 10th generating population (generation), and after the 10th generation solutions increased dispersion around the optimal space, called a cross hair pattern, because of mutation rate increase. The number of looping executions influenced the performance of model calibration for the SCE-UA and GA method. The GA method performed better for the case of fewer loop executions than the SCE-UA method. For most watersheds, calibration performance using GA was better than for SCE-UA until the 50th generation when the number of model loop executions was around 5150 (one generation has 100 individuals). However, after the 50th generation of the GA method, the SCE-UA method performed better for calibrating monthly runoff compared to the GA method. Optimized SCS-CN values for primary land use types were nearly the same for the two methods, but those for minor land use types and total five-day rainfall for AMC adjustment were somewhat different because those parameters did not significantly influence calculation of the objective function. The GA method is recommended for cases when model simulation takes a long time and the model user does not have sufficient time for an optimization program to search for the best values of calibration parameters. For other cases, the SCE-UA program is recommended for automatic model calibration. Full article

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928 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Self-Powered Desalination of Geothermal Saline Groundwater: Technical Feasibility

by Philip A. Davies and Jamel Orfi

Water 2014, 6(11), 3409-3432; https://doi.org/10.3390/w6113409 - 12 Nov 2014

Cited by 21 | Viewed by 7318

Abstract

This theoretical study shows the technical feasibility of self-powered geothermal desalination of groundwater sources at <100 °C. A general method and framework are developed and then applied to specific case studies. First, the analysis considers an ideal limit to performance based on exergy [...] Read more.

This theoretical study shows the technical feasibility of self-powered geothermal desalination of groundwater sources at <100 °C. A general method and framework are developed and then applied to specific case studies. First, the analysis considers an ideal limit to performance based on exergy analysis using generalised idealised assumptions. This thermodynamic limit applies to any type of process technology. Then, the analysis focuses specifically on the Organic Rankine Cycle (ORC) driving Reverse Osmosis (RO), as these are among the most mature and efficient applicable technologies. Important dimensionless parameters are calculated for the ideal case of the self-powered arrangement and semi-ideal case where only essential losses dependent on the RO system configuration are considered. These parameters are used to compare the performance of desalination systems using ORC-RO under ideal, semi-ideal and real assumptions for four case studies relating to geothermal sources located in India, Saudi Arabia, Tunisia and Turkey. The overall system recovery ratio (the key performance measure for the self-powered process) depends strongly on the geothermal source temperature. It can be as high as 91.5% for a hot spring emerging at 96 °C with a salinity of 1830 mg/kg. Full article

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1418 KiB

Open AccessArticle

The Role of Transdisciplinary Approach and Community Participation in Village Scale Groundwater Management: Insights from Gujarat and Rajasthan, India

by Basant Maheshwari, Maria Varua, John Ward, Roger Packham, Pennan Chinnasamy, Yogita Dashora, Seema Dave, Prahlad Soni, Peter Dillon, Ramesh Purohit, Hakimuddin, Tushaar Shah, Sachin Oza, Pradeep Singh, Sanmugam Prathapar, Ashish Patel, Yogesh Jadeja, Brijen Thaker, Rai Kookana, Harsharn Grewal, Kamal Yadav, Hemant Mittal, Michael Chew and Pratap Rao Show full author list Hide full author list

Water 2014, 6(11), 3386-3408; https://doi.org/10.3390/w6113386 - 11 Nov 2014

Cited by 55 | Viewed by 12694

Abstract

Sustainable use of groundwater is becoming critical in India and requires effective participation from local communities along with technical, social, economic, policy and political inputs. Access to groundwater for farming communities is also an emotional and complex issue as their livelihood and survival [...] Read more.

Sustainable use of groundwater is becoming critical in India and requires effective participation from local communities along with technical, social, economic, policy and political inputs. Access to groundwater for farming communities is also an emotional and complex issue as their livelihood and survival depends on it. In this article, we report on transdisciplinary approaches to understanding the issues, challenges and options for improving sustainability of groundwater use in States of Gujarat and Rajasthan, India. In this project, called Managed Aquifer Recharge through Village level Intervention (MARVI), the research is focused on developing a suitable participatory approach and methodology with associated tools that will assist in improving supply and demand management of groundwater. The study was conducted in the Meghraj watershed in Aravalli district, Gujarat, and the Dharta watershed in Udaipur district, Rajasthan, India. The study involved the collection of hydrologic, agronomic and socio-economic data and engagement of local village and school communities through their role in groundwater monitoring, field trials, photovoice activities and education campaigns. The study revealed that availability of relevant and reliable data related to the various aspects of groundwater and developing trust and support between local communities, NGOs and government agencies are the key to moving towards a dialogue to decide on what to do to achieve sustainable use of groundwater. The analysis of long-term water table data indicated considerable fluctuation in groundwater levels from year to year or a net lowering of the water table, but the levels tend to recover during wet years. This provides hope that by improving management of recharge structures and groundwater pumping, we can assist in stabilizing the local water table. Our interventions through Bhujal Jankaars (BJs), (a Hindi word meaning “groundwater informed” volunteers), schools, photovoice workshops and newsletters have resulted in dialogue within the communities about the seriousness of the groundwater issue and ways to explore options for situation improvement. The BJs are now trained to understand how local recharge and discharge patterns are influenced by local rainfall patterns and pumping patterns and they are now becoming local champions of groundwater and an important link between farmers and project team. This study has further strengthened the belief that traditional research approaches to improve the groundwater situation are unlikely to be suitable for complex groundwater issues in the study areas. The experience from the study indicates that a transdisciplinary approach is likely to be more effective in enabling farmers, other village community members and NGOs to work together with researchers and government agencies to understand the groundwater situation and design interventions that are holistic and have wider ownership. Also, such an approach is expected to deliver longer-term sustainability of groundwater at a regional level. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Policy and Economics of Managed Aquifer Recharge and Water Banking)

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978 KiB

Open AccessReview

Constructed Wetlands for Treatment of Combined Sewer Overflow in the US: A Review of Design Challenges and Application Status

by Wendong Tao, James S. Bays, Daniel Meyer, Richard C. Smardon and Zeno F. Levy

Water 2014, 6(11), 3362-3385; https://doi.org/10.3390/w6113362 - 10 Nov 2014

Cited by 34 | Viewed by 14061

Abstract

As combined sewer systems and centralized wastewater treatment facilities age, many communities in the world are challenged by management of combined sewer overflow (CSO). Constructed wetlands are considered to be one of the green infrastructure solutions to CSOs in the US. Despite the [...] Read more.

As combined sewer systems and centralized wastewater treatment facilities age, many communities in the world are challenged by management of combined sewer overflow (CSO). Constructed wetlands are considered to be one of the green infrastructure solutions to CSOs in the US. Despite the wide application of constructed wetlands to different types of wastewaters, the stochastic and intermittent nature of CSO presents challenges for design and performance assessment of constructed wetlands. This paper reviews the application status of CSO constructed wetlands in the US, assesses the benefits of CSO constructed wetlands, identifies challenges to designing CSO constructed wetlands, and proposes design considerations. This review finds that constructed wetlands are effective in CSO treatment and relatively less expensive to build than comparable grey infrastructure. Constructed wetlands not only remove pollutants, but also mitigate the event-associated flow regime. The design challenges include incorporating considerations of green infrastructure into permit requirements, determining design capacity for highly variable flows, requiring pretreatment, and needing adaptive design and intensive monitoring. Simultaneous monitoring of flow rate and water quality at both the inflow and outflow of CSO constructed wetlands is required for performance assessment and needed to support design, but is rarely available. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Wetlands and Sustainability)

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Open AccessArticle

Impact of Climate Change on the Irrigation Water Requirement in Northern Taiwan

by Jyun-Long Lee and Wen-Cheng Huang

Water 2014, 6(11), 3339-3361; https://doi.org/10.3390/w6113339 - 7 Nov 2014

Cited by 29 | Viewed by 8670

Abstract

The requirement for irrigation water would be affected by the variation of meteorological effects under the conditions of climate change, and irrigation water will always be the major portion of the water consumption in Taiwan. This study tries to assess the impact on [...] Read more.

The requirement for irrigation water would be affected by the variation of meteorological effects under the conditions of climate change, and irrigation water will always be the major portion of the water consumption in Taiwan. This study tries to assess the impact on irrigation water by climate change in Taoyuan in northern Taiwan. Projected rainfall and temperature during 2046–2065 are adopted from five downscaled general circulation models. The future evapotranspiration is derived from the Hamon method and corrected with the quadrant transformation method. Based on the projections and a water balance model in paddy fields, the future crop water requirement, effective rainfall and the demand for water for irrigation can be calculated. A comparison between the present (2004–2011) and the future (2046–2065) clearly shows that climate change would lead both rainfall and the temperature to rise; this would cause effective rainfall and crop water requirement to increase during cropping seasons in the future. Overall, growing effective rainfall neutralizes increasing crop water requirement, the difference of average irrigation water requirement between the present and future is insignificant (<2.5%). However, based on a five year return period, the future irrigation requirement is 7.1% more than the present in the first cropping season, but it is insignificantly less (2.1%) than the present in the second cropping season. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Water Resources in a Variable and Changing Climate)

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572 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Separating the Impacts of Climate Variation and Human Activities on Runoff in the Songhua River Basin, Northeast China

by Fengping Li, Guangxin Zhang and Yi Jun Xu

Water 2014, 6(11), 3320-3338; https://doi.org/10.3390/w6113320 - 7 Nov 2014

Cited by 60 | Viewed by 7996

Abstract

Climate variation and human activities are commonly recognized as two major factors affecting basin hydrology. However, quantifying their individual effect on runoff is challenging. In this study, long-term (1960–2009) river discharge and weather data in the Songhua River Basin (SRB, 556,800 km² [...] Read more.

Climate variation and human activities are commonly recognized as two major factors affecting basin hydrology. However, quantifying their individual effect on runoff is challenging. In this study, long-term (1960–2009) river discharge and weather data in the Songhua River Basin (SRB, 556,800 km²), Northeast China, were gathered to separate the impacts of climate variation and human activities on runoff in five sub basins of the SRB. Mann-Kendall test, moving t-test and precipitation-runoff double cumulative curve were utilized to identify trends and change points of the hydrometeorlogical variables. Based on the change point, the 50-year study period was divided into two time series: 1960–1974 where minimal human activities took place and 1975–2009 where extensive land use change occurred and river engineering projects were undertaken. Subsequently, individual contributions of climate and human factors were assessed through a hydrologic sensitivity analysis. Our study found a significant decline in runoff of the SRB over the past 50 years. Contribution of climate variation and human activities to the change varied temporally and spatially. For the 1975–2009 period, human activities made a greater contribution (62%–82%) to the total runoff decline of the SRB. However, climate variation played a bigger role in runoff reduction in two sub river basins (63%–65%) between 1975 and 1989, as well as in runoff increase in other two sub river basins (85%–86%) between 1990 and 1999. Spatially, the effect of human activities on runoff decline was relatively stronger in the lower basin areas in the 1960s and 1970s while showing an increasing role in the upper basin areas in the past two decades. Full article

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402 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Do Water Rights Affect Technical Efficiency and Social Disparities of Crop Production in the Mediterranean? The Spanish Ebro Basin Evidence

by Sonia Quiroga, Zaira Fernández-Haddad and Cristina Suárez

Water 2014, 6(11), 3300-3319; https://doi.org/10.3390/w6113300 - 3 Nov 2014

Cited by 5 | Viewed by 5847

Abstract

The coming agenda for the European Common Agricultural Policy includes more incentives for the environmental compliance of farmer’s activities. This will be particularly important in the case of water risk management in Mediterranean countries. Among the new challenges is the need to evaluate [...] Read more.

The coming agenda for the European Common Agricultural Policy includes more incentives for the environmental compliance of farmer’s activities. This will be particularly important in the case of water risk management in Mediterranean countries. Among the new challenges is the need to evaluate some of the instruments necessary to comply with the Water Framework Directive requirements that emphasize the management of water demand to achieve the environmental targets. Here we analyze the implications of changing water rights as a policy response to these challenges. We analyze two important aspects of the decision: (i) the effects on the crop productivity and efficiency and (ii) the effects on the rural income distribution. We provide the empirical estimations for the marginal effects on the two considered aspects. First, we calculate a stochastic frontier production function for five representative crops using historical data to estimate technical efficiency. Second, we use a decomposition of the Gini coefficient to estimate the impact of irrigation rights changes on yield disparity. In our estimates, we consider both bio-physical and socio-economic aspects to conclude that there are long term implications on both efficiency and social disparities. We find disparities in the adaptation strategies depending on the crop and the region analyzed. Full article

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Open AccessArticle

Simulating Water Resource Availability under Data Scarcity—A Case Study for the Ferghana Valley (Central Asia)

by Iuliia Radchenko, Lutz Breuer, Irina Forkutsa and Hans-Georg Frede

Water 2014, 6(11), 3270-3299; https://doi.org/10.3390/w6113270 - 30 Oct 2014

Cited by 8 | Viewed by 9084

Abstract

Glaciers and snowmelt supply the Naryn and Karadarya rivers, and about 70% of the water available for the irrigated agriculture in the Ferghana Valley. Nineteen smaller catchments contribute the remaining water mainly from annual precipitation. The latter will gain importance if glaciers retreat [...] Read more.

Glaciers and snowmelt supply the Naryn and Karadarya rivers, and about 70% of the water available for the irrigated agriculture in the Ferghana Valley. Nineteen smaller catchments contribute the remaining water mainly from annual precipitation. The latter will gain importance if glaciers retreat as predicted. Hydrological models can visualize such climate change impacts on water resources. However, poor data availability often hampers simulating the contributions of smaller catchments. We tested several data pre-processing methods (gap filling, MODAWEC (MOnthly to DAily WEather Converter), lapse rate) and their effect on the performance of the HBV (Hydrologiska Byråns Vattenavdelning)-light model. Monte Carlo simulations were used to define parameter uncertainties and ensembles of behavioral model runs. Model performances were evaluated by constrained measures of goodness-of-fit criteria (cumulative bias, coefficient of determination, model efficiency coefficients (NSE) for high flow and log-transformed flow). The developed data pre-processing arrangement can utilize data of relatively poor quality (only monthly means or daily data with gaps) but still provide model results with NSE between 0.50 and 0.88. Some of these may not be accurate enough to directly guide water management applications. However, the pre-processing supports producing key information that may initiate rigging of monitoring facilities, and enable water management to respond to fundamentally changing water availability. Full article

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656 KiB

Open AccessEditorial

Environmental Tracers

by Trevor Elliot

Water 2014, 6(11), 3264-3269; https://doi.org/10.3390/w6113264 - 30 Oct 2014

Cited by 15 | Viewed by 6368

Abstract

Environmental tracers continue to provide an important tool for understanding the source, flow and mixing dynamics of water resource systems through their imprint on the system or their sensitivity to alteration within it. However, 60 years or so after the first isotopic tracer [...] Read more.

Environmental tracers continue to provide an important tool for understanding the source, flow and mixing dynamics of water resource systems through their imprint on the system or their sensitivity to alteration within it. However, 60 years or so after the first isotopic tracer studies were applied to hydrology, the use of isotopes and other environmental tracers are still not routinely necessarily applied in hydrogeological and water resources investigations where appropriate. There is therefore a continuing need to promote their use for developing sustainable management policies for the protection of water resources and the aquatic environment. This Special Issue focuses on the robustness or fitness-for-purpose of the application and use of environmental tracers in addressing problems and opportunities scientifically, to promote their wider use and to address substantive issues of vulnerability, sustainability, and uncertainty in (ground)water resources systems and their management. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Environmental Tracers)

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Open AccessArticle

Effects of Commercially Available Ultrasound on the Zooplankton Grazer Daphnia and Consequent Water Greening in Laboratory Experiments

by Miquel Lürling and Yora Tolman

Water 2014, 6(11), 3247-3263; https://doi.org/10.3390/w6113247 - 28 Oct 2014

Cited by 16 | Viewed by 8342

Abstract

We tested the hypothesis that ultrasound in controlling cyanobacteria and algal blooms is “environmental friendly” by exposing the non-target zooplankton grazer Daphnia magna to ultrasound produced by commercially available ultrasound transducers. In populations of 15 Daphnia (~2 mm body size) exposed in 800 [...] Read more.

We tested the hypothesis that ultrasound in controlling cyanobacteria and algal blooms is “environmental friendly” by exposing the non-target zooplankton grazer Daphnia magna to ultrasound produced by commercially available ultrasound transducers. In populations of 15 Daphnia (~2 mm body size) exposed in 800 mL of water to ultrasound supplied at 20 kHz, 28 kHz, 36 kHz or 44 kHz, all animals were killed between 10 min (44 kHz) and 135 min (20 kHz). Differently sized Daphnia (0.7–3.2 mm) were all killed between 4 and 30 min when exposed to 44 kHz. Increasing water volumes up to 3.2 L and thus lowering the ultrasound intensity did not markedly increase survival of Daphnia exposed to 44 kHz ultrasound. A tank experiment with six 85 L tanks containing a mixture of green algae, cyanobacteria and D. magna was performed to study the effect of ultrasound over a longer time period (25 d). In controls, when Daphnia flourished, algal biomass dropped and the water became clear. In contrast, in ultrasound treatments, Daphnia abundance was extremely low releasing phytoplankton from grazing control, which resulted in high phytoplankton biomass. Hence, we conclude that ultrasound from commercially available transducers sold to clear ponds, aquaria and small reservoirs, should not be considered environmentally friendly and cannot be viewed as efficient in controlling phytoplankton. Full article

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Water, Volume 6, Issue 11 (November 2014) – 15 articles , Pages 3247-3574

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