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Water

Water is a peer-reviewed, open access journal on water science and technology, including the ecology and management of water resources, published semimonthly online by MDPI.
Water collaborates with the Stockholm International Water Institute (SIWI). In addition, the American Institute of Hydrology (AIH), Polish Limnological Society (PLS) and Japanese Society of Physical Hydrology (JSPH) are affiliated with Water and their members receive a discount on the article processing charges.
Quartile Ranking JCR - Q2 (Water Resources)

All Articles (30,289)

Soil erosion remains a critical global concern, yet long-term catchment-scale assessments that explicitly link historical land-use transitions with erosion responses remain limited. This study evaluates how ±240 years record of historical and projected land-use changes influence soil erosion in the Myjava Basin by integrating parcel-level land-use reconstructions from 1787 to 2030 into a distributed USLE-2D framework. R, K, and parcel-based C and P factors were temporally standardized, and LS was derived using an ensemble of four widely applied algorithms. A PCA was applied to quantify the relative contribution of RUSLE factors across time, and all analyses were performed within a reproducible geospatial modelling environment. The results indicated a long-term decline in total erosion of ±78% at the landscape scale and ±60% within arable land from the 19th century to the present, driven mainly by a major reduction in arable land (from ±62% to ±37%) and expansion of forest and shrub vegetation. Despite this decline, persistent hotspots remain concentrated on steep upland slopes with high LS (>10%), while agricultural parcels experienced erosion rates 10–20 times higher than the basin-wide mean across all periods. PCA shows that LS and rainfall erosivity dominate erosion variability (PC loadings ±0.78–0.84), while C and P factors increase in influence in recent and projected periods, contributing up to ±40% of total explained variance. These findings demonstrate that long-term land-use transitions have substantially reduced basin-scale erosion risk.

18 January 2026

Geographical location, elevation gradient, and river network of the Myjava Basin.

This study provides a practice-oriented sensitivity analysis of DeePC for pressure management in water distribution systems. Two public benchmark systems were used, Fossolo (simpler) and Modena (more complex). Each run fixed a monitored node and pressure reference, applied the same randomized identification phase followed by closed-loop control, and quantified performance by the mean absolute error (MAE) of the node pressure relative to the reference value. To better characterize closed-loop behavior beyond MAE, we additionally report (i) the maximum deviation from the reference over the control window and (ii) a valve actuation effort metric, normalized to enable fair comparison across different numbers of valves and, where relevant, different control update rates. Motivated by the need for practical guidance on how hydraulic boundary conditions and algorithmic choices shape DeePC performance in complex water networks, we examined four factors: (1) placement of an additional internal PRV, supplementing the reservoir-outlet PRVs; (2) the control time step (Δt); (3) a uniform reservoir-head offset (Δh); and (4) DeePC regularization weights . Results show strong location sensitivity, in Fossolo, topologically closer placements tended to lower MAE, with exceptions; the baseline MAE with only the inlet PRV was 3.35 [m], defined as a DeePC run with no additions, no extra valve, and no changes to reservoir head, time step, or regularization weights. Several added-valve locations improved the MAE (i.e., reduced it) below this level, whereas poor choices increased the error up to ~8.5 [m]. In Modena, 54 candidate pipes were tested, the baseline MAE was 2.19 [m], and the best candidate (Pipe 312) achieved 2.02 [m], while pipes adjacent to the monitored node did not outperform the baseline. Decreasing Δt across nine tested values consistently reduced MAE, with an approximately linear trend over the tested range, maximum deviation was unchanged (7.8 [m]) across all Δt cases, and actuation effort decreased with shorter steps after normalization. Changing reservoir head had a pronounced effect: positive offsets improved tracking toward a floor of ≈0.49 [m] around Δh ≈ +30 [m], whereas negative offsets (below the reference) degraded performance. Tuning of regularization weights produced a modest spread (≈0.1 [m]) relative to other factors, and the best tested combination (λy, λg, λu) = (102, 10−3, 10−2) yielded MAE ≈ 2.11 [m], while actuation effort was more sensitive to the regularization choice than MAE/max deviation. We conclude that baseline system calibration, especially reservoir heads, is essential before running DeePC to avoid biased or artificially bounded outcomes, and that for large systems an external optimization (e.g., a genetic-algorithm search) is advisable to identify beneficial PRV locations.

17 January 2026

Fossolo network with labels for the pipes, nodes, the reservoir, and the relevant valve. A spatial visualization of the search results for the location of an additional pressure-reducing valve (PRV). Each pipe is marked with a PRV icon color-coded by the MAE bin (see legend). The best candidate is highlighted by a larger green icon and the worst by a larger red icon. In all runs, PRV 59 was kept fixed while PRV 58 was moved across pipes; MAE is computed for the pressure at Node 21 relative to the 30 [m] reference.

Tracing the Origin of Groundwater Salinization in Multilayered Coastal Aquifers Using Geochemical Tracers

  • Mariana La Pasta Cordeiro,
  • Johanna Wallström and
  • Maria Teresa Condesso de Melo

Salinization represents a significant threat to freshwater resources worldwide, compromising water quality and security. In the Vieira de Leiria–Marinha Grande aquifer, salinization mechanisms are a complex interaction between seawater intrusion and evaporite dissolution. Near the coast, groundwater is mainly influenced by seawater, evidenced by Na-Cl hydrochemical facies, high electrical conductivity, and Na+/Cl, Cl/Br and SO42−/Cl molar ratios consistent with marine signatures. In areas affected by diapiric dissolution, besides elevated electrical conductivity, groundwater is enriched in SO42− and Ca2+ and in minor elements like K+, Li+, B3+, Ba2+ and Sr2+, and high SO42−/Cl and Ca2+/HCO3 molar ratios, indicative of gypsum/anhydrite dissolution. The relationship between δ18O and electrical conductivity further supports the identification of distinct salinity sources. This study integrates hydrogeochemical tracers to investigate hydrochemical evolution in the aquifer with increasing residence time and influence of water–rock interaction, as well as the accurate characterization of salinization mechanisms in multilayer aquifers. A comprehensive understanding of these processes is essential for identifying vulnerable zones and developing effective management strategies to ensure the protection and sustainable use of groundwater resources.

17 January 2026

Topographic map of the study area location with the river network displayed and the main cities highlighted.

Impact of Climate and Land Cover Dynamics on River Discharge in the Klambu Dam Catchment, Indonesia

  • Fahrudin Hanafi,
  • Lina Adi Wijayanti and
  • Katarzyna Kubiak-Wójcicka
  • + 1 author

This study examines the hydrological response of the Klambu Dam Catchment in Central Java, Indonesia, to climatic and land cover changes from 2000–2023, with simulations extending to 2040. Utilizing CHIRPS satellite data calibrated with six ground stations, monthly precipitation and temperature datasets were analyzed and projected via linear regression aligned with IPCC scenarios, revealing a marginal temperature decline of 0.21 °C (from 28.25 °C in 2005 to 28.04 °C in 2023) and a 17% increase in rainfall variability. Land cover assessments from Landsat imagery highlighted drastic changes: a 73.8% reduction in forest area and a 467.8% increase in mixed farming areas, alongside moderate fluctuations in paddy fields and settlements. The Thornthwaite-Mather water balance method simulated monthly discharge, validated against observed data with Pearson correlations ranging from 0.5729 (2020) to 0.9439 (2015). Future projections using Cellular Automata-Markov modeling indicated stable volumetric flow but a temporal shift, including a 28.1% decrease in April rainfall from 2000 to 2040, contracting the wet season and extending dry spells. These shifts pose significant threats to agricultural and aquaculture activities, potentially exacerbating water scarcity and economic losses. The findings emphasize integrating dynamic land cover data, climate projections, and empirical runoff corrections for climate-resilient watershed management.

17 January 2026

Research Location on Klambu Dam Catchment Area.

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Water - ISSN 2073-4441