Search Results (792)

(1) The beach areas of Galveston, Texas, USA are heavily used for recreational activities and often experience elevated fecal indicator bacteria levels, representing a potential threat to ecosystem services, human health, and tourism-based economies that rely on suitable water quality. (2) During the span of 15 months (March 2022–May 2023), water samples that exceeded the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency-accepted alternative Beach Action Value (BAV) for enterococci of 104 MPN/100 mL were analyzed via microbial source tracking (MST) through quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) assays. The Bacteroides HF183 and DogBact as well as the Catellicoccus LeeSeaGull markers were used to detect human, dog, and gull fecal sources, respectively. The qPCR MST data were then utilized in a quantitative microbial risk assessment (QMRA) to assess human health risks. Additionally, samples collected in July and August 2022 were sequenced for 16S rRNA and matched with fecal sources through the Bayesian SourceTracker2 program. (3) Overall, 26% of the 110 samples with enterococci exceedances were positive for at least one of the MST markers. Gull was revealed to be the primary source of identified fecal contamination through qPCR and SourceTracker2. Human contamination was detected at very low levels (<1%), whereas dog contamination was found to co-occur with human contamination through qPCR. QMRA identified Campylobacter from canine sources as being the primary driver for human health risks for contact recreation for both adults and children. (4) These MST results coupled with QMRA provide important insight into water quality in Galveston that can inform future water quality and beach management decisions that prioritize public health risks. Full article

This article presents a spatial analysis of projects selected by city residents and implemented in five successive editions (2015–2019) of the participatory budgeting in Częstochowa, Poland. The study examines the relationship between the type of hard projects (small investments in public infrastructure and landscaping) and the pre-existing characteristics of the land use of each district. Kernel density estimation and Spearman correlation analysis were used. The highest spatial density occurred in projects related to the modernization of roads and sidewalks, recreation, and greenery, indicating a relatively high number of proposals within or near residential areas. Key correlations included the following: (1) greenery projects were more common in districts lacking green areas; (2) recreational infrastructure was more frequently chosen in areas with significant water features; (3) street furniture projects were mostly selected in districts with sparse development, scattered buildings, and postindustrial sites; (4) educational infrastructure was often chosen in low-density, but developing districts. The selected projects often reflect local deficits in specific land use or public infrastructure, but also stress the predestination of the recreational use of waterside areas. Full article

This work demonstrates the potential of polydimethylsiloxane sponges for removing organic UV filter compounds such as octinoxate from aqueous solutions. The sponges were fabricated using simple templates made of hydrophilic fused or pressed particles (sugar or NaCl salt) with an approximate particle size of 0.4 mm. Among the prepared sponges, those templated with sugar cubes or coarse salt exhibited the highest adsorption capacity, effectively adsorbing up to 0.6% of their own mass in octinoxate. The PDMS sponges were fully regenerable, allowing for the complete removal of octinoxate without any detectable changes in their adsorption properties or dry weight. Due to their simple fabrication, ease of handling, ability to float, and reusability, PDMS sponges present an environmentally friendly and low-maintenance alternative to conventional filtration systems for the removal of octinoxate and potentially other UV filter compounds from environmental surface waters and recreational water bodies. Full article

Beach Sand Mycobiome is currently among the most important health challenges for viticulture in the world. Remarkably, the study of fungal communities in coastal beach sand and recreational waters remains underexplored despite their potential implications for human health. This research aimed to assess the prevalence of fungal species and the antifungal susceptibility profiles of fungi recovered from the beaches of the Persian Gulf and the Sea of Oman. Sand and seawater samples from 39 stations distributed within 13 beaches along the coastline were collected between May and July 2023. The grown isolates were identified at the species level based on morphological characteristics and DNA sequencing. Antifungal susceptibility testing was performed according to the Clinical Laboratory Standards Institute guidelines. Of 222 recovered isolates, 206 (92.8%) filamentous fungi and 16 (7.2%) yeast strains were identified. Sand-recovered fungi comprised 82.9%, while water-originated fungi accounted for 17.1%. The DNA sequencing technique categorized 191 isolates into 13 genera and 26 species. The most recovered genus was Aspergillus (68.9%), and Aspergillus terreus sensu stricto was the commonly identified species (26.14%). Voriconazole was the most effective antifungal drug against Aspergillus species. Research on fungal contamination levels at these locations could provide a foundation for establishing regulatory frameworks to diminish fungal risks, thereby enhancing public health protection. The ecological significance of fungal communities in sandy beaches to human infections remains to be explored, and earlier reports in the literature may motivate researchers to focus on detecting this mycobiome in natural environments where further investigation is warranted. Ultimately, our discovery serves as a reminder that much remains to be learned about pathogenic fungi and underscores the need for vigilance in areas where emerging pathogens have not yet been identified. Full article

Drylands cover approximately 41% of Earth’s land surface, supporting about 500 million people and 45% of global agriculture. Groundwater is essential in drylands and is crucial for maintaining ecosystem services and offering numerous benefits. This article, for the first time, analyses and valuates the hydrological ecosystem services (HESs) provided by groundwater in a region of the Colorado River Delta in Mexico, an area with uncertain economic impact due to water scarcity. The main water sources are the Colorado River and groundwater from the Mexicali and San Luis Rio Colorado valley aquifers, both of which are overexploited. Valuation techniques include surrogate and simulated market methods for agricultural, industrial, urban, and domestic uses, the shadow project approach for water conservation and purification cost avoidance, and the contingent valuation method for recreation. Data from 2013 to 2015 and 2020 were used as they are the most reliable sources available. The annual value of HESs provided by groundwater was USD 883,520 million, with water conservation being a key factor. The analyzed groundwater uses reflect differences in efficiency and economic value, providing key information for decisions on governance, allocation, conservation, and revaluation of water resources. These results suggest reorienting crops, establishing differentiated rates, and promoting payment for environmental services programs. Full article

Selective water withdrawals (SWWs) are frequently used to minimize the downstream effects of dams by blending water from different depths to achieve a desired temperature regime in the river. In 2010, an SWW was installed on the outlet structure of the primary hydropower reservoir on the Deschutes River (Oregon, USA) to increase spring temperatures by releasing a combination of surface water and bottom waters from a dam that formerly only had a hypolimnetic outlet. The objective of increasing spring river temperatures was to recreate pre-dam river temperatures and optimize conditions for the spawning and rearing of anadromous fish. The operation of the SWW achieved the target temperature regime, but the release of surface water from a hypereutrophic impoundment resulted in a number of unintended consequences. These changes included significant increases in river pH and dissolved oxygen saturation. Inorganic nitrogen releases decreased in spring but increased in summer. The release of surface water from the reservoir increased levels of plankton in the river resulting in changes to the macroinvertebrates such as increases in filter feeders and a greater percentage of taxa tolerant to reduced water quality. No significant increase in anadromous fish was observed. The presence of large irrigation diversions upstream of the reservoir was not accounted for in the temperature analysis that led to the construction of the SWW. This complicating factor would have reduced flow in the river leading to increased river temperatures at the hydropower site during the measurement period used to develop representations of historical temperature. The analysis supports the use of numerical models to assist in forecast changes associated with SWWs, but the results from this project illustrate the need for greater consideration of complex responses of aquatic communities caused by structural modifications to dams. Full article

Lifestyle blocks (LBs) are small rural holdings primarily used for residential and recreational purposes rather than commercial farming. Despite the rapid expansion of LBs over the last 25 years, which has been driven by lifestyle amenity preference and land subdivision incentives, their environmental performance remains understudied. This is the case even though their proliferation is leading to an irreversible loss of highly productive soils and accelerating land fragmentation in peri-urban areas. Through undertaking a systematic literature review of relevant studies on LBs in New Zealand and comparable international contexts, this paper aims to quantify existing knowledge and suggest future research needs and management strategies. It focuses on the environmental implications of LB activities in relation to water consumption, food production, energy use, and biodiversity protection. The results indicate that variation in land use practices and environmental awareness among LB owners leads to differing environmental outcomes. LBs offer opportunities for biodiversity conservation and small-scale food production through sustainable practices, while also presenting environmental challenges related to resource consumption, greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, and loss of productive land for commercial agriculture. Targeted landscape design could help mitigate the environmental pressures associated with these properties while enhancing their potential to deliver ecological and sustainability benefits. The review highlights the need for further evaluation of the environmental sustainability of LBs and emphasises the importance of property design and adaptable planning policies and strategies that balance environmental sustainability, land productivity, and lifestyle owners’ aspirations. It underscores the potential for LBs to contribute positively to environmental management while addressing associated challenges, providing valuable insights for ecological conservation and sustainable land use planning. Full article

The increasing frequency of extreme weather events, combined with the historic degradation of urban water systems, has prompted cities worldwide to reconsider the role of water in urban planning. This study examines the restoration and integration of historical watercourses into contemporary urban environments through blue and green infrastructure (BGI). Focusing on three case study cities—Poznań (Poland), Milan (Italy), and Beijing (China)—this research explores both spatial and regulatory conditions for reintroducing surface water into cityscapes. Utilizing historical maps, contemporary land use data, and spatial planning documents, this study applies a GIS-based multi-criteria decision analysis (GIS-MCDA) to assess restoration potential. The selected case studies, including the redesign of Park Rataje in Poznań, canal daylighting projects in Milan, and the multifunctional design of Beijing’s Olympic Forest Park, illustrate diverse approaches to ecological revitalization. The findings emphasize that restoring or recreating urban water systems can enhance urban resilience, ecological connectivity, and the quality of public space. Full article

While natural grass has been a reliable recreational surface for decades, artificial turf has gained popularity due to its durability, supposed ability to save water, and lower associated costs for municipalities and schools. Growing environmental and health concerns associated with artificial turf have prompted a necessary comparison of the environmental impact, chemical exposure, injury rates, surface heat, and costs of turf with natural grass. The township of Verona, New Jersey, engaged the PSEG Institute for Sustainability Studies’ Green Teams Program interns to perform an environmental impact assessment, literature review, and cost–benefit analysis to determine if the township should restore an aging artificial turf field in the town to natural grass. The environmental impact assessment revealed concerns regarding artificial turf’s high emission profile, microplastic pollution, lack of permeability, and the presence of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). Natural grass’ high water usage was also identified as a drawback. The literature review revealed safety concerns of artificial turf regarding temperature disparities and no conclusive results regarding differences in overall injury rates. The artificial turf field in this case study was 182% hotter than the natural grass field when measured by an infrared thermometer during mid-day readings in June. The cost–benefit analysis revealed that natural grass offers a lower long-term expense over a 25-year period. Artificial turf has many benefits; however, natural grass was the recommended option when considering environmental sustainability, reduced chemical exposure, lower surface temperatures, and overall cost. The conclusions may further inform policy decisions and support the adoption of environmentally responsible and health-centered practices for sports fields across municipalities in New Jersey and beyond. Full article

This study presents a data-driven analysis of navigator stress and workload levels in simulated ship encounters within restricted waters, leveraging real-world automatic identification system (AIS) data from Makassar Port, Indonesia. Six close-quarter scenarios were recreated to reflect critical encounter geometries, and 24 Indonesian seafarers were evaluated using heart rate variability (HRV), perceived stress scale (PSS), and task load index (NASA-TLX) workload assessments. The results indicate that crossing angles, particularly 135° port and starboard encounters, significantly influence physiological stress levels, with age being a moderating factor. Although no consistent relationship was found between workload and HRV metrics, the findings underscore key human factors that may impair navigational performance under cognitively demanding conditions. By integrating AIS-derived traffic data with simulation-based human performance monitoring, this study supports the development of intelligent maritime training frameworks and adaptive decision support systems. The research contributes to broader efforts toward enhancing navigational safety and situational awareness amid increasing automation and traffic densities at sea. Full article

Snow-dominated watersheds experience a snowmelt-driven peak in streamflow that occurs in the spring or early summer. Some of the headwater basins in Colorado, USA have two or more peaks in streamflow, including the Uncompahgre River, a Colorado River tributary. The timing of peak streamflow is important for water management and recreational planning. As such, we examined the connection between the timing of each streamflow peak and readily available snow measurement information in the forest and alpine zones. These station data are the date of the initiation of snowmelt, 50% melt-out, and complete melt-out or the snow disappearance date (SDD). When it occurs before mid-June (14 of 20 years), the timing of the first peak is well correlated with the forested snow measurement station SDD. The second streamflow peak timing is well correlated with SDD from the alpine station except for very early (3 years) and very late (2 years) SDD. We also examine the spatial variability of snow disappearance and peak snow water equivalent (SWE) across the four seasonally snow-covered headwater sub-basins using a dataset from a coupled meteorological–snowpack model. Full article

Harmful algal blooms (HABs) are one of the major environmental concerns, as they have various negative effects on public and environmental health, recreational services, and economics. HAB modeling is challenging due to inconsistent and insufficient data, as well as the nonlinear nature of algae formation data. However, it is crucial for attaining sustainable development goals related to clean water and sanitation. From this point of view, we employed the sparse identification nonlinear dynamics (SINDy) technique to model microcystin, an algal toxin, utilizing dissolved oxygen as a water quality metric and evaporation as a meteorological parameter. SINDy is a novel approach that combines a sparse regression and machine learning method to reconstruct the analytical representation of a dynamical system. The model results indicate that MAPE values of approximately 2% were achieved in three out of four lakes, while the MAPE value of the remaining lake is 11%. Moreover, a model-driven and web-based interactive tool was created to develop environmental education, raise public awareness on HAB events, and produce more effective solutions to HAB problems through what-if scenarios. This interactive and user-friendly web platform allows tracking the status of HABs in lakes and observing the impact of specific parameters on harmful algae formation. Full article

The use of Google Earth Engine (GEE), a cloud-based computing platform, in spatio-temporal evaluation studies has increased rapidly in natural sciences such as forestry. In this study, Sentinel-2 satellite imagery and Shuttle Radar Topography Mission (SRTM) elevation data and image classification algorithms based on two machine learning techniques were examined. Random Forest (RF) and Classification and Regression Trees (CART) were used to classify land use and land cover (LULC) in western Oregon (USA). To classify the LULC from the spectral bands of satellite images, a composition consisting of vegetation difference indices NDVI, NDWI, EVI, and BSI, and a digital elevation model (DEM) were used. The study area was selected due to a diversity of land cover types including research forest, botanical gardens, recreation area, and agricultural lands covered with diverse plant species. Five land classes (forest, agriculture, soil, water, and settlement) were delineated for LULC classification testing. Different spatial points (totaling 75, 150, 300, and 2500) were used as training and test data. The most successful model performance was RF, with an accuracy of 98% and a kappa value of 0.97, while the accuracy and kappa values for CART were 95% and 0.94, respectively. The accuracy of the generated LULC maps was evaluated using 500 independent reference points, in addition to the training and testing datasets. Based on this assessment, the RF classifier that included elevation data achieved an overall accuracy of 92% and a kappa coefficient of 0.90. The combination of vegetation difference indices with elevation data was successful in determining the areas where clear-cutting occurred in the forest. Our results present a promising technique for the detection of forests and forest openings, which was helpful in identifying clear-cut sites. In addition, the GEE and RF classifier can help identify and map storm damage, wind damage, insect defoliation, fire, and management activities in forest areas. Full article

Waterborne gastrointestinal infections remain a global health concern, with approximately 1.7 billion diarrhea-related illnesses annually attributable to protozoan parasites. These pathogens are transmitted through contaminated water and exhibit high resistance to chlorination, posing substantial challenges to effective water treatment. This study focused on the most prevalent intestinal parasites in the Los Ríos Region of Chile: Blastocystis sp., Giardia duodenalis, and Entamoeba coli. The objectives were to assess the prevalence of eukaryotic parasites in water samples—covering both drinking and recreational sources—to describe the circulating subtypes of Blastocystis sp. and to identify ecological factors associated with parasite presence. Water samples were analyzed using conventional PCR, next-generation sequencing (NGS) was employed for Blastocystis sp. subtype identification, and the environmental predictors were evaluated using a multivariable logistic regression model. A total of 132 water samples were analyzed, of which 15.2% were positive for Blastocystis sp. and 1.5% for E. coli, while no samples tested positive for G. duodenalis. We identified subtypes ST1–ST4 of Blastocystis sp., along with ST7, ST10, ST14, ST21, and ST23–ST26, the latter being reported for the first time in Chile. Ecological factors significantly associated with Blastocystis sp. presence included higher water temperature and greater rainfall at positive sites. Potable water was associated with significantly lower odds of Blastocystis sp. infection (aOR = 0.04, 95% CI: 0.00–0.87; p = 0.041), while precipitation increased infection odds by 3% per additional millimeter (aOR = 1.03, 95% CI: 1.00–1.06; p = 0.036). Greater distance to the nearest farmhouse was also significantly associated with reduced infection risk, suggesting that proximity to livestock environments may influence Blastocystis sp. transmission. These findings help explain the high prevalence of Blastocystis sp. observed in humans in the Los Ríos Region and highlight the pivotal role of ecological conditions in driving waterborne transmission. To our knowledge, this is the first environmental study in Chile to clearly demonstrate the association between human infection, environmental factors, and the transmission dynamics of Blastocystis sp. Full article

Paralytic shellfish poisoning toxins (PSPTs) are a class of neurotoxins most known for causing illness from consuming contaminated shellfish. These toxins are also present in freshwater systems with the concern that they contaminate drinking and recreational waters. This review provides (1) a complete list of the 84+ known PSPTs and important chemical features; (2) a complete list of all environmental freshwater PSPT detections; (3) an outline of the certified PSPT methods and their inherent weaknesses; and (4) a discussion of PSPT toxicology, the weaknesses in existing data, and existing freshwater regulatory limits. We show ample evidence of production of freshwater PSPTs by cyanobacteria worldwide, but data and method uncertainties limit a proper risk assessment. One impediment is the poor understanding of freshwater PSPT profiles and lack of commercially available standards needed to identify and quantify freshwater PSPTs. Further constraints are the limitations of toxicological data derived from human and animal model exposures. Unassessed mouse toxicity data from 1978 allowed us to calculate and propose toxicity equivalency factors (TEF) for 11-hydroxysaxitoxin (11-OH STX; M2) and 11-OH dcSTX (dcM2). TEFs for the 11-OH STX epimers were calculated to be 0.4 and 0.6 for 11α-OH STX (M2α) and 11β-OH STX (M2β), while we estimate that TEFs for 11α-OH dcSTX (dcM2α) and 11β-OH dcSTX (dcM2β) congeners would be 0.16 and 0.23, respectively. Future needs for freshwater PSPTs include increasing the number of reference materials for environmental detection and toxicity evaluation, developing a better understanding of PSPT profiles and important environmental drivers, incorporating safety factors into exposure guidelines, and evaluating the accuracy of the established no-observed-adverse-effect level. Full article