Search Results (525)

Groundwater flow is an integral part of the Earth’s water cycle and plays a key role in assessing groundwater resource potential, characterizing the upper limit of possible groundwater withdrawal over a long period without depletion. The objective of this study is a comprehensive regional assessment of groundwater flow and the natural and predicted resources of fresh and low-mineralized groundwater in Southern and Western Kazakhstan. This assessment is based on an analysis of hydrogeological conditions and water balance, taking into account climate variability and anthropogenic load, to justify sustainable water resources management in arid territories. This article provides a regional assessment and mapping of groundwater flow, taking into account climate and anthropogenic changes in Kazakhstan, to refine the predicted resources of fresh and low-mineralized groundwater. The basin balance calculation results indicate that in arid and semi-arid regions, the decline in groundwater recharge by the 2050s will generally not exceed 10%. The average layer of groundwater flow of renewable groundwater resources in the Kazakhstan part of the Zhaiyk-Caspian water management basin (WMB) is estimated at 33.4 mm/year, and the average modulus of groundwater flow is 1.06 L/s per 1 km². The average layer of groundwater flow of renewable groundwater resources in the Kazakhstan part of the Aral-Surdarya water management basin (WMB) is estimated at 14.8 mm/year, and the average modulus of groundwater flow is 0.47 L/s per 1 km². The average layer of groundwater flow of renewable groundwater resources in the Kazakhstan part of the Shu-Talas water management basin (WMB) is estimated at 26.5 mm/year, and the average modulus of groundwater flow is 0.84 L/s per 1 km². For mountainous and folded regions, the average layer of groundwater flow of renewable groundwater resources in the Balkhash-Alakol water management basin (WMB) system is estimated at 70.7 mm/year, and the average modulus of groundwater flow is 2.24 L/s per 1 km². For intermontane and foothill basins, the average layer of groundwater flow of renewable groundwater resources in the Balkhash-Alakol water management basin (WMB) is estimated at 54.3 mm/year, and the average modulus of groundwater flow is 1.72 L/s per km². Full article

This study assesses the future availability of water resources in Lake Guiers by 2050, considering the combined impacts of climate change and human activities, using the Water Evaluation and Planning System. As Senegal’s main freshwater source, the lake faces growing pressure from agricultural expansion, aquatic plant overgrowth, competing stakeholder demands, and increasing water use. The study combines field data on hydrological flows and agricultural water use with climate projections under the Shared Socioeconomic Pathways 4.5 and 8.5 scenarios. Climate data were downscaled and bias-corrected using CMhyd, multiple linear regression, and the Mann–Kendall test. Model calibration showed strong performance (NSE = 0.95; R² = 0.96). Results reveal decreasing precipitation and rising temperatures under both scenarios. Agricultural withdrawals (79,331,457.14 m³/year) already exceed crop water needs (69,115,088.03 m³/year), resulting in significant water losses estimated at over 10 million m³ per year. Scenario analysis indicates that high water demand under Shared Socioeconomic Pathways SSP8.5 could lead to critical declines in lake volume as early as 2026 (550 million m³), while moderate demand growth under SSP4.5 could maintain water availability until 2050. The proposed PREFERLO-Grand Transfer project would add further stress to the lake’s capacity. These findings emphasize the urgent need for sustainable water management and policy actions. Full article

Climate change and increasing water scarcity are intensifying pressure on irrigated agriculture, which currently represents 70% of global freshwater withdrawals. Remote sensing technologies have become essential tools for monitoring soil moisture, evapotranspiration, crop growth, and irrigation performance across multiple spatial and temporal levels. This review synthesizes 83 peer-reviewed studies published between 2002 and 2025, focusing on the use of optical, thermal, and microwave sensors to support irrigation water management under climate variability. The analysis highlights progress in multi-sensor integration, UAV-based monitoring, crop and agro-hydrological modeling, and emerging machine learning approaches that enhance irrigation scheduling, soil moisture estimation, and crop water stress detection. Despite these advancements, several methodological challenges persist, including data integration constraints, sensor-specific limitations, model transferability issues, insufficient ground validation, and difficulties in translating remote sensing outputs into operational decision support systems. In addition, structural gaps at the policy level restrict the evaluation of irrigation efficiency and climate resilience. This review aims to clarify current limitations and outline priority research directions to enhance the climate resilience and sustainability of irrigated agricultural systems. Full article

Sustainable water resource management in arid and transboundary-dependent regions requires that hydrological assessment be integrated with institutional governance analysis. This study provides a comprehensive hydro-institutional evaluation of water sustainability in Kazakhstan using a multi-source empirical framework. The analysis is based on international and national datasets (FAO AQUASTAT, World Bank, national statistics for 2010–2024) and incorporates key indicators, including per capita renewable water resources, sectoral withdrawal structure, transboundary dependence, and water stress. In addition, a Water Sustainability Composite Index and a Regional Vulnerability Index were developed to capture system-wide sustainability and spatial heterogeneity. The results show that Kazakhstan possesses moderate renewable water availability (approximately 5411 m³ per capita per year), yet exhibits significant structural vulnerability due to high transboundary dependence (40.64%), dominant agricultural water use (≈57%), and infrastructure inefficiencies (25–35% losses). Regional analysis reveals substantial disparities, with southern irrigation-dependent regions demonstrating higher vulnerability compared to resource-abundant eastern basins. Elasticity analysis indicates that improvements in irrigation efficiency have a substantially greater impact on sustainability than equivalent changes in transboundary inflows, highlighting the dominant role of internal system performance. The findings suggest that water sustainability in Kazakhstan is primarily constrained by governance effectiveness and efficiency limitations rather than absolute resource scarcity. This study contributes to the literature by integrating quantitative hydrological indicators with institutional analysis through a composite modeling framework, demonstrating that internal system efficiency—particularly irrigation performance—has a significantly greater influence on sustainability outcomes than external hydrological variability. The proposed approach provides a transferable methodology for assessing water sustainability in semi-arid and transboundary contexts. Full article

Food loss and waste (FLW) represent a significant source of resource inefficiency in water-scarce economies. This study quantifies the water footprint (WF) of FLW in Saudi Arabia using product-level blue, green, and grey WF coefficients from the Water Footprint Network database. Our analysis covers 3.997 million tons of FLW across 19 commodities grouped into cereals, fruits, vegetables, and meat. Results indicate that FLW is associated with a total blue and green WF of 7.3 billion m³, of which 2.1 billion m³ is blue water directly associated with managed water resources. The blue WF is equivalent to approximately 20% of agricultural water withdrawals and 62% of domestic water demand. Despite constituting only 13% of total FLW by mass, meat products account for 53% of the total water footprint, driven by their exceptionally high water intensity (7474 m³/ton). The consumption stage dominates water losses, contributing 56% of the total blue and green WF. Based on alternative water supply cost benchmarks, the blue WF embedded in FLW corresponds to an indicative production-cost equivalent ranging from 1.03 to 6.5 billion SAR. A 25% reduction in FLW could save over 500 million m³ of blue water annually. These findings demonstrate that FLW reduction represents an important supporting strategy for water resource management and provides a quantitative basis for prioritizing intervention across food groups and supply-chain stages. Full article

The concept of water security emerged in the academic literature at the end of last century. While it became an increasingly popular term in water policy circles, it was also considered a contested concept. This manuscript aims to analyze the evolution of the water security concept by designing a timeline of this conceptual evolution, and discussing the implication of this evolution and the adoption of water security in water policies. The analysis of the conceptual evolution includes the decomposition of the water security concept in its main components or focuses, addressing the emphasis placed on human well-being and health and the necessary interventions on ecosystem and its functioning, the consequences for its long-term stability, the capability to preserve ecosystem services, and its close affiliation with an anthropocentric or an ecocentric view. The analysis shows that there is a hegemonic view of water security and this leads to an overvaluation of infrastructure as the way to guarantee water security, highlighting an anthropocentric view. This review presents the consequences of the choice for an anthropocentric view, and how this choice can favor fragmented views and facilitate distortion or emphasis in small parts of the water security concept that reinforces unsustainable water management, such as water withdrawals for economic purposes or investments in water infrastructure. Global Water Bankruptcy, declared by United Nations University in 2026, is the utmost consequence of having chosen an anthropocentric view, and they claim the need for a fresh start. It is concluded that it is time to advocate for a redefinition of the water security concept, amid calls for a paradigm shift. Full article

Background/Objectives: Ulcerative colitis (UC) is a chronic inflammatory bowel disease in which alterations in the gut microbiota and dietary lipid composition play a central role; this study aimed to evaluate the effects of synbiotics, omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids, and their combination on clinical, macroscopic, microbiological, and histopathological outcomes in dextran sodium sulfate (DSS)-induced colitis in Wistar rats. Methods: Seventy-two male Wistar rats were randomly allocated to four groups (n = 18/group) and received 5% DSS in drinking water for eight days to induce colitis. Following DSS withdrawal and histological confirmation of colitis in sentinel animals, groups were treated for 8 days as follows: DSS (control), DSS-S (synbiotics, Ecologic^® 825), DSS-Ω3 (omega-3 fatty acid-enriched diet, ProSure^®), or DSS-S&Ω3 (combined therapy). Eight rats per group were sacrificed on days 4 and 8 post-DSS. Body weight, Disease Activity Index (DAI), distal colon length, hematologic parameters, bacterial translocation to the liver and mesenteric lymph nodes, histological colitis score, and myeloperoxidase (MPO)-positive cell counts were assessed. Results: DSS induced severe colitis characterized by diarrhea, rectal bleeding, and extensive mucosal erosions. After 8 days of treatment, the DSS-S&Ω3 group showed the greatest body-weight recovery (206.1→222.9 g, p < 0.05 vs. other groups), significantly preserved distal colon length, and the largest reduction in DAI (p < 0.05). Both the DSS-S and DSS-S&Ω3 groups demonstrated reduced bacterial translocation compared with DSS. The DSS-Ω3 group demonstrated persistent MPO-positive neutrophil infiltration compared with the DSS-S and DSS-S&Ω3 groups, whereas combined therapy was associated with lower MPO-positive cell counts. Histological colitis scores were significantly improved only in the DSS-S&Ω3 group (p < 0.05). Conclusions: In this DSS colitis model, the DSS-S&Ω3 group demonstrated superior clinical and histological outcomes compared with DSS-S or DSS-Ω3 alone, supporting further evaluation of combined synbiotic and omega-3 therapy as an adjunctive approach in ulcerative colitis. Full article

Strand-based structural products offer an excellent alternative material for wood-based construction, which can be produced from low-quality raw materials. Indigenous poplar is becoming an increasingly important raw material, but its industrial utilization requires a new approach due to its unfavorable growth characteristics. The study introduced in this paper was aimed at developing Oriented Structural Lumber (OSL) from Hungarian poplar and comparing the potential of indigenous vs. hybrid poplar materials. Laboratory-scale (400 × 400 × 30 mm) OSL was produced, first to find viable manufacturing parameters for poplar OSL based on modulus of rupture (MOR), internal bond strength, and thickness swelling, and then to compare a wide range of mechanical and physical characteristics of OSL made of the two types of poplar. The first part of the study showed that a resin content of 3.4%, 650 kg/m³ target density, and 750 s of pressing time gave the best results for producing 30 mm thick OSL in laboratory conditions. The produced boards were comparable to softwood and bamboo OSL developed in earlier studies, and their performance was comparable to a higher grade of structural lumber (C35) in terms of density and MOR, as measured on small laboratory-scale specimens. There were only minor differences in in-plane and out-of-plane compression and tension between indigenous and hybrid poplar boards. Hybrid poplar performed better in terms of bending, but indigenous poplar had significantly higher screw withdrawal resistance, and lower thickness swelling and water absorption. Overall, poplar OSL is promising as a potential new product, and indigenous poplar can be used to replace hybrid poplar in this application without a decline in mechanical and physical performance. Full article

Bangladesh is an extremely climate-exposed country, with erosion, accretion, tidal surges, and cyclones continuously modifying coastal districts. Shoreline change in Bangladesh is crucial for sustainable coastal management and disaster resilience. Therefore, the objectives of this research are as follows: (i) to assess accretion- and erosion-based shoreline changes of the Bangladesh delta adjacent to the Bay of Bengal for 2021–2025 using a fixed 2021 reference shoreline and a 2025 shoreline proxy extracted from Landsat 8/9 imagery, and (ii) to explore onshore change dynamics from satellite-derived NDVI, NDBI, and NDWI for 2022–2025. The study covers 14 coastal districts and integrates the 2021 baseline shoreline, Survey of Bangladesh geospatial datasets, and 17,055 Ground Reference Points (GRPs) to support geometric consistency and spatially explicit reporting at the delta scale. Three spectral indices—Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), Normalized Difference Water Index (NDWI), and Normalized Difference Built-up Index (NDBI)—were applied to assess vegetation health, surface water distribution, and built-up/exposed land characteristics. Results indicate spatial variability in coastal change, with 383.49 km² of land gained through accretion and 124.12 km² lost to erosion, resulting in a neat accretion of 259.37 km² between 2021 and 2025; 8747.91 km² remained geomorphologically stable. Spectral index trends show minimal inter-annual NDVI and NDWI variability, suggesting stable vegetation cover and no long-term expansion of surface water. In contrast, a slight increase in NDBI indicates localized exposure of new sediments or small-scale land-use transitions along emerging coastal zones. Spearman correlation analysis highlights consistent negative relationships between NDVI and NDWI and moderate contrasts between NDVI and NDBI, reinforcing the coexistence of vegetation recovery, water withdrawal, and sediment-driven land emergence. The novelty of this study lies in the provision of consistent, near-real-time coastal change inventory for the full ~710 km Bangladesh delta coastline by combining a common 2021 baseline shoreline with harmonized Landsat 8/9 OLI surface reflectance (2022–2025) and linked onshore spectral-index dynamics over the same period. Overall, this short-term assessment reveals a sedimentary system that is active but balanced, with accretion surpassing erosion despite cyclone-affected disturbances, underscoring the value of operational satellite monitoring for coastal management, hazard preparedness, and climate-adaptive planning. Full article

Demyelinating disorders such as multiple sclerosis are characterized by oligodendrocyte loss and insufficient remyelination. The cuprizone model provides a well-established experimental system for studying these processes. The apelinergic system, including the apelin receptor (APLNR), has been implicated in neuroprotection and central nervous system homeostasis. However, its role in white matter demyelination and repair remains incompletely understood. This study aimed to characterize the spatial and temporal dynamics of APLNR expression in relation to oligodendrocyte lineage cells in the corpus callosum (CC) during demyelination and remyelination. Demyelination was induced in 8-week-old C57BL/6 mice by 0.2% cuprizone supplementation in their drinking water for 5 weeks, followed by 5 weeks remyelination phase after toxin withdrawal. Histological assessment using Luxol Fast Blue/Cresyl violet staining was performed to evaluate structural changes in the CC. Immunohistochemistry and confocal microscopy were used to analyze APLNR expression, GST-π⁺ cells, and NG2⁺ cells, including their spatial distribution and co-localization. Quantitative analyses and correlation tests were conducted to assess relationships between cellular markers and CC area. Demyelination resulted in significant reduction in CC area and a marked decrease in GST-π⁺ cells, accompanied by a robust increase in NG2⁺ cells, while remyelination led to partial structural and cellular recovery. APLNR expression increased progressively from control to demyelination and further during remyelination, exhibiting pronounced regional heterogeneity with higher levels in lateral CC regions. Confocal analysis demonstrated increasing co-localization of APLNR with NG2⁺ cells, particularly during remyelination. Correlation analyses identified GST-π⁺ cell density as the strongest predictor of CC area, whereas APLNR showed phase-dependent associations, including a positive correlation with GST-π⁺ cells during remyelination and a negative relationship with NG2⁺ cells during demyelination. APLNR expression is dynamically regulated during cuprizone-induced demyelination and remyelination and is closely associated with oligodendrocyte lineage cell responses. Its increased expression and enhanced co-localization with NG2⁺ cells during remyelination suggest a potential role in endogenous repair processes. However, as the findings are based on descriptive analyses, further functional studies are required to determine the mechanistic contribution of APLNR signaling and its potential as a therapeutic target in demyelinating diseases. Full article

Sustainable groundwater management in regions subjected to intensive agricultural pressure requires reliable simulation tools capable of anticipating the impacts of climate change. However, in overexploited multilayer aquifers such as Tierra del Vino, locally calibrated predictive tools capable of quantifying climate-driven piezometric decline remain scarce. This study develops a numerical groundwater flow model using MODFLOW for the Tierra del Vino aquifer (Spain), a multilayer detrital system currently characterized by a critical quantitative status. Agricultural irrigation accounts for approximately 94% of total groundwater withdrawals, making it the dominant anthropogenic pressure on the system. The model was manually calibrated through more than 500 iterations, achieving a consistent representation of groundwater dynamics. Statistical evaluation based on groundwater level data from 34 piezometric monitoring points distributed across the aquifer yielded a good fit (NSE = 0.816; R = 0.928), supporting the suitability of the model for scenario analysis. Under the RCP 8.5 climate scenario, aquifer recharge could decrease by 31.75%, resulting in a significant piezometric decline within the system. At the representative well selected for the farm-scale agricultural impact analysis, this decline reaches 3.33 m and is used to evaluate its effect on pumping energy costs. The implementation of management measures proposed by the water authority reduces this decline to 1.84 m, although overexploitation conditions persist. These results indicate that current administrative restrictions are insufficient on their own and that future management should adjust abstraction rights to projected recharge conditions, maintaining the exploitation index below 0.8 to reduce the risk of long-term overexploitation. In this context, aquifer resilience is interpreted as the capacity of the groundwater system to respond to the combined pressures of climate change and agricultural abstraction while maintaining its hydrological functioning. Full article

Reservoir pore structure is intimately linked to seepage characteristics; thus, determining its spatial variations is essential for formulating precise development schemes and remaining oil recovery strategies. Although the second member of the Shahejie Formation (Es₂) reservoir in the central-eastern Jizhong Depression generally possesses favorable macroscopic physical properties, discrepancies exist in dynamic development performance and remaining oil distribution across different regions. To clarify the influence of pore structure on seepage behavior, this study investigates the Es₂ reservoir in the Wen’an and Wuqiang areas of the Jizhong Depression, Bohai Bay Basin, utilizing integrated analytical methods including casting thin sections, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), mercury intrusion porosimetry (MIP), relative permeability tests, and microscopic visualized percolation experiments. The results demonstrate that the Wen’an area is dominated by primary intergranular pores with a bimodal throat distribution. Despite a high areal porosity (21.6%), its fine throats (3.87 μm) and severe heterogeneity (sorting coefficient: 16.20) lead to poor connectivity (mercury withdrawal efficiency: 11.29%), resulting in a finger-like water drive, a narrow two-phase co-seepage zone (30.48%), and a lower ultimate displacement efficiency (50.64%). In contrast, the Wuqiang area features dissolved-intergranular pores with a unimodal throat distribution. Benefiting from larger throats (7.75 μm) and lower heterogeneity (sorting coefficient: 4.32), it exhibits superior connectivity (mercury withdrawal efficiency: 31.57%), uniform displacement, a wider co-seepage zone (40.72%), and a higher ultimate efficiency (59.34%). Given the lower waterflooding efficiency in the Wen’an area, subsequent gas displacement experiments following waterflooding demonstrated an overall recovery increment of 25.83%. Based on the disparities in pore structures and seepage characteristics between the two areas, it is recommended that the Wuqiang area should continue utilizing conventional waterflooding, while the Wen’an area should consider gas displacement after waterflooding. Full article

The Late Permian coal-bearing strata in western Guizhou Province, South China, are developed with multiple coal seams and rich in coalbed methane (CBM) resources. Controlled by the sealing layers within the coal-bearing strata, multiple vertically superposed independent CBM systems were formed, which complicates the CBM accumulation characteristics and limits CBM development. Through systematic sampling of the main coal seams and different lithologic strata in Borehole 101 on the southeastern limb of the Agong Syncline in western Guizhou, mercury intrusion porosimetry (MIP) and Klinkenberg permeability experiments were conducted on coal and rock samples. The results show that the coal samples have an average pore volume of 0.0417 mL/g, an average porosity of 5.37%, an average mercury withdrawal efficiency of 69.79%, and an average well test permeability of 0.3743 mD; the rock samples have an average pore volume of 0.0064 mL/g, an average porosity of 1.43%, an average mercury withdrawal efficiency of 7.88%, and an average Klinkenberg permeability of 0.0128 mD. The pore and permeability conditions of rock layers are significantly poorer than those of coal seams, which favorably contributes to the formation of effective sealing layers between coal seams and facilitates the CBM preservation. Mudstone and argillaceous siltstone in the coal-bearing strata, characterized by their low porosity and permeability, are suitable as effective gas and water barriers between coal seams. Based on a comprehensive analysis of the vertical variations in permeability, porosity, and gas-bearing characteristics of Borehole 101, the Upper Permian coal-bearing strata are preliminarily divided into four independent CBM-bearing systems. These systems are separated by tight rock layers with extremely low permeability and porosity, and their division aligns closely with the third-order sequence stratigraphic framework. The findings can provide a theoretical basis for deepening the understanding of CBM accumulation mechanisms in multi-seam regions and optimizing the orderly CBM development models. Full article

Groundwater in arid and semi-arid regions is increasingly stressed by low rainfall, high evaporation, population growth, agricultural expansion, and climate change. A critical question is whether non-renewable aquifers can sustain rising water demand without irreversible decline. This study addresses that question for the Al Kufrah Basin in southeastern Libya, part of the Nubian Sandstone Aquifer System, the world’s largest fossil aquifer. A three-dimensional groundwater flow model (MODFLOW-2000) was calibrated using data from more than 1000 production wells and 32 piezometers spanning 1968–2022. The model was applied to simulate groundwater behavior under five scenarios extending to 2050, including the planned development of 150 new wells. The results indicate that over 85% of withdrawals are derived from aquifer storage rather than boundary inflows. While regional water levels remain relatively stable over the 25-year horizon, localized drawdowns of up to 11 m are expected near new well fields. These findings highlight short-term resilience but point to long-term vulnerability, as continued reliance on non-renewable reserves without recharge will ultimately lead to depletion. The study underscores the need for adaptive management, climate-resilient water strategies, and regional cooperation to ensure the sustainable use of this transboundary aquifer under increasing environmental and socio-economic pressures. Full article

This study investigates the screw withdrawal resistance (SWR) of hollow wood–plastic composite (WPC) door frames, which serve as moisture-resistant alternatives to traditional wood-based materials. The tested WPC, characterised by a density of 1.33 g/cm³ and a polymer-bound lignocellulosic filler, exhibits superior dimensional stability and low water absorption—under 4% after 24 h of immersion. The research focuses on how the unique chambered geometry of these industrial profiles affects the anchoring of 20 mm conical wood screws used to mount essential fittings such as hinges and lock catches. The SWR was determined using a universal testing machine in accordance with the modified EN 320 standards. Results indicate that the installation location within the profile significantly dictates load-bearing capacity: the band profile (lock catch) achieved an average SWR of 525.65 N, while the beam profile (hinge) averaged only 275.25 N. This performance gap arises because screws anchor only into internal “ribs” rather than the full material depth. Since these values are considerably lower than those of traditional particleboard (~1364–1775 N), the study highlights a critical need to optimise screw dimensions to ensure the structural stability and safety of hollow WPC door systems. Full article