Water resources

The search for water has been always a primary task in creation and planning of every stable and enduring human settlement. For this reason, people had to develop systems that would guarantee water supply, even in areas where water was not necessarily present in abundance. This situation is clear in particular in areas characterized by an arid or semi-arid climate, where rainfall is limited and irregular and surface or underground water resources are scarce. This brief overview describes the evolution of water supply solutions in some important case studies of the central-southern Mediterranean. Over the centuries, due to the expansion of urban centers, to the demographic increase, to the enlarge of production systems and, last but not least, to climatic variations, the initial water supply systems had to increase and evolve towards better developed forms.

The objective was to synthesize the vulnerability of the coastal-tourist strip of Icacos beach in Acapulco, Guerrero, Mexico to the phenomenon of the sea in the background. The methodology used was documentary developed during 2019 and complemented with fieldwork between January-August 2020, which included the application of 750 questionnaires of 14 items to national and foreign tourists, tourism service providers and residents. The results achieved were: 1) promote early warning of the swell phenomenon in order to safeguard human lives, 2) contribute to the reduction of economic losses in hotel infrastructure (fixed and mobile) and 3) promote resilience between tourist service providers and residents. The conclusions were: a) the swell will be a recurring hydrometeorological phenomenon, b) tourism service providers are committed to preserving the Blue Flag distinctive and c) establishment of a greater link between the authorities of the municipal-state branch, the service providers, residents and academics. The contribution is the proposal of a risk traffic light in order to contribute to decision-making in favor of human life and local territorial development.

The issue of groundwater recharge has gained importance in countries where there is not enough water supply to the aquifer. However, groundwater recharge is a difficult parameter to determine. This difficulty stems from factors such as the location of the area to be studied, time, cost, and hydrological data. Numerical, isotope, and chemical approaches are used in groundwater recharge investigations. Numerical and chemical approaches are more costly and time-consuming than chemical approaches. This study aims to ascertain alluvial aquifer recharge in Alaşehir (Manisa) sub-basin using chemical approaches (Chloride Mass Balance Method) and its applicability. For this purpose, research wells were drilled at 25 different points in the alluvial aquifer, water sampling was done in wet and dry periods, and rainwater water samples were collected. Groundwater recharge was calculated by using chemical approaches from the chloride concentrations of the water samples collected. An annual average of 74.84 mm of recharge was found in the Alaşehir sub-basin. This value corresponds to 16.38% of annual rainfall. At the same time, it was examined the groundwater and geothermal mixing mechanism to demonstrate the applicability of the Chloride Mass Balance Method. It was concluded that geothermal fluid in Alaşehir sub-basin mixed with groundwater at a rate of 17%.

https://www.academia.edu/2922718/;
Among tags:
Aquatic Ecology,
Water quality,
Water resources,
Aquatic Toxicology,
Hydrobiology,
Sustainable Water Resources Management,
Innovations,
Suspension Feeders,
Water Self Purification,
самоочищение воды,
Moscow State University,

Drought is a major natural hazard in the Bolivian Altiplano that causes large agricultural losses. However, the drought effect on agriculture varies largely on a local scale due to diverse factors such as climatological and hydrological conditions, sensitivity of crop yield to water stress, and crop phenological stage among others. To improve the knowledge of drought impact on agriculture, this study aims to classify drought severity using vegetation and land surface temperature data, analyse the relationship between drought and climate anomalies, and examine the spatio-temporal variability of drought using vegetation and climate data. Empirical data for drought assessment purposes in this area are scarce and spatially unevenly distributed. Due to these limitations we used vegetation, land surface temperature (LST), precipitation derived from satellite imagery, and gridded air temperature data products. Initially, we tested the performance of satellite precipitation and gridded air temperature data on a local level. Then, the normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) and LST were used to classify drought events associated with past El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) phases. It was found that the most severe drought events generally occur during a positive ENSO phase (El Niño years). In addition , we found that a decrease in vegetation is mainly driven by low precipitation and high temperature, and we identified areas where agricultural losses will be most pronounced under such conditions. The results show that droughts can be monitored using satellite imagery data when ground data are scarce or of poor data quality. The results can be especially beneficial for emergency response operations and for enabling a proactive approach to disaster risk management against droughts.

Among the several options of managed aquifer recharge (MAR) techniques, the aquifer storage and recovery (ASR) is a well-known sub-surface technique to replenish depleted aquifers, which is contingent upon the selection of appropriate sites. This paper explores the potential of ASR for groundwater recharge in the hydrological, hydrogeological, social, and economic context of South Bihar in India. Based on the water samples from more than 137 wells and socio-economic surveys, ASR installations were piloted through seven selected entrepreneurial farmers in two villages of South Bihar. The feasibility of ASR in both hard rock and deep alluvial aquifers was demonstrated for the prominent aquifer types in the marginal alluvial plains of South Bihar and elsewhere. It was postulated through this pilot study that a successful spread of ASR in South Bihar can augment usable water resources for agriculture during the winter cropping season. More importantly, ASR can adapt to local circumstances and challenges under changing climatic conditions. The flexible and participatory approach in this pilot study also allowed the farmers to creatively engage with the design and governance aspects of the recharge pit. The entrepreneurial farmers-led model builds local accountability, creates avenues for private investments, and opens up the space for continued innovation in technology and management, while also committing to resource distributive justice and environmental sustainability.

https://www.byuradio.org/7f0f20e4-00c0-42ec-b4d9-f6ce1b96f7a4

Guest: Maya Peterson, Associate Professor of History at the University of California, Santa Cruz, and author of "Pipe Dreams: Water and Empire in Central Asia’s Aral Sea Basin"

The Aral Sea was once the fourth-largest lake in the world. Now, most of it has receded into desert. In the Soviet Era, its tributaries were diverted for irrigation to produce more cotton, but the Sea was threatened at least a century before that. Here are lessons for arid lands around the world, including the American West.

... The scientific understanding of nutrient transport processes is far from complete, but it has led to an effective management practice, which is to provide buffer zones in riparian areas to trap the N be-fore it reaches the ... Water Balance ... Suspended Solids* Local-regional <1 10 yr. ...

In many cases, the largest uncertainty in synthetic aperture radar interferometry (InSAR) is a range delay caused by the presence of atmospheric water vapour resulting in a phase disturbance. This limits the accuracy of InSAR products such as digital elevation models (DEMs) and terrain subsidence maps. The quality of these products could be dramatically improved if atmospheric water vapour effects