Environmental Science

A custom bench-scale continuous-flow catalytic fast-pyrolysis (CFP) 2 reactor system was implemented for the optimization of ex situ CFP and screening of 3 catalysts to gain insight into commercial scale ex situ CFP processes across various 4 reactor types. Operated in an ex situ configuration, tandem laminar entrained-flow 5 pyrolyzer and vapor-phase upgrading reactors were optimized to successfully 6 demonstrate CFP of pine over two different commercial zeolite catalysts. Mixing-7 enhancers within the vapor-phase upgrader induced laminar flow dynamics with larger 8 Reynold's numbers, thus enhancing heat and mass transfer and in turn CFP 9 conversion. Real-time analysis of products was accomplished via molecular beam mass 10 spectrometry (MBMS), while light gas yield was determined using non-dispersive 11 infrared (NDIR) analysis. The transfer of the pyrolysis vapors to the vapor-phase 12 upgrader was investigated to gain insight into optimal transfer-line conditions for limiting 13 secondary thermal cracking and preserving carbon in the ex situ CFP process. The 14 products were comparable to those previously obtained from fixed bed and fluidized bed 15 reactor systems as well as entrained-flow riser reactor systems (e.g., one-ring 16 aromatics, polyaromatics, and phenolics). Replicate experiments demonstrated a good

A custom bench-scale continuous-flow catalytic fast-pyrolysis (CFP) 2 reactor system was implemented for the optimization of ex situ CFP and screening of 3 catalysts to gain insight into commercial scale ex situ CFP processes across various 4 reactor types. Operated in an ex situ configuration, tandem laminar entrained-flow 5 pyrolyzer and vapor-phase upgrading reactors were optimized to successfully 6 demonstrate CFP of pine over two different commercial zeolite catalysts. Mixing-7 enhancers within the vapor-phase upgrader induced laminar flow dynamics with larger 8 Reynold's numbers, thus enhancing heat and mass transfer and in turn CFP 9 conversion. Real-time analysis of products was accomplished via molecular beam mass 10 spectrometry (MBMS), while light gas yield was determined using non-dispersive 11 infrared (NDIR) analysis. The transfer of the pyrolysis vapors to the vapor-phase 12 upgrader was investigated to gain insight into optimal transfer-line conditions for limiting 13 secondary thermal cracking and preserving carbon in the ex situ CFP process. The 14 products were comparable to those previously obtained from fixed bed and fluidized bed 15 reactor systems as well as entrained-flow riser reactor systems (e.g., one-ring 16 aromatics, polyaromatics, and phenolics). Replicate experiments demonstrated a good

This study aimed to investigate the level of indoor air pollution health literacy (IAPHL) among adult residents of Taiwan and the associated covariates. A cross-sectional web-based online survey of 647 adults in Taiwan was conducted from May to October 2021 using a reliable and valid IAPHL instrument. We used weighted multiple linear regression models to identify covariates significantly associated with overall and four matric-specific IAPHL scores. The weighted sample size was 616 subjects aged between 20 and 88 years old (mean: 45.8 years, standard deviation: 18.1). Generally, adult residents of Taiwan showed only a moderate level of overall IAPHL, with the highest and lowest matric-specific score for "understanding" and "appraising," respectively. The key factors associated with adults' IAPHL included sex, age, work related to indoor air pollution, smoking status, exposure to second-hand smoke, budget for improving indoor air quality, and number of beneficial goods used. The community-dwelling adults in Taiwan had only moderate levels of IAPHL. Adults with certain characteristics associated with low IAPHL should be the objects of further educational interventions or public health policy-making aiming to improve IAPHL. To improve the IAPHL level of adults, we might need to focus on characteristics such as indoor air pollution information provision and health risk perceptions.

The extensive work on the increasing burden of aerosols and resultant climate implications shows a matter of great concern. In this study, we investigate the aerosol optical depth (AOD) variations in the Indian Himalayan Region (IHR) between its plains and alpine regions and the corresponding consequences on the energy balance on the Himalayan glaciers. For this purpose, AOD data from Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS, MOD-L3), Aerosol Robotic Network (AERONET), India, and Cloud-Aerosol Lidar and Infrared Pathfinder Satellite Observation (CALIPSO) were analyzed. Aerosol radiative forcing (ARF) was assessed using the atmospheric radiation transfer model (RTM) integrated into AERONET inversion code based on the Discrete Ordinate Radiative Transfer (DISORT) module. Further, air mass trajectory over the entire IHR was analyzed using a hybrid Single-Particle Lagrangian Integrated Trajectory (HYSPLIT) model. We estimated that between 2001 and 2015, the monthly average A...

River health is sustained by time‐based variation in their flows, and the maintenance of natural flow regime is essential for keeping the rivers healthy. However, the dynamism in natural flow regime now stands altered by changing climate, and the omnipresent regulation of river flows throughout the world has severely impacted the river health. It is well documented that harnessing and altering the flow of the rivers and streams comes at a huge cost. Numerous rivers in the world have stopped supporting socially and economically important native species or sustain vibrant ecosystems that offer valuable goods and services. The alteration of the natural flow regime has led to the collapse of many healthy and resilient river ecosystems throughout the world. Therefore, to ensure appropriate naturalized flow regimes for riverine organisms and a sustainable nexus between energy demand, water requirements and climate, more understanding is required to study the consequences of alteration in ...

Ambient air quality in terms of particulate matter \ 10 l (PM 10 ), sulfur dioxide (SO 2 ), nitrogen dioxide (NO 2 ) and ammonia (NH 3 ) was monitored in the upper Satluj basin under-construction stage of Shongtong-Karcham (450 MW) and commissioned stage of Rampur (412 MW) hydropower projects. PM 10 ranged from 102.8 to 111.9 lg m -3 with a mean of 106.4 ± 1.2 lg m -3 in summer season at Shongtong-Karcham, while at Rampur project it was found from 17.8 to 65.5 lg m -3 with a mean of 50.9 ± 6.1 lg m -3 . Particulate pollution is high under a construction project stage as compared to a commissioned project. While gaseous pollutants like SO 2 (8.2 ± 1 lg m -3 ), NO 2 (10.2 ± 0.8 lg m -3 ) and NH 3 (11.2 ± 1 lg m -3 ) were found relatively high at Rampur compared to Shongtong-Karcham where SO 2 (7.9 ± 0.6 lg m -3 ), NO 2 (4.8 ± 0.6 lg m -3 ) and NH 3 (8.9 ± 1.1 lg m -3 ) were found relatively low. The particulate pollutants crossed its permissible limit (100 lg m -3 ) as set by National Ambient Air Quality Standards, India, while gaseous pollutants were under permissible limit. HYSPLIT and concentrated weighted trajectory analysis indicate that hydropower project activities have been major local sources of particulate ([ 80 lg m -3 ) and gaseous pollutants, although overall air quality index is good (0-50).

Ground based measurement of aerosol optical depth (AOD) and black carbon (BC) aerosol were carried out on the foothills of the three important selected glaciers (i.e., Parbati, Hamta and Beas Kund) in winter season in the northwestern Indian Himalayan Region. The AOD values were found to be in the range of 0.05-0.19. The aerosol loading was observed relatively to be higher (0.15) on 10 November 2014. Besides the biomass burning and frequent incidents of forest fire at local levels, long-range transportation of aerosol particles by air mass from the desert region also contribute to aerosol loading at observing sites. The average value of BC concentration ranges from 283 to 2026 ng m -3 . BC concentration increases more than three times during morning and evening compared to night hours, in addition to shallow boundary layer and a larger possibility of BC intrusion from it during morning and evening. Variations of BC shows high concentration during winter dry season associated with the air masses predominantly coming from Indian plain rich in carbonaceous aerosols. The BC concentration is found to have relationship with anthropogenic activities, fossil fuel burning and biomass burning which has been observed in past in this region.

Particulate pollutants and their water soluble ionic components were collected and analyzed on the occasion of high pollution episode days in the period 2009 to 2011. Among the water soluble ionic constituents at Mohal (valley base), SO 4 2-(34%) was the largest contributor; followed by Cl -(20%), NO 3 -(17%), Ca 2+ (9%), Na + (7%), NH 4 + (5%), F -(2%), Zn 2+ (2%) and Mg 2+ (1%). While at Kothi (hill slope), Cl -(27%) was the largest contributor; followed by SO 4 2-(25%), NO 3 -(14%), Na + (11%), Ca 2+ (9%), NH 4 + (7%), K + (3%), F -(3%) and Zn 2+ (1%). The average ratios of NO 3 -+ Cl -/SO 4 2were 1.08 and 1.64 for Mohal and Kothi, respectively; indicating that a small fraction of HNO 3 and HCl influenced the acidic nature of ions. The mass ratios of NH 4 + /NO 3 -and NH 4 + /SO 4 2-were 0.29, 0.5 and 0.15, 0.28; at Mohal and Kothi, respectively. The ratios were below unity showing the predominance of NH 4 NO 3 and (NH 4 ) 2 SO 4 in the atmosphere. The descending order of neutralizing factors were observed as Ca 2+ > NH 4 + > K + > Mg 2+ assuming that the origin is of a crustal source. The non-sea salt fraction for Mohal was found in the descending order of Cl -, Ca 2+ and SO 4 2-, which are more than 50% of the total ions except Mg 2+ and K + . While for Kothi, the percentage of Cl -and SO 4 2-stood to be more than 50% indicating that these ions are of non-marine origin. The first factor from principal component analysis for Mohal explains 75.59% of the total variance i.e., highly loaded with NH 4 + (0.986), K + (0.685), F -(0.935), Cl -(0.919) and Zn 2+ (0.969) indicating influence of anthropogenic activities on PM 10 concentration. While at Kothi, the first factor explains 45.41% of the total variance, highly loaded with K + (0.981) , SO 4 2-(0.965), NO 3 -(0.953) and Zn 2+ (0.948) also indicating influence of anthropogenic activities in the region.

Aerosol parameters are measured using a ground-based Multi-wavelength Radiometer (MWR) at Mohal (31.90 • N, 77.11 • E, 1154 m amsl) in the Kullu valley during clear sky days of a seasonal year. The study shows that the values of spectral aerosol optical depths (AODs) at 500 nm and the Ångstrom turbidity coefficient 'β' (a measure of columnar loading in atmosphere) are high (0.41 ± 0.03, 0.27 ± 0.01) in summer, moderate (0.30 ± 0.03, 0.15 ± 0.03) in monsoon, low (0.19 ± 0.02, 0.08 ± 0.01) in winter and lowest (0.18 ± 0.01, 0.07 ± 0.01) in autumn, respectively. The Ångstrom wavelength exponent 'α' (indicator of the fraction of accumulation-mode particles to coarse-mode particles) has an opposite trend having lowest value (0.64 ± 0.06) in summer, low (0.99 ± 0.10) in monsoon, moderate (1.20 ± 0.15) in winter and highest value (1.52 ± 0.03) in autumn. The annual mean value of AOD at 500 nm, 'α' and 'β' are 0.24 ± 0.01, 1.06 ± 0.09 and 0.14 ± 0.01, respectively. The fractional asymmetry factor is more negative in summer due to enhanced tourists' arrival and also in autumn months due to the monthlong International Kullu Dussehra fair. The AOD values given by MWR and satellite-based moderate resolution imaging spectro-radiometer have good correlation of 0.76, 0.92 and 0.97 on diurnal, monthly and seasonal basis, respectively. The AODs at 500 nm as well as 'β' are found to be highly correlated, while 'α' is found to be strongly anti-correlated with temperature and wind speed suggesting high AODs and turbidity but low concentration of fine particles during hot and windy days. With wind direction, the AOD and 'β' are found to be strongly anti-correlated, while 'α' is strongly correlated.

Investigations of aerosol optical and physical characteristics using the application of Ångström formula and second order polynomial fit were carried out from April 2006 to March 2009 at Mohal in the Kullu valley. The measurements of spectral aerosol optical depths (AODs) were conducted using multiwavelength radiometer (MWR). The AOD at 0.5 μm wavelength on daily basis (mean ± standard deviation) for the entire three-year study period is obtained as 0.24 ± 0.08. Seasonal variations show the highest AOD at 0.5 μm wavelength with ∼0.34 ± 0.08 during pre-monsoon (April-July), followed by ∼0.26 ± 0.08 during monsoon (August-September), ∼0.21 ± 0.05 during post-monsoon (October-November) and ∼0.20 ± 0.07 during winter (December-March). The seasonal values indicate that the AOD at 0.5 μm wavelength is decreasing from pre-monsoon to winter with a notable reduction around 41%. The Ångström parameters using least square method is not found appropriate for size distribution particularly when coarse mode aerosols dominate. The coefficients of second order polynomial fit are more appropriate for the discrimination of aerosol size or irrespective to the dominance of either of the aerosols size. The difference in coefficient of polynomial fit is used to get confirmation on the dominant mode during different seasons. Study reveals that about 93%, 72% and 59% of AOD spectra are dominated by a wide range of fine mode fractions or mixture of modes during post-monsoon, winter and monsoon, respectively. On the other hand, during pre-monsoon, 72% of AOD spectra are found to be dominated by coarse mode aerosols.

The present study deals with the aerosol optical property which carried out during April 2006 to March 2007 over Mohal (31.9°N, 77.12°E) in the northwestern Indian Himalaya. The study was conducted using ground based Multi-wavelength Radiometer (MWR) and Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) sensor. The daily average aerosol optical depth (AOD) at 500 nm was found to be (mean ± standard deviation) 0.24 ± 0.10. The afternoon AOD values have been noticed to be higher than the forenoon AOD values. Spectral AOD values exhibited larger day-to-day variation in finer aerosols during the observation period. The daily average value of Ångström exponent 'α' and turbidity coefficient 'β' obtained was 1.10± 0.38 and 0.12 ± 0.08 respectively. Higher value of AOD ~0.39± 0.06 during summer associated with low α ~0.73± 0.28 has attributed to the increase in the relative dominance of coarse size particles. In winter α ~1.21± 0.32 indicating a considerable increase in fine size particles, attributed to the anthropogenic activities. The AOD spectra seem to be more wavelength dependent in winter as compared to summer. Comparison of MWR observation with MODIS observation indicates a good conformity between ground-based and satellite derived AOD. The root mean square deviation (RMSD), mean absolute bias deviation (MABD) and correlation coefficient have been found to be ~0.08, ~0.06 and ~0.77 respectively. These results suggest that the AOD retrieval through satellite can be able to characterize AOD distribution over Mohal. However, further efforts to eliminate systematic errors in the existing MODIS products are needed. During the observation period ~30%, ~47% and ~62% air parcels drawn at 4000, 5500 and 8000 m above ground level respectively reached at Mohal which passed through or originated from The Great Sahara. The maximum AOD at 500 nm occurred on 8 May 2006. This has caused a significant reduction in surface reaching solar irradiance by ~59 Wm -2 . The back trajectory analysis suggested that the highest AOD during summer is due to high degree of human interference in the form of tourism and dust transport from the country lying in the northwestern part of India.

Las observaciones de un radiómetro de longitud de onda múltiple (MWR, por sus siglas en inglés) ubicado en tierra en el valle Kullu en la región noroccidental del Himalaya, de abril de 2007 a marzo de 2008, muestran que la profundidad óptica espectral del aerosol (AOD, por sus siglas en inglés) y el coeficiente Ångstr?m de turbidez (β) son altos durante la estación del monzón, ligeramente menores en el verano, bajos en invierno y los más bajos en otoño, para días claros, neblinosos y parcialmente claros, mientras que el exponente Ångstr?m de longitud de onda (α) tiene una tendencia opuesta. Los valores promedio anuales de AOD a 5000 nm son 0.25 ± 0.01, 0.46 ± 0.02 y 0.28 ± 0.02, para días de cielos claros, nebulosos y parcialmente claros, respectivamente. Los valores correspondientes para β son 0.13 ± 0.01, 0.22 ± 0.01 y 0.15 ± 0.01 y los de α 1.09 ± 0.04, 1.18 ± 0.03 y 0.89 ± 0.05. La α es ligeramente mayor pero la β es considerablemente más alta en los días nebulosos que en los claros, indicando que la niebla montañosa es rica en partículas gruesas. Hay una buena concordancia entre los valores MWR y los AOD satelitales de MODIS, con coeficientes de correlación anuales de 0.89, 0.70 y 0.81 para días claros, nebulosos y parcialmente claros, respectivamente. La correlación entre AOD a 500 nm y el coeficiente β con la temperatura, velocidad del viento y humedad es significativamente positivo, mientras que el del exponente α es negativo para la mayoría de los días, lo que sugiere alto AOD y turbidez pero baja concentración de partículas finas en días calientes, húmedos y con viento y viceversa. Asimismo, la correlación entre AOD a 500 nm y el coeficiente β con la dirección del viento es la mayoría de las veces negativa, mientras que la del exponente α es positiva, indicando que AOD y la turbidez disminuyen pero la concentración de partículas finas aumenta al cambiar la dirección del viento más hacia el sur de nuestro sitio. Así, durante el periodo analizado, los vientos que se dirigen hacia nuestro sitio desde las planicies indogangéticas son ricos en partículas gruesas, mientras que los vientos de la dirección sur o del desierto Thar transportan principalmente partículas finas.

Sizc!-se parated atmospheric aeroso ls were co llec ted at Kothi (a hill top) and M ohal (a va lley). situated at tho.: foo thill s of western Himalayas during th e summer sea son o f 1999. Bimodal di stributi on of aerosols was observed ::11 both the locat ions. Howeve r. at K othi . fin e si ze parti cles dominated (62 %). wherea s at Mohal . coa rse si ze parti cles co ntributed more (75 "/r•). Th e S0 4 and 0 3 panic le togeth er co ntributed -30% o f the total measured chemical co mposit ion o f aerosols. Burning of biomass and emi ssions from touri st ve hicles could be th e mai n loca l sources for these com ponent s. Ho'' ever. aeroso ls showed alkaline nature (L:•L:+ rati o< I ) clue to th e neutrali zing effec t of so me ca ti ons such as Ca and NH 4 .

Surface concentration of the three important trace gases, ozone (O 3 ), nitrogen dioxide (NO 2 ) and sulphur dioxide (SO 2 ) were measured at three different tourist locations, namely Kullu, Manali and Kothi in the northwestern Himalayan region, which are located at 1220 m, 2050 m and 2530 m above the mean sea level mainly to asses the anthropogenic impact. The surface O 3 was monitored for four years during the period 1998 -2002 and 2004 at the time of peak tourist season (May-June), and SO 2 and NO 2 were measured during the entire period in 2003. The peak O 3 concentrations reached close to 50 ppb level, while the annual mean concentrations of O 3 , SO 2 and NO 2 remained within the United States Environmental Protection Agency's (USEPA's) National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS). The peak hourly average values of O 3 was 44 ppb at Manali and 32 ppb at Kothi during evening (1700 hrs IST), while that at Mohal (near Kullu) was 32 ppb in the afternoon (1500 hrs IST) period. The seasonally average value of maximum concentration of NO 2 was 3.8±0.6 µg m -3 at Kothi and 7.6±1.0 µg m -3 at Mohal in autumn (October-November), while that of SO 2 was 21.4±1.8 µg m -3 at Kothi and 18.8±1.3 µg m -3 at Mohal during the monsoon (July-September) and summer (April-June) periods, respectively. Vehicular emissions and biomass burning for heating and cooking during the winter period (especially when power failure is common) as well as during forest fires could be the major contributors for increased emissions of these trace gases. However, the influence of long-range transport may also be important.

In order to examine contamination in the Chungnam Coal Mine area, rock, stream sediment and water samples were collected and analyzed for trace elements. In order to compile the drainage-based geochemical maps, catchment basins were calculated using aspects of DEM (data elevation model) and stream-line segments. The constructed DEMs with 3 types of resolution were examined, these need to be properly used for well-shaped and accurate catchment basins. The stream-line segments and sampling points were also considered as a target image for watershed segments and it was found that the stream-line segments as target images were better role at reflecting the catchment area rather than the sampling points. It is important that the geochemical databases were manipulated to present the various phenomena. Factor analysis in R-mode was used to integrate geochemical data, and the input data for factor analysis were the concentrations of 12 trace elements in stream sediment and 3 anion concentrations and pH values in stream water. Using a maximum likelihood scheme, eigenvalues that explained about 90% of total variance were established and 4 factors were selected. Factors 1 and 2 indicated relative enrichment of trace elements, factor 3 was explained by human activities of residents and factor 4 was related to the pH of stream water. The drainage-based geochemical maps with 4 kinds of factor scores were compiled.

The measurements using a ground based multi wavelength radiometer (MWR) at Mohal (31°54′N, 77°07′E, 1154 m AMSL) in the Kullu valley of Northwestern Himalayan region show that the spectral aerosol optical depth (AOD) and turbidity coefficient, β, are high in summer, moderate in monsoon season, low in winter and lowest in autumn, while wavelength exponent, α, has an opposite trend. Average annual value of AOD at 500 nm is 0.24±0.01, 0.43±0.02, and 0.28±0.02; that of β is 0.14±0.01, 0.22±0.02, and 0.17±0.03; and that of α is 1.06±0.09, 1.16±0.10, and 0.86±0.13, respectively, for clear, hazy and partially clear sky days. The considerably greater value of β on hazy days indicates more coarse particles in mountain haze. The fractional asymmetry factor (AF) is more negative in summer and autumn months. The AOD and β have significantly positive correlation with temperature and wind speed, suggesting high AODs and turbidity on hot and windy days.

In stitut e of Tropi cal M eteoro logy . Dr Homi I3habha Road. Pa shan. Pun e 41 10m:. India and Kh wai rakpalll Gajananda Shriralllinstillite for Indu strial Resea rch. Env iro nment Protccti on Di vision. 1<). Uni ve rsity Roaci. Delhi liD 007. India O.f; rel'i.l'et/ 20 April 2005 ; ({('ceIJ/l'd 14 Jlllle 2005 Tota l suspended particu lat e (TS P) matter on fortni ght ly basis throu ghou t th e: year and Illass si ze: distri buti on of aerosob as we l l as ultrafine: aeroso ls un week ly ba sis in th e Illonth s of May and June lVe re monitored during I <)<)6-2003 at dilTerent alti tu dinal locations of th e Kullu -M anali touri st co mpl ex in the: nort hwestern Himalaya. Conce ntrati on of TSP ra nged frolll 35.8 (A ugus t I <)l)6) to 207 .3 f1,g nf-' (Julle 2003) at Mohal II 150 m from ave rage: se a level (AS L ) I and from 31.7 (Ju ly 2003) to 23l) f1, g m'-' (A pril 200 I ) at Manali (2050 III ASL). Th e mass size di stribut ion o f aeroso ls showed a bimodal distribution hav ing onc peak in the coa rse size ra nge (3.3-l) f1, m dial and the oth er in th e finc size mnge (0.OX-2. 1 f1,1ll dial at both th e loca ti ons. Ultrafi ne aerosol (UA) (O'( )OI -O.1 f1,m radiu s) co nce ntrati ons we rc found to be hi ghes t at th e lowest experim ental altiwde site (M ohal) and l'ice 1'1' 1'.1'0. The diurn al variati on of UA co ncent rati oll for three yea rs showed lh at the conce ntrati on ranges from 2640 (a t 0500 hI'S LT) to 5 160 N umber (N) cm'-' (at 1300 hI'S L T) at M ohal and from 400 (a t 0400 Ill'S LT) to 2 1l)O N cm' .1 (at 1300 hI'S L T) at Koth i. On an ave rage. TSP crossed its permi ssib le limit set by National Ambielll Air Qua lit y Stand ard (NAAQS) leve l in th e sensiti ve area s such as Kullu -Manali hill spots. Bi modal nallire r Illass si ze dis tributi on indi cates tw o importalll sources co ntri bu tin g in total aerosols-th e fin e mode. primaril y due to anthropogenic act i vities and the coarse mode aeroso ls. mainl y due to natu ral ,ources. La rge number o f' co nce ntrati on o f ultrafine parti cles indicates th e presencc of air pollutants more <1 tl ow altitucies as co mpared to hi gh altillides. Keywords: Aerosols' beh av iour. To tal suspended particulate,. Mass size distri bu ti on. Ultrafinc aerosols. Kull u-Mana li touri st co mplex, North wes tern Himalaya

RESUMO. O objetivo deste trabalho foi avaliar o desempenho de duas semeadorasadubadoras oferecidas comercialmente para plantio direto. Os ensaios foram realizados no Sítio Cazarotto, localizado no Distrito de Iguatemi, município de Maringá-Paraná, em Latossolo Vermelho Distrófico onde foram montados dois experimentos. No primeiro, foi utilizada uma semeadora-adubadora com mecanismo dosador do tipo disco horizontal e, o segundo, uma semeadora-adubadora com mecanismo do tipo pneumático. Utilizou-se delineamento de blocos ao acaso em arranjo de parcelas subdivididas com quatro repetições. Os tratamentos principais eram condições de cobertura do solo (vegetação espontânea, aveia dessecada e aveia dessecada + rolada) e os secundários as velocidades de deslocamento (disco horizontal: 4,74; 5,41; 6,47 e 7,24 km h -1 e pneumática: 5,56; 8,04 e 10,21 km h -1 ). Com o aumento da velocidade, a população de plantas e a porcentagem de espaçamentos aceitáveis reduziram, sendo que a população de plantas, agronomicamente, recomendada não foi alcançada por ambas as semeadoras. O mecanismo pneumático obteve melhores resultados que o disco horizontal. A produtividade foi maior onde se obtiveram menores populações, sendo influenciada pelo déficit hídrico. Palavras-chave: população de plantas, distribuição longitudinal, produtividade, soja (Glycine max (L.) Merril) ABSTRACT. Performance of seed distribution mechanisms under different speeds and soil covering conditions. The objective of this work was to evaluate the performance of two seeders offered commercially for no-tillage. The assays were conducted at the Cazarotto Farm, located in the Iguatemi District, municipal district of Maringá, Paraná State, in a HAPLOTOX Soil. Two experiments were set up: the first using a seeder with a horizontal plate distribution mechanism, and the second using a seeder with pneumatic-type mechanism. A split-plot design was used, with four replications. The main treatments were: soil covering conditions (spontaneous vegetation, desiccated black oat, and desiccated + rolled black oat); and the secondary treatments were the forward speeds (horizontal plate: 4.74, 5.41, 6.47 and 7.24 km h -1 ; and pneumatic: 5.56, 8.04 and 10.21 km h -1 ). With the increase in speed, the plant population and the percentage of acceptable spacings were reduced, and the recommended plant population was not reached by either seeder. The pneumatic mechanism obtained better results than the horizontal plate. The yield was larger where smaller populations were obtained, influenced by the water deficit.

referência conceitual 2 2. A expansão recente do agronegócio -questões e contradições derivadas 7 3. Dinâmicas complexas nas regiões de fronteira agrícolaanotações introdutórias 36 4. Conclusão 49 5. Referências 49 Nos últimos anos presenciamos no Brasil, a expansão em dimensões importantes, do modelo produtivo conhecido como agronegócio. Esse crescimento acelerado produziu aumentos expressivos na produção agropecuária, superávits na balança de comércio exterior, e dinamizou a economia de amplas regiões e setores, onde antes imperava a calmaria e o baixo dinamismo socioeconômico. Uma dessas regiões é conhecida hoje como sendo o "arco do desmatamento", região situada ao norte dos estados de Mato Grosso, Rondônia, Tocantins e sul do Pará, Maranhão e Piauí. Uma região que nas décadas anteriores viu brotar do meio da floresta e dos cerrados, fazendas de criação de gado e pequenas cidades, e enfrenta agora a aceleração do processo produtivo com a expansão do plantio das pastagens, da cultura da soja e algodão e a urbanização acelerada de sua população. Ocorre que, ao lado desse dinamismo econômico começam a surgir evidências de que a sustentabilidade desse modelo pode e deve ser questionada em vista da construção de novas estratégias de desenvolvimento, para uma das últimas regiões do mundo a conservar enorme biodiversidade em imensas áreas contínuas, de milhões de Kilômetros de extensão de florestas. Uma luta onde não está em jogo somente a floresta amazônica, mas possivelmente a vida de todo o planeta Terra. O presente artigo busca discutir essa evolução recente do agronegócio, sua expansão nas novas fronteiras agrícolas e seus impactos sobre aspectos ambientais e sociais, a fim de contribuir para a compreensão da dinâmica de sua evolução. Também procura abordar questões que explicitam as forças que estariam por trás dos recentes aumentos na taxa de desmatamento, utilizando para isso da análise das dinâmicas complexas nessas regiões de fronteira agrícola. As questões que procurarei aproximar preliminarmente com o trabalho seriam:  Quais fatores impactam direta e indiretamente sobre a evolução socioeconômica da região do arco do desmatamento?  Qual a relação direta e indireta entre soja, pecuária e desmatamento?  Qual o efeito dos mercados externo e interno sobre a expansão do agronegócio?  Qual o papel das políticas públicas, em especial das políticas ambientais sobre a restrição/evolução ao agronegócio nas regiões de fronteira? Pretendo, portanto, analisar, de forma preliminar, a partir dos elementos coletados, as relações e condicionantes que levaram à expansão do agronegócio nas regiões de fronteira agrícola, e verificar como se materializam e evoluem as interfaces mercado -políticas públicas nessas regiões. O trabalho está organizado em quatro capítulos. No primeiro procuro abordar brevemente os principais conceitos utilizados no texto, sem, contudo fazer uma reflexão teórica exaustiva ou definitiva sobre os mesmos. No segundo capítulo abordo a evolução sofrida pelo agronegócio brasileiro nas últimas décadas em todo o país, focando a partir do início da década de 1950, quando começa a se constituir a agricultura "moderna" que temos atualmente. No terceiro capítulo busco refletir sobre a influência de diversas políticas públicas sobre a região de fronteira agrícola brasileira, ao longo das últimas décadas. É um exercício ainda preliminar, que aponta elementos a serem aprofundados proximamente em vista da tese. No quarto capítulo desenvolvo o que seria a primeira aproximação da análise que procura levar em conta a complexidade de fatores atuando sobre a dinâmica da fronteira agrícola brasileira. Esse capítulo deveria apontar o que poderia ser a riqueza de uma análise que parte do pressuposto que a leitura da realidade deva incorporar as diversas dimensões de modo a dar conta da complexidade real das relações socioeconômicas e ambientais que perpassam a região de fronteira agrícola. Talvez este seja o capítulo em que tenha conseguido menos evoluir, dado que ele representa um capítulo de síntese, onde espero ser possível revisitar os processos, buscando interpretá-los na sua dimensão de complexidade. Contudo, o estágio atual de elaboração e domínio teórico-empírico sobre as dinâmicas regionais não me permite avançar tanto quanto gostaria, assim como o tempo de maturação de minha reflexão ainda não cumpriu seu ciclo. Espero, ainda que com essas limitações, poder contribuir para uma melhor compreensão dos fenômenos inerentes ao processo de constituição e evolução recente das regiões de fronteira, tanto em termos de identificação, ainda que parcial, do estado da arte sobre o tema, como também no levantamento de novas questões e indagações a serem aprofundadas proximamente, nos outros trabalhos. Para fins das análises propostas para o presente estudo utilizarei os seguintes conceitos: fronteira agrícola, territorialidade, agronegócio, e sustentabilidade. Para José de Souza Martins a fronteira se referiria as áreas pouco acessíveis e despovoadas, cuja ocupação se daria mediante a incorporação de áreas à produção para o mercado. Ele a caracteriza como "um espaço social e tempo histórico nos quais os diferentes e os desiguais se encontram e se desencontram em constantes relações de conflitos e tensão, e nos quais o outro é percebido como alguém inferior, selvagem, e que pode e é dominado e explorado (In Sayago, 2004, pág. 142). Para Bertha Becker ( ), a fronteira é um termo genérico que designa um componente do sistema espacial em formação (fronteira agrícola, mineral, de recursos naturais). Como tal, é um espaço não plenamente estruturado e por isso mesmo, potencialmente gerador de realidades novas, que, no entanto, evolui se estabilizando, surgindo novas dinâmicas, contextos diferenciados e gerando identidade cultural. (Sayago, Tourrand e Bursztyn, 2004). Em relação à Amazônia, BECKER afirma que, como resultado de uma configuração complexa a Amazônia não é mais apenas uma fronteira móvel, adquirindo uma dinâmica regional própria. Existem várias fronteiras em coexistência na região. É impossível hoje, mais do que nunca, compreender o que se passa num lugar e, consequentemente, conceber e implantar políticas públicas adequadas, sem considerar os interesses e as ações conflituosas das diferentes escalas geográficas. Para o escopo do presente trabalho estamos adotando esse conceito de BECKER onde a fronteira se caracterizaria como um componente do sistema espacial em formação, um espaço não

Land application of wastewater conserves fresh water and recycles nutrients, but little is known of its impacts on arid and semiarid landscapes. Lagoon treated salineÀsodic industrial effluent was applied from 2002-2005 to a 0.4-ha Chihuahuan Desert shrubland to assess the deposition and recovery of effluent components and changes in soil quality vis-a `-vis a non-irrigated area. Effluent irrigation supplied 26% of the average annual nonstressed evapotranspiration (ET) of the native shrubs [Larrea tridentata (DC.) Coville and Prosopis glandulosa Torr. var. glandulosa], and increased both soil stress factors (sodicity, salinity, and pH) and soil fertility (N, P, and K). After 3 yr, the soil saturation extract electrical conductivity (EC e ) reached as high as 6.1 dS m À1 and Cl À 76 mol c m À3 at 105 cm depth under irrigated L. tridentata. After 4 yr, saturation extract sodium adsorption ratio (SAR e ) reached 25-35 at 7.5 cm under the irrigated shrubs and intershrub spaces. There were 27 Mg ha À1 of cumulative ionic deposits to the site comprised mostly of Na þ , Cl À , and CaCO 3 equivalent alkalinity, with soil analysis recovering most of the deposits (>57%) except for K þ and Na þ (8% to 13%). Subsurface leaching of NO À 3 À N and P was detected within the upper 1 m soil depth after 4 yr, and a high downward mobility of Cl À revealed the potential for deeper NO À 3 À N leaching at higher N loading rates. While long-term effects on the natural vegetation are unknown, results contribute to a limited scientific database for sustainable wastewater land application in semiarid regions.

The water tank is a tool used to collect or hold water, both from wells, springs, PDAM, rainwater, etc. with the availability of water reservoirs, it can be said that the water supply will always safe control. means if one day a water source does not run properly, it will still have water reserves that can be used. However, filling the water tank in the community still requires a manual system in control and cannot monitor the water level in the tank. Therefore, in this final project a water level monitoring tool is designed that can inform the user in the water level in the tank if the water is full. And it can automatically fill water. This tool uses an Ultrasonic sensor (HC-SR04) as a water level sensor because it is considered to have ultrasonic waves that emit and reflect into the water, the results of the emission and reflection of the waves can be calculated as high as water. In addition, using WEMOS D1 R2 and the Blynk application that will provide information on water level...

In the present study, insecticidal activity of Leaves extracts of Lamium purpureum were evaluated as contact toxicants, fumigant and F1 progeny production inhibitors to red flour beetle Tribolium castaneum, the leaves of L. purpureum were collected around Sharada area Kano by hand picking, identified at

Flame-weeding is a very useful method for weed control, especially in organic production where the use of herbicides is prohibited. With this method heat sup?presses weeds in row within a second. Apart from this, heat also affects growing crop plants and surrounding soil. The aim of this paper was to determine the effect of different propane doses, on photosynthetic and polyphenolic (total flavonoids and anthocy?nins) pigments in soybean leaves, as well as the number of microorganisms in the soil. Soybean plants exposed to flame showed a different reaction to high temperature stress, which was reflected in differ?ent content of analyzed biochemical parameters, but the most responsive were anthocyanins. Actinomycetes turned out to be the most sensitive group of soil microorganisms affected by weed flaming, while fungi were the most tolerant.

In this study, the differences between the socio economic characteristics and agricultural applications of the producers who had soil analysis and those who did not were determined in Edirne and Tekirdağ provinces, and a comparative analysis was done in terms of fertilization and soil analysis applications. In each province, 3 laboratories which had the most sample acceptance number for soil analysis were selected. In 2015, a total of 200 producers were interviewed, including 60 producers from 20 producers who applied to the laboratories and benefited from soil analysis subsidies, and 40 producers with similar characteristics who did not benefit from soil analysis subsidies in the same regions. The differences between the socio-economic characteristics of the producers were determined by non-linear canonical correlation analysis. It was seen that the education level of the producers, the total size of the land they cultivated, having non-agricultural income and having agricultural insurance were the most important variables in the differences between the producers who had soil analysis and those who did not.

Efficient Use of Nitrogen in Cropping Systems Efficient use of N in cropping systems is often viewed from agronomic, economic, or environmental perspectives. A given N management system may provide highly efficient use of N from one perspective but be relatively inefficient from another. This chapter reviews basic factors affecting N use efficiency (NUE) from agronomic, economic, and environmental perspectives and discusses interrelationships among these perspectives. The agronomic section reviews ways of characterizing NUE based on yield and N recovery in relation to N inputs and discusses physical potentials and limitations for improving these relationships. Since Chapt. 17 (this book) deals with the role of N in attaining high yield potentials, the agronomic section in this chapter emphasizes factors affecting the slope of yield curves rather than factors affecting maximum yield levels with a nonlimiting N rate. The economic section reviews factors that determine optimum N rates and discusses economic considerations for optimizing inputs (e.g., application practices and nitrification inhibitors) that affect the slope of yield curves. The environmental section examines relationships between N fertilizer recovery and environmental impact of N fertilizer use and also environmental implications of maximizing return from N fertilizer use. I. AGRONOMIC PERSPECTIVE A. Characterizing Efficiency The phrase N use efficiency (NUE) usually has referred to relationships between yield and N rate (yield efficiency), N recovered and N rate (N recovery efficiency), or yield and N recovered (physiological efficiency). For

By submitting this thesis electronically, I declare that the entirety of the work contained therein is my own, original work, that I am the sole author thereof (save to the extent explicitly otherwise stated), that reproduction and publication thereof by Stellenbosch University will not infringe any third party rights and that I have not previously in its entirety or in part submitted it for obtaining any qualification.

The monitoring of pollution plumes from municipal landfills is essential in order to control and, where necessary, remediate aquifer contamination. The Atlantis historical landfill was established in 1975 and was unlined as it preceded the promulgation of the Minimum Requirements by the Department of Water and Sanitation. As the underlying, unconfined sandy aquifer serves as a water supply source to the town of Atlantis, regular quarterly hydrochemical monitoring was carried out from 1989 to 1997, at irregular intervals until 2003, and resumed in 2015 when new, deep boreholes were drilled. Groundwater monitoring over nearly three decades provided valuable information on the nature of the chemical reactions that take place in the subsurface and the extent of transport of chemical constituents. Ammonium and organic carbon, which are subject to redox reactions, were lagging compared to chloride and sodium, which are transported advectively. The most recent data indicated the plume consisted mainly of salinity (electrical conductivity (EC) > 200 mS m -1 ) in the form of sodium, calcium, chloride and bicarbonate ions 350-400 m down-gradient of the landfill, and it is still expanding at a maximum rate of about 25 m a -1 , with local deviations from the regional flow pattern. It also became evident that the plume migrated to greater depth as it was transported further from the waste pile. The breakthrough of contaminants being observed at different depths highlights the importance of suitably designed monitoring networks.

Woody invading alien plants, many of which are nitrogen-fixing legumes (Fabaceae family), are currently cleared in South African catchments to reduce water loss and preserve streamflow, and for the restoration of the ecosystem. This study tested the hypothesis that clearing invasive alien vegetation may disturb the vegetation-micro-organism-soil N cycling system by producing a large once-off input of fresh tree litterfall rich in N and by eliminating a large N sink. Three experimental plots were established at the Riverlands Nature Reserve (Western Cape, South Africa): a site invaded by Acacia saligna to be used as control; a site cleared of Acacia saligna; and a site with natural vegetation to be used as background. Nitrogen concentrations in soil and groundwater, volumetric soil water contents, root density and weather conditions were measured during 2007. Oxidised forms of nitrogen, in particular NO 3 -, were dominant in the system. Recharge and leachate were simulated with the HYDRUS-2D model and used as inputs into Visual MODFLOW to predict the spatial distribution of nitrate plus nitrite (NOx) in groundwater. NOx levels in soil and groundwater were higher in alien-invaded areas compared to fynbos-covered land. A quick release of NOx into groundwater was observed due to high residual N reserves in the rooting zone, decreased evapotranspiration and increased recharge in the treatment cleared of alien vegetation. In the long run, high NOx concentrations in groundwater underlying cleared land will last only until all the excess nitrogen has been leached from the soil. A decrease in NOx concentration in groundwater can be expected thereafter. Clearing land of alien invasive legumes may therefore have a beneficial effect by reducing groundwater contamination from NOx and reducing water losses in catchments.

South Africa is a water scarce country and in certain regions the quantity of surface water is insufficient to provide communities with their domestic water needs. In many arid areas groundwater is often the sole source of water. This total dependence means that groundwater quality is of paramount importance. A high nitrate concentration in groundwater is a common cause of water being declared unfit for use and denitrification has been proposed as a potential remedy. In groundwater of the Marydale district in the Northern Cape Province, nitrate levels are high enough to be of concern for domestic and livestock consumption. A review of the literature indicates that bacterial denitrification of groundwater can be achieved in situ by using a suitable energy substrate. The technology has been tested elsewhere in the world but more certainty is needed on whether it is a feasible option for local groundwater remediation using local, cost-effective energy substrates and exploiting bacteria...

An intensive intrusion of nitrate into many aquifers has occurred in the last 20 years. Measures are discussed to prevent high concentrations of this pollutant in pumping wells. In the long run a less intensive use of mineral fertilizers and a diminished disposal of livestock wastes in the catchment areas of pumping wells are the presuppositions for an acceptable concentration of nitrate in groundwater. Before these measures take effect, hydraulic measures are convenient to avoid the pollution of abstracted groundwater: pumping wells have to be placed at locations with low nitrate concentrations and pumping strategies must be applied to keep the nitrate concentration below the tolerable standard of 50 mg N0 3 l" 1 . In a case study groundwater modelling is applied to forecast the effects of different measures. Résumé L'intrusion massive de nitrates dans un bon nombre de nappes souterraines s'est produite au cours de la dernière période de 20 ans. On discute dans cette communication des mesures à prendre pour éviter de fortes concentrations de ces polluants dans les puits de pompage. Pour le long terme un usage moins intensif de ces fertilisants minéraux et une diminution de l'épandage de lisieurs de l'élevage dans les bassins d'alimentation des puits de pompage sont les hypothèses de base pour arriver à une concentration acceptable de nitrates dans les eaux souterraines. Avant que ces mesures fassent leur effet, des mesures d'ordre hydraulique seraient utiles pour éviter la pollution des eaux souterraines extraites du sol: les puits de pompage doivent être implantés à des endroits à faible concentration de nitrates et des stratégies de pompage doivent être appliquées pour maintenir la concentration de nitrate en dessous du standard tolerable de 50 mg N0 3 l" 1 . Dans une étude de cas des modèles d'eaux souterraines sont utilisés pour prévoir les effets de différentes mesures.

With the increasing demand on limited resources, groundwater will have to serve more people in southern Africa, especially in remote rural areas. The situation is becoming more precarious with the projected change in rainfall and climate patterns. Concurrently, nitrate pollution of groundwater would seem to be on the increase. This makes the remediation of high nitrate groundwater by low cost and robust methods a much-needed intervention. Three methods that have shown potential for full-scale application are reverse osmosis, ion exchange, and biological denitrification. Biological denitrification is specific in the removal of nitrate and is thus the most versatile approach being studied. In situ denitrification, i.e. within the aquifer, is an attractive alternative due to relative simplicity and low investment and maintenance costs. Research needs identified include minimisation of nitrite accumulation, optimisation of reaction conditions, inhibitory effects of reaction intermediates and by-products, and optimisation of measuring and control systems. This work presents a laboratory model set up using a 2200 x 350 x 350 mm column for denitrifying high nitrate groundwater. The column contains seven ports which stretch along the entire column like observation boreholes and can be used either for sampling or injecting during the experiment. The sampling/injecting ports are at 300, 500, 700, 1000, 1200, 1500, and 1700 mm distance respectively. Hence the reactions can be studied over the total length of the column. An unconfined primary aquifer will be simulated. Flow, pH, EC and initial conditions will be as close as possible to field conditions. Monitoring will include nitrogen species microbiological species (e.g. heterotrophic plate count). Hydraulic properties and

Quantified medium- and long-term hydrological datasets are scarce in South Africa, yet they are essential to gain understanding of natural systems, contribute to ecosystem conservation, and ultimately quantify water balance processes accurately. A hydrological experiment was carried out at Riverlands Nature Reserve (Western Cape, South Africa) in order to quantify the components of the soil water balance at experimental sites occupied by endemic and invasive vegetation. In two separate follow-up projects, five-year time series were collected in three treatments, namely, endemic fynbos vegetation, bare soil, and land invaded by Acacia saligna. Rainfall was recorded daily with a manual rain gauge. Groundwater levels were logged hourly at 14 boreholes. Volumetric soil water contents and soil temperatures were logged hourly at different depths in the soil profile. Groundwater levels and soil water contents responded to rainfall with very clear seasonal trends. The data can be applied in...

ET is the combination of two separate processes, where liquid water is converted to water vapour (vaporization) from the soil, wet vegetation, open water or other surfaces, as well as from plants by transpiration through stomata . Evaporation and transpiration occur simultaneously and they are difficult to separate out. ET rate depends on www.intechopen.com Evapotranspiration -Remote Sensing and Modeling 330 weather conditions, water availability, vegetation characteristics, management and environmental constraints. The main weather variables affecting ET are temperature, solar radiation, wind speed and vapour pressure. The nature of the soil, its hydraulic properties and water retention capacity determine plant available water. Under natural conditions, water stored in the soil is replenished through precipitation, surface and groundwater. The type and developmental stage of vegetation, its adaptation to drought, structure and roughness, albedo, ground cover, root density and depth also affect ET rates. ET rates can be managed through different tillage practices, the establishment of windbreaks, different planting densities and thinning of vegetation, by reducing soil evaporation using, for example, localized irrigation targeting the root zone or mulching, and by reducing transpiration with herbicides or anti-transpirants (substances that induce closing of stomata, envelop vegetation with a surface film or change its albedo). Besides water stress, vegetation may be subject to other types of environmental stresses that are likely to result in a reduction of ET rates and plant growth, like for example pests, diseases, nutrient shortages, exposure to toxic substances and salinization . Reference ET is the evaporation from a reference surface of the Earth and it depends on weather conditions. The reference surface can be an open water surface (open pan) or it can be related to weather variables (temperature, radiation, sunshine hours, wind speed, air humidity etc.). Many semi-empirical equations exist that relate reference ET to weather variables. Some of the most commonly adopted are Blaney-Criddle (Blaney and Criddle, 1950), Jensen-Haise , and . Lu et al. ( ) compared the performance of three temperature-based methods, namely and , and three radiationbased methods, namely and for application in large scale hydrological studies in the south-eastern United States. Similarly, Oudin et al. (2005) tested the performance of 27 reference ET models in rainfallrunoff modelling of catchments located in France, Australia and the United States. Both Lu et al. (2005) and Oudin et al. ( ) proposed simple temperature-based methods for calculation of reference ET at catchment scale, in particular when availability of weather data sets is limited. Theoretical equations that describe the mechanisms of the evaporation process are also available. For example, reference evaporation from an open water surface was first described by and consisted of a radiation and a vapour pressure deficit term, representing the available energy for the endothermal evaporation process. proposed the Priestley-Taylor equation, where the radiation term dominates over the advection term by a factor of 1.26, suitable for large forest catchments and humid environments. Based on decades of data and knowledge gained, the FAO (United Nations Food and Agricultural Organization) proposed a grass reference evapotranspiration (ETo) calculated with the Penman-Monteith equation . The FAO Penman-Monteith ETo is defined as the evapotranspiration rate from a reference surface not short of water. The reference surface is a hypothetical grass reference crop with an assumed height of 0.12 m, a fixed surface resistance of 70 s m -1 and an albedo of 0.23 . The

The primary aquifer at Atlantis (Western Cape, South Africa) is ideally suited for water supply and the indirect recycling of urban stormwater runoff and treated domestic wastewater for potable purposes. The relatively thin, sloping aquifer requires careful management of the artificial recharge and abstraction for balancing water levels. Water quality management is a further key issue at Atlantis for ensuring the highest quality potable water. Groundwater quality varies from point to point in the aquifer, while urban runoff and wastewater qualities vary greatly. The layout of the town allows for the separation of stormwater from the residential and industrial areas as well as separate treatment of domestic and industrial wastewater. This permits safe artificial recharge of the various water quality portions at different points in the aquifer, either for recycling or for preventing seawater intrusion. All of the management actions are dependent on detailed data collection and this paper describes the various parts of the system, describes the data collection activities, and provides results of the monitoring and aquifer responses over the past four decades. Challenges related to iron fouling of production boreholes are also described. The presence of emerging contaminants was studied in 2008 but requires follow-up research for establishing the extent of any possible threat to water recycling. In order to address the shortcomings of the system a risk management plan based on the Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points approach was developed. Lessons learnt from the Atlantis experience can be transferred to other potential sites for establishment of similar systems in arid and semi-arid areas of South Africa and the African continent.

The dynamics of some physical properties of the soil: bulk density, porosity and percentage of water stable aggregates, which usually are taken as indicators for evaluation of soil quality, have been studied on the flat surfaces of the Canamero's "rana" formation (Caceres, SW Spain). The study shows a high relationship between all these physical soil parameters, the degradation level of the natural vegetation, and years of the soil under tillage. As the deterioration of the natural soil increases the bulk density of the fine earth is increased, diminishing porosity, field capacity moisture content, percentage of water stable aggregates in soil and water infiltration.

This is a PDF file of an article that has undergone enhancements after acceptance, such as the addition of a cover page and metadata, and formatting for readability, but it is not yet the definitive version of record. This version will undergo additional copyediting, typesetting and review before it is published in its final form, but we are providing this version to give early visibility of the article. Please note that, during the production process, errors may be discovered which could affect the content, and all legal disclaimers that apply to the journal pertain.

The Hydrologic Modeling System (HEC-HMS) was conceived as a software-based tool for simulating the hydrologic cycle in the context of engineering problem solving. Water movements in the cycle relevant to common problems in water resources engineering were included: precipitation, infiltration, surface runoff, baseflow, and open channel flow. The first generation of the software focused on simulating individual storm events. The second generation of the software added new components for infiltration modeling to permit continuous simulation. Snowmelt and potential evapotranspiration components, along with an advanced reservoir component, were added for the third generation. The software is very adaptable because it includes a variety of model choices for each segment of the hydrologic cycle. It has been used in many studies for achieving goals in flood damage reduction, reservoir and system operation, floodplain regulation, environmental restoration, water supply planning, among other...

The increasing rise in population, poor sanitation habits, massive flooding and lack of enforcement of environmental Sanitation laws in the study area have contributed immensely to the pollution of water sources. Thus, water samples were obtained from river Niger, hand-dug wells and a bore-hole in Ganaja, Lokoja, northcentral, Nigeria for water quality analyses. The hydro-geochemical results showed that the pH values range from 6.70-7.70 indicating alkaline water type. The water hardness of the hand dug wells range from 7.46 -241.09 with an average value of 110.30 indicating soft to moderately hard water. The hardness value range from 7.47 to 10.78mg/l in the river samples, 56.88 to 207.78mg/l in hand dug wells and 57.35mg/l in borehole sample respectively. The results show values are all above the World Health Organization (WHO) admissive limit and Nigeria Standard for Drinking Water Quality guideline for drinking water. The value of Mg ranges from 1.11 -10.74mg/l in all the samples, this is above Nigeria Standard for drinking water. The values of the physicochemical parameters such as the T o C, Ec, BOD, COD, HCO 3 , CO 3 , SO 4 Cl, NO 3 Na, Ca, and the heavy metals including Pb, Cd, Cu, Fe, Mn, Ni and Zn as well as the concentration of TDS, Ca and K in all the other waters samples are within the allowable limits. TDS is linked to taste, hardness, corrosion properties and tendency for incrustation by water. Hard water can cause aesthetic problems including include alkali taste (making morning coffee taste bitter), formation of deposit on dishes, utensils, laundry basins, difficulty in getting soup and detergents to lather, formation of insulating precipitate on clothing, characteristic blue-green staining of sinks, household pipes choking, scaling, incrustations on kitchen utensils and increasing soap consumption. Hardness of water can create both nuisance and economic burden to individual and community. It is advisable that the water be treated against hardness, TDS, Ca, Mg and K before consumption or other domestic use. They should be regular routine monitoring by concerned authorities, as this, will ensure compliance and safety.

The current pumping system (DC water pump) for agriculture is powered by household electricity, therefore, the cost of electricity will be increased due to the higher electricity consumption. In addition, the water needs to be supplied at different height of trees and different places that are far from the water source. The existing DC water pump can pump the water to 1.5 m height but it cost money for electrical source. The hydraulic ram is a mechanical water pump that suitable used for agriculture purpose. It can be a good substitute for DC water pump in agriculture use. The hydraulic ram water pumping system has ability to pump water using gravitational energy or the kinetic energy through flowing source of water. This project aims to analyze and develop the water ram pump in order to meet the desired delivery head up to 3 meter height with less operation cost. The hydraulic ram is designed using CATIA software. Simulation work has been done using ANSYS CFX software to validate the working concept. There are three design were tested in the experiment study. The best design reached target head of 3 m with 15% efficiency and flow rate of 11.82𝑙/𝑚𝑖𝑛. The results from this study show that the less diameter of pressure chamber and higher supply head will create higher pressure.

The water resources of the Indus Basin, Pakistan are mostly exploited, however the demand for water is on a permanent rise due to population growth and associated urbanization and industrialization process. Owing to rapidly increasing population, the ...

The long-term sustainability of water for agriculture is in doubt in many regions of the world. The major withdrawals of water are for agriculture, industry, and domestic consumption. Irrigated agriculture is major consumer of fresh water, but a large part of the ...

There is a growing understanding of the role that bedrock weathering can play as a source of nitrogen (N) to soils, groundwater and river systems. The significance is particularly apparent in mountainous environments where weathering fluxes can be large. However, our understanding of the relative contributions of rock-derived, or geogenic, N to the total N supply of mountainous watersheds remains poorly understood. In this study, we develop the High-Altitude Nitrogen Suite of Models (HAN-SoMo), a watershed-scale ensemble of process-based models to quantify the relative sources, transformations, and sinks of geogenic and atmospheric N through a mountain watershed. Our study is based in the East River Watershed (ERW) in the Upper Colorado River Basin. The East River is a near-pristine headwater watershed underlain primarily by an N-rich Mancos Shale bedrock, enabling the timing and magnitude of geogenic and atmospheric contributions to watershed scale dissolved N-exports to be quantif...

Mercury is a natural element present all over the world, which can be mobilised through both anthropogenic activities and natural processes. Assessments of the fate of mercury in the environment are often limited by lack of data and our understanding of the mercury cycling processes. These knowledge gaps restrict environmental impact evaluation of applied mercury emission reduction measures under different environmental agreements such as the Minamata Convention on Mercury and the Convention on Long-Range Transboundary Air Pollution. Here, we address some of the knowledge gaps by estimating the fate and transport of mercury in the Norwegian environment, and by calculating an overall mercury budget. Our aim is to assess data quality and uncertainty, and to evaluate how assessments of Hg loading to aquatic ecosystems can be improved.

Denne datarapporten inneholder resultater fra beregninger utført med Teotil-modellen med inngangsdata på norske kilder fra 1985 t.o.m. 2014. Resultatene er presentert i form av tabeller, grafer og kart uten naermere omtale. NIVA har benyttet data om utslipp fra befolkning (avløpsanlegg) fra SSB, data om utslipp fra industribedrifter fra Miljødirektoratet, produksjonsdata fra fiskeoppdrett fra Fiskeridirektoratet og tapskoeffisienter for jordbruk fra NIBIO. Vi takker leverandørene for arbeid med tilrettelegging av grunnlagsdata.

Turbidity sensors can improve temporal knowledge of river mass loads. • In-situ turbidity was calibrated for assessing sediment and P transport. • Calibrations were improved by splitting rising and falling hydrograph periods. • Calibrations for one catchment were not transferable to a neighbouring catchment.

Oppdaterte overskridelser av tålegrenser inkludert 2012-2016 viser små reduksjoner i overskredet areal siden forrige periode: For forsuring av vann er 7% (8% i forrige periode) eller 19% (20% i forrige periode) av Norges areal overskredet, beregnet ved henholdsvis SSWCoaa-eller FABoaa-modellen. Overskredet areal for overgjødslingseffekter på vegetasjon er 20% (21% i forrige periode). Tålegrensene for forsuring av skogsjord er ikke overskredet. Updated exceedances of critical loads including 2012-2016 show small reductions in area with exceedance since the previous period: For acidification of surface water 7% (8% in the previous period) or 19% (20% in the previous period) of the Norwegian area is exceeded, calculated using the SSWCoaa or FABoaa model, respectively. The exceeded area for eutrophication effects on vegetation is 20% (21% in the previous period). The critical loads for forest soil are not exceeded.