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Following potential reforestation in the Amazon Basin, changes in the biophysical characteristics of the land surface may affect the fluxes of heat and moisture behavior. This research examines the impacts of potential tropical reforestation on surface energy and moisture budgets, including precipitation and temperature. The study is novel in that while most studies look at the opposite driver (deforestation), this one examines the impact of potential forest rehabilitation on atmospheric behavior using WRF.V3.9 (weather research and forecast model). We found that forest rehabilitation across the Amazon Basin can make the atmosphere cooler with more moisture and latent heat (LH), especially during May-November. For instance, the mean seasonal temperature decreased significantly by about 1.2 °C, indicating the cooling effects of reforestation. Also, the seasonal precipitation increased by 5 mm/day in reforested areas. By reforestation, the mean monthly LH also increased as much as 50 W m−2 in August in certain areas, while available moisture to the atmosphere increased by 27%, indicating possible causal mechanisms between increased LH and precipitation and emphasizing the mechanisms that were identified between the onset of the wet season and forest cover. Therefore, it is likely that forest regrowth across the basin leads to, if not reverses regional climate change, at least slowing down the rate of changes in the climate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Significant seasonal changes in chemical and microbiological water quality can occur in buildings at different fixture locations due to temperature and time dependent reaction rates. Here, a series of calibrated plumbing hydraulic‐water quality models were developed for the extensively monitored Retrofitted Net‐zero Energy, Water & Waste (ReNEWW) house in West Lafayette, Indiana, USA. The eight new models predict the absolute level of free chlorine, total trihalomethanes, copper, iron, lead, NO3− (nitrate‐nitrogen), heterotrophic plate count (HPC), and Legionella spp. concentration at each fixture for plumbing use, operational characteristics, and design layouts of the plumbing system. Model development revealed that the carrying capacity to describe Legionella spp. growth (and other organisms) under water usage and plumbing design conditions is lacking in the literature. Reducing simulated building water use by 25% prompted increased absolute concentrations of HPC and Legionella spp., each increasing by a factor of about 105. When the simulated service line length was increased, Legionella spp. concentrations increased by up to 106 gene copies /L in the Summer season. The proposed modeling framework can be used to support better planning, design, analysis, and operational decision‐making. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]