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"Running Out: In Search of Water on the High Plains" by Lucas Bessire is a thought-provoking exploration of the environmental crisis stemming from the depletion of the Ogallala Aquifer in Southwest Kansas. Bessire delves into the complexities of water usage, agriculture, and survival in the region, highlighting differing perspectives on the aquifer's depletion. Through personal narratives and historical analysis, Bessire underscores the urgent need for innovative solutions and responsible water management to address the looming crisis and preserve the High Plains' ecosystem and communities. [Extracted from the article]

Australian cities have experienced a high number of floods and droughts. In Australia, green infrastructure (GI) is increasingly popular in considering natural processes in sustainable water management practices. However, to date, there has been little examination of how the academic literature has addressed the use of GI in Australian landscape planning for water management. To investigate this, we applied a thematic framework and used the PRISMA approach to identify and analyse 98 peer-reviewed papers to better understand whether and how landscape planning perspectives are considered in current water management approaches in Australia. We found a recent increase in Australian-based literature related to GI for water management. However, there is limited literature discussing the significance of landscape connectivity and the multi-functionality of GI. This article concludes with recommendations for future research on the landscape planning principles of multi-functionality, landscape connectivity, and the integration of multiple scales of GI in Australian urban water management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper argues that enhancing the water conservation behavior of the urban population would provide an alternative solution by demand curtailment and behavior change, rather than traditional methods of increasing water supply. A structured, evidence-based approach to identify relevant research studies has been instrumental in this research. The paper provides a systematic review of 35 papers, narrowed down from 3089 papers, which have converged towards an integrated approach to water conservation behavior. The significant factors of water conservation behavior were classified under four broad themes: psychological, situational, demographic, and contextual. The review showed that the situational and contextual variables were understudied among these factors. Further, this study identifies research gaps in the models of water conservation behavior and highlights the need for future work. The issue of sustainability of water through a cogent argument based upon behavioral studies in water conservation has been carried out. Evidence-based systematic review for a comprehensive assessment of current literatures of water conservation behavior. Identification of four variable cluster themes: psychological, demographic, situational, and contextual variables. Provides insight into major theories used to predict water conservation behavior. Represents a knowledge map of theories and models to guide future researchers. Situational and contextual variables are understudied, with significant evaluation and population gap existing between developed and developing nations. Theoretical void exists in specific behavior theories, such as Identity Theory, in predicting water conservation behavior. Authors elaborated holistic model to predict water conservation behavior along with mediating effects of situational and contextual variables. Addressing issues of sustainability through cogent arguments in behavioral studies for water conservation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Due to current water stress, there is a problem with hygiene and sanitation in many parts of the world. According to predictions from the United Nations, more than 2.7 billion people will be challenged by water scarcity by the middle of the century. The water industry is increasingly interested in desalination of the sea, ocean, and brackish water. Desalination processes are widely classified as thermal or membrane technologies. In the Middle East, thermal desalination remains the primary technology of choice, but membrane processes, for example reverse osmosis (RO), have evolved rapidly and in many other parts of the world are currently even surpassing thermal processes. The purpose of this paper is to review the renewable energy source, the technology, desalination systems, and their possible integration with renewable energy resources and their cost. This article suggests that the most practical renewable desalination techniques to be used are the solar photovoltaic integrated RO desalination process, the hybrid solar photovoltaic-wind integrated RO desalination process, the hybrid solar photovoltaic-thermal (PVT) integrated RO desalination process, and the hybrid solar photovoltaic-thermal effect distillation (PVT-MED) desalination process. However, intensive research is still required to minimize the cost, reduce the heat loss, enhance the performance, and increase the productivity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Antineoplastic agents present potential hazards to human health and the environment. For this reason, these compounds have attracted a great deal of attention from researchers in the environmental sciences field. In order to help guide future research, it is important to understand the current state of investigation of the occurrence of these microcontaminants and methods for their removal, especially focusing on Fenton and photo-Fenton processes applied to various aqueous matrices in which this class of pharmaceuticals is present. For this purpose, a systematic review of these topics was performed by bibliometric analysis of articles published during the last decade and available in the Scopus and Web of Science databases. This study enables visualization of the current panorama and trends in this field, providing a guide for future collaborative research and exchange of knowledge. Various strategies have been suggested to improve the efficiency of Fenton and photo-Fenton processes, mainly by means of the application of multiples additions of iron, the use of heterogeneous catalysts, and/or the use of chelating agents. Some studies have evaluated different radiation sources employed for photo-Fenton processes, such as solar and/or artificial radiation. In turn, the identification of transformation products generated by Fenton and photo-Fenton treatments, together with their evaluation by in silico (Q)SAR predictions or experimental toxicological bioassays, are related subjects that have been less reported in published works and that should be studied in depth. These subjects can support treatment evaluations that are more realistic, considering their limitations or potentials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Socio-hydrology has become an important platform for discussion and exchange in current water research. A key challenge is the integration of the social into socio-hydrological logic. To date, most studies have excluded the potential outcomes of policy changes based on socio-hydrology models. The goal of this paper is to present a theoretical framework that extends the current debates in socio-hydrology around the concept of social justice. Social justice considers and reflects on the question of fairness in the allocation of resources, participation, and wealth across residents of a river basin. This critical review elucidates the role of social justice in flood risk management by considering the possible consequences of including social justice and by proposing how to integrate those consequences into the current socio-hydrology model. As such, the review contributes to the ongoing discussion of human–environment interaction in socio-hydrology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs) are increasingly used for undersea exploration. The endurance of AUVs is limited by the onboard energy storage among which the battery systems dominate. Various underwater recharging methods are employed to increase the AUV range and autonomy. Currently, contact-based underwater recharging utilizes the wet-mate connector technology that requires a high-precision AUV docking, and is prone to electrical safety issues. To overcome these limitations, underwater wireless recharging techniques for AUVs have been explored in recent years. Wireless charging offers a safe and reliable method for autonomous power transfer between a charging station and a vehicle. This article reviews the state-of-the-art inductive wireless power transfer (IWPT) solutions for underwater applications and discusses the engineering challenges of the IWPT system design. Underwater environmental factors, such as seawater conductivity, temperature, pressure, water currents, and biofouling phenomenon, impose constraints on IWPT systems. A comprehensive review of AUV energy storage systems, docking methods, IWPT system control methods, and compensation networks is presented in this article. Based on the main operational and constructional principles, the AUV IWPT systems are categorized as loosely coupled transformers and resonant IWPT systems. Each of the categories is illustrated through their main design principles and implementations reported in the literature so far. Technical challenges, such as integration of IWPT system into an AUV hull, interoperability, alignment and retention issues, docking station sinking and stability, the design of pressure-tolerant charging electronics, data transfer, and the battery operation in the underwater environment are discussed in this article too. The article is concluded with the best practice overview of designing an IWPT system for AUVs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: In contrast to water consumption, water pollution has gained less attention in water footprinting so far. Unlike water scarcity impact assessment, on which a consensus has recently been achieved, there is no agreement on how to address water quality deterioration in water footprinting. This paper provides an overview of existing water footprint methods to calculate impacts associated with water pollution and discusses their strengths and limitations using an illustrative example. Methods: The methods are described and applied to a case study for the wastewater generated in textile processing. The results for two scenarios with different water quality parameters are evaluated against each other and the water scarcity footprint (WSF). Finally, methodological aspects, strengths and limitations of each method are analysed and discussed and recommendations for the methods application are provided. Results and discussion: Two general impact assessment approaches exist to address water quality in water footprinting: the Water Degradation Footprint (WDF) calculates the impacts associated with the propagation of released pollutants in the environment and their uptake by the population and ecosystem, while the Water Availability Footprint (WAF) quantifies the impacts related to the water deprivation, when polluted water cannot be used. Overall, seven methods to consider water quality in water footprinting were identified, which rely upon one or a combination of WDF, WAF and WSF. Methodological scopes significantly vary regarding the inventory requirements and provided results (a single-score or several impact categories). The case study demonstrated that the methods provide conflicting results concerning which scenario is less harmful with regard to the water pollution. Conclusions: This paper provides a review of the water pollution assessment methods in water footprinting and analyses their modelling choices and resulting effects on the WF. With regard to the identified inconsistencies, we reveal the urgent need for a guidance for the methods application to provide robust results and allow a consistent evaluation of the water quality in water footprinting. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Knowledge of past, current, and future hydroclimatic risk is of great importance. However, like many other countries, Australia's observed hydroclimate records are at best only ∼ 120 years long (i.e. from ∼ 1900 to the present) but are typically less than ∼ 50 years long. Therefore, recent research has focused on developing longer hydroclimate records based on palaeoclimate information from a variety of different sources. Here we review and compare the insights emerging from 11 published palaeoclimate records that are relevant for annual to sub-decadal hydroclimatic variability in eastern Australia over the last ∼ 1000 years. The sources of palaeoclimate information include ice cores, tree rings, cave deposits, and lake sediment deposits. The published palaeoclimate information was then analysed to determine when (and where) there was agreement (or uncertainty) about the timing of wet and dry epochs in the pre-instrumental period (1000–1899). The occurrence, frequency, duration, and spatial extent of pre-instrumental wet and dry epochs was then compared to wet and dry epochs since 1900. The results show that instrumental records (∼ 1900–present) underestimate (or at least misrepresent) the full range of rainfall variability that has occurred, and is possible, in eastern Australia. Even more disturbing is the suggestion, based on insights from the published palaeoclimate data analysed, that 71 % of the pre-instrumental period appears to have no equivalent in the instrumental period. This implies that the majority of the past 1000 years was unlike anything encountered in the period that informs water infrastructure, planning, and policy in Australia. A case study, using a typical water storage reservoir in eastern Australia, demonstrates that current water resource infrastructure and management strategies would not cope under the range of pre-instrumental conditions that this study suggests has occurred. When coupled with projected impacts of climate change and growing demands, these results highlight some major challenges for water resource management and infrastructure. Though our case study location is eastern Australia, these challenges, and the limitations associated with current methods that depend on instrumental records that are too short to realistically characterise interannual to multi-decadal variability, also apply globally. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The growing health and economic burden posed by foodborne pathogens has stimulated global interest in the development of safe, affordable, effective and environmentally-sustainable irrigation water treatment technologies. This review critically compares the potential of existing and emerging methods for disinfection of irrigation water to reduce pathogenic microbial loads on high-risk vegetables and minimally processed fresh produce. We explore electrochemical disinfection and electrolyzed oxidizing water as alternatives to traditional chlorination, and identify hydrodynamic cavitation as an emerging disinfection strategy worthy of further investigation in this context. In addition, we assess the state of the knowledge regarding the impact of current water sanitation strategies on the ecological dynamics of plant and soil microbes and the potential induction of viable but nonculturable cells. Increased research in these areas could translate into substantial improvement in the overall quality and value of fresh produce, while maintaining environmentally-sustainable irrigation water usage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aquatic environments are identified as an ideal setting for acquisition and dissemination of antibiotic resistance, and human exposure to antibiotic resistant bacteria (ARB) and antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) in aquatic environments may pose an additional health risk. Quantitative microbial risk assessment (QMRA) has been suggested as a suitable method to evaluate and quantify this health risk. However, information about the exposure to ARB and ARGs in aquatic environments is lacking for many scenarios and dose-response models regarding the ARB infections are not developed yet. This review summarizes the current knowledge regarding the ARB and ARGs in aquatic environments and highlights the challenging questions remaining to be answered to better forecast the health risks caused by ARB and ARGs in water environments. The questions include what are the missing information needed to quantify the human health risks caused by exposing to ARB and ARGs in aquatic environments? what are the suitable markers to evaluate the ARB/ARGs contamination in aquatic environments? how frequently do the ARG selection and propagation occur in aquatic environments? and are there any unknown hot spots? Studies on the above topics will contribute to better management of antibiotic resistance dissemination in water environments and its risks on human health. 3GC 3rd generation cephalosporins ARB Antibiotic resistant bacteria ARG Antibiotic resistance gene CFU Colony forming unit DBP Disinfection by-products eDNA Extracellular DNA EPS Extracellular polymeric substances HGT Horizontal gene transfer ISCR Insertion sequence common region MAR Multiple antibiotic resistant MIC Minimum inhibitory concentration MGE Mobile genetic elements MSW Municipal solid waste QMRA Quantitative microbial risk assessment VBNC Viable but non-culturable WWTP Wastewater treatment plant [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• A brief review of the work done during the 20th century on photocatalysis is given. • The discovery of certain phenomena that pertain to the TiO 2 photocatalyst is described. • Photocatalytic applications of TiO 2 in environmental protection are briefly reviewed. • Scale-up attempts and types of reactor designs are presented. This brief non-exhaustive review article aims to highlight first and foremost, what we consider to be, some of the milestones of photocatalysis and of titanium dioxide as the workhorse among metal-oxide photocatalysts, in particular, and metal chalcogenides, in general, together with some of the attempts at using titania in wastewater treatment systems. In this regard, over half a century has passed since the initial research on water treatment using TiO 2 as the preferred photocatalyst. During that period, the decomposition of water pollutants, the mechanisms of photocatalytic reactions, the development of a method to immobilize TiO 2 on suitable support substrates, reactor designs, and engineering scale-ups have all been addressed worldwide. Unfortunately, the use of titania as the photocatalyst in current water treatment methods appears to have little consequences in Advanced Oxidation Technologies (AOT), although its prospects are not to be discounted. Consequently, first we briefly examine the historical background of what was achieved in the first 50 years of the 20th century with regard to photocatalysis, and then the second 50 years of the 20th century and beyond about implementing photocatalysis and TiO 2 as a photocatalyst in the treatment of wastewaters contaminated with organics, followed by probing some of the features of various reactor designs in scale-ups to treat large volumes of wastewaters. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Within each family section, the user is guided hierarchically down through family, subfamily, genus, and even subgenus when appropriate. In total, this main part of the book includes almost 700 pages of keys and taxonomic and bibliographic information for 56 families, 81 subfamilies, 485 genera, and 276 subgenera. Despite publication more than 40 years ago, Dave Cook's 1974 "Water mite genera and subgenera" has remained the go-to source for water mite researchers worldwide. [Extracted from the article]