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Humanity faces a wide range of freshwater challenges and threats, from the failure to provide safe water and sanitation to all, to ecological disruptions and degradation, increasing violence over water resources, accelerating climate change, and failing institutions and infrastructure. In recent years, crises around minerals, energy, food, and water have stimulated new debates over definitions and concepts of sustainability—including whether the world is reaching a point where natural resource limits will constrain growing populations and economic expansion. Understanding the concept of "peak water" and the strategies that might be available to avoid these constraints is key to moving toward a more efficient and sustainable water future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Water has been a factor in wars and other violent conflicts for thousands of years. Water can be a trigger of conflict, a casualty of conflict, or a weapon of conflict. In modern times, water-related conflicts appear to be increasing in number, with many of these occurring at the sub-state level, such as between opposing militant groups or between groups with different ethnic and cultural heritages. Action to prevent, mitigate, and recover from these conflicts is possible and available, but insufficiently applied. Investments in the broader effort to create more equitable, sustainable, resilient societies are urgently needed. The good news is that we no longer lack the technological capability to create that world, and action at all levels of society, from the local to the global, will help to foster peace and sustain and protect water resources for everyone. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Populations consuming saline drinking water are at greater risk of high blood pressure and potentially other adverse health outcomes. We modelled data and used available datasets to identify countries of higher vulnerability to future saltwater intrusion associated with climate change in 2050 under Representative Concentration Pathways (RCP)4.5 and RCP8.5. We developed three vulnerability criteria to capture geographies with: (1) any coastal areas with projected inland saltwater intrusion of ≥ 1 km inland, (2) > 50% of the population in coastal secondary administrative areas with reliance on groundwater for drinking water, and 3) high national average sodium urinary excretion (i.e., > 3 g/day). We identified 41 nations across all continents (except Antarctica) with ≥ 1 km of inland saltwater intrusion by 2050. Seven low- and middle-income countries of higher vulnerability were all concentrated in South/Southeast Asia. Based on these initial findings, future research should study geological nuances at the local level in higher-risk areas and co-produce with local communities contextually appropriate solutions to secure equitable access to clean drinking water.

Objectives: To assess the effect of Community Water Fluoridation (CWF) in the prevalence of dental caries and dental fluorosis in 12-year-old children living in Israel. Considering that CWF is important in the prevention of dental caries. Between 2002 and 2014, the water in communities of at least 5,000 individuals was fluoridated. In 2014, CWF in Israel stopped. Method and materials: Data on 12-year-old children from all areas in Israel from the national cross-sectional epidemiological survey conducted in 2011 to 2012 were stratified by city water fluoridation and by city and school socioeconomic status. Two dependent variables were defined: (1) DMFT index of caries experience in the permanent dentition; (2) dental fluorosis in central incisors using the Thylstrup-Fejerskov classification of fluorosis. Results: Data from 2,181 12-year-olds were analyzed. The average DMFT was 1.17 ± 1.72, and 49% were caries-free. Based on DMFT, the caries experience was significantly higher in nonfluoridated cities (1.38 vs 0.98 in fluoridated cities) and there were more caries-free children in fluoridated cities (56.4% vs 40.6% in nonfluoridated). DMFT was higher in cities with lower socioeconomic status than high socioeconomic status (1.29 vs 1.05, respectively, P < .001) and there were fewer caries-free children in low socioeconomic status cities (44.5% vs 53.0% in high socioeconomic status cities, P < .0001). Almost all the 10.3% of children with signs of fluorosis (scoring at least 1 in the Thylstrup-Fejerskov index), had questionable to mild fluorosis (9.3%). Conclusions: CWF is a cheap, simple method of dental health protection that reaches all socioeconomic levels, and cessation of water fluoridation reduced the health of Israel's children. Clinical significance: Water fluoridation provides substantial caries prevention, by reaching a substantial number of people. The relevance of this work is for policymakers to consider CWF as clinically proven method for reducing health inequalities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Spatial and temporal patterns of water supply and consumptive water use were analyzed from 475 Detailed Analysis Units by County (DAUCOs) spatial units across California during 2002 through 2016 to evaluate spatial and temporal variability and how it might associate with precipitation variability and other factors. Many, but not all, DAUCOs have relatively low total water supply variability compared to that of state-wide precipitation. Such low variability, in DAUCOs having sufficient diversity of water supply sources, is the result of switching between sources as needed to maintain a reliable total water supply. We used multiple approaches to explore these variations which involved four categories of water supply (local, groundwater, imported, and other) and two categories of water use (agricultural and urban). First, a cluster analysis of the volumetric water balance data identified a small set of clusters having similar magnitudes and proportions of water supply sources and water use—some of them composed of only a few DAUCOs but accounting for a disproportionate amount of the state’s water use. Second, a principal components analysis identified leading modes of anomalous water supply and water use among the 475 DAUCOs, capturing most of the time variation during 2002 to 2016. The most prominent mode exhibits a multi-year trend, most strongly involving increasing groundwater supply and agricultural water use, and decreasing urban water use and imported water supply. Over the study period, trends in both supply and use were pronounced, but differed considerably across California DAUCOs. One predominant subset of DAUCOs grew their agricultural water use with increased groundwater supply; in contrast to a widespread group of DAUCOs which reduced their urban water use. An important result for planners is our finding that variation in precipitation—itself important—is amplified by the human response to water supply availability and regulatory policy.

BackgroundWater, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) access is critical to public health and human dignity. People who inject drugs (PWID) experience stigma and structural violence that may limit WASH access. Few studies have assessed WASH access, insecurity, and inequities among PWID. We describe WASH access, social and geographic inequalities, and factors associated with WASH insecurity among PWID in the Tijuana-San Diego metropolitan area.MethodsIn this cross-sectional binational study, we interviewed PWID (age 18+) in 2020-2021 about WASH access and insecurity. City of residence (Tijuana/San Diego) and housing status were considered as independent variables to describe key WASH access outcomes and to assess as factors associated with WASH insecurity outcomes. Measures of association between outcomes and independent variables were assessed using log modified-Poisson regression models adjusting for covariates.ResultsOf 586 PWID (202 Tijuana; 384 San Diego), 89% reported basic access to drinking water, 38% had basic hand hygiene, 28% basic sanitation, and 46% access to bathing, and 38% reported recent open defecation. Participants residing in Tijuana reported significantly higher insecurity in accessing basic drinking water (aRR: 1.68, 95%CI: 1.02-2.76), basic hygiene (aRR: 1.45, 95%CI: 1.28-1.64), and bathing (aRR: 1.21, 95%CI: 1.06-1.39) than those living in San Diego. Participants experiencing unsheltered homelessness experienced significantly higher insecurity in accessing basic drinking water (aRR: 2.03, 95%CI: 1.07-3.86), basic sanitation (aRR: 1.68, 95%CI: 1.48, 1.92), bathing (aRR: 1.84, 95%CI: 1.52-2.22), and improved water sources for cleaning wounds (aRR: 3.12, 95%CI: 1.55-6.29) and for preparing drugs (aRR: 2.58, 95%CI: 1.36-4.89) than participants living in permanent housing.ConclusionWASH access among PWID in the Tijuana-San Diego metropolitan area was low by international standards and lower than the national averages in both countries. Homelessness was significantly associated with WASH insecurity in this population. Concentrated efforts are needed to guarantee continuously available WASH services for PWID-especially those who are unsheltered.

Groundwater resources are vital to ecosystems and livelihoods. Excessive groundwater withdrawals can cause groundwater levels to decline1-10, resulting in seawater intrusion11, land subsidence12,13, streamflow depletion14-16 and wells running dry17. However, the global pace and prevalence of local groundwater declines are poorly constrained, because in situ groundwater levels have not been synthesized at the global scale. Here we analyse in situ groundwater-level trends for 170,000 monitoring wells and 1,693 aquifer systems in countries that encompass approximately 75% of global groundwater withdrawals18. We show that rapid groundwater-level declines (>0.5 m year-1) are widespread in the twenty-first century, especially in dry regions with extensive croplands. Critically, we also show that groundwater-level declines have accelerated over the past four decades in 30% of the worlds regional aquifers. This widespread acceleration in groundwater-level deepening highlights an urgent need for more effective measures to address groundwater depletion. Our analysis also reveals specific cases in which depletion trends have reversed following policy changes, managed aquifer recharge and surface-water diversions, demonstrating the potential for depleted aquifer systems to recover.

Germinating seedlings emit light in the visible range spontaneously, and these emissions are related to metabolism and reactive-oxygen species (ROS) processes. Several series of germination tests had such biological autoluminescence (BAL) recorded in controlled conditions, fostering applications for the non-invasive, real-time evaluation of a seedling's germinability and vigor when submitted to chemical and/or physical perturbations. However, long-term analysis of the BAL time-series of control samples conducted in different locations around the globe reveals that their BAL signals (and thus their metabolism) appear to follow the local gravimetric tide (g-tide) time profile. This indicates that the small daily and monthly variations in gravity acceleration due to the relative positioning of the Sun and Moon with respect to the Earth's surface influence these signals. The gravimetric tide is a natural phenomenon that affects all things, fluid or solid, and is an uncontrollable variable in normal laboratory settings on Earth's crust. All things on Earth have evolved under these pervasive cycles, with periods ranging from ~12.2 h up to 28 d, which correspond to the Moon cycle. Tide-like cycles occur in living beings of different types, from the simplest bacteria to the most complex human beings, and we speculate that water availability at the molecular level could be a significant physical factor in modulating bio-activity by enabling protein folding and all metabolic pathways that require a synchronized organization to adapt to external environmental conditions. In this study, we summarize published results of a seedling's BAL with cycle patterns resembling the g-tide in Limeira/BR, Prague/CZ, Leiden/NL, and Hamamatsu/JP and discuss the possible implications of this phenomenon for chronobiological studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Normal reproductive function and fertility is considered a "sixth vital sign" because disruptions to this sensitive physiological system can forewarn other health issues, including exposure to environmental toxicants. We found that female mice exhibited profound loss of embryos during pre-implantation and fetal development coincident with a change to the source of their drinking water. When female mice were provided with tap water from the building in which they were housed (Water 2), instead of tap water from a neighboring building which was their previous supply (Water 1), ovulated oocytes were degenerated or had impaired meiotic maturation, and failed to form embryos. The harmful effects of Water 2 exposure were not reversible even following a recovery period; however, carbon-filtration of Water 2 removed the toxic contaminant. Water composition analysis to identify the responsible toxicant(s) found that trace elements were present at expected levels and phthalates were undetectable. Per- and Poly-fluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS), a family of persistent organic pollutants were detected at ~4 ng/L. To investigate further, female mice were given drinking water categorized by level of PFAS contamination (0.6 ng/L, 2.8 ng/L, or 4.4 ng/L) for 9 weeks. Compared to mice consuming purified MilliQ water, mice consuming PFAS-contaminated water had decreased oocyte quality, impaired embryogenesis and reduced cell numbers in blastocysts. PFAS concentration in the drinking water was negatively correlated with oocyte viability. Importantly, the levels of PFAS detected in the tap water are within current "safe level" guidelines, and further research is needed to determine whether PFAS are responsible for the observed reproductive toxicity. However, this research demonstrating that water deemed suitable for human consumption has detrimental effects on mammalian embryo development has important implications for public health and water quality policies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Arthropods play a vital role in ecosystems; yet, their distributions remain poorly understood, particularly in mountainous regions. This study delves into the modelling of the distribution of 31 foliar arthropod genera in the French Alps, using a comprehensive approach encompassing multi‐trophic sampling, community DNA metabarcoding and random forest models. The results underscore the significant importance of vegetation structure, such as herbaceous vegetation density, and forest density and heterogeneity, along with climate, in shaping the distributions of most arthropods. These responses to environmental gradients are consistent across trophic groups, with the exception of nectarivores, whose distributions are more sensitive to landscape structure and water availability. By leveraging community DNA metabarcoding, this study sheds light on the understudied drivers of arthropod distributions, emphasizing the importance of modelling across diverse trophic groups to anticipate arthropod responses to global change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Tibetan Plateau (TP) is suffering from a substantial decline in terrestrial water storage (TWS) in exorheic basins, threatening water resources that are critical for ∼2 billion people downstream. TWS changes are commonly estimated using gravity satellites through observations of the total terrestrial mass storage (TMS) change, with an implicit assumption of a negligible contribution from sediment transport. Through long‐term (2002–2017) sediment flux observations in seven headwater basins on the TP, we reveal that the gravity satellite‐derived TMS has decreased at a rate of 3.85 ± 0.23 Gt yr−1 in the seven basins, of which 0.35 ± 0.04 Gt yr−1 is contributed by sediment transport. Neglecting this contribution leads to an overestimation of the TWS loss by 10.1 ± 1.3%, equivalent to the annual water demand of an additional 0.62 million people in the surrounding nations. Regionally, the overestimation is surprisingly high in the Indus River and Yarkant River basins, reaching up to 50.8%–77.6%. Plain Language Summary: Accurate quantification of the change in the terrestrial water storage (TWS) on the Tibetan Plateau (TP) is imperative to improve the assessment of water availability that are critical for ∼2 billion people downstream. Through long‐term sediment flux observations, here we find that sediment transport makes a substantial contribution to gravity satellite‐derived TWS change in regions with a high erosion rate such as the TP, which has never been taken into consideration in previous studies. Neglecting this contribution leads to an overestimation of the TWS loss by about 10% on average for the seven headwater basins on the TP. The contribution is especially high in the Indus River and Yarkant River basins. Our findings improve the regional estimation of water availability and thus support climate adaptation and sustainable water resource management. Key Points: For the first time, we quantify the contribution of sediment transport to gravity satellite‐based estimation of TWS change on the TPNeglecting the contribution of sediment transport leads to an overestimation of the TWS loss by 10.1% on averageThe overestimated TWS loss is equivalent to the annual water demand of an additional 0.62 million people in surrounding nations [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A photo quiz is presented regarding the case of a 73-year-old Japanese woman with rheumatoid arthritis and exposure to water from a well.

Andean ecosystems are characterized by high humidity, mainly from rain and fog events. Because of differences in altitude two Andean ecosystems – sub‐Andean forest and Páramo –face different environmental pressures that affect leaf anatomy and cell wall composition and, consequently, species foliar water uptake (FWU) capacity. Here, FWU capacity of eight species in the Melastomataceae was evaluated and found to be related to proportions of cell wall components and aquaporins in the two ecosystems. Cellulose was labelled with Calcofluor white, and aquaporin and pectins were labelled with monoclonal antibodies. There were differences in plant FWU capacity in both ecosystems, with higher FWU capacity in sub‐Andean forest species than in Páramo forest species. Cell wall components were positively related to FWU, with increased FWU related to pectin and aquaporin content of the plasma membrane. Differences in water availability in the two analysed environments led to differences in FWU capacity that are associated with leaf anatomical traits and cell wall composition. In these two environments, plants with similar traits are selected to respond to given environmental pressures. Traits that favour FWU in sub‐Andean forest species may lead to further advances of these species in this environments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: Recent droughts have strongly impacted forest ecosystems and are projected to increase in frequency, intensity, and duration in the future together with continued warming. While evidence suggests that tree diversity can regulate drought impacts in natural forests, few studies examine whether mixed tree plantations are more resistant to the impacts of severe droughts.Using natural variations in leaf carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) isotopic ratios, that is δ13C and δ15N, as proxies for drought response, we analyzed the effects of tree species richness on the functional responses of tree plantations to the pan‐European 2018 summer drought in seven European tree diversity experiments.We found that leaf δ13C decreased with increasing tree species richness, indicating less drought stress. This effect was not related to drought intensity, nor desiccation tolerance of the tree species. Leaf δ15N increased with drought intensity, indicating a shift toward more open N cycling as water availability diminishes. Additionally, drought intensity was observed to alter the influence of tree species richness on leaf δ15N from weakly negative under low drought intensity to weakly positive under high drought intensity.Overall, our findings suggest that dual leaf isotope analysis helps understand the interaction between drought, nutrients, and species richness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Government intervention has become an important measure to restrain groundwater overexploitation. This paper analyzes the effect of three types of government intervention measures, namely, guidance, incentive and constraint, on farmers' groundwater utilization behavior, from the perspective of scale-heterogeneity, using general quantile regression model, by survey data of 1122 households in well irrigation area of north China. The results showed that: (1) the incentive and guiding measures have negative effects on farmers' groundwater usage, while the effect of restrictive measures is not obvious. The guided policy is superior to the incentive measure as to governance effect. (2) With the increase of farmers' land scale, the influence of incentive measures shows a trend of weakening, and the effect of guided measures on groundwater demand reduction of farmers is stronger. When it comes to the different point of water consumption, when at the point level of 0.25, the incentive measures have the most obvious inhibitory effect. With the increase of water consumption of farmers, the guided measures begin to play a core role. The effect of restrictive measures is not obvious with the increase of water consumption. (3) In addition, farmers' irrigation water consumption also is affected by gender, cognition of water resources shortage, ecological cognitive level, acquisition ability of disaster information, village rain conditions, the degree of water rights market development, feelings of water fee increase, irrigated disputes in the village, collective economic level of village. The selection of policy tools is flexible according to the farmers' land scale for groundwater over-extraction control. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Climate change has increased the frequency and severity of weather extremes, including droughts, heat waves and compound drought and heatwave (CDHW) events. CDHW events profoundly impact water availability, agriculture, public health and energy production, particularly in the Horn of Africa (HOA). This study examined the historical spatiotemporal patterns of CDHW periods in the HOA during three periods (1951–1980, 1971–2000 and 1991–2020) using the ERA5 reanalysis dataset. This study utilized monthly Standardized Precipitation Evapotranspiration Index (SPEI) data to detect droughts and daily maximum temperature data to identify heatwaves for characterizing the duration, severity and magnitude of CDHW events. The results show a substantial increase in the duration of CDHW events in recent years, with durations reaching up to 25 days. The average duration of heat waves also increased from 7 days before 1993 to 18 days by 2011, culminating in a record‐breaking 43‐day heat wave in 2019. Most areas experienced a significant increase in heatwave duration by more than 12 days from the early period of 1951–1980 to the late period of 1991–2020. Although around 76% and 69% of the HOA exhibited insignificant heatwave trends in the first two periods, Ethiopia and Kenya experienced substantial increases of more than 18 days during the most recent period, with some durations exceeding 25 days in recent decades. The magnitude of CDHW events generally decreased as drought duration intensified, but specific areas, particularly southwest Kenya and Eritrea, exhibited higher CDHW values in the last period. These findings underscore the urgent need to understand and address CDHW events in the HOA. Targeted interventions for disaster risk reduction and resilience‐building are needed to mitigate the adverse effects of these events in this vulnerable region. This study provides a basis for future research and policy formulation in the HOA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: The precipitation pattern has changed significantly in arid desert areas, yet it is not clear how the water use strategies of Tamarix ramosissima Ledeb. on coppice dunes along a natural precipitation gradient are affected. Methods: In this study, the hydrogen and oxygen isotope compositions of xylem water, soil water, precipitation, and groundwater were measured by stable isotope techniques in Huocheng, Mosuowan, and Tazhong. Additionally, the water use strategies of natural precipitation gradient were investigated in conjunction with the MixSIAR model. Results: The results indicated that the water sources of T. ramosissima exhibited significant variation from semi-arid to hyper-arid areas. In semi-arid areas, T. ramosissima mainly absorbed shallow, shallow-middle, and middle soil water; however, T. ramosissima shifted its primary water sources to middle and deep soil water in arid areas. In hyper-arid areas, it mainly utilized deep soil water and groundwater. In contrast, the water source contribution rate of T. ramosissima exhibited relative uniformity across each layer in an arid area. Notably, in hyper-arid areas, the proportion of groundwater by T. ramosissima was significantly high, reaching 60.2%. This is due to the relatively shallow groundwater supplementing the deep soil water content in the area. In conclusion, the proportion of shallow soil water decreased by 14.7% for T. ramosissima from semi-arid to hyper-arid areas, illustrating the occurrence of a gradual shift in potential water sources utilized by T. ramosissima from shallow to deep soil water and groundwater. Discussion: Therefore, T. ramosissima on coppice dunes shows flexible water use strategies in relation to precipitation and groundwater, reflecting its strong environmental adaptability. The findings hold significant implications for the conservation of water resources and vegetation restoration in arid areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Residents of remote areas in the Amazon often lack access to a water supply system and thus need to produce their potable water at home. This study examined the efficacy of household water treatments traditionally used by these communities to treat rainwater and river water, their predominant water sources. Samples of untreated, treated, and stored drinking water were collected from 18 households in three communities in Central Amazon, Amazonas State, Brazil. We describe the materials and practices involved and traditionally used in each treatment technique - cloth filtration (water straining), chlorination, and sedimentation, and their efficiency. In the samples we evaluate water quality analyses, as free chlorine, color, coliforms, and turbidity. The treatment steps for the separation of solids in river water were effective only for removing turbidity and apparent color. Straining river water after sedimentation had no relevant effect on water quality. Chlorination of rainwater was efficient in inactivating Escherichia coli; however, all samples showed some level of contamination by E. coli. We found a significant difference (p < 0.05) between untreated and treated river water turbidity, reduced by up to 22%. Untreated rain and river waters showed similar levels of microbiological contamination, close to 3.5 log CFU/100 mL of E. coli. Chlorine effectively removed microbiological contaminants in rainwater (median removal of 100, 44.5% of samples with <1 CFU/100 mL). Yet, this treatment was less effective for river water (94% median removal, with 11% of samples with <100 CFU/100 mL and only 5.5% with <1 CFU/100 mL found in treated water), showing a significant reduction in both cases when the Wilcoxon test was applied. Sodium hypochlorite treatment showed the best results among the techniques evaluated in this study. It can be used in remote areas where rainwater is available for consumption. Microorganism concentration increased after water underwent water straining and sedimentation processes. These results suggest that the improper handling of water containers and materials used during treatment processes leads to contamination of water. Thus, more robust outreach and educational efforts are recommended to improve remote communities' water collection, treatment, and storage practices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The critical importance of water makes it an indispensable natural resource. In context of urban infrastructure, particularly in the developing world, supplying water to urban households poses a notable challenge. Optimizing water supply systems (WSS) is one of the most arduous challenges in addressing this issue, primary contributors being energy and water losses during supply process. This paper focuses on the method adopted for minimizing losses in WSSs and creating a self-sustainable model for water supply in the urban settlement of Dehradun, India. The solution entails deployment of Energy Savings Companies (ESCO) service delivery model and the utilization of Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) system. This approach, thus far has yielded saving in both revenue, energy and water consumption at source, potentially generating saving that would enable covering the operational and maintenance changes for the established system for around 10 years. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Universal and equitable access to affordable safely managed drinking water (SMDW) is a significant challenge and is highlighted by the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals-6.1. However, SMDW coverage by 2030 is estimated to reach only 81% of the global population. Solar water evaporation (SWE) represents one potential method to ensure decentralized water purification, but its potential for addressing the global SMDW challenge remains unclear. We use a condensation-enhanced strategy and develop a physics-guided machine learning model for assessing the global potential of SWE technology to meet SMDW demand for unserved populations without external electricity input. We find that a condensation-enhanced SWE device (1 m2) can supply enough drinking water (2.5 L day−1) to 95.8% of the population lacking SMDW. SWE can help fulfill universal SMDW coverage by 2030 with an annual cost of 10.4 billion U.S. dollars, saving 66.7% of the current investment and fulfilling the SDG-6.1 goal. Solar water evaporation is regarded as a promising toolset for decentralized drinking water purification. This study predicts the global drinking water supply potential via solar water evaporation, highlighting where and how to promote solar evaporation devices to fulfill the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 6.1 with reasonable costs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Establishing an advanced ecosystem incorporating freshwater harvesting, plastic utilization, and clean fuel acquisition is profoundly significant. However, low‐efficiency evaporation, single energy utilization, and catalyst leakage severely hinder sustainable development. Herein, a nanofiber‐based mortise‐and‐tenon structural Janus aerogel (MTSJA) is strategically designed in the first attempt and supports Z‐scheme catalysts. By harnessing of the upper hydrophilic layer with hydrophilic channels embedding into the hydrophobic bottom layer to achieve tailoring bottom wettability states. MTSJA is capable of a fully‐floating function for lower heat loss, water supply, and high‐efficiency solar‐to‐vapor conversion. Benefiting from the ultrasonic cavitation effect and high sensitivity of materials to mechanical forces, this is also the first demonstration of synergistic solar and ultrasound fields to power simultaneous evaporation desalination and waste plastics as reusable substrates generating fuel energy. The system enables persistent desalination with an exceptional evaporation rate of 3.1 kg m−2 h−1 and 82.3% efficiency (21 wt.% NaCl solution and 1 sun), and realizes H2, CO, and CH4 yields with 16.1, 9.5, and 3 µmol h−1 g−1, respectively. This strategy holds great potential for desalination and plastics value‐added transformation toward clean energy and carbon neutrality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As lake and reservoir ecosystems transition across major environmental regimes (e.g., mixing regime) resulting from anthropogenic change, setting predictive expectations is imperative. We tested the hypothesis that (dissolved) oxygen is more predictable in monomictic reservoirs that thermally stratify throughout the summer (warm) season compared to polymictic reservoirs that stratify intermittently. Using two‐hourly vertical profiles of oxygen, we compared daily‐aggregated errors of oxygen predictions from random forests across and within two monomictic and two polymictic reservoirs in the south‐central (subtropical) USA. Although one monomictic reservoir was typically more predictable than the polymictic reservoirs, the hypereutrophic, small monomictic reservoir had less predictable oxygen patterns potentially related to rapid oxygen cycling and intrusions of oxygenated waters in the hypolimnion without mixing. Daily mixing did not relate strongly to model errors. Water temperature, depth, and wind were the most important predictors, but were not clearly related to season or mixing. Lastly, we compared multiple model types (regression, neural network, and process‐based) in one polymictic reservoir to test how our interpretations of oxygen predictability were sensitive to model type, finding that the models generally agreed; however, the process‐based model poorly predicted oxygen in the middle of the vertical profiles (5 m) where most models performed poorly due to a temporally unstable, vacillating metalimnion. Our results suggest predicting reservoir oxygen dynamics may be easier in stratified reservoirs, but eutrophication and complex hydrodynamics may cause forecasting surprises especially for those who use or manage water resources in mono‐ or dimictic reservoirs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Climate change induces perturbation in the global water cycle, profoundly impacting water availability for agriculture and therefore global food security. Water stress encompasses both drought (i.e. water scarcity) that causes the drying of soil and subsequent plant desiccation, and flooding, which results in excess soil water and hypoxia for plant roots. Terrestrial plants have evolved diverse mechanisms to cope with soil water stress, with the root system serving as the first line of defense. The responses of roots to water stress can involve both structural and physiological changes, and their plasticity is a vital feature of these adaptations. Genetic methodologies have been extensively employed to identify numerous genetic loci linked to water stress-responsive root traits. This knowledge is immensely important for developing crops with optimal root systems that enhance yield and guarantee food security under water stress conditions. Results: This review focused on the latest insights into modifications in the root system architecture and anatomical features of legume roots in response to drought and flooding stresses. Special attention was given to recent breakthroughs in understanding the genetic underpinnings of legume root development under water stress. The review also described various root phenotyping techniques and examples of their applications in different legume species. Finally, the prevailing challenges and prospective research avenues in this dynamic field as well as the potential for using root system architecture as a breeding target are discussed. Conclusions: This review integrated the latest knowledge of the genetic components governing the adaptability of legume roots to water stress, providing a reference for using root traits as the new crop breeding targets. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Urbanization reflects a major form of environmental change impacting wild birds globally. Whereas urban habitats may provide increased availability of water, some food items, and reduced predation levels compared to rural, they can also present novel stressors including increased light at night, ambient noise, and reduced nutrient availability. Urbanization can also alter levels of brood parasitism, with some host species experiencing elevated levels of brood parasitism in urban areas compared to rural areas. Though the demographic and behavioral consequences of urbanization and brood parasitism have received considerable attention, their consequences for cellular‐level processes are less understood. Telomeres provide an opportunity to understand the cellular consequences of different environments as they are a well‐established metric of biological state that can be associated with residual lifespan, disease risk, and behavior, and are known to be sensitive to environmental conditions. Here we examine the relationships between urbanization, brood parasitism, and blood telomere lengths in adult and nestling song sparrows Melospiza melodia. Song sparrows are a North American songbird found in both urban and rural habitats that experience high rates of brood parasitism by brown‐headed cowbirds Molothrus ater in the urban, but not the rural, sites in our study system. Among adults and nestlings from non‐parasitized nests, we found no differences in relative telomere lengths between urban and rural habitats. However, among urban nestlings, the presence of a brood parasite in the nest was associated with significantly shorter relative telomere lengths compared to when a brood parasite was absent. Our results suggest a novel, indirect, impact of urbanization on nestling songbirds through the physiological impacts of brood parasitism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The delivery of safe drinking water has high public health relevance, as reflected in the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG6). Several precautionary actions have reduced the burden associated with infectious diseases in high-income countries; however, pollution in source waters, inadequate disinfection, and premise plumbing, along with an increased awareness that intrusion in the drinking water distribution system, represents risk factors for gastrointestinal illness linked to consume of drinking water. Sporadic cases of waterborne infections are expected to be underreported since a sick person is less likely to seek healthcare for a self-limiting gastrointestinal infection. Hence, knowledge on the true burden of waterborne diseases is scarce. The primary aim with the present study was to estimate the risk of gastrointestinal illness associated with drinking tap water in Norway. Methods: We conducted a 12-month prospective cohort study where participants were recruited by telephone interview after invitation based on randomised selection. A start up e-survey were followed by 12 monthly SMS questionnaires to gather information on participants characteristics and drinking tap water (number of 0.2L glasses per day), incidence, duration and symptoms associated with gastrointestinal illness. Associations between the exposure of drinking tap water and the outcome of risk of acute gastrointestinal illness (AGI) were analysed with linear mixed effects models. Age, sex, education level and size of the drinking water supply were identified as potential confounders and included in the adjusted model. Results: In total, 9,946 persons participated in this cohort study, accounting for 11.5% of all invited participants. According to the data per person and month (99,446 monthly submissions), AGI was reported for 5,508 person-months (5.5 per 100 person-months). Severe AGI was reported in 819 person-months (0.8 per 100 person-months). Our study estimates that 2–4% of AGI in Norway is attributable to drinking tap water. Conclusions: This is the largest cohort study in Norway estimating the burden of self-reported gastrointestinal infections linked to the amount of tap water drunk in Norway. The data indicate that waterborne AGI is not currently a burden in Norway, but the findings need to be used with caution. The importance of continued efforts and investments in the maintenance of drinking water supplies in Norway to address the low burden of sporadic waterborne cases and to prevent future outbreaks needs to be emphasised. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sustainability requires understanding and respecting the ecosystem functioning to plan the use of its resources. Improvised planning plus economic benefits can stimulate unsustainable decisions that lead to complications and obscures the application of appropriate adaptations when a change is required. This paper is a historical review of a reservoir when the dam changes its use from hydroelectric to water supply and then tourism is superimposed on the ecosystem. Data collected from the literature are systematically analyzed to see the effects on basin-reservoir dynamics. The main effect was the increase in the hydraulic retention time of the reservoir that facilitates the accumulation of nutrients and eutrophication, aggravated by the increase in the fixed and floating population stimulated by tourism. The consequent cyanobacteria blooms deteriorate the landscape, become a health risk and cancels the use of the reservoir to tourism. The increase in emerging compounds detected in the treatment plant effluent discharged into the reservoir poses a risk to aquatic species and the water supply. These results are analyzed in light of the objectives and dimensions of Sustainability. Recommendations include modifying Goal 1 of SDO 8, because it is shown that an annual growth of 7% of GDP in developing countries threatens their natural resources. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Future changes in climate, together with rising atmospheric CO 2 ${\text{CO}}_{2}$, may reorganise the functional composition of ecosystems. Without long‐term historical data, predicting how traits will respond to environmental conditions—in particular, water availability—remains a challenge. While eco‐evolutionary optimality theory (EEO) can provide insight into how plants adapt to their environment, EEO approaches to date have been formulated on the assumption that plants maximise carbon gain, which omits the important role of tissue construction and size in determining growth rates and fitness. Here, we show how an expanded optimisation framework, focussed on individual growth rate, enables us to explain shifts in four key traits: leaf mass per area, sapwood area to leaf area ratio (Huber value), wood density and sapwood‐specific conductivity in response to soil moisture, atmospheric aridity, CO 2 ${\text{CO}}_{2}$ and light availability. In particular, we predict that as conditions become increasingly dry, height‐growth optimising traits shift from resource‐acquisitive strategies to resource‐conservative strategies, consistent with empirical responses across current environmental gradients of rainfall. These findings can explain both the shift in traits and turnover of species along existing environmental gradients and changing future conditions and highlight the importance of both carbon assimilation and tissue construction in shaping the functional composition of vegetation across climates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Comprehensive assessments of hydrological components are crucial for enhancing operational water supply simulations. However, hydrological models are often evaluated based on their surface flow simulations, while the validation of subsurface and groundwater components tends to be overlooked or not well documented. In this study, we evaluated the outputs of two hydrological models, the Large Basin Runoff Model (LBRM) and the Weather Research and Forecasting – Hydrological modeling extension package (WRF-Hydro), for potential implementation in operational water balance forecasting in the Great Lakes region. We examined the simulated hydrological variables including surface (e.g. snow water equivalent, evapotranspiration, and streamflow), subsurface (e.g. soil moisture at different layers), and groundwater components with observed or reference data from ground-based stations and remotely sensed images. The findings of this study provide valuable insights into the capabilities and limitations of each model. These findings contribute to more informed water management strategies for the Great Lakes region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This research presents a novel approach that analyzes the water requirements for hydrogen production associated with a nationally adopted Green Hydrogen strategy. Green Hydrogen production is one of the most relevant technologies for massive renewable energy integration in transport systems, industries, or heating systems. European Union has launched a strategic roadmap for green hydrogen generation and integration in the energy chain. Spain aims to be one of the most important producers and exporters and has approved a Hydrogen Roadmap for next years, but no previous research has focused on the water requirements. This research finds that Spain's Green Hydrogen Roadmap, and a similar European one, is based on electrolyzers' peak capacity, and this causes a large uncertainty in real hydrogen production and associated water requirements. Spain represents a case study that can be a reference worldwide as it suffers from increasing droughts, has considerable tourist pressure, and is one of the most important producers of greens and fruits. This study proposes a methodology to quantify actual hydrogen production and associated water requirements and proves that current large-scale planning based on peak generation will produce a large uncertainty and could directly impact water supply security. One of the most relevant findings is that hydrogen production and water requirements must be included in these strategies to avoid future water supply tensions. An analysis of alternative water supply using desalinated water analyzes its feasibility and the effects on final cost. The outcomes are an example to be applied in similar scenarios worldwide and prove the need for an integrated energy-water-food strategy to deploy green hydrogen systems. [Display omitted] • There is considerable uncertainty on actual hydrogen production in Spain. • Water requirements could reach up to 45.25 hm3/year. • Spain suffers from a high-risk water index: hydrogen production must tackle it. • It is critical to include water supply in any hydrogen roadmap. • Nexus for hydrogen-water-food is analyzed, and a decision strategy is proposed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Establishing an advanced ecosystem incorporating freshwater harvesting, plastic utilization, and clean fuel acquisition is profoundly significant. However, low‐efficiency evaporation, single energy utilization, and catalyst leakage severely hinder sustainable development. Herein, a nanofiber‐based mortise‐and‐tenon structural Janus aerogel (MTSJA) is strategically designed in the first attempt and supports Z‐scheme catalysts. By harnessing of the upper hydrophilic layer with hydrophilic channels embedding into the hydrophobic bottom layer to achieve tailoring bottom wettability states. MTSJA is capable of a fully‐floating function for lower heat loss, water supply, and high‐efficiency solar‐to‐vapor conversion. Benefiting from the ultrasonic cavitation effect and high sensitivity of materials to mechanical forces, this is also the first demonstration of synergistic solar and ultrasound fields to power simultaneous evaporation desalination and waste plastics as reusable substrates generating fuel energy. The system enables persistent desalination with an exceptional evaporation rate of 3.1 kg m−2 h−1 and 82.3% efficiency (21 wt.% NaCl solution and 1 sun), and realizes H2, CO, and CH4 yields with 16.1, 9.5, and 3 µmol h−1 g−1, respectively. This strategy holds great potential for desalination and plastics value‐added transformation toward clean energy and carbon neutrality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Streamflow in source region of Yellow River (SRYR) matters with regard to the adjacent and downstream water resources. Intraseasonal oscillation (ISO) in the streamflow in SRYR is of great significance to the sub-seasonal prediction of streamflow in SRYR, but is unknown. Here, we first report a 30–60-day ISO in the streamflow in SRYR, which is regulated by the atmospheric 30–60-day ISO at mid-high latitude over North Eurasia. The 30–60-day ISO in atmosphere is featured by a Rossby wavetrain, and the wave energy propagates southward onto the TP, which causes anomalous wind response over TP. The leading anomalous high (low) with anti-cyclonic (cyclonic) wind anomalies over the TP favors dry (wet) air in lower troposphere in SRYR, via enhancing the water vapor divergence (convergence). Dry (wet) air always results in strong (weak) evaporation from the Yellow River, which causes the later streamflow valley (peak) and thereby the 30–60-day ISO in the streamflow in SRYR. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Water security for regions that depend on mountain runoff is threatened by climate change and upstream impacts. To build resilience against water scarcity, groundwater may be an emergency or alternative water source, providing a temporary solution in the event of upstream contamination or during drought. Across western North America, buried-valley aquifers are a viable emergency water source. In Alberta, Canada, buried-valley aquifers supply domestic users; however, little is known about their capacity to supply larger water volumes. Using a regional groundwater model, this study investigated the capacity for buried-valley aquifers to supply water to the City of Edmonton, Alberta (population of 1 million) in an emergency scenario where the principal river water source was unusable. The numerical groundwater model has complex hydrostratigraphy, including glacial deposits, dipping bedrock units, and recently mapped Onoway, Beverly, and Stony buried-valley aquifers. Pumping rates varying from 10 to 375 ML/day were assessed for durations of 3, 30, and 365 days, corresponding to hypothetical response times for a range of emergencies. Although none of the aquifers could supply a sufficient volume of water for no change in service, it is possible that up to 190 ML/day could be sourced from groundwater for a period of 1 year. To achieve high rates of pumping, up to 13 production wells would be required in a buried-valley aquifer. The unique hydrogeological responses to hypothetical pumping scenarios also demonstrate the hydrogeology of buried-valley aquifers from a more holistic viewpoint as part of a regional groundwater flow system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The key factors determining the operational cost and carbon footprint of public water supplies derived from groundwater are identified. Both remain low compared to alternative sources while groundwater levels remain stable and water quality potable, but can increase markedly if derived from overexploited and/or polluted aquifers. Thus, 'potable source protection zones' are strongly advocated, and examples from England (UK) and Spain are illustrated. The concept of minimising the carbon footprint of groundwater use for potable water supply is novel, and deserves greater attention. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recent studies have challenged the validity of the Redfield ratio. It is proposed that physical and biogeochemical processes govern the geographical variations in carbon : nitrogen : phosphorus (C : N : P) ratios. However, this proposal remains to be examined through concurrent observations of C : N : P ratios with physical and biogeochemical processes in various marine reservoirs. Here, we sampled the Arabian Sea for its C, N, and P content in organic and inorganic pools during the winter monsoon. We analyzed the role of convective mixing, eddies, and N2 fixation to explain the variation in observed elemental ratios. Convective mixing injected the cold water and enhanced the supply of N and P nutrients in the top layer (surface to 50–75 m) of the northern Arabian Sea. This led to a decrease in the N : P and C : P ratios in the particulate organic matter in the northern region, but C : N : P increased equatorward, averaging 245 : 32 : 1 in the top layer of the Arabian Sea. The variation in the elemental ratios in the top layer is best explained by the changes in water temperature. N2 fixation contributed negligibly to the N : P ratio of the export flux. The substantial decrease in N : P ratios of nutrients in the subsurface waters is most likely caused by the denitrifying conditions in the Arabian Sea. As the processes of convective mixing and eddies are are prevalent oceanic processes, our observations underpin that the interplay of these processes leads to changes in the elemental ratios globally. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Objective] This study aims to explore the variation characteristics of streamflow components and baseflow index (BFI) in the Tuweihe River Basin, to clarify the impact of environmental factors on their variations, to identify the dominant factors, and to provide scientific basis for watershed water resources management. [Methods] Tuweihe River Basin in the middle reaches of the Yellow River was taken as the study area. The changes of surface runoff, baseflow and baseflow index (BFI) during the period 1958-2017 were analyzed. The correlation analysis and elasticity coefficient methods were employed to qualitatively and quantitively analyze the influence of environmental factors on them. [Results] The surface runoff and baseflow significantly decreased at a rate of 4.55 and 9.73 mm/decade (p<0.01), respectively, while the BFI showed a significant upward trend (p<0.05). Surface runoff (or baseflow, BFI) was highly sensitive to the changes in potential evapotranspiration, normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI), and volumetric soil water. The changes in NDVI and potential evapotranspiration contributed to the majority of the changes in surface runoff (-34% and -29%), baseflow (-39% and -29%), and BFI (33% and 31%). [Conclusion] The direct and potential hydrological effects of vegetation restoration play an important role in reducing the streamflow components. The changes of streamflow components as well as their relations to environmental changes provide a theoretical basis for the sustainability of water resources and vegetation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Objective] The aims of this study are to reveal the variation characteristics and future evolution trend of water surface evaporation in the Shule River Basin, to better understand the dynamic changes of water resources in the basin, so as to provide decision support for the planning and management of water resources utilization in the region. [Methods] Based on the monthly and yearly water surface evaporation data of four hydrology stations in Changmabao, Shuangtabao Reservoir, Dangcheng Bay and Danghe Reservoir from 1980 to 2020, linear dip rate, sliding t test, R/S analysis, BP neural network and other analysis methods were used to examine the characteristics of surface evaporation changes in the past 40 years, and the future evaporation and its change trend were predicted. [Results](1) The annual variation of water surface evaporation at all stations in the Shule River Basin showed a decreasing trend during 1980—2020, and the trend rate of each station was ranked as: Shuangtabao Reservoir Station(-187.10 mm/decade)>Danghe Reservoir Station(-178.20 mm/decade)>Changmabao Station(-33.00 mm/decade)>Dangchengwan Station(-30.00 mm/decade), among which the decrease trend of Shuangtabao Reservoir and Danghe Reservoir Station was very significant.(2) The water surface evaporation of Changmabao, Shuangtapao Reservoir and Danghe Reservoir Stations showed a decreasing trend in all seasons, while that of Dangchengwan Station showed an insignificant increasing trend in spring and a decreasing trend in other seasons.(3) The mutation years of Changmabao, Dangcheng Bay, Shuangtabao Reservoir and Danghe Reservoir were 2004, 2015, 2007 and 2007, respectively.(4) The uneven coefficient and concentration of evaporation on the surface of the basin showed a decreasing trend as a whole.(5) It is predicted that the evaporation of water surface will continue to show a downward trend in 2021—2026. [Conclusion] On the whole, the annual and seasonal water surface evaporation in the Shule River Basin shows a decreasing trend, and it also shows a decreasing trend in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The review paper delves into the intricacies of water quality index (WQI) and its relationship with land use and land cover in the Ganga River basin of Uttar Pradesh. The study highlights the significance of the Ganga River, a major perennial river in India, and presents findings from previous paper work shows that 57 sites of Ganga basin show fair, poor, or heavily polluted water quality. Analysis of live storage data within the basin revealed a notable increase in LULC compared to previous years, resulting in decrease water quality indicators such as low rate of dissolved oxygen (DO) levels and high concentrations of pollutants like faecal coliform, total coliform, and nitrate (NO3-). The observed increased in nitrate concentration, particularly attributed to enhance industrial activities and agricultural runoff during the harvesting season, suggests a negative trend towards water quality restoration. The prevalence of untreated commercial and industrial wastewater remains a significant challenge to sustained water quality improvement. In conclusion, the paper advocates for addressing land use land cover of the Ganga basin and ensuring adequate flow releases to rejuvenate the river effectively. It underscores the need for comprehensive measures to sustainably manage land use and cover water resources and mitigate anthropogenic impacts on the middle Ganga River. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to analyze the pollution characteristics and human health risks of heavy metals in water around Poyang Lake, 18 surface water samples were collected around Poyang Lake. The sources and distribution of heavy metals in water were analyzed, and the health risks of heavy metals in water were evaluated according to the risk assessment model of the United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA). The main cations of the water in the study area are Ca2+, and the anions are HCO3, SOf-- and Cl-. The hydrochemical genesis is mainly rock weathering and mineral hydrolysis, which is partly controlled by atmospheric precipitation. The average concentration of heavy metal elements in surface water is Fe>Ea>Mn〉Mo>Zn>Cu>Ni>Pb. Fe, Mo, Ni and Mn have different degrees of exceeding the standard, which mainly comes from fertilizer application, factory emissions and other activities. The HQder and HI>1 of Mo for children and adults, and the HQder and HI〉1 of Ba for children, it will causes great harm to human health. The study provides a scientific basis for the protection of water resources around Poyang Lake. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: In commercial hatcheries, chicken embryos are incubated in complete darkness. However, in a natural environment, chicken embryos receive light stimulation during the incubation process as hens need to leave the nest to feed or turn the eggs. Therefore, providing light during incubation is closer to the natural growth environment of chicken embryos, which may have a positive effect on their growth and development. This study investigated the effects of providing different wavelengths of light during incubation on the behaviour, growth, immunity, and stress responses of post-hatch chicks. The results indicated that providing white light during incubation may enhance the growth performance of post-hatch chicks and potentially improve their ability to cope with environmental changes. This study aims to determine the effects of light exposure during incubation on the growth and development of post-hatch chicks and to provide a basis for the development of effective lighting strategies during the incubation period. Manipulation of light during incubation may have an effect on post-hatch chicks through the role of prenatal stage. The effects of providing different wavelengths of light (white, blue, and green lights, dark as control) during incubation on the growth performance, organ development, immune response, stress related hormones, digestive enzymes and behaviour of post-hatch chicks were investigated for 1–42 days. A total of 60 chicks per light treatment in three batches were used in this study. The results showed that the percentage of chicks accessing to feed and water resources appeared not to be affected by incubation light. Chicks hatched under white light were found to have a growth advantage (p < 0.05). The weight of organs (except thymus), IgA, IgY, IgM and heterophil to lymphocyte (H/L) ratio for post-hatch chicks were not affected by incubation light (p > 0.05). Thymus weight was reduced in chicks incubated under blue light compared to dark incubation (p < 0.05). The jejunum amylase and ileum lipase activities were significantly affected by the light treatments (p < 0.01). All light incubation chicks had stable plasma corticosterone levels and may have better ability to cope with environmental changes. Hence, white light photoperiod incubation may have potential to improve post-hatch chicks' growth performance and environmental adaptability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Leaching‐induced corrosion of the reinforcing steel in water‐bearing separating cracks When water flows through separating cracks or construction joints, the cement paste leaches out, and alkalinity is reduced. As with carbonation, this decrease in pH leads to the loss of the passive layer, which is limited to the directly adjacent area. The progress of corrosion may depend on the water exchange rate. This presented study investigates the influence of the water pressure level on test specimens with crack widths between 0.20 and 0.25 mm (mean values) on the onset of depassivation and the corrosion rate. The test specimens were exposed to demineralised water at a hydrostatic pressure of 0.04 bar, 0.20 bar or 1.00 bar and monitored for corrosion. A few days after the start of exposure, high macroelement currents flow in all test specimens. Later, due to self‐healing, the flow stops at 0.04 bar, and the macroelement currents decrease significantly. In contrast, the reduced but steady flow at 0.20 and 1.00 bar leads to a continuous corrosion progression. While a (planned) longer interruption of the water supply results in repassivation of the steel, renewed pressurisation significantly increases both the flow and corrosion rates. The leaching manifests in an increase in the pH of the effluent water and a reduced calcium concentration in the crack area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the western Andes, climate changes have led to drastic ecological changes during the Pleistocene and Holocene. Given the debate surrounding precipitation pattern changes and the lack of research on lakes in the Chilean Altiplano, this study aims to assess recent climate changes. The paper presents an innovative methodology based on Google Earth Engine (GEE), utilizing fluctuations in water levels in endorheic lakes as natural precipitation indicators. Three lakes (Chungará, Miscanti, and Miniques) in isolated drainage systems were studied, where changes in water levels directly reflect rainfall variations. Data from Landsat-OLI 8, Landsat-ETM+, Landsat-TM 5, and MODIS spanning 31 years were processed using the Google Earth Engine platform. The shapes of the water bodies were extracted using hue saturation value (HSV) composites. The surface areas of the lakes were compared with precipitation data from national meteorological stations and the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) using linear regression analyses. Both lake area and rainfall volume showed a decrease over time, with varying trends depending on environmental conditions. However, the analysis consistently indicates a reduction in the area and volume of Chilean lakes corresponding to observed rainfall patterns over the past three decades. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The study of the spatio-temporal distribution and evolution trends of water resources in large regions plays an important role in the study of regional water resource planning, regional economic and social development, and water disasters. In this study, a Landsat multi-index relationship and water probability thresholding method is developed based on the Google Earth Engine (GEE) platform, which can support the integration of multiple Landsat satellites. The algorithm jointly combines multiple remote sensing metrics along with the calculation of water probability to produce an interannual water body product for the Jianghan Plain on a 20-year time series. The results indicate that the Landsat multi-index relationship algorithm used in this study has high accuracy in extracting long-term water bodies in extensive, flat terrain areas such as the Jianghan Plain, with an overall accuracy (OA) of 97.23%. By analyzing the water body products and landscape patterns, we have identified the following features: (1) From 2002 to 2021, the changes in river water bodies in the Jianghan Plain were relatively small, and some lakes experienced a shrinkage in area. Overall, there is a strong correlation between water distribution and precipitation. (2) The complexity index of water bodies shows a strong negative correlation with effective irrigation area and population, indicating a strong mutual influence between water bodies and socio-economic activities. (3) Through the study of the distribution characteristics of built-up areas and the water system, it was found that for large rivers, the larger the size of the river, the more built-up areas are nearby. Most extensive built-up areas are located near large rivers. This study contributes to providing methods and data support for urban planning, water resource management, and disaster research in the Jianghan Plain. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

SDGSAT-1, the first scientific satellite dedicated to advancing the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, brings renewed vigor and opportunities to water resource monitoring and research. This study evaluates the effectiveness of SDGSAT-1 in extracting water bodies in comparison to Sentinel-2 multi-spectral imager (MSI) data. We applied a confidence thresholding method to delineate river water from land, utilizing the Normalized Differential Water Body Index (NDWI), Normalized Difference Water Index (MNDWI), and Shaded Water Body Index (SWI). It was found that the SWI works best for SDGSAT-1 while the NDWI works best for Sentinel-2. Specifically, the NDWI demonstrates proficiency in delineating a broader spectrum of water bodies and the MNDWI effectively mitigates the impact of shadows, while SDGSAT-1's SWI extraction of rivers offers high precision, clear outlines, and shadow exclusion. SDGSAT-1's SWI overall outperforms Sentinel-2's NDWI in water extraction accuracy (overall accuracy: 90% vs. 91%, Kappa coefficient: 0.771 vs. 0.416, and F1 value: 0.844 vs. 0.651), likely due to its deep blue bands. This study highlights the comprehensive advantages of SDGSAT-1 data in extracting river water bodies, providing a theoretical basis for future research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]