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Ecological water supplement of Xianghai wetlands is definitely necessary since Xianghai wetlands has now faced a serious water shortage threat. However, Xianghai wetlands ecological water supplement is facing a lot of problems in practice, hence the relationship balance of stakeholders in the process of ecological water replenishment becomes the vital factor, this problem soon becomes the hot issues that public concern. This article, based on discussing the necessity of ecological compensation mechanism for Xianghai wetlands water supplement, analyze the compensation subject, compensation object, compensation standard, compensation ways of Xianghai wetlands water supplement, build the ecological compensation mechanism for Xianghai wetlands, provide powerful technical support and scientific basis for establishing an effective wetland ecological compensation mechanism of wetlands water replenishment.

Soil water is a critical factor closely related to hydrological and ecological processes. Owing to the complex surface conditions with heterogeneous soil thickness and abundant underlying fissures, soil water in the karst region has been a complicated issue. In this study, the dynamic changes of soil water in the vertical profile of selected grassland, farmland and bare land on a karst yellow soil hillslope in southwest China were monitored at five depths including 20, 40, 60, 80 and 100 cm with an interval of 15 minutes. Results showed that (1) there were spatial differences in the response to rainfall of the soil water content at different depths. When the rainfall amount was similar, the soil water replenishment amount and migration depth under the three land uses decreased with the rainfall intensity. In the case of light rainfall, the soil water content at 20 cm was the most sensitive to rainfall, and the response of soil water to rainfall mainly occurred at 0–40 cm. In the case of moderate and heavy rainfall, soil water could migrate down to 100 cm on grassland but less than 100 cm on farmland and bare land under heavy intensity rainfall. (2) The variation in the soil water content had interlayer differences over time. The response of soil water to rainfall in different soil layers showed multipeak fluctuations. In general, when the rainfall intensity was the same, the soil water fluctuation on grassland and farmland at the same depth was larger than that on bare land; however, the peak value of soil water decreased with soil depth. (3) Land use and the antecedent soil water content had important effects on soil water loss during the dry period. Soil water loss was faster at the beginning and before slowing down. The soil water loss rate on grassland and farmland increased with the length of the dry period but decreased gradually on bare land. These results can support the utilization and protection of soil and water resources on karst yellow soil slopes and help to understand the temporal and spatial dynamics of soil water under natural rainfall.

To address the problem of optimal allocation of water resources in water shortage areas, a reservoir and a pumping station water resource optimal scheduling model under the condition of insufficient irrigation is proposed. The model takes the maximum relative yield of crops as the objective function, the amount of water supplied, water spilled and water replenished as decision variables, the total amount of water supplied by the system, the water right of the pumping station and the operation criteria as constraints, and uses a dynamic programming method to solve the model. The optimal water supply and water spill process of the irrigation reservoir and the optimal water replenishment process of a pumping station during the entire growth period of dry crops were obtained. Moreover, under the conditions of 50 and 75% probability of exceedance, the optimized relative yields of crops increased by 17.1% and 19.6%, respectively. The results show that ensuring the optimal operation of joint water source projects can achieve the optimal allocation of limited water resources, and improve the relative yield of crops in irrigation areas, which has important guiding significance for the planning and management of water resources in similar irrigation areas. HIGHLIGHTS An optimal water allocation model for the joint operation of a reservoir and pump station in arid areas is established, considering regional water rights.; An operation rule for a reservoir is integrated into the recursive process of the dynamic programming to solve the model.; The penalty function method is introduced into the dynamic programming to deal with the constraint of water rights.

The scarcity of clean water is one of the most pervasive issues in human society. On-site extraction of clean water from seawater and wastewater is regarded as the most applicable scheme for meeting the growing demand. However, most conventional water purification technologies are generally considered energy or cost intensive. In recent years, the rapid development of solar-driven interfacial evaporation has injected new vitality into the field of clean water production. For interfacial evaporators, nano/microstructured materials are the core components to achieve nearly 100% energy efficiency through maximizing light harvesting, synergistically assisting water supply, and suppressing heat dissipation. In this review, the design and optimization guidelines of evaporators with ultrahigh performance are first explored from the perspective of nano/microstructured materials, including photothermal materials, functional water-replenishment substrates, and structural engineering strategies. Benefiting from the excellent characteristics of the introduced nano/microstructured materials, the applications of long-term salt rejection in seawater desalination and the separation of different contaminants in wastewater remediation were further presented. Finally, prospects and recommendations for the future development are proposed.

Solar-thermal evaporation is a promising technology for energy-efficient desalination, but salt accumulation on solar absorbers and system longevity are the major challenges that hinder its widespread application. In this study, we present a sustainable Janus wood evaporator that overcomes these challenges and achieves a record-high evaporation efficiencies in hypersaline water, one of the most difficult water sources to treat via desalination. The Janus wood evaporator has asymmetric surface wettability, where the top layer acts as a hydrophobic solar absorber with water blockage and salt resistance, while the bottom hydrophilic wood layer allows for rapid water replenishment and superior thermal insulation. An evaporation efficiency of 82.0% is achieved for 20% NaCl solution under 1 sun, and persistent salt-resistance is observed during a 10-cycle long-term test. To ensure the environmental impact of the Janus wood evaporator, for the first time, a life cycle assessment (LCA) is conducted to compare this Janus wood evaporator with the emerging Janus evaporators, indicating a functional and more sustainable opportunity for off-grid desalination and humanitarian efforts.

VectoBac DT, a tablet formulation of Bacillus thuringiensis israelensis (Bti) was evaluated for the potential control of dengue vectors in various types of potable water containers. On introduction to containers, the tablet sinks to the bottom and the Bti toxins are found concentrated at the sides and the base, while the treated water column is free of Bti toxins within 24 hours after tablet introduction. In a simulated study, earthen, HDPE and plastic containers were kept covered and laboratory-bred larvae were introduced to determine the control by the tablet. The efficacy and persistence of the tablet, with a control of90%, was significantly longer in earthen containers in comparison to the HDPE and plastic containers. Efficacy and persistence were observed in earthen containers for a minimum period of 5.5 months (166 days) both without water replenishment and with weekly, 50% water volume, replenishment, and for a maximum period of 2.2 months (66 days) with daily, 50% water volume, replenishment. In plastic and HDPE containers, the tablet activity had a persistence of 2.1 months (63 days) without water replenishment and 1.8 months (54 days) with weekly water replenishment. The efficacy and persistence of the VectoBac DT was significantly longer in the earthen containers, with or without regularly treated water exchange, due to the Bti toxins being embedded in the porous earthen container surfaces, which protects them from rapid degradation. Lesser toxin amounts are removed from the water column during water exchange. The efficacy of VectoBac DT was also evaluated for the control of natural infestation of Aedes larvae which were resistant to temephos at the WHO diagnostic dosage of 0.012 mg/l. The tablet significantly reduced the pupal density by 8 fold in earthen containers for 67 days and 5 fold in HDPE containers for 55 days in comparison to untreated containers (p0.05). However, the tablet was effective for a shorter period of 25 days post-tablet-introduction due to fungal infestation in the treated plastic containers. There is a need to determine the capacity of the VectoBac DT to reduce the dengue vector population to a threshold which will prevent dengue outbreaks in dengue endemic areas.

PERFORMANCE AGROINDUSTRIAL DE CANA-DE-AÇÚCAR EM DIFERENTES REGIMES HÍDRICOS EDUARDO MAGNO PEREIRA DA SILVA1; ADERSON SOARES DE ANDRADE JÚNIOR2; EDSON ALVES BASTOS2 E VALDENIR QUEIROZ RIBEIRO2 1Instituto Federal de Educação, Ciência e Tecnologia do Piauí - Campus Uruçuí Rodovia PI 247, S/N - Portal dos Cerrados, CEP: 64860-000, Uruçuí, Piauí, Brasil, e-mail: eduardo.silva@ifpi.edu.br 2Embrapa Meio‑Norte, Avenida Duque de Caxias, n° 5.650, Bairro Buenos Aires, CEP64006‑220, Teresina, Piauí, Brasil, e-mail: aderson.andrade@embrapa.br, edson.bastos@embrapa.br, valdenir.queiroz@embrapa.br 1 RESUMO O objetivo desta pesquisa foi avaliar a performance agroindustrial de cana-de-açúcar (planta) em resposta a diferentes regimes hídricos aplicados por gotejamento subsuperficial. O experimento foi realizado em um argissolo vermelho amarelo distrófico, na Embrapa Meio-Norte, em Teresina, Piauí, durante o período de outubro de 2015 a setembro de 2016. Modelou-se o experimento em delineamento experimental de blocos casualizados em parcelas subdivididas, com quatro repetições. As parcelas foram constituídas por quatro regimes hídricos (irrigação mais precipitação pluviométrica) baseados em frações da evapotranspiração de cultura (50% ETc = 1.374,3; 80% ETc = 1.534,2; 110% ETc = 1.712,0 e 150% ETc = 1.905,8 mm) e as subparcelas por dez variedades de cana-de-açúcar (RBUFRPE01, RBUFRPE02, RBUFRPE03, RBUFV01, RB036066, RB987935, RB935744, RB943538, RB92579 e RB867515). As características tecnológicas de qualidade do caldo da cana e rendimentos de açúcar e álcool foram alterados pelos regimes hídricos e variedades. Os maiores teores de Brix (22,5%), Fibras (13,3%), Polcaldo (17,5%) e Polcana (13,9%) foram obtidos com as variedades RB867515, RB935744, RB943538 e RB935744, respectivamente. Os rendimentos de açúcar (32,2 Mg ha-1) e álcool (23 m3 ha-1) foram alcançados com a variedade RB935744 e reposição hídrica próxima a 110% da ETc. Palavras-chave: Saccharum officinarum, eficiência da água, manejo da irrigação. SILVA, E. M. P.; ANDRADE JÚNIOR, A. S.; BASTOS, E. A.; RIBEIRO, V. Q. AGRO-INDUSTRIAL PERFORMANCE OF SUGARCANE IN DIFFERENT WATER REGIMES 2 ABSTRACT The objective of this research was to evaluate the agro-industrial performance of sugarcane varieties (cane plant) in response to different water regimes applied by subsurface drip irrigation. The experiment was carried out in a dystrophic yellow red acrisol at Embrapa Middle North, Teresina, Piauí State, Brazil, from October 2015 to September 2016. The experiment was designed in a randomized block design in subdivided plots, with four replications. The plots consisted of four water regimes (irrigation plus rainfall) based on crop evapotranspiration fractions (50% ETc = 1,374.3 mm, 80% ETc = 1,534.2 mm, 110% ETc = 1,712.0 mm and 150% ETc = 1,905.8 mm) and the subplots per ten varieties of sugarcane (RBUFRPE01, RBUFRPE02, RBUFRPE03, RBUFV01, RB036066, RB987935, RB935744, RB943538, RB92579 and RB867515). The technological quality characteristics of sugarcane juice and yields of sugar and alcohol were affected by water regimes and varieties. The highest contents of Brix (22.5%), Fibers (13.3%), Pol-juice (17.5%) and Pol-stalk (13.9%) were obtained with varieties RB867515, RB935744, RB943538 and RB935744, respectively. The maxim yields of sugar (32.2 Mg ha-1) and alcohol (23 m3 ha-1) were obtained with variety RB935744 and water replenishment close to 110% of the ETc. Keywords: Saccharum officinarum, water efficiency, irrigation management.

Compaction level is an important control index to guarantee subgrade stability. Under freezing-thawing cycles, water-heat-vapor characteristics due to different compaction levels of unsaturated coarse-grained fillings of high-speed railway (HSR) subgrade are key factors in understanding the mechanism of freezing-thawing deformations. Experiments have been performed to study the characteristics of water-heat-vapor of coarse-grained fillings with different compaction levels exposed to freezing and thawing. Fluorescein was used to trace the variations of liquid water in external moisture supply. Test results indicated that compaction level affected the water-heat-vapor characteristics of coarse-grained fillings to some extent. The increase of compaction level increased frost penetration and freezing rate; however, initial water replenishment time delayed during freezing process; liquid water migration height and external liquid migration increased, but total moisture migration, the amount of vapor migration, and vapor of the soil sample moving up to the top pedestal simultaneously reduced. Repeated freezing-thawing cycles improve the compaction of coarse-grained fillings. Variation of the amount of moisture caused by the increase of compaction level may decrease the frost heaving of coarse-grained fillings. Therefore, proper selection and uniformity of compaction level is of critical importance in HSR engineering.

Plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) have been shown to reduce the negative effects of drought on numerous plant species, but these effects are unknown for common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) crop. The study aimed to investigate the effects of inoculation with Rhizobium tropici, Azospirillum brasilense and the co-inoculation with both rhizobacteria on the nodulation, growth and tolerance of common bean plants to drought stress. Three water replenishment regimes [100% of pot capacity (non-stress control), 50% of pot capacity (moderate stress) and 25% of pot capacity (severe stress)] and four seed inoculation treatments: control (non-inoculated), inoculation with R. tropici, inoculation with A. brasilense; and co-inoculation with R. tropici and A. brasilense were studied in an experiment arranged in a 3 × 4 factorial scheme with four replicates. Relative water content (RWC), membrane stability index, nodulation, relative chlorophyll index, plant growth, and grain production were recorded. The inoculation of common bean plants with R. tropici and A. brasilense, and the co-inoculation improved leaf membrane stability and minimized the water loss from leaf tissue of plants under water stress conditions. Plants co-inoculated with R. tropici and A. brasilense had greater nodulation and relative chlorophyll index under severe drought stress. The inoculation with A. brasilense and the co-inoculation can attenuate the pod abortion rate of bean plants under moderate drought conditions but had no effect under severe stress conditions. Co-inoculation of A. brasilense and R. tropici alleviate the negative effects of water stress and maintain growth and grain yield of the common bean plants, and therefore, this management practice can be used by common bean farmers to enhance the plant tolerance to drought.

Vegetation restoration was conducted by the Chinese government over the past decades to reduce soil and water loss on the Chinese Loess Plateau. However, vegetation restoration was very blind in plant species selection and had no guidance. Field measurements were conducted from 2009 to 2014 to analyze the influence of land-use conversions from croplands to pastures, native grasslands and planted trees, shrubs and on runoff, soil water dynamics and water stresses in the semi-arid loess hilly area. Our research has led to the following major findings: (1) The soil water stored decreased from 2009 to 2014 among all land cover types. The soil water replenishment by rainfall during rainy seasons was not sufficient to fully recharge the soil water storage. Vegetation restoration by shrub could retain more soil water than other land cover types; (2) The ratio of ET/P (evapotranspiration/precipitation) ranked from high to low was Grassland (1.31) > Shrubland (1.29) > Cropland (1.28) > Alfalfa (1.26) > Woodland (1.20). The ET/P ratio of the pine plantation was the lowest among the five land cover types; (3) Woodlands and shrublands showed the higher infiltration rates and the wetting fronts of croplands and shrublands could reach greater depths than woodland and grassland.

Urbanization have crossed the limits of natural carrying capacity challenging mankind and its development in terms of progress. The most notable changes in the natural system observed are related to the urban and hydrological system where built up areas in urban region have increased from 100,000km2 in 1994 to 5,000,000km2 in 2005. It is assumed that almost 0.5% of the world surface is occupied by urban areas The aim of the study is to study the behavioural changes in Urban watersheds for recharge and runoff along with increasing Built up areas contributing impervious surfaces over natural ones. Objective is to develop a better understanding of the interactions between surface water flows and water replenishment with changes in land cover characteristics resulting from urbanization at the local, neighbourhood and regional scales. Another objective is to find out relationship between built up and water (surface and sub surface) with empirical, observational and simulation processes for an area with specific climate and physical characteristics. The methodology adopted to study and observe this correlation broadly consist of observation for variations in spatial scale for sub watersheds around 500 or more hectares for urban expansion, changes in land use land cover and hydrological components such as water level in aquifers, wells, runoff and drainages from past to present at temporal scale of about 40years. Conclusion were made on final modelling results with validation and assessment of parameters concluding that runoff is directly proportional to built up and its intensity varies with given roughness land cover, built up and ground water infiltration.

An improved model for investigating dual effects of vegetation density variations and groundwater level fluctuations on water transport and dissipation in the soil-plant-atmosphere continuum (SPAC) of raised field wetlands was developed through combining the HYDRUS and the dual crop coefficient models. The results showed the following: (1) the improved model was reliable for soil water and evapotranspiration simulation. For soil water, the coefficient of determination (R2) was above 0.68, the Nash-Sutcliffe efficiency coefficient (NSE) was above 0.53, and the relative deviation (Re) was below 6%. For evapotranspiration, R2, NSE and Re were 0.83, 0.83 and 12.3%, respectively. (2) For the evapotranspiration, both vegetation densities variations and groundwater level fluctuation would affect it. (3) For 0%–60% density, the groundwater level fluctuation mainly contributed to changes in evaporation rather than transpiration. For 80%–100% density, it was transpiration. (4) For the soil water supplement and drainage, under different densities, the main water replenishment source in the same month was almost identical, but the main water drainage approach was inconsistent. (5) For the soil water balance, groundwater level fluctuations had an influence on it, while vegetation density variations did not. This study can provide an method for analyzing water transport in SPAC.

The file attached to this record is the author's final peer reviewed version. The Publisher's final version can be found by following the DOI link. The role of the urban common (i.e. shared space and resources) in sustainable provisioning of goods and services to city dwellers is discussed in this paper. Focusing on tree-based green infrastructure, the study scope includes three categories of provisioning (woody biomass, food/fibre, and non-timber forest products, i.e. NTFPs), alongside three categories of supporting services (fresh water replenishment, soil nutrient restoration, building preservation). As a first step, prospects of utilizing the urban common as facilitator of nature-based solution to the earmarked provisioning services are evaluated through dedicated literature survey and expert elicitation on perceived impact of environmental change triggers and management interventions (planning and/or governance). This is followed by a structured review of the state of affairs in four European cities (London, Amsterdam, Sofia, Ljubljana), representing different macro-geographical regions with distinct socio-economic drivers in managing these provisioning services. The pan-European expert elicitation exercise noted active management of the urban common as positively impacting on the performance of the majority of provisioning services, while environmental change impacts were found to be overriding and adversely influencing the provisioning of material resources (mainly NTFPs and woody biomass). The four-city case study highlighted some regional peculiarities in connecting the city dwellers to the urban common and identified the need to overcome socio-cultural barriers for enhancing pan-European best practice sharing in the management of goods and services provisioning. This is deemed essential to pave way for an emerging perspective on sustainable utilization of the urban common as an enabler for nature-based solution, making it fit for purpose in meeting the astronomical demands of future urban living.

The emerging solar-steam generation is recognized as one of the promising pathways to mitigate the global water crisis, but has a major obstacle: the development of sustainable solar-driven water evaporators with favorable evaporation performance. In this work, an all biomass-based hydrogel evaporator was fabricated for efficient solar steam generation, in which squid ink was employed as the photothermal material and starch as the hydrogel matrix. It was found that the hydrogel evaporator achieved a high water evaporation rate of approximately 2.07 kg m−2 h−1 under 1.0 sun with a corresponding energy efficiency of about 93.7%, arising from its excellent light absorption, light-to-heat conversion, energy confinement, wettability and water replenishment. Additionally, the evaporation performance can be further improved to evaporation rate of 2.62 kg m−2 h−1 and energy efficiency of 108.1% by capturing the environmental energy through simply increasing the evaporator height from 5 to 50 mm. For seawater desalination, the prepared evaporator exhibited both high salt resistance and good self-regeneration ability that ensure its promise for long-term practical application. The Na+ concentration in the collected water was less than 1.0 mg L−1. Thus, this work opens up a fascinating avenue for developing a novel hydrogel evaporator to providing potable and clean water.

Due to the limitations of the treatment process of urban sewage treatment plants and the complexity of water sources, the rich inorganic nitrogen and trace persistent organic matter in the reclaimed water cause potential human health risks through lateral leakage or bioaccumulation during the replenishment process of rivers and lakes. Exploring the distribution law of different types of reclaimed water characteristic water quality factors and their formation in reclaimed water replenishment river channels is of great significance to river and lake management. This study takes the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei section of the North Canal as the research area and explores the spatial variation characteristics of conventional physical parameters, full index, inorganic nitrogen, and salinity hydronium antibiotics in river water quality with the help of clustering, discrimination, principal components, and variance decomposition. The results showed that, although the spatial distribution patterns of different types of water quality factors were consistent, they all showed significant mid-upstream and downstream distribution; however, there were big differences in the degree of variation and the mechanism of variation. The spatial variation of inorganic nitrogen and antibiotics was the most obvious, whereas the variation in conventional physical parameters and the full index was the weakest, and the salinity hydronium showed moderate variation. The spatial variation mechanism of conventional physical parameters was mainly reflected in microbial degradation. The full index was the result of the combined effect of microorganisms, diffusion, the synergy of the two, and a certain degree of source-sink homogeneity. Diffusion was the main mechanism affecting the spatial variation in salinity hydronium. The spatial variation mechanism of inorganic nitrogen was mainly reflected in the source-sink homogenization and microbial degradation; as a secondary mechanism of the spatial variation of inorganic nitrogen, diffusion had a synergistic mode with microbial degradation. Antibiotics, which have great differences in chemical structural stability and biodegradability, showed high spatial variability and had the highest diffusion and microbial synergy mechanism. This research provides a quantitative analysis of the spatial variability mechanism of water quality based on variance decomposition, which has practical guiding significance for the causes of the spatial variability of river pollutants and river management.

Calafate fruits have a high content of phenolic compounds and an antioxidant activity up to four times higher than that of blueberries. The establishment of a calafate orchard and irrigation responses on fruit and soil characteristics have been scarcely studied. Therefore, the objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of water replenishment rate: 0%, 50%, 100% and 150% of reference evapotranspiration (ET0), on soil microbiological activity, plant physiological response, fruit yield and chemical composition in a calafate orchard. The results showed that irrigation at 50% ET0 presented significant increases in soil urease, dehydrogenase and acid phosphatase activity. Likewise, irrigation at 50% ET0 significantly increased stomatal conductance and plant chlorophyll index, which led to a significant increase in fruit yield being 60% higher compared to the other treatments. Despite the higher fruit yield, 50% ET0 irrigation had a similar level of total anthocyanins and ORAC antioxidant capacity as the 100% ET0 treatment. In contrast, 0% and 150% ET0 treatments showed a higher degree of stress and got higher values for total anthocyanins and fruit antioxidant capacity. Irrigation rates 50% ET0 increases fruit yield while maintaining fruit quality and optimizing water resources in commercial orchards of calafate.

RESUMEN Objetivo: establecer, en nueve atletas corredores de fondo, los efectos de la deshidratación, durante la realización de un ejercicio submáximo, al 80% de la capacidad física máxima de trabajo (PWCmax), de larga duración, 90 minutos, sobre la concentración sérica del lactato, y la relación de éste con el cortisol y la glucosa. Método: después de diez minutos de calentamiento en banda rodante, con una pendiente del 1% y al 55% de la PWCmax, siguieron 90 minutos de carrera, en seis intervalos, al 80% de la PWCmax; finalmente, 90 minutos de recuperación pasiva. No se hizo reposición hídrica durante el procedimiento DH (deshidratado); durante RH (rehidratado) se repuso el 51% del peso corporal perdido en DH. Resultados: en individuos deshidratados se observaron, con respecto al valor basal, incrementos en la concentración sérica del lactato, al final del ejercicio (minuto 90); en la concentración plasmática del cortisol, al final del ejercicio (minutos 75 circuy 90) y en la primera hora de la recuperación; en la concentración plasmática de la glucosa, durante todo el procedimiento. Con la reposición parcial de las pérdidas hídricas el incremento del lactato se hizo significativo durante casi todas las etapas del ejercicio; se evitó el del cortisol; el de la glucosa fue menor durante el ejercicio y se evitó durante la recuperación. Conclusiones: durante la realización de un ejercicio submáximo de larga duración, por corredores de fondo, bajo condiciones ambientales neutras, con reposición hídrica y sin ella, la concentración sérica de lactato se mantuvo constante durante la etapa de ejercicio y se correlacionó con la concentración plasmática del cortisol y de la glucosa. El estado de hidratación no modificó el comportamiento del lactato, aunque la correlación múltiple entre el lactato y las variables estudiadas fue mayor cuando no se hizo reposición hídrica. ABSTRACT: Objetive: To evaluate, in nine long distance runners, the effects of dehydration during a submaximal (80% of the maximal physical work capacity -PWCmax-) and prolonged exercise (90 minutes), on serum concentration of lactate and its relation with cortisol and glucose. Methods: After a ten-minute warm-up on a treadmill,1% grade and at 55% of PWCmax, followed by 90 min test in six stages, at 80% of PWCmax, there was a final 90 min passive recovery period. No water was replenished during the DH procedure (dehydration); during the RH procedure (rehydration) 51% of the body weight lost during the DH procedure was replaced. Results: In dehydrated runners increments were observed, with respect to the basal values, in lactate serum concentration, at the end of the exercise (minute 90); in plasmatic cortisol concentration at the end of the exercise (minutes 75 and 90) and in the first hour of the recovery period; and in glucose plasmatic concentration throughout the procedure. With partial water replenishment lactate increment became significant during almost all stages of the exercise; cortisol increment was avoided; glucose increment was lower during the exercise and avoided during recovery. Conclusion: During a submaximal and prolonged exercise performed by long distance runners, under neutral environment conditions, with and without water replenishment, lactate serum concentration was constant during the exercise period and correlated with cortisol and glucose plasmatic concentrations. The hydration state did not modify lactate behaviour, although the multiple correlation between lactate and the studied variables was higher without water replenishment.

Based on energy balance theory, using Theil–Sen median trend analysis and the Mann–Kendall test, this research studied the applicability of the complementary theory of evapotranspiration (ET) over Ningxia in the Upper Reaches of the Yellow River with MOD16 ET product and the measured data of meteorological stations, based on which ET drought index (EDI) was proposed for the first time. Moreover, the usability of EDI was also verified and its influencing factors were analyzed. The results revealed that there was a complementary relationship between AET and PET in 91.1% of the area in Ningxia, including strictly complementary and asymmetrically complementary relationships in 69.2% and 21.9% of the total area, respectively. EDI ranged from 0 to 1 and was useful to accurately reflect the degree of drought of the study area on the annual and monthly scales. From 2001 to 2020, the average annual EDI was 0.66, and the smallest monthly EDI was in January and the largest was in May. EDI of different time scales had different influencing factors. Precipitation was the most influencing factor of annual EDI, but the influencing factors of monthly EDI was different over time. However, surface non-precipitation water replenishment, such as irrigation, had great impact both on annual EDI and monthly EDI. The application scope of the theory of ET complementarity was extended to the study area for the first time, and EDI was proposed and applied, which will provide a theoretical basis and empirical reference for drought research based on ET data in arid and semi-arid areas.

The association between population increase and the exploitation of natural resources and climate change influences the demand for food, especially in semi-arid regions, highlighting the need for technologies that could provide cultivated species with better adaptation to agroecosystems. Additionally, developing cultivation technologies that employ waste materials is highly desirable for sustainable development. From this perspective, this study aimed to evaluate whether seed priming with glass waste microparticles used as a silicon source under red light irradiation mitigates the effects of thermal and water stress on seedlings of Moringa oleifera. The experimental design was set up in randomized blocks using a 2 × 2 × 2 factorial arrangement consisting of seed priming (NSP—no seed priming, and SPSi—seed priming with glass microparticles under red light irradiation), soil water replenishment (W50—50%, and W100—100% of crop evapotranspiration—ETc), and temperature change (TC30°—30 °C day/25 °C night and TC40°—40 °C day/35 °C night). Seed priming with glass microparticles under red light irradiation mitigated the effects of thermal and water stress on seedlings of Moringa oleifera seedlings through the homeostasis of gas exchange, leaf water status, osmotic adjustment, and the antioxidant mechanism.

In recent years, extreme weather has become more and more frequent. The extreme heat in summer is a serious threat to human health. Chongqing is one of the hottest cities in China, and the high temperature in summer can cause skin cancer and heat stroke. Green plants in residential areas play a great role in cooling down air temperature. However, there are no accurate numerical references for which plants have a better cooling effect. Therefore, seven species of trees with the highest planting rate were selected in seven residential areas as research objects in this study. By measuring the temperature under the trees and related control factors, this study was conducted to clarify the following: (1) Which species of tree has the best cooling effect? (2) Whether tree species and size matter with the cooling effect. (3) What are the controlling factors and principles that affect the tree cooling effect? The results showed that: (1) Giant trees have the best cooling effect. (2) The cooling effects of Ficus virens, Camphor tree, and Ficus macrocarpa were significantly better than the other four species of trees. (3) The high rate of water replenishment in plants gives giant trees a greater cooling effect. This study is of great practical significance to the selection of plants in the green belt of residential communities, and has great theoretical significance to understand the principle of the plant cooling effect.

The application of flue gas water lifting technology in thermal power plants can effectively balance the contradiction between thermal power development and water source protection in water shortage areas. However, at present, the engineering application of flue gas water lifting technology is limited, and the comprehensive research relying on field application is lacking. Based on the actual commissioning and performance test of flue gas water lifting system of a 660MW thermal power unit, the project trial operation and water-saving capacity are systematically studied in this paper. Through the system commissioning test, it is found that the water filling process should be considered in the design of circulating cooling water system in the form of closed water, and the operation safety can be improved by setting expansion tank and adding drainage points. The quantity of delivery water is affected by ambient temperature, circulating water quantity and cooling water temperature. Through the performance test, it is found that flue gas water lifting technology can meet the demand of water replenishment for desulfurization tower and has a positive effect on the suppression of flue gas side dust level.

DNA assembly and transformation are crucial to the building process in synthetic biology. These steps are significant roadblocks when engineering increasingly complex biological systems. To address this, recent development of widespread 'biofoundry' facilities has employed automation equipment to expedite the synthetic biology workflow. Despite significant progress, there is a clear demand for lower-cost and smaller-footprint automation equipment. The field of microfluidics have emerged to provide automation capabilities to meet this demand. However, we still lack devices capable of building large multi-gene systems in a consolidated process. In response to this challenge, we have developed a digital microfluidic platform that performs "one-pot" Golden Gate DNA assembly of large plasmids and transformation of E coli. The system features a novel electrode geometry and modular design, which make these devices simple to fabricate and use, thus improving the accessibility of microfluidics. This device incorporates an impedance-based adaptive closed loop water replenishment system to compensate for droplet evaporation and maintain constant assembly reaction concentrations, which we found to be crucial to the DNA assembly efficiency. We also showcase a closed-loop temperature control system that generates precise thermodynamic profiles to optimize heat shock transformation. Moreover, we validated the system by assembling and transforming large and complex plasmids conferring a biosynthetic pathway, resulting in performance comparable to those of standard techniques. We propose that the methods described here will contribute to a new generation of accessible automation platforms aimed at speeding up the 'building' process, lowering reagent consumption and removing manual work from synthetic biology.

The use of abundant solar energy to produce clean water by a solar steam generation device is a promising strategy to solve the long-term water and energy shortage. The development and application of photothermal materials are an effective way to improve solar photothermal conversion efficiency of the device. Herein, an inorganic-organic light-absorbing material, copper sulfide-macroporous polyacrylamide hydrogel (CuS-m-PAM), is reported for the first time. The CuS-m-PAM was prepared by in-situ synthesis method via loading CuS nanoparticles into macroporous polyacrylamide hydrogel (m-PAM). CuS-m-PAM forms a heating zone at the air-water interface and CuS nanoparticles can efficiently convert the strongly absorbed light into localized heat, thus reducing the heat loss in the transfer process. The results demonstrate that the solar photothermal conversion efficiency of CuS-m-PAM-0.05 is the highest and can reach 92% under one sun illumination (1000 W m−2). The rough surface of m-PAM and the plasma resonance effect of CuS nanoparticles improve the absorb ability to sunlight. The open macroporous structure of m-PAM also makes a great contribution to the water vapor escape of solar steam generation device. Moreover, the formation of N-Cu bond in CuS-m-PAM makes CuS nanoparticles more stabilization, and the solar photothermal conversion efficiency of CuS-m-PAM-0.05 remains 87.5% after 50 cycles of tests. CuS-m-PAM, as a novel light-absorbing material, can comprehensively optimize the solar steam generation device in light absorption, thermal insulation, water replenishment and steam exhaust, and thus provides a new practical method for maximum utilization of solar steam generation device.

Double-reservoir-and-double-pumping-station systems are commonly used for irrigation water supply in hilly regions of southern China. An optimization model for this water supply system is proposed to minimize water shortage. The model features few coupling constraints, including available water in the system and pumping volume limited by regional water rights. Dynamic programming was adopted to solve the subsystem and aggregation models. The results with the model and that with the standard operation policy were compared; the total water shortage was reduced by 87.7%, total water replenishment from outside was reduced by 2.2%, and total water spill was reduced by 60.6% for a system in Nanjing, China. The method may provide a reference for optimal operation of water supply systems comprising reservoirs and pumping stations.

‘Pot-cover effect’ refers to the phenomenon of moisture accumulation beneath the pavement under condensation or desublimation because the vapor transfer in the soil is blocked by the pavement. To study this phenomenon in the laboratory, we have developed the pot-cover effect apparatus with freezing-thawing cycles (PEAFC), which consists of three parts, namely, the vapor transfer system, the temperature control system, and the temperature and water content monitoring system. The major functions of this apparatus include: simulation of both vapor transfer and freezing-thawing cycling in the soil, real-time monitoring of the temperature and the water content in soil samples, and one-dimensional heat and moisture transfer in the samples. The FDR (frequency domain reflectometry) sensors of the apparatus are calibrated and a calibration formula is proposed to eliminate the water content measurement errors induced by temperature changes. Constant temperature difference tests and a freezing-thawing cycling test are conducted with the apparatus. Results indicate that the apparatus can control the water replenishment in the soil samples, monitor the vapor transfer in the samples in real time, and simulate the vapor transfer process under the condition of the freezing-thawing cycling in the soil. These tests verify the effectiveness and reliability of the apparatus, which indicates that the development purpose is achieved.

The use of plant biostimulant products, frequently of a hormone base, has become a common complement to traditional fertilization programs in row crops. The results of the use of these products varies from one formulation to the next, and between growing seasons. A long-term study of a popular biostimulant trademarked Stimulate based on gibberellins, auxins, and cytokinins was deemed necessary to determine the true effectivity of this product. The objective of this study was to evaluate the use of a biostimulant on the processing tomato crop over the course of five growing seasons. Trials were conducted in La Consulta, INTA Experimental Station in Mendoza, Argentina during the seasons 2012-18. Black oxobiodegradable mulch 22 microns thick was used for all trials. Daily water replenishment was done by a single surface tape according to evapotranspiration tank type “A”, adjusted by local K(C). The experimental unit was in all cases a 5-m length of bed; the numbers of replicates were established according to number of treatments, in a totally randomized complete design. In all of the trials the use of Stimulate was compared to the control treatment with no application of any biostimulant. The doses used were in all cases 1 L ha(-1), divided into three foliar applications of 250 mL ha(-1) 35, 55, and 70 days after transplanting, and a pre-transplanting treatment of 250 mL ha(-1, in which the plant containers were submerged. General production parameters were measured at harvest. These parameters were evaluated by ANOVA using Duncan's test at α=0.05. The results obtaine)d in the field showed an average greater production in every season, yet not statistically significant at α=0.05 when analyzed separately. After the results of the growing season 2016-2017 were obtained, showing once again a roughly 13% increase in yield, the data from all five years were pooled and analyzed as a whole, blocked according to trial and season. Evaluated in this way the data showed a statistically significant yield increment between the treatment and control of about 15%.

In seasonal frozen regions where the groundwater is relatively shallow, the upward migration of groundwater during the freezing process will change the moisture content of the subgrade soil after freeze-thaw (F-T) cycles. This study attempted to investigate the deterioration effect of F-T cycles in combination with available groundwater migration on the mechanical properties of compacted clayey soil. For this purpose, the compacted clay specimens were frozen and thawed from the top to bottom and external water was supplied from the bottom of the samples. Specimens with different initial states (i.e. different initial dry densities and initial moisture contents) were subjected to different number of F-T cycles. The changes in moisture content and frost heave after the F-T cycles were measured. The failure strength and elastic modulus of the soil then were determined using unconsolidated and undrained triaxial compression tests. The results of the study demonstrated that water replenishment of the soil during the freezing process had considerable influence on the mechanical properties of soil, and the availability of a supplementary water supply could accelerate the development of stable state in the failure strength and the elastic modulus of soil. Moreover, the reduction rates of failure strength and elastic modulus reached 85% and 92% after 7 F-T cycles, respectively. The degradation effect of the F-T cycles on the mechanical property of soil can be reduced by enhancing the dry density or by moderately raising the moisture content of soil. Finally, the fitted models describing the combining effects of F-T cycles, initial dry density, initial moisture content and confining pressure on the failure strength and elastic modulus of soil were developed and verified by the experimental data to be rational and reliable.

Aiming at improving the efficient utilization of solar energy for durable interfacial water purification, in this work, hygroscopic polyethylene imine (PEI) grafted porous MoS2 nanoflowers were deposited on a hydrophilic mixed cellulose ester (MCE) substrate via simple vacuum filtration to build a robust porous bi-layered self-floating photothermal membrane for solar-driven interfacial water evaporation. In this membrane, the PEI-grafted MoS2 nanoflowers in the top layer served as a 3D-porous nanohydrogel network, which enhanced light absorption via multiple reflections and realized efficient water heating via dispersed hotspots and excellent water evaporation via localizing small water clusters with low vaporization enthalpy. In the bottom layer, the MCE, as a flexible substrate with low thermal conductivity, synergistically guaranteed the good mechanical stability, the durative capillary water replenishment and the minimal heating loss. Meanwhile, this membrane exhibited photothermal synergetic anti-fouling ability provided by MoS2 and numerous cationic PEI molecules. As a result, enhanced interfacial water evaporation (up to about 92% efficiency under 3.7 kW m−2) with obvious antibacterial ability and good operability and durability was achieved, making this an attractive system for clean water production.

Water quality target management in watershed is the fundamental choice of city rivers suffering both serious pollution and severe water shortage. In this study, we performed a case study regarding river pollution control plan based on water quality target management in the North Canal River catchment of Beijing section, in order to obtain effective water quality improvement programs. The ammonia nitrogen (NH3-N) and chemical oxygen demand (COD) were taken as the main controlling pollutants. Water quality targets and basic water quality improvement scenarios were set up considering different intensities of population regulation scenarios and gradually strengthening emission control measures. The MIKE11 model was adopted to simulate the effects of a range of water quality improvement scenarios. Results indicated that the basic scenarios could dramatically improve the surface water environment. However, additional intensive and combined measure programs should be implemented to ensure that the water quality would basically meet the targets of corresponding water function zones. The results highlight the need to implement water conservation in water shortage urban river basin and show the importance of enhancing drainage communication and conducting ecological water replenishment in such kind basins. It is expected to provide a reference for the water environment management practice of other metropolis in the world facing both crisis of water resource shortage and water environment pollution.

Due to depleting water supplies and the cultivation of high water-demanding crops such as lucerne, the effect of water deficits in crop production has become a major concern, especially in semiarid regions of China. A six-year field experiment (2012–2018) was conducted to evaluate soil water recovery and soil fertility after lucerne-to-crop conversions on the western Loess Plateau of China. Six rotation treatments (lucerne initially grew from 2003 to 2012 followed by the rotation of other crops or fallow until assessments in 2018) were: (1) lucerne (Medicago sativa L.)–lucerne (L-L); (2) lucerne–fallow (L-F); (3) lucerne–wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) (L-W); (4) lucerne–corn (Zea mays L.) (L-C); (6) lucerne–potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) (L-P); and (6) lucerne–millet (Setaria italica) (L-M). The same crops were grown each year after cultivation during 2013–2018. According to the findings, all rotation types gradually increased the soil water content, with the 0–110 cm soil layer experiencing the maximum soil water replenishment rate, followed by the 110–200 and 200–300 cm soil layers. After converting lucerne to crops, the amount of organic carbon, total nitrogen, and mineral nitrogen in the soil decreased, whereas total phosphorus and accessible phosphorus increased. Soil bulk density was reduced under rotation treatments. Soil water absolute restoration index was the highest under L-F, followed by L-C, L-W, L-P, and L-M. The rate of soil water recovery was 39.5, 33.0, 33.7, 33.5, 29, and 8.2 mm yr−1 under L-F, L-W, L-C, L-P, L-M, and L-L, respectively. The net economic return was greatest under L-C, followed by L-L, L-W, L-P, and L-M. From the analysis of the long-term experimental results, this study shows that the effect of soil water restoration is greatest when continuous alfalfa is converted into wheat, corn, and potato or fallow after 9 years. When the economic benefits and soil moisture recovery are considered comprehensively, corn sown in a ridge–furrow system with fully plastic film annual mulching is the most suitable field management practice after lucerne-to-crop conversion on the western Loess Plateau of China.

Inland waterways and their connections to marine transport systems constitute a substantial resource for the establishment of green infrastructures, flood prevention, and environmental conservation. However, these developments have numerous inherent environmental hazards such as water and air pollution, a loss of habitats, increased coastal erosion, the transfer of invasive species between connected watercourses and lakes, and the transport of pollutants through watercourses to coastal areas. Climate change may aggravate these environmental problems through changing temperatures, reduced precipitation, enhancing the adverse impact of excess nutrient discharge, and the entry of invasive species. In this study, we analyse the main European inland waterway corridors and their branches to assess the ecological viability of a pan-European inland waterway network. The environmental viability of such network depends on the right assessment of ecosystem services and protection of biodiversity. A model structure for landscape conservation, green infrastructure development, water replenishment, and ecosystem reconstruction is proposed, considering a sustainable combination of multimodal inland waterway and rail transport.

Northern China’s plantations have long played a role in providing ecological services to the people of China. Reliable detection and attribution of ecosystem water and energy exchange is a precondition to the development of strategies for the sustainable management of these plantations. Here, the seasonal and interannual variability in surface energy exchange and evapotranspiration (ET) over a young pine plantation was investigated using eddy-covariance measurements collected over a four-year period (2012–2015). Seasonal patterns in net radiation (Rn), latent (LE) and sensible heat fluxes (H) were largely similar over the four years. H was the dominant energy component, with LE exceeding H only during the mid-growing season. A significant share of Rn was allocated to H during the 2014 summer drought. Energy exchange for the young pine plantation was characterized by high Bowen ratios (β = H/LE; 6.28, 6.42, 5.65, and 5.34 for the four years), high H/Rn (0.37, 0.36, 0.36, and 0.30), and low LE/Rn (0.15, 0.17, 0.17, and 0.16), with mean annual values of 5.92, 0.35, and 0.16 for β, H/Rn, and LE/Rn, respectively. Daily maximum and annual ET were 4.8, 4.5, 4.1, and 3.3 mm day−1 and 328, 371, 290, and 326 mm for the four years, with a mean annual value of 329 mm. Seasonal variation in ET was strongly controlled by biological factors (i.e., bulk surface conductance and vegetation greenness and density, as characterized by the normalized difference vegetation index) regulated by soil water availability and water vapor pressure deficit (VPD). Evapotranspiration varied interannually and the evapotranspiration-to-precipitation ratio (ET/P) ranged from 0.79 to 1.62. Soil water replenishment through precipitation during the non-growing period of the previous year and mid-growing season of the current year was responsible for the interannual variation observed in ET. These results clearly indicate the importance of precipitation timing and soil moisture carry-over from previous years in controlling ecosystem energy and water vapor exchange. Irrigation during the spring and dry periods of the year is highly favorable for growth of plantation trees in northern China.

Janus structural interfacial vaporization by separating the solar absorber from the bulk working fluid has attracted tremendous attention due to its low heat losses and high solar conversion efficiency for desalination, water purification, energy generation, etc. However, a totally separated double-deck structure with a discontinuous interfacial transition and inefficient photothermic materials undermines its long-term use and large-scale practical exploitation. Herein, a low-cost Janus monolithic chitosan aerogel with continuous aligned run-through microchannels has been demonstrated to have a highly efficient photothermic effect on seawater desalination and wastewater purification. The top solar absorber layer enhances broadband light absorption and photothermal conversion efficiency via the multiple internal reflection of incident light in the aligned microchannels. Moreover, the insulating/hydrophilic bottom layer promotes water transportation and heat localization, and simultaneously prevents salt/fouling accumulation. As a result, a long-term solar vaporization rate of ∼1.76 kg m-2 h-1 is achieved, corresponding to a light-to-vapor efficiency of ∼91% under 1 sun irradiation. Notably, the large-vessel microchannels throughout the aerogel and favorable swelling property provide sufficient water replenishment and storage for completely isolating self-contained evaporation, illustrating an enhanced and time-extended self-contained solar steam generation. Such a low-cost bilayer aerogel with remarkable cycling stability in various fluids offers potential opportunities for freshwater production in remote rural areas.

Soil moisture (SM) plays a key role in hydrological processes and the distribution and growth status of vegetation in arid and semi-arid regions. An understanding of SM dynamics can help to better explain runoff and soil erosion processes, enable vegetation restoration, and improve water resources management. This study investigated SM changes under different land cover types on hillslopes using fine-scale (every 10 cm and every hour) SM monitoring data at Dun Mountain in the semi-arid Loess Plateau. It was found that the SM of each soil layer generally followed the order of bare land > grassland > forestland. The mean annual SM of grassland and forestland was 71.8 and 65.4% of that of bare land, respectively. The SM of bare land generally displayed an increasing trend with depth. The SM of grassland and forestland generally increased first and then decreased with increasing depth. The mean SM of all three land cover types in different soil layers was largest in autumn. In grassland and forestland, there was a higher soil water replenishment (653.02 and 608.39 mm) and consumption (576.77 and 555.70 mm) than the corresponding values for bare land during the four seasons. The amount of soil water replenished in grassland and forestland in summer was 1.32 and 1.21 times that of bare land, respectively. The cumulative amounts of frozen soil water in bare land, grassland, and forestland were 495.98, 334.78, and 213.15 mm, respectively. The SM distribution among the different soil layers exhibited a strong temporal stability. The effect of meteorological factors on actual evapotranspiration displayed significant seasonal differences. In conclusion, vegetation cover reduced the SM at the slope scale, but the reduction was discontinuous at the annual scale. The results contribute to clarify the seasonal difference in actual evapotranspiration and provide new insights into soil moisture retention and freeze–thaw process in arid region.

Porous bituminous pavement is an alternative road surfacing technology that allows water to permeate through pavement surface. The gradation of the pavement structure is kept such that it allows enough void between the aggregates particles for water to go through it freely. Porous bituminous pavement also decreases the surface runoff of nearby areas. This technique can also be used as an additional way of storm water mitigation and ground water replenishment. This paper has focused on replacing the conventional open graded bituminous mix with Low Dense Polyethylene (LDPE) coated aggregates under medium traffic load. Today waste plastic is vastly available and has become an inherent part of daily life. Apart from this, disintegration of pavement surface due to rainwater accumulation is a major problem presently. The focus of this study is to determine aggregate coated with Low Dense Polyethylene (LDPE) in open graded porous bituminous mix under medium traffic load to improve their performance. This paper also looks for an unconventional and effective way for safe disposal of waste plastic to check environmental degradation as well as to find moisture susceptibility of pavement under anti-stripping agent. In this study, dry process of aggregate coated with LDPE with three different plastic contents i.e. 0.50, 0.75 and 1% have been used for preparing open graded porous bituminous mixes. Marshall Mix design is performed for determining the Optimum Binder Content (OBC), Marshall Stability, Flow, Marshall Quotient for normal and modified samples and found that 0.50% LDPE content is giving desired value as compared to the normal one.

By surveying and evaluating the δD and δ18O values of the water in the source region of the Yangtze River and the Lancang River, the characteristics of the hydrogen and oxygen stable isotope composition have been analyzed. The results showed that the ranges of δD and δ18O values varied from −126.28‰ to −47.96‰ and −16.77‰ to −7.13‰. The standard deviation of δD and δ18O value are 18.58‰ and 2.34‰. The stability of δ18O value is better than δD. Atmospheric precipitation is the principal source of river water supply in the region. The Local Meteoric Water Line equation is δD = 7.73 δ18O + 4.81 (R2 = 0.96, n = 19). Due to strong evapotranspiration, its slope and intercept are smaller than the Global Meteoric Water Line. The strong evapotranspiration in the source regions causes most of the d-excess to be negative, and the ice-snow melt water replenishment feature causes some d-excess to be positive. δD and δ18O values in the source regions exhibited certain latitude effect and continental effect.

Gold mining plays an essential role on the social and economic development. However, mining activities leads to destructive changes in ground structure and biodiversity, triggering considerable environmental problems. This study proposed a field observation to evaluate the short-term efforts of the artificial restoration measures taken by the Two-River Source Nature Reserve Administration from 2010 to 2015 in an abandoned gold mining area in Altai Mountain, Northwest China. The effects of different ecological restoration measures on soil and vegetation recovery were examined by calculating the richness index, dominance index, diversity index, evenness index, aboveground biomass, vegetation coverage, species number and soil-rock ratio index of the recovered area. Further, a principal component analysis (PCA) was used to compare the efficiency of each artificial measure. The results showed that gold mining activities cause serious environmental degradation in natural landscapes. The soil-rock ratio of the abandoned mining area was reduced by 98% compared with the original grassland. The surface vegetation was destructively destroyed, and the surface soil was stripped. Restoration measures considerably improved ecological conditions, which were reflected by surface biomass, diversity index and the soil-rock ratio, as well as accelerated ecological rebuilding processes in abandoned mining areas. The ecological efficiency of the single restoration measures assessed, such as soil measures, water replenishment measures and biological measures, was not significant. The average values of various indexes of these measures showed lower values of 0.12–0.45. The combination of various measures can not only improve the soil environment but can also lead to changes in plant community diversity and significant ecological efficiency. This was reflected by the values of various indexes, which reached higher values of 0.4–1.21. As far as the same kind of restoration measure is considered, the longer the restoration period, the better the recovery effect.

Water-based lubricants with graphene have excellent lubrication behaviors, but the synergistic mechanism involving the activities of both water and graphene is still unclear. This work investigates such mechanism by considering the effect of different factors such as the number of water molecules, loading, surface roughness and sliding velocity via molecular dynamics simulation. It is found that the friction reduction by water-based lubricants is due to the enhanced isolation between friction pairs by the graphene presence and the improvement of water replenishment. The synergistic lubrication mechanism works as that the water molecules may protect the structural integrity of graphene by inducing its movement to release lateral stresses and the graphene can enhance the movement of water molecules and promote their rolling like bearings.

In May 2021, a group of students and young professionals from EuroMoonMars will construct a lunar-analogue habitat inside a lava tube in Iceland, known as CHILL-ICE. As a preparation for semi-permanent humanned missions to the lunar surface, analogue field tests on Earth will greatly improve the chance of a mission success. Looking at prospective habitat locations in or on the lunar surface, lava tubes may present an excellent opportunity in terms of safety and efficiency. These locally occurring features provide a rigid structure with a solid ground, and therefore offer protection from radiation, temperature variations, regolith, and micrometeorite impacts [1]. Furthermore, the unaltered rocks and minerals inside lunar lava tube systems will grant a unique insight into the origin of the Moon, and with that, the Earth [2]. Lava Tubes Lava tubes on Earth are most commonly found in areas with deep-mantle volcanic activity, such as ‘hot spots’: places where mantle plumes arrive at the surface (Hawaii, Iceland, Canary Islands). Geochemically speaking, the basaltic rocks present at these locations on Earth are quite comparable to their lunar counterparts in major element compositions. As most of the larger lava tubes on Earth are located on oceanic islands, they are highly suited to explore the psychological factors of being remotely distanced from the rest of the Earth. Colder regions, such as on Iceland or at the high peaks of Mauna Loa on Hawaii, are preferred for analogue habitats due to less biochemical weathering of the environment. The high latitude of Iceland further aids the lunar-day simulation aspect of an analogue habitat, as there can be over 20 hours of sunlight in the summer, and only 4 hours of sunlight in the winter. The EuroMoonMars and future EXTAR teams are therefore planning to set up a lunar-analogue habitat inside a lava tube on Iceland. Earlier campaigns In September 2018, a reconnaissance campaign was organized to scout multiple lava fields across Iceland for their suitability to host a lunar analog habitat [3]. The most promising site found was the Surtshellir-Stefanshellir cave system in the Hallmundarhraun lava flow in the Western part of Iceland, see Figure 1. At the easternmost part of the Stefanshellir lava tube, there is a large open gallery with a relatively flat surface within the tube. This would be an optimal location for the construction of a lava tube habitat. Figure 1: Location of the Stefanshellir cave system. Top left image shows the location in Iceland, top right shows the Hallmundarhraun lava field (in light yellow). Bottom right shows an overlay of the Stefanshellir cave system as drawn by J.R. Reich jr., in 1975, over aerial footage. Upcoming scout mission This year a follow-up scout mission to the lava tube systems of Hallmundarhraun is planned for the 28th of June until the 4th of July 2020. The main goal is to investigate the lava tube and its direct surroundings into a much greater detail. Inside Stefanshellir, the aim is to make at least two 180-degree 3D movies for a virtual walkthrough tour, take precise measurements of the dimensions of the gallery, and 360 degrees pictures for a model. On the surface, the focus lies on making aerial maps to scout for visible signs of the subsurface lava tubes [4] and setting up communications and solar observational antennae. Besides investigations regarding the lunar analog mission, geological fieldwork to the lava field will be performed to create a clearer reconstruction between Stefanshellir and other lava tubes within Hallmundarhraun. Directly located to the east of Stefanshellir, lies Surtshellir, a maze-like cave that is unlikely to have formed in one event. Another lava tube is located directly to the west, called Hulduhellir, or “secret cave” [5], as it has no openings to the surface and is known only through ground penetrating radar and magnetometric studies. There are in total another seven lava tubes in the lava flow confirmed and discovered thus far, but it is likely that there are other, still pristine and unopened lava tubes yet to be found. Simulation mission The final lunar analog habitat will be constructed end of May 2021. Besides earlier campaign objectives, the simulation mission will focus on the feasibility of setting up a lunar tube habitat in-sim. This means that the habitat should be deployable by four astronauts in a tight and possibly dark environment within ten hours. Other instruments will be deployed out of simulation, this would compare to the deployment of instruments via robotic missions in earlier stages of lunar habitation. Figure 2 provides a rough overview sketch of some crucial instruments used in the simulation mission. Figure 2: Rough sketch of the planned base for the CHILL-ICE campaign in May 2021. The subsurface habitat’s shape is still to be determined and will not (yet) include any large life support systems, such as greenhouses or water replenishment systems. On the surface, several instruments will be deployed out-of-simulation; comparable to robotic deployment in lunar missions. Even with a lightweight, partially inflatable, habitat, this is expected to take up the largest part of the first mission. From the ten days set out for the campaign, only two and a half day will be spent in simulation; the rest of time will be to conduct further research to the terrain and its origin, other ISRU objectives, drone mapping, communication protocols, solar observations, (aerial) gravimetric, LIDAR, and magnetometric studies, and of course training in setting up the habitat locally in an efficient and safe manner. We would like to thank Space Iceland, 4th Planet Logistics, Prof. Bernard Foing, EuroMoonMars, and ILEWG for their great support during our campaign.[1] M.V. Heemskerk et al., LPSC50, #1693, (2019) [2] C.L. York et al., LPI Joint Workshop on New Technologies for Lunar Resource Assessment, (1992) [3] M.V. Heemskerk et al., EGU2019-17503-1, (2019) [4] P. Lee et al., LPSC50, #3118, (2019) [5] C. Wood et al., Expedition Report Hallmundarhraun 2003 Iceland, (2004)

Wildfire could result in dramatic changes to soil temperatures and environments, with immediate, short- or long-lasting impacts on soil microbes. However, relatively little research has documented how fire disturbance, soil depth, time variation and their interactions affect soil microbial communities in wet conditions. This study investigated a severe wildfire influenced on bacterial and fungal communities at four soil depths (0–5, 5–10, 10–15 and 15–20 cm) after two quarters (with similar precipitation and exactly during the rainy season). Soil sampling was conducted in a burned site relative to an undisturbed contiguous site in the North China artificial Pinus tabulaeformis forest. Results indicated that fire had significant effects on bacterial and fungal richness, diversity, composition and structure, including most impacts on the surface mineral soil (0–5 cm) within the first period post-fire and minor impacts on the subsoils (5–20 cm) up to the second period. The microbial richness and some dominant taxa in the undisturbed soils changed with time and depth, suggesting spatiotemporal variation in soil microbial communities although the effects of rainfall were weakened. These differences in microbes between burned and undisturbed soils were mainly driven by soil pH, whereas organic matter and available potassium mediated the distribution of microbial communities along depth and time, respectively. In addition, fungal community was more sensitive to fire and time than bacterial community but an opposite result was found in depth. Nevertheless, soil microbes showed some signs of adaptation to fire. This work advocate that non-intervention should be considered in the short term after a fire or low-intensity water replenishment in the case of aridity.

Hongjiannao lake is the largest desert fresh water lake in China and the largest breeding and habitat of relict gulls in the world. On the basis of remote sensing images, a high-precision long-time series lake area continuous monitoring data set was constructed from 1973 to 2019. On this basis, the temporal and spatial evolution law of lake area and the coupling relationship with natural factors and human activities were studied. At the same time, the effectiveness monitoring of protection measures implemented since 2012 was realized. The results show that: (1) from 1973 to 2019, the area of Hongjiannao lake experienced three stages (relatively stable period (1973-1997) - shrinking period (1997-2015) - expanding period (2015-2019)). (2) The shrinkage of Hongjiannao lake is mainly caused by human factors, followed by natural factors. Among them, human factors are mainly composed of the upstream river construction reservoir, industrial development water and the increase of water demand for vegetation growth. (3) For the first time, the preliminary results of the protection measures implemented since 2012 are analyzed. It is mainly reflected in the first positive growth of Hongjiannao Lake area since the long-term shrinkage in 2016. This phenomenon is mainly caused by measures such as artificial precipitation increase and ecological water replenishment on the surface of upstream reservoir. Climate change (high evaporation and low precipitation) and human activities (upstream water conservancy project construction, coal mining, highway construction around the lake, irrigation water consumption, etc.) are the key factors leading to the change of lake water area in the shrinking period. It is suggested that artificial precipitation increase and surface ecological water supplement normalization should be carried out in the study area, as well as scientific and reasonable utilization of water resources in the basin to effectively restrain the shrinking of Hongjiannao lake area, so as to achieve long-term sustainable restoration of wetland ecology.

Solar driven interfacial evaporation has received extensive attention as a very promising desalination technique to solve the fresh water shortage crisis. However, salt-fouling and poor stability during long-term solar desalination seriously hinder applications of solar evaporators. In addition, most of the reported evaporators rely on expensive materials and complex preparation processes. Here, we report facile preparation of polydimethylsiloxane/carbon nanotubes (PDMS/CNTs) modified melamine solar evaporators for efficient steam generation and desalination. The elastic solar evaporators feature (i) macroporous network with rough skeleton owing to phase separation of PDMS, high solar absorbance (99%) and excellent photothermal performance, low thermal conductivity (0.032 W m−1 K−1), and (iii) unique wettability (hydrophobic upper surface and hydrophilic lower part). Consequently, the evaporators have an evaporation rate of 1.44 kg m−2 h−1 and a solar-to-vapor conversion efficiency of 84% for solar evaporation of deionized water under 1 sun illumination. Interestingly, the evaporators show similar solar evaporation performance for saline water compared to deionized water. Moreover, the evaporators show excellent salt-resistance and stability during long-term continuous solar desalination owing to rapid water replenishment in the evaporators. The evaporators may find practical applications in solar desalination because of the merits of the evaporators and the simple preparation method.

The shrub species, Artemisia ordosica, commonly occurs in the eastern Hobq desert. Here, we used a micrometeorological observation system to continuously monitor the rainfall and soil water content in 0-10, 10-30, and 30-50 cm soil layers during the growing season from 2016 to 2018. The dynamic spatial and temporal changes in soil water content under different rainfall patterns were examined, and the replenishing effects of rainfall events on soil water content and water infiltration characteristics were analyzed. The results showed that soil water content of the surface layer in the A. ordosica community had significant seasonal and vertical variation under rainfall fluctuation. Rainfall amount and soil water content before rain were the main factors controlling soil water replenishment and infiltration. The soil surface layer (0-10 cm) was sensitive to rainfall, and the rainfall of 3.8 mm began to replenish this layer. The responses of 10-30 cm soil layer to rainfall was slower, more than 8.6 mm rainfall being needed for effective replenishment. The response of the 30-50 cm soil layer to rainfall was even more delayed, and replenishment at this depth could not be achieved until the rainfall exceeded 11.8 mm. The water infiltration rate increased with rainfall amount and decreased with soil depth, while water infiltration depth was positively correlated with the rainfall amount and soil water content before rainfall. During the study period, rainfall of10 mm occurred predominantly, accounting for 78.4% of the total rainfall events. The rainfall mainly replenished soil layer above 30 cm, and the replenishment of deep soil was very limited, which was not conducive to the growth of deep-rooted species. Therefore, rainfall patterns directly affected the composition, distribution, and succession of plant communities in this area.以库布齐沙漠东缘典型分布的油蒿灌丛为对象,使用微气象观测系统连续监测2016—2018年生长季降雨及多层次土壤含水量(0～10、10～30、30～50 cm),研究不同降雨格局下荒漠土壤水分的时空动态变化,分析降雨事件对土壤水分的补给作用和水分入渗特征。结果表明: 油蒿灌丛浅层土壤含水量在降雨脉动下产生明显的季节和垂直变化,雨量和雨前土壤含水量是影响土壤水分补给和入渗的主控因素。0～10 cm土层土壤对降雨反馈迅速,3.8 mm降雨对该层产生补给作用;10～30 cm土层土壤对降雨反馈稍显迟滞,需8.6 mm以上降雨才能产生有效补给;30～50 cm土层土壤对降雨反馈更加滞后,降雨量超过11.8 mm后才能达到该补给深度。水分入渗速率随雨量增大而升高,随土层加深而减弱,入渗深度与雨量和雨前土壤含水量均呈显著正相关。研究期间,降雨事件以10 mm降雨为主,占总降雨次数的78.4%,降雨对土壤的补给主要作用于30 cm以内土层,对深层土壤的补给十分有限,不利于深根性植物生长,降雨格局直接影响和改变了研究区植物群落的构成、分布和演替。.

Objetivo. As populações de Aedes aegypti apresentam elevada adaptabilidade ocupando, nos ambientes urbanos, variados tipos de habitats. Realizou-se o estudo com o objetivo de avaliar a produtividade desses criadouros. Método. A pesquisa foi realizada no município de Santos, entre novembro de 1999 e abril de 2000. Os imóveis foram avaliados quanto à presença de recipientes e ocupação por Aedes aegypti, e caracterizados quanto ao tipo de material, localização, quantidade de água e sua reposição. As larvas (3° e 4° estadios) e as pupas foram quantificadas e a biomassa das pupas foi medida. Foram estimados indicadores de infestação e os grupos de recipientes considerados foram avaliados mediante testes de comparações múltiplas. Resultados. A disponibilidade foi elevada e os habitats estavam localizados predominantemente no peridomicílio, ambiente que concentrou 90,8% dos recipientes positivos e 94,0% dos exemplares coletados. Os grupos de recipientes ralo, frasco e vaso foram os habitats mais freqüentes. Indicadores baseados na quantidade de larvas e de popas apresentaram correlação com o índice de Breteau. O número médio de larvas diferenciou os grupos de recipientes pneu, tambor, caixa d\'água e calha que apresentaram valores mais elevados. Em relação à biomassa das popas foram distinguidos, entre outros, os grupos caixa d\'água, calha e ralo, cujos exemplares apresentaram maior peso. Apenas 8, 7% dos habitats foram responsáveis por 52% das popas coletadas. Conclusões. A avaliação dos habitats com base na presença da espécie pode levar à subestimação ou superestimação da importância de determinados tipos. A quantificação e a biomassa de pupas indicam a contribuição dos diferentes habitats para a população de mosquitos adultos. Apresentaram maior produtividade os habitats dos grupos caixa d\'água, calha, ralo, pneu e tambor. Objective. Aedes aegypti populations present a high degree of adaptability, and in urban environments occupy various kinds of habitats. This study was undertaken to assess the productivity of these breeding sites. Method. The project was carried out in the municipality of Santos between November 1999 and April 2000. The buildings were assessed as to the presence of containers and the incidence of Aedes aegypti. Containers were characterized by type of material, placement, amount of water and rate of water replenishment. Larvae (3rd and 4th instars) and pupae were colleted and counted and the biomass of the pupae was measured. Infestation indicators were estimated and the groups of containers were assessed by means of multiple comparison tests. Results. Availability was high and the containers were mainly situated in the peridomiciliar environment in which were concentrated more than 90,8% of the positive recipients and 94,0% of the examples collected. The groups of recipients drain, vessel and vase were the most frequent habitats. Quantitative indicators correlated with the Breteau index. The average number of larvae differentiated the groups of recipients tire, drum, water-tank and gutter as those, which presented the highest values. As regards biomass the groups water-tank, gutter and drain stood out as those which, among others, contained the highest weight of specimens. A few of the habitats (8,7%) accounted for 52,0% of the pupae collected. Conclusions. Assessment of habitats based on the presence of Aedes aegypti leads either to an underestimate or an overestimate of the importance of particular types of habitats. The quantification and the biomass of pupae serve for measuring the relative contribution of the various habitats to the adult mosquito population. Groups of indicators recipients water-tank, gutter, drain, tire and drum were considered the more productivity.

We have developed a water harvesting condensation particle counter (WHCPC) using lab-on-printed circuit board (PCB) technology. Our method provides an inexpensive, compact, and highly accurate system for the ubiquitous monitoring of airborne ultrafine particles (UFPs). Lab-on-PCB-based WHCPC uses water as the working fluid to monitor harmless UFPs; it does not require water replenishment using a moderated water condensation method. Lab-on-PCB-based WHCPC consists of two main parts, a UFP growth section and a mini-OPC, through which UFPs are grown into micro-sized droplets and the grown droplets are single-counted. The UFP growth section consists of two PCBs and a 3D-printed channel. The heater, temperature sensor, and hydrophilic micropillar array wick, which are essential for the growth of UFPs, are integrated on the PCBs. Simulations were performed to verify the saturated-air generation and water collection in the UFP growth section. The dew points of the inlet and outlet air samples were measured to verify water collection using the moderated water condensation method. Through quantitative experiments using UFPs artificially generated in the laboratory, particles of 9.4 nm could be counted. It was possible to precisely measure the number concentration (2500–270000 N cm−3) over a wide range. In addition, the stability of the proposed system was confirmed through a long-term comparison with the reference CPC in an outdoor environment. The proposed system realized the sensorization of CPC because it could monitor harmless UFPs, with minimal maintenance; the proposed system is also inexpensive and compact.

With the changes of economic society and human activities to the natural environment, the impact of saltwater intrusion becomes more frequent and the degree of harm becomes more serious. The Yangtze River Estuary is a densely populated and economically developed area in China, but in terms of water resources utilization, the Yangtze River Estuary is often suffering from saltwater intrustion in dry season. As the backbone of the cascade reservoirs in the Yangtze River Basin, the scientific operation of the Three Gorges Reservoir plays an active role in reducing the saltwater intrusion in the Yangtze River Estuary. Therefore, based on the analysis of the characteristics of Yangtze River Estuary, this paper sums up the variations of saltwater intrusion and discusses the main dynamic factors of saltwater intrusion. In addition, it explores the internal relationship between the upstream water volume and the saltwater intrusion. It takes the allocation of the fresh water resources by the water resources regulation of the Three Gorges Reservoir as a main discussing point. In the end, this paper focuses on the countermeasures and effect of emergency water replenishment on the saltwater intrusion in the Yangtze River Estuary.

The intense drought affecting olive production in Northern Chile underscores the need to research non-traditional irrigation strategies to obtain the best crop performance. Accordingly, this study aimed to obtain preliminary data to guide future research on this topic. Different water replenishment levels on crop evapotranspiration (ETc; 13.5, 27.0, 40.5, and 54%) were established in a young orchard, cv. Arbequina, from the end of fruit drop (EFD) to full bloom in the next season. We evaluated the influence of plant water status (Ψstem) and crop load, considered as function of fruit number divided by trunk cross-sectional area, on reproductive and productive variables using multiple linear regressions. Our results show that crop load and Ψstem measured from EFD to harvest affected yield components. Nevertheless, Ψstem had the strongest influence on fruit size, pulp development, oil accumulation, and yield. Oil content and yield were reduced by 54% and 50% for each MPa, respectively, from Ψstem EFD-H − 1.8 MPa, an effect that intensified as crop load increased. During the period of flower development (September–November), the number of flowers per inflorescence and percentage of perfect flowers were reduced when Ψstem was less than − 2.0 MPa. These preliminary results showed that bud differentiation, inflorescence and flower formation are highly sensitive to water deficit.

Given the global water challenges, solar-driven steam generation has become a renewed topic recently as an energy-efficient way for clean water production. Here, a hybrid plasmonic structure consisting of a top layer of TiN nanoparticles (NPs) and a bottom layer of mesoporous anodized alumina membrane (AAM) was rationally designed and fabricated. The top TiN NPs with broadband light absorption acted as a plasmonic heating layer, which converted the absorbed light to heat efficiently for interfacial water heating. The AAM acted as the mechanical support layer, guaranteeing the heat isolation and continuous water replenishment. With optimized thickness of the TiN top layer, a solar steam generation efficiency of 87.7% was achieved in this study. This efficiency is comparable or even higher than prior studies. The current work proves the capability of the TiN NPs as an alternative photothermal material.

Anticipating vineyard irrigation requirements in future climates is of strategic importance to maintain sustainability and wine regional identity. In the context of worldwide warming and climate-driven shifts in amount and seasonality of rainfall, we investigate the interactive effects of warming and water deficit on vine transpiration. Transpiration of Shiraz vines was measured with thermal dissipation sap flow probes in a factorial experiment combining two thermal (heated with open-top chambers and control at ambient temperature) and two water regimes (wet and dry). Increased vapour pressure deficit (VPD) and canopy size in heated vines led to higher transpiration rates in irrigated vines during the first season. However, faster depletion of soil water by highly transpiring vines, followed by insufficient soil water replenishment by rain and irrigation, resulted in a negative feedback on vine transpiration the following season when heated vines were more water stressed than controls. The effect of warming was thus reversed the second season, with higher transpiration under ambient temperature. Therefore, dry soil, we suggest, could over-ride the effect of warming on the other variables driving transpiration (VPD, canopy size, and possibly stomatal conductance). Water scheduling will need to incorporate increased water demand under elevated temperature to maintain grapevine production in the long term.

The purpose of this article is to analyze the problem and the reasons of the regional and moreover global process of the aridity, which consequences have become more expressive and observed in the last five years, especially in agriculture. The work demonstrates obvious facts of the moist humid areas aridity. An important point of the article is consideration of the graph of the dynamics of the annual amounts of atmospheric precipitation for the last 48 years with the trend to increase. That fact led to the conclusion that the main problem of the aridity of the area was not a decrease in precipitation. The main reason was natural, historical and water management; the lack of millennial fluvial glacial water replenishment; the total drainage reclamation in 1960–1980 and agriculture intensification. It was proposed to apply the methods of slowing the rapid removal of water from surface runoff; bilateral differentiated on geo complex water reclamation methods and water thrift methods of managing in the vast region. Key words: the aridity, drainage reclamation, atmospheric precipitation, evaporation, slowing the rapid removal of water from surface runoff, water thrift managing.