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As more aquifer storage and recovery (ASR) systems are employed for management of water resources, the skillful operation of multiwell ASR systems has become very important to improve their performance. In this study, we developed MODFLOW and MT3DMS models to simulate a multiwell ASR system in a synthetic aquifer to assess effects of hydrogeological and operational factors on the performance of the multiwell ASR system. We evaluated a simplified (dual well) ASR system in comparison with complex system (three‐, four‐, five‐, and seven‐well systems). Recovery and energy efficiencies were calculated using the model simulations. Factors such as higher hydraulic conductivity and longitudinal dispersivity significantly reduced the recovery and energy efficiencies of the system. In contrast, increasing the volume of recharged water increased the recovery efficiency; however, the energy efficiency was reduced. Recovery and energy efficiencies also plummet when there is an increase in the underlying regional gradient and the designed storage duration. Operating the system multiple times can yield higher volume of potable water, but the energy efficiency may not vary significantly after the second operating cycle. Single‐well systems and multiwell systems exhibit similar responses to changes in physical factors, although operational factors have a more pronounced effect on the multiwell systems. One of the major findings was that fewer wells in a multiwell ASR system can yield higher volume of potable water and better output with respect to the electrical power being consumed. The results provide design engineers with guidelines for optimizing performance of the multiwell ASR systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study updates the multi‐layered Community Land Model (CLM‐ml) for hillslopes and compares predictions from against observations collected in tropical montane rainforest, Costa Rica. Modifications are made in order to capture a wider array of vertical leaf area distributions, predict CO2 profiles, account for soil respiration, and adjust wind forcings for difficult topographic settings. Test results indicate that the modified multi‐layer CLM model can successfully replicate the shape of various micrometeorological profiles (humidity, CO2, temperature, and wind speed) under the canopy. In the single‐layer models (CLM4.5 and CLM5), excessive day‐to‐night differences in leaf temperature and leaf wetness were originally noted, but CLM‐ml significantly improved these issues, decreasing the amplitudes of diurnal cycles by 67% and 47%. Sub‐canopy considerations, such as canopy shapes and turbulent transfer parameters, also played a significant role in model performance. More importantly, unlike single layer models, the results that CLM‐ml produces can be compared to variables measured within the canopy to provide far more detailed diagnostic information. Further observations and model developments, aimed at reflecting surface heterogeneity, will be necessary to adequately capture the complexity and the features of the tropical montane rainforest. Plain Language Summary: This study is to improve and examine a multi‐layered land‐surface model for a better understanding of the surface process and advanced future climate prediction. This study was made through comparison with a single‐layer model and with site observations about a tropical montane rainforest in Costa Rica. To apply the multi‐layer model at this site, we updated a vertical leaf distribution and turbulence scheme and added the CO2 profile and soil respiration scheme. The study showed the multi‐layer model could more correctly reflect the site uniqueness (e.g., extremely wet) and the complexity by hillslope, compared to the single‐layer model. Key Points: Multi‐layered Community Land Model (CLM‐ml) v0 was updated and compared to observations across a vertical profile in the tropical montane rainforestCLM‐ml reasonably estimates key micrometeorological variablesVertical leaf‐distributions and turbulence play a significant role in land‐atmosphere interactions [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study compares the performance of the Community Land Models (CLM4.5 and CLM5) against tower and ground measurements from a tropical montane rainforest in Costa Rica. The study site receives over 4000 mm of mean annual precipitation and has high daily levels of relative humidity. The measurement tower is equipped with eddy-covariance and vertical profile systems able to measure various micrometeorological variables, particularly in wet and complex terrain. In this work, results from point-scale simulations for both CLM4.5 and its updated version (CLM5) are compared to observed canopy flux and micrometeorological data. Both models failed to capture the effects of frequent rainfall events and mountainous topography on the variables of interest (temperatures, leaf wetness, and fluxes). Overall, CLM5 alleviates some errors in CLM4.5, but CLM5 still cannot precisely simulate a number of canopy processes for this forest. Soil, air, and canopy temperatures, as well as leaf wetness, remain too sensitive to incoming solar radiation rates despite updates to the model. As a result, daytime vapor flux and carbon flux are overestimated, and modeled temperature differences between day and night are higher than those observed. Slope effects appear in the measured average diurnal variations of surface albedo and carbon flux, but CLM5 cannot simulate these features. This study suggests that both CLMs still require further improvements concerning energy partitioning processes, such as leaf wetness process, photosynthesis model, and aerodynamic resistance model for wet and mountainous regions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study compares the performance of the Community Land Models (CLM4.5 and CLM5) against tower and ground measurements from a tropical montane rainforest in Costa Rica. The study site receives over 4,000 mm of mean annual precipitation and has high daily levels of relative humidity. The measurement tower is equipped with eddy-covariance and vertical profile systems able to measure various micrometeorological variables, particularly in wet and complex terrain. In this work, results from point-scale simulation for both CLM4.5 and its updated version (CLM5) are compared to observed canopy flux and micro-meteorological data. Both models failed to capture the effects of frequent rainfall events and mountainous topography on the variables of interest (temperatures, leaf wetness, and fluxes). Overall, CLM5 alleviates some errors in CLM4.5 but CLM5 still cannot precisely simulate a number of canopy processes for this forest. Soil, air, and canopy temperatures, as well as leaf wetness, remain too sensitive to incoming solar radiation rates despite updates to the model. As a result, daytime vapor flux and carbon flux are overestimated, and modeled temperature differences between day and night are higher than those observed. Slope effects appear in the measured average diurnal variations of surface albedo and carbon flux, but CLM5 cannot simulate these features. This study suggests that both CLM models still require further improvements concerning energy partitioning processes, such as leaf wetness process, photosynthesis model, and aerodynamic resistance model for wet and mountainous regions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights • Belowground processes in Earth system models continue to present challenges. • ParFlow.CLM modified to include more realistic root water uptake functions. • New model capable of predicting groundwater uptake, hydraulic redistribution. • Model compares favorably to eight years of data from AmeriFlux site in California. • Improved prediction of latent heat fluxes in drylands with phreatophytes. Abstract Several new functions representing groundwater dependent vegetation were incorporated into a coupled subsurface-land surface model, ParFlow.CLM, in order to adequately describe groundwater water uptake, hydraulic redistribution, and plant water stress. The modified model was used to conduct three-dimensional, stand-scale simulations of a Mediterranean oak savanna in California. It performed well and captured daily, hourly and spatial water and energy dynamics, as well as groundwater evapotranspiration rates. The new model was then compared to various approaches, the original ParFlow.CLM and a version using a root water uptake compensation equation. During the dry season, the modified model closely predicted the measured transpiration rate while the original model predicted that it would become zero and the compensation approach overestimated it by nearly double. The modified model also allowed for analysis of several key ecohydrological processes, namely the hydraulic redistribution when plants were both active and dormant, the leaf water potential, and xylem cavitation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While it is reasonable to predict that photosynthetic rates are inhibited while leaves are wet, leaf gas exchange measurements during wet conditions are challenging to obtain due to equipment limitations and the complexity of canopy-atmosphere interactions in forested environments. Thus, the objective of this study was to evaluate responses of seven tropical and three semiarid savanna plant species to simulated leaf wetness and test the hypotheses that (i) leaf wetness reduces photosynthetic rates (Anet), (ii) leaf traits explain different responses among species and (iii) leaves from wet environments are better adapted for wet leaf conditions than those from drier environments. The two sites were a tropical rainforest in northern Costa Rica with ~4200 mm annual rainfall and a savanna in central Texas with ~1100 mm. Gas exchange measurements were collected under dry and wet conditions on five sun-exposed leaf replicates from each species. Additional measurements included leaf wetness duration and stomatal density. We found that Anet responses varied greatly among species, but all plants maintained a baseline of activity under wet leaf conditions, suggesting that abaxial leaf Anet was a significant percentage of total leaf Anet for amphistomatous species. Among tropical species, Anet responses immediately after wetting ranged from -31% (Senna alata (L.) Roxb.) to +21% (Zamia skinneri Warsz. Ex. A. Dietr.), while all savanna species declined (up to -48%). After 10 min of drying, most species recovered Anet towards the observed status prior to wetting or surpassed it, with the exception of Quercus stellata Wangenh., a savanna species, which remained 13% below Anet dry. The combination of leaf wetness duration and leaf traits, such as stomatal density, trichomes or wax, most likely influenced Anet responses positively or negatively. There was also overlap between leaf traits and Anet responses of savanna and tropical plants. It is possible that these species converge on a relatively conservative response to wetness, each for divergent purposes (cooling, avoiding stomatal occlusion, or by several unique means of rapid drying). A better understanding of leaf wetness inhibiting photosynthesis is vital for accurate modeling of growth in forested environments; however, species adapted for wet environments may possess compensatory traits that mitigate these effects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study presents the results of a survey of new civil engineering students at a large, conservative, land-grant university. Students were asked a set of questions about engineering ethics and professional issues; these were designed to determine their opinions on the relative importance of sustainability in the professional practice of engineering. Of 192 students approached, 130 (67%) completed the survey, with participant demographics resembling that of the department as a whole. Students viewed sustainability favorably, with nearly all agreeing (43%) or strongly agreeing (55%) with the statement "engineers should strive to comply with the principles of sustainable development in the performance of their duties." When asked to rank a set of societal priorities, students valued people-centric objectives (e.g., quality of human life) most highly followed by planet-centric objectives (e.g., quality of the environment). Prosperity-centric objectives (e.g., economic growth) were rated the lowest. Students from ethnic minorities ranked the objectives in ways significantly different (p < 0.05) from the overall group, as did students intending to specialize in the subdisciplines of environmental engineering, water resources engineering, and geotechnical engineering. Gender appeared to have no effect on student views of sustainability or societal priorities. These findings have positive implications for the receptiveness and responsiveness of civil engineering students to sustainability education, particularly where affective, or behavioral-based, learning outcomes are desired. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The heat pulse method is widely used to measure water flux through plants; it works by using the speed at which a heat pulse is propagated through the system to infer the velocity of water through a porous medium. No systematic, non-destructive calibration procedure exists to determine the site-specific parameters necessary for calculating sap velocity, e.g., wood thermal diffusivity and probe spacing. Such parameter calibration is crucial to obtain the correct transpiration flux density from the sap flow measurements at the plant scale and subsequently to upscale tree-level water fluxes to canopy and landscape scales. The purpose of this study is to present a statistical framework for sampling and simultaneously estimating the tree's thermal diffusivity and probe spacing from in situ heat response curves collected by the implanted probes of a heat ratio measurement device. Conditioned on the time traces of wood temperature following a heat pulse, the parameters are inferred using a Bayesian inversion technique, based on the Markov chain Monte Carlo sampling method. The primary advantage of the proposed methodology is that it does not require knowledge of probe spacing or any further intrusive sampling of sapwood. The Bayesian framework also enables direct quantification of uncertainty in estimated sap flow velocity. Experiments using synthetic data show that repeated tests using the same apparatus are essential for obtaining reliable and accurate solutions. When applied to field conditions, these tests can be obtained in different seasons and can be automated using the existing data logging system. Empirical factors are introduced to account for the influence of non-ideal probe geometry on the estimation of heat pulse velocity, and are estimated in this study as well. The proposed methodology may be tested for its applicability to realistic field conditions, with an ultimate goal of calibrating heat ratio sap flow systems in practical applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Soil moisture data, obtained from four AmeriFlux sites in the US, were examined using an ecohydrological framework. Sites were selected for the analysis to provide a range of plant functional type, climate, soil particle size distribution, and time series of data spanning a minimum of two growing seasons. Soil moisture trends revealed the importance of measuring water content at several depths throughout the rooting zone; soil moisture at the surface (0–10cm) was approximately 20–30% less than that at 50–60cm. A modified soil moisture dynamics model was used to generate soil moisture probability density functions at each site. Model calibration results demonstrated that the commonly used soil matric potential values for finding the vegetation stress point and field content may not be appropriate, particularly for vegetation adapted to a water-controlled environment. Projections of future soil moisture patterns suggest that two of the four sites will become severely stressed by climate change induced alterations to the precipitation regime. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Hydraulic fracturing (HF) events consume high volumes of water over a short time. When groundwater is the source, the additional pumping by rig/frack supply wells (RFSWs) may impose costs on owners of other sector wells (OSWs) by lowering the hydraulic head. The Carrizo–Wilcox aquifer in south Texas is the main source of water for HF of the Eagle Ford Shale (EFS) Play. The objectives are to assess the impacts of groundwater pumping for HF supply on: (1) hydraulic heads in OSWs located nearby an RFSW and (2) volumetric fluxes between layers of the regional aquifer system compared to a baseline model without the effect of RFSW pumping. The study area spans the footprint of the EFS Play in Texas and extends from 2011 to 2020. The pumping schedules of 2500 RFSWs were estimated from reported pumped water volumes to supply 22,500 HF events. Median annual drawdowns in OSWs ranged from 0.2 to 6.6 m, whereas 95th percentile annual drawdowns exceeded 20 m. The magnitudes of drawdown increased from 2011 to 2020. Of the four layers that comprise the Carrizo–Wilcox aquifer, the upper Wilcox was the most intensively pumped for HF supply. During the peak HF year of 2014, the net flux to the upper Wilcox was 292 Mm3 compared to the baseline net flux for the same year of 278 Mm3—a relative gain of 14 Mm3. Pumping for HF supply has the potential to negatively impact nearby OSWs by capturing water from adjacent aquifer layers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ecosystems which rely on either the surface expression or subsurface presence of groundwater are known as groundwater-dependent ecosystems ( GDEs). A comprehensive inventory of GDE locations at an appropriate management scale is a necessary first-step for sustainable management of supporting aquifers; however, this information is unavailable for most areas of concern. To address this gap, this study created a two-step algorithm which analyzed existing geospatial and remote sensing data to identify potential GDEs at both state/province and aquifer/basin scales. At the state/province scale, a geospatial information system ( GIS) database was constructed for Texas, including climate, topography, hydrology, and ecology data. From these data, a GDE index was calculated, which combined vegetative and hydrological indicators. The results indicated that central Texas, particularly the Edwards Aquifer region, had highest potential to host GDEs. Next, an aquifer/basin scale remote sensing-based algorithm was created to provide more detailed maps of GDEs in the Edwards Aquifer region. This algorithm used Landsat ETM+ and MODIS images to track the changes of NDVI for each vegetation pixel. The NDVI dynamics were used to identify the vegetation with high potential to use groundwater-such plants remain high NDVI during extended dry periods and also exhibit low seasonal and inter-annual NDVI changes between dry and wet seasons/years. The results indicated that 8% of natural vegetation was very likely using groundwater. Of the potential GDEs identified, 75% were located on shallow soil averaging 45 cm in depth. The dominant GDE species were live oak, ashe juniper, and mesquite. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Morphology reflects ecological pressures, phylogeny, and genetic and biophysical constraints. Disentangling their influence is fundamental to understanding selection and trait evolution. Here, we assess the contributions of function, phylogeny, and habitat to patterns of plastron (ventral shell) shape variation in emydine turtles. We quantify shape variation using geometric morphometrics, and determine the influence of several variables on shape using path analysis. Factors influencing plastron shape variation are similar between emydine turtles and the more inclusive Testudinoidea. We evaluate the fit of various evolutionary models to the shape data to investigate the selective landscape responsible for the observed morphological patterns. The presence of a hinge on the plastron accounts for most morphological variance, but phylogeny and habitat also correlate with shape. The distribution of shape variance across emydine phylogeny is most consistent with an evolutionary model containing two adaptive zones-one for turtles with kinetic plastra, and one for turtles with rigid plastra. Models with more complex adaptive landscapes often fit the data only as well as the null model (purely stochastic evolution). The adaptive landscape of plastron shape in Emydinae may be relatively simple because plastral kinesis imposes overriding mechanical constraints on the evolution of form. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]