Water Management Applications for Satellite Precipitation Products: Synthesis and Recommendations

This article is an assessment of the current state of the art and relative utility of satellite precipitation products (SPPs) for hydrologic applications to support water management decisions. We present a review of SPPs, their accuracy in diverse settings including the influence of geography, topography, and weather systems, as well as the pros and cons of their use for different water management applications. At the end of this broad synthesizing effort, recommendations are proposed for: (1) SPP developers to improve the quality, usability, and relevance of precipitation products; and (2) SPP users to improve the reliability of their predictions and hydrologic applications to better support water management.     

Constitutional tolerance to heavy metals of a fiber crop, ramie (Boehmeria nivea), and its potential usage

It is observed that ramie (Boehmeria nivea), an economic fiber crop, can establish and colonize metal-contaminated sites in China. Metal tolerance and accumulation by ramie originating from 13 metal-contaminated and 4 “clean” sites in China were compared under field and hydroponic conditions. All selected populations and germplasms displayed good growth performance under diverse metal-contaminated habitats; while growth responses, metal accumulation and tolerance were similar among the 8 populations and 2 germplasms when exposed to solutions containing elevated As, Cd, Pb, or Zn in the laboratory. These revealed that ramie possesses a certain degree of constitutional metal tolerance. To our knowledge, this is the first report of constitutional metal tolerance possessed by a fiber crop. Ramie can be considered as a good candidate for both fiber production and phytoremediation of sites contaminated by multi-metals, as it accumulates relative low metal concentrations, but possesses both high biomass and high economic value.     

Phosphorus recovery from biogas fermentation liquid by Ca-Mg loaded biochar

Shortage in phosphorus(P) resources and P wastewater pollution is considered as a serious problem worldwide. The application of modified biochar for P recovery from wastewater and reuse of recovered P as agricultural fertilizer is a preferred process. This work aims to develop a calcium and magnesium loaded biochar(Ca–Mg/biochar) application for P recovery from biogas fermentation liquid. The physico-chemical characterization, adsorption efficiency, adsorption selectivity, and postsorption availability of Ca-Mg/biochar were investigated. The synthesized Ca–Mg/biochar was rich in organic functional groups and in Ca O and Mg O nanoparticles. With the increase in synthesis temperature, the yield decreased, C content increased, H content decreased, N content remained the same basically, and BET surface area increased. The P adsorption of Ca–Mg/biochar could be accelerated by nano-Ca O and nano-Mg O particles and reached equilibrium after 360 min.The process was endothermic, spontaneous, and showed an increase in the disorder of the solid–liquid interface. Moreover, it could be fitted by the Freundlich model. The maximum P adsorption amounts were 294.22, 315.33, and 326.63 mg/g. The P adsorption selectivity of Ca–Mg/biochar could not be significantly influenced by the typical p H level of biogas fermentation liquid. The nano-Ca O and nano-Mg O particles of Ca–Mg/biochar could reduce the negative interaction effects of coexisting ions. The P releasing amounts of postsorption Ca–Mg/biochar were in the order of Ca–Mg/B600 Ca–Mg/B450 Ca–Mg/B300. Results revealed that postsorption Ca–Mg/biochar can continually release P and is more suitable for an acid environment.     

Valuation of Irrigation Water by the Hedonic Price Method: A Case Study in Chalkidiki,Greece

The design of efficient water allocation systems depends, among other factors, on economic issues and, above all, on a reliable estimate of the economic value of water. In this paper the hedonic price method is utilized to reveal the implicit value of irrigation water by analyzing agricultural land values in Chalkidiki, a typical rural area in Greece. The method was applied to a sample of both irrigated and nonirrigated properties and the value of irrigation water was estimated by disaggregating the total price of each parcel of land, obtained through a local survey. Results show that, apart from typical value attributes, the agricultural characteristics of the land, including irrigation water availability, have a significant influence on land prices.     

Assessment of Soil Cover Degradation and Desertification in Northern Lowland Dagestan

New principles of the assessment of soil cover degradation and desertification, the scale and intensity of destructive processes manifestation are determined.     

藻类对有机污染物生物吸附的研究进展

随着工业的迅猛发展,越来越多的有毒有机污染物被排放到环境中,进而引起一系列环境问题。大量研究表明,生物吸附已经成为去除有毒有机污染物的重要方法,而藻类作为一种理想的生物吸附剂,具有良好的吸附和降解有机污染物的能力。概述了藻类对染料、酚类、多环芳烃三种具有代表性的有毒有机污染物的生物吸附。     

Dissolved Ions of Trace and Major Elements and in Suspended Sediments in the Nile, Egypt

Dissolved ions and suspended participates from twelve water samples from Sohag (different localities) and Aswan (behind and below the High Dam) areas were collected along the River Nile, upper Egypt, which is at present affected seriously by pressure of population, intense industrial and agricultural activities, and atmospheric fallout. Eighteen trace and nine major ions in solution and fourteen metals in suspension were analyzed to establish whether elements are of anthropogenic or natural origin. Results of this study show that the Nile water was contaminated with high concentrations of dissolved lead, and with copper, nickel and mercury to a lesser extent, suggesting that these contaminants are generated from anthropogenic activities. the other dissolved ions in the Nile are of natural origin because their metal concentrations fall within the range of the normal background and average world dissolved values for inland waters. Results show that the usual constituents of suspended particulates in the Nile seem to be some metals (Cu and Zn) adsorbed on iron and manganese oxide/hydroxide. the results also reveal that most trace and major metal particulates increase from south to north due to activities associated with the dense population living along the Nile banks. No significant differences were observed between the chemical composition of trace and major elements taken on the east and west river Nile banks.     

Germination,Growth, and Nodulation of Sesbania rostrata Grown in Pb/Zn Mine Tailings

Sesbania rostrata in pure and amended Pb/Zn tailings. About 90% of seeds of S. rostrata germinated in pure Pb/Zn tailings, which contained high concentrations of Pb, Zn, Cu, and Cd. Although seedling growth suffered from the adverse environment of Pb/Zn tailings, they became established on tailings stands, in the greenhouse, as well as on the actual tailings dam, and completed their life cycle in 4 months. Dry matter production and nitrogen accumulation was 3200 kg/ha and 69.4 kg/ha, respectively in the actual tailings dam. Applying inorganic fertilizer to Pb/Zn tailings led to no obvious improvement in growth and nodulation of S. rostrata, while tailings amended by river sediment or domestic refuse rich in organic matter improved the growth and nodulation of the species. Azorhizobium caulinodans survived and formed N-fixing stem and root nodules in S. rostrata grown in pure Pb/Zn tailings with a nodule biomass exceeding 300 mg fresh matter per plant.