The objective of the work is to know the valorization of adolescents around the problems of water use in the peri-urban west of the city of Mar del Plata, General Pueyrredón Municipality, in Argentina. Methodologically, 52 surveys were conducted in the month of April 2022, being applied to adolescents from 15 to 19 years, students of an agricultural school. It is understood that in order to achieve a correct Integrated Management of Water Resources it is essential to consider the opinions and points of view of all the actors involved, in this case, the adolescents of the area. Generating a sustainable environment propitious for young people as key actors in this sector and engaging older generations is a necessary condition to achieve participation and guarantee compliance with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The results demonstrate, in general lines, failures in the understanding of some concepts related to the hydrological cycle and show the influence of the media in terms of environmental problems since they perceive as serious those problems about which more is published in the media communication and/or social networks. | El objetivo del trabajo es conocer la valorización de adolescentes en torno a las problemáticas del uso del agua en el periurbano oeste de la ciudad de Mar del Plata, partido de General Pueyrredón, Argentina. Metodológicamente, se relevaron 52 encuestas en el mes de abril de 2022, aplicadas a adolescentes de 15 a 19 años, estudiantes de una escuela agraria. Se entiende que para lograr una correcta Gestión Integrada del Recurso Hídrico es fundamental considerar las opiniones y puntos de vista de todas las personas involucradas, en este caso adolescentes de la zona. Generar un medio propicio sostenible para las personas jóvenes como agentes clave en dicho sector y comprometer a las generaciones mayores es una condición necesaria para alcanzar la participación y garantizar el cumplimiento de los Objetivos de Desarrollo Sostenible (ODS). Los resultados demuestran, en líneas generales, fallas en la comprensión de algunos conceptos relacionados al ciclo hidrológico y evidencian la influencia de los medios de comunicación en cuanto a las problemáticas ambientales ya que perciben como graves aquellas problemáticas sobre las que más se publica en medios de comunicación y/o redes sociales. | O objetivo do trabalho é conhecer a valorização de adolescentes sobre as problemáticas no uso de água no periurbano oeste da cidade de Mar del Plata, em General Pueyrredón, Argentina. Metodologicamente, relevaram-se 52 enquetes no mês de abril de 2022, aplicadas em adolescentes de 15 até 19 anos, estudantes de uma escola agrária. Entende-se que para conseguir uma correta Gestão Integrada do Recurso Hídrico é fundamental considerar as opiniões e pontos de vista de todas as pessoas envolvidas, neste caso adolescentes da zona. Gerar um meio auspicioso sostenível para as pessoas jóvens como agentes chave em dito setor e comprometer às generações maiores é uma condição necessária para alcançar a participação e garantir o cumprimento dos Objetivos de Desenvolvimento Sostenível (ODS). Os resultados demostram, em linhas generais, falhas na comprensão de alguns conceitos relacionados ao ciclo hidrológico e evidenciam a influência dos meios de comunicação em quanto às problemáticas ambientais, ao perceber-se como graves aquelas problemáticas sobre as que mais se publica em meios de comunicação e/ou redes sociais.

The soil nematode fauna of five locations situated in Parque Nacional del Agua (PNA) in Costa Rica is characterized and analyzed. Four ecosystems were sampled in each location: primary (undisturbed) forest, secondary (naturally regenerated) forests, tree plantations (cleared and replanted with timber trees), and pastures (cleared of trees). Five soil samples of 100 g were analyzed in each location and ecosystem, resulting in a total of 100 samples. One hundred and thirty-one nematode genera were identified, and their abundance and biomass were estimated and analyzed by means of nonmetric multidimensional scaling (NMDS) and redundancy analysis (RDA). The observed nematode abundance was 1237 ± 520 specimens per soil sample for the whole survey, similar to previously reported from tropical soils. Dominance-diversity curves, based on nematode abundance, follow a similar ‘hollow curve’ pattern, with only 20 of the genera representing 84.6% of the total abundance, and only 12 of the genera representing 88% of the total biomass. Helicotylenchus, tylenchids, criconematids, Belondira, Longidorus, Xiphinema, Monotrichodorus, Prismatolaimus and Steinernema are important in the assemblages due their abundance or biomass in the different samples. Monotrichodorus and Discocriconemella appear related to undisturbed ecosystems, and they could have potential as disturbance indicators. Biomass-based dominance-diversity curves have similar qualitative and quantitative behavior to those observed in abundance distribution, but the dorylaims, Aporcelinus and Aporcelaimoides, which represented only the 0.35% of the abundance, having a major part of the total biomass (4.33%). NMDS analysis segregated locations into two groups, sampled sites were arranged according to the life zone where they belong. Ecosystems were segregated into natural ecosystems and plantations but having overlapping zones. Whereas RDA analysis indicated that organic matter and Cu are the most relevant edaphic variables for explaining the distribution of nematode assemblages, however few genera appear important in the ordination, Mesocriconema, Longidorus, Xiphinema and Belondira between them.

During a general malacological survey for freshwater gastropods in northern Patagonia, a population of Biomphalaria was encountered at Agua Escondida. Biomphalaria spp. are freshwater pulmonates of biomedical importance, uncommon in Mendoza Province, and often act as intermediate hosts for Schistosoma mansoni. By looking at both morphological and molecular characters, we describe a detailed process of identification and characterization of Biomphalaria peregrina from a location towards the extremity of its species range. A reference DNA ‘barcode’ is presented. As B. peregrina has been shown to be a permissive experimental host of S. mansoni, snails were also screened in the field for schistosomiasis and later in the laboratory using a novel polymerase chain reaction-based assay but no infections were found. Considering the transmission potential of this species, increased vigilance for intestinal schistosomiasis is recommended, especially if local environmental conditions become favourable for disease transmission, for example, through future climate change and intensification of irrigation.

In the Gran Sasso fissured carbonate aquifer (central Italy), a long-term (2001–2007) spatio-temporal hydrochemical and²²²Rn tracing survey was performed with the goal to investigate groundwater flow and water–rock interaction. Analyses of the physico-chemical parameters, and comparisons of multichemical and characteristic ratios in space and time, and subsequent statistical analyses, permitted a characterisation of the hydrogeology. At the regional scale, groundwater flows from recharge areas to the springs located at the aquifer boundaries, with a gradual increase of mineralisation and temperature along its flowpaths. However, the parameters of each group of springs may significantly deviate from the regional trend owing to fast flows and to the geological setting of the discharge spring areas, as corroborated by statistical data. Along regional flowpaths, the effects of seasonal recharge and lowering of the water table clearly cause changes in ion concentrations over time. This conceptual model was validated by an analysis of the²²²Rn content in groundwater.²²²Rn content, for which temporal variability depends on seasonal fluctuations of the water table, local lithology and the fracture network at the spring discharge areas, was considered as a tracer of the final stages of groundwater flowpaths.

Investigation of surface water and groundwater interaction (SW–GW interaction) provides basic information for regional water-resource protection, management, and development. In this survey of a 10-km-wide area along both sides of the Songhua River, northeast China, the hydrogeochemical responses to different SW–GW interactions were studied. Three types of SW–GW interactions were identified—“recharge”, “discharge”, and “flow-through”—according to the hydraulic connection between the surface water and groundwater. The single factor index, principal component analysis, and hierarchical cluster analysis of the hydrogeochemistry and pollutant data illuminated the hydrogeochemical response to the various SW–GW interactions. Clear SW–GW interactions along the Songhua River were revealed: (1) upstream in the study area, groundwater usually discharges into the surface water, (2) groundwater is recharged by surface water downstream, and (3) discharge and flow-through coexist in between. Statistical analysis indicated that the degree of hydrogeochemical response in different types of hydraulic connection varied, being clear in recharge and flow-through modes, and less obvious in discharge mode. During the interaction process, dilution, adsorption, redox reactions, nitrification, denitrification, and biodegradation contributed to the pollutant concentration and affected hydrogeochemical response in the hyporheic zone.

This study focusses on the hydrogeology of Urema Graben, especially possible interactions between surface water and groundwater around Lake Urema, in Gorongosa National Park (GNP). Lake Urema is the only permanent water source for wildlife inside GNP, and there are concerns that it will disappear due to interferences in surface-water/groundwater interactions as a result of changes in the hydraulic environment. As the lake is the only permanent water source, this would be a disaster for the ecosystem of the park. The sub-surface geology in Urema Graben was investigated by 20 km of electrical resistivity tomography (ERT) and three magnetic resonance sounding (MRS) surveys. The average depth penetration was 60 and 100 m, respectively. The location of the ERT lines was decided based on general rift morphology and therefore orientated perpendicular to Urema Graben, from the transitional areas of the margins of the Barue platform in the west to the Cheringoma plateau escarpments in the east. ERT and MRS both indicate a second aquifer, where Urema Lake is a window of the first upper semi-confined aquifer, while the lower aquifer is confined by a clay layer 30–40 m thick. The location and depth of this aquifer suggest that it is probably linked to the Pungwe River which could be a main source of recharge during the dry season. If a dam or any other infra-structure is constructed in Pungwe River upstream of GNP, the groundwater level will decrease which could lead to drying out of Urema Lake.