Una combinación de factores ambientales y bióticos, es decir la información sobre la temperatura del agua y la localización de las especies de la que se alimentan, es la clave del nuevo modelo de distribución de la merluza europea (Merluccius merluccius) que han desarrollado un grupo de investigadores del Institut de Ciències del Mar (ICM-CSIC) y del Centro Oceanográfico de Vigo del Instituto Español de Oceanografía (IEO). Se trata de una herramienta de enorme potencial, ya que la merluza europea es una de las especies más pescadas en el Mediterráneo, donde tiene un gran valor comercial. Por eso este nuevo modelo de predicción de la distribución podría ayudar a “asegurar la sostenibilidad de los stocks”. Para ello, indica el IEO, es “importante conocer su distribución espacial, su ecológica trófica y la manera en la que interacciona con el medio”. [...] | Peer reviewed

Drinking water quality is of vital importance for the healthy life of a community especially if consumer is a teenager. In order to compare groundwater profile of flooded area (FA) and non-flooded area (NFA) of district Sanghar, 120 water samples from public schools were collected and investigated for physico-chemical parameters, essential metals, trace elements and microbiological indicators. Analysis data revealed that 47% samples in FA were contaminated with faecal coliform bacteria as compared to only 8.3% in NFA. On the other hand, chemical indicators like TDS, Ca, Na, K, SO4, Mg and hardness were higher in FA. Comparison of trace elements content with WHO guidelines revealed that concentration of Fe, As and Zn was higher in 66.7%, 31.7% and 13.3% water samples, respectively in FA whereas content of these elements was also on higher side in 3.3%, 23.3% and 1.7% samples in NFA, respectively. Health risk assessment due to high concentration of Fe, As and Zn showed that As HRI>1, for children in 35 and 23% water samples in FA and NFA, respectively.

Tesis de pregrado, diseñada desde la licenciatura de Biología con énfasis en educación ambiental, con el fin de desarrollar el proyecto de investigación, a través de la implementación de una unidad didáctica mediada por el juego que permita la sensibilización sobre el cuidado del agua en la Institución Madre María Berenice de Villa del Rosario Norte de Santander | Undergraduate thesis, designed from the Biology degree with an emphasis on environmental education, in order to develop the research project, through the implementation of a didactic unit mediated by the game that allows awareness about the care of water in the Mother María Berenice Institution of Villa del Rosario North of Santander | Licenciado en Biología con Énfasis en Educación Ambiental | http://www.ustadistancia.edu.co/?page_id=3956 | Pregrado

Groundwater resources in Queensland (Australia) have been depleting in many aquifers for the last 100 years and natural recharge processes are not replenishing these resources at the rate of extraction. At the same time, the need to address carbon emissions to reach global climate-change targets is becoming increasingly recognised. Plentiful deep fresh groundwater is available but is difficult, and typically uneconomical, to access due to the high costs of borehole drilling and completion. The emerging concept of ‘enhanced water recovery’ (EWR) hypothesises that carbon dioxide (CO₂) injection into the deep aquifers will increase pressure, making groundwater more easily available at shallower depths across a broad region while simultaneously contributing to a reduction in CO₂ emissions. One example where this has been proposed is in the Great Artesian Basin’s Surat Basin in Queensland. The findings from a series of focus groups held with different stakeholders, including agricultural producers, rural residents, and urban residents, demonstrate how different groups perceived the risks and benefits of injecting CO₂ as part of the carbon capture and storage (CCS) process to raise borehole water levels. The paper discusses the trade-offs that the different stakeholder groups found more acceptable. The significance of this research is that it will be the first to publish public responses to an emerging technology that has the potential to provide multiple benefits in terms of climate-change mitigation and groundwater use.

O objetivo deste estudo foi investigar a aceitabilidade do uso de água da chuva por moradores de conjuntos habitacionais de Belém e Ananindeua, Pará, Brasil, e ainda verificar a existência de Sistema de Aproveitamento de Água da Chuva – SAAC, nesses locais. A pesquisa foi realizada com 160 moradores dos conjuntos habitacionais Gleba 1, Jardim Tropical e Residencial Jardim Universitário e a maioria declarou que utilizaria água da chuva em suas residências, destinando-a, principalmente, para usos mais gerais. Apenas 23,1% deles relataram que poderiam utilizar para consumo humano. Em nenhum dos conjuntos estudados havia SAAC para uso coletivo, mas no Jardim Tropical identificou-se em uma residência um SAAC de uso familiar. Considera-se que a boa aceitabilidade dos moradores de condomínios residenciais de Belém e Ananindeua para uso da água da chuva um fator preponderante à implantação de SAAC nestes tipos de empreendimento, tanto para uso familiar quanto coletivo.PALAVRAS-CHAVE: Água da chuva, Fonte alternativa de água, Região Metropolitana de Belém. | The aim of this study was to investigate the acceptability of rainwater use by residents of housing estates in Belém and Ananindeua, Pará, Brazil, and to verify the existence of Rainwater Utilization System - SAAC, in these locations. The survey was conducted with 160 residents of the Gleba 1, Jardim Tropical and Residential Jardim Universitário housing estates, most of whom stated that they would accept rainwater in their homes, mainly for general use. Only 23.1% them reported that they could use for human consumption. None of the studied sets there are SAAC for collective use, but in the Jardim Tropical, a family-owned SAAC was identified in a residence. Good acceptability for rainwater among residents of residential condominiums in Belém and Ananindeua is considered to be a major factor in the implementation of SAACs in these types of enterprise, both for family and collective use. KEYWORDS: Rainwater, Alternative water source, Belém Metropolitan Region. | El objetivo de este estudio fue investigar la aceptabilidad del uso del agua de lluvia por parte de los residentes de las urbanizaciones en Belém y Ananindeua, Pará, Brasil, y verificar la existencia del Sistema de Utilización del Agua de Lluvia - SAAC, en estos lugares. La encuesta se realizó con 160 residentes de las urbanizaciones Gleba 1, Jardim Tropical y Residential Jardim Universitário, quienes declararon que usarían agua de lluvia en sus hogares, principalmente para usos más generales. Solo 23.1% de ellos informaron para consumo humano. Ninguno de los grupos estudiados tenía SAAC para uso colectivo, pero en el Jardín Tropical se identificó un SAAC de propiedad familiar en una residencia. La buena aceptación del uso del agua de lluvia entre los residentes de condominios residenciales en Belém y Ananindeua se considera un factor importante en la implementación de SAAC en este tipo de empresas, tanto para uso familiar como colectivo. PALABRAS CLAVES: Agua de lluvia, Fuente alternativa de agua, Región Metropolitana de Belém.

Injection of silicate grouting materials is widely used to create temporary horizontal layers for reducing inflow of groundwater at construction sites, in regions with shallow water tables. The erosion of a grouting layer was investigated by means of analytical solutions for groundwater flow and transport within a pit after construction finished. Erosion is assumed to occur by dissolution of the temporary injection layer and subsequent advective transport. Thereby, the hydraulic conductivity changes with time. This paper presents novel analytical solutions and approximate solutions for the major fluxes in the construction pit as a function of the domain settings, aquifer gradient and hydraulic conductivity. In addition, the mass flux and the dilution ratio of erosion-related components leaving the construction pit and entering the aquifer are quantified. Derived solutions are verified against numerical simulations. A sensitivity study shows the impact of domain settings on fluxes and dilution ratio. The results confirm that mass flux of grout components increases with ongoing erosion. Thus, its effect on groundwater quality increases with time after construction ceased.

Construction of a conveyance tunnel through rock often induces the ingress of groundwater into the tunnel, a flow that changes both the hydrogeological regime of the tunnel and its environment. To explore this key interaction, a novel modeling approach using the conduit flow process (CFP) is developed that considers both the hydraulic head and the ingress of water from the rock matrix during excavation. The resulting flow values are predicted through an adapted MODFLOW numerical model into which the tunnel is introduced with the aid of the new CFP approach. The CFP approach can simulate both laminar and turbulent flow in the tunnel whether the flow is free surface or pressurized. Several simulations, including one for which the permeability of the tunnel perimeter is assumed to be identical to the hydraulic conductivity of the surrounding rock matrix, are then used to explore the sensitivity of the predicted head and flow conditions to the permeability of the tunnel perimeter. Comparisons of the numerical results with field data from the Kerman Water Conveyance Tunnel in Iran show that the proposed approach accurately predicts the spatial variation of both groundwater ingress and hydraulic head.

The Ica area of south-eastern Peru has evolved rapidly since the late 1990s into the most advanced agricultural development in the country. The intensive use of waterwells for year-round irrigation, primarily of asparagus, is the basis for an export industry worth about US$ 6,000 M/a, but one which is threatened by serious groundwater sustainability concerns. The public water-resource administration and private agricultural developers are beginning to confront the problem, which has already had a significant social cost, through developing measures to improve the groundwater balance whilst assuring agricultural production. This report presents the long-term evolution of land management and groundwater use in the area, and considers the feasibility of applying an adaptive and integrated water resources management (IWRM) approach to the system, with particular attention to managed aquifer recharge techniques.

This research seeks to identify groundwater recharge and discharge areas in the administrative aquifers of the Ayuquila-Armeria river basin in the states of Jalisco and Colima, Mexico. The Ayuquila-Armeria river basin is one of the 15 most important of the 100 rivers running across the Pacific slope, and is among the 43 most important rivers at the country level. The regional climate is warm-humid in lowlands and subhumid temperate in highlands, with a summer rainy season (June to October) and a dry season the rest of the year. The basin shows a striking relief: from sea level to 4260 m a.s.l. at Nevado de Colima. The identification of these areas was based on a multi-criteria analysis of surface indicators of recharge and discharge areas supported by the flow systems theory (FST). This allows a systemic view of the environment, integrating various elements of nature, in addition to acknowledging groundwater and geological agent that causes a wide variety of processes and manifestations on the surface. The integration of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and the Multi-Criteria Analysis (MCA) made possible to evaluate the potential recharge/ discharge at the regional level by analyzing physical variables such as lithology, soil, relief, slope, vegetation, precipitation, and a topographic humidity index. In the study area, the territory with high recharge potential ranges from 21% to 80%; the area with low and very low recharge potential, from 4% to 30%. The main potential recharge areas are located in the upper portion of mid-elevation and low mountains covered by pine-oak, oak, and tropical deciduous forests, and grasslands, and to a lesser extent, fir and mountain cloud forests. Soil types include mainly Regosol, Leptosol, Cambisol, Luvisol, Andosol, Umbrisol, and Phaeozem in slopes of 15%-30% covering units of rhyolitic tuff, andesite-basalt, andesite, lahar-pyroclastic rock, granite-granite diorite, and limestone. These areas are located mainly in Sierra de Cacoma-Manantl, Sierra Verde, Sierra de Quila, Sierra de Tapalpa, and the Nevado de Colima volcanic complex. For its part, discharge areas are found mainly in the coastal plains of Jalisco and Colima, associated with Calcisol, Arenosol, Fluvisol, Planosol, Gleysol, Solonchak, and Vertisol soils, and with with halophytic-hydrophytic grassland, bulrush, and mangrove vegetation. These are located in inland-lake areas in San Marcos, Sayula, and Zapotlán. Other discharge areas are the plains and intermontane valleys of Union de Tula and Autlán-El Grullo, as well as the bottom of V-valleys in certain areas of the basin. These can act as natural hydraulic boundaries of flow systems, limiting the amount of groundwater in each zone. The lateral alternation of recharge and discharge areas implies that the water recharged in a particular region may flow to a number of discharge areas, i.e., the water discharged in a given region may come from different regions. The above has important implications in the estimation of the availability estimated from the water balance, since groundwater may flow to more than one discharge area within the same “administrative” aquifer. This type of studies are a first approach providing innovative evidence to the systemic study of groundwater, i.e., the recharge-discharge areas. Their application positively supplements the results of the water balance used in the official evaluation of groundwater availability in Mexico. | Esta investigación busca identificar las zonas de recarga y descarga del agua subterránea en la cuenca del río Ayuquila-Armería en los estados de Jalisco y Colima. La identificación de estas zonas se logró mediante un análisis multicriterio con la teoría de los sistemas de flujo (TSF). Esta teoría permite obtener una visión sistémica del ambiente, integrando diversos elementos de la naturaleza, además de reconocer el agua subterránea como agente geológico causante de una gran variedad de procesos y manifestaciones en la superficie a través de condiciones naturales contrastantes entre la zona de recarga y descarga de agua subterránea. La integración de los Sistemas de Información Geográfica (SIG) y el Análisis Multicriterio (AMC) permitió identificar los sitios con mayor potencial de recarga y descarga analizando geología, suelo, topoformas, pendiente, vegetación e índice topográfico de humedad (ITH). La superficie con alto potencial de recarga varía de 21% a 80%, mientras que la superficie de descarga, de 4% a 30%. Las principales zonas potenciales de recarga son la sierra de Cacoma-Manantlán, la sierra Verde, la sierra de Quila, la sierra de Tapalpa y el complejo volcánico del Nevado de Colima. Por su parte, las zonas de descarga se encuentran principalmente en las planicies costeras de Jalisco y Colima, así como en una zona de lagos interiores en San Marcos, Sayula y Zapotlán. Otras zonas de descarga las constituyen las planicies y los valles intermontanos de Unión de Tula y Autlán-El Grullo, así como los fondos de valles en V en determinadas zonas de la cuenca.

Fil: Lanzaro, María Verónica. Universidad Nacional del Litoral. Facultad de Ingeniería y Ciencias Hídricas; Argentina. | En las últimas décadas, el crecimiento urbano ha provocado un impacto significativo en el ambiente. En ocasiones, la ausencia o aplicación inadecuada de planes de ordenamiento urbano ha generado patrones irracionales de uso del suelo caracterizados por una alta concentración en las áreas centrales, en contraposición con una ocupación desordenada en las periferias urbanas con ausencia de regulación normativa. Ambas situaciones acrecientan la degradación ambiental. El aprovechamiento del espacio subterráneo se ha convertido en una alternativa para ciudades con problemas de crecimiento y densidad poblacional, aunque generalmente, no se comprende la compleja interacción entre el uso del suelo y el comportamiento del sistema hídrico subterráneo ni se aborda considerando aspectos normativos. La ciudad de Santa Fe no está exenta de estas situaciones. El objetivo de esta tesis es evaluar la relación entre las construcciones subterráneas existentes y las características del sistema acuífero que subyace a la ciudad de Santa Fe, Argentina, a fin de formular lineamientos técnicos y normativos que optimicen los proyectos de obras subterráneas. Para ello se analizaron las variaciones espaciales y temporales de niveles freáticos para un período de 10 años, la calidad química del agua subterránea, y los diversos usos actuales del suelo con aprovechamiento subterráneo. Los resultados obtenidos contribuirán a la seguridad, funcionalidad y racionalidad económica de futuras obras subterráneas y a la generación de una conciencia de gestión integral que asuma la relación compleja entre el uso del suelo urbano y el medio hidrogeológico en la toma de decisiones y planificación de la ciudad. | In recent decades, urban growth has caused a significant impact on the environment. Occasionally, the absence or improper application of urban planning plans has generated irrational land use patterns characterized by highly concentration in central areas, as opposed to a disorderly occupation in urban peripheries with the absence of urban regulation. Both situations increase environmental degradation. The use of underground space has become an alternative for cities with problems of growth and population density, although the complex interaction between land use and the behavior of the groundwater system is not generally understood, nor is it addressed considering regulatory aspects. The city of Santa Fe is not exempt from these situations. The objective of this thesis work is to evaluate the relationship between existing underground constructions and the characteristics of the aquifer system that underlies the city of Santa Fe, Argentina, in order to formulate technical and normative guidelines to optimize underground works projects. To this end, the spatial and temporal variations in groundwater levels for a period of 10 years, the chemical quality of the groundwater, and the various current land uses with underground use were analyzed. The results obtained will contribute to the safety, functionality and economic rationality of the projects of future underground works and to the generation of an integral management awareness that assumes the complex relationship between urban land use and the hydrogeological environment in decision-making and city planning.