Shrinking water bodies as hotspots of sand and dust storms: The role of land degradation and sustainable soil and water management

The presence of toxic substances is one of the major causes of degradation of soil quality. Wildfires, besides affecting various chemical, physical, and biological soil properties, produce a mixture of potentially toxic substances which can reach the soil and water bodies and cause harm to these media. This review intends to summarise the current knowledge on the generation by wildfires of potentially toxic substances, their effects on soil organisms, and other associated risks, addressing the effects of fire on metal mobilisation, the pyrolytic production of potentially toxic compounds, and the detoxifying effect of charcoal. Numerous studies ascertained inhibitory effects of ash on seed germination and seedling growth as well as its toxicity to soil and aquatic organisms. Abundant publications addressed the mobilisation of heavy metals and trace elements by fire, including analyses of total concentrations, speciation, availability, and risk of exportation to water bodies. Many publications studied the presence of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) and other organic pollutants in soils after fire, their composition, decline over time, the risk of contamination of surface and ground waters, and their toxicity to plants, soil, and water organisms. Finally, the review addresses the possible detoxifying role of charcoal in soils affected by fire.

Download Full-text

An Overview of Land Degradation and Sustainable Land Management in the Near East and North Africa

Sustainable Agriculture Research ◽

10.5539/sar.v11n1p11 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 (1) ◽

pp. 11

Author(s):

F. M. Ziadat ◽

P. Zdruli ◽

S. Christiansen ◽

L. Caon ◽

M. Abdel Monem ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Water Management ◽

Food Security ◽

North Africa ◽

Land Degradation ◽

Land Use Planning ◽

Near East ◽

Private Investment ◽

Dust Storms ◽

Management Options ◽

Land And Water Management

Land degradation and desertification (LDD) and climate change are having increased effects in the Near East and North Africa (NENA) impacting the livelihoods of about 410 million people. Agriculture is a vital sector, contributing on average 14% to the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) (excluding oil producing countries) and providing jobs and incomes for 38% of the region’s economically active population. Nevertheless, most NENA countries import at least 50% of the calories they consume. Furthermore, it is estimated that the total area that is desertified or is vulnerable to desertification cover 9.84 million km2 or about 86.7% of the total NENA region. Soil erosion by water, wind, and sand and dust storms (SDS) cause losses of about USD 13 billion of GDP each year. To confront these hardships, the region must endorse proper land use planning, prioritization of target areas for restoration and adoption of sustainable land and water management (SLWM) to reverse the situation. This paper analyses the inter-linkages between LDD, resource base management and food security under different scenarios and offers mitigation and remediation options. These include knowledge management and sharing; establishment of a regional platform to facilitate dialogue; public and private investment opportunities; provision of tools to scale-out sustainable land and water management options; and creation of a conducive enabling environment supported by policies and strategies. The paper provides policy and decision-makers with priority actions and options to enhance productivity, and combat land degradation to improve food security in the region.

Download Full-text

Pharmaceuticals in Environment

Environmental Exposures and Human Health Challenges - Advances in Human Services and Public Health ◽

10.4018/978-1-5225-7635-8.ch013 ◽

2019 ◽

pp. 270-296

Author(s):

Alka Bali

Keyword(s):

Biological Activity ◽

Pharmaceutical Industry ◽

Healthcare Systems ◽

Water Bodies ◽

Personal Care ◽

Terrestrial Environments ◽

Regulatory Bodies ◽

Pharmaceutical Practice ◽

Soil And Water

Pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs) constitute an integral part of modern healthcare systems which enter the environment through various routes. Because of their inherent biological activity, their presence in soil and the aquatic environment poses several eco-toxicological problems. Antibiotic contamination of soil and water bodies is leading to the development of microbial resistance to antibiotics and this has been recognized by several global bodies like WHO and EPA. Effective steps need to be taken in this regard including increased awareness, reduced pharmaceutical discharges in environment, green and sustainable pharmaceutical practice by pharmaceutical industry and healthcare professionals and improved remediation/bioremediation methods. This chapter outlines the various anticipated routes of exposure of pharmaceuticals to the environment along with their detrimental effects, fate and degradation in aquatic and terrestrial environments. The chapter also dwells upon the role of various regulatory bodies and plausible measures that may be adopted to alleviate the problem.

Download Full-text

Managing Landscape Irrigation to Avoid Soil and Nutrient Losses

EDIS ◽

10.32473/edis-ss586-2013 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 2013 (11) ◽

Author(s):

George Hochmuth ◽

Laurie Trenholm ◽

Don Rainey ◽

Esen Momol ◽

Claire Lewis ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Natural Environment ◽

Management Practices ◽

Root Zone ◽

Irrigation Management ◽

Critical Factor ◽

Nutrient Losses ◽

County Agents ◽

The Right ◽

Soil And Water

Proper irrigation management is critical to conserve and protect water resources and to properly manage nutrients in the home landscape. How lawns and landscapes are irrigated directly impacts the natural environment, so landscape maintenance professionals and homeowners must adopt environmentally-friendly approaches to irrigation management. After selecting the right plant for the right place, water is the next critical factor to establish and maintain a healthy lawn and landscape. Fertilization is another important component of lawn and landscape maintenance, and irrigation must be applied correctly, especially following fertilization, to minimize potential nutrient losses. This publication supplements other UF/IFAS Extension publications that also include information on the role of soil and the root zone in irrigation management. This publication is designed to help UF/IFAS Extension county agents prepare materials to directly address nutrient losses from lawns and landscapes caused by inadequate irrigation management practices. This 6-page fact sheet was written by George Hochmuth, Laurie Trenholm, Don Rainey, Esen Momol, Claire Lewis, and Brian Niemann, and published by the UF Department of Soil and Water Science, October 2013. http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/ss586

Download Full-text

Aqua-conflicts and hydro-politics in Africa : unfolding the role of African Union water management interventions

Journal of African Union Studies ◽

10.31920/2050-4306/2018/v7n1a1 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 7 (1) ◽

pp. 5-29

Author(s):

Kelechi Ani ◽

Maryam Jungudo ◽

Victor Ojakorotu

Keyword(s):

Water Management ◽

African Union ◽

Management Interventions

Download Full-text

Soil and Water Management for Increased Forest and Range Production

Soil Science Society of America Journal ◽

10.2136/sssaj1961.03615995002500060010x ◽

1961 ◽

Vol 25 (6) ◽

pp. 446-451 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

J. H. Stoeckeler

Keyword(s):

Water Management ◽

Soil And Water

Download Full-text

Development of Dialog System Model for Eutrophication Control between Discharging River Basin and Receiving Water Body – Case Study of Lake Sagami (Japan)

Water Science & Technology ◽

10.2166/wst.1989.0178 ◽

1989 ◽

Vol 21 (12) ◽

pp. 1821-1824

Author(s):

M. Suzuki ◽

K. Chihara ◽

M. Okada ◽

H. Kawashima ◽

S. Hoshino

Keyword(s):

Water Management ◽

Water Quality ◽

Expert System ◽

River Basin ◽

Water Body ◽

Water Bodies ◽

Quality Data ◽

Pollution Load ◽

Water Quality Data ◽

Receiving Water

A computer program based on expert system software was developed and proposed as a prototype model for water management to control eutrophication problems in receiving water bodies (Suzuki etal., 1988). The system has several expert functions: 1. data input and estimation of pollution load generated and discharged in the river watershed; 2. estimation of pollution load run-off entering rivers; 3. estimation of water quality of receiving water bodies, such as lakes; and 4. assisting man-machine dialog operation. The program can be used with MS-DOS BASIC and assembler in a 16 bit personal computer. Five spread sheets are utilized in calculation and summation of the pollutant load, using multi-windows. Partial differential equations for an ecological model for simulation of self-purification in shallow rivers and simulation of seasonal variations of water quality in a lake were converted to computer programs and included in the expert system. The simulated results of water quality are shown on the monitor graphically. In this study, the expert system thus developed was used to estimate the present state of one typical polluted river basin. The river was the Katsura, which flows into Lake Sagami, a lake dammed for water supply. Data which had been actually measured were compared with the simulated water quality data, and good agreement was found. This type of expert system is expected to be useful for water management of a closed water body.

Download Full-text

Formation Patterns of Mediterranean High-Mountain Water-Bodies in Sierra-Nevada, SE Spain

Water ◽

10.3390/w13040438 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 13 (4) ◽

pp. 438

Author(s):

Jose Luis Diaz-Hernandez ◽

Antonio Jose Herrera-Martinez

Keyword(s):

Sierra Nevada ◽

Unknown Origin ◽

Slope Instability ◽

Water Bodies ◽

High Mountain ◽

Mountain Areas ◽

Glacial Processes ◽

The Mediterranean ◽

Water Volumes

At present, there is a lack of detailed understanding on how the factors converging on water variables from mountain areas modify the quantity and quality of their watercourses, which are features determining these areas’ hydrological contribution to downstream regions. In order to remedy this situation to some extent, we studied the water-bodies of the western sector of the Sierra Nevada massif (Spain). Since thaw is a necessary but not sufficient contributor to the formation of these fragile water-bodies, we carried out field visits to identify their number, size and spatial distribution as well as their different modelling processes. The best-defined water-bodies were the result of glacial processes, such as overdeepening and moraine dams. These water-bodies are the highest in the massif (2918 m mean altitude), the largest and the deepest, making up 72% of the total. Another group is formed by hillside instability phenomena, which are very dynamic and are related to a variety of processes. The resulting water-bodies are irregular and located at lower altitudes (2842 m mean altitude), representing 25% of the total. The third group is the smallest (3%), with one subgroup formed by anthropic causes and another formed from unknown origin. It has recently been found that the Mediterranean and Atlantic watersheds of this massif are somewhat paradoxical in behaviour, since, despite its higher xericity, the Mediterranean watershed generally has higher water contents than the Atlantic. The overall cause of these discrepancies between watersheds is not connected to their formation processes. However, we found that the classification of water volumes by the manners of formation of their water-bodies is not coherent with the associated green fringes because of the anomalous behaviour of the water-bodies formed by moraine dams. This discrepancy is largely due to the passive role of the water retained in this type of water-body as it depends on the characteristics of its hollows. The water-bodies of Sierra Nevada close to the peak line (2918 m mean altitude) are therefore highly dependent on the glacial processes that created the hollows in which they are located. Slope instability created water-bodies mainly located at lower altitudes (2842 m mean altitude), representing tectonic weak zones or accumulation of debris, which are influenced by intense slope dynamics. These water-bodies are therefore more fragile, and their existence is probably more short-lived than that of bodies created under glacial conditions.

Download Full-text