scholarly journals Assessment of Water Quality Regulation Functions in Southwestern Europe Watersheds

Water ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (21) ◽  
pp. 2980
Author(s):  
Roxelane Cakir ◽  
Mélanie Raimonet ◽  
Sabine Sauvage ◽  
Romain Walcker ◽  
Magali Gerino ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Water Quality ◽  
Hot Spots ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Western Europe ◽  
Assessment Tool ◽  
Nitrate Removal ◽  
Ecological Functions ◽  
Quality Regulation ◽  
Regulation Services ◽  
Regulation Functions

Estimation at large scale of the water quality regulation services is still lacking. It is essential to develop methodological approaches to quantify nutrient-related functions’ distribution. The present study aims to quantify nitrate-related ecological functions through nitrate net balance (NNB), nitrate removal (NR), and nitrate production (NP). This study explores the spatiotemporal dynamics of these indicators in South-Western Europe (SUDOE, 216 subsystems over 81 basins) at a monthly scale from 2000 to 2010. We use the Soil and Water Assessment Tool model to simulate nutrient transfer at the subsystem scale (~3000 km2) and calculate ecological functions. The modeled NNB is validated at the subsystem scale by comparing with NNB predicted at the water body scale (~60 km2) over the Garonne watershed (France). Hot spots of NR are located in the south of SUDOE, characterized by a warmer and dryer climate, whereas NP hot spots are located in the most anthropized streams. The mean NNB (the balance between NP and NR) at the subsystem scale for the SUDOE territory reaches −3.5 and −2.8 gN m−2 day−1 during the most active seasons. The results highlight drivers influencing NR such as streamflow, river slope, and hydrological alteration. Getting an overview of where and when these nitrate regulation functions (NP and NR) occur is essential for socio-ecosystem sustainability and this study highlights its sensitivity to anthropogenic stressors.

Reducing Nutrient Loads in Northern Irish Catchments: A Modelling Approach Based on Load Apportionment and Flow Pathway Identification

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Russell Adams ◽  
Donnacha Doody
Keyword(s):  
Water Quality ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Agricultural Land ◽  
Assessment Tool ◽  
Ecological Status ◽  
Point Sources ◽  
Load Reduction ◽  
Nutrient Loads ◽  
Flow Pathways ◽  
Flow Pathway

<p>Northern Ireland has been somewhat overlooked in terms of water quality modelling in the past. Many of its catchments have consistently failed to meet Water Framework Directive targets especially due to high levels of dissolved nutrients and poor ecological status. A catchment based modelling study to address this issue has not been undertaken here previously and the approach described here uses two water quality models to achieve this aim. The objectives of the modelling were firstly to identify the total load reductions (in terms of Phosphorus (P)) required to reduce in-stream loadings sufficiently for concentrations of soluble reactive P (SRP) to be reduced to achieve the WFD “Good” status levels, and secondly to split these loadings into diffuse and point components. The third objective was to identify the most likely flow pathways for the transport of the diffuse component of P to the watercourses particularly for the agricultural (mostly intensive grassland farming) land use which dominates in almost all NI catchments.</p><p>The first model applied is the Source Load Apportionment Model (SLAM) developed by the Irish EPA. This model provides a large-scale assessment of the point and diffuse load components across catchments where multiple pressures are occurring. The second model us the Catchment Runoff Flux Assessment Tool (CRAFT) which is able to back-calculate nutrient loads associated with three major flow pathways. SLAM is a static model which uses averaged loadings from diffuse agriculture and non-agricultural land uses, and point sources (where information can be obtained from various sources) to calculate N and P exports. For P, the agricultural diffuse load component uses an enhanced version of the export coefficient approach based on combining the sources of P from applied nutrients (slurry and fertiliser) and soil P. A modelling tool allows the user to evaluate load reduction scenarios where one or several components of P (both point and diffuse) are adjusted downwards to achieve the catchment’s required load reduction. The CRAFT model works on a dynamic (daily) modelling scale and has simulated sub-catchments where the SLAM model has identified the need for significant load reductions. It identifies the different reductions (P export) that are required for each flow pathway, which will then inform on the type of additional measures (e.g. sediment traps, riparian buffer strips and wetlands) that may also be required.</p><p>The initial aim of this study is to complete a pilot application to the trans-border (UK and ROI) Blackwater catchment (1360 km<sup>2</sup>). Through a review of alternative modelling options for the whole area of NI, an assessment of whether this approach is suitable for application to the entire territory can be made.</p>

Watershed modeling using large-scale distributed computing in Condor and the Soil and Water Assessment Tool model

SIMULATION ◽  
2011 ◽  
Vol 88 (3) ◽  
pp. 365-380 ◽  
Author(s):  
Margaret W Gitau ◽  
Li-Chi Chiang ◽  
Mohamed Sayeed ◽  
Indrajeet Chaubey
Keyword(s):  
Water Quality ◽  
Best Management Practices ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Assessment Tool ◽  
Swat Model ◽  
Watershed Modeling ◽  
Management Decisions ◽  
Water Assessment ◽  
Soil And Water

Models are increasingly being used to quantify the effects of best management practices (BMPs) on water quality. While these models offer the ability to study multiple BMP scenarios, and to analyze impacts of various management decisions on watershed response, associated analyses can be very computationally intensive due to a large number of runs needed to fully capture the various uncertainties in the model outputs. There is, thus, the need to develop suitable and efficient techniques to handle such comprehensive model evaluations. We demonstrate a novel approach to accomplish a large number of model runs with Condor, a distributed high-throughput computing framework for model runs with the Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) model. This application required more than 43,000 runs of the SWAT model to evaluate the impacts of 172 different watershed management decisions combined with weather uncertainty on water quality. The SWAT model was run in the Condor environment implemented on the TeraGrid. This framework significantly reduced the model run time from 2.5 years to 18 days and enabled us to perform comprehensive BMP analyses that may not have been possible with traditional model runs on a few desktop computers. The Condor system can be used effectively to make Monte Carlo analyses of complex watershed models requiring a large number of computational cycles.

scholarly journals Analysis on the effect of large-scale compound ecological engineering system on pollution control of the estuary of a lake

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yongbo Jiang ◽  
Xiaoyi Xu ◽  
Wei Wu ◽  
Bin Wang ◽  
Yidong Sun ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Water Quality ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Composite System ◽  
Removal Rate ◽  
Water Environment ◽  
Ecological Engineering ◽  
Water Quality Monitoring ◽  
Engineering System ◽  
Ecological Functions

Abstract The quality of the water and the water environment in the estuary of a lake directly affect the water quality and ecological functions of the entire lake. Multi-technology systems, which integrate biotechnological analysis of a lake estuary and restoration of the ecological functions of the water in situ, have gradually been adopted for lake management and restoration. The Xielugang Estuary is located north of the Yangcheng Middle Lake and always exhibits a certain degree of eutrophic phenomena. To ensure the safety of the ecological environment in Yangcheng Lake, a multi-level purification and ecological system with ‘intercept precipitation–ecological restoration–coupled biological treatment’ was developed. Water quality monitoring results for the inlet and outlet of different units in the system from October 2020 to May 2021 showed that the system was effective. We also found that the purification capacity of the composite system was high and the system could significantly enhance the reduction of total nitrogen, total phosphorus, potassium permanganate index and total suspended solids. The average removal rates for these components were 41.34, 61.76, 35.21 and 67.21%, respectively, and the removal rate for typical heavy metals (Zn, Cu, Cd, and Pb) was 30.4–48.9%. The composite system substantially improved the water quality of the estuary and the wetland ecological function, demonstrating its effectiveness and significance.

Going the Distance

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ron Harris
Keyword(s):  
Large Scale ◽  
Western Europe ◽  
Family Firms ◽  
Global Trade ◽  
Long Distance ◽  
Business Corporation ◽  
Modern Economy ◽  
Key Factor ◽  
Silk Route ◽  
Passive Investors

Before the seventeenth century, trade across Eurasia was mostly conducted in short segments along the Silk Route and Indian Ocean. Business was organized in family firms, merchant networks, and state-owned enterprises, and dominated by Chinese, Indian, and Arabic traders. However, around 1600 the first two joint-stock corporations, the English and Dutch East India Companies, were established. This book tells the story of overland and maritime trade without Europeans, of European Cape Route trade without corporations, and of how new, large-scale, and impersonal organizations arose in Europe to control long-distance trade for more than three centuries. It shows that by 1700, the scene and methods for global trade had dramatically changed: Dutch and English merchants shepherded goods directly from China and India to northwestern Europe. To understand this transformation, the book compares the organizational forms used in four major regions: China, India, the Middle East, and Western Europe. The English and Dutch were the last to leap into Eurasian trade, and they innovated in order to compete. They raised capital from passive investors through impersonal stock markets and their joint-stock corporations deployed more capital, ships, and agents to deliver goods from their origins to consumers. The book explores the history behind a cornerstone of the modern economy, and how this organizational revolution contributed to the formation of global trade and the creation of the business corporation as a key factor in Europe's economic rise.

Unintended consequences of biofuels production?The effects of large-scale crop conversion on water quality and quantity

2010 ◽  
Author(s):  
Heather L. Welch ◽  
Christopher T. Green ◽  
Richard A. Rebich ◽  
Jeannie R.B. Barlow ◽  
Matthew B. Hicks
Keyword(s):  
Water Quality ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Unintended Consequences ◽  
Water Quality And Quantity

Applying the Soil Water Assessment Tool to 5th Canadian Division Support Base Gagetown

2014 ◽  
Vol 49 (4) ◽  
pp. 372-385
Author(s):  
Shawn Burdett ◽  
Michael Hulley ◽  
Andy Smith
Keyword(s):  
Water Quality ◽  
Soil Water ◽  
Land Management ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Assessment Tool ◽  
Anthropogenic Activities ◽  
Quality Model ◽  
Sediment Yields ◽  
Soil Water Assessment Tool ◽  
Water Assessment

A hydrologic and water quality model is sought to establish an approach to land management decisions for a Canadian Army training base. Training areas are subjected to high levels of persistent activity creating unique land cover and land-use disturbances. Deforestation, complex road networks, off-road manoeuvres, and vehicle stream crossings are among major anthropogenic activities observed to affect these landscapes. Expanding, preserving and improving the quality of these areas to host training activities for future generations is critical to maintain operational effectiveness. Inclusive to this objective is minimizing resultant environmental degradation, principally in the form of hydrologic fluctuations, excess erosion, and sedimentation of aquatic environments. Application of the Soil Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) was assessed for its ability to simulate hydrologic and water quality conditions observed in military landscapes at 5th Canadian Division Support Base (5 CDSB) Gagetown, New Brunswick. Despite some limitations, this model adequately simulated three partial years of daily watershed outflow (NSE = 0.47–0.79, R2 = 0.50–0.88) and adequately predicted suspended sediment yields during the observation periods (%d = 6–47%) for one highly disturbed sub-watershed in Gagetown. Further development of this model may help guide decisions to develop or decommission training areas, guide land management practices and prioritize select landscape mitigation efforts.

Predictability of fouling-potential of raw water for ultrafiltration membranes

2011 ◽  
Vol 11 (4) ◽  
pp. 481-489
Author(s):  
S. Krause ◽  
A. Obermayer
Keyword(s):  
Water Quality ◽  
Membrane Fouling ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
High Capacity ◽  
Raw Water ◽  
Ultrafiltration Membranes ◽  
Small Water ◽  
Lab Experiments ◽  
Flux Decline ◽  
Public Drinking Water

The public drinking water supply of southern Germany is characterized by a rather decentralized network. Due to the hydrogeological setting in these parts of Germany many of the small water works with an average capacity of 50 m3/h have to treat raw water extracted from karstic or cliffy aquifers. These raw waters tend to be contaminated with particles and pathogens acquired during snowmelt or after strong rainfalls. In the last decade ultrafiltration has become the technology of choice for the removal of the aforementioned contaminants. Flux decline caused by unanticipated membrane fouling is the main limitation for the application of ultrafiltration membranes. This paper describes how membrane fouling phenomena can be predicted by using a statistical approach based on data from large scale filtration systems in combination with field and lab experiments on raw water quality and membrane performance. The data defines water quality and respective fouling phenomena both in technical scale filtration plants and in lab experiments of eleven different raw waters. The method described here is more economically feasible for small water works when compared to typical pilot experiments that are used for high capacity water works.

Towards Control of an Estuary

1987 ◽  
Vol 19 (9) ◽  
pp. 155-174
Author(s):  
Henk L. F. Saeijs
Keyword(s):  
Shallow Water ◽  
Storm Surge ◽  
Salt Marshes ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Western Europe ◽  
Oxygen Depletion ◽  
Negative Effects ◽  
Intertidal Flats ◽  
Environmental Consequences ◽  
Short Time

The Delta Project is in its final stage. In 1974 it was subjected to political reconsideration, but it is scheduled now for completion in 1987. The final touches are being put to the storm-surge barrier and two compartment dams that divide the Oosterschelde into three areas: one tidal, one with reduced tide, and one a freshwater lake. Compartmentalization will result in 13% of channels, 45% of intertidal flats and 59% of salt marshes being lost. There is a net gain of 7% of shallow-water areas. Human interventions with large scale impacts are not new in the Oosterschelde but the large scale and short time in which these interventions are taking place are, as is the creation of a controlled tidal system. This article focusses on the area with reduced tide and compares resent day and expected characteristics. In this reduced tidal part salt marshes will extend by 30–70%; intertidal flats will erode to a lower level and at their edges, and the area of shallow water will increase by 47%. Biomass production on the intertidal flats will decrease, with consequences for crustaceans, fishes and birds. The maximum number of waders counted on one day and the number of ‘bird-days' will decrease drastically, with negative effects for the wader populations of western Europe. The net area with a hard substratum in the reduced tidal part has more than doubled. Channels will become shallower. Detritus import will not change significantly. Stratification and oxygen depletion will be rare and local. The operation of the storm-surge barrier and the closure strategy chosen are very important for the ecosystem. Two optional closure strategies can be followed without any additional environmental consequences. It was essential to determine a clearly defined plan of action for the whole area, and to make land-use choices from the outset. How this was done is briefly described.

Large-scale wetland-restoration of the Ronde Venen, The Netherlands

1995 ◽  
Vol 31 (8) ◽  
pp. 197-205 ◽  
Author(s):  
L. L. Bijlmakers ◽  
E. O. A. M. de Swart
Keyword(s):  
Water Quality ◽  
Wetland Restoration ◽  
Pollution Control ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Major Elements ◽  
Control Mechanisms ◽  
Important Criterion ◽  
Spatial Strategy ◽  
Hydrological Characteristics ◽  
Spatial Composition

For the area of the Ronde Venen a plan for large-scale wetland-restoration and improvement of the water quality was developed. Major elements of the developed spatial strategy are the optimal use of the specific hydrological and ecological characteristics of the area. Based on regional hydrological characteristics within the study area hydrological sub-units were distinguished by connecting discharge and recharge areas. In this way the intake of polluted surface water from outside the area could be minimized, with an optimal use of specific local differences in water quality. Two scenarios were developed and evaluated using hydrological, hydrochemical and ecological models. The scenarios differed in spatial composition and the way the water level was manipulated. In order to optimize water quality, natural and artificial pollution control mechanisms were implemented as well. An important criterion for the evaluation was the extent to which the scenarios succeeded in optimizing conditions for the realization of the ecological goals. The most promising and acceptable scenario has been worked out in further detail.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document