Exploring socio-hydrological determinants of crop yield in under-performing irrigation schemes: pathways for sustainable intensification

ABSTRACT

Understanding the human–water–food–climate nexus is central to achieving sustainable intensification (SI) in agriculture. This research uses a socio-hydrological approach to understand the underpinning for implementing SI in the Gezira Irrigation Scheme, Sudan, by integrating vegetation indices derived from remote sensing, ancillary, gridded soil and precipitation data, supplemented by interviews with 393 farmers. The productivity gap was estimated as the difference between the potential and actual productivities. Based upon data on farmers’ socio-economic status and field practices, a regression tree model was built to determine the factors that control the sorghum yield. The model revealed that the financial status of farmers and access to water are the most influential factors on sorghum yield. A conceptual framework that elucidates SI and its bi-directional feedback to the environment, society and the economy is proposed. Implementing SI in the scheme has implications on water and food security in Sudan and beyond its borders.     

Hydromagnetic stability of a gas-liquid interface of coaxial cylinders

The method of Fourier analysis of the light changes in the frequency-domain has been studied and discussed for 92 light curves of different types of eclipsing binary systems.Geometrical and physical elements of the systems under analysis have been listed and discussed, accordingly the advantages and disadvantages of the method is presented.The results show that the method is suitable for analysis of detached and most of the semi-detached systems, while for contact binaries and -Lyrae-type stars it has some difficulties. The light curve synthesis method is recommended.     

Arsenic release from biotite into a Holocene groundwater aquifer in Bangladesh

Continuous core sediments (to a depth of 90.1 m) taken at a transitional area of Holocene and Pleistocene deposits in Sonargaon, Bangladesh were characterized for their mineralogy and chemistry. Among the sediments of the lower part of the Holocene aquifer (depth: 18–29 m), where most domestic wells are installed, As is mostly fixed in biotite and organic phases. A positive correlation of As concentration with those of Al and Fe but not that of total organic C clearly suggests that biotite is a primary source of As. Although microbial reduction–dissolution of As-containing Fe oxyhydroxides is thought to cause As-enriched groundwater in the Ganges–Brahmaputra–Meghna delta plain, the authors conclude that chemical weathering of biotite is the primary formation mechanism and prevailing reducing conditions contribute to the expansion of As-enriched groundwater in the study area.     

Rare earth elements in modern coral sands: an environmental proxy

The concentration rare earth elements and Yttrium (REE + Y) were determined in coral sands from Kavaratti Island, Arabian Sea, India. Chondrite-normalized REE + Y patterns show: (1) high REE concentration particularly light REE (LREE) enrichment; (2) consistent negative Ce anomaly; (3) nearly chondritic Y/Ho ratios. All these features are consistent with the geochemistry of well oxygenated seawater with significant terrestrial contribution. The seawater composition of Nd/Yb ratio inferred from the coral record point to the dominance of LREE more than the heavy REE (HREE). The high terrestrial input rich in LREE and property of adsorption/scavenging processes of LREE than that of HREE may be the cause. Terrigenous contributions were detected on the basis of co-occurring trace element concentrations (Sc, Hf and Th) and Y/Ho ratio. Except for La, the REE distribution coefficients, KD(REE)s, are between 100 and 300. KDs are high comparing to the other elements in biogenic calcite which is attributed to detrital contamination during elemental incorporation. This study may not reflect original seawater chemistry but it can be a good proxy to indicate proximity of corals to terrigenous input sources.     

Analysis, in a free surface steady flow, of the interstitial velocity field inside a sedimentary bed

The objective of our study is to exploit ultrasonic Doppler velocimetry (UDV) to analyze the velocity field within a steady flow on a porous sedimentary bottom. Velocities are measured for several sedimentary beds, as well within the fluid vein as within the sediment. Our results highlight an exponential distribution of the velocities inside the sediment and a discontinuity of the velocity at the interface water–sediment, between the velocity in the free flow and the velocity within the sediment. These results highlight the need to base the analysis of sedimentary transport on the reality of the physical processes at the interface water–sediment.     

Holocene hydrological and vegetation changes in southern France inferred by the study of an alluvial travertine system (Saint-Guilhem-le-Désert, Hérault)

A geobotanical study of the travertine system of Saint-Guilhem-le-Désert (southern France) was carried out in order to reconstruct the local Holocene environment in a region where the postglacial vegetation history is poorly documented. The travertinisation process has started at ca. 8500 cal. BP, in a landscape dominated by Pinus sylvestris type (probably Pinus nigra sub sp. salzmannii). Around 7000 cal. BP, the travertine system recorded torrential events not evidenced at the regional scale, showing the particularity of the Verdus hydrological regime. More recently, ca. 5100 cal. BP, a lake or a marsh was filled within the Verdus plain, as attested to by sand and silt particles accumulated in the sequence. The present-day vegetation dominated by Quercus ilex, on south facing slopes, was most likely established between the Bronze Age and the Gallo-Roman period correlatively to the decline of Pinus nigra and deciduous Quercus, most probably under human influence.     

Data-Driven Modeling Approach to Predict the Recovery Performance of Low-Salinity Waterfloods

Natural Resources Research - Low-salinity waterflooding (LSWF) has, in the past decade, attained a lot of attention to enhance oil recovery. In LSWF, diluted water is injected into an oil reservoir...     

Implementation of Rock Typing on Waterflooding Process During Secondary Recovery in Oil Reservoirs: A Case Study,El Morgan Oil Field,Gulf of Suez,Egypt

Waterflooding is one of the most common secondary recovery methods in the oil and gas industry. Globally, this process sometimes suffers a technical failure and inefficiency. Therefore, a better understanding of geology, reservoir characteristics, rock typing and discrimination, hydraulic flow units, and production data is essential to analyze reasons and mechanisms of water injection failure in the injection wells. Water injection failure was reported in the Middle Miocene Hammam Faraun reservoir at El Morgan oil field in the Gulf of Suez, where two wells have been selected as injector’s wells. In the first well (A1), the efficiency of injection was not good, whereas in the other analog A2 well good efficiency was assigned. Therefore, it is required to assess the injection loss in the low efficiency well, where all aspects of the geological, reservoir and production data of the studied wells were integrated to get a complete vision for the reasons of injection failure. The available data include core analysis data (vertical and horizontal permeabilities, helium porosity, bulk density, and water and oil saturations), petrographical studies injection and reservoir water chemistry, reservoir geology, production, and injection history. The quality of the data was examined and a set of reliable X–Y plots between the available data were introduced and the reservoir quality in both wells was estimated using reservoir quality index, normalized porosity index, and flow zone indicator. Integration and processing of the core and reservoir engineering data indicate that heterogeneity of the studied sequence was the main reason for the waterflooding inefficiency at the El Morgan A1 well. The best reservoir quality was assigned to the topmost part of the reservoir, which caused disturbance of the flow regime of reservoir fluids. Therefore, it is clearly indicated that rock typing and inadequate injection perforation strategy that has not been aligned with accurate hydraulic flow units are the key control parameters in the waterflooding efficiency.

     

Application of Tree-Based Predictive Models to Forecast Air Overpressure Induced by Mine Blasting

Natural Resources Research - In surface mines and underground excavations, every blasting operation can have some destructive environmental impacts, among which air overpressure (AOp) is of major...     

Soil Characterization Using Joint Interpretation of Remote Sensing,Resistivity and Induced Polarization Data along the Coast of the Nile Delta

Natural Resources Research - Soil characterization in coastal areas is essential for strategic coastal engineering implementation and for understanding the paleo-environmental conditions. However,...