Water Problems in Gaza Strip,Palestine

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Engineering Properties, Microstructure and Strength Development of Lightweight Concrete Containing Pumice Aggregates

Lightweight aggregate concretes are widely incorporated in construction and development. This study presented an experimental investigation on the engineering properties of volcanic pumice lightweight aggregates concretes. Three groups of lightweight concretes: 1—coarse pumice aggregates (2–6 mm), 2—course pumice aggregates (2–6 mm)/sand size pumice aggregates and 3—course pumice aggregates (2–6 mm)/sand fraction were built and the physical/mechanical aspects of them were studied. The results of the compressive strength, density, water absorption, pH and shrinkage showed that these lightweight concretes were affected by the type of aggregates, the cement paste and the interfacial zone between cement and aggregates. One grain size pumice (2–6 mm) showed best compressive strength (65 kg/cm²), density of 0.60 g/cm³, linear shrinkage 0.4 % and high water absorption 29.73 %. Strength minerals represented by calcium-silicate-hydrate (CSH) and calcium-aluminate-hydrate (CAH) leading the concrete strength.     

Implementation of method of lines to predict water levels due to a storm along the coastal region of Bangladesh

In this study, the method of lines (MOL) has been applied to solve two-dimensional vertically integrated shallow water equations in Cartesian coordinates for the prediction of water levels due to a storm surge along the coast of Bangladesh. In doing so, the partial derivatives with respect to the space variables were discretized by the finite difference (central) method to obtain a system of ordinary differential equations (ODEs) with time as independent variable. The classical fourth-order Runge–Kutta method was used to solve the obtained system of the ODEs. We used a nested finite difference scheme, where a high resolution fine grid model (FGM) capable of incorporating all major islands along the coastal region of Bangladesh was nested into a coarse grid model (CGM) covering up to 15°N latitude of the Bay of Bengal. The boundaries of the coast and islands were approximated through proper stair step. Appropriate tidal condition over the model domain was generated by forcing the sea level to be oscillatory with the constituent M ₂ along the southern open boundary of the CGM omitting wind stress. Along the northeast corner of the FGM, the Meghna River discharge was taken into account. The developed model was applied to estimate water levels along the coast of Bangladesh due to the interaction of tide and surge associated with the April 1991 storm. We also computed our results employing the standard finite difference method (FDM). Simulated results show the MOL performs well in comparison with the FDM with regard to CPU time and stability, and ensures conformity with observations.     

Livelihood diversification as an adaptation approach to change in the pastoral Hindu-Kush Himalayan region

Migratory livestock raising has been one of the most important livelihood options for people residing in high mountain areas and has made a significant contribution to the economy of the Hindu Kush Himalayan（HKH） region, both in terms of supporting households and in export earnings. However, in recent decades, changes in the socioeconomic situation and increasing climate variability have led to a need to enhance adaptation by building the resilience of local socio-ecological systems, including economic diversification and sustainable management of natural resources. Based on semistructured interviews with pastoral communities in six countries within the pastoral HKH region, this paper discusses the situation, trends and driving forces behind the diversification of pastoral livelihood. For internal diversification the study highlights the need for enhancement of pastoral livelihoods through value-adding activities in the pastoral sectors. For external diversification changes on policy changes are needed to support free out-migration, market exploitation, and multiple resource use. Finally the paper highlights the role of education in determining household adaptation strategies in the face of various socio-ecological pressures and recommends integrating innovative and indigenous knowledge to develop appropriate methods for risk management and resource management in the pastoral HKH region.     

Determination of Critical Factors in Implementing River Clean‐Up Projects: A Malaysian Case Study

Fast economic growth of a country contributes to the increase of activities that can also bring negative impacts on the rivers. Contamination of rivers, sedimentation, coastal erosion, decrease of aquatic life, and also flooding are some of these universal impacts. There are several rivers around the world, which are categorized as very polluted and require cleaning‐up operations. Several factors have been identified to be influencing factors in the success or otherwise of the implementation and operation of these projects. This study examined the factors related to the steps taken to clean‐up and rehabilitate these rivers and deduce by utilizing factor analysis the most critical success factors from the results obtained. A responsible river community is by far the most effective way to keep a river basin clean. Very often, however, cleaning‐up operations are necessary to revive and maintain the quality of the river so that it can be save to use as an important source of water for human consumption. It was found that community awareness was the most critical cluster of factors determining the success of the clean‐up work.     

The cumulative impacts of reclamation and dredging on the marine ecology and land-use in the Kingdom of Bahrain

This article assesses the ecological and economic impacts of land reclamation and dredging through consulting recent environmental impact assessment reports. Geographic features of Bahrain during 1963-2008 are produced using Geographical Information System. Extensive but inexpensive shallow coastal areas and tidal flats have been reclaimed particularly from 1997 to 2007 at a high rate of 21 km(2)/year. Formal records show the increase in the original land mass by the year 2008 to be 91 km(2). An estimated total cumulative loss of major habitats resulting from 10 reclamation projects was around 153.58 km(2). Also much larger scale impacts should be considered resulting from the borrow areas used for the extraction of sand or infill materials. A number of key habitats and species are affected in the vicinity of these projects. The study attempts to assign a monetary value to the marine ecosystem functions. There is a need for efficient coastal zone management to regulate a sustainable use of the marine resources.     

Seasonal occurrence and microhabitat of the hyperparasitic monogenean Udonella fugu on the caligid Copepod Pseudocaligus fugu infecting the grass puffer Takifugu niphobles in the Seto Inland Sea, Japan

The seasonal occurrence and microhabitat of the monogenean Udonella fugu that hyperparasitizes exclusively on adults of the caligid copepod Pseudocaligus fugu that infects the skin of the grass puffer Takifugu niphobles were investigated in the Seto Inland Sea, western Japan from November 2004 to December 2006. The udonellids occurred and bred mostly during the occurrence of P. fugu on the fish host. The average prevalence and intensity of U. fugu on P. fugu during the whole investigation were 29% and 3.6, respectively. The main attachment sites of U. fugu were the posterior side of leg 3 and the dorsal marginal side of the cephalothorax for feeding and copulation, while eggs were predominantly located on the ventral side of the urosome to avoid detachment. More attention should be paid to the ecology of U. fugu, due to recent high prevalence of P. fugu on cultured tiger puffer in western Japan.     

Heavy Metal Concentrations in Sediment and Intertidal Gastropod Nerita lineata from Two Opposing Sites in the Straits of Malacca

The concentrations of Cd, Cu, Pb, Zn, Ni and Fe were determined in the surface sediment and marine gastropod Nerita lineata collected in May 2005 from the intertidal zone of Dumai, Sumatera, Indonesia and Johor, Peninsular Malaysia. The results showed that metal concentrations in sediment and the soft tissue of N. lineata varied at different sampling stations. Mean heavy metal concentrations were 0. 92 μg/g(Cd) ;6.40 μg/g(Cu) ;32.77 μg/g(Pb) ;54.41μg/g(Zn) ;11.56 μg/g(Ni) and 2.97%(Fe) in sediment from Dumai and 1.15 μg(Cd) ;26.73 μg/g(Cu) ;53.45μg/g(Pb) ;130.77 μg/g(Zn) ;20.79 μg/g( Ni ) and 2.72% (Fe) in sediment from Johor. Concentrations of metals in gastropod N. lineata were 0.71 μg/g(Cd) ;15.16 μg(Cu) ;9.35 μg/g(Pb) ;94.69 μg/g(Zn) ;5.08 μg/g(Ni) and 397.97 μg/g(Fe) in samples from Dumai and 1.24 μg(Cd) ;18.02 μg/g(Cu) ;19.75 μg/g(Pb) ;95.09 μg/g(Zn) ;5.57 μg/g ( Ni ) and 473. 56 μg/g (Fe) in samples from Johor. Although they were not statistically significant (p >0.05), heavy metal concentrations in N. lineata were correlated with the concentrations of respective metals in sediment in both samples from Dumai and Johor. In general, samples of sediment and gastropod from Johor accumulated significantly higher heavy metal concentrations when compared to samples from Dumai(p < 0. 05). Higher concentrations of metals were recorded in samples collected from the stations close to the industrial and anthropogenic activities in both Dumai and Johor areas. However, most of the concentrations were still comparable to the previous reported studies from other geographical areas.     

Weather observations on Whistler Mountain during five storms

A greater understanding of precipitation formation processes over complex terrain near the west coast of British Colombia will contribute to many relevant applications, such as climate studies, local hydrology, transportation, and winter sport competition. The phase of precipitation is difficult to determine because of the warm and moist weather conditions experienced during the wintertime in coastal mountain ranges. The goal of this study is to investigate the wide range of meteorological conditions that generated precipitation on Whistler Mountain from 4–12 March 2010 during the SNOW-V10 field campaign. During this time period, five different storms were documented in detail and were associated with noticeably different meteorological conditions in the vicinity of Whistler Mountain. New measurement techniques, along with the SNOW-V10 instrumentation, were used to obtain in situ observations during precipitation events along the Whistler mountainside. The results demonstrate a high variability of weather conditions ranging from the synoptic-scale to the macro-scale. These weather events were associated with a variation of precipitation along the mountainside, such as events associated with snow, snow pellets, and rain. Only two events associated with a rain–snow transition along the mountainside were observed, even though above-freezing temperatures along the mountainside were recorded 90 % of the time. On a smaller scale, these events were also associated with a high variability of snowflake types that were observed simultaneously near the top of Whistler Mountain. Overall, these detailed observations demonstrate the importance of understanding small-scale processes to improve observational techniques, short-term weather prediction, and longer-term climate projections over mountainous regions.