Dealing with drought: The challenge of using water system technologies to break dryland poverty traps

We explore strategies among farmers in semi-arid Tanzania to cope with drought, and investigate if access to a local supplemental irrigation system (the Ndiva system) can improve coping capacity. Results show high dependency on local ecosystem services when harvests fail, and indicate that farmers commonly exhaust asset holdings during droughts. Ndiva access did not have any direct effects on coping capacity, but seemed to have some indirect effects. Drawing on our findings we discuss the complexity of escaping persistent dryland poverty, and outline the circumstances under which small-scale water system technologies, such as Ndiva irrigation, may help.     

Vulnerability and adaptation to climate variability and water stress in Uttarakhand State, India

This paper presents a participatory approach to investigate vulnerability and adaptive capacity to climate variability and water stress in the Lakhwar watershed in Uttarakhand State, India. Highly water stressed microwatersheds were identified by modelling surface runoff, soil moisture development, lateral runoff, and groundwater recharge. The modelling results were shared with communities in two villages, and timeline exercises were carried out to allow them to trace past developments that have impacted their lives and livelihoods, and stimulate discussion about future changes and possible adaptation interventions.     

1953-2005年内蒙古东部产粮区气候变化特征研究

利用系统聚类分析和相关分析方法,根据1953--2005年内蒙古东部产粮区48个气象站的气象资料．进行了气候相似区划分;并得出各区在热量、水分的时间变化上具有较高的区域一致性。据此,以区域内各站点的温度、降水和日照时数的平均值作为区域热水光时间序列,分析了各气候要素变化特征及其对农业可能产生的影响。结果表明：各区域温度呈上升趋势,增温速率（平均增温为0．3-0．4℃／10a）高于中国平均增温速率（0．22℃／10a）,增温幅度呈从西向东递增的趋势,平均最低气温增幅最大,平均最高气温增温幅度与海拔呈正相关,尤以1988年以后变暖趋势最为明显;降水量基本呈减少趋势,年代际波动较大;20世纪90年代至今,内蒙古东部产粮区生长季降水明显减少,气温迅速升高,暖千化趋势表现明显,温差减小和日照时数减少,水热匹配格局发生改变,粮食产量出现减少趋势的可能性较大。     

三维城市地表反射率计算模式

地表反射率是控制地表能量平衡的一个重要参数。城市建筑物的分布具有较大的不均一性,这不仅给地基观测城市地表反射率带来了很大困难,数值模拟城市地表反射率也是非常困难的。作者开发了一个三维城市地表反射率模式city_photo,该方法结合了蒙特卡洛方法和几何光学方法的优点,具有较高的精度和较快的计算速度。通过引入城市地图的概念,该模式能够计算具有不同结构的城市的地表反射率。2002至2004年晴空MODIS（MODerate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer,中分辨率成像光谱辐射计）1~7通道可见光和近红外通道地表反射率资料被用来检验模式的有效性,位于北京朝阳区的中国科学院大气物理研究所的AERONET站点观测得到气溶胶光学特性和水汽资料,6S（Second Simulation of Satellite Signal in the Solar Spectrum）大气辐射传输模式被用来对其进行大气订正。模式计算的北京城市地表反射率个例与MODIS 7个通道地表反射率观测结果具有很高的相关性,相关系数在0.80~0.93之间,说明模式能够较好地模拟城市地表反射率随太阳和观测角度的变化情况。最后讨论了城市结构对城市地表反射率的影响。     

济南市一次持续大雾过程分析

利用常规气象观测资料对2007年12月20-23日济南市一次持续大雾天气过程的大尺度天气背景、地面气压场、温度对数压力图以及单站气象要素进行了分析,结果表明:雾是在稳定的大气层结下出现的天气现象,根据大气稳定层结的状况及变化,可以判断大雾天气的有无及生消时间;近地面逆温和低空逆温同时存在,表明大气层结非常稳定,近地面逆温有利于近地面层水汽积累,低空逆温使近地面层水汽不易扩散而聚集,有利于近地面层维持潮湿,持续几天出现大雾;连续几天大气层结都处于稳定状态,地面风力很小,这些都限制了近地面层的水汽向外耗散,底层相对湿度较大,为大雾的形成提供了充沛的水汽条件.     

Limiting hydrochemical factors for sustainability of water resources: The Cisjordanian experience

In Cisjordan, surface- and groundwater flow are either towards the Jordan Valley-Dead Sea-Arava Valley (the Rift) or the Mediterranean Sea. Due to upstream exploitation by riparians to the Jordan River, the historical annual flow, which fluctuated between 250 and 1100 Mm³, has declined to a mere 100-200 Mm³. The remaining flow south of Lake Kinneret is highly polluted and heavily loaded with salts. Lake Kinneret (Sea of Galilee) is one of the major water resources in the area. Annually, between 200 and 700 Mm³ reach the Lake as surface and groundwater flow. The relatively high salinity of the Lake is caused by thermomineral water discharging from springs and seepages located onshore and on the bottom of the Lake. The main factors causing deterioration of the groundwater quality in the Rift are of geogenic character. These are different types of brines, whose outflow and penetration into freshwater aquifers was triggered by overpumpage. Contemporary encroachment of seawater caused by intensive water exploitation in the Coastal Plain is manageable and reversible. However, due to lack of hydrogeological evidence, no such statement can be made about the circulation of seawater beneath the Coastal Plain and into the deep-seated Yarkon-Taninim aquifer or the upflow of brines in the Rift.The flow regimes of the different brine bodies could not be elucidated. Whether each such brine-body flows by its particular hydrological regime or whether the movement of the different bodies is intradependent or interdependent with the regional movement of fresh groundwater, remain open questions. Therefore, sustainable development of groundwater resources is clearly dependent on the elucidation of the relationship between changes in the pressure of the brine with depth and its relationship to the overlying freshwater.The average total annual recharge of all water sources in Cisjordan is 1820 Mm³, which means that the total production of water must be managed within the limits of this annual volume. During drought years, total groundwater extraction exceeds the safe yield, causing drastic lowering of water levels and upflow of saline waters from greater depths.Because of the structural complexity of aquifers and hydrochemical variability of the numerous groundwater bodies, new hydrochemical methods have been developed for the identification of groundwater bodies and for the elucidation of their origins. These methods combine macrochemical, microchemical, and isotopic evidences. By combining distribution patterns of rare earths, yttrium and stable isotopes, a complete picture of catchment lithology and the altitude and latitude of precipitation could be obtained.The area west of the Jordan River is characterized by the occurrence of transboundary surface- and groundwater basins in which fresh and saline water and brines flow across political borders between Israel and the Palestinian Authority. It is very difficult to assess separately the annual safe yield of water resources for each of the two national entities. Neither country may dispose independently of its waters and is usually at the mercy of the other riparian. There is as yet no general multilateral international treaty in force allocating the water resources of international watercourses. At present there are two rules for the management of the waters of an international drainage basin—the rule of Equitable Distribution, and the obligation Not to Cause Significant Harm. The rules of equitable distribution have tended to focus on the issue of quantities of water rather than on quality of water, which is really relevant to the issue of equitable distribution. Future negotiations on the uses of the basin will need to deal with issues of characteristic salinities and geochemical features and on their impact on equitable sharing of water resources.     

The thermal conductivity for granite with various water contents

The thermal conductivities of granite were measured under different conditions of porosity and water content to investigate the effects of the porosity and water content on the thermal conductivity. For the dry samples, the thermal conductivities range from 2.12 W/mK for the rocks with a high porosity to 3.12 W/mK for the ones with a low porosity. Water-sorbed samples have greater thermal conductivities than dry samples of the same granite. The thermal conductivities range from 2.99 W/mK for granites with a high porosity to 3.62 W/mK for ones with a low porosity under saturated condition.     

The use of X-ray tomography in the study of water repellents and consolidants

To reduce the weathering rate of natural building stones, a wide variety of water repellents and consolidants are commercially available. Although a lot of research is performed on these products, it remains difficult to determine which product is appropriate to use for a certain type of building stone. Each type of building stone has its own petrographic characteristics (mineralogy, texture, …), leading to typical physical and technical properties which influence its rate of decay. The localisation of the products inside a stone type is not only depending on the properties of the products themselves, but also linked to the texture and structure of the stone. The impregnation depth of the products strongly influences their efficiency and is therefore a key issue in the determination if a product is functional for a certain type of stone. X-ray micro-CT has recently been introduced as a non-destructive material evaluation technique for engineering and geology purposes. The fact that micro-CT can provide information about the internal structure and properties of natural building stones, is a major advantage in the study of their conservation. Firmly linked with more classical research techniques, this non-destructive technique offers an extra dimension to the cultural heritage research.In this paper, non-destructive X-ray computed micro-tomography (micro-CT) turns out to be a powerful tool as it can visualise the presence of water repellents and consolidants inside the stone and can help to detect the influence that these treatments exert on porosity and pore-size distribution. For the visualization of the product its atomic number and density and the amount of product inside the natural building stone is crucial. Besides the contrast in attenuation, the resolution of the micro-CT also needs to be taken into account to obtain a good contrast between stone and product. By doping with 3-bromopropyltrimethoxysilane, more contrast occurs between the stone material and the conservation product. When the amount of product inside the samples is very low and the product is homogeneously spread inside the sample, the doped product is difficult to distinguish from the stone material due to the resolution of the micro-CT. When the amount of doped product inside the stone material reaches a certain threshold value, the dope will appear in the 2D cross-sections derived from micro-CT, creating a good visualization of the products inside the stone samples.     

Contested H2O: Science, policy and politics in water resources management in Chile

This paper critically explores the politics that mediate the use of environmental science assessments as the basis of resource management policy. Drawing on recent literature in the political ecology tradition that has emphasised the politicised nature of the production and use of scientific knowledge in environmental management, the paper analyses a hydrological assessment in a small river basin in Chile, undertaken in response to concerns over the possible overexploitation of groundwater resources. The case study illustrates the limitations of an approach based predominantly on hydrogeological modelling to ascertain the effects of increased groundwater abstraction. In particular, it identifies the subjective ways in which the assessment was interpreted and used by the state water resources agency to underpin water allocation decisions in accordance with its own interests, and the role that a desocialised assessment played in reproducing unequal patterns of resource use and configuring uneven waterscapes. Nevertheless, as Chile’s ‘neoliberal’ political-economic framework privileges the role of science and technocracy, producing other forms of environmental knowledge to complement environmental science is likely to be contentious. In conclusion, the paper considers the potential of mobilising the concept of the hydrosocial cycle to further critically engage with environmental science.     

Electrical Resistivity Imaging technique to delineate coal seam barrier thickness and demarcate water filled voids

Exploration and exploitation of coal seams is one of the major resources for the energy sector in any country but at the same time water filled voids/water logged areas in the old workings of these seams are very critical problems for the coal mining industry. In such situations, disasters like inundation, landslides, collapsing of the old seams may occur. In this regard, it is necessary to find out the water saturated/water filled voids and zones in the mining areas. Since no established technique is available to find such zones, an experimental study using Electrical Resistivity Imaging (ERI) has been carried out in one of the coal mining areas near Dhanbad, to find out the feasibility of finding the barrier thickness and the water logged area in underground coal mines. The area under study forms part of Jharia coalfield in Dhanbad district, Jharkhand state. The coal bearing rocks of Barakar Formation of Lower Permian age (Gondwana period) occur in the area under a thin cover (10 m to15 m) of soil and or alluvium. Coal bearing Barakar Formations consist mainly of sandstone of varying grain size, intercalation of shale and sandstone, grey and carbonaceous-shale and coal seams. Since the water saturation reduces the resistivity of a formation to a large extent, water filled voids and old coal workings are expected to have significant resistivity contrast with the surrounding host rock. Hence, ERI technique was applied in such an environment as this technique uses high-density data acquisition both laterally and vertically by using multiple number of electrodes. Along with ERI, mise-à-la-masse (also called charged body) technique was also employed at one of the promising sites to find out the connectivity of water logged areas and also detection of these old workings from the surface measurements was analyzed. The interpreted 2D resistivity sections have clearly indicated the water bearing zone(s) along the profile which was well confirmed with the existing water level in the nearby borewells. On the other hand, this technique did not identify the size of the coal pillar and gallery (air filled voids), which might be due to the small size of the voids (i.e. about 2 m × 2 m) below a depth of 15m and more but have indicated altogether as a high resistive zone ranging from 600–1000 Ohm-m.