Amount Of Water Research Articles

Maximizing waste plastic oil yield and enhancing energy and environmental metrics through pyrolysis process optimization and fuel modification

The accumulation of plastic waste poses a major environmental challenge, while the conversion of waste plastics into oil via pyrolysis holds promise as an alternative energy solution. Despite numerous investigations into this area, none have focused on optimizing pyrolysis process parameters for higher oil yield and enhancing the overall performance of plastic oil through suitable fuel modification. The present study aims to optimize the pyrolysis process parameters, including heating rate (HR), process temperature (PT), and reaction time (RT), to achieve a higher yield of waste plastic oil (WPO) and enhance the overall performance by blending optimal quantities of water. Fuel characterization and properties measurement were conducted using Fourier Transform Infrared and ASTM methods. WPO was blended with conventional diesel fuel (CDF) and different volume concentrations of water (5%, 10%, and 15%). The performance metrices were assessed under various engine conditions. The study findings indicate that the optimum condition of process parameters is an HR of 17.3 °C/min, PT of 403 °C, and RT of 96.30 min, and the fuel quality confirms its suitability as an alternative fuel source. The performance metrics revealed that WPO has a 5.4% lower brake-thermal efficiency than CDF, and the inclusion of 10% water in WPO (WPO10W) enhances the efficiency by 11.5%. The in-cylinder pressure and net-heat release rate of WPO are 1.3% and 12.9% lower than CDF, respectively, and WPO10W emulsion promotes efficient combustion. WPO10W emulsion fuel reduces oxides of nitrogen, hydrocarbon, and carbon monoxide emissions by 21.2%, 9.8%, and 22.2%, respectively, compared to WPO.

Application of Fuzzy Logic to Predict Rice Production Quantity in Bogor Regency

This study aims to understand prediction methods using fuzzy Mamdani logic to conclude the quantity of rice production in the Bogor Regency area. Then in this study, we used quantitative methods and involved interviews with resource persons, namely rice mill workers and farmers. The data obtained from the interview is then fuzzyfication to be used in calculations. The main finding of this study is the elaboration of crop quantity from small, normal, and many, with the range of yields produced ranging from 0 to 3000 KG for little, 3000 to 6000 KG for normal, and 6000 to 10000 KG for many. Weather and humidity observations were found to significantly affect rice yields. The implications of these findings are improved accuracy in yield estimation, and the ability to address uncertainty and complexity in factors affecting crop growth. Despite the limitations of this study, such as limited data and remote study locations, the use of fuzzy logic can make a crucial contribution to determining the quantity of water needed for plant growth based on rainfall and weather conditions. This research is crucial because it can be a reference for future research that uses fuzzy logic to determine the quantity of rice production.

A Framework Based on LIDs and Storage Pumping Stations for Urban Waterlogging

Climate change has resulted in an increase in extreme rainstorm events, posing the challenges of urban waterlogging and runoff pollution. Low Impact Development (LID) is widely used to address the issues above, but its effectiveness is unknown in mountainous areas. Due to a flash flood and high flood peak, storage pumping stations are also needed to drain. Thus, a framework composed of storage pumping stations and Low Impact Developments (LIDs) was proposed based on the topography and the regional upstream and downstream relationships. The water quantity in this framework is applied to YI County in Hebei Province, China. The results showed that individual LIDs effectively reduced runoff volume, with the implementation area being more crucial than the location. Combining storage pumping stations with LIDs significantly reduces peak outflow and delays it by 5 to 51 min. The combined downstream implementation of storage pumping stations and LIDs yielded the most effective results. These findings offer important insights and management strategies for controlling waterlogging in mountainous cities of developing countries.

Response of cotton growth, yield, and water and nitrogen use efficiency to nitrogen application rate and ionized brackish water irrigation under film-mulched drip fertigation.

The presence of brackish water resources is significant in addressing the scarcity of freshwater resources, particularly in the Xinjiang region. Studies focused on reducing adverse effect of brackish water irrigation based on using ionized brackish water, as well as on investigating its effects on fibre and oil plant production processes, remain incipient in the literature. Some benefits of this technique are the optimization of the quality and quantity of irrigation water, economy of water absorbed by the plants, improvement in the vegetative growth and productivity compared to irrigation using conventional brackish water. Thus, the aim of the current study is to assess the effect of different nitrogen application rates on soil water and salinity, cotton growth and water and nitrogen use efficiency. The experimental design consisted of completely randomized design with two water types (ionized and non-ionized) and six nitrogen application rates with four replications. Irrigation conducted with ionized brackish water and different nitrogen application rates had significant effect on the plant height, leaf area index, shoot dry matter, boll number per plant and chlorophyll content. The study also demonstrated significant effects of ionized brackish water on soil water content and soil salinity accumulation. The highest cotton production was achieved with the use of 350 kg·ha-1 of ionized brackish water for irrigation, resulting in an average increase of 11.5% compared to the use of non-ionized brackish water. The nitrogen application exhibits a quadratic relationship with nitrogen agronomic use efficiency and apparent nitrogen use efficiency, while it shows a liner relationship with nitrogen physiological use efficiency and nitrogen partial productivity. After taking into account soil salinity, cotton yield, water and nitrogen use efficiency, the optimal nitrogen application rate for ionized brackish water was determined to be 300 kg·ha-1. It is hoped that this study can contribute to improving water management, reducing the environmental impact without implying great costs for the producer.

Efficient zero wastewater and salt-free of cotton fiber dyeing via hydrophobic organic chemical/water two-phase dyeing system

For cotton fabric dyeing, a significant quantity of salt and water are typically consumed in the conventional water dyeing bath. In this study, an environmentally friendly alternative was investigated that could eliminate water waste and salt usage, as well as reducing chemical consumption. This method, which employs a hydrophobic organic chemical/water two-phase dyeing system, solely involves fiber swelling, dye dissolution, and the use of alkaline agents. By substituting the water required for heat and mass with an organic chemical, 71.43% dye reduction can be achieved in dye consumption compared to traditional water-based dyeing method. Benefiting from the natural affinity between dyes and cotton fibers, without any interaction with hydrophobic organic chemicals, reactive dye can diffuse into the fiber surface, which can achieve above 98% dye uptake and 90% fixation rate. The K/S value of the dyed cotton fabric is much higher than that of conventional water bath at the same dye concentration, and it is the highest when the water content is 120 %. Moreover, the uniform distribution of dye and the color fastness of the dyed fabric are comparable to traditional water-based dyeing. Due to the influence of intermolecular forces, the aggregation of dye is changed to varying degrees in different hydrophilic and hydrophobic cotton fiber dyeing systems, which further influences the dyeing quality. This study not only improves the utilization of dye but achieves salt-free, no wastewater emission and reduces the dyeing cost, providing an economical and sustainable dyeing method for the industrial dyeing of cotton fabric.

Design and construction of equipment for the elimination of saponin in Quinoa (Chenopodium quinoa Willd): Performance tests with Amarillo Marangani variety

Quinoa is a very important grain for human nutrition; In recent years, several research studies have addressed its nutritional use; However, one of its main weaknesses is its saponin content, which is an anti-nutrient and has a bitter taste. The debittering process involves the principle of recirculation of large quantities of water, with the purpose of reducing the consumption of this substance, it is important to develop methodologies and equipment that improve the efficiency of these traditional washing methods and reduce the work of operators and processors with the intention of making it less costly. The objective of the present research work was to design and build a quinoa de- saponifier , Amarillo Maranganí variety, to evaluate the effect of washing time (5, 10 and 15 min) and the flow of water recirculated by pumping (15, 30 and 45 L/min), on the elimination of saponin to acceptable commercial levels. The results indicated that the highest saponin extraction was achieved when using washing times of 5 min with water flow rates of 15 L/min, and 51.75 % of the initial saponin content was eliminated. In general, it is stated that increasing the flow rate of the washing water reduces the extraction efficiency, but performing a second washing significantly reduces the extraction, the equipment developed presents promising characteristics for application in the industry.

The Effect of Low Impact Development Implementing on Flood Discharge of Outflow Drainage in the Lakarsantri District Surabaya City

The drainage system in Lakarsantri District, Surabaya, applies a conventional drainage system which only focuses on water quantity. This is shown by flood events that occur in the area and downstream of the channel. A new paradigm in the management of drainage systems is a low impact development concept that focuses on conservation efforts and the use of natural features to carry out small-scale engineering to control surface runoff of rainwater in watersheds. This research aims to find a good model that can be applied with significant influence. This research was carried out by modeling using the SWMM application with 3 scenarios, scenario 1 Porous Pavement LID, scenario 2 Vegetative Swale LID, scenario 3 50% Porous Pavement + 50% Vegetative Swale LID. The results of the modeling show that scenario 1 has the effect of reducing surface runoff discharge by 0,385 ha-m, which in existing conditions has a surface runoff of 6,574 ha-m and then reducing to 6,189 ha-m with an installation percentage of 2,81% of the total area by ​​the research location.

Influence of soil moisture conditions on severity of Botryosphaeria branch dieback caused by Lasiodiplodia iraniensis and impact of plant growth in macadamia

Australian macadamias experience outbreaks of Botryosphaeria branch dieback. Extreme environmental conditions are thought to be responsible for the episodic outbreaks of diseases caused by Botryosphaeriaceae species in horticultural ecosystems. However, studies on the interactive effects of biotic and abiotic stresses in macadamia are unknown. Knowledge of management practices that contribute to the severity of the disease would assist in decisions for Botryosphaeria branch dieback control in commercial macadamia orchards. Using an in planta stem wound inoculation assay with Lasiodiplodia iraniensis, we investigated the association of soil moisture conditions as a factor of plant stress with the severity of Botryosphaeriaceae infection in macadamia. Sap flow rate and soil water potential were monitored in 72 macadamia potted cv. HAES 344 plants (18-month-old and 12-month-old grown in pine bark-sand mixture) that were kept under three watering treatments, based on the amount of water used per day (Wd) at the start of the trial, at Wd, ½ of Wd and ¼ of Wd for 14 weeks. A significant differential effect of the watering regimes was observed on disease severity, revealing a strong (R2 > 0.87) negative linear relationship between disease severity and sap flow rates. Necrotic lesions were significantly (P < 0.001) longer in the lowest and highest watering regimes. The average sap flow rate of 0.4 kg h−1 was recorded in the plants under moderately watered conditions, ½Wd regime, whereas 50% and 75% reductions in sap flow rates were recorded at the lowest and highest watering treatments, respectively. Our results indicate that maintaining optimal soil water potential between −50 and −80 kPa through irrigation practices may reduce the risk of Botryosphaeria branch dieback outbreaks in macadamia orchards.

Enhancing environmental data imputation: A physically-constrained machine learning framework

In water resources management, new computational capabilities have made it possible to develop integrated models to jointly analyze climatic conditions and water quantity/quality of the entire watershed system. Although the value of this integrated approach has been demonstrated so far, the limited availability of field data may hinder its applicability by causing high uncertainty in the model response. In this context, before collecting additional data, it is recommended first to recognize what improvement in model performance would occur if all available records could be well exploited. This work proposes a novel machine learning framework with physical constraints capable of successfully imputing a high percentage of missing data belonging to several environmental domains (meteorology, water quantity, water quality), yielding satisfactory results. In particular, the minimum NSE computed for meteorologic variables is 0.72. For hydrometric variables, NSE is always >0.97. More than 78 % of the physical-water-quality variables is characterized by NSE > 0.45, and >66 % of the chemical-water quality variables reaches NSE > 0.35. This work's results demonstrate the proposed framework's effectiveness as a data augmentation tool to improve the performance of integrated environmental modeling.

Water conservation in tomato production using deficit irrigation and SALTMED model under greenhouse conditions

The use of modeling for water conservation during irrigation is still in the research stage. There are many models can be used for this purpose, including Saltmed model. The SALTMED model is a holistic model can be used for different irrigation water and soil qualities, variety of crops, and water irrigation systems. This research aimed to interpret the tomato yield using different water quantities and qualities under greenhouse experiments. The trial included deficit irrigation with 3 treatments (80 %, 60 %, 40 % along with 100 % crop water requirements (ETc), with three water qualities (ECw 1.0, 2.3 and 3.6 dSm−1). The outcomes of the SALTMED model indicate the potential of the model to interpret soil-water content, salinity and tomato yield in regions having semi-arid climates under deficit irrigation strategies. Results of the SALTMED model revealed that data was underestimated. Furthermore, the values range of the CRM coefficient of the residual mass were 0.005–0.055, -0.01–0.02, and -0.02–0.04 for 0.9, 2.3 and 3.6 dSm−1, respectively. Most salinity showed the CRM values 0.18 to -0.02, 0.2 to -0.41, and -0.05 to -0.38 respectively, for the three irrigation water qualities. The values of observed and simulated data predicted a good relationship obtained. For soil water content and salinity, R2 values ranged between 0.80–0.99 and 0.74–0.99 respectively. Model efficiently simulates tomato yield outcomes under saline and freshwater. The correlation between the simulated and observed yield were 0.92, 0.94, and 0.79 for water quality of 1.0, 2.3 and 3.6 dSm−1, respectively. Finally, the SALTMED model showed good simulations of soil water content, soil salinity, and final tomato yield.

Fair Graph Learning Using Constraint-Aware Priority Adjustment and Graph Masking in River Networks

Accurate prediction of water quality and quantity is crucial for sustainable development and human well-being. However, existing data-driven methods often suffer from spatial biases in model performance due to heterogeneous data, limited observations, and noisy sensor data. To overcome these challenges, we propose Fair-Graph, a novel graph-based recurrent neural network that leverages interrelated knowledge from multiple rivers to predict water flow and temperature within large-scale stream networks. Additionally, we introduce node-specific graph masks for information aggregation and adaptation to enhance prediction over heterogeneous river segments. To reduce performance disparities across river segments, we introduce a centralized coordination strategy that adjusts training priorities for segments. We evaluate the prediction of water temperature within the Delaware River Basin, and the prediction of streamflow using simulated data from U.S. National Water Model in the Houston River network. The results showcase improvements in predictive performance and highlight the proposed model's ability to maintain spatial fairness over different river segments.

Identifying potential uses for green roof discharge based on its physical-chemical-microbiological quality.

Green roofs are promising tools in sustainable urban planning, offering benefits such as stormwater management, energy savings, aesthetic appeal, and recreational spaces. They play a crucial role in creating sustainable and resilient cities, providing both environmental and economic advantages. Despite these benefits, concerns persist about their impact on water quality, especially for non-potable use, as conflicting results are found in the literature. This study presents a comparative analysis of the quantity and quality of water drained from an extensive green roof against an adjacent conventional rooftop made of fiber-cement tiles in subtropical Brazil. Over a 14-month period, the water drained from both roofs was evaluated based on physical (turbidity, apparent color, true color, electrical conductivity, total solids, total dissolved solids, suspended solids), chemical (pH, phosphate, total nitrogen, nitrate, nitrite, chlorides, sulfates, and BOD), microbiological (total coliforms and E. coli), and metal (copper, iron, zinc, lead, and chrome) concentration parameters. The discharge from the green roof was 40% lower than its counterpart measured at the control roof, while the water quality from both roofs was quite similar. However, the green roof acted as source of chlorides, electrical conductivity, color, BOD, total hardness, E. coli, phosphate, sulfate, and turbidity. On the other side, the green roof neutralized the slightly acidic character of rainwater, showcasing its potential to mitigate the effects of acid rain. The study's results underscored that the water discharged from the green roof generally aligned with non-potable standards mandated by both Brazilian and international regulations. However, the findings emphasized the imperative need for pre-treatment of the green roof discharge before its utilization, specifically adjusting parameters like turbidity, BOD, total coliforms, and E. coli, which were identified as crucial to ensure water safety and compliance with non-potable use standards.

Investigating First Flush Occurrence in Agro-Urban Environments in Northern Italy

The first flush (FF) phenomenon is commonly associated with a relevant load of pollutants, raising concerns about water quality and environmental management in agro-urban areas. An FF event can potentially transport contaminated water into a receiving water body by activating combined sewer overflow (CSO) systems present in the drainage urban network. Therefore, accurately characterizing FF events is crucial for the effective management of sewer systems and for limiting environmental degradation. Given the ongoing controversy in the literature regarding the delineation of FF event occurrences, there is an unavoidable necessity for further investigations, especially experimental-based ones. This study presents the outcomes of an almost two-year field campaign focused on assessing the water quantity and quality of two combined sewer systems in Northern Italy. For this purpose, various hydro-meteorological variables, including precipitation, flow rate, temperature, and solar radiation, in addition to water quality analytics, were measured continuously to capture stormwater events. Throughout the monitoring period, sixteen stormwater events were identified and analyzed using five indices usually adopted in the literature to identify FF occurrences. The results indicate that there is a strong positive correlation between the mass first flush ratios calculated for nutrients and three factors, including maximum rainfall intensity, maximum flow rate, and antecedent dry weather period. Furthermore, rainfall duration was found to possess a strong negative correlation with the mass first flush ratios calculated for nutrients. However, for the same rainfall event, the occurrence of FF has never been unanimously confirmed by the indices examined in this study. Moreover, different macro-groups of pollutants can behave differently. Thus, it becomes apparent that relying solely on a priori analyses, without the support of data from experimental monitoring campaigns, poses a risk when designing actions for the mitigation of FF occurrences.

Assessment of reclaimed water utilization in water-scarce regions of China: A multi-dimensional–multi-agent coupling and nesting perspective

Reclaimed water utilization is a vital strategy for combatting global water scarcity. In China, diverse degrees and types of water scarcity have led to insufficient and unbalanced reclaimed water utilization. To address this problem, this study introduces a novel perspective that considers multi-dimensional (reclaimed water quantity–quality–price) and multi-agent (reclaimed water producers–consumers–government) coupling and nesting to establish a comprehensive framework for evaluating the reclaimed water utilization level (RWUL) in water-scarce regions. This comprehensive framework, comprising theoretical research, model construction, and region selection, is applied to water-scarce regions of China. The findings reveal that the RWUL grades in these regions are generally modest—Grades I to III (lower-level to high-level reclaimed water utilization). The RWUL grades vary based on regional water scarcity combinations. RWUL grades in water-scarce regions characterized by low water quality scarcity (Type C) are lower than those in regions with high water quantity and high water quality scarcity (Type H), low water quantity and high water quality scarcity (Type G), and low water quantity and low water quality (Type D). However, none of these regions achieved Grade IV (higher-level reclaimed water utilization). Consequently, based on the identified main influencing factors of RWUL, this study proposes five region-tailored measures for each water scarcity combination of regions to enhance their RWUL. By offering a comprehensive framework for assessing RWUL in water-scarce regions of China, this study not only identifies the existing shortcomings in reclaimed water utilization but also provides tailored measures for improvement. These insights are essential for policymakers seeking to implement targeted measures that promote reclaimed water utilization in water-scarce regions.

Nitzschiatranstagensis Morales, Novais, Wetzel, Morais & Ector (Bacillariophyceae) - the second record in the Mediterranean Region.

The Mediterranean Region holds significant ecological importance, characterised by its unique climate, biodiversity and the crucial role it plays in global ecosystems. Mediterranean streams are naturally highly-stressed environments mainly due to fluctuations in water quantity. River flow generally varies from perennial to ephemeral and temporary rivers constitute significant water resources. Streams that flow through Balearic Islands are subjected to these conditions. The majority of these streams sustain water flow for 4-5 months annually, with exceptions noted for streams associated with springs, which typically maintain water throughout most of the year.Benthic diatoms are widely recognised as reliable bioindicators of water quality, used in many aquatic ecosystems. Analysing diatom communities and their biodiversity serves as a valuable tool to ensure the ecological and sustainable utilisation of water resources as well as the accurate development of guidelines for their conservation.The field of diatom taxonomy and distribution plays a crucial role in advancing our understanding of aquatic ecosystems and their biodiversity. Species of the genus Nitzschia are extensively found throughout the Mediterranean Region, including the Balearic Islands. However, they have rarely been investigated in temporary streams. This study presents the first record of Nitzschiatranstagensis Morales, Novais, Wetzel, Morais & Ector, outside the type locality and being the second record in Europe. In this study, the authors found this taxon in one temporary stream of Majorca Island, Torrent des Castellot in November 2005 (Balearic Islands). Nitzschiatranstagensis occurred at 2.6% abundance in this stream with oligotrophic waters (0.052 mg∙l-1 of nitrate), slightly alkaline pH values (7.8) and water conductivity levels of 626.5 µS cm-1. This species was recorded in the biofilm of the stones together with other taxa such as Achnanthidiumminutissimum (Kützing) Czarnecki (39.2%), Gomphonemarosenstockianum Lange-Bertalot & Reichardt (28.9%) and Halamphoraoligotraphenta (Lange-Bertalot) Levkov (20.4%). The Nitzschiatranstagensis frustules found in the examined material have similar dimensions and a higher fibulae count (8-11 in 10 μm vs. 6-10 in 10 μm) compared to the type material of Nitzschiatranstagensis. The habitat characteristics in which this species was found are described, together with LM micrographs of this taxon.

Impacts of land use changes on discharge and water quality in rivers and streams: Case study of the continental United States

AbstractWater quality trends in streams and rivers are impacted by several factors including land use of the watershed; however, it is unclear what influence changes in the land use of a watershed subsequently have on changes in discharge and water quality in streams and rivers. This study seeks to fill this gap by evaluating the relationship between changes in land use and changes in discharge and water quality at United States Geological Survey (USGS) stream gages over the period of 2008–2016. Using land cover data and discharge and water quality data from 60 USGS gages, regression methods were applied to determine the strength of relationship between land use changes and changes in water quality and quantity. Trends in discharge and water quality were mixed, with a majority of watersheds demonstrating a decrease in dissolved oxygen and turbidity, no overall trend for discharge, and increases in specific conductance. A regression analysis revealed that discharge, turbidity, and specific conductance were correlated with changes in individual land use types with an R2 between 0.12 and 0.25. Combining the influences of multiple land uses in multivariate regression improved the predictions for discharge (R2 0.58) and specific conductance (R2 0.47), highlighting the magnitude for which land cover changes influence trends in water quality. Overall, this study demonstrates the impact that large‐scale land use changes have on surface water quality.

The Recent Trends of the Inland Fishery of Basrah Government, Iraq

The fish species caught in the inland fishery of Basrah were recorded from seven landing sites between January and December 2022. A total of 14 types of fish from four families were identified in this fishery. The most commonly caught fish were exotic species such as Cyprinus carpio and tilapia species. In contrast, the landings of significant native freshwater fish that are characteristic of Mesopotamian aquatic environments, such as Carasobarbus luteus, Mesopotamichthys sharpeyi, Luciobarbus xanthopterus, and Arabibarbus grypus, dropped considerably. The total fish landing has been steadily increasing since 2009, indicating a positive trend in the overall landing. This growth may be attributed to the expansion of fishing activities and the prevalence of exotic species due to the degradation of the water ecosystem in Southern Iraq. From a fisheries management viewpoint, it is essential to maintain native stocks in the aquatic ecosystems in southern Iraq involving regional cooperation between Iraq, Turkey and Iran to secure the appropriate quantities of water for Iraq from the upper Tigris and Euphrates Rivers, strengthening the stocks of economically native fish by artificially propagating them and then releasing juvenile species into natural waters, and restrict the reproduction of carps and confining them to fish farms, and finally minimizing the impacts of tilapia species by intensifying the fishing activities.

Evolution of stakeholder behavior strategies in the water quantity eco-compensation mechanism of water use coordination inside and outside the river

Eco-compensation is an important means to implement the rights and responsibilities of ecological protection and alleviate the water conflicts inside and outside the river. Previous studies focused on water conflicts among users, overlooking the government's regulatory role in the eco-compensation mechanism and the coordinating function of water transfer compensation fees among users. This study constructed a tripartite evolutionary game model involving government regulatory agencies (GRA), in-channel ecological environment water demanders (EEWD), and off-channel socio-economic water users (SEWU). The evolutionary stability strategies (ESS) of the GRA, EEWD, and SEWU and the evolutionary trend of the tripartite system were analyzed using the finite rationality evolutionary game model, and the sensitivity analysis of the influencing factors was conducted using the eigenvalues of the Jacobi matrix and numerical simulation. Taking the Bai River Basin in Nanyang, China, as the case study, the results showed that the GRA's rewards and penalties were controlled within a reasonable range can promote the enthusiasm of the participating subjects in the water quantity compensation mechanism; water quantity compensation standard for the SEWU was an important indicator for the smooth implementation of the compensation mechanism, the loss coefficient and the overall ecological benefit allocation coefficient of the EEWD will influence the formulation of water quantity compensation standards. This suggested that the GRA should enhance the management of the eco-compensation-related policies and laws and regulations, limit the SEWU's eco-compensation standard, and improve the net benefit of EEWD, to achieve the optimal eco-compensation strategy of ''supervision, protection, compensation''. The research results provide a reference value for the formulation of the water quantity eco-compensation mechanism for water use coordination inside and outside the river.

ESTIMATION OF SOIL WETTING PATTERN USING DIFFERENT IRRIGATION REGIMES IN CONJUCTION WITH SUPER ABSORBENT POLYMER

The design and management of irrigation systems require soil water movement and distribution knowledge. Finding the actual ability of drip irrigation to supply sufficient water uniformly and timely requires optimizing the operational management parameters. The objective of the study was to estimate the water distribution pattern with drip irrigation under different irrigation frequencies, durations and Belsap super absorbent polymer. A factorial experimental design layout of drip irrigation system was set up in Noiwet, Mogotio Sub County, Baringo County. The same quantity of water with three irrigation frequencies were applied once daily, after two days and three days and three durations which were full, half and a third the irrigation time. The total number of treatments were 18 with three replications making a total of 54 experiments. The wetted depths and widths of the soil were measured directly in the field using a ruler immediately after irrigation. ANOVA statistical analysis was carried out to determine the significance of the treatments on the soil wetting pattern of the clay soil. The results from the study revealed that the super absorbent polymer had no effect on the soil wetting pattern while the decrease in the irrigation frequency and increase in irrigation duration led to an enlargement in both the diameter and depth of the soil wetted zone. Information on depths and widths of wetted zone of soil under drip irrigation have a great significance in the design and management of drip irrigation system for delivering required quantity of water and chemicals to plants.

Flowing perceptions: Exploring secondary students’ perceptions of water

Adolescents’ (i.e., high school students) opinions and preferences are important and less likely to be influenced by political and social norms, especially considering natural resource and climate related issues. Therefore, this study sought to identify and understand the perceptions of secondary students related to water issues and conservation practices utilizing a non-experimental survey research design. The majority (53.8%) of Oklahoma secondary students participating in this study believed water was of concern in the state. The primary water issues affecting Oklahoma according to secondary students (n = 93) were clean drinking water, water for agriculture, water for aquatic habitats, wastewater treatment improvement, and water quality monitoring to detect pollution improvement. Students’ perceptions of water quantity and quality varied across groups based on their primary source of drinking water (i.e., Private Supply, Bottled Water, Municipal Public Supply, or Rural Public Supply). It is imperative for water-related curriculum to be developed for delivery in secondary classrooms across the state. Future research should consider the perceptions of students nationwide related to water and natural resource conservation.