Water Ecosystem Research Articles

Sustainable water–ecosystem management using the Bayesian network and variable relationship analysis

ABSTRACT Under the pressures of global climate change and human activities, the carrying capacity of water and soil resources in agricultural lands has decreased, and the traditional models of agricultural development are no longer sustainable. Land degradation, groundwater quality reduction and ecosystem instability are the consequences of agricultural development without considering sustainability indicators. This article aims to investigate the use of variable relationship analysis and Bayesian network methods to analyze and investigate the relationship between irrigation in agriculture and the sustainability of the groundwater ecosystem. Descriptive statistics of agriculture including cultivation pattern, time, precipitation, irrigation, and land slope were analyzed and combined with the simulated characteristics of groundwater including specific yield, hydraulic conductivity and hydrodynamic diffusion coefficients. Five crops of wheat, barley, paddy, alfalfa, and potato were studied to evaluate the effect of plants on the pattern of nitrate release due to irrigation and fertilization in agriculture. The results showed that managing the amount of fertilizer and the volume of irrigation can positively affect the nitrate distribution pattern in the groundwater even in a short period of time.

Water Quality Analysis Through Satellite Images

This project report presents a comprehensive study on water quality analysis using satellite images. The increasing global demand for water resources and the growing impact of human activities on water ecosystems underscore the need for efficient and scalable methods for water quality assessment. Leveraging remote sensing technology, particularly satellite imagery, provides a promising solution for monitoring large water bodies at a regional and global scale. The project focuses on the development and implementation of a robust methodology for water quality analysis through the utilization of satellite images. Key objectives include the extraction of relevant water quality indicators such as turbidity, chlorophyll-a concentration, and dissolved organic matter. Image processing techniques, including spectral analysis and machine learning algorithms, are employed to derive quantitative information from satellite data. The study employs a multi-sensor approach, utilizing data from various satellite platforms, to enhance the accuracy and reliability of the water quality assessments. Additionally, ground truth data collected from in situ measurements and laboratory analysis are integrated into the analysis to validate and calibrate the remote sensing results. The project contributes to the advancement of remote sensing applications in environmental monitoring, providing a cost-effective and timely method for water quality assessment. The findings of this research have implications for water resource management, environmental conservation, and policy formulation. Furthermore, the developed methodology can be applied to monitor changes in water quality over time, supporting sustainable water resource management practices. The report concludes with recommendations for further research and the potential integration of the developed methodology into existing water quality monitoring systems. Overall, the project highlights the significance of satellite-based approaches in addressing contemporary challenges related to water quality on a global scale.

Recent changes of the dissolved oxygen distribution in the deep convection cell of the southern Adriatic Sea

The dynamics of dissolved oxygen in the ocean are of crucial importance for understanding marine ecosystems, with influences ranging from exchange with the atmosphere to biological processes and ocean circulation. In this study, we focus on the southern Adriatic Sea, an essential component of the Eastern Mediterranean “conveyor belt”, to investigate long-term oxygen dynamics and its driving factors. We use cross-platform datasets from 2013 to 2020, including remote sensing data, model reanalysis and in-situ observations from Argo floats, ocean gliders and ship-based measurements. Our analysis investigate the interplay of physical, biological and atmospheric forcing that drive oxygen variability. The distribution of dissolved oxygen in the southern Adriatic Sea is influenced by vertical mixing, advection of water masses and ecosystem dynamics. In the surface layer, the variability of dissolved oxygen is triggered by annual primary production and deep convection events. The dynamics in the intermediate and the deep layers are instead primarily influenced by physical processes, such as the vertical mixing and the water masses inflow from the adjacent sub-basins, which is driven by the periodic reversals of northern Ionian Gyre circulation. In particular our study reveals that the water masses advective dynamics driving the increase and decrease of dissolved oxygen have drastically changed in recent years. The highest dissolved oxygen concentrations are currently observed during the northern Ionian Gyre anticyclonic phase, while they have been previously documented during the cyclonic phase. This change appears to be connected with the significant increase in salinity observed in the southern Adriatic Sea in the same period and contributes to a better understanding of the processes that determine oxygen distribution in the Eastern Mediterranean basin.

Nature-Based Solutions for Optimizing the Water–Ecosystem–Food Nexus in Mediterranean Countries

Nature-based solutions (NBSs), defined as actions that work with and enhance nature, providing environmental, social, and economic benefits, play a pivotal role in accomplishing multiple objectives within the Water–Ecosystem–Food Nexus domain. They contribute to facilitating the transition to more resilient agrifood systems and providing an evidence base for a broader Nexus policy dialogue. This paper describes the stepwise methodology developed in the EU-funded LENSES project to carry out a comprehensive analysis of NBSs in six pilot areas in five Mediterranean countries and presents the results of NBS implementation in four pilot areas, highlighting obstacles and opportunities. The methodology includes the development of an analytical evaluation framework and a comprehensive catalogue of Nexus-related NBSs, whose suitability needs to be assessed at the local level to achieve better use of protected/natural ecosystems, increase the sustainability and multifunctionality of managed ecosystems, and design and manage novel ecosystems. Subsequently, in a collective learning process that supported the operationalisation of the WEF Nexus, NBSs were identified that address specific contextual vulnerabilities, improve water distribution, and enhance food security while preserving ecosystems and supporting adaptation to climate change. The added value of the proposed methodology lies in the multi-stakeholder participatory approach to gain in-depth knowledge of local agri-food systems, including their main WEF-related challenges, and to facilitate overcoming barriers to NBS implementation. Finally, a final survey was conducted among a small group of purposively selected stakeholders to gain some insight into their perceptions of the impact of NBS and to gather some opinions on the main barriers and opportunities.

Spatial distribution of benthic taxonomic and functional diversity in the Yellow River Basin: From ecological processes to associated determinant factors

One of the fundamental objectives in ecology is to investigate the ecological processes and associated factors governing the abundance and spatial distribution patterns of biodiversity. However, the reaction of biological communities to environmental degradation remains relatively unknown, even for ecologically crucial communities like macroinvertebrates in aquatic ecosystems. Here, we sampled 117 locations to quantify relative contributions of geographical and environmental factors, including water quality, land use, climate, and hydrological factors, to determine the absolute and relative compositions of macroinvertebrate communities and their spatial distribution in the Yellow River Basin (YRB), the sixth-longest river system on Earth. We assessed relative roles of species sorting and dispersal in determining macroinvertebrate community structure along YRB. Our results demonstrated that alpha and beta diversity indices showed an increase from the up- to low-reaches of YRB. The middle and low-reaches exhibited elevated species diversity and both regions exhibited relatively stable community compositions. The biodiversity of macroinvertebrates was influenced by a combination of geographical factors and environmental variables, with environmental factors predominantly serving as the principal determinants. Results of multiple linear regression and variance decomposition showed that the effect of environmental factors was approximately three times greater than that of spatial factors. These findings provide support for the hypothesis that species sorting, driven by environmental gradients, plays a significant role in shaping the community structure of macroinvertebrates in running water ecosystems at the basin scales. Moreover, the factors contributing to substantial shifts in biodiversity across different segments of YRB indicate that distinct river sections have been influenced by varying stressors, with downstream areas being more susceptible to the impacts of water pollution and urbanization resulting from human activities.

Repurposing Sewage and Toilet Systems: Environmental, Public Health, and Person-Centered Healthcare Applications.

Global terrestrial water supplies are rapidly depleting due to the consequences of climate change. Water scarcity results in an inevitable compromise of safe hygiene and sanitation practices, leading to the transmission of water-borne infectious diseases, and the preventable deaths of over 800.000 people each year. Moreover, almost 500 million people lack access to toilets and sanitation systems. Ecosystems are estimated to be contaminated by 6.2 million tons of nitrogenous products from human wastewater management practices. It is therefore imperative to transform toilet and sewage systems to promote equitable access to water and sanitation, improve public health, conserve water, and protect ecosystems. Here, the integration of emerging technologies in toilet and sewage networks to repurpose toilet and wastewater systems is reviewed. Potential applications of these systems to develop sustainable solutions to environmental challenges, promote public health, and advance person-centered healthcare are discussed.

Connecting Water Quality and Ecosystem Services for Valuation and Assessment of a Groundwater Reserve Area in South-East Mexico

Even though the role of ecosystem services is known, the identification and assessment of water-related services is usually absent or often less represented as an ecosystem service. Progress in water quality indicator definition and compliance with regulations has been made; however, the relationship between water quality degradation and benefits to individuals and ecosystems remains little recognized. Here, we present an assessment of water quality and identification of ecosystem services in south-east Mexico. This study was performed within the geohydrological reserve zone of the Ring of Sinkholes, Yucatán Peninsula. Thirteen ecosystem services provided by the aquifer were identified. Water quality was evaluated in sinkholes based on national and international norms, considering different sinkhole uses. Results show a dynamic system, without saltwater intrusion and good to excellent water quality. The research demonstrates the relationship between ecosystem services and water quality, showing pressure in services related to uses for aquatic life protection and to a lesser extent those related to consumption. Current productive activities showed no pressure at this time. Principal Component Analysis (PCA) and Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) exhibited a significant difference in parameters and campaigns, but not between sinkholes. A long-lasting monitoring program for water quality is necessary to accurately evaluate the status of ecosystem services provided by the aquifer. Moreover, it is necessary to assess aquifers as ecosystems with economic, ecologic and socio-cultural importance. Effective water governance requires a balance of interests between all parties, within a legal and institutional framework.

Atmospheric drought dominates changes in global water use efficiency

Water use efficiency (defined as the ratio of gross primary productivity to plant transpiration, WUET) describes the tradeoff between ecosystem carbon uptake and water loss. However, a comprehensive understanding of the impact of soil and atmospheric moisture deficits on WUET across large regions remains incomplete. Solar-induced chlorophyll fluorescence (SIF) serves as an effective signal for measuring both terrestrial vegetation photosynthesis and transpiration, thereby enabling a rapid response to changes in the physiological status of plants under water stress. The objectives of this study were to: 1) mechanistically calculate WUET using top-of-canopy SIF data and meteorological information by using the revised mechanistic light response model and the Penman-Monteith equation; 2) analyze the effects of atmospheric and soil water deficits on SIF-based WUET by using decoupled soil water content (SWC) and vapor pressure deficit (VPD); 3) evaluate estimated SIF-based WUET against data from 28 eddy covariance (EC) flux sites representing eight different vegetation types. Results indicated that the model performed well in ecosystems with dense canopies, explaining 56 % of the daily variability in EC tower-based WUET. For the years 2019–2020, the global average WUET derived from SIF was 3.49 g C/kg H2O. Notably, this value exceeded 4 g C/kg H2O in tropical rainforest regions near the equator and went beyond 5 g C/kg H2O in the high-latitude regions of the Northern Hemisphere. We found that SIF-based WUET was primarily influenced by VPD rather than SWC in over 90 % of the global vegetated area. The model used in this study increased our ability to mechanistically estimate WUET with SIF at the global scale, thereby highlighting the significance of the global response of SIF-based WUET to water stress, and also enhancing our understanding of the water‑carbon cycle in terrestrial ecosystems.

Understanding the shift in drivers of terrestrial water storage decline in the central Inner Mongolian steppe over the past two decades

Terrestrial water storage (TWS) in mid-latitude arid and semiarid Eurasia steppe is under threat from climate change and human activities. The central Inner Mongolian steppe is a hotspot of this change, and in addition serves as an important ecological barrier in North China. However, the limitations of scarce observations make the variations of TWS in this study area have not been well tracked and quantified yet, and the drivers of TWS remain unclear. Here we use the gravity recovery and climate experiment (GRACE) satellites and its follow-on (GRACE-FO) missions, combined with data-driven models to fill the data gaps between GRACE and GRACE-FO. A significant TWS decrease (−2.7 ± 0.2 mm/yr, p < 0.05) was captured over the past two decades (2002–2020), which is consistent with land surface models (LSMs) that assimilated with GRACE data (R = 0.81, p < 0.01). By integrating GRACE satellites and open-loop LSMs, the contrary trends of TWS were identified over the period, and GRACE contrasts with the increase in TWS simulated by LSMs that excludes human activities. We observe a shift in the dominant factor driving the TWS decline from climatic (2002–2010) to anthropogenic factors (2011–2020). This shift accounts for the anthropogenic-driven increase in TWS decline from −2.0 mm/yr to −4.4 mm/yr, indicating the increasingly significant impact of human activities on TWS. We further reveal the climate-driven mechanisms of TWS using wavelet analysis and multiple drought indicators. The results showed that the TWS decline in the first period was mainly caused by continuous droughts, which were driven by the deficit in precipitation-minus-evapotranspiration. This study highlights the risk of TWS depletion in the central Inner Mongolian steppe that is eco-fragile, providing insights into the water resources sustainability and ecosystem conservation in vast dryland ecosystems of the world.

Kinetic and biosorption analysis of ammonia‑nitrogen (NH3−N) by Bacillus subtilis strain ON358108, isolated from eutrophicated Dal Lake waters in Srinagar, India

Ammonia‑nitrogen (NH3-N) is pivotal in aquatic ecosystems, yet its excess poses ecological and health risks. Through batch experiments, this study investigates Bacillus subtilis' efficacy in degrading ammonia‑nitrogen (NH3-N) Bacillus subtilis adapted to concentrations up to 150 mg/L over days, influenced by temperature, pH, initial ammonia‑nitrogen (NH3-N) concentration, and biomass abundance. In the present investigation, the biosorption of ammonia nitrogen (NH3-N) (from 100 ppm concentration of ammonia nitrogen solution) was maximum (about 89 % ± 1.5 mgg) under conditions: pH 7, adsorbent dosage 0.5 g in 50 mL of ammonia‑nitrogen solution, and temperature of 30 °C. Analytical techniques including SEM, XRD, BET, TEM, and FTIR corroborated findings. Pseudo-second-order kinetics and Langmuir model fitting indicated physical and chemical involvement in biosorption. This study underscores Bacillus subtilis' potential for ammonia‑nitrogen (NH3-N) remediation, providing insights into optimized conditions and mechanistic understanding crucial for water quality management and ecosystem preservation.

River Ecological Restoration and Groundwater Artificial Recharge II

The depletion of rivers and groundwater caused by climate change and human activity is threatening water security and ecosystems [...]

Investigation of the contamination behavior in water and soil of an inactive dump from chemical analysis and geophysical method

In rapidly growing urban areas of developing countries, inappropriate urbanization practices near water bodies lead to significant environmental degradation, including deforestation, soil impermeabilization, and direct waste discharge into rivers and streams. This not only compromises water quality and ecosystem health but also exacerbates flood risks for nearby communities. Dumpsites, common in these regions due to inadequate waste management infrastructure, pose significant environmental threats, including soil and groundwater contamination. Our study employed a frequency-domain electromagnetic survey on an inactive dumpsite adjacent to one of Brazil’s major rivers. This geophysical method provided critical insights for geoenvironmental investigations, facilitating the collection of soil and groundwater samples to understand leachate behavior. We found that the shallower electrical conductivity map aligned with the waste disposal area's boundaries, verified by on-site surveys and excavations. Historical aerial images supported this interpretation and helped explain conductive electrical anomalies in the deeper conductivity map, linked to old irregular housing and waste disposal around the dumpsite. Moreover, the electrical conductivity maps revealed NE-oriented percolation at depth in the study area. Groundwater monitoring wells and soil analyses identified chemical elements exceeding standards set by Brazilian and international environmental agencies in this flow direction. These findings highlight the importance of using investigation techniques with superior spatial resolution compared to traditional environmental monitoring approaches. Electromagnetic methods prove effective in enhancing understanding and management of contamination in dumpsite environments.

Analyzing the Worldwide Wetland Parks Research: A Spectral-Cluster Algorithm Latent Semantic Index Approach

This study reviews worldwide wetland park research from 1996 to 2022. A bibliometric analysis is conducted on 591 wetland park studies indexed in the Web of Science and Scopus databases. The study utilizes CiteSpace and VOSviewer tools to visualize and explore influential research focuses, themes, directions, and countries. The citation burst indicates that from 1996 to 2022, research on wetland parks transited from exploring basic community structures to complex ecosystem service assessments and the formulation of management strategies. Furthermore, over the past three years, wetland park research has seen a significant surge in studies investigating water quality, ecosystem services, and spatiotemporal analysis. Notably, the three most frequent keywords in research on wetland parks were China, South Africa, and biodiversity. These keywords reflect regions that enhance biodiversity via wetland parks. The spectral-clustering algorithm identifies carbon sequestration as a research focus, highlighting the vital role of wetlands in the carbon cycle. Most authors work in developed countries’ institutions, but some are from developing countries like China, South Africa, and India. The findings suggest that economic development is crucial in wetland park construction and significantly influences related research. Developed countries may offer more PhD positions to developing countries’ researchers in the field and raise their awareness about wetland conservation. Given the holistic requirements of wetlands, this research recommends that educators should adopt an interdisciplinary approach in the future when nurturing wetland staff. Additionally, the study maps out the primary areas of interest in wetland park research, including environmental science, ecological economics, forestry, wetlands, tourism, and management. New artificial intelligence and digital technologies should be developed for wetland park research. This study fills a research gap: quantitative and visualized knowledge-mapping and bibliometrics on wetland parks are scarce. Additionally, no previous study has explored the relationship between wetland park research and the economic development of countries.

Reconstructing long-term natural flows by ensemble machine learning

Large-scale human activities have caused significant disruption to the natural flow regime of rivers worldwide, leading to substantial deviations from river flows’ natural state. The natural hydrological regime of rivers holds great significance for the conservation and management of riverine ecosystems, which relies on the accurate reconstruction of natural river flows. However, the application of existing high spatiotemporal resolution large-scale natural flow datasets at the regional scale has not been adequately assessed, thereby limiting their regional-scale utility. In this study, utilizing global reanalysis datasets and observation data, in combination with ensemble machine learning models, we constructed long-term natural flow time series for inflows into the Pearl River Delta and evaluated the performance of these reconstructed inflows based on observed flow records during undisturbed periods. The reconstruction shows that the ensemble model, the AutoGluon model, indicates the best performance when compared with other machine learning models and outperforms the existing publicly available large-scale datasets in terms of evaluation metrics for the corresponding natural flows. The results of Indicator of Hydrologic Alteration and Range of Variability Analysis (IHA-RVA) indicate that climate variability, reservoir regulation and human activities have significantly altered the natural flow regime of the Pearl River Delta. Specifically, human activities generally tend to smooth natural flow variability in the Pearl River Delta. This research is expected to provide an efficient and reliable method for reconstructing natural flows and offers guidance for water resource management and ecosystem conservation.

ZIF-8-derived N-doped porous carbon electrodes enabled with in situ embedded ZrO2 nanoparticles for phosphorus removal

Excessive phosphorus discharges are not favorable to the normal functioning of water ecosystems. Although some treatments have been implemented to control phosphorus concentrations in sewage, several challenges remain for them. Capacitive deionization technology (CDI) possesses excellent potential for phosphorus removal, and the electrode material is the key to CDI. Herein, a novel ZIF-8-derived N-doped porous carbon electrode enabled with in situ embedded ZrO2 nanoparticles (ZNPC) was fabricated through a simple in-situ growth approach. The experimental results demonstrate that ZrO2 embedded in ZNPC can improve the electrochemical performance and provide suitable affinity sites for phosphorus, thus enhancing the electrode performance in capturing phosphorus. Isothermal and kinetic models were adopted to investigate the phosphorus uptake process. Mechanism analysis reveals that the phosphorus removal behavior is associated with the electric field, ligand exchange, and electrostatic attraction. This study provides a promising approach for facile constructing Zr-based N-doped porous carbon and expands its potential utility for phosphorus removal from aqueous solutions.

The SDGs Provide Limited Evidence That Environmental Policies Are Delivering Multiple Ecological and Social Benefits

AbstractThe Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), aiming for global targets by 2030, are tracked by a monitoring framework comprising 231 environmental, social, and economic indicators. The framework provides data to assess whether, across countries, environmental policies are: (a) Addressing environmental pressures, (b) Linked to environmental improvements, and (c) Linked with social benefits delivered by healthy environments. While several studies have analyzed the implementation and impacts of the SDGs, there remains a critical research gap in assessing the linkage between environmental policies and their potential to deliver multiple ecological and social benefits. This study examines the efficacy of environmental policies and their implications for global environmental health and social wellbeing. We use a generalized linear modeling approach to test for correlations between SDG indicators. We show that some environmental policies, particularly protected areas and sustainable forest certification, are linked with environmental improvements, mainly in forest and water ecosystems. However, we find no evidence that environmental improvements are linked with positive social impacts. Finally, environmental pressures, including freshwater withdrawal, domestic material consumption, and tourism, are linked with environmental degradation. Environmental policy responses are generally increasing across countries. Despite this, the state of the environment globally continues to decline. Governments must focus on understanding why environmental policies have not been sufficient to reverse environmental decline, particularly concerning the pressures that continue to degrade the environment. To better track progress toward sustainable development, we recommend that the SDG monitoring framework is supplemented with additional indicators on the state of the environment.

Progress and future of China's aquatic ecological environment protection

AbstractSafeguarding water resources, aquatic habitats, and ecosystems is paramount for the well‐being of the populace, the future of the nation, and the sustainable development of China. With the relentless progression of ecological and environmental protection and the establishment of an ecological civilization, China's aquatic ecological environment protection has undergone five decades of exploration. The water environment protection paradigm has gradually transitioned from emphasizing pollutant emission concentration control and total pollutant emission control to prioritizing water environment quality improvement. Particularly in the past decade, regions nationwide have conducted proactive explorations and practices in source control, emission abatement, and quality enhancement. This paper systematically reviews the achievements in China's water environmental quality improvement and the characteristics of water environment management at various stages over the past half‐century. Considering the deployment of “three waters” coordination (water resources, water environment, and water ecology), green development, pollution, carbon reduction, and so forth, this paper analyzes the challenges confronted by China's aquatic ecological environment protection. Finally, future directions are prospected from six aspects: green development, climate change response, water resource allocation optimization, collaborative governance of multiple pollutants, aquatic ecological protection strengthening, and intelligent management improvement.

Oxidative stress and DNA alteration on the earthworm Eisenia fetida exposed to four commercial pesticides

Modern agriculture is mainly based on the use of pesticides to protect crops but their efficiency is very low, in fact, most of them reach water or soil ecosystems causing pollution and health hazards to non-target organisms. Fungicide triazoles and strobilurins based are the most widely used and require a specific effort to investigate toxicological effects on non-target species. This study evaluates the toxic effects of four commercial fungicides Prosaro® (tebuconazole and prothioconazole), Amistar®Xtra (azoxystrobin and cyproconazole), Mirador® (azoxystrobin) and Icarus® (Tebuconazole) on Eisenia fetida using several biomarkers: lipid peroxidation (LPO), catalase activity (CAT), glutathione S-transferase (GST), total glutathione (GSHt), DNA fragmentation (comet assay) and lysozyme activity tested for the first time in E. fetida. The exposure to Mirador® and AmistarXtra® caused an imbalance of ROS species, leading to the inhibition of the immune system. AmistarXtra® and Prosaro®, composed of two active ingredients, induced significant DNA alteration, indicating genotoxic effects. This study broadened our knowledge of the effects of pesticide product formulations on earthworms and showed the need for improvement in the evaluation of toxicological risk deriving from the changing of physicochemical and toxicological properties that occur when a commercial formulation contains more than one active ingredient and several unknown co-formulants.

Construction and Change Analysis of Water Ecosystem Service Flow Networks in the Xiangjiang River Basin (XRB)

Clearing and successfully characterizing ecosystem service flow paths has become a key bottleneck restricting in-depth research on the supply and demand relationships of ecosystem services. At present, although some explorations have been performed using water ecosystem services as a pioneer, the nature of its network and the fact that ecological base flow needs to be eliminated have been ignored. This study used InVEST and network models to consider ecological base flow, quantifying the supply, demand, and flow paths of freshwater ecosystem services in the Xiangjiang River Basin. The results showed that the overall distribution of the water supply in the Xiangjiang River Basin from 2000 to 2020 shows a pattern of higher supply in the south and lower supply in the north. The distribution of water demand shows higher levels in the north and lower levels in the south. The network density remains at its maximum level. The results of this study have provided a scientific basis for water resource management in river basins and improving ecological compensation mechanisms.

Advances in Limnogeology: The lake‐basin‐type model revisited 25 years after…anomalies, conundrums and upgrades

AbstractThe lake‐basin‐type model classified the stratigraphic record of ancient lake systems according to rates of potential accommodation relative to sediment + water supply. The model convolved all modes and paths of water supply (direct fall, surficial, subsurface) with amounts and types of sediment supply (clastic, biogenic, chemical) into a single basin‐filling volume term (sediment + water); its major strength was its widespread applicability. This was supported by subsequent investigations confirming the utility of this approach, but it also revealed some important limitations due to simplifications in the original model. The model has been expanded here to address all inland waters (lakes, ponds, wetlands, playas) as well as adding two major subdivisions of the sediment + water term: (1) water supply paths and (2) the volume of water supply relative to sediment supply. Water supply flow paths in the subsurface are subdivided into ‘throughflow’, ‘recharge’ and ‘discharge’. Each of these groundwater hydrology states can be defined quite precisely by the ratio of net outflow to inflow, from persistently open to consistently closed. These paths can be deciphered using stable carbonate and oxygen isotope composition of primary lacustrine limestones, detailed sedimentology, stratigraphy, palaeontology and mineralogy. Distinguishing water supply paths provides additional insights into playa systems and the occurrence and character of evaporites and carbonates. The volume ratio of water to sediment supply most directly influences the water depths of lakes, ponds and wetlands, which affect water body hydrodynamics and ecosystem behaviour as well as the details of stratal stacking and depositional sequences. It helps fine‐tune estimates of the distribution of sediment texture, bedding, composition and organic matter content. The aim of this contribution is to address questions about the fundamental types of inland water bodies and to explain the new lake‐basin subtypes and provide examples that illustrate their potential to enable higher‐resolution, robust analysis of inland water systems and their stratigraphic records.