River Catchment Basin Research Articles

Biodiversity of Diatoms as Indicators of Water Quality and Landscape Sustainable Dynamics in the Zarafshan River, Uzbekistan

For the first time, we have compiled a general list of diatoms for the Zarafshan River consisting of 428 species based on our own research and the literature data. Indicator species for nine water parameters were identified, making up more than 90% of the list. Bioindicators and statistical methods revealed that sections of the river around the city of Samarkand and further in the middle reaches reflect the complexity of the impact of the environment on diatom communities. The surveyed sections of the middle reaches of the river are divided into branches and the dynamics of water parameters and diatom communities are shown from the border with Tajikistan to the confluence of the Zarafshan with the Amu Darya. The indices of organic pollution, S, and toxic impact, WESI, were calculated. They show that there is an increase in salinity and turbidity and a decrease in organic pollution downriver. At the same time, the Navoi section is a source of water acidification. Nutrients and heavy metals, as well as phenol pollution, enter the river from various sources, mainly in the middle reaches of the river. The Zarafshan Nature Reserve in the catchment area of the upper section of the river within Uzbekistan is important for maintaining water quality. Bioindicators show an increase in self-purification, with an increase in the species richness and abundance of diatoms in the middle section of the Zarafshan River. The integrated index of river pollution, RPI, shows that most pollution comes from the northern canal of the river in the middle reaches. A general look at the Zarafshan River catchment basin and the dynamics of the identified water parameters and bioindicator species of diatoms shows that the river ecosystem successfully copes with incoming pollution, including transboundary impacts from Tajikistan. Such a conclusion could not be made based on chemical analysis of the water alone. This allowed us to recommend expanding state monitoring points to the lower section of Karakul while including biological indicators in the observations.

Could California's groundwater resource management lessons be beneficial to England?

In California, Groundwater Sustainability Agencies (GSAs) are basin/catchment-specific water organizations mandated by the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act of 2014 to manage groundwater sustainably by 2040/2042. A GSA can charge replenishment fees for pumped groundwater and these fees can be used to: (a) monitor basin hydrologic conditions; (b) improve the water budget accuracy; (c) increase water availability through management actions and projects; (d) mitigate undesirable results; and/or (e) pay for activities including issuing allocations and limiting production to allocations. In England, housing is frequently proposed in river basin catchments that face water resource challenges. High profile examples are the Arun Valley and Cambridge. The current National Planning Policy Framework manages water resource planning strategically through water company Water Resource Management Plans or Environment Agency River Basin Management Plans. These processes can be slow to respond to development requirements. England might look to California's practices that require water users and developers to pay for ‘water credits’ or fees. This could involve a ‘Watermaster’ charged with local or catchment scale resource management and project implementation. This Watermaster could engage all stakeholders including the local water company, farmers, the Environment Agency and the local authority, none of whom is well positioned to act in isolation.

Trend Analysis of Climatic Variables in the Cross River Basin, Nigeria

There have been several incidences of flood recently, which are believed to be aggravated by increased climatic variables as a result of perceived changes in climatic conditions (due to climate change) in the Cross River Basin. The basin is the most extensively developed and used river basin in the management of the water resources of the Cross River and Akwa Ibom States in Nigeria. In this paper, 30 years (from 1992 to 2021) of hydro-meteorological data (annual average rainfall, maximum and minimum temperatures, hu midity, duration of sunlight (sunshine hours), evaporation, wind speed, soil temperature, cloud cover, solar radiation, and atmospheric pressure) from four stations in the Cross River Basin were obtained from the Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NIMET), Abuja and subjected to trend detection analysis using the Mann–Kendall test to determine the trend in climatic parameters. The results indicate that there is a significant upward trend in annual rainfall in Ogoja but a downward trend in Calabar. The evaporation trend is significantly downward in Eket, whereas in Calabar, there is an upward trend in solar radiation. Generally, there is a significant rise in annual maximum temperature across the basin. Serial correlation and segmented regression analyses were performed to measure the impact of fluctuations in monthly and long-term Tahiti and Darwin’s Sea level pressures on the climatic variables at the Cross River Basin catchment. These analyses were necessary to determine the extent of the influence of the El Nino Southern Oscillation climatic cycle. The analyses show no significant association between the El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO) and rainfall or between the ENSO and runoff in the catchment. This implies that the impact of the ENSO on rainfall and runoff in the Cross River Basin catchment is not considerable. The intercepts derived from the segmented regression in Eket and Ogoja show significant positive trends in both areas for rainfall and runoff. The trends in intercepts suggest that there are external factors influencing rainfall and runoff other than ENSO events, thus strengthening the assertion of climate change. Results from this study will facilitate the understanding of the variability in climatic parameters by stakeholders in the basin, researchers, policymakers, and water resource managers.

Energy potential assessment and techno–economic analysis of micro hydro–photovoltaic hybrid system in Goda Warke village, Ethiopia

Abstract Rural Ethiopia has significant untapped potential for hydro and solar energy generation systems. However, challenges arise from seasonal variations and unfavourable topographic positions of flowing rivers, hindering the efficient exploitation of these resources. Despite the country’s abundance in hydro and solar energy resources, >75% of the population still lack access to electricity from the national grid. This work deals with energy resource potential assessment and techno–economic analysis of micro hydro–photovoltaic (PV) hybrid systems, considered in the case study of Goda Warke village, located in the Yaya Gulele district. A novel framework is proposed that utilizes the Natural Resource Soil Conservation Service curve number method to assess the energy potential of micro-hydro energy in ungauged basins, specifically at the exit point of the Girar River basin catchment. The average monthly flow rate in the basin is 0.975 m3/s, while the area exhibits a solar radiation potential of 5.39 kWh/m2/day. Energy policy promotes expanding access to modern energy sources and utilization of indigenous energy resources. Simulation results indicate that the hydro/PV/diesel generator (DG)/battery and hydro/PV/battery systems are the most optimal choices based on net present cost, with the inclusion of a DG for economic comparison. Micro-hydro energy covers most of the electric load in the area, achieving a capacity factor of 47.5%. The cost of energy and net present cost were found to be sensitive to variables such as the price of diesel fuel, pipe head loss, and the growth of the village load. The optimized system demonstrated a hydro energy potential of 1405.37 MWh/year and a PV energy output of 274.04 MWh/year, resulting in a levelized cost of energy of 0.0057 and 0.049 $/kWh for the hydro and PV components, respectively.

ЭТАПЫ ПЛАНИРОВАНИЯ МЕРОПРИЯТИЙ ИНЖЕНЕРНО-ЭКОЛОГИЧЕСКОЙ ЗАЩИТЫ ВОДНЫХ ОБЪЕКТОВ – ВОДОПРИЕМНИКОВ ДРЕНАЖНЫХ ВОД С ОРОШАЕМЫХ ЗЕМЕЛЬ

Purpose: to develop the main stages of planning the measures of engineering and environmental protection of water bodies – drainage water inlets from irrigated lands. Materials and methods. When developing the stages of planning the measures of engineering and environmental protection of water bodies, recommendations for assessing the environmental and economic efficiency of investment projects for agricultural land reclamation and methods for calculating environmental payments necessary to take into account the effectiveness of environmental protective measures were used. Results. Planning the measures of engineering and environmental protection of a water body can be conditionally divided into four stages. At the first stage, the comprehensive monitoring studies of the water system and agrolandscape in the river catchment basin are carried out. The second stage consists of conducting their comprehensive environmental assessment, including the calculation of such indicators as the combinatorial index of water pollution, the indicator of anthropogenic water body load, the total indicator of soil pollution, bottom deposits, the soil loss rate, the soil formation rate, soil salinization, sodium, magnesium alkalinization, as well as the calculation of cost environmental indicators. At the third stage, a set of measures for engineering and environmental protection of a water body is developed, and at the fourth, a quantitative assessment of the effectiveness of the proposed measures is carried out. Conclusion. Environmental indicators that quantitatively characterize the anthropogenic load on water bodies as a result of the irrigation system operation are proposed. A methodical approach is proposed and the main stages of planning the engineering and environmental protection of water bodies – drainage water inlets from irrigated lands are defined, consisting in a comprehensive assessment of all components of the agro-landscape with the subsequent development of engineering, agrotechnical, agroforestry and agrochemical measures that contribute to the formation of a favorable environmental situation in the river basin.

TWO NEW LOCALITIES FOR THE SPOTTED BETTA BETTA PICTA (VALENCIENNES 1846) (ANABANTIFORMES, OSPHRONEMIDAE) IN JAVA, INDONESIA

For the first time, the species Betta picta is registered for the southern part of Central Java (Indonesia), being recorded for two localities in the Progo River basin catchment, one in the Magelang and the other in the Bantul Regency, representing an extension of about 100km south to the nearest previously known distribution. These two new records were based on four specimens, three males and one female, collected in February 2019, which were identified as Betta picta since the males possess the main diagnostic features of the species: opercle with yellow-gold iridescence coloration, interrupted stripe below eyes, and a dark subdistal band on caudal and anal fins. Currently, this species is categorized as Near Threatened (NT) by the IUCN, and considering the negative effects of urbanization over the species natural habitats, the new records are important for the species conservation.

MICROBIOLOGICAL ASSESSMENT OF FECAL CONTAMINATION IN THE RIVER WATERS OF THE VOGHJI RIVER CATCHMENT BASIN

Quantitative parameters of total and fecal coliform, as well as Escherichia coli bacteria in the river waters of the Voghji River catchment basin were investigated to characterize fecal contamination in the investigated watershed basin. Water samples for microbial analyses were collected from the Voghji River and its Geghi, Norashenik and Vachagan tributaries in 2016, 2017 and 2020. The results of the study revealed the distribution, potential sources and environmental risks of fecal contamination in the Voghji River catchment basin.

Investigating naturally occurring radionuclides in sediment by characterizing the catchment basin geology of rivers in South Africa

Fingerprinting of sediment by means of naturally occurring radionuclides provides an environmentally friendly technique to trace and model sediment. This article describes a technique for determining the radioactive fingerprint of river sediment by correlating it with the geology of the river's catchment basin. The geology of the catchment basins of all the major rivers within South Africa was analysed and average nuclide concentrations were estimated by means of GIS techniques. The concentrations and ratios between these naturally occurring nuclides were then estimated and compared with experimentally measured values. The estimated values compared well with the experimental data and several unique tendencies were shown. Distinct differences were found between the radionuclide characteristics in the sediment of the different rivers. This research, therefore, proved that different sediments can be fingerprinted and identified based on their radionuclide characteristics.

Terrestrial records of deglaciation events during terminations V and IV in the central Apennines (Italy) and insights on deglacial mechanisms

40Ar/39Ar geochronology constraints to aggradational phases and grain size variations show that the two large gravel beds occurring in the sedimentary filling of the Liri fluvial-lacustrine basin (central Italy) recorded the occurrence of deglaciation events synchronous within uncertainties with global meltwater pulses at ca. 450 and 350 ka. In particular, we find a precise match between the ages of gravel deposition and the occurrence of moderate sea-level rise events which anticipate those more marked during the glacial termination V and IV in the Red Sea relative sea level curve, as already verified by data from the Tiber River catchment basin. Such correspondence suggests that gravel deposition is facilitated by melting of Apennine mountain range glaciers, which provide the water transport energy and a surplus of clastic input to the rivers draining the mountain regions and flowing into the Tyrrhenian Sea. Therefore, the thick gravel beds intercalated in the sedimentary filling of the catchment basins of the major rivers in central Italy may be regarded as an equivalent proxy of large deglaciation events, similar to the ice-rafted debris in northern Atlantic. Consistent with this hypothesis, we also show the close correspondence between the occurrence of particularly mild (warmer) minima of the mean summer insolation at 65° N and these early aggradational phases, as well as with other anomalous early sea-level rises occurring c. 750 ka and 540 ka at the onset of glacial termination VIII and VI, and 40 ka at the onset of the so-called Heinrich events.

Correction to: A preliminary study of biodiversity and biomonitoring potential of Odonates of Benin-Owena River Basin catchment, Igbara-Oke, Ondo State, Nigeria

Correction to: A preliminary study of biodiversity and biomonitoring potential of Odonates of Benin-Owena River Basin catchment, Igbara-Oke, Ondo State, Nigeria

Mathematical model of surface water quality dynamics in river basin catchments

To conduct quantitative and qualitative assessment of activities in the catchment areas of river basins using a variety of principles and methods, multi-year systematic objectively hydrological, hydrogeochemical and economic information and analytical materials are needed.  At the same time, the scientific and theoretical value of surface water quality assessment of river basins is determined to some extent by the mathematical correctness of the tasks and methods of their solutions, which characterize the validity and reliability of hydrogeochemical processes of watershed areas of river basins, which dictates the need for structural analysis of complex hydrochemical indexes of surface water pollution assessment, based on natural laws, principles and properties of natural processes. The aim of the study is to develop mathematical models based on the genetic theory of hydrochemical processes of the natural system to assess activities in the watershed territories of river basins. In this paper developed mathematical models to improve the tools to assess the quality of surface waters of river basin catchments, based on the solution of differential equations of hydrochemical processes of natural systems, corresponding to the physical and mathematical sign of the practical problems of hydrochemistry and the principles of non-linearity of natural processes, are the result of using classical mathematical methods of modelling and their analytical analysis The proposed approach to the assessment of surface water quality in the catchment area of river basins in conjunction with geographical analysis can be used for comprehensive geo-ecological studies to develop recommendations for the rational management of water resources under anthropogenic activities.

A preliminary study of biodiversity and biomonitoring potential of Odonates of Benin-Owena River Basin catchment, Igbara-Oke, Ondo State, Nigeria

A preliminary study of biodiversity and biomonitoring potential of Odonates of Benin-Owena River Basin catchment, Igbara-Oke, Ondo State, Nigeria

On the Geochemistry of Major and Trace Elements Distribution in Sediments and Soils of Zarafshon River Valley, Western Tajikistan

To assess the geochemical features of sedimentary material of Zarafshon river, (Western Tajikistan) catchment basin, the mass fractions of 38 major and trace elements were determined by Instrumental Neutron Activation Analysis (INAA) in 2 × 116 paired samples of sediments and soils collected along the Zarafshon River and its main tributaries from the sources to Tajik—Uzbek border. At each collecting location, the distance between sediments and soils’ sampling was no greater than 10 m allowing the studying of the interrelation between sediments and soils. This evidenced a significant similarity between paired soils and sediments’ samples, including the potentially contaminating elements As, Sb and Hg, whose mass fractions in some places were significantly higher than for the Upper Continental Crust (UCC) and North American Shale Composite (NASC), suggesting a common provenience. At the same time, the distribution of major, as well as of incompatible trace elements, Sc, Zr, REE, Th, and U, in spite of geological diversity of the Zarafshon river catchment basin, suggest a possible felsic origin of investigated material.

Development of A Comprehensive Model for Erosion and Sediment Control towards Good Water Governance: UKM Campus as A Watershed Model

This study was carried out to develop a whole ecosystem-based erosion and sediment transport control management system of UKM Campus Watershed which is a sub-basin of Langat River Basin catchment. This is done through the development of an Erosion and Sediment Control (ESC) model for the UKM campus watershed that includes localised technology, information and communication system, as well as awareness and community participation for the greening and rehabilitation of UKM Campus. The management system was developed to give a strong participatory element and to ensure that the model will be placed into a user friendly context to make data input and model operation simple for stakeholders with limited resources and training in the use of the models. The application of hydromulching (bioengineering technology) is adopted as part of the ESC study by using the local components to recover most landslides occurred in UKM Campus. It is also as an option where the post-landslide restoration works involving conventional civil designs are costly and sometimes not practical at remote sites. Therefore (due to cost constraints), the remoteness of the sites and low risk to lives and property, bioengineering was the option taken for erosion control, slope stabilization and vegetation establishment.

Tephrochronological constraints on the timing and nature of sea-level change prior to and during glacial termination V

Glacial-interglacial variations in ice volume and sea level are essential components of the Pleistocene global climate evolution. Deciphering the timing of change of these key climate parameters with respect to the insolation forcing is central to understanding the processes controlling glacial terminations. Here we exploit the sensitivity of the Paleo Tiber River (central Italy) to sea-level forced changes in the base level and the frequent occurrence of datable tephra layers in its sedimentary successions to reconstruct the timing of the relative sea-level (RSL) change between 450 and 403 ka, i.e., across the glacial termination (T-V) that marks the transition between Marine Isotope Stage (MIS) 12 and MIS 11. The analysis hinges on new stratigraphic data, tephra geochemical fingerprinting, and 40Ar/39Ar dating from a fluvial section that represents the inland counterpart of the near mouth, coastal aggradational successions of the San Paolo Formation (SPF). Tephra correlation indicates that the morpho-stratigraphic record of the inland section is as sensitive to the sea-level change as its coastal counterparts, which makes it ideal to complement previous RSL reconstructions from the Tiber River catchment basin, thereby providing a more detailed picture of the sea-level history across T-V. Combined sedimentological and morphological proxies of the composed inland-coastal SPF record document the occurrence of two phases of relatively rapid sea-level rise, here interpreted as meltwater pulse (MWP) events. The earlier MWP occurred between ∼450 and ∼445 ka and matches a relatively minor episode of the sea-level rise documented in an existing RSL record, while the younger MWP at ∼430 ka corresponds to the high amplitude sea-level rise that marks T-V. We find that both MWPs coincide with episodes of ice-rafted debris deposition in the North Atlantic (Heinrich-like events) and with attendant Southern Hemisphere warming, plausibly associated with the bipolar seesaw.

Coupled Rapid Erosion and Foreland Sedimentation Control Orogenic Wedge Kinematics in the Himalayan Thrust Belt of Central Nepal

AbstractSpatial and temporal coincidence among rapid Pliocene‐Holocene bedrock exhumation, development of a topographic bight, abundant monsoonal precipitation, accumulation of anomalously thick proximal foreland basin deposits, and development of an opposite‐polarity salient‐reentrant couple on the two most frontal major thrust faults in the Himalayan orogenic wedge of central Nepal provide a basis for a model that links these diverse phenomena and could be operating in other parts of the frontal Himalaya. Rapid bedrock erosion is documented by a concentration of young (<5 Ma) low‐temperature thermochronologic ages in the Narayani River catchment basin. Where the river exits the Lesser Himalayan Zone, the Main Boundary thrust has a 15‐km‐amplitude reentrant. Directly south of the reentrant lies the ∼50 km wide Chitwan wedge‐top basin, which is confined by a large salient on the Main Frontal thrust. Rapid erosion and sediment flux out of the Narayani catchment basin, possibly due to anomalously intense monsoonal precipitation in this topographically depressed region of central Nepal, causes greater flexural subsidence and surface aggradation in the foreland, both of which increase initial wedge taper and render this region more susceptible to anomalous forward propagation of the thrust front. Analysis of the modern and post‐early Miocene taper history of the thrust belt suggests that rapid erosion hindered forward propagation of the contemporaneous Main Boundary thrust, but simultaneously produced conditions in the foreland that eventually elevated initial taper to a critical/supercritical value promoting forelandward propagation of the Main Frontal thrust. This analysis has implications for large damaging earthquakes in the Himalaya.

Heavy Metal Contamination in an Industrially Affected River Catchment Basin: Assessment, Effects, and Mitigation.

The concentrations of some heavy metals (Fe, Zn, Mn, Cu, Mo, Pb, Cd) were measured in river waters, macrozoobenthos, and fish (Kura scrapers) from one of the most developed mining areas in Armenia, the Debed River catchment basin. In order to assess heavy metal contamination and its hydro-ecological and health effects, the macrozoobenthos quantitative and qualitative parameters, geo-accumulation index, and hazard index were determined. Microalgal extraction experiments were conducted to assess the microalgal remediation efficiency for heavy metal removal from mining wastewaters. The results showed that the rivers in many sites were polluted with different heavy metals induced by mining activities, which adversely affected macrozoobenthos growth and caused human health risks in the case of waters used for drinking purposes. However, the river fish, particularly Kura scrapers, were determined to be safe for consumption by the local people, as per the conditions of the evaluated fish ingestion rate. The results have shown that microalgal remediation, particularly with Desmodesmus abundans M3456, can be used for the efficient removal ~(62–100%) of certain emerging contaminants (Mn, Pb, Cu, Zn, Cd) from mining wastewater discharged in the Debed catchment basin.

Analysis of seasonal snowmelt contribution using a distributed energy balance model for a river basin in the Altai Mountains of northwestern China

AbstractSnowmelt water is a vital freshwater resource in the Altai Mountains of northwestern China. Yet its seasonal hydrological cycle characteristics could change under a warming climate and more rapid spring snowmelt. Here, we simulated snowmelt runoff dynamics in the Kayiertesi River catchment, from 2000 to 2016, by using an improved hydrological distribution model that relied on high‐resolution meteorological data acquired from the National Centers for Environmental Prediction (Fnl‐NCEP) that were downscaled using the Weather Research Forecasting model. Its predictions were compared to observed runoff data, which confirmed the simulations' reliability. Our results show the model performed well, in general, given its daily validation Nash–Sutcliffe efficiency (NSE) of 0.62 (from 2013 to 2015) and a monthly NSE score of 0.68 (from 2000 to 2010) for the studied river basin of the Altai Mountains. In this river basin catchment, snowfall accounted for 64.1% of its precipitation and snow evaporation for 49.8% of its total evaporation, while snowmelt runoff constituted 29.3% of the annual runoff volume. Snowmelt's contribution to runoff in the Altai Mountains can extend into non‐snow days because of the snowmelt water retained in soils. From 2000 to 2016, the snow‐to‐rain ratio decreased rapidly, however, the snowmelt contribution remained relatively stable in the study region. Our findings provide a sound basis for making snowmelt runoff predictions, which could be used prevent snowmelt‐induced flooding, as well as a generalizable approach applicable to other remote, high‐elevation locations where high‐density, long‐term observational data are currently lacking. How snowmelt contributes to water dynamics and resources in cold regions is garnering greater attention. Our proposed model is thus timely perhaps, enabling more comprehensive assessments of snowmelt contributions to hydrological processes in those alpine regions characterized by seasonal snow cover.

ПРОСТРАНСТВЕННО-ВРЕМЕННАЯ ИЗМЕНЧИВОСТЬ СТОКА РЕКИ ИЛЕ В УСЛОВИЯХ АНТРОПОГЕННОЙ ДЕЯТЕЛЬНОСТИ

To solve the problems of sustainable management of water resources in the catchment area of the Ili River basin, it is becoming demanded to study the dynamics of the average annual water discharge, taking into account anthropogenic activities, since their intensity is constantly growing. At the same time, the integral indicator of natural conditions in the catchment is the average annual water discharge of river basins, and the importance of this parameter lies in the fact that they can be considered as a function of the response to any changes in the catchment. In this regard, the analysis of changes in the average annual water discharge of the Ili River basin's catchment area was carried out on a spatio-temporal scale, where linear trends were used to assess and plot graphs, the method of multiple regression analysis and processing of time series were carried out on the basis of Microsoft Excel. Analysis of the dynamics of the average annual water discharge in the Ili River basin's catchment area on a spatio-temporal scale showed that, despite significant variability over the years, all studied hydrological stations are characterized by general patterns of changes in the hydrological regime under the influence of anthropogenic and natural factors.

ГЕОЭКОЛОГИЧЕСКАЯ ОЦЕНКА КАЧЕСТВА ПОВЕРХНОСТНЫХ ВОД РЕЧНОГО БАССЕЙНА С МАТЕМАТИЧЕСКИМ АНАЛИЗОМ (НА ПРИМЕРЕ РЕКИ ИЛЕ)

Based on the structural analysis of complex hydrochemical indices for assessing surface water pollution used in various river basins, and the laws of limiting factors, a mathematical model was obtained in the form of the maximum permissible water pollution coefficient (Kпдзi), representing the product of the water content coefficient (Kb) and the maximum water pollution (Kпзi), by based on the laws of nature, principles and properties of natural processes in, together with the water pollution index (ИЗВ), are used for the geoecological assessment of the surface water quality of the Ile River basin on a spatial-temporal scale, taking into account the regulatory criteria for maximum permissible concentrations of pollutants for fishery water bodies, that between the coefficient of the maximum permissible water pollution (Kпдзi) and the water pollution index (ИЗВ) there is a pronounced relationship, described by a logarithmic equation, allowing them to be used to assess the ecological state water bodies. Water quality assessment was carried out for four hydrological sections of the Ile River catchment basin, which showed that water pollution is of a transboundary nature, since at the Dobyn hydrological station, located on the borders of the Republic of Kazakhstan and the People's Republic of China, the water quality is «polluted», and from the Kapshagai reservoir to Lake Balkhash «moderately polluted», where due to the selfcleaning ability of the aquatic ecosystem and the waters coming from the tributaries, there is some improvement in water quality.