Shortage Of Water Resources Research Articles

Improving yield, quality, and environmental co-benefits through optimized irrigation and nitrogen management of hybrid maize in Northwest China

Seed yield (SY) of hybrid maize tends to be emphasized over seed quality, which collectively determine maize planting and production. The maize seed production in the Hexi Corridor supports more than half of China's maize cultivation, but the shortage of water resources and inefficient agricultural resource use limit high-yield, high-quality, and high-efficient production of hybrid maize. In this study, the Jensen- and Rao-based models were developed for SY and seed vigor (SV) of hybrid maize based on data collected from multi-year field experiments, and found that the heading and filling stages were sensitive to water and nitrogen (N) for SY, and jointing and filling for SV. Building on these insights, a framework was developed to optimize irrigation and N fertilization management under different hydrological years, considering interactive sensitivity coefficients of water and N at different growth stages, precipitation, and initial soil available water and N content. Results showed that the optimized irrigation (22.6–37.8%) and N fertilization inputs (34.1–53.2%) and N-surplus (35.3–60.6%) were significantly decreased and irrigation water productivity (WPI) and partial factor productivity from applied N fertilization (PFPN) were significantly increased compared with the current scenario, regardless of whether SV maximization is set in the optimization framework. The optimized scenario that maximizes both SY and SV objectives requires 0.6–8.8% more water and N inputs than the scenario considering only the maximized SY objective in wet, normal, and dry years. The best optimization scenario evaluated by using the osculating value method considering SY and SV, WPI, PFPN, and N-surplus varied between different hydrological years. Our optimization framework and findings would guide high-yield, high-quality and high-resource use efficient production of hybrid maize, with low risk of agricultural N pollution in the Hexi Corridor, and has the potential for further use for optimizing irrigation and fertilization management of other crops.

Evaluation of Furrow Irrigation System on Head Cabbage Yield and Water Use Efficiency in Arbegona Woreda, Ethiopia

Available fresh water resources are subjected to an ever-increasing pressure due to extensive agricultural water demand for irrigated lands. A long-term perspective in shortage of fresh water resources, especially in arid and semi-arid area, highlights an urgent solution for innovative irrigation strategies and agricultural water management. The experiment was conducted in Arbegona district, Sidama region of Ethiopia. This experiment was conducted to evaluate and demonstrate of Alternative, Fixed and Conventional furrow irrigations on Head Cabbage yield and water use efficiency. To achieve this objective the treatment were three furrow irrigation method (Conventional, Alternate and Fixed furrow) laid out in a random complete block design (RCBD) with three replications. The result shows that there is no significant difference between alternative and conventional furrow irrigation on Head cabbage yield. But, fixed furrow irrigation system reduces the yield significantly. The maximum yield (48407kg/ha and 43840kg/ha) was obtained from conventional and alternate furrow irrigation method, respectively. The minimum yield (35242kg/ha) was obtained under fixed furrow irrigation. Furrow irrigation method has no significant effect on plant height, head weight and head diameter of head cabbage. The highest water use efficiency was obtained from alternate furrow irrigation and shows significant difference between the other treatments. Therefore, to save water, labour and time without significant yield reduction alternate furrow irrigation is recommended in water scarce area of Ethiopia.

Recent advances in β‐cyclodextrin‐based catalysts for reducing toxic nitroaromatic: An overview

Regarding the incremental shortage of water resources, wastewater treatment is essential for guarding the ecosystem and the sufficient usage of water resources. Freshwater, a vital item of life for humans and animals, is in danger because of the existence of destructive pollutants, such as p‐nitrophenol (p‐NP), and organic azo dyes, leading to water pollution. Among environmental pollution, water pollution has been recognized as one of the important threat agents in charge of many illnesses in humans. Nitrophenols contain high stability and solubility in water, which causes health risks. It is essential to change these harmful chemicals into healthy materials to have a safe life on the globe. Nitro compounds obtained from industrial wastewater are a severe threat to human being health and living organisms. Hence, designing green strategies and environment‐friendly catalysts to reduce toxic contaminants such as nitro compounds and dyes is a considerable challenge. One technique to overcome this crisis is the catalytic hydrogenation of nitro compounds to the amines, which are invaluable and non‐toxic materials. Reducing nitroarenes can be synthesized the amines, vital intermediates in organic and biological chemistry. Designing green strategies in nitro reduction processes for synthetic organic chemists is a great challenge. The nitroarene reduction reaction is a very efficient, reliable, and environmentally friendly method for synthesizing amines. Cyclodextrin (CD) can be applied as an effective catalyst in many aqueous organic reactions. Their derivatives have exhibited outstanding performance in water‐mediated organic synthesis and are now of ongoing attraction to many scientists in various fields. CDs show better catalytic activity and selectivity due to their particular geometry and structural interactions. CDs catalyzed reactions have been getting significant attention recently due to their low toxicity, biodegradability, economically and eco‐friendly behavior. Many reports are available in the literature on CDs material considered promising catalysts in reducing nitro compounds. This review article focuses on the use of β‐CD catalyst systems as valuable catalysts in the hydrogenation of nitroarenes and overviews articles up to 2023.

A method for setting the term of water rights trading based on loss–benefit function

Abstract At present, water rights trading is used by many countries around the world to solve the problems of water resource shortage and uneven spatial and temporal distribution. However, there is no scientific method for setting the term of water rights trading, which is generally determined through negotiation between the trading parties. In order to find a more objective method for determining the term of water rights trading, we constructed a loss–benefit model about the term of water rights trading and solved it based on the principle of comprehensive benefits greater than zero to determine the optimal term of water rights trading. First, we analyzed the benefits and losses brought by water rights trading, then constructed a loss–benefit function with trading term as the independent variable. Second, based on the graphical analysis method, we analyzed the benefits and losses of water rights trading. Finally, the optimal term for water rights trading is determined based on the loss–benefit function and combined with a graphical analysis method. In addition, this study can also help us determine the longest or shortest water rights trading term based on actual situations.

Axial bearing capacity and ductility of seawater sea sand coral aggregate concrete (SSCC) columns reinforced with hybrid GFRP and corrosion resistant rebars

The shortage of fresh water and river sand resources and steel corrosion are becoming increasingly prominent in engineering construction. Seawater sea sand coral aggregate concrete (SSCC) and corrosion resistant reinforcement are promising materials in replacement of conventional concrete and steel in building structures in island and reef construction. This study investigated the axial compression performance of GFRP (glass fiber reinforced polymer) and corrosion resistant rebars hybrid reinforced seawater sea sand coral aggregate concrete columns. A total of eighteen short columns were tested for axial compression performance, including three reinforcement ratios (1.01%, 1.56%, 2.26%) and 5 reinforcement types (pure GFRP reinforcement or G, pure stainless steel reinforcement or S, pure epoxy coated steel rebar (ECSB) reinforcement or E, GFRP-stainless steel reinforcement or GS and GFRP-ECSB or GE). The failure modes of the column are recorded and analyzed, and the axial bearing capacity and ductility are calculated and analyzed. Results show that the bearing capacity of columns is positively correlated with the reinforcement ratio. Generally, the bearing capacity of S-SSCC column and E-SSCC column are not significant different, but both are larger than that of G-SSCC column. The bearing capacity of hybrid reinforcement GS-SSCC and GE-SSCC column is between S-SSCC column and G-SSCC column. Meanwhile, it indicates that the theoretical calculation results of bearing capacity agree well with the experimental results. The ductility analytical results exhibit that the studied column specimens have the highest ductility when the reinforcement ratio is 1.56%. Among different reinforcement types, the ductility of G-SSCC is the smallest and the GE-SSCC and GS-SSCC column show improved ductility compared with G-SSCC columns.

A Fe-Ni-MOF-74@bamboo photothermal evaporator for efficient solar steam generation

Solar-driven interfacial steam generation is considered as a promising technology to solve the shortage of fresh water resources by using inexhaustible solar energy. In this field, the challenge comes from the design of an interfacial evaporator with high performance in photothermal conversion, water activation (low evaporation enthalpy) and water delivery ability. Herein, a composite evaporator was prepared by in-situ composition of bamboo and Fe-Ni-MOF-74 and subsequently simple carbonization. In this evaporator, bamboo ensures that water quickly reaches the evaporation interface, and rich hydrophilic groups have the function of activating water molecules. Fe-Ni-MOF-74 enhances photothermal effect due to bimetallic coordination. In addition, the hydrophilic feature and the pore structure strengthen the water activation and water absorption capacity. Meanwhile, carbonization under mild conditions compensates for the light absorption. As an outcome, the evaporator achieves high evaporation rate (3.61 kg m−2 h−1), high solar-vapor conversion efficiency (153 %), low evaporation enthalpy (1.517 kJ g−1), good stability in saline water and antibacterial function. Furthermore, both seawater and wastewater purified by the evaporator comply with drinking water standards. In the outdoor experiment, the evaporator can collect water of 4.01 kg m−2 during one daylight. The result highlights great potential of bamboo and MOF composite evaporator for producing fresh water using solar energy.

Effects of Reclaimed Water Irrigation on Grain Quality and Endogenous Estrogen Concentrations of Winter Wheat

Reclaimed water irrigation can effectively alleviate the shortage of water resources in arid and semi-arid areas; however, reclaimed water contains organic pollutants that may enter the agricultural production environment through irrigation, such as endogenous estrogens, so people have always paid attention to the safety of reclaimed water irrigation. In this paper, we studied the effects of reclaimed water irrigation, groundwater irrigation, and alternating irrigation of the two water sources on grain quality, as well as endogenous estrogen concentrations of winter wheat and topsoil in the North China Plain during 2015–2016. The results show that the concentrations of crude protein, total soluble sugar, crude ash, crude starch, and reduction-type vitamin C (reduction-type VC) in the winter wheat grains were 12.5–16.4%, 0.85–2.15%, 1.85–3.28%, 61.5–75.0%, and 4.9–16.0 mg/kg, respectively. There were no significant differences in these quality indexes among the irrigation treatments (p > 0.05). The concentrations of endogenous estrogen in the surface soil and winter wheat grain under all irrigation treatments were 0.34–4.01 μg/kg and below the limits of detection (ND)–3.71 μg/kg, respectively. There were no significant differences in the concentrations of endogenous estrogen in the soil and wheat grain among the different irrigation treatments (p > 0.05). The bioconcentration factor (BCF) of the endogenous estrogen in the soil–winter wheat system was 0.08–1.90, and there was no significant difference in the BCF among the irrigation treatments (p > 0.05). Compared with groundwater irrigation, reclaimed water irrigation did not significantly affect endogenous estrogen concentrations in the soil and winter wheat, as well as the bioconcentration factors.

Integrating multisource information to delineate oasis farmland salinity management zones in southern Xinjiang, China

Soil salinization and the shortage of water resources have become important factors affecting the sustainable development of agriculture in the southern Xinjiang. Agricultural flooding in winter or spring is the main means to reduce the damage of secondary soil salinization in southern Xinjiang. However, the spatial heterogeneity of soil salinization is not considered in previous irrigation strategy. Excessive irrigation always leads to a serious waste of agricultural water resources. Irrigation zones delineation based on the degree of soil salinization is beneficial for the management of agricultural salinized land and the improvement of water use efficiency in arid areas. This study used 1599 sets of apparent electrical conductivity (ECa) data obtained before winter irrigation and after crop harvest to characterize soil salinity directly. And the spatial heterogeneity of soil salinity in the study area was analyzed directly using ECa values and statistical as well as geostatistical methods. Three main variables obtained from apparent electrical conductivity measurements (EC0.375, EC0.75, EC1.5), vegetation information (NDVI, GNDVI, SAVI), which indirectly reflected the degree of salinity, and environmental factors (Clay, Sand, Silt, DEM), which affecting the distribution of salinity, were used as auxiliary variables. Four zoning models including soil information, soil + vegetation information, soil information + environmental factors and soil + vegetation information + environmental factors were constructed. A multi-scale segmentation algorithm was used to delineate for four zone patterns and evaluate the results of management zones based on the different information. The results showed that there was a strong spatial heterogeneity of soil salinity in the study area, with the coefficients of variation of ECa all higher than 74 %. But the mean of coefficient of variation intra-zone in each zone after delineation was less than 24 %, which was significantly lower than the value before delineation. The zoning result based on only soil information was more fragmented than other zoning results, and the homogeneity intra-zone and heterogeneity among zones were both lower. This result was not desirable to the development and effective implementation of water resource allocation. Management zones delineation with additional vegetation information or environmental factors showed a better zoning result. Delineation using multisource data of soil, vegetation information and environmental factors not only had the highest homogeneity intra-zone and heterogeneity among zones, but also facilitated the implementation of variable-rate irrigation. Consequently, salinity management zoning, which integrates soil, vegetation information and environmental factors, will facilitate the implementation of efficient irrigation with variable irrigating rate.

Graphene aerogel-doped CoFe2O4/MoS2 sheets for magnetic oil absorption and the degradation of contaminants

In recent years, oil spills and the discharge of industrial organic wastewater have not only damaged society and the economy, but also have had a negative impact on the human environment. The composition of oily wastewater is complex and hazardous. It mainly comprises insoluble organic substances and unsaturated aliphatic hydrocarbons. It exists in the form of oil–water mixtures, freely suspended emulsions, and stable emulsions containing surfactants. The shortage of fresh water resources and how to effectively separate oil and water present serious challenges to the scientific community. In this study, we designed a graphene aerogel with magnetic oil-absorbing functionality, which not only has emulsion-breaking functionality, but also can repeatedly adsorb organic pollutants. More importantly, it exhibits a strong Fenton catalytic effect and can effectively degrade pollutants. The aerogel designed in this research integrates adsorption, catalysis and degradation, and exhibits excellent purification of wastewater containing pollutants such as dyes, antibiotics and aromatic hydrocarbons, providing a novel insight into the treatment of oily wastewater.

Facile fabrication of electrospinning cellulose acetate/graphene composite nanofiber membrane with high solar-to-thermal conversion and oil resistance performance for efficient solar-driven water evaporation

Solar-driven water evaporation is a promising approach to solve the issue of water resource shortage. Herein, a cellulose acetate (CA)/graphene(G) nanofiber membrane evaporator with superior oil resistance was prepared by electrospinning and subsequently with the deacetylation process. The as-fabricated d-CA/G composite nanofiber membranes possess high solar absorption, high porosity, and low thermal conductivity. The evaporation rate of d-CA/G composite nanofiber membrane with a graphene concentration of 3 % for pure water can reach 1.38 kg m−2 h−1 with the corresponding efficiency of 88.4 % under one sun illumination. Moreover, the d-CA/G composite nanofiber membrane possesses super hydrophilic and underwater superoleophobicity. Thus, the d-CA/G composite nanofiber membrane can resist fouling by oils and dissolve the concentrated salt back into bulk water, resulting in efficient purification capacity for oil-in-water emulsion and stable desalination performance for seawater in the long term. The evaporation rate of the d-CA/G evaporator can approach 1.37 kg m−2 h−1 when used for the purification of oil-in-water emulsion. This study provides a facile way for the development of multifunctional nanofiber membrane evaporators with highly efficient and sustainable for seawater desalination and wastewater treatment.

Intelligent decision-making support system for the commissioning of a small hydroelectric power plant in the Republic of Tyva

This paper investigates the cutting forces arising when using a single abrasive grain. Analytical studies were carried out using a model of a single abrasive grain in the form of a rod with a radiused apex acting on the workpiece material. The slip-line method (method of characteristics) was used to calculate the deformation intensity of a plastically edged workpiece material under the action of a single grain. Mathematical models were developed for the following factors: plastic deformation of the material, edging of the stagnated zone and its friction against the grain surface when moved upwards in the form of chippings, grain friction against the plastically deformed material, and the action of the dynamic component of plastic deformation. The significance of the dynamic component in the overall balance of forces related to plastic deformation was established by determining the ratio of dynamic stress on the break line and shear yield point. This dependence calculated for D16T and 30HGSA materials showed the feasibility of accounting for the dynamic component system based on a small hydropower station located in the Todzhinsky district of the Republic of Tyva. For an adequate assessment of the operational reliability of hydropower units, a logical and probabilistic method based on the kinetic theory of fault tree was used. The method allows the failures of the used equipment, as well as unplanned shutdowns of units due to a shortage of water resources in the Great Yenisey (low water, overdrying, and frozen frost), to be taken into account. The development of a generation system based on a small hydroelectric power plant for the settlements in the Todzhinsky district of the Republic of Tyva offers a load of up to 2,500 kW, which helps to reduce the cost of purchasing, delivering, and storing diesel fuel, while diesel generators can be used as backup power sources. 3 scenarios of structuring a small hydroelectric power plant were considered that involved various numbers and total capacity of hydrogenating units: 5x500 kW, 4x630 kW, and 3x800 kW. Therefore, by using the multi-criteria optimization method, the optimal structure of the generating system based on a small hydroelectric power plant having three hydroelectric units (each characterized by a capacity of 800 kW) was selected from the three proposed options, taking into account the reliability and uncertainty of the initial information.

Justification of drilling parameters of a typical well in the conditions of the Samskoye field

In the Republic of Kazakhstan, there is a noticeable shortage of water resources, which is a consequence of the natural features of its territory and climate. In particular, there are big problems in the water supply to the Mangystau region. The main source of water in the region is the Samskoye groundwater field. In this work, the conditions of the Samskoye field are typified, the method and technological parameters for drilling a typical well are selected and substantiated. It has been established that rotary drilling with reverse circulation in the conditions of the Samskoye field has significant advantages. The maximum possible production rate of drilling with reverse circulation, taking into account the limited thickness of the aquifer, is 4.3 times higher than with rotary drilling with direct circulation and 2.5 times higher than with percussion drilling. With the same filter pipe diameter, the greatest possible thickness of the gravel pack layer in reverse circulation drilling is 15 times greater than for conventional rotary drilling and 3.7 times greater than for percussion drilling. Thus, the use of rotary drilling with reverse circulation will solve an important problem – the provision of domestic and drinking water supply to the area.

Does water rights trading promote resources utilisation efficiency and green growth? Evidence from China's resources trading policy

Strengthening ecological protection and resources management is imminent under the international context of net water resources shortage and ensuring green growth agenda. In this regard, this study employs a difference in differences (DID) model to assess the impact of China's water rights trading policy (WRT) on resource use efficiency from 2009 to 2021 using 281 prefectural-level cities in China. The results suggest that the WRT significantly enhances regional water use efficiency and supports regional green growth. The policy effects of WRT are more evident in coastal areas, areas where water supply capacity is strong, areas where water resources endowment is high, and areas where cross-regional water rights trading policy is implemented. WRT improves resources use efficiency by promoting technological innovation and improving the quality of water sources. WRT can also enhance regional welfare, but it has been observed to reduce water use efficiency in provincial border cities. These results offer valuable suggestions for all stakeholders.

A dataset of water, heat, and carbon fluxes of an oasis agroecosystem in the middle areas of the Hexi Corridor (2012–2015)

The exchange of water, heat, and carbon dioxide between the terrestrial ecosystems and the atmosphere is a fundamental process that underlies mass and energy transfer at the Earth’s surface. The eddy covariance technique has become one of the preferred and state-of-the-art approaches for measuring and calculating the exchange of water, heat, and carbon between the land surface and the atmosphere. This dataset covers the fluxes of water, heat, and carbon dioxide in an oasis agroecosystem, as well as the auxiliary micrometeorological variables in the middle areas of the Hexi Corridor during 2012–2015. The experimental observation campaign was carried out by the Linze Inland River Basin Research Station, a member station of the China Flux Observation and Research Network (ChinaFLUX). The dataset serves as a fundamental source of data, enabling in-depth comprehension water transfer, energy exchange, carbon cycle processes in the oasis agroecosystem in arid regions, and even their environmental and vegetation controlling mechanisms. It offers valuable insights into better understanding hydrological processes, ecosystem-hydrology reaction and discovering the coupling between carbon, water and heat in the context of climate change. Furthermore, the dataset holds significant scientific value in addressing chronic practical challenges related to fragile environment and shortage of water resource, such as water and land resources management, the preservation of oasis stability and sustainable development, the conservation of oasis ecosystems, etc.

Modulating interfacial polymerization via 1-methylimidazole as reactive additive for nanofiltration membrane with high-performance

Nanofiltration (NF) membrane technology has become the most critical alternative to resolve fresh water resources shortage and water pollution. Preparing polyamide (PA) NF membrane with excellent water permeance and mono/multivalent salts selectivity is highly desired. Herein, we introduced 1-methylimidazole (1-MI) as a reactive additive into interfacial polymerization (IP) to prepare NF membrane and attempted to improve the NF membrane performance. 1-MI modified NF membranes exhibited enlarged pore size and thickness of PA layer, as well as a smooth and hydrophilic membrane surface, the water permeance improved from 7.7 L/(m2·h·bar) of Virgin-NF to 13.1 L/(m2·h·bar) of 1-MI-0.05-NF. The Na2SO4 rejection was maintained at 95.01% while NaCl rejection dramatically reduced from 25.79% to 13.29%, and the Cl−/SO42− selectivity slightly increased from 21.47 to 23 under the mixed salts solution as feed. The enhancement of water permeance was ascribed to the looser PA layer and enhanced hydrophilicity. The retaining Na2SO4 rejection was attributed to electrostatic repulsion caused by more carboxylic acid groups, and the decreased NaCl rejection was ascribed to the looser PA layer. Besides, the modified membrane had an acceptable pH stability. In summary, 1-MI modified NF membrane was suitable for the separation of monovalent/divalent anionic salts.

A Review of Virtual Water Research

A comprehensive and objective understanding of the amount of water resources occupied by human activities is an important way to improve the existing water resources management. The theory of virtual water is a brand-new concept proposed at the end of the 20th century to solve the problems of water resource shortage and water resource security. Based on a brief analysis of virtual water and its related concepts, this paper introduces the research status of related theories at home and abroad, discusses from the perspectives of water footprint, virtual water quantitative calculation, virtual water trade, virtual water strategy, etc., and points out that virtual water plays a vital role in maintaining regional peace. Stabilizing and promoting regional economic development is of great significance. It also examines the imperfections in the existing theories of virtual water and looks forward to the future research directions of virtual water.

Policy evaluation of economic – environmental tradeoffs in regulating industrial water use: An agent-based model

Water resource shortage and water pollution are prominent and urgent resource and environment problems. Industrial water consumption and sewage discharges account for a large proportion of the total sewage discharge of China. Therefore, scientifically regulating the water consumption and sewage discharge of industrial enterprises can effectively alleviate water scarcity and pollution problems. By establishing a multi-agent model, this study simulates the water use behavior of industrial enterprises, exploring the responses of industrial enterprises to a different type of scenarios for water management that can coordinate economic and environmental benefits. The purpose is to reduce the water consumption and pollutant emissions of industrial enterprises while achieving economic benefits, so as to provide policy references for water authorities. The results show that: 1) The three policies of water price, water resource tax and emission reduction subsidy can effectively regulate the water consumption and sewage discharge of enterprises. 2) Water price and water resource tax rate need to be controlled within a reasonable range. Appropriate water price and water resource tax rate can encourage enterprises to increase R&D investment. On this basis, it is suggested to emphasize the two-way influence of the government and enterprises, continue to implement water resources management policies such as water resources tax, so as to promote the balance between ecology and economy.

Optimal allocation model and method for parallel ‘reservoir and pumping station’ irrigation system under insufficient irrigation conditions

The effective regulation and storage of water resources by reservoirs in arid and semi-arid areas is important for alleviating water resource shortages. In this paper, multiple irrigation reservoirs and pumping stations are evaluated, according to their special hydraulic connections and used to establish the water resources optimal allocation model of the parallel ‘reservoir and pumping station’ irrigation system. The mathematical model takes the maximum total income of the whole irrigation area as the objective function, the water supply and spill of the reservoir and the water replenishment of the pumping station as the decision variables, and the system water supply, agricultural water rights, reservoir operation criteria as the constraints. A new multilevel decomposition aggregation dynamic programming (MDADP) algorithm is proposed to solve the complex nonlinear model and is compared with the real-coded genetic algorithm, particle swarm optimization, cat swarm optimization and whale optimization algorithm. From the analysis of optimality and the applicability of the algorithm, MDADP was found to be more suitable than the above heuristic models for solving problems in the field of the optimal allocation of water resources.

Spatiotemporal Variations in Evapotranspiration and Their Driving Factors in Southwest China between 2003 and 2020

The widespread distribution of karst landforms has led to a shortage of water resources in Southwest China. Understanding the spatiotemporal variations in and driving factors of evapotranspiration (ET) in this area is crucial for understanding and predicting severe water resource shortage. This study conducted trend analysis using meteorological data from 2003 to 2020 as well as remote sensing products such as Penman–Monteith–Leuning equation version 2 (PML-V2) ET. The factors influencing the spatial distribution pattern of average ET were identified using a geographical detector. Partial correlation analysis was performed to characterize the relationships between ET and the factors governing its variations, determined using the random forest model. The results demonstrated the following: (1) The average ET decreased with increasing latitude and altitude, primarily affected by the landform type in terms of longitude and displaying “W”-shaped fluctuations. Overall, the annual ET exhibited a significant (p < 0.05) increasing trend, with 72.63% of its area under the increasing trend. (2) The results of the geographic detector indicated sunshine duration as the strongest explanatory factor of the spatial distribution of ET, followed by enhanced vegetation index (EVI), landform type, precipitation, elevation, slope, and aspect. Instead of an individual factor, the interplay between multiple factors more considerably influenced the spatial distribution pattern of ET. (3) The EVI exhibited an overall increasing trend, with a significant increase over 73.59% of the study area and a positive correlation with ET. Thus, the increase in EVI had the strongest impact on ET in the study area, which was further confirmed by the results of the random forest model for 42.92% of the study area. Thus, the present findings clarify the spatiotemporal variations in and driving factors of ET in Southwest China and can serve as a benchmark for policies aiming to develop and manage water resources in this region.

T-shape solar evaporator constructed with natural wood and Ti2O3 nanoparticles for water evaporation and desalination

Desalination by solar-driven interfacial evaporation is considered as an effective green way to solve the shortage of fresh water resources. However, traditional interfacial evaporation systems are subject to heat loss. In this work, we designed and constructed a T-shape solar evaporator by using natural wood as a support and black Ti2O3 nanoparticles (NPs) with a narrow band-gap as a photothermal conversion material. As a T-shape support, natural wood with good hydrophilicity, well-arranged hierarchical channels and low thermal conductivity not only hinders the loss of conducted heat to water, but also ensures a high rate of moisture transport. As the top solar energy absorption layer for thermal localization and salt collection, horizontal wood surface coated by Ti2O3 NPs has a total solar absorption capacity of 93.6% over the full spectrum. A colorless acid-catalyzed silica sol (ACSS) as a binder is introduced in order to improve the adhesion of Ti2O3 NPs on the wood surface. The horizontal wood is connected vertically with another piece of wood for transporting water and providing thermal insulation. The constructed T-shape evaporator achieves a water evaporation rate of 2.33 kg/m2/h for pure water under 1 sun irradiation. In a desalination experiment, the water evaporation rate is 0.31 kg/m2/h and the salt recovery rate is stable up to 50 h at 31.13 g/m2/h. This work may provide new insights into the design and construction of low-cost, environmentally friendly and efficient solar evaporators for seawater desalination.