Small Waters Research Articles

Geochemical state of small rivers of Syrym District of West Kazakhstan region (on the example of the Rivers Buldyrty, Yesenankaty, Shiderty, Olenty)

Despite the fact that small rivers are called Small, their importance in terms of ecology is high. This is because the condition of large rivers will depend on smaller rivers. The degradation of small rivers negatively affects the state, is an important and urgent task. The purpose of the study was to geochemically analyze the composition of the waters of small rivers in the Syryms district and assess their quality. Water samples were taken from each river ecological state of medium and large rivers, because they feed at the expense of these small rivers. It is easy to see that every day the waters of these rivers are receding and the banks are expanding. Currently, one of the main tasks that environmental science sets for itself is to monitor the ecological state of water bodies. In connection with the conditions of increasing anthropogenic factors, determining the ecological state of small rivers plays an important role in maintaining the composition of the natural ecosystem. Small rivers are very sensitive to anthropogenic factors and react to these factors in the opposite way. The study of the chemical composition of small river waters, as well as their ecological state, is an important and urgent task. The aim of the study is a geochemical analysis of the composition of small river waters in the Syrymsky district and an assessment of their quality. Water samples were taken from each river to determine the composition of the water quality. The cameral stage was held in the laboratory of environmental and biogeochemical testing of M. Utemisov West Kazakhstan University. Chemical analysis was carried out using the widely used methods GOST 26449.1 — 85. After analyzing the indicators of water samples taken from the research area, it was found that the maximum raual concentration level did not exceed, except for the total hardness.

A dataset of trophic state index for nation-scale lakes in China from 40-year Landsat observations

Trophic state index (TSI) serves as a key indicator for quantifying and understanding the lake eutrophication, which has not been fully explored for long-term water quality monitoring, especially for small and medium inland waters. Landsat satellites offer an effective complement to facilitate the temporal and spatial monitoring of multi-scale lakes. Landsat surface reflectance products were utilized to retrieve the annual average TSI for 2693 lakes over 1 km2 in China from 1984 to 2023. Our method first distinguishes lake types by pixels with a decision tree and then derives relationships between trophic state and algal biomass index. Validation with public reports and existing datasets confirmed the good consistency and reliability. The dataset provides reliable annual TSI results and credible trends for lakes under different area scales, which can serve as a reference for further research and provide convenience for lake sustainable management.

A high-resolution dataset of water bodies distribution over the Tibetan Plateau

Water body (WB) extraction is the basic work of water resources management. Tibetan Plateau is one of the largest alpine lake systems in the world. However, research on the characteristics of water bodies (WBs) is mainly focused on large and medium WBs due to spatial resolution. This research presents a dataset containing a 2-m resolution map of WBs in 2020 based on Gaofen-1 data, and morphometric and landscape indices of WBs across the Tibetan Plateau. The Swin-UNet model is well performed with overall accuracy at 98%. The total area of WBs is 56354.6 km2 across Tibetan Plateau in 2020. The abundance compared with that from size-abundance relationship indicate WBs in the Tibetan Plateau conformed to the classic power scaling law. We evaluate the influence of spatial-resolution in WB extraction, which shows the dataset could be valuable to fill the gap of existing WBs map, especially for small waters. The dataset is valuable for revealing the spatial patterns of WBs, and understanding the impacts of climate change on water resources in Plateau.

Reef fish community structure in the waters of small islands Central Bangka Regency

This study aimed to analyze the community structure of reef fish in the small island waters of Central Bangka. The research was conducted in March 2022 in the waters of Bebuar Island, Ketugar Island, Ketawai Island, and Gusung Asam Central Bangka Regency, Bangka Belitung Islands Province. The coral reef survey method uses purposive sampling and the coral reef fish visual census with data analysis of abundance, diversity index, uniformity, and dominance. In-site water quality measurements included six parameters: temperature, salinity, current, brightness, depth, and pH. The results showed that coral reef cover from 44.60 - 87.00% with the medium to very good category. The abundance of reef fish from 1 to 3 individuals/m2 was dominated by 18 species of the Pomacentridae family. The reef fish diversity index ranged from 2.47 to 2.90, including the medium category. The uniformity index value ranged from 0.79 - 0.94, including the high category, indicating that the species found were evenly distributed across all stations. The dominance index value ranges from 0.07 to 0.15, including low, where no species dominates significantly and the fish are evenly distributed. Temperature, brightness, pH, and salinity are factors that support the growth of coral and reef fish. A water current speed of 0.05 – 0.20 m/s is quite helpful in cleaning coral reefs from mud and can supply oxygen. Water conditions were categorized as good and fulfilled the seawater quality standards.

Rapid Bathymetry Mapping Based on Shallow Water Cloud Computing in Small Bay Waters: Pilot Project in Pacitan-Indonesia

Mapping coastal areas generally requires large data constellations in time series and requires analysis using complex mathematical and modeling approaches. In shallow-water bathymetric mapping, remote sensing plays an important role in supporting conventional bathymetric mapping, especially in areas that are difficult to access. This method called Satellite Derived Bathymetry (SDB). The cloud computing approach is a solution for mapping shallow water bathymetry rapid and effectively. This study using Google Earth Engine (GEE) to compute remote sensing data for produce near-shore bathymetry. The method of Li et al. (2021) performs bathymetric extraction without using depth samples but uses chlorophyll-A as input for depth extraction parameter calculations. This study examines a small bay in the waters of Pacitan, Anakan Bay, and the waters of Kemujan Island in the Karimunjawa Islands. Within this study area, significant differences in resulting depth are very limited, ranging from 0 to -17.8. The developed model, based on the algorithm proposed by Li et al. (2021), is estimated to be able to provide accurate predictions of up to around 90% in the waters studied, with a root mean error rate (RMSE) of 1.1 meters.

Salinity causes widespread restriction of methane emissions from small inland waters

Inland waters are one of the largest natural sources of methane (CH4), a potent greenhouse gas, but emissions models and estimates were developed for solute-poor ecosystems and may not apply to salt-rich inland waters. Here we combine field surveys and eddy covariance measurements to show that salinity constrains microbial CH4 cycling through complex mechanisms, restricting aquatic emissions from one of the largest global hardwater regions (the Canadian Prairies). Existing models overestimated CH4 emissions from ponds and wetlands by up to several orders of magnitude, with discrepancies linked to salinity. While not significant for rivers and larger lakes, salinity interacted with organic matter availability to shape CH4 patterns in small lentic habitats. We estimate that excluding salinity leads to overestimation of emissions from small Canadian Prairie waterbodies by at least 81% ( ~ 1 Tg yr−1 CO2 equivalent), a quantity comparable to other major national emissions sources. Our findings are consistent with patterns in other hardwater landscapes, likely leading to an overestimation of global lentic CH4 emissions. Widespread salinization of inland waters may impact CH4 cycling and should be considered in future projections of aquatic emissions.

Trophic levels of reef fish community in Badul Island waters after Sunda Strait tsunami

The Sunda Strait tsunami in December 2018 damaged coral reef ecosystems in the Banten coastal area, including Badul Island waters. This condition potentially affects directly to the trophic level of the reef fish community. The purpose of this study was to determine the trophic level of the reef fish community in the waters of Badul Island after a tsunami. The research was conducted in April 2022 at four sampling stations (North, West, South and East) in the Badul Island waters. Reef fish survey using Underwater Visual Census with a 50 m line transect at a depth of 3 – 5 m. Reef fish identified during the study were grouped based on trophic level (carnivore, planktivore, omnivore, herbivore and corallivore). From this research identify 264 individu with 30 species from 17 Family of reef fish. Small waters area around Badul Island made possible reef fish from 4 sampling stations still in same population. The highest abundance of reef fish was found on the west side of Badul Island (128 ind/250 m2). Number species of reef fish founded the highest in East side with 14 species. The highest abundance of reef fish, based on trophic level, was approximately 74 ind/250 m2 of carnivore fish on the western side of the island.

Техногенные шахтные воды Восточного Донбасса и их влияние на микроэлементный состав речных вод и донных отложений

The article presents the results of studies of the technogenic mine waters (TMW) effect on small river waters and sediments within Eastern Donbass. A set of typomorphic trace elements (Fe, Mn, Li, Sr) was identified in the chemical composition of TMW that reflects the regional specificity of the technogenic process of their formation. The behavior features of iron and manganese in the zone of TMW outflows appears in their rapid precipitation from the water column, and the most part of them (more than 95 % of Fe and 82 % of Mn) are deposited up to the first 500 m downstream. Meanwhile the process of lithium and strontium precipitation requires a longer period resulting in the formation of extensive hydrochemical dispersion fluxes of these elements. The mass precipitation of iron from the water column in the 500-meter range of TMW exposure and its fixation, mainly in the form of stable magnetite, contributes to an increase in metal concentrations in bottom sediments within the impact zone. In the distribution of manganese, strontium and lithium, the grain size distribution of river sediments, in particular, the amount of pelite fraction, plays a significant role, and therefore, under certain hydrological conditions, they can be actively involved in mechanical migration, forming longer lithogeochemical scattering flows in comparison with iron.

Small urban waters and environmental pressure before industrialization: The case of Hungary

Before the birth of modern infrastructures, towns in Europe kept experiencing difficulties in providing water and a healthy environment for their inhabitants. Freshwater was not only essential for basic hygiene and drinking but water resources, especially urban streams played a key role in local economies. The article addresses the pressure the increasingly diverse utilization of water put on such streams by comparing six urban centers – Sopron, Pápa, Zagreb, Miskolc, Felhévíz, and Kőszeg – in premodern Hungary. Using GIS, the paper attempts to find out about the topographical patterns – similarities and differences – in the relationship between urban facilities and the respective streams, to understand whether there was a conscious policy to keep certain parts of the water systems from potential polluters. In doing so, it focuses on the spatial arrangement of industrial and other facilities in the vicinity of urban streams.

Distribution Characteristics and Risk Assessment of Microplastics in Water of Different Functional Parks in Guilin

The water environment capacity of urban parks is small, and their self-purification ability is poor. They are also more likely to be affected by microplastics (MPs), which cause an imbalance of the water micro-ecosystem. Based on the functional characteristics of parks (comprehensive park, community park, and ecological park), this study investigated the distribution characteristics of MPs in the water of Guilin parks through spot sampling, microscopic observation, and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. In addition, the pollution risk index and the pollution load index were used to evaluate the pollution risk of MPs.The results showed that the abundances of MPs in the park surface water and sediments ranged from 104.67-674.44 n·m-3 and 95.57-877.78 n·kg-1, respectively. There were four main shape types of MPs:fragments, fibers, films, and particles. MPs were dominated by fragments and fibers with small sizes (<1 mm). The polymers of MPs were polyethylene and polyethylene terephthalate. There were significant differences in the abundance of MPs in the water of different functional parks, and the abundance of MPs in comprehensive parks was the highest. The abundance of MPs in park water was closely related to the function of the park and the number of people entering the park. The pollution risk of MPs in the surface water of Guilin parks was low, whereas the pollution risk of MPs in sediments was relatively high. The results of this study indicated that tourism was an important source of MPs pollution in the water of Guilin City parks. The pollution risk of MPs in the water of Guilin City parks was mild. However, the pollution risk of MPs accumulated in small freshwater waters of urban parks requires continued attention.

Comparative Analysis of Empirical and Machine Learning Models for Chla Extraction Using Sentinel-2 and Landsat OLI Data: Opportunities, Limitations, and Challenges

Remote retrieval of near-surface chlorophyll- a (Chla) concentration in small inland waters is challenging due to substantial optical interferences of various water constituents and uncertainties in the atmospheric correction (AC) process. Although various algorithms have been developed to estimate Chla from moderate-resolution terrestrial missions (∼10–60 m), the production of both accurate distribution maps and time series of Chla has proven challenging, limiting the use of remote analyses for lake monitoring. Here, we develop a support vector regression (SVR) model, which uses satellite-derived remote-sensing reflectance spectra ( R r s δ ) from Sentinel-2 and Landsat-8 images as input for Chla retrieval in a representative eutrophic prairie lake, Buffalo Pound Lake (BPL), Saskatchewan, Canada. Validated against in situ Chla from seven ice-free seasons (N ∼ 200; 2014–2020), the SVR model outperformed both locally tuned, R r s δ -fed empirical models (Normalized Difference Chlorophyll Index, 2- and 3-band, and OC3) and Mixture Density Networks (MDNs) by 15–65%, while exhibiting comparable performance to a locally trained MDN, with an error of ∼35%. Comparison of Chla retrieval models, AC processors (iCOR, ACOLITE), and radiometric products (Rayleigh-corrected, surface, and top-of-atmosphere reflectance) showed that the best Chla maps and optimal time series (up to 100 mg m−3) were produced using a coupled SVR-iCOR system.

Environmental management strategy for coastal waters through a dynamic system approach in Tanjungpinang City region, Riau Islands, Indonesia

Coastal and small islands are faced with various significant challenges, one of which is the vulnerability to contamination by waste disposal from land and the magnitude of the impact it has on coastal waters. This study presents a framework for formulating environmental management of small island coastal waters from anthropogenic sources of terrestrial land with a system dynamic approach based on the characteristics of physical environmental factors and oceanography of the waters. The purpose of this research is to formulate a strategy for environmental management of the coastal waters of Tanjungpinang City. The results showed that the total magnitude of the waste load originating from anthropogenic sources on the mainland of Tanjungpinang City was 1,073.98 tons/year. The burden of organic waste in Tanjungpinang City is identified from five sources, namely domestic waste from residential areas, hotel and restaurant waste, the food industry, and the agricultural and livestock sectors. The Tanjungpinang coastal waters environmental management strategy with a dynamic system approach is recommended to use an optimistic scenario, but it needs to be supported by several policies in the form of (1) government support to build a community wastewater treatment facility or communal WWTP, (2) increasing community participation and concern for the aquatic environment , and (3) preparing regional strategic plans, specifically in the field of aquatic environmental management in the context of controlling effluent in coastal waters of small islands.

Fully-covered bathymetry of clear tufa lakes using UAV-acquired overlapping images and neural networks

Accurate and updated bathymetric data is of great significance for the management and protection of alpine tufa lakes. In recent years, unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV)-borne optical remote sensing has become a cost-effective technique for obtaining water depth of small and clear waters like tufa lakes. UAV-based bathymetry can be categorized into photogrammetric approach and spectrally derived approach. Photogrammetric bathymetry is contactless but invalid in water areas with uniform texture, while spectral-based bathymetry requires a large amount of in-situ depth measurements. In this paper, we combined the strengths of the two bathymetric methods to retrieve the depth of clear tufa lakes using neural networks. The surface elevation and orthoimage were first produced from UAV-acquired overlapping images, and then water color-depth tie points were sampled in the orthoimage and refraction-corrected bathymetric map. Next, the shallow and deep neural networks were separately used to train the regression models for predicting water depth. Lastly, the combined bathymetric methods were compared with the single ones in terms of effective spatial coverage and bathymetry accuracy. The results indicated that the combined methods were superior to single bathymetric methods in fully-covered bathymetry of clear tufa lakes. The shallow neural network-based model achieved the highest accuracy, with the coefficient of determination (R2) of 0.91 and the Root Mean Square Error (RMSE) of 1.12 m, whereas the deep neural network-based model increased the details of water depth distribution.

Evolution of the common pochard (Aythya ferina, Linnaeus, 1758) population in the aquatic ecosystems of the Dniester-Prut interfluve over the last 60 years

The ecological and behavioral peculiarities of the common pochard, a diving species, with specific preferences for the aquatic habitat, are described in the article. It was noticed that only fish ponds, provided with combined food for fish, create optimal conditions for the reproduction and development of the offspring of the species. In fish habitats, where the ducks are provided with food and the energy effort is directed to reproduction, some clutches number up to 11-12 eggs and the offspring constitute an average of 7 ducklings per female. At the age of 4-5 weeks, an average of 5.3 ducklings per female survive, compared to 4.2 ducklings per female in the Prut wet habitats. The presence of food somehow reduces the competition between individuals and allows the colonization of small and shallow waters.

Temperature response of aquatic greenhouse gas emissions differs between dominant plant types

Greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from small inland waters are disproportionately large. Climate warming is expected to favor dominance of algae and free-floating plants at the expense of submerged plants. Through different routes these functional plant types may have far-reaching impacts on freshwater GHG emissions in future warmer waters, which are yet unknown. We conducted a 1,000 L mesocosm experiment testing the effects of plant type and warming on GHG emissions from temperate inland waters dominated by either algae, free-floating or submerged plants in controls and warmed (+4 °C) treatments for one year each. Our results show that the effect of experimental warming on GHG fluxes differs between dominance of different functional plant types, mainly by modulating methane ebullition, an often-dominant GHG emission pathway. Specifically, we demonstrate that the response to experimental warming was strongest for free-floating and lowest for submerged plant-dominated systems. Importantly, our results suggest that anticipated shifts in plant type from submerged plants to a dominance of algae or free-floating plants with warming may increase total GHG emissions from shallow waters. This, together with a warming-induced emission response, represents a so far overlooked positive climate feedback. Management strategies aimed at favouring submerged plant dominance may thus substantially mitigate GHG emissions.

Invertebrate fauna in municipal wells in Kraków, Poland

This study of fauna in municipal wells continues our previous investigations performed in rural areas (Dumnicka et al. 2017). The invertebrate fauna of city wells was rarely studied: by Vejdovský (1882) and Řehačkova (1953) in Prague, Jaworowski (1893) in Kraków and recently by Koch et al. (2020) in Karlsruhe. In 2019-2020 studies of fauna composition and water chemistry were done twice (spring-summer and autumn period) in 91 wells situated in various parts of the Kraków city. This work evaluated fauna distribution and diversity with patchy bedrock geological structure and local water pollution. Water temperature and conductivity were measured in situ using a portable Elmetron CX-742 pH meter. In contrast, chemical analyses were done in the laboratory with DIONEX ICS 2000 unit and a DIONEX ICS 5000 unit, equipped with a DIONEX AS18 anion column and a DIONEX CS16 cation column. For fauna studies, 100 l of water was filtered by a plankton net (50 μ m mesh size), and invertebrates were sorted in vivo under a stereoscopic microscope with 10x magnification. The material was determined to family level, except for Rotifera. Our results showed that water chemistry in Kraków wells varied strongly spatially and between sample collection times – this was also stated by various authors and summarized by Chowaniec et al. (2007). The depth of the wells varied from 5.0 to 100 m. Water temperature was relatively high (average value 12.95 ±1.4 o C) and pH almost neutral (7. 13 ±0.34). Water conductivity values were very high (1324.3±572 µS) due to high concentrations of calcium (170.3±66 mg L-1), sulfates (151.8±81.4 mg L-1), and less frequently chlorides (155.5±143.7 mg L-1). In many wells, ammonium ion was present (0.354±0.764 mg L-1), whereas, in other samples, nitrate concentrations varied strongly from 0.1 to 130.5 mg L-1 (average value 21.92±27 mg L-1). The occurrence of invertebrates (at least from one taxonomic group) was stated in 74 wells. Copepoda (family Cyclopidae) were found most frequently (in 40 wells) and in highest numbers (it means that in some wells several dozens of individuals were caught). Nematods and annelids were stated in 19 and 17 wells respectively, but in small number. The remaining groups, such as turbellarians (Catenulida and Rhabdocoela), rotifers and ostracods were present in a few wells only, while amphipods (Niphargus tatrensis morphospecies) exclusively in two wells. Moreover, dipterans larvae (from families: Anisopodidae, Chironomidae, Culicidae, Empididae, Limoniidae, Psychodidae and Rhagionidae) were found in 13 wells, whereas Collembola, considered to be terrestrial fauna, were found in 49 wells. In the majority of cases all springtails and fly larvae were alive. The presence of Diptera and Collembola inside the wells might result from leak of pump mechanisms therefore these invertebrates could just survive for some time inside pumps. The occurrence of invertebrates (at least from one taxonomic group) was started in 74 wells. Copepoda (family Cyclopidae) was found most frequently (in 40 wells) and in the highest numbers (it means that in some wells, several dozens of individuals were samples). Nematodes and annelids were stated in 19 and 17 wells, respectively, but in small numbers. The remaining groups, such as turbellarians (Catenulida and Rhabdocoela), rotifers, and ostracods, were present in a few wells, while amphipods (Niphargus tatrensis morphospecies) exclusively in two wells. Moreover, dipterans larvae (from families: Anisopodidae, Chironomidae, Culicidae, Empididae, Limoniidae, Psychodidae, and Rhagionidae) were found in 13 wells, whereas Collembola, considered to be terrestrial fauna, were found in 49 wells. In the majority of cases, all springtails and fly larvae were alive. The presence of Diptera and Collembola inside the wells might result from the leak of pump mechanisms; therefore, these invertebrates could just survive for some time inside pumps. Statistical analysis (Student t-test) revealed that the presence of fauna was not dependent on the depth of the wells (p ˂ 0.12). The effect of water pollution (expressed as increased concentrations of ammonium and chloride ions) on the presence of fauna was also not statistically significant, except for sulfide ions (p ˂ 0.058). In wells situated close to small running waters located on karstic bedrock or alluvial sediments, the presence of stygobionts (Niphargus tatrensis morphospecies, Trichodrilus cernosvitovi and Typhlocypris cf. eremita) was stated, whereas in wells situated along Vistula River no aquatic fauna was found probably due to the impermeable clay layer, which isolated wells water from water table of the river. The only study of fauna in dug municipal wells in Kraków made by Jaworowski (1893) showed higher water pollution than was found in this study: the crustaceans were found rarely, whereas ciliates were abundant and diversified. Collected material demonstrated the occurrence of relatively rich invertebrate fauna in subterranean city waters, but the effect of various parameters on its distribution has not been firmly established.

Impact of plant species and intense nutrient loading on CH4 and N2O fluxes from small inland waters: An experimental approach

Severe eutrophication threatens freshwater systems around the world. The application of aquatic buffer zones with plants, for example around agricultural lands, can increase nutrient retention and thereby reduce nutrient loading to downstream systems. However, not much is known about greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from these buffer zones and how they are affected by nutrient loading and the dominant plant species. Here, using a full-factorial mesocosm experiment with different nutrient loadings (20–4000 mg N and 1–200 mg P m-2 d-1) and plant types (e.g. submerged and free-floating species), we show that emissions of methane (CH4) and nitrous oxide (N2O) were strongly related to nutrient loading, leading to total greenhouse gas emissions up to 177.84 g CO2-eq m-2 d-1. Overall, total GHG emission (as the sum of CH4 ebullition and diffusive water-atmosphere emission of CH4 and N2O in CO2 equivalents) was not significantly affected by plant species. CH4 ebullition was significantly lower in experimental units with submerged plants that rooted in the sediment as compared to non-rooted plants, possibly related to rhizosphere CH4 oxidation fueled by radial oxygen loss or plant-mediated transport that limits the build-up of gaseous CH4 in the sediment. We conclude that aquatic buffer zones that experience intense nutrient loading (e.g. due to release of sewage or agricultural fertilizer) can be GHG emission hotspots and recommend careful consideration of environmental conditions (e.g. the organic carbon content), expected nutrient loadings, and alternatives, prior to their construction.

Artificial ponds as hotspots of nitrogen removal in agricultural watershed

Small waters, like ponds, are the most abundant freshwater environments, and are increasingly recognized for their function in ecosystem service delivery. In agricultural watershed, artificial ponds play an essential role in reducing nitrogen pollution. However, until now artificial ponds remain the least investigated part of water environments. The importance of microbial activities has seldom been discussed, which makes the microbial pathways and processes rates in nitrogen removal poorly understood. To illustrate the role of artificial ponds in microbial nitrogen removal in agricultural watersheds, 21 pond sediments and 11 soils are collected in an agricultural watershed of China. Results show that surface sediments in ponds carry significantly higher dissolved inorganic nitrogen (9.1–21.9 mg/kg) and total organic matter (64.8–113.0 g/kg) compared to the surrounding agricultural soils. High rates of microbial nitrogen removal in ponds (12.4–25.5 nmol N g−1 h−1) are observed, which are 2–9 times higher than those in dryland soils. In pond sediments, denitrification dominates (> 90% N-loss) the microbial nitrogen removal process with only a minor contribution of anaerobic ammonium oxidation. A high potential of N2O production (up to 9.4 nmol N g−1 h−1) occurs in ponds along with the rapid nitrogen removal. For denitrifier genes, nir gene are always more abundant than nosZ gene. Additionally, the nirS gene is more abundant under flooded conditions, while nirK gene prefers higher dissolved oxygen and NO3− in drylands. These findings highlight the ecosystem function of ponds in agricultural watersheds, and provide new ideas on pollution control and global nitrogen cycling.

Research related to the Appearance Design of Water Surface Cleaning Robot based on Bionics

This thesis analyzes five representative water cleaning robots selected from three countries and combines the top-down design process of bionics and the basic elements of product design to clarify the problematic points of existing water waste cleaning robots and propose a bionic design solution. The results of the analysis show that the shape design is not optimized according to the shape of the hull, and the environmental and aesthetic aspects are not satisfactory. By applying the three bionic principles of color, form and material to the appearance of the robot, a robot that meets the needs of cleaning small urban waters is designed and derived. This proposal is an optimized solution to solve the existing defects of the product and complete the solution that meets the modern market demand, aesthetic patterns, and production methods.

Taxonomic diversity of Amphipoda (Crustacea) from the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov

In the Black and the Azov seas were found 140 species of Amphipoda, concern to 73 genera, 29 families and 3 suborders. Investigations of taxonomical diversity of Amphipoda from the Black and the Azov seas were made. Indices of Average Taxonomical Distinctness Δ+, variability in TaxD index Λ+, Cluster analysis and MDS ordination were made. Taxonomical structure of the Black and the Azov seas Amphipods by indices Δ+ hierarchical aligned and close to total taxonomical list of Amphipoda these seas. By indices Λ+ Amphipoda both the Azov and the Black seas close to expected in average level of variability of structure of taxonomical tree. Two regions – north-west of the Black sea and east of the Black sea were select by indices Δ+, Λ+ and method of MDS ordination. North-west of the Black sea characterize small taxonomical diversity (little of genera and families, many of species). Presence of estuary of big rivers and lagoons with small salinity waters was reason of small taxonomical diversity of north-west region of the Black sea. Amphipoda of East coast of the Black sea have big taxonomical diversity, but a little of species number. The reason – a small shelf, near to coast noted quick increase of depth and small of soft ground. Similarity of taxonomical lists of Amphipoda of north-west of the Black sea and Azov sea was identify by cluster analysis. Ponto-Caspian species live in estuary of big rivers and lagoons with small salinity waters and they characterize of taxonomical structure impoverishment in relation to taxonomical evenness of all Amphipods of the Black and the Azov seas.