Spatial Distribution Of Water Research Articles

Spatial difference analysis of water and sanitation in China's counties based on a spatial econometric model

Access to safe drinking water and sanitation are preconditions for achieving the Sustainable Development Goals, which is beneficial to promote new urbanization construction accurately. However, the urbanization rate is still less than 25%. Comprehensive governance capacity and carrying capacity are still relatively weak. This study seeks to increase knowledge of spatial differences in water and sanitation in China's counties, which can reveal the living environment and health conditions of residents in different areas. Furthermore, studying the spatial distribution of water and sanitation facilities in different counties can help understand the development differences between urban and rural areas and narrow the gap between urban and rural. Therefore, four indicators of water supply, sewage disposal, garbage disposal, and public toilets as proxy indicators of water and sanitation were selected, and Moran's I was used to test the spatial correlation between county-level sanitation and economic conditions, government fiscal behavior, and social and geographical factors. This study exploited the inverse distance spatial weight matrix to implement the spatial spillover effect of water and sanitation according to the division of the east, middle, and west and four aspects of water supply, sewage disposal, garbage disposal, and public toilets in terms of per capita occupancy. We observed that there was no significant correlation between population density and county-level water, sanitation, and hygiene enhancement. Economic growth can promote the improvement of water and sanitation to a certain extent. The comparison results indicated that the level of urbanization and education had a positive spatial spillover effect on water and sanitation. The water and sanitation of the demonstration county was characterized by siphon, which occupied the water and sanitation development space of neighboring counties. The results of this study are of great significance to improve county-level water and sanitation facilities and narrow the gap between urban and rural.

Spatial Distribution and Diffusion Characterisation of Water in Coal Samples: An Experimental Study

Comprehending the water absorption process inherent to coal, including the associated spatial distribution patterns of water, proves indispensable in the design and evaluation of coal pillar dams in underground water reservoirs. To better understand this process, a series of NMR (nuclear magnetic resonance) tests were carried out on cylindrically shaped coal samples immersed in water for varying durations, with the upper and lower surfaces of the samples sealed. A method involving image digital processing and finite element simulation was used to quantitatively characterise the water absorption process, as well as the spatial distribution of water in the samples. The results showed that NMR imaging colour brightness differences were positively correlated with water content and that the wetted ring gradually increased in width as the water immersion time increased. The expectation and sum of squared deviations of the pixel greyscale values of the NMR images, which were used to characterise the water saturation and spatial distribution of the coal samples, represented positive and negative exponential functions of the water immersion time, respectively. This indicated that the water saturation gradually increased and became more uniformly distributed. Furthermore, based on the set threshold value of the target variable rate of change, the limiting expectation of the pixel greyscale values was obtained, and the limiting water absorption time of the coal sample was predicted. The water diffusion equation was then used to characterise the water absorption process of the coal samples, and a water diffusion model was developed to accurately obtain the wet ring boundary data. A reasonable value of the diffusion coefficient was determined by comparing and correcting the results of the numerical simulation and physical experiments with full consideration of the non-homogeneity of the numerical model. This water diffusion model can better characterise the water transport phenomena in the macroscopic barrier zone of coal pillar dams. Finally, the application prospects in terms of practical engineering were investigated.

Introducing Pour Points: Characteristics and Hydrological Significance of a Rainfall‐Concentrating Mechanism in a Water‐Limited Woodland Ecosystem

AbstractThe interception of rainfall by plant canopies alters the depth and spatial distribution of water arriving at the soil surface, and thus the location, volume, and depth of infiltration. Mechanisms like stemflow are known to concentrate rainfall and route it deep into the soil, yet other mechanisms of flow concentration are poorly understood. This study characterizes pour points, formed by the detachment of water flowing under a branch, using a combination of field observations in Western Australian banksia woodlands and rainfall simulation experiments on Banksia menziesii branches. We aim to establish the hydrological significance of pour points in a water‐limited woodland ecosystem, along with the features of the canopy structure and rainfall that influence pour point formation and fluxes. Pour points were common in the woodland and could be identified by visually inspecting trees. Throughfall depths at pour points were up to 15 times greater than rainfall and generally comparable to or greater than stemflow. Soil water content beneath pour points was greater than in adjacent controls, with 20%–30% of the seasonal rainfall volume infiltrated into the top 1 m of soil beneath pour points, compared to 5% in controls. Rainfall simulations showed that pour points amplified the spatial heterogeneity of throughfall, violating assumptions used to close the water balance. The simulation experiments demonstrated that pour point fluxes depend on the interaction of branch angle and foliation for a given branch architecture. Pour points can play a significant part in the water balance, depending on their density and rainfall concentration ability.

ОСОБЛИВОСТІ ХІМІЧНОГО СКЛАДУ ПІДЗЕМНИХ ВОД У ТЕРИГЕННИХ ВІДКЛАДАХ ЕОЦЕНУ ТА АЛЬБ-СЕНОМАНУ В БАСЕЙНІ ДНІПРА

Background. The Dniprovsko-Donetskyi Artesian Basin is the largest hydrogeological region of the first order in Ukraine in both area and resources. The main forecasted resources within its boundaries are confined to the Eocene aquifer and the Alb-Cenomanian aquifer complex. These aquifer and complex are the principal ones - they are the basis for centralized water supply of a number of large settlements, so studying their chemical composition is of exceptional importance. The parts of the mentioned aquifer and complex that contain drinking water are identified as groundwater bodies (GWBs) – groundwater monitoring objects for which environmental objectives and risks of failure to achieve these objectives should be determined. At the same time, the natural water quality composition of these groundwater bodies groups is characterized by significant spatial heterogeneity, which should be taken into account when determining trends in its changes and specifying environmental objectives. The aim of the study was to establish the peculiarities of the spatial distribution of water with different chemical composition. The object of the study was aquifers in Eocene and Alb-Cenomanian sediments within the Dniprovsko-Donetsky artesian basin (Dnipro River Basin), and the subject was the chemical composition of water in these aquifers. Methods. To achieve these purposes, data on the chemical composition of the aquifer in the Eocene sediments and the aquifer complex in the Alb-Cenomanian sediments were collected, summarized and analyzed from published and fund sources. The information was processed using geographic information systems, and a database was created to generate specialized maps and perform joint data analysis. Results. In the article the mineralization and macrocomponent composition of groundwater in the terrigenous sediments of the Eocene and Albian-Cenomanian of the Dnipro basin are investigated and the peculiarities of their spatial distribution are established. Particular attention is paid to the areas where the exploitation reserves of both groundwater aquifers are explored. The qualitative, including microcomponent, composition of groundwater in terrigenous sediments of the Eocene and Albian-Cenomanian in Chernigiv City was characterized in detail. Peculiarities of formation of the chemical composition of groundwater in terrigenous sediments of the Eocene and Albian-Cenomanian were established. Сonclusions. It has been established that despite the fact that both GWBs are located in the zone of active water exchange, the content of macro- and microcomponents in them is quite different. In particular, in the water in the Alb-Cenomanian sediments, the macrocomponent composition of water is more homogeneous, and the content of macro- and microcomponents is characterized by a smaller range of variation. The identified peculiarities of the natural quality composition of the studied GWBs should be taken into account in the process of groundwater monitoring, in particular, when specifying environmental objectives and determining the frequency of groundwater quality state observations.

Unveiling moisture transport mechanisms in cellulosic materials: Vapor vs. bound water.

Natural textiles, hair, paper, wool, or bio-based walls possess the remarkable ability to store humidity from sweat or the environment through "bound water" absorption within nanopores, constituting up to 30% of their dry mass. The knowledge of the induced water transfers is pivotal for advancing industrial processes and sustainable practices in various fields such as wood drying, paper production and use, moisture transfers in clothes or hair, humidity regulation of bio-based construction materials, etc. However, the transport and storage mechanisms of this moisture remain poorly understood, with modeling often relying on an assumption of dominant vapor transport with an unknown diffusion coefficient. Our research addresses this knowledge gap, demonstrating the pivotal role of bound water transport within interconnected fiber networks. Notably, at low porosity, bound water diffusion dominates over vapor diffusion. By isolating diffusion processes and deriving diffusion coefficients through rigorous experimentation, we establish a comprehensive model for moisture transfer. Strikingly, our model accurately predicts the evolution of bound water's spatial distribution for a wide range of sample porosities, as verified through magnetic resonance imaging. Showing that bound water transport can be dominant over vapor transport, this work offers a change of paradigm and unprecedented control over humidity-related processes.

Rational design of reverse osmosis membranes for boron removal: A counter-intuitive relationship between boron rejection and pore size

Owing to the toxicity of excess boron, developing reverse osmosis membranes that are capable of effectively removing boric acid, a boron specie commonly exists in seawater, is critical to advance water purification technology. To date, design principles of reverse osmosis membranes for boron removal have not yet been systematically explored. Using nanoporous graphene as a model system and by employing state-of-the-art molecular simulation techniques, this study discovers the critical role of the adsorptive competition of boric acid against water in the nanopores of membranes in their design. Specifically, the preferential adsorption of water onto the pore rims can be exploited to impede the permeation of boric acid, facilitating the size-exclusion effect for much improved boron rejection. Moreover, a well-balanced adsorptive competition is desired; water adsorption should not be too strong so that efficient water permeation can still be preserved. This results in membranes that are not only highly permeable but also capable of effectively removing boric acid. Detailed investigations on energetic, dynamics, and spatial distribution of water and boric acid as well as their free energy landscapes are also conducted for better understandings. Moreover, bilayer nanoporous graphene membranes with a heterogeneous design are identified to effectively block both boric acid and salt with a decent water permeation. Overall, the outcomes achieved herein can fundamentally guide the rational design of reverse osmosis membranes for more efficient and effective boron removal.

The influence of fluid inclusions, organics, and calcite fabric on trace element distributions in stalagmites

Trace elements and calcite fabrics in stalagmites are increasingly employed as indicators of past environmental conditions. The drivers of trace element concentrations and fabrics reflect a complex interplay of factors during crystal growth, and accurate interpretation of geochemical proxies requires a clear understanding of the incorporation of the proxy signal in the stalagmite. We employ a series of non-destructive techniques to compare the spatial distribution of water, organic components, and trace elements and in relationship with calcite fabrics, and evaluate if these distributions are consistent with recent hypotheses about controlling factors on crystal fabrics, fluid inclusions, and element incorporation. We use for the first time Fourier Transformation Infrared Focal-Plane Array (FTIR-FPA) imaging to show the distribution of molecular water (3,400 cm−1 absorbance) and organic matter (2,983 cm−1) in calcite. To test if entrapped water in speleothem calcite affects the abundance or distribution of trace elements, the element distribution (Na, Mg, Sr, U, Al, Y, and Zn) is mapped by Laser Ablation Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS). Transmitted Light Microscope imaging constrains crystal fabrics. We find that stalagmite areas with strong Organic Matter fluorescence via Confocal Laser Scanning Microscopy coincide with areas of high Fourier Transformation Infrared absorbance at 2,983 cm−1, suggesting common co-location of multiple organic matter types in the stalagmite. While microscopic fluid inclusions visible in transmitted light are also detected by FTIR 3400 cm−1 absorbance, the FTIR additionally detects submicroscopic fluid inclusions, but not evident in transmitted light microscopy. In most samples, Na concentration is elevated in regions of high fluid inclusion density, suggesting that a significant portion of Na may be hosted in entrapped water rather than in the calcite. Only samples with 100-fold higher Y, feature Na concentrations which appear dominated by coupled Y-Na substitution and little influenced by fluid inclusion hosted Na. Our analysis provides new evidence of the influence of fluid inclusions on trace element content of stalagmites and illustrates the utility of several non-destructive imaging techniques to improve interpretations of proxy signals based on trace elements.

Impact of Climate Change on Water Sources and River‐Floodplain Mixing in the Natural Wetland Floodplain of Biebrza River

AbstractThe origins of river and floodplain waters (groundwater, rainfall, and snowmelt) and their extent during overbank flow events strongly impact ecological processes such as denitrification and vegetation development. However, the long‐term sensitivity of floodplain water signatures to climate change remains elusive. We examined how the integrated hydrological model HydroGeoSphere and the Hydraulic Mixing‐Cell method could help us understand the long‐term impact of climate change on water signatures and their spatial distribution in the protected Biebrza River Catchment in northeastern Poland. Our model relied on 20th century Reanalysis Data from 1881 to 2015 and an ensemble of EURO‐CORDEX simulations for representative concentration pathways (RCP) 2.6, 4.5, and 8.5 from 2006 to 2099. The historical component of the simulations was subjected to extensive multiple‐variable validation from 1881 to 2019. The results show that the extents of water sources were rather stable in the floodplain in the 1881–2015 period. The projected future impacts were variable with each analyzed RCP, but in all cases, different significant trends were present for the spatial distribution of water sources and for the river‐floodplain mixing. However, the total volume of water from different sources was less sensitive to climate change than the dominant sources and spatial distribution of water. The simulation results highlight the impact of climate change on the extent of water sources in temperate zone wetlands with significant implications for ecological processes and management. These results also underscore the urgent need to leverage such modeling studies to inform protective and preservation strategies of floodplain wetlands.

Efficient Utilization Mechanism of Soil Moisture and Nutrients with Ridge Film Furrow Seeding Technology of Sloping Farmlands in Semi-Arid and Rain-Fed Areas

How to improve the utilizations of water and nutrient is a research hotspot of sloping farmland in semi-arid and rain-fed areas. In this study, the spatial changes of soil moisture, nutrients, and roots under different tillage modes, as well as the efficient utilization mechanism of soil moisture and nutrients from rain-fed maize on three mulching treatments (no surface covering, ridge film and straw mulch and ridge film mulch) and two slope treatments (5° slope and 10° slope) of sloping farmlands were studied at the Nationally Agricultural Environment Fuxin Observation and Experiment Station in China through a micro-zone simulation and a long-term positioning experiment. The results indicated that ridge film mulch and furrow seeding significantly improve the water use efficiency and partial factor productivity of the plants in sloping farmlands, with the highest increases being 51.33% and 45.05%. By analyzing the coordinated relationship between water, nutrients, and roots, it was found that ridge film furrow seeding technology can significantly affect the spatial distribution of water, nutrients, and roots in different soil layers, and improves the effective coefficient of soil water and nutrients. The effective coefficient of ridge film and straw treatment was 2.53, while the average value of the effective coefficient of ridge film treatment was 1.39. Further analysis found that the degree of consistency between the root system, water, and nutrient barycenter was highly correlated with the effective coefficients of water and nutrients. Visual radar map analysis revealed that root development limits the improvement availability of the efficient use of water and nutrients in the soil. Promoting root development indicators and root spatial distribution through ridge film coverage was an effective way to improve the efficient use of maize water and nutrients. The ridge film mulching promoted the root development index and root spatial distribution, thus improving the efficient use of water and nutrients in maize. Overall, the ranking of the regulation effect was as follows: ridge film and straw mulch > ridge film mulch > no mulch, and 5° slope > 10° slope. This research provided a theoretical basis for the enhancement of use efficiency in water and nutrients in sloping farmlands.

Tomography-based investigation on the early-time capillary imbibition in stained foam concrete

In this study, the vertical imbibition of water from foam concretes upward were studied with the assistance of staining, which illustrated the way contrast material spread in specimens during CT scans. The 20 × 20 mm2 bottom face of dried rectangular concrete was adopted, and the test was limited to the first 2.5 h. Using cesium (Cs) or iodine (I) as the staining agent, a new-developed X-ray attenuation method (XRAM) was used to obtain the spatial distribution of water. The result showed that Cs and I are equally trustable in tracing water during the early-time imbibition. Besides, two regions, namely “saturated verge” (near the imbibing face) and “unsaturated transport region” (from an inner area), could be recognized from the imbibition path regarding their variant evolving patterns. The saturated verge from the inlet was of constant width, while the scale of the unsaturated transport region kept increasing during imbibition, and the imbibing rate was similar for all specimens in this study. Moreover, even though the imbibition progress in this study was confirmed a diffusion-controlling progress, a broad imbibition front was revealed from the averaged 1D water content profile, which was mainly attributed to the irregular-shaped “saturated verge”.

Formation characteristics and leakage termination effects of CO2 hydrate cap in case of geological sequestration leakage

Geological sequestration of carbon dioxide (CO2) has been considered one of the most effective strategies against global warming. The greatest concern on the stored CO2 in sub-seabed sediments is leakage risk and can be solved by the plugging effect of CO2 hydrate cap, which is derived from the capillary force change by hydrate crystal formation inside pores. This study experimentally simulated CO2 upward leakage process in water-containing sediments and investigated the plugging characteristics of formed hydrate cap via magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and flow characteristic analysis. Different CO2 flow rates (0.3–4.0 ml/min) and initial pressures (1.8–3.0 MPa) were employed for experimental conditions, and the hydrate cap appeared with no CO2 efflux any longer after hydrate formation for several minutes. It is found that both slow flow of CO2 and high pressure are beneficial for the formation of hydrate cap, and the strength of hydrate caps formed in all cases is confirmed by 10.0 MPa pressure test without any CO2 leakage. In addition, the spatial water distribution and the hydrate cap location inside the sediments are analyzed by multi-level MRI images and pressure evolution calculation, respectively. Ultimately, this study conducted a CO2-water flow case and found that the strength of hydrate cap increases with the continuous formation of hydrates. Approximately 27.8% of hydrate saturation is a watershed of the plugging strength of CO2 hydrate cap. This study provides experimental evidences for the plugging effect of hydrate cap on terminating CO2 leakage and is of great significance for the scheme design and risk assessment of CO2 geological sequestration.

Effects of Ionized Water Irrigation on Organic Nitrogen Mineralization in Saline-Alkali Soil in China

The application of ionized water to irrigation, as a new type of water treatment technology, can improve the spatial distribution of water in soil and increase water utilization efficiency, which may affect the microbiological processes involved in nitrogen transformation and alter soil nitrogen supply capability. However, the effects of ionized water technology on soil organic nitrogen mineralization are still in need of further research. In this study, we investigated the soil organic nitrogen mineralization process with four different water additions: non-ionized fresh water (CK), ionized fresh water (DE), non-ionized brackish water (BCK), and ionized brackish water (BDE). By using a short-term laboratory incubation method, we monitored the changes of the inorganic nitrogen concentration in each treatment during the incubation process. We compared the net nitrogen mineralization and nitrogen mineralization rates in different treatments, and fitted the organic nitrogen mineralization process with three models (One-pool model, Special model, and EATM model). We divided the whole incubation process into three periods based on the differences of the organic nitrogen mineralization trends. The results demonstrated that when DE was compared with CK, the net nitrogen mineralization increased by 21.97% and the nitrogen mineralization rate increased by 20.42% in the latter incubation period. When BDE was compared with BCK, the net nitrogen mineralization decreased by 3.63%, and the nitrogen mineralization rate increased by 21.86% in the latter incubation period. When BCK was compared with CK, brackish water irrigation reduced the organic nitrogen mineralization intensity to a certain extent, with the net nitrogen mineralization decreased by 11.62% and the nitrogen mineralization rate decreased by 41.07% in the whole incubation process. When BDE was compared with DE, the net nitrogen mineralization decreased by 30.09% and the nitrogen mineralization rate decreased by 53.39% in the whole incubation process. The simulation model of the soil organic nitrogen mineralization process showed that the special model and EATM model are superior to the One-pool model. This study provides a theoretical basis for the popularization and application of ionized water irrigation in agricultural production.

Contribution of Climate Change and Human Activities to Runoff and Sediment Discharge Changes Based on Budyko Theory and Water–Sediment Relationships during 1960–2019 in the Taohe River Basin, China

Variations in runoff and sediment discharge are important characteristic variables for revealing the coupled effects of climate change (including both the natural variability of climate and anthropogenic climate change) and human activities (including soil and water conservation measures, land use changes, and hydraulic engineering construction). Based on the meteorological data from 19 meteorological stations and the hydrological data from the watershed control station of Hongqi Station, the temporal and spatial evolution of runoff and sediment discharge and the water–sand relationship were analyzed, and the response mechanisms of runoff and sediment discharge changes were clarified using Mikhail Budyko’s theory and other qualitative and quantitative methods. The results determined that: (1) The runoff and sediment discharge showed significant downward trends, with linear change rates of −0.28 × 108 m3/a and −46.10 × 104 t/a, respectively. The change points of the runoff and sediment discharge occurred in 1987 and 1996, respectively. (2) The spatial distribution of water and sediment was different, and the upper and middle reaches produced water, while the downstream produced sediment. (3) Comparing potential evapotranspiration and rainfall based on Budyko theory and the regression relationship, runoff is more closely related to rainfall, and runoff changes are more affected by it. The change in sediment discharge is most closely related to sediment concentration, followed by rainfall and potential evaporation. (4) The contribution rates of runoff and sediment discharge changes influenced by climate change were 24% and 3%, respectively, and the contribution rates by human activities were 76% and 97%, respectively. Human activities, including soil and water conservation measures, land use changes, and hydraulic engineering construction were the main influencing factors, and the impacts of human activities increased from 1960 to 2019. The research results are of great significance for erosion control and ecological restoration in the Tao River Basin under the conditions of the changing environment.

Identifying changes in the hydrological connectivity and their drivers in the Liaohe Delta wetland

Hydrological connectivity is of great significance to the formation and development of wetlands. Identifying the causes of reduced hydrological connectivity is also critical for restoring wetland systems. Despite its importance, research to identify connectivity or blockage and quantify the impact of different drivers on wetland hydrological connectivity remains a challenge due to the lack of appropriate data at large scales. This paper quantitatively analyzed the hydrological connectivity in the Liaohe Delta wetland using multispectral Landsat series datasets from 1986 to 2020 in the Google Earth Engine (GEE) by combining water area, connectivity function value (CFV), average monthly inundation frequency. The paper also defined identification criteria for connectivity or blockage and quantified the drivers of changes in hydrological connectivity by combining the identified results with wetland classification data. The results showed that (1) over the past 35 years, water area has slightly decreased and has shown a seasonal difference, with summer, autumn, and spring in decreasing order. The spatial distribution of water has expanded from land to sea. (2) CFV decreased and connectivity blockage occurred. The maximum hydrological connectivity distance has undergone fluctuations, exhibiting a decrease in its threshold value from 62.37 km between 1986 and 2011, to 55.2 km between 2011 and 2013. Subsequently, the threshold increased back to 62.37 km between 2013 and 2014, before declining to 55.17 km between 2014 and 2020. Heavy inundation and total inundation were mainly concentrated in nascent estuary areas and shallow sea areas. (3) Connectivity blockage has been a major trend in connectivity change over the past 35 years, with the most severe blockage occurring from 2006 to 2015. The factors influencing connectivity blockage were more natural than human factors before 2006, after which human factors gradually became the dominant driving factor. Over the past 35 years, hydrological connectivity has decreased and connectivity has been blocked. Human activities have become the main factor in the blockage of connectivity in the Liaohe Delta wetland since 2006. This study provides valuable insights for the conservation and restoration of hydrological connectivity in the Liaohe Delta wetland.

Swirling Fluid Reduces the Bounce of Partially Filled Containers.

Certain spatial distributions of water inside partially filled containers can significantly reduce the bounce of the container. In experiments with containers filled to a volume fraction ϕ, we show that rotation offers control and high efficiency in setting such distributions and, consequently, in altering bounce markedly. High-speed imaging evidences the physics of the phenomenon and reveals a rich sequence of fluid-dynamics processes, which we translate into a model that captures our overall experimental findings.

Shale Characterization Using T1-T2* Magnetic Resonance Relaxation Correlation Measurement at Low and High Magnetic Fields

Shale characterization is complicated by low porosity and low permeability. Nano-porosity and a high degree of heterogeneity present further difficulties. 1H magnetic resonance (MR) methods have great potential to provide quantitative and spatially resolved information on fluids present in porous rocks. The shale MR response, however, is challenging to interpret due to short-lived signals that complicate quantitative signal detection and imaging. Multicomponent signals require high-resolution methods for adequate signal differentiation. MR methods must cope with low measurement sensitivity at low field. In this paper, T1-T2* and Look-Locker T1*-T2* methods were employed to resolve the shale signal for water, oil, and kerogen at high and low field. This permits fluid quantification and kerogen assessment. The T1-T2* measurement was employed to understand and control contrast in the single-point ramped imaging with T1 enhancement (SPRITE) imaging method. This permitted imaging that gave separate images of water and oil. Water absorption/desorption, evaporation, step pyrolysis, and water uptake experiments were monitored using T1-T2* measurement and MR imaging. The results showed (i) the capability of the T1-T2* measurement to differentiate and quantify kerogen, oil, and water in shales, (ii) the characterization of shale heterogeneity on the core plug scale, and (iii) demonstrated the key role of wettability in determining the spatial distribution of water in shales.

CHANGES IN SPATIAL DISTRIBUTION OF SNOW DEPOSIT DURING 2001…2022 IN EAST KAZAKHSTAN

In recent years, regional satellite products that provide high spatial and temporal resolution for describing snow cover parameters have become publicly available. These products offer the most accurate estimates for steppe areas, where interference from forest cover is minimal. Regular data grids provide new opportunities to analyze the spatial characteristics of snow coverage in territories that previously could not be obtained from meteorological station data. This study investigates the long-term changes in the large-scale spatial distribution of water reserves in the snow cover in the Abai and East Kazakhstan regions. These characteristics of the snow cover can also experience transformations, which are driven by climate change. The Abai and East Kazakhstan regions of Kazakhstan, with a total area of about 0.27 million km2, are located in the center of the Eurasian continent. This paper describes the transformation of the large-scale spatial distribution of the snow cover on the analyzed territory from 2001 to 2022. The Snow Water Equivalent Anomaly (SWEA) product on March 1 was used as the initial data, which has a daily update and a resolution of 1 km and is available on the USGS FEWS NET portal. It was found that the large-scale spatial distribution of positive anomalies of the water equivalent of the snow cover on the analyzed territory varied between 2001…2022, with an increase in situations characterized by a decrease in the typical size of zones with positive anomalies of water reserves in the snow. This effect is partly synchronized with similar phenomena described for large mountainous countries of Eurasia, where the average area of clusters forming an area with a positive anomaly of water reserves in snow decreased tenfold from 2001 to 2019, from approximately 10,000 km2 to 1,000 km2.

Effect of coagulation temperature on cooking integrity of heat and acid-induced milk gels

Heat and acid-induced milk gels do not melt or flow upon heating and thus show great potential as a dairy-based protein source for cooking, e.g. for stews. Understanding how processing, e.g. acidification, affects the cooking behavior of these gels is therefore of great industrial interest.The cooking integrity of gels produced by rapidly acidifying milk using citric acid at temperatures of 60, 75, and 90 °C, was determined by analyzing composition, texture, and spatial water distribution before and after cooking.Increasing the acidification temperature from 60 to75 °C resulted in a significant reduction of yield, due to decreased moisture content of the gels. With increasing content of solids, the gels grew harder and denser, as observed by texture profile analysis and low-field Nuclear Magnetic Resonance. Upon cooking the 60 °C gel lost a significant amount of moisture, due to the contraction of the porous protein network. The more compact gels, prepared at 75 and 90 °C, did not lose mass indicating good cooking integrity, i.e. a gel that keeps its structure during cooking.Acidification temperature thus greatly influenced cooking integrity. The effect was mainly ascribed to the density of the gel texture, a result of the speed of protein aggregation and calcium recovery.

Spatiotemporal Changes in the Watershed Ecosystem Services Supply and Demand Relationships in the Eastern Margin of the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau

Clarifying the spatiotemporal changes in the supply and demand relationship of ecosystem services (ESs) is essential for optimizing ESs management. However, several studies have reported the ESs supply and demand risk in complex mountainous areas. In this study, we quantitatively analyzed the spatiotemporal variation in ESs supply, demand, and their trade-off and synergy, including water yield, soil conservation, and food provision in the Bailongjiang watershed (BLJW) in western China. The results showed that the total supply and demand of water-yield and soil-conservation services rose with a surplus from 2002 to 2018, except for food provision. A high value characterizes the water-yield and soil-conservation supply in the south, but there are low values in the east BLJW. The spatial distribution of water and food supply–demand featured a high demand in the subareas with population aggregation. Soil-conservation demand is high in the northwest and south of Wudu. The dominant spatial matching type of supply and demand in water yield was a high supply with a low demand. Soil conservation was associated with a low supply and low demand, and food provision with a high supply and increased demand. A synergy existed between water yield and soil conservation. Trade-offs existed between water yield, food provision, and soil conservation. The spatial distribution of trade-off intensity showed distinctive patterns. The supply–demand ratio of WY and SC decreased with the increasing trade-off intensity. This study comprehensively considers ES and supply–demand conflicts, thus providing a new perspective and approach for enhancing ecosystem services and high-quality regional development.

Spatial distribution and drivers of throughfall beneath shrub canopies in a semi‐arid desert steppe

AbstractThe spatial distribution of water is mainly controlled by the vegetation canopy, which determines the partitioning of rainfall into interception, throughfall (TF) and stemflow. TF is known to be a critical component of hydrological and biogeochemical cycles. Spatiotemporal patterns of TF have been studied in different ecosystems, although the majority of studies focused on forests. Few reports on small‐scale TF variability and drivers in semi‐arid desert steppes have been published. Herein, we investigated the variability of TF of two morphologically distinct artificial revegetation shrubs (Caragana liouana and Salix psammophila) within a semi‐arid desert steppe, synthesized the data and analysed the characteristics of TF distribution and drivers at the rainfall event scales. We found that (1) morphological differences were sufficient to generate significant (p < 0.05) differences in TF between the two shrub species under the same rainfall and meteorological conditions, with a TF percentage of 70.22% for C. liouana and 79.87% for S. psammophila; (2) a linear outward radical increase in TF was identified with increasing distance from the base of the isolated shrubs. Wind speed had a greater effect on the distribution of TF beneath the shrub structure for C. liouana, whereas the distribution of TF beneath the shrub structure for S. psammophila was more affected by wind direction; and (3) canopy architecture, in particular the stem angle and canopy base area, which affected the openness of the canopy and played an important role in the distribution of TF in the two shrubs. The results reveal the key factors driving water use under rainfall during revegetation and the TF utilization mechanism in semi‐arid areas and highlight the complementary effect of different species on ecosystem hydrological functions.