Status Of Surface Waters Research Articles

The Impact of Partial Deforestation on Solute Fluxes and Stream Water Ionic Composition in a Headwater Catchment

To ensure the good chemical status of surface water across Europe, it is necessary to increase research on the comprehensive impact of land use and land cover changes, i.e., deforestation, on the natural environment. For this reason, we used data from 9-year environmental monitoring in the Wüstebach experimental catchment of the TERENO (Terrestrial Environmental Observatories) network to determine the impact of partial deforestation on solute fluxes and stream water ionic composition. In 2013, a partial deforestation experiment was conducted in the study area using a cut-to-length logging method. To this end, two headwater catchments were compared: one partially deforested (22% of the catchment area) and one untreated control catchment. The concentrations of ions in stream water, groundwater, and precipitation were analyzed: Ca2+, Mg2+, Na+, K+, Al3+, Fetot, Mn2+, NO3−, SO4−, and Cl−. Most of the ions (Na+, Ca2+, Mg2+, Cl−, and SO4−) showed decreasing trends in concentrations after deforestation, indicating a dilution effect in stream water due to the reduction of the supply of solutes with precipitation in the open deforested area. The fluxes of these ions decreased by 5–7% in the first year after deforestation, although the stream runoff increased by 5%. In the second year, the decrease in ion fluxes was greater, from 6% to 24%. This finding confirms that only limited soil erosion occurred after the deforestation because the soil was well protected during logging works by covering harvester lanes with branches. Only K+ and NO3− ions showed increasing trends in both concentrations and fluxes in the partially deforested catchment in the first two to three years after deforestation. Spruce die-offs, common in Europe, may decrease the concentration and fluxes of base cations in surface water in a nutrient-limited environment. However, the simultaneous planting of young broad-leaved trees with post-harvesting regrowth could create a nutrient sink that protects the catchment area from nutrient depletion.

A physical method for downscaling land surface temperatures using surface energy balance theory

Fine-resolution land surface temperature (LST) derived from thermal infrared remote sensing images is a good indicator of surface water status and plays an essential role in the exchange of energy and water between land and atmosphere. A physical surface energy balance (SEB)-based LST downscaling method (DTsEB) is developed to downscale coarse remotely sensed thermal infrared LST products with fine-resolution visible and near-infrared data. The DTsEB method is advantageous for its ability to mechanically interrelate surface variables contributing to the spatial variation of LST, to quantitatively weigh the contributions of each related variable within a physical framework, and to efficaciously avoid the subjective selection of scaling factors and the establishment of statistical regression relationships. The applicability of the DTsEB method was tested by downscaling 12 scenes of 990 m Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) and aggregated Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER) LST products to 90 m resolution at six overpass times between 2005 and 2015 over three 9.9 km by 9.9 km cropland (mixed by grass, tree, and built-up land) study areas. Three typical LST downscaling methods, namely the widely applied TsHARP, the later developed least median square regression downscaling (LMS) and the geographically weighted regression (GWR), were introduced for intercomparison. The results showed that the DTsEB method could more effectively reconstruct the subpixel spatial variations in LST within the coarse-resolution pixels and achieve a better downscaling accuracy than the TsHARP, LMS and GWR methods. The DTsEB method yielded, on average, root mean square errors (RMSEs) of 2.01 K and 1.42 K when applied to the MODIS datasets and aggregated ASTER datasets, respectively, which were lower than those obtained with the TsHARP method, with average RMSEs of 2.41 K and 1.71 K, the LMS method, with average RMSEs of 2.35 K and 1.63 K, and the GWR method, with average RMSEs of 2.38 K and 1.64 K, respectively. The contributions of the related surface variables to the subpixel spatial variation in the LST varied both spatially and temporally and were different from each other. In summary, the DTsEB method was demonstrated to outperform the TsHARP, LMS, and GWR methods and could be used as a good alternative for downscaling LST products from coarse to fine resolution with high robustness and accuracy.

Contribution to the determination of tributyltin in water by stir bar sorptive extraction‒thermal desorption‒gas chromatography‒tandem mass spectrometry

An environmentally friendly method was developed to determine tributyltin (TBT) in water at the levels required by the European Union Water Framework Directive (EU WFD) using stir bar sorptive extraction (SBSE) in combination with thermal desorption‒gas chromatography‒triple quadrupole tandem mass spectrometry. The main focus of the method development was on addressing some aspects of reducing blank values (minimizing the use of chemicals, glassware cleaning, pretreatment of sorptive stir bars) and optimizing the SBSE procedure variables (sample volume, polarity of sample solution, extraction time). The performance of the method was studied in terms of linearity, matrix effect, method limits and accuracy (precision and trueness) using MilliQ, tap and surface water. TBT quantification limit for the studied matrices ranged from 0.049 to 0.055 ng L‒1 and repeatability (RSD%, n = 10) and recovery at the environmental quality standard (EQS) concentration of 0.2 ng L‒1 were in the range of 6‒18% and 88‒107%, respectively, indicating good performance of the method. The matrix effect of river water (‒78%) and artificial seawater (‒83%) compared to MilliQ water showed the necessity to use a matrix-matched calibration when analysing TBT in surface water samples. The developed sample preparation was further evaluated for greenness using the recently introduced AGREEprep assessment, which revealed a much greener performance of the proposed method over the compared CEN/TS 16692 method. The method meets the requirements of the EU WFD and is suitable for monitoring, evaluation and classification of the chemical status of surface waters.

Next-Generation High-Throughput Sequencing to Evaluate Bacterial Communities in Freshwater Ecosystem in Hydroelectric Reservoirs.

The quality of aquatic ecosystems is a major public health concern. The assessment and management of a freshwater system and the ecological monitoring of microorganisms that are present in it can provide indicators of the environment and water quality to protect human and animal health. with bacteria is. It is a major challenge to monitor the microbiological bacterial contamination status of surface water associated with anthropogenic activities within rivers and freshwater reservoirs. Understanding the composition of aquatic microbial communities can be beneficial for the early detection of pathogens, improving our knowledge of their ecological niches, and characterizing the assemblages of microbiota responsible for the degradation of contaminants and microbial substrates. The present study aimed to characterize the bacterial microbiota of water samples collected alongside the Madeira River and its small tributaries in rural areas near the Santo Antonio Energia hydroelectric power plant (SAE) reservoir in the municipality of Porto Velho, Rondonia state, Western Brazil. An Illumina 16s rRNA metagenomic approach was employed and the physicochemical characteristics of the water sample were assessed. We hypothesized that both water metagenomics and physicochemical parameters would vary across sampling sites. The most abundant genera found in the study were Acinetobacter, Deinococcus, and Pseudomonas. PERMANOVA and ANCOM analysis revealed that collection points sampled at the G4 location presented a significantly different microbiome compared to any other group, with the Chlamidomonadaceae family and Enhydrobacter genus being significantly more abundant. Our findings support the use of metagenomics to assess water quality standards for the protection of human and animal health in this microgeographic region.

The problem of assessing the economic consequences from chemical pollution of surface water

Purpose. Analysis of domestic and foreign experience in solving the problem of chemical pollution of surface waters and improving the existing "Methodology for calculating the amount of compensation for damages caused to the state as a result of violations of legislation on protection and rational use of water resources." Methods. Information analysis, theoretical and calculation, systems analysis. Results. In European countries, the assessment of the economic consequences of chemical pollution of surface waters is based on the provisions of Directive 2004/35 / EC "On environmental liability with regard to the prevention and remedying of environmental damage". The implementation of this Directive is carried out by creating a system of environmental liability based on the "polluter pays" principle not only for non-compliance with the limit of discharge of pollutants into water bodies, but also for violation of the properties and nature of aquatic ecosystems and their restoration. It is established that the consequences of not all forms of environmental damage can be eliminated by using the mechanism of environmental responsibility. For this mechanism to be effective, one or more sources of pollution must be identified, the damage must be specific and calculable, and a causal link must be found between the damage and one or more identified sources of pollution. In addition, liability is not an appropriate tool for large-scale, diffuse pollution, when it is impossible to establish a link between negative environmental impacts and the actions or inaction of certain individuals. Based on the analysis of national regulations and methodological approaches to assessing the economic consequences of chemical pollution of surface waters in European and other foreign countries, an algorithm is proposed to take into account the levels of acute lethal toxicity of return waters. Conclusions.. The algorithm for assessing the environmental impact of chemical pollution of surface waters must take into account the provisions of Article 16 of WFD 2000/60 / EC "Strategies against water pollution", in particular in paragraph 1.2.6 of Annex V "Surface water status" emphasizes " obtain data on the acute and chronic effects of chemical pollution of surface waters on the representatives of the "basic set of taxa" - algae, crustaceans and fish.

STRUCTURAL CHANGES OF RIVER ECOSYSTEMS’ BIOLOGICAL QUALITY ELEMENTS UNDER CONDITIONS OF MINERAL WATER FLUX

The Government of the Republic of Armenia strives to ensure a better management of surface water resources by establishing regular hydrobiological monitoring system in accordance with the EU WFD requirements. However, there is a very limited use of biological quality elements in monitoring of the ecological status of surface waters due in part to a lack of studies on their reflection towards different stressors. Thus, the aim of the study was to estimate the structural changes of benthic macroinvertebrates and macrophytes under the influence of the mineral water flux. The hyperlocal studies have been conducted in the area where the single stressor is mineral water. The results have shown that benthic macro invertebrates are more sensitive towards mineral water flux than macrophytes which allowed also to conclude on the higher efficiency of use of macrophytes in the estimation of water trophic status in case of mixed effects of organic pollution and mineral waters.

Bayesian decision tables for estimation of risk of water management decisions based on uncertain surface water status: a case study of a Polish catchment

BackgroundUncertain results of the status assessment performed as required by the Water Framework Directive can be responsible for misclassification of a water body’s status and may lead either to risk due to undertaking unnecessary remediation actions or risk of penalties for refraining from any action and not reaching environmental goals. Based on Bayesian decision theory, optimal decision tables are shown for two examples of water quality indicators, for a river catchment in central Poland. To overcome the problem of scarcity of publicly available monitoring data, the existing SWAT model for the studied catchment was used to generate nutrient concentration time series for the baseline conditions and under different scenarios. The status classes assessed based on annual mean concentrations of daily values for total phosphorus and total nitrogen were adopted as the ‘true’ status classes of the water bodies based on each indicator. SWAT simulation results enabled calculation of probability distributions of concentrations for the stochastic states of the water body, both for the period before and after the performance of corrective actions.ResultsBayesian decision tables consisted of alternative management decisions including modernization of the existing wastewater treatment plants in the case of phosphorous and also of fallowing agricultural areas in the case of nitrogen. An example of a penalty calculation procedure is presented in the event that the subject of the case before the EU Court of Justice would be failure to achieve the environmental objectives by all water bodies belonging to the selected catchment.ConclusionsDetailed discussion of this analysis indicates the potential benefits in terms of minimization of costs/losses that the proposed methodology may bring to the protection of surface waters.The presented method of risk analysis for making decisions on remedial actions when uncertainty exists about the water status assessment, can be considered as a prototype of a general methodology prepared for implementation in water protection. Unfortunately paying fines instead of taking remediation measures might be optimal for uncertain status of water bodies.

Key Factors for the Findability of Fish Passes in Large Epipotamal Rivers: The Case of the River Drava

Restoring the longitudinal connectivity of rivers through fish passes is of great importance for achieving good ecological status of surface waters. However, the key stimuli determining the findability of the entrance of these structures is still subject to debate. In this article, the influence of water temperature, light and acoustic stimuli in addition to flow parameters on fish movement is assessed. Analyses are based on a comprehensive dataset of 40,000 fish migrations covering time accurate recording of ascending individuals during the observation periods from 2015 to 2020 in various fish passes on the river Drava in Carinthia, Austria. The data are assessed by technical, fish ecological and statistical methods. Results indicate that the effect of the water temperature gradient between the fish pass and the main river has most impact on the ascent rates, whereas the two factors of light and acoustic, as well as most of the flow parameters, have no or negligible effect on the findability. A favourable thermal environment can be important to ensure efficient upstream migration and thus facilitate the findability of fish passes.

Assessment of Polybrominated Diphenyl Ethers (PBDEs) Level and Physico-Chemical Characteristics of Water and Sediment of Gulf of Guinea

The Lagos lagoon is the largest of the four lagoon systems of the Gulf of Guinea coast. This aquatic resource of multiple usages receives diverse organic and inorganic materials from domestic, industrial, emission, and thermal sources. The levels of Polybrominateddiphenyl ethers (PBDEs) were assessed to ascertain the pollution status of surface water and sediment within this lagoon system. Four stations were sampled for PBDEs analysis, and ranged for surface water physicochemical parameters are (27.93 to 28.50 ⁰C), (115.00 to 2152.70 µS/cm), (2.00 to 2.80 mg/L), (6.45 to 7.63), (25.02 to 84.60 NTU), (226.30 to 3999.00 mg/L), for temperature, electrical conductivity, dissolved oxygen, pH, turbidity, and total dissolved solids respectively. While the Total Organic Carbon (TOC) in sampled sediment ranged from 0.5 to 5.71 mg/L., the total concentrations of PBDEs in sediments ranged from 31.6 to 47.5 µg/Kg. Whereas the BDEs concentration in water ranged from 3.7 to 10.5 pg/L, total PBDE concentration of individual congener for water ranged from approximately 0.8 to 12.5 pg/L. The BDE 28 predominates across the locations followed by BDE 99. Impact of PBDEs concentration in the marine environment was evident within the study area.

Water Quality Evaluation and Variation Trend Analysis of Rivers Upstream of the Dahuofang Reservoir in China

The Dahuofang Reservoir is one of the most important water sources in Liaoning Province, China, so it is critical to identify the status and evolution characteristics of its water quality. Six monitoring indicators were selected to analyze water quality differences and variation trends of each indicator in three inlet sections of the reservoir during different hydrological periods from 2003 to 2021, and an improved comprehensive pollution index method was proposed to study the pollution variation trends. The results showed three findings. (1) The water quality of the three rivers is better in high water periods than that in low water periods. (2) In terms of the spatial state of the water environment, water quality of the Hun River is the worst, the Suzi River is poor, and the She River is better. The worst indicator of the three rivers, TN (total nitrogen), has exceeded the standard for many years (Grade IV–Inferior Grade V). TP (total phosphorus) in the Hun River, which has deteriorated severely since 2013 and is positively correlated with rainfall; it is mainly influenced by pollution from agricultural activities. (3) The P value obtained by the improved method is lower than that of original method, which is mainly because TN is relatively stable, and the exceeding standard of TP is not as serious as TN. The improved method takes into account the interactions and fluctuations of indicators, so that it can reflect the pollution situation more scientifically. These results are helpful to evaluate the pollution status of surface water. It is suggested that water be transferred appropriately to improve water quality and take necessary management measures to reduce TN and TP in the Hun River.

Assessment of the environmental status of the water object by hydrochemical indicators

The problem of surface water is one of the key challenges of humanity. In accordance with the goals of research and analysis of the environmental status of water bodies are of great practical importance, as their condition further affects the quality of drinking water. The purpose of the work is to assess the environmental status of the water body. The originality of the obtained results is a comprehensive assessment based on the analysis of time monitoring data on the ecological status of water of the water body, taking into account the weighting factors of pollution indices. The study of the ecological state was carried out taking into account the integrated hydrochemical indicators. Microsoft Excel software was used to conduct the study. Google Maps was used to find places on maps and build the maps you needed to work. Microsoft Excel was used to perform calculations and build graphics. The ecological status of a water body is determined on the basis of pollution index calculations. The method of assessing the ecological status of surface waters by relevant categories has been improved through the use of weights. The assessment method is universal and can be used to study the ecological status of any water body. However, the selection of hydrochemical indicators took into account only the content of major pollutants, namely chlorides, sulfates, phosphates, suspended solids, petroleum products, compounds of copper and zinc violated. The obtained research results can be used in the development of water management plans and measures to improve their condition.

Phytoplankton Composition and Ecological Status of Lakes with Cyanobacteria Dominance.

Phytoplankton is one of the five biological quality elements used in the assessment of the ecological status of surface waters according to the European Water Framework Directive established in 2000. In this study, we determined the ecological status of three small and shallow lakes in the Polesie Plain, Eastern Poland, by using indices based on phytoplankton assemblages. The predominant phytoplankton of all three lakes were filamentous cyanobacteria, both heterocystous and non-heterocystous, represented by the genera Aphanizomenon, Planktothrix, Limnothrix, and Planktolyngbya. We used the Hungarian Q index, German PSI (Phyto-See-Index), and recently developed PMPL (Phytoplankton Metrics for Polish Lakes) for Polish lakes. We compared the results from the calculation of the indices to physicochemical data obtained from the lake water and Carlson’s Trophy State Index (TSI). On the basis of TSI, Gumienek and Glinki lakes were classified as advanced eutrophic, whereas Czarne Lake had a better score and was classified as slightly eutrophic. The trophic state was generally confirmed by the ecological status based on phytoplankton indices and also showed the diverse ecological situation in the lakes studied. Based on the Polish PMPL, Gumienek Lake was classified as having bad status (ecological quality ratio (EQR) = 0.05), whereas Glinki and Czarne lakes were classified within the poor status range (EQR = 0.25 and 0.35, respectively). However, based on the German PSI, the lakes were classified in a different manner: the status of Gumienek and Czarne lakes was better, but unsatisfactory, because they were still below the boundary for the good status category recommended by the European Commission. The best ecological status for the studied lakes was obtained using the Q index: Gumienek Lake with EQR = 0.42 had a moderate status, and Czarne Lake with EQR = 0.62 obtained a good status. However, Glinki Lake, with EQR = 0.40, was classified at the boundary for poor and moderate status. Based on our study, it seems that the best index for ecological status assessment based on phytoplankton that can be used for small lakes is the Polish (PMPL) index.

Free Rivers or Legal Certainty?: Review of Hydropower Permits Under EU Water Law

The EU Water Framework Directive (WFD) puts forward ambitious ecological objectives on reaching good status in surface waters throughout the EU. In rivers harnessed for hydropower production, achieving these aims would in many cases necessitate requiring new measures to mitigate the operation’s harms to the river ecosystem. Building on the ideas of adaptive management, the Directive requires Member States to establish a system of rules that enables reviewing hydropower authorizations and ensuring that its objectives are reached. However, it is widely recognized that principles of legal certainty and protection of fundamental rights that are part of the rule of law ideal can limit the law’s capacity to mandate such adaptation. This article assesses the interplay between the WFD’s requirements on adaptation and the principles of rule of law in the EU law in relation to review of hydropower permits. The article concludes that while the EU rule of law is itself quite dynamic and amenable to adaptation, respecting the principles of rule of law puts some requirements of clarity, stability and protection of individuals in the EU legislation and its implementation. water framework directive; good ecological status; adaptive law; hydropower; permit review; EU rule of law

Statistical approaches to explore the linkages between physicochemical parameters and BQEs, and set river nutrient threshold concentrations in Hungary

Abstract The objective of the Water Framework Directive (WFD) is to achieve good ecological status in surface waters by 2027. To make a proper evaluation of the ecological status of watercourses, it is necessary to harmonize class boundaries for chemical and biological quality elements (BQEs). This paper aims to explore the linkages between physicochemical parameters and BQEs and set river nutrient threshold concentrations that support good ecological status. Regression and mismatch methods were applied to find the relationship between phytoplankton (PP) and phytobenthos (PB) ecological quality ratio and mean total phosphorus (TP) and total nitrogen (TN) concentrations. Nutrient thresholds have been suggested for several water types, which are varied in the case of highland rivers 1.8–6.2 mg TN/l, 180–400 μg TP/l; in the case of lowland rivers 1.4–5.0 mg TN/l, and 100–350 μg TP/l. These values are similar to what other studies found, but the relationship between biology and nutrients was weaker. Besides nutrients, additional data of measured dissolved organic carbon, 5-day biochemical oxygen demand, chemical oxygen demand with potassium permanganate method, and information about hydromorphological features were involved in the analysis. The research demonstrates that random forest can be used as a nonlinear, multiparametric model for predicting biological class from five variables with 35–81% error for PP and with 18–47% error for PB.

Water quality assessment of the rivers of the Southern Buh Basin within Vinnytsia Region as per integral indicator of pollution

Vinnytsia Region is a region of Ukraine that attracts people by its nature from ancient times to the present day and is subject to various active economic development efforts. Natural water (aquatic) objects such rivers, lakes, as well as their floodplains and watersheds, are among the ones that are intensively affected by human activities. Therefore, the author chose the basin of the Southern Buh River within Vinnytsia Region for establishing a degree of anthropogenic transformation in the river itself and for determining the state of its left tributaries.
 The paper highlights the results of field and laboratory studies of chemical and organoleptic state of water of the Southern Buh and its tributaries. The study of the Southern Buh Basin was conducted within Vinnytsia Region, as it is a region of early agricultural development and it has a large number of enterprises of various industries on its territory. Since the basin occupies a large area of Vinnytsia Region, it was reasonable to explore the main tributaries of the Southern Buh flowing through the main localities, and to identify the required sampling points.
 Currently, the problem of ensuring rational use of water resources is severe because of such factors as growth of water consumption, irrational use of natural resources, excessive and uncontrolled economic activity. All these factors lead to disruption of relations within geosystems, degradation of natural components and decrease of natural resources productivity. Therefore, the study of a degree of anthropogenic transformation of landscape complexes, including geosystems, allows identification of a possibility to reverse anthropogenic changes and display intensity and tendencies of natural processes after transformation of the complexes, as well as display of ability of natural components of the landscape to self-restore. All these components are necessary for field researches and form a basis for the author's research.
 The aim of the research is to conduct an assessment of the ecological status of surface waters, which serves as one of components of the general status of water bodies, as well as to determine their chemical status based on concentrations of high-priority hazardous pollutants. It establishes the fact that the quality of surface waters of the basin depends on a degree of pollution of water bodies that are subject to economic activity affecting the transformation of the basin system.

A novel approach to baseline water quality assessment at local and catchment scale: a case study from Berambadi, India.

Optimal design and maintenance are necessary for the sustainability of wastewater treatment systems. In this study, we present the outcome of a novel approach to baseline assessment conducted prior to the design and deployment of a decentralized wastewater treatment system at a school in rural India. The baseline water quality monitoring protocol was deployed to assess (a) the quality and quantity of wastewater (greywater and blackwater) flows from the school and (b) the status of surface water and groundwater quality in the catchment. Hourly greywater flows and water quality trends were monitored across four seasons at the school. Average freshwater consumption at the school was 518 ± 322 L/day for hand washing and 287 ± 97 L/day for cooking meals. Greywater generation showed high hourly variations in COD levels. Greywater generated from hand wash and kitchen sources contributed to 110g/day and 96g/day of BOD5 respectively and 214g/day and 141g/day of COD respectively. Based on additional data from a self-reporting sanitation survey, the organic contaminant load generated from the toilet was estimated to be 1.5 ± 0.1kg COD/day. At the catchment scale, both groundwater and surface water quality were monitored seasonally to assess the impact of raw sewage and stormwater inputs. Compared with borewells, high nitrate-N levels (> 10mg/L) were observed in the village hand pump samples throughout the year. Maximum nitrate-N (16mg/L) and fecal coliforms (3.9 log MPN/100mL) levels were observed in surface waters during monsoons, indicating the impact of sewage and surface runoff on water quality. The proposed approach is useful to estimate data on freshwater use and wastewater generation at the school and hence to make the case for, and design of, a sustainable water management intervention.

Three reasons why the Water Framework Directive (WFD) fails to identify pesticide risks

The Water Framework Directive (WFD) demands that good status is to be achieved for all European water bodies. While governmental monitoring under the WFD mostly concludes a good status with regard to pesticide pollution, numerous scientific studies have demonstrated widespread negative ecological impacts of pesticide exposure in surface waters. To identify reasons for this discrepancy, we analysed pesticide concentrations measured in a monitoring campaign of 91 agricultural streams in 2018 and 2019 using methodologies that exceed the requirements of the WFD. This included a sampling strategy that takes into account the periodic occurrence of pesticides and a different analyte spectrum designed to reflect current pesticide use. We found that regulatory acceptable concentrations (RACs) were exceeded for 39 different pesticides at 81% of monitoring sites. In comparison, WFD-compliant monitoring of the same sites would have detected only eleven pesticides as exceeding the WFD-based environmental quality standards (EQS) at 35% of monitoring sites. We suggest three reasons for this underestimation of pesticide risk under the WFD-compliant monitoring: (1) The sampling approach - the timing and site selection are unable to adequately capture the periodic occurrence of pesticides and investigate surface waters particularly susceptible to pesticide risks; (2) the measuring method - a too narrow analyte spectrum (6% of pesticides currently approved in Germany) and insufficient analytical capacities result in risk drivers being overlooked; (3) the assessment method for measured concentrations - the protectivity and availability of regulatory thresholds are not sufficient to ensure a good ecological status. We therefore propose practical and legal refinements to improve the WFD's monitoring and assessment strategy in order to gain a more realistic picture of pesticide surface water pollution. This will enable more rapid identification of risk drivers and suitable risk management measures to ultimately improve the status of European surface waters.

Port Dickson Surface Water Quality Status: A Year with COVID-19 Pandemic

The COVID-19 pandemic has become a planetary concern that affecting the sustenance of the human population all around the globe. The effective measured has been taken in Malaysia to control the virus transmission by limiting the human vitality which unsurprisingly propitious to the environment. A monitoring study was conducted to assess the water quality status of surface seawater along the Port Dickson coast based on the Malaysian Marine Water Quality Index (MMWQI) and Malaysian Marine Water Quality Standards (MMWQCS) with an interval period of a year (March 2020-March 2021). In situ, water quality parameters incorporate temperature, pH, salinity, conductivity, dissolved oxygen (DO), and total dissolved solids (TDS) were measured at 14 sampling sites to evaluate the biochemical characteristics of water. Surface water samples were collected from the same sites and transported back to Universiti Putra Malaysia for nitrate (NO3-), ammonia (NH3), phosphate (PO4), biochemical oxygen demands (BOD), fecal coliform (Escherichia coli), and total suspended solids (TSS) analyses. The MMWQI showed the status of surface water from the Port Dickson coast was classified as moderate quality (50.41 - 64.05) for both sampling events. However, there are some indexes that showed significant decreases (p< 0.05) in the latter year. The concentration of nutrient pollution such as phosphate, nitrates, ammonia, fecal coliform as well as oil and grease, was decreased by 11.12%, 77.39%, 82.4%, 90.26%, and 99.9% respectively. The water parameters namely TDS, pH, and BOD levels were significantly decreased by 1.77%, 20.73%, and 77.16%. Certain parameters listed in the MMWQS such as temperature, pH, ammonia, fecal coliform, oil and grease were classified as Class 1 in March 2021. These occurrences recorded were greatly influenced by the reduction of the substantial human activities around the recreational beach of Port Dickson followed by the declaration of Movement Control Order (MCO) in Malaysia.

A comprehensive approach of hydrological issues related to ground water using GIS in the Hindu holy city of Gaya, India

PurposeGaya, the holy city of Hindus, Buddhists and Jains, is facing an acute shortage of potable water. Although the city is blessed with some static and dynamic water bodies all around the region, they do not fulfill the requirement of millions of public either inhabitants of the area or tourists or pilgrims flocking every day. Countless crowds, congested roads, swarming pedestrians, innumerable vehicles moving throughout the day and night have made the city into a non-livable one. The present status of surface water is a mere nightmare to the requirements of the people. Due to which, massive ground water pumping mostly illegally has added a grid in addition to the other socio-economic issues.Design/methodology/approachTo focus on such problem, the ground water of the region was studied thoroughly by calculating the depth of water level, discharge, pre-and post-monsoon water table and specifically the storativity in ten different locations. Some data were acquired, others were assessed, and few are calculated to provide an overall view of the ground water scenario.FindingsAfter a long and tedious field study, it was finally established from that static water level ranges from 2.45 to 26.59 m, below ground level (bgl), discharge varies from 3.21 m3/day to 109.32 m3/day. Post pumping drawdown falls between 0.93 m and 16.59 m, whereas the specific capacity lies in between 0.96 and 7.78 m3/hr/m. Transmissivity, which is a key objective to assess ground water potential ranges from 109.8 to 168.86 m2/day.Originality/valueThis research work is original.

Eco-assessment of least disturbed areas of the Antalya River basin: application of diatom indices from different ecoregions.

Biomonitoring of least disturbed areas is a crucial issue to accurately assess the ecological status of surface waters and ensure their sustainability. Diatom metrics are important tools for the assessment of environmental conditions of lotic ecosystems to achieve environmental sustainability. The present study was aimed to evaluate the ecological status of least disturbed areas in the Antalya River basin (Turkey) using diatom indices developed from different ecoregion. Diatom species such as Cymbella excisa, Achnanthidium minutissimum, Cocconeis euglypta, and Cocconeis placentula were the most contributing species to the dissimilarity of sampling stations between rainy and dry seasons. The first two axes of canonical correspondence analysis (CCA) elucidated a strong (86%) correlation between diatom taxa and stressors. Results of the Monte Carlo permutation test indicated that total phosphorus (TP), water temperature, Tin (Sn), total organic carbon, zinc, and pH are significantly influential ecological factors on the distribution of diatom taxa among sampling stations. The Spearman correlation rank test indicated that diatom indices had significant positive and negative correlations with TP gradient. Results revealed that diatom indices developed from different ecoregions have different scores for the eco-assessment of similar sampling stations. European diatom indices mostly showed similar behavior in the bioassessment of the ecological status of rivers in the Antalya region compared to the different ecoregion. Among European diatom indices, TIT was more competitive and could give better results in the bio-evaluation of rivers in the Antalya River basin. Using diatom indices developed from different ecoregions may lead to an erroneous assessment of water quality. Accordingly, ecoregional specific diatom metrics are needed to accurately determine the surface water quality. Eco-assessment of least disturbed areas of the Antalya River basin: application of diatom indices from different ecoregions: Abuzer Çelekli, Ömer Lekesiz, Tolga Çetin.