Surface Water Interactions Research Articles

Quantification of the temporal–spatial distributions characteristics of streambed hyporheic exchange fluxes with the seasonal variation using heat as a tracer

Groundwater–surface water interaction, particularly on exchange fluxes between streams and aquifers, plays a large role in the prerequisite conditions for the study of contaminants and nutrients in the hyporheic zone. One way to quantify these fluxes is by using heat as an environmental tracer. This study quantitatively analyzes the spatial heterogeneity and uncertainty of the vertical turbulent flow of a canopy in the Walker River Basin in Nevada, USA, using the thermal tracer method and the VFLUX software tool. Using the high spatial resolution temperature data measured by the US Geological Survey in the Walker River Basin in Nevada, with the finite element software, COMSOL Multiphysics, it establishes a two-dimensional, full-transect, water-thermal coupling calculation model for the river. The results show that long-term vertical hyporheic flux is between − 111.78 and 86.07 L/m2/d. The average vertical hyporheic flux under seasonal conditions was − 44.35 L/m2/d and − 36.78 L/m2/d in summer and winter, respectively, and the flux exhibits a non-monotonic change with increasing depth. By observing the similarity between the spatial distribution of streambed hyporheic exchange fluxes in winter and summer, as well as the distribution of the streambed profile temperature field, it was found that the spatial distribution of the average streambed hyporheic exchange fluxes can be clearly shown by the streambed profile temperature field in the corresponding season.

Numerical modelling of the impacts of water abstraction for hydraulic fracturing on groundwater–surface water interaction: a case study from northwestern Alberta, Canada

ABSTRACT The temporal dynamics of groundwater–surface water interaction under the impacts of various water abstraction scenarios are presented for hydraulic fracturing in a shale gas and oil play area (23 984.9 km2), Alberta, Canada, using the MIKE-SHE and MIKE-11 models. Water-use data for hydraulic fracturing were obtained for 433 wells drilled in the study area in 2013 and 2014. Modelling results indicate that water abstraction for hydraulic fracturing has very small (<0.35%) negative impacts on mean monthly and annual river and groundwater levels and stream and groundwater flows in the study area, and small (1–4.17%) negative impacts on environmental flows near the water abstraction location during low-flow periods. The impacts on environmental flow depend on the amount of water abstraction and the daily flow over time at a specific river cross-section. The results also indicate a very small (<0.35%) positive impact on mean monthly and annual groundwater contributions to streamflow because of the large study area. The results provide useful information for planning long-term seasonal and annual water abstractions from the river and groundwater for hydraulic fracturing in a large study area.

Effect of Structure and Composition of Non-Stoichiometry Magnesium Aluminate Spinel on Water Adsorption.

MgAl2O4 is used in humidity sensing and measurement, and as a catalyst or catalyst support in a wide variety of applications. For such applications, a detailed understanding of the surface properties and defect structure of the spinel, and, in particular, of the gas interactions at the spinel surface is essential. However, to the best of our knowledge, very limited experimental data regarding this subject is currently available. In this work, four spinel samples with an Al2O3 to MgO ratio (n) between 0.95 and 2.45 were synthesized and analyzed using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and water adsorption micro-calorimetry. The results showed that the spinel composition and its consequent defect structure do indeed have a distinct effect on the spinel-water vapor surface interactions. The adsorption behavior at the spinel-water interface showed changes that resulted from alterations in types and energetic diversity of adsorption sites, affecting both H2O uptake and overall energetics. Furthermore, changes in composition following appropriate thermal treatment were shown to have a major effect on the reducibility of the spinel which enabled increased water uptake at the surface. In addition to non-stoichiometry, the impact of intrinsic anti-site defects on the water-surface interaction was investigated. These defects were also shown to promote water uptake. Our results show that by composition modification and subsequent thermal treatments, the defect structure can be modified and controlled, allowing for the possibility of specifically designed spinels for water interactions.

POLA MUSIM DI INDONESIA TAHUN 2002 SAMPAI 2016 BERDASARKAN EQUIVALENT WATER HEIGHT (EWH)

Season is the weather that is clearly visible at certain timescales. Based on its geographical location, the most striking seasonal variation in Indonesia is rainfall. Seasonal changes are also called weather changes that result from surface water interactions such as the water cycle. This shows that weather variations are related to changes in water mass on earth. Water availability can be seen from the Equivalent Water Height (EWH) variations obtained from gravity satellite data Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE) then the used of TRMM (Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission) satellite data can be used to observe rainfall as well as supporting data for GRACE satellites. From the results of GRACE gravity satellite data processing, the largest EWH value was 27.298 cm in January 2015 and the smallest EWH value of -29.816 cm was in June 2004 on Sumatra Island. During the years 2002 to 2016 Changes in seasonal patterns occurred in 2010 and 2015, each of which was caused by extreme changes in rainfall and by the occurrence of El Nino events.

Electrical resistivity monitoring of river–groundwater interactions in a Chalk river and neighbouring riparian zone

ABSTRACTIn the past several decades, there has been considerable interest in groundwater–surface water interactions and their ability to regulate and cycle nutrients and pollutants. These interactions are spatially and temporally complex, but electrical resistivity imaging can be a useful tool for their characterization. Here, an electrical resistivity imaging monitoring array was installed laterally across a groundwater‐dominated Chalk river and into the adjacent riparian wetland; data were collected over a period of 1 year. Independent inversions of data from the entire transect were performed to account for the changing river stage and river water conductivity. Additionally, data from just the riparian zone were inverted using a temporally constrained inversion, and the correlation between the riparian zone resistivity patterns and river stage was assessed using time‐series analysis. The river stage and the Chalk groundwater level followed similar patterns throughout the year, and both exhibited a sharp drop following cutting of in‐stream vegetation. For the independent inversions, fixing the river resistivity led to artifacts, which prevented reliable interpretation of dynamics in the riverbed. However, the resistivity structure of the riparian zone coincided well with the intrusively derived boundary between the peat and the gravel present at the field site. Time‐series analysis of the inverted riparian zone models permitted identification of seven units with distinct hydrological resistivity dynamics (five zones within the peat and two within the gravel). The resistivity patterns in the gravel were predominantly controlled by up‐welling of resistive groundwater and the down‐welling of more conductive peat waters following the river vegetation cutting event. In comparison, although the vegetation cutting influenced the resistivity dynamics in the peat zones, the resistivity dynamics were also influenced by precipitation events and increasing pore‐water conductivity, likely arising from biological processes. It is evident that such approaches combining electrical resistivity imaging and time‐series analysis are useful for understanding the spatial extent and timing of hydrological processes to aid in the better characterization of groundwater‐surface water interactions.

Characterising groundwater–surface water interactions in idealised ephemeral stream systems

AbstractTransmission losses from the beds of ephemeral streams are thought to be a widespread mechanism of groundwater recharge in arid and semi‐arid regions and support a range of dryland hydro‐ecology. Dryland areas cover ~40% of the Earth's land surface and groundwater resources are often the main source of freshwater. It is commonly assumed that where an unsaturated zone exists beneath a stream, the interaction between surface water and groundwater is unidirectional and that groundwater does not exert a significant feedback on transmission losses. To test this assumption, we conducted a series of numerical model experiments using idealised two‐dimensional channel‐transects to assess the sensitivity and degree of interaction between surface and groundwater for typical dryland ephemeral stream geometries, hydraulic properties and flow regimes. We broaden the use of the term ‘stream–aquifer interactions’ to refer not just to fluxes and water exchange but also to include the ways in which the stream and aquifer have a hydraulic effect on one another. Our results indicate that deep water tables, less frequent streamflow events and/or highly permeable sediments tend to result in limited bi‐directional hydraulic interaction between the stream and the underlying groundwater which, in turn, results in high amounts of infiltration. With shallower initial depth to the water table, higher streamflow frequency and/or lower bed permeability, greater ‘negative’ hydraulic feedback from the groundwater occurs which in turn results in lower amounts of infiltration. Streambed losses eventually reach a constant rate as initial water table depths increase, but only at depths of 10s of metres in some of the cases studied. Our results highlight that bi‐directional stream–aquifer hydraulic interactions in ephemeral streams may be more widespread than is commonly assumed. We conclude that groundwater and surface water should be considered as connected systems for water resource management unless there is clear evidence to the contrary.

Evaluation of groundwater bacterial community composition to inform waterborne pathogen vulnerability assessments

Microbial water quality evaluations are essential for determining the vulnerability of subsurface drinking water sources to fecal pathogen intrusion. Rather than directly monitor waterborne pathogens using culture- or enumeration-based techniques, the potential of assessing bacterial community using 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing to support these evaluations was investigated. A framework for analyzing 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing results featuring negative-binomial generalized linear models is demonstrated, and applied to bacterial taxa sequences in purge water samples collected from a shallow, highly aerobic, unconfined aquifer. Bacterial taxa relevant as indicators of fecal source and surface connectivity were examined using this approach. Observed sequences of Escherichia, a genus suggestive of fecal source, were consistently detected but not confirmed by culture-based methods. On the other hand, episodic appearance of anaerobic taxa sequences in this highly aerobic environment, namely Clostridia and Bacteroides, warrants further investigation as potential indicators of fecal contamination. Betaproteobacteria sequences varied significantly on a seasonal basis, and therefore may be linked to understanding surface-water groundwater interactions at this site. However, sequences that are often encountered in surface water bodies (Cyanobacteria and Flavobacteriia) were notably absent or present at very low levels, suggesting that microbial transport from surface-derived sources may be rather limited. This work demonstrates the utility of 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing for contextualizing and complementing conventional microbial techniques, allowing for hypotheses about source and transport processes to be tested and refined.

Groundwater–Surface Water Interaction—Analytical Approach

Modelling of water flow in the hyporheic zone and calculations of water exchange between groundwater and surface waters are important issues in modern environmental research. The article presents the Analytical Hyporheic Flux approach (AHF) permitting calculation of the amount of water exchange in the hyporheic zone, including vertical water seepage through the streambed and horizontal seepage through river banks. The outcome of the model, namely water fluxes, is compared with the corresponding results from the numerical model SEEP2D and simple Darcy-type model. The errors of the AHF model, in a range of 11–16%, depend on the aspect ratio of water depth to river width, and the direction of the river–aquifer water exchange, i.e., drainage or infiltration. The AHF model errors are significantly lower compared to the often-used model based on vertical water seepage through the streambed described by Darcy’s law.

Improved Representation of Flow and Water Quality in a North-Eastern German Lowland Catchment by Combining Low-Frequency Monitored Data with Hydrological Modelling

Achievements of good chemical and ecological status of groundwater (GW) and surface water (SW) bodies are currently challenged mainly due to poor identification and quantification of pollution sources. A high spatio-temporal hydrological and water quality monitoring of SW and GW bodies is the basis for a reliable assessment of water quality in a catchment. However, high spatio-temporal hydrological and water quality monitoring is expensive, laborious, and hard to accomplish. This study uses spatio-temporally low resolved monitored water quality and river discharge data in combination with integrated hydrological modelling to estimate the governing pollution pathways and identify potential transformation processes. A key task at the regarded lowland river Augraben is (i) to understand the SW and GW interactions by estimating representative GW zones (GWZ) based on simulated GW flow directions and GW quality monitoring stations, (ii) to quantify GW flows to the Augraben River and its tributaries, and (iii) to simulate SW discharges at ungauged locations. Based on simulated GW flows and SW discharges, NO3-N, NO2-N, NH4-N, and P loads are calculated from each defined SW tributary outlet (SWTO) and respective GWZ by using low-frequency monitored SW and GW quality data. The magnitudes of NO3-N transformations and plant uptake rates are accessed by estimating a NO3-N balance at the catchment outlet. Based on sensitivity analysis results, Manning’s roughness, saturated hydraulic conductivity, and boundary conditions are mainly used for calibration. The water balance results show that 60–65% of total precipitation is lost via evapotranspiration (ET). A total of 85–95% of SW discharge in Augraben River and its tributaries is fed by GW via base flow. SW NO3-N loads are mainly dependent on GW flows and GW quality. Estimated SW NO3-N loads at SWTO_Ivenack and SWTO_Lindenberg show that these tributaries are heavily polluted and contribute mainly to the total SW NO3-N loads at Augraben River catchment outlet (SWO_Gehmkow). SWTO_Hasseldorf contributes least to the total SW NO3-N loads. SW quality of Augraben River catchment lies, on average, in the category of heavily polluted river with a maximum NO3-N load of 650 kg/d in 2017. Estimated GW loads in GWZ_Ivenack have contributed approximately 96% of the total GW loads and require maximum water quality improvement efforts to reduce high NO3-N levels. By focusing on the impacts of NO3-N reduction measures and best agricultural practices, further studies can enhance the better agricultural and water quality management in the study area.

Molecular Dynamics Simulations of Water Condensation on Surfaces with Tunable Wettability.

Water condensation plays a major role in a wide range of industrial applications. Over the past few years, many studies have shown interest in designing surfaces with enhanced water condensation and removal properties. It is well known that heterogeneous nucleation outperforms homogeneous nucleation in the condensation process. Because heterogeneous nucleation initiates on a surface at a small scale, it is highly desirable to characterize water-surface interactions at the molecular level. Molecular dynamics (MD) simulations can provide direct insight into heterogeneous nucleation and advance surface designs. Existing MD simulations of water condensation on surfaces were conducted by tuning the solid-water van der Waals interaction energy as a substitute for modeling surfaces with different wettabilities. However, this approach cannot reflect the real intermolecular interactions between the surface and water molecules. Here, we report MD simulations of water condensation on realistic surfaces of alkanethiol self-assembled monolayers with different head group chemistries. We show that decreasing surface hydrophobicity significantly increases the electrostatic forces between water molecules and the surface, thus increasing the water condensation rate. We observe a strong correlation between our rate of condensation results and the results from other surface characterization metrics, such as the interfacial thermal conductance, contact angle, and the molecular-scale wettability metric of Garde and co-workers. This work provides insight into the water condensation process at the molecular scale on surfaces with tunable wettability.

Compartmentalisation and groundwater–surface water interactions in a prospective shale gas basin: Assessment using variance analysis and multivariate statistics on water quality data

AbstractAn environmental concern with hydraulic fracturing for shale gas is the risk of groundwater and surface water contamination. Assessing this risk partly involves the identification and understanding of groundwater–surface water interactions because potentially contaminating fluids could move from one water body to the other along hydraulic pathways. In this study, we use water quality data from a prospective shale gas basin to determine: if surface water sampling could identify groundwater compartmentalisation by low‐permeability faults; and if surface waters interact with groundwater in underlying bedrock formations, thereby indicating hydraulic pathways. Variance analysis showed that bedrock geology was a significant factor influencing surface water quality, indicating regional‐scale groundwater–surface water interactions despite the presence of an overlying region‐wide layer of superficial deposits averaging 30–40 m thickness. We propose that surface waters interact with a weathered bedrock layer through the complex distribution of glaciofluvial sands and gravels. Principal component analysis showed that surface water compositions were constrained within groundwater end‐member compositions. Surface water quality data showed no relationship with groundwater compartmentalisation known to be caused by a major basin fault. Therefore, there was no chemical evidence to suggest that deeper groundwater in this particular area of the prospective basin was reaching the surface in response to compartmentalisation. Consequently, in this case compartmentalisation does not appear to increase the risk of fracking‐related contaminants reaching surface waters, although this may differ under different hydrogeological scenarios.

The role of the dopant and structural defects on the water absorption and on the H2 formation in the Al, Co and Cu doped SrTiO3 perovskite steps

The investigation of the water interaction/dissociation on perovskite surfaces is of great interest because these processes have different implications on ferroelectric phenomena, water splitting and surface catalysis. In particular, the H2 production has several applications in the photocatalytic environmental cleaning and in the atmospheric chemistry. Some fundamental aspects of the water process are still not well understood; hence the detailed study of more realistic models is essential. We have performed density functional calculations of the water interaction on a stepped SrTiO3 (1 0 0) surface, which contains structural defectivities (edges), oxygen vacancies and metal dopants (Al, Co and Cu). Three different water-surface interaction models can be obtained for both clean and reduced steps: one involving a molecular adsorption and two giving a dissociative process. The presence of both the dopant and the oxygen vacancy drives the stabilization of one specific adsorption type. The H2 formation mechanism is investigated and the crucial role of the dopant on the oxygen vacancy formation emerges. Results demonstrate that the water interaction and/or dissociation on ideal surfaces are not fully transferable on more realistic models, hence this study is relevant to understand the water processes on a model closer to materials exposed to standard experimental conditions.

Interactions of Oxide Surfaces with Water Revealed with Solid-State NMR Spectroscopy

Hydrous materials are ubiquitous in the natural environment and efforts have previously been made to investigate the structures and dynamics of hydrated surfaces for their key roles in various chemical and physical applications, with the help of theoretical modeling and microscopy techniques. However, an overall atomic-scale understanding of the water-solid interface, including the effect of water on surface ions, is still lacking. Herein, we employ ceria nanorods with different amounts of water as an example and demonstrate a new approach to explore the water-surface interactions by using solid-state NMR in combination with density functional theory. NMR shifts and relaxation time analysis provide detailed information on the local structure of oxygen ions and the nature of water motion on the surface: the amount of molecularly adsorbed water decreases rapidly with increasing temperature (from room temperature to 150 °C), whereas hydroxyl groups are stable up to 150 °C, and dynamic water molecules are found to instantaneously coordinate to the surface oxygen ions. The applicability of dynamic nuclear polarization for selective detection of surface oxygen species is also compared to conventional NMR with surface selective isotopic-labeling: the optimal method depends on the feasibility of enrichment and the concentration of protons in the sample. These results provide new insight into the interfacial structure of hydrated oxide nanostructures, which is important to improve performance for various applications.

Influence of surface water – groundwater interactions on the spatial distribution of pesticide metabolites in groundwater

In groundwater, pesticide metabolites tend to occur more frequently and at higher concentrations than their parent pesticides, due to their higher mobility and persistence. These properties might also favor their transfer across surface water – groundwater interfaces. However, the effect of surface water – groundwater interactions on the metabolite occurrence in groundwater and pumping wells has so far received little attention. We investigated the spatial distribution of metabolites in an unconsolidated aquifer, which interacts with two surface water bodies originating from catchments with contrasting land use. We focused on metabolites of the herbicide chloridazon, namely desphenyl-chloridazon (DPC) and methyl-desphenyl-chloridazon (MDPC) and characterized surface water – groundwater interactions with various environmental tracers (e.g. electrical conductivity, stable water isotopes, wastewater tracers). In zones influenced by a river from a mountainous area, metabolite concentrations were low (median values ≤0.50 μg L−1 for DPC, ≤0.19 μg L−1 for MDPC). In contrast, high concentrations occurred in areas dominated by recharge from agricultural fields and/or influenced by a stream from an adjacent intensely farmed catchment (median values up to 1.9 μg L−1 for DPC and up to 0.75 μg L−1 for MDPC). An endmember analysis using hydro-chemical data suggested that about 20% of the DPC mass in a pumping well originated from the neighboring catchment and on its own would cause a concentration above 0.1 μg L−1 for DPC. Our findings highlight that the mobile metabolites can be imported from zones with intense agriculture outside of the exploited aquifer via surface-water groundwater interactions influencing the metabolite concentration level and long-term dynamics in the aquifer.

Fluorocarbon versus hydrocarbon organosilicon surfactants for wettability alteration: A molecular dynamics approach

This paper presents a theoretical model based on molecular dynamics to represent and explain the experimental measurements of water droplet contact angles on fluorocarbon and hydrocarbon organosilicon surfactants of different chain lengths. In addition to the contact angles, we evaluated the distribution of the surfactants on the surface (surface density, packing degree, density profile, and coating thickness) and the interaction energies (surfactant–surfactant, surfactant–water, and water–water) to better understand the effect generated by the differences in the molecular structure of the surfactants. We found that the surface densities of the fluorocarbon surfactants were lower than those of hydrocarbon surfactants. This is because fluorocarbon chains are more rigid and because the attractive interaction energy between CF chains is less than that between CH chains because the fluorine–fluorine repulsive electrostatic interactions are stronger than the corresponding hydrogen–hydrogen interactions. The wettability alteration resulted from the modified surface–water interactions. The initial state was hydrophilic (water angle contact of 24°), produced by the high interaction energy between water and the silica surface. Upon application of surfactant, the surface–water interaction energies were considerably lowered, generating hydrophobic surfaces, with water angles contact between 87° and 99°.

Assessment of surface water and groundwater interaction using hydrogeology, hydrochemical and isotopic constituents in the Imphal river basin, Northeast India

The surface water and groundwater interaction in the Imphal River Basin in Northeast India using hydrogeology, hydrochemical and isotopic constituents has examined to elucidate hydrochemical evolution, surface water and groundwater mixing and recharge condition. Groundwater is characterized by Ca2+–Cl-–HCO3-facies while surface water exhibits Ca2+–Cl- type. Surface water prevailed the intermediate stage of chemical evolution while groundwater characterizes the late stage of chemical evolution. Analysis of flow net combined with hydrogeologic sections revealed significant relationship of surface water and groundwater in the basin. The upper and lower reaches are characterized by contour heads showing an upstream pointing curvature due to depression induced by groundwater discharge where contour lines cross a gaining stream. The middle reach is marked by contour curvature pointing downstream owing to mounding induced by groundwater recharge where it crosses a losing stream. Groundwater shows markedly depleted isotopic composition than surface water. Both surface water and groundwater fall below Global Meteoric Water Line and Local Meteoric Water Line indicating the source of water through infiltration of modern precipitation. The slope of the evaporation line and the original composition of water are identified as 4.92 and −6.58‰ and −42.17‰, respectively. Isotopic d-excess values revealed isotopic composition of semi-arid climate.

The influence of riverbank filtration on regional water resources: a case study in the Second Songhua River catchment, China

Abstract Riverbank filtration (RBF) of river water recharging a groundwater system has been identified as a source of water supply that guarantees the quantity of abstracted water and reduces the cost of water treatment. This paper evaluates the safe yield of groundwater in suitable areas using a numerical model of groundwater flow and discusses the influence of RBF on the temporal variation of regional hydraulic heads, groundwater flow, river flow, and groundwater–surface water interaction (GSI) under different precipitation frequencies from 20% to 95% along the Second Songhua River in Northeast China. This study shows that the potential of RBF is enormous and that the total safe yield of groundwater abstraction was 29.56 × 104 m3/day under the precipitation frequency of 95%. The direction of regional groundwater flow was not obviously changed except within the local groundwater flow field under the maximum safe yield pumping conditions. When the precipitation frequencies are higher than 75%, the direction of the GSI might be changed, and the rate of river recharge of groundwater is enhanced. The water quantity that would be captured from the river does not threaten the safety of the river ecology. It is concluded that there were no obvious adverse impacts of the large scale of RBF on regional water resources in the Second Songhua River area.

Ions Tune Interfacial Water Structure and Modulate Hydrophobic Interactions at Silica Surfaces.

The structure and ultrafast dynamics of the electric double layer (EDL) are central to chemical reactivity and physical properties at solid/aqueous interfaces. While the Gouy-Chapman-Stern model is widely used to describe EDLs, it is solely based on the macroscopic electrostatic attraction of electrolytes for the charged surfaces. Structure and dynamics in the Stern layer are, however, more complex because of competing effects due to the localized surface charge distribution, surface-solvent-ion correlations, and the interfacial hydrogen bonding environment. Here, we report combined time-resolved vibrational sum frequency generation (TR-vSFG) spectroscopy with ab initio DFT-based molecular dynamics simulations (AIMD/DFT-MD) to get direct access to the molecular-level understanding of how ions change the structure and dynamics of the EDL. We show that innersphere adsorbed ions tune the hydrophobicity of the silica-aqueous interface by shifting the structural makeup in the Stern layer from dominant water-surface interactions to water-water interactions. This drives an initially inhomogeneous interfacial water coordination landscape observed at the neat interface toward a homogeneous, highly interconnected in-plane 2D hydrogen bonding (2D-HB) network at the ionic interface, reminiscent of the canonical, hydrophobic air-water interface. This ion-induced transformation results in a characteristic decrease of the vibrational lifetime (T1) of excited interfacial O-H stretching modes from T1 ∼ 600 fs to T1 ∼ 250 fs. Hence, we propose that the T1 determined by TR-vSFG in combination with DFT-MD simulations can be widely used for a quantitative spectroscopic probe of the ion kosmotropic/chaotropic effect at aqueous interfaces as well as of the ion-induced surface hydrophobicity.

Correction: Lewandowski, J., et al. Groundwater–Surface Water Interactions: Recent Advances and Interdisciplinary Challenges. Water 2020, 12, 296

The authors wish to make the following correction to this paper [...]

Influences of Land-Use Dynamics and Surface Water Systems Interactions on Water-Related Infectious Diseases—A Systematic Review

Human interactions with surface water systems, through land-use dynamics, can influence the transmission of infectious water-related diseases. As a result, the aim of our study was to explore and examine the state of scientific evidence on the influences of these interactions on water-related infectious disease outcomes from a global perspective. A systematic review was conducted, using 54 peer-reviewed research articles published between 1995 and August 2019. The study revealed that there has been an increase in the number of publications since 2009; however, few of these publications (n = 6) made explicit linkages to the topic. It was found that urban and agricultural land-use changes had relatively high adverse impacts on water quality, due to high concentrations of fecal matter, heavy metals, and nutrients in surface water systems. Water systems were found as the common “vehicle” for infectious disease transmission, which in turn had linkages to sanitation and hygiene conditions. The study found explicit linkages between human–surface water interaction patterns and the transmission of water-based disease. However, weak and complex linkages were found between land-use change and the transmission of water-borne disease, due to multiple pathways and the dynamics of the other determinants of the disease. Therefore, further research studies, using interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary approaches to investigate and enhance a deeper understanding of these complexities and linkages among land use, surface water quality, and water-related infectious diseases, is crucial in developing integrated measures for sustainable water quality monitoring and diseases prevention.