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Chai C, Wang L, Chen D, Zhou J, Li N, Liu H. Quantifying future water resource vulnerability in a high-mountain third pole river basin under climate change. JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT 2024; 367:121954. [PMID: 39096729 DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2024.121954] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/16/2024] [Revised: 07/13/2024] [Accepted: 07/22/2024] [Indexed: 08/05/2024]
Abstract
Understanding the water resource vulnerability (WRV) in global mountain regions under climate change is crucial for water resources management and socio-economic development. However, the WRV in the high-mountain Third Pole region (with quite a few transboundary river basins) remains largely unclear. Here, we have applied a comprehensive assessment framework of WRV to a Third Pole high-mountain river basin (Nujiang-Salween River, NSR) and its dependent downstream. The framework consisted of sensitivity, exposure, adaptability, hazard, and water stress indices, considering climate change, socio-economics, government effectiveness, natural disasters, and water supply capacity of the target river basin. Our results indicate that the downstream area (with intensive human activities) often exhibited significantly higher WRV than the mountain region; while the WRV shows an M-shaped change with increasing elevation, with the highest vulnerability occurring in a relatively low elevation range (e.g., 500-1500 m for the NSR basin). In the near future, we find that the spatial pattern of WRV in the basin is alternately influenced by adaptation, water scarcity, and exposure; whereas climate change serves as the main driver affecting the WRV in the far future. These findings enhance our understanding of the WRV in high-mountain transboundary basins of the Third Pole under global change.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chenhao Chai
- State Key Laboratory of Tibetan Plateau Earth System, Environment and Resources (TPESER), Institute of Tibetan Plateau Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China; School of Surveying and Land Information Engineering, Henan Polytechnic University, Jiaozuo 454003, China
| | - Lei Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Tibetan Plateau Earth System, Environment and Resources (TPESER), Institute of Tibetan Plateau Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China; The University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China.
| | - Deliang Chen
- Department of Earth Sciences, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg 40530, Sweden
| | - Jing Zhou
- State Key Laboratory of Tibetan Plateau Earth System, Environment and Resources (TPESER), Institute of Tibetan Plateau Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China
| | - Ning Li
- State Key Laboratory of Tibetan Plateau Earth System, Environment and Resources (TPESER), Institute of Tibetan Plateau Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China
| | - Hu Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Tibetan Plateau Earth System, Environment and Resources (TPESER), Institute of Tibetan Plateau Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China; The University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China
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Malcher J, Critchell K, Matthews TG, Lester RE. How wide, how much? A framework for quantifying the economic and ecological outcomes of altering riparian width on agricultural land. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2023; 897:165342. [PMID: 37429474 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.165342] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/08/2023] [Revised: 06/25/2023] [Accepted: 07/03/2023] [Indexed: 07/12/2023]
Abstract
Creating and managing riparian buffer zones (RBZs) is regarded as a global best-practice management strategy for maintaining and improving waterway health. Agricultural land often utilises RBZs as highly productive pasture, exposing waterways to increased inputs of nutrients, pollutants, and sediment, in addition to reducing carbon sequestration and habitat for native flora and fauna. This project developed a novel approach to the application of multisystem ecological and economic quantification models to the property-scale, at low cost and high speed. We developed a state-of-the-art dynamic geospatial interface to communicate these outputs when switching from pasture to revegetated riparian zone via planned restoration efforts. The tool was developed using the regional conditions of a south-east Australian catchment as a case study but is designed to be adaptable around globally using equivalent model inputs. Ecological and economic outcomes were determined using existing methods, including an agricultural land suitability analysis to quantify primary production, an estimation of carbon sequestration using historic vegetation datasets and GIS software analysis to determine spatial costings of revegetation and fencing. Economic outcomes are presented in raw values of pasture produced and carbon sequestered, and fencing and revegetation costs can be easily altered for enhanced usability and interoperability. This tool can provide property-specific data for almost 16,000 properties in a catchment area of over 130,000 km2 and 19,600 km of river length. Our results indicated that current financial incentives for revegetation rarely cover the cost of giving up pasture, but these costs may be compensated by social and ecological outcomes achieved over time. This method provides a novel way of informing alternative management approaches, such as incremental revegetation plans and the selective harvesting of timber from RBZ. The model provides an innovative framework for improved RBZ management and can be used to inform property-specific responses and guide discussion among stakeholders.
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Chauhan D, Thiyaharajan M, Pandey A, Singh N, Singh V, Sen S, Pandey R. Climate change water vulnerability and adaptation mechanism in a Himalayan City, Nainital, India. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND POLLUTION RESEARCH INTERNATIONAL 2022; 29:85904-85921. [PMID: 34331647 DOI: 10.1007/s11356-021-15713-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/01/2021] [Accepted: 07/23/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Urban water management is a growing concern in India's rapidly urbanizing cities. Population growth and climatic variability are exuberating the impact on surface and underground water supply. Understanding the causes and the extent of water vulnerability is required for developing effective strategies for water insecurities. This study attempts to assess the water vulnerability across different wards of a touristic city of Himalaya-Nainital using IPCC approach considering the three dimensions: exposure, sensitivity, and adaptive capacity. Seven indicators, mostly spatial, i.e. edaphic (aspect, elevation) and climatic (land surface temperature) besides some water infrastructural (distance to water distribution) and population, were considered for development of vulnerability index using Analytical Hierarchy Process for assigning weights. These indicators were simple to extract and easy to obtain and mostly available from secondary sources and were capable to account the variability at micro-level. Moreover, the current adaptation mechanisms for water security were also derived through conducting surveys by randomly selecting households across the wards. Staff House and Harinagar wards were the most vulnerable. The survey results that the adaptation mechanism should be managed at individual and organization level. Policy measures such as optimum use of water, grey water recycling, spring rejuvenation, rain water harvesting, and leakage proof infrastructure with intervention of new technologies, may be adopted and implemented for reducing the water vulnerability in the city along with the public participation. The appropriate measures for water vulnerability would further provide support for improving the facilities to the tourists in the city thereby improved economic opportunities to the locals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Disha Chauhan
- Indian Council of Forestry Research & Education, Dehradun, India
| | | | | | | | | | | | - Rajiv Pandey
- Indian Council of Forestry Research & Education, Dehradun, India.
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Sehlaoui H, Hassikou R, Dakak H, Zouahri A, El Hasini S, Iaaich H, Ghanimi A, Douaik A. Nitrate contamination and associated health risks of the Benslimane groundwater, Morocco. ENVIRONMENTAL GEOCHEMISTRY AND HEALTH 2022; 44:4343-4358. [PMID: 35032290 DOI: 10.1007/s10653-021-01186-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/30/2021] [Accepted: 12/17/2021] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Consumption of polluted water has harmful impacts on human health. This study examined the quality of groundwater in the Benslimane area for drinking purposes based on the Water quality index (WQI), Nitrate pollution index (NPI), and Total risk quotient (THQ) for different age groups. A total of 120 groundwater samples were collected for physicochemical analyses. The results showed WQI values ranging from 157.7 to 472.7 and an average of 279.4, with a total absence of water of excellent or good quality, and about 62.5% of the groundwater samples were of very poor quality for consumption. Nitrate concentrations ranged from 1 to 270 mg/L with an average of 64 mg/L, and 56.7% had values above the World Health Organization safety level of 50 mg/L. The NPI showed that 78.3% of the sampled sites showed very high pollution as a result of intense anthropogenic activities. High contamination is observed in the north and east of the region for arboriculture, grapes, maize, and vegetables as opposed to cereals. The health risk associated with nitrates, based on oral exposure, was much higher than dermal contact. The total risk quotient for both pathways was 0.02 to 6.58, 0.02 to 6.12, 0.06 to 17.06, and 0.05 to 13.35 for women, men, children, and infants, respectively. A total of 65, 63.3, 82.0, and 78.3% of groundwater samples presented a non-cancer health risk for women, men, children, and infants, respectively. Therefore, this study can help identify contaminated areas in order to track corrective safety measures to control groundwater quality in the region and improve sanitary conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Habiba Sehlaoui
- Microbiology and Molecular Biology Team, Center of Plant and Microbial Biotechnology, Biodiversity and Environment, Faculty of Sciences, Mohammed V University of Rabat, 4 Avenue Ibn Battouta, P. O. Box 1014, Rabat, Morocco.
- National Institute of Agricultural Research, Regional Center of Rabat, Research Unit On the Environment and Conservation of Natural Resources, P. O. Box 6356 - Institutes, 10101, Rabat, Morocco.
| | - Rachida Hassikou
- Microbiology and Molecular Biology Team, Center of Plant and Microbial Biotechnology, Biodiversity and Environment, Faculty of Sciences, Mohammed V University of Rabat, 4 Avenue Ibn Battouta, P. O. Box 1014, Rabat, Morocco
| | - Houria Dakak
- National Institute of Agricultural Research, Regional Center of Rabat, Research Unit On the Environment and Conservation of Natural Resources, P. O. Box 6356 - Institutes, 10101, Rabat, Morocco
| | - Abdelmjid Zouahri
- National Institute of Agricultural Research, Regional Center of Rabat, Research Unit On the Environment and Conservation of Natural Resources, P. O. Box 6356 - Institutes, 10101, Rabat, Morocco
| | - Soukaina El Hasini
- National Institute of Agricultural Research, Regional Center of Rabat, Research Unit On the Environment and Conservation of Natural Resources, P. O. Box 6356 - Institutes, 10101, Rabat, Morocco
- Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Sciences, Mohammed V University of Rabat, 4 Avenue Ibn Battouta, P. O. Box 1014, Rabat, Morocco
| | - Hamza Iaaich
- National Institute of Agricultural Research, Regional Center of Rabat, Research Unit On the Environment and Conservation of Natural Resources, P. O. Box 6356 - Institutes, 10101, Rabat, Morocco
| | - Ahmed Ghanimi
- Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Sciences, Mohammed V University of Rabat, 4 Avenue Ibn Battouta, P. O. Box 1014, Rabat, Morocco
| | - Ahmed Douaik
- National Institute of Agricultural Research, Regional Center of Rabat, Research Unit On the Environment and Conservation of Natural Resources, P. O. Box 6356 - Institutes, 10101, Rabat, Morocco
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Chan SW, Abid SK, Sulaiman N, Nazir U, Azam K. A systematic review of the flood vulnerability using geographic information system. Heliyon 2022; 8:e09075. [PMID: 35284686 PMCID: PMC8914095 DOI: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2022.e09075] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/07/2021] [Revised: 12/23/2021] [Accepted: 03/04/2022] [Indexed: 12/04/2022] Open
Abstract
The world has faced many disasters in recent years, but flood impacts have gained immense importance and attention due to their adverse effects. More than half of global flood destruction and damages occur in the Asia region, which causes losses of life, damage infrastructure, and creates panic conditions among the communities. To provide a better understanding of flood hazard management, flood vulnerability assessment is the primary objective. In this case, vulnerability is the central construct in flood analysis and assessment. Many researchers have defined different approaches and methods to understand vulnerability assessment and how geographic information systems assess the flood vulnerability and their associated risk. Geographic information systems track and predict the disaster trend and mitigate the risk and damages. This study systematically reviews the methodologies used to measure floods and their vulnerabilities by integrating geographic information system. Articles on flood vulnerability from 2010 to 2020 were selected and reviewed. Through the systematic review methodology of five research engines, the researchers discovered a difference in flood vulnerability assessment tools and techniques that can be bridged by integrating high-resolution data with a multidimensional vulnerability methodology. The study reviewed several vulnerability components and directly examined the shortcomings in flood vulnerability approaches at different levels. The research contributed that the indicator-based approach gives a better understanding of vulnerability assessment. The geographic information system provides an effective environment for mapping and precise analysis to mitigate the flood disaster.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shiau Wei Chan
- Faculty of Technology Management and Business (FPTP), Universiti Tun Hussein Onn Malaysia, 86400 Parit Raja, Batu Pahat, Johor, Malaysia
| | - Sheikh Kamran Abid
- Faculty of Technology Management and Business (FPTP), Universiti Tun Hussein Onn Malaysia, 86400 Parit Raja, Batu Pahat, Johor, Malaysia
| | - Noralfishah Sulaiman
- Faculty of Technology Management and Business (FPTP), Universiti Tun Hussein Onn Malaysia, 86400 Parit Raja, Batu Pahat, Johor, Malaysia
| | - Umber Nazir
- Faculty of Technology Management and Business (FPTP), Universiti Tun Hussein Onn Malaysia, 86400 Parit Raja, Batu Pahat, Johor, Malaysia
| | - Kamran Azam
- Faculty of Social & Administrative Science, Department of Management Sciences, The University of Haripur, Hattar Road Near Swat Chowk Haripur, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan
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Assessment and Prediction of Water Resources Vulnerability Based on a NRS-RF Model: A Case Study of the Song-Liao River Basin, China. ENTROPY 2021; 23:e23070882. [PMID: 34356423 PMCID: PMC8305098 DOI: 10.3390/e23070882] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/11/2021] [Revised: 07/09/2021] [Accepted: 07/10/2021] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
The vulnerability of water resources is an important criterion for evaluating the carrying capacity of water resources systems under the influence of climate change and human activities. Moreover, assessment and prediction of river basins’ water resources vulnerability are important means to assess the water resources security state of river basins and identify possible problems in future water resources systems. Based on the constructed indicator system of water resources vulnerability assessment in Song-Liao River Basin, this paper uses the neighborhood rough set (abbreviated as NRS) method to reduce the dimensionality of the original indicator system to remove redundant attributes. Then, assessment indicators’ standard values after dimensionality reduction are taken as the evaluation sample, and the random forest regression (abbreviated as RF) model is used to assess the water resources vulnerability of the river basin. Finally, based on data under three different future climate and socio-economic scenarios, scenario predictions are made on the vulnerability of future water resources. The results show that the overall water resources vulnerability of the Song-Liao River Basin has not improved significantly in the past 18 years, and the overall vulnerability of the Song-Liao River Basin is in the level V of moderate to high vulnerability. In the future scenario 1, the overall water resources vulnerability of the river basin will improve, and it is expected to achieve an improvement to the level III of moderate to low vulnerability. At the same time, the natural vulnerability and vulnerability of carrying capacity will increase significantly in the future, and the man-made vulnerability will increase slowly, which will deteriorate to the level V of moderate to high vulnerability under Scenario 3. Therefore, taking active measures can significantly reduce the vulnerability of nature and carrying capacity, but man-made vulnerability will become a bottleneck restricting the fragility of the overall water resources of the river basin in the future.
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New Approach to Assess Multi-Scale Coastal Landscape Vulnerability to Erosion in Tropical Storms in Vietnam. SUSTAINABILITY 2021. [DOI: 10.3390/su13021004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
The increase of coastal erosion due to intense tropical storms and unsustainable urban development in Vietnam demands vulnerability assessments at different research scales. This study proposes (1) a new approach to classify coastlines and (2) suitable criteria to evaluate coastal vulnerability index (CVI) at national and regional/local scales. At the national scale, the Vietnamese coastline was separated into 72 cells from 8 coast types based on natural features, whereas the Center region of Vietnam was separated into 495 cells from 41 coast types based on both natural and socio-economic features. The assessments were carried out by using 17 criteria related to local land use/cover, socio-economic, and natural datasets. Some simplified variables for CVI calculation at the national scale were replaced by quantitative variables at regional/local scales, particularly geomorphology and socio-economic variables. As a result, more than 20% of Vietnam’s coastline has high CVI values, significantly more than 350 km of the coasts in the center part. The coastal landscapes with residential and tourism lands close to the beaches without protection forests have been strongly affected by storms’ erosion. The new approach is cost-effective in data use and processing and is ideal for identifying and evaluating the CVI index at different scales.
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STEM Education in Secondary Schools: Teachers’ Perspective towards Sustainable Development. SUSTAINABILITY 2020. [DOI: 10.3390/su12218865] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/01/2023]
Abstract
Young people are the future of society and agents for social change, and so it is crucial to provide education that not only equips them with knowledge and skills but also changes their attitudes and behavior towards sustainable development. This study provides a review on how pedagogical approaches in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education can be deployed to teach concepts of sustainability. It also shows how secondary school teachers perceived STEM education and how they applied integrated STEM disciplines in designing projects to address development issues in Vietnam. Seventy-seven STEM teaching projects of teachers across the country were analysed, and interviews were conducted with 635 teachers who participated in the STEM program. Teachers valued STEM education and were willing to apply constructivist pedagogical methods to help solve the real-world problems. It is hoped that an integrated STEM approach can transform education into an innovative and inclusive education for social equity and sustainable development.
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