Sustainability

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15 pages, 3260 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Mitigating the Impact of Harmful Algal Blooms on Aquaculture Using Technological Interventions: Case Study on a South African Farm

by Tahmina Ajmal, Fazeel Mohammed, Martin S. Goodchild, Jipsy Sudarsanan and Sarah Halse

Sustainability 2024, 16(9), 3650; https://doi.org/10.3390/su16093650 - 26 Apr 2024

Viewed by 392

Abstract

Seafood, especially from the ocean, is now seen as a greener and more sustainable source of protein, causing an increase in its demand. This has also led to people making choices towards seafood as a replacement for carbon-intensive protein sources. As a result, [...] Read more.

Seafood, especially from the ocean, is now seen as a greener and more sustainable source of protein, causing an increase in its demand. This has also led to people making choices towards seafood as a replacement for carbon-intensive protein sources. As a result, the demand for seafood is growing, and as the aquaculture industry looks to increase production, keeping products safe and sustainable is imperative. There are many challenges faced by the aquaculture industry in meeting these increased demands. One such challenge is the presence of harmful algal blooms (HABs) in the ocean, which can have a major impact on aquatic life. In this paper, we look at the impact of this challenge on aquaculture and monitoring strategies whilst illustrating the potential for technological interventions to help mitigate the impact of an HAB. We will focus on Abagold Limited, a land-based marine aquaculture business that specialises in the large-scale production of abalone (Haliotis midae) based in Hermanus, South Africa. HABs are considered a threat to commercial-scale abalone farming along the South African coastline and require continuous monitoring. The most recent HAB was in February–April 2019, when the area experienced a severe red-tide event with blooms of predominantly Lingulodinium polyedrum. We present some of the monitoring strategies employing digital technologies to future-proof the industry. This article presents the development of a novel hybrid water quality forecasting model based on a TriLux multi-parameter sensor to monitor key water quality parameters. The actual experimental real water quality data from Abagold Limited show a good correlation as a basis for a forecasting model which would be a useful tool for the management of HABs in the aquaculture industry. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainability in Water Resources, Water Quality, and Architecture)

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18 pages, 4568 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Uncertainty Estimation in the Modeling of a Flood Wave Caused by a Dam Failure in a Hydropower System with Pumped Hydro Energy Storage

by Jūratė Kriaučiūnienė and Diana Šarauskienė

Sustainability 2024, 16(9), 3528; https://doi.org/10.3390/su16093528 - 23 Apr 2024

Viewed by 283

Abstract

Future global sustainability depends heavily on the development of renewable energy. The object of this study is a system of two plants (Kaunas hydropower plant (HP) and Kruonis pumped-storage hydropower plant) and upper and lower reservoirs. A possible dam failure accident in such [...] Read more.

Future global sustainability depends heavily on the development of renewable energy. The object of this study is a system of two plants (Kaunas hydropower plant (HP) and Kruonis pumped-storage hydropower plant) and upper and lower reservoirs. A possible dam failure accident in such an important system can endanger the population of Kaunas City. The methodology for estimating dam-failure-induced flood wave uncertainty included scenarios of the upper reservoir embankment failure hydrographs, modeling flood wave spreading (MIKE 21 hydrodynamic model), and estimating wave heights. The GRS methodology was selected to assess the uncertainty of flood wave modeling results and the sensitivity of hydrodynamic model parameters. The findings revealed that the discharge values of the Nemunas inflow and outflow through the HP outlets are the most important parameters determining the greatest height of the flood wave. Therefore, by correctly managing the amount of water in the upper reservoir, it would be possible to prevent the lower reservoir dam from breaking. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainability in Water Resources, Water Quality, and Architecture)

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18 pages, 12084 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Characteristics and Estimation of Dew in the Loess Hilly Region of Northern Shaanxi Province, China

by Zhifeng Jia, Yingjie Chang, Hao Liu, Ge Li, Zilong Guan, Xingchen Zhang, Ruru Xi, Pengcheng Liu and Yu Liu

Sustainability 2024, 16(6), 2482; https://doi.org/10.3390/su16062482 - 17 Mar 2024

Viewed by 534

Abstract

As a non-precipitation water source, dew is important for plant and animal survival and crop production in arid and water-scarce areas. This study assessed the amount of dew in a dry zone in a long-term (2016 to 2022) field observation experiment at the [...] Read more.

As a non-precipitation water source, dew is important for plant and animal survival and crop production in arid and water-scarce areas. This study assessed the amount of dew in a dry zone in a long-term (2016 to 2022) field observation experiment at the Ansai Experimental Station, a typical loess hilly area in China. Dew primarily occurred in summer and autumn, with a frequency of >50%. The average annual dew amount was 29.20 mm, with an average annual rainfall of 641.8 mm. The average annual dew-to-rain ratio was 4.58%, and the average annual number of dew days was 143.6 d/a. The surface soil moisture content increased by approximately 1.02% with increasing dew amounts. The change in the soil moisture at a 5 cm depth was 0.14% on average and lagged substantially by 1 h. Using the Beysens model, the annual estimated and measured dew amounts in 2022 were 25.27 and 29.84 mm, respectively, and the annual normalized root mean square deviation (NRMSD) was 0.17. Thus, the Beysens model evaluated the dew amount in the study area well at the monthly and annual scales. The quantification of dew resources can provide support for the development, utilization, and management of limited water resources in arid areas, promoting more accurate decision-making for the sustainable development of water resources in the future. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainability in Water Resources, Water Quality, and Architecture)

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21 pages, 4186 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Development of Resilience Framework and Respective Tool for Urban Stormwater Services

by João Barreiro, Filipa Ferreira, Rita Salgado Brito and José Saldanha Matos

Sustainability 2024, 16(3), 1316; https://doi.org/10.3390/su16031316 - 04 Feb 2024

Viewed by 685

Abstract

Resilience theory has gained significant traction in various urban fields, including natural disasters and risk management or climate change adaptation, and at different organizational levels, including academics, practitioners, and policymakers. It should be considered a complementary approach to sustainable development that enhances cities’ [...] Read more.

Resilience theory has gained significant traction in various urban fields, including natural disasters and risk management or climate change adaptation, and at different organizational levels, including academics, practitioners, and policymakers. It should be considered a complementary approach to sustainable development that enhances cities’ capacity to endure future uncertainties and promote rational urban development. However, the lack of a generally accepted definition of resilience hampers understanding and practical implementation in urban services like stormwater management. Conventionally, stormwater services aimed to minimize the impact of rainfall through fail-safe approaches. The resilience approach, on the other hand, embraces a holistic “safe-to-fail” perspective. The existing literature offers diverse approaches to measure flood and stormwater resilience. Still, there is room for the development and improvement of standardized but flexible frameworks for operationalizing resilience in urban drainage and flood management. To address this, a comprehensive resilience framework for urban stormwater services is proposed, entitled RESILISTORM. This framework incorporates a Strategic Dimension and a Performance Dimension, providing segmented and overall resilience ratings that enable utilities to address critical aspects undermining the service’s resilience. An open-source digital tool (RESILISTORM-tool) is also introduced to expedite answering, data integration, and visualization analysis of results. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainability in Water Resources, Water Quality, and Architecture)

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21 pages, 13689 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Using Remote Sensing to Assess the Vegetation Cover of a Protected Salt Marsh Subjected to Artificial Recharge and Groundwater Abstractions during the Period 1925–2022 (Alicante, SE Spain)

by José Marín Salcedo, Iván Alhama, Manuel Alcaraz, José Álvarez-Rogel and José Antonio Jiménez-Valera

Sustainability 2024, 16(3), 973; https://doi.org/10.3390/su16030973 - 23 Jan 2024

Viewed by 718

Abstract

The Agua Amarga salt marsh has been subjected to artificial seawater recharge on its surface during the period 1925–1969 for industrial purposes (saltwork activity) and from 2008 to present to compensate for coastal groundwater abstraction to supply Alicante desalination plants. This groundwater abstraction [...] Read more.

The Agua Amarga salt marsh has been subjected to artificial seawater recharge on its surface during the period 1925–1969 for industrial purposes (saltwork activity) and from 2008 to present to compensate for coastal groundwater abstraction to supply Alicante desalination plants. This groundwater abstraction has caused piezometric depletion in the coastal aquifer connected to the protected salt marsh. The seawater recharge program also involved vegetation monitoring to control the impact on the salt marsh ecosystem, allowing data to be collected about the halophyte vegetation species growing in the salt marsh (Arthrocnemum macrostachyum, Sarcocornia fruticosa, and Ruppia maritima, among others) from spring and autumn field surveys. In this work, vegetation development is assessed with remote sensing for the period 1929–2022 using images with visible and near-infrared spectral resolution. Different spectral indices (NDVI, BI, and NDWI) and classification algorithms (random forest) are used to calculate the vegetation cover. Field data are employed to evaluate the protocols and compare the results, showing a 46% decrease caused by the salt works and a 50% increase as a result of natural evolution and artificial recharge. The spread of Phragmites australis is also addressed by comparing LiDAR data with field monitoring, showing an increase of 12% during the period 2005–2023. The advantages and complementarity of field monitoring and remote sensing information are explained. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainability in Water Resources, Water Quality, and Architecture)

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18 pages, 3009 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Warming Climate-Induced Changes in Lithuanian River Ice Phenology

by Diana Šarauskienė, Darius Jakimavičius, Aldona Jurgelėnaitė and Jūratė Kriaučiūnienė

Sustainability 2024, 16(2), 725; https://doi.org/10.3390/su16020725 - 14 Jan 2024

Viewed by 651

Abstract

Due to rising surface air temperatures, river ice is shrinking dramatically in the Northern Hemisphere. Ice cover during the cold season causes fundamental changes in river ecosystems and has important implications for nearby communities and industries. Changes caused by climate warming, therefore, affect [...] Read more.

Due to rising surface air temperatures, river ice is shrinking dramatically in the Northern Hemisphere. Ice cover during the cold season causes fundamental changes in river ecosystems and has important implications for nearby communities and industries. Changes caused by climate warming, therefore, affect the sustainability of key resources, livelihoods, and traditional practices. Thus far, too little attention has been paid to research into the phenomenon of river ice in the Baltic States. Since the observational data of the last sixty years are currently available, we took advantage of the unique opportunity to assess ice regime changes in the gauged rivers by comparing two climatological standard normals. By applying statistical methods (Mann–Kendall, Pettitt, SNHT, Buishand, von Neumann, and Wilcoxon rank sum tests), this study determined drastic changes in ice phenology parameters (freeze-up date, ice break-up date, and ice cover duration) of Lithuanian rivers in the last thirty-year period. The dependence of the selected parameters on local climatic factors and large-scale atmospheric circulation patterns was identified. It was established that the sum of negative air temperatures, as well as the North Atlantic Oscillation, East Atlantic, and Arctic Oscillation indices, have the greatest influence on the ice regime of Lithuanian rivers. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainability in Water Resources, Water Quality, and Architecture)

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16 pages, 1872 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Preliminary Study of the Occurrence of Microplastics in the Sediments of the Rzeszów Reservoir Using the Laser Direct Infrared (LDIR) Method

by Wojciech Strojny, Renata Gruca-Rokosz and Maksymilian Cieśla

Sustainability 2023, 15(24), 16653; https://doi.org/10.3390/su152416653 - 07 Dec 2023

Viewed by 1058

Abstract

This paper reports preliminary findings on microplastic (MP) presence in Rzeszów Reservoir sediment, Poland, considering ecotoxicological risks. Sediment samples were collected from three shoreline stations, and a custom density-based method was used for MP extraction. The extracted pollutants were identified using the Laser [...] Read more.

This paper reports preliminary findings on microplastic (MP) presence in Rzeszów Reservoir sediment, Poland, considering ecotoxicological risks. Sediment samples were collected from three shoreline stations, and a custom density-based method was used for MP extraction. The extracted pollutants were identified using the Laser Direct Infrared (LDIR) method, both quantitatively and qualitatively. At stations R1, R2, and R3, a contamination of 120,000, 70,000, and 7500 MPs/kg of dry mass was determined. A total of nine types of plastics were identified: polypropylene (PP), polyamide (PA), polyethylene (PE), polystyrene (PS), polyurethane (PU), polyethylene terephthalate (PET), polyacrylonitrile (PAN), polyvinyl chloride (PVC), and rubber, with PU being the most prevalent. Spatial variation occurred in MP abundance, polymer diversity, and particle size. The station closest to the reservoir tributary was characterized by the highest abundance of MPs, the greatest variety of polymers, and the largest MPs. The calculated PHI (Polymer Hazard Index) indicated a very high ecotoxicological risk at all stations classified in the highest risk category V on a five-degree scale. Further research is needed to assess Rzeszów Reservoir’s MP contamination and its ecological consequences. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainability in Water Resources, Water Quality, and Architecture)

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15 pages, 1412 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Exploring the Applicability of Regression Models and Artificial Neural Networks for Calculating Reference Evapotranspiration in Arid Regions

by Mohamed K. Abdel-Fattah, Sameh Kotb Abd-Elmabod, Zhenhua Zhang and Abdel-Rhman M. A. Merwad

Sustainability 2023, 15(21), 15494; https://doi.org/10.3390/su152115494 - 31 Oct 2023

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 811

Abstract

Reference evapotranspiration (ET₀) is critical in agriculture and irrigation water management, particularly in arid and semi-arid regions. Our study aimed to develop an accurate and efficient model for estimating ET₀ using various climatic variables as predictors. This research evaluated two [...] Read more.

Reference evapotranspiration (ET₀) is critical in agriculture and irrigation water management, particularly in arid and semi-arid regions. Our study aimed to develop an accurate and efficient model for estimating ET₀ using various climatic variables as predictors. This research evaluated two model techniques, i.e., stepwise regression and artificial neural networks (ANNs), to identify the most effective model for calculating ET₀. The two models were developed and tested based on climate data obtained from the whole climatic station of Egypt. The CLIMWAT 2.0 program was used to acquire the climate data for Egypt from a total of 32 stations. This software is a dedicated meteorological database created specifically to work with the CROPWAT computer program. The models were developed using average climate data spanning 29 years, from 1991 to 2020. The obtained data were utilized to compute reference evapotranspiration using CROPWAT 8, based on the Penman–Monteith equation. The results showed that the ANN model demonstrated superior performance in ET₀ calculations compared to other methods, achieving a coefficient of determination (R²) of 0.99 and a mean absolute percentage error (MAPE) of 2.7%. In contrast, the stepwise model regression yielded an R² of 0.95 and an MAPE of 8.06. On the other hand, the most influential climatic variables were maximum temperature, humidity, solar radiation, and wind speed. The findings of this study could be applied in various fields, such as agriculture, irrigation, and crop water requirements, to optimize crop growth under limited water resources and global environmental changes. Furthermore, our study identifies the limitations and challenges of applying these models in arid regions, such as data availability constraints and model complexity. We discuss the need for more extensive and reliable datasets and suggest future research directions, including ensemble modeling, remote sensing data integration, and evaluating climate change’s impact on ET₀ estimation. Overall, this study contributes to the understanding of ET₀ estimation in arid regions and provides valuable insights into the applicability of regression models and ANNs. The superior performance of ANNs offers potential advancements in water resource management and agricultural planning, enabling more accurate and informed decision-making processes. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainability in Water Resources, Water Quality, and Architecture)

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