Developing a preliminary recharge model of the Nile Basin to help interpret GRACE data

GRACE data provides a new and exciting opportunity to gain a direct and independent measure of water mass variation on a regional scale, but the data must be combined with hydrological modelling to indicate in which part of the water cycle the mass change has occurred. Processing GRACE data through a series of spectral filters indicates a seasonal variation to gravity mass (±0.005 mGal) thought to relate to the downstream movement of water in the catchment, and delayed storage from groundwater, following the wet season in the upper catchment. To help interpret these data a groundwater recharge model was developed for the Nile Catchment using the model ZOODRM (a distributed modelling code for calculating spatial and temporal variations in groundwater recharge). ZOODRM was an appropriate model to use for this work, due to the lower data demands of the model, relative to other groundwater models, the ability of the model to use entirely remotely-sensed input data, and the added functionality of runoff routing. Rainfall (NOAA data) and ET data were sourced from the FEWS NET African Data Dissemination Service. Geological data was sourced from the digital geology map of the world, landuse data from the USGS and the DEM data from ESRI. Initial model results indicate groundwater recharge across the basin of 0-4mma-1, with obvious considerable spatial variability. The results indicate the importance of groundwater in storing rainfall, and releasing it slowly throughout the year in different parts of the catchment. Only by modelling this process can GRACE data be reliably interpreted hydrologically. Despite only a qualitative interpretation of the GRACE data having been achieved within this preliminary study, the work has indicated that the ZOODRM model can be used with entirely remotely-sensed data, and that sufficient data exists for the Nile Basin to construct a plausible recharge model. Future work is now required to properly calibrate the model to enable closer comparison of the Nile GRACE data

York City Environmental Observatory : WP4 model integration

This work is produced as part of the York Urban Living Pilot (ULP) project an RCUK funded project to develop the York City Environmental Observatory (YCEO). The project is led by York University with York City Council as lead partners and other organisations including BGS. Split into a number of Work Packages (WPs), WP4 aims to set out the design for the implementation phase of the YCEO. This report forms part of the deliverables of WP4 and is concerned with model integration and aims to determine which models are available for the York area and how they could be integrated into the YCEO. The information was obtained by internet searches, literature review, and investigating known projects to determine: a) what models are out there and b) how model integration could be undertaken Evidence showed limited metadata for models of the York area, even though there is knowledge of models available. There is also limited examples of model integration platforms in the “smart city” context or even urban environments. However, exemplars exist including predictive analytics built on open data platforms and workflow approaches such as the Innovate UK funded Tombolo project. Application programming Interfaces (APIs) also offer possibilities in the UK with the Met Office and the Environment Agency making both observed data and model forecasts available via this method. A simple example is presented using APIs to determine when it is safe to row ont eh River Ouse, York. Model integration is problematic, but it can take many forms and Tombolo offers the opportunity to enable pre-formed solutions to be made available. The YCEO model platform should be based on pre-formed solutions using the Tombolo approach with semantic reasoning at its basis

Recharge modelling for the West Bank aquifers.

Recharge can take two main forms, direct recharge from rainfall infiltrating the ground or indirect recharge from leakage from wadi beds. The recharge processes operating in the West Bank can be summarised as rainfall recharge, wadi recharge, urban recharge processes and irrigation losses. Rainfall recharge is the predominant form of recharge, whilst wadi recharge, urban and irrigation losses are only minor components. However, these minor components can be locally important. The recharge processes operating in the Wadi Natuf catchment are varied and complex. The four main geological strata through which recharge takes place are: • Jerusalam • Upper Lower Beit Kahil • Lower Beit Kahil • Hebron The main aquifer units are karstic which receive recharge once a wetting threshold is exceeded. This assumption is supported by field observations (Messerschmid, 2003) and a field experiment close to the study area (Lange et al., 2003). Other minor aquifers receive recharge and distribute water laterally to springs. Flow from springs, if not used for water supply or irrigation, can then be routed to other aquifer units or as loss from wadis. High intensity rainfall can produce overland runoff and wadi flow. Flowing wadis loose water to all but the Yatta formation. Recharge can, therefore, occur by two methods, direct infiltration from rainfall and from losses from wadi beds. There are four main recharge processes operating in the aquifers of the West Bank; 1. Direct recharge from rainfall 2. Indirect recharge from wadi losses 3. Recharge from urban water supply and waste water proceses 4. Recharge from irrigation losses The difference between rainfall and potential evaporation, known as effective rainfall, is the main control on direct recharge from rainfall. Rainfall is greatest in the north and west whereas potential evaporation is the highest in the south and east. The greatest potential for rainfall recharge is, therefore, in the north and west. Soil cover also controls the amount of rainfall recharge and is highly variable over the West Bank. In particular, the main soil types have patchy coverage, over only 30-50 % of the ground surface, the rest being bare rock. The patchiness of the soil means that soil moisture is not developed in the same way as for soils with uniform coverage. To determine the rainfall recharge mechanisms operating in the West Bank, a combination of factors such as rainfall, potential evaporation, soil cover, land use, etc need to be assessed. Combining these factors mean that recharge processes based on soil moisture are most likely to be operating in the north-west of the West Bank. Elsewhere, direct recharge will be based on how the soil and rocks combined as single system respond to the balance between rainfall and evaporation (e.g. Lange et al., 2003). Indirect recharge occurs due to wadi flows over the whole of the West Bank. Runoff from intense rainfall events will collect in valley bottoms and create surface water flows. Recharge from wadi beds will form the predominant source of recharge in the south and east of the West Bank, where the climate is more arid. Urban recharge processes reflect leakage from pipes and sewers and increased runoff from paved surfaces, roofs, roads, etc. The enhanced runoff in the urban environment is routed to wadis and enhances flows after rainstorms. This can increase indirect recharge from wadi beds. Losses from irrigation systems can enhance recharge. The main areas for irrigation are the north-west of the West Bank, in the vicinity of Jericho and the Upper Jordan Valley. A significant amount of work has been undertaken on calculating recharge to the aquifers in the West Bank and in the Western Aquifer Basin by measuring discharge and abstraction as a surrogate for recharge. However, most of the estimates rely on empirical relationships between annual rainfall and recharge. Estimates undertaken using an empirical method are not physically based, but nonetheless can be used as a guide to determine whether the recharge calculated by the modelling are realistic. The estimates for the Western Aquifer Basin are around 350 Mm3 a-1 and 800 Mm3 a-1 for the West Bank as a whole. To enable recharge to be calculated using a physical basis over aquifer outcrops, a distributed recharge model has been developed and tested. An existing object-oriented groundwater flow model has been adapted from an existing code. An object-oriented approach was chosen to enable a range of recharge mechanisms to be incorporated easily into the model. Recharge is calculated at a node, which is held on a grid and enables a distributed recharge estimate to be undertaken. Four types of recharge node can be specified; soil moisture balance method, wetting threshold, urban recharge process and irrigation losses. In addition to these mechanisms, runoff routing to wadis and subsequent infiltration is implemented

3D attributed models for addressing environmental and engineering geoscience problems in areas of urban regeneration : a case study in Glasgow, UK

The City of Glasgow is situated on and around the lower floodplain and inner estuary of the River Clyde in the west of Scotland, UK. Glasgow’s urban hinterland once was one of Europe’s leading centres of heavy industry, and of ship building in particular. The industries were originally fed by locally mined coal and ironstone. In common with many European cities, the heavy industries declined and Glasgow was left with a legacy of industrial dereliction, widespread undermining, and extensive vacant and contaminated sites, some the infilled sites of clay pits and sand and gravel workings

Eden Valley observation boreholes : hydrogeological framework and groundwater level time series analysis

This report summarises the analysis of groundwater level data from 26 boreholes in the Eden Valley, Cumbria. By undertaking a statistical analysis on 18 of these boreholes greater insight into the hydrogeology has been obtained. The work is presented to build a foundation on which greater analysis can be undertaken

A Market in Career? Evidence and Issues

This paper, originally prepared for the Department for education and Skills (DfES) Engaging Adults in Learning Unit, examines the potential application of market principles to the delivery of career guidance in the UK. In particular, it explores the extent to which this could be an effective means of meeting the public interest in expanding provision without making excessive demands on the public purse. The paper includes a review of the international context, a historical review of relevant policy in the UK, and the results of an initial mapping of the current UK market in career guidance provision. The paper was discussed at an invitational consultation event held in March 2005: a summary of the main points from the discussions at this event are included in an annex

Tension over equitable allocation of water : estimating renewable groundwater resources beneath the West Bank and Israel

Competition for water resources between Palestine and Israel is an ongoing cause of tension. The Western Aquifer Basin forms a major part of the complex, largely karst, limestone system of the West Bank Mountain Aquifer. The aquifer crops out and is recharged solely in the semi-arid uplands of the West Bank and groundwater flows west beneath Israel to discharge at the Yarqon and Nahal Taninim springs near the Mediterranean coast. Annual recharge to the aquifer is not easy to quantify but lies within the range 270×106 to 455×106 m3 a−1, and current uncertainties do not support definition of a single value of long-term average recharge. The resource is heavily exploited and abstraction is directly controlled and apportioned between Israel and the West Bank by Israel. The key to equitable apportionment is the determination of the long-term average recharge to the basin, which also requires definition of the eastern boundary of the basin to confirm the recharge area. Calculations include empirical formulae and process-based models that are likely to constrain the best estimate provided that there is appropriate, ongoing monitoring. Improved understanding can then be fed back into the model

Couplers for linking environmental models: scoping study and potential next steps

This report scopes out what couplers there are available in the hydrology and atmospheric modelling fields. The work reported here examines both dynamic runtime and one way file based coupling. Based on a review of the peer-reviewed literature and other open sources, there are a plethora of coupling technologies and standards relating to file formats. The available approaches have been evaluated against criteria developed as part of the DREAM project. Based on these investigations, the following recommendations are made: • The most promising dynamic coupling technologies for use within BGS are OpenMI 2.0 and CSDMS (either 1.0 or 2.0) • Investigate the use of workflow engines: Trident and Pyxis, the latter as part of the TSB/AHRC project “Confluence” • There is a need to include database standards CSW and GDAL and use data formats from the climate community NetCDF and CF standards. • Development of a “standard” composition which will consist of two process models and a 3D geological model all linked to data stored in the BGS corporate database and flat file format. Web Feature Services should be included in these compositions. There is also a need to investigate other approaches in different disciplines: The Loss Modelling Framework, OASIS-LMF is the best candidate

Alterations in the self-renewal and differentiation ability of bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells in a mouse model of rheumatoid arthritis

Introduction: Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic systemic autoimmune disease primarily involving the synovium. Evidence in recent years has suggested that the bone marrow (BM) may be involved, and may even be the initiating site of the disease. Abnormalities in haemopoietic stem cells' (HSC) survival, proliferation and aging have been described in patients affected by RA and ascribed to abnormal support by the BM microenvironment. Mesenchymal stem cells (MSC) and their progeny constitute important components of the BM niche. In this study we test the hypothesis that the onset of inflammatory arthritis is associated with altered self-renewal and differentiation of bone marrow MSC, which alters the composition of the BM microenvironment. Methods: We have used Balb/C Interleukin-1 receptor antagonist knock-out mice, which spontaneously develop RA-like disease in 100% of mice by 20 weeks of age to determine the number of mesenchymal progenitors and their differentiated progeny before, at the start and with progression of the disease. Results: We showed a decrease in the number of mesenchymal progenitors with adipogenic potential and decreased bone marrow adipogenesis before disease onset. This is associated with a decrease in osteoclastogenesis. Moreover, at the onset of disease a significant increase in all mesenchymal progenitors is observed together with a block in their differentiation to osteoblasts. This is associated with accelerated bone loss. Conclusions: Significant changes occur in the BM niche with the establishment and progression of RA-like disease. Those changes may be responsible for aspects of the disease, including the advance of osteoporosis. An understanding of the molecular mechanisms leading to those changes may lead to new strategies for therapeutic intervention

The development of linked databases and environmental modelling systems for decision-making in London

A basic requirement for a city's growth is the availability of land, raw material and water. For continued and sustainable development of today’s cities we must be able to meet these basic requirements whilst being mindful of the environment and its relationship with anthropogenic activity. The heterogeneous and complex nature of urban systems where there are obvious environmental and anthropogenic inter-dependencies necessitates a more holistic approach to decision-making. New developments such as linked databases of environmental data and integrated environmental modelling systems provide new ways of organising cross-disciplinary information and a means to apply this to explain, explore and predict the urban systems response to environmental change. In this paper we show how, accessibility to linked databases, detailed understanding of the geology and integrated environmental modelling solutions has the potential to provide decision-makers and policy developers with the science based information needed to understand and address these challenges