Aquifer recharge from intensively irrigated farmland: several approaches

En las últimas décadas la literatura se ha centrado en la estimación de la recarga natural y los parámetros que la controlan, incluyendo clima, vegetación, suelo, y topografía. Por el contrario, pocos son los trabajos centrados en la recarga de acuíferos a partir de zonas cultivadas intensamente regadas. Aunque estos han mejorado la compresión sobre el proceso de recarga, todavía resultan incompletos a la hora de estimarla a partir del mencionado uso de suelo. En este contexto, los objetivos de esta tesis son: (i) mejorar la compresión de la recarga a partir de zonas intensamente regadas, y (ii) proporcionar nuevas herramientas para su caracterización. Algunas de las metodologías proporcionadas pueden ser fácilmente reproducidas por profesionales para inferir información cuantitativa. Ensayos en campo, incluyendo diferentes tipos de cultivo y prácticas agrícolas, son llevados a cabo en al área del Campo de Cartagena, sureste de España, una región semi-árida donde la agricultura intensiva es el principal uso de suelo. El desarrollo de metodologías con observaciones en el medio saturado y no saturado, junto con la modelación numérica, fueron usados para mejorar la compresión de los procesos que controlan la recarga a partir de zonas intensamente regadas. Las aproximaciones desarrolladas pueden ser resumidas como sigue: Ensayo de campo a lo largo de seiscientos días bajo cultivos hortícolas anuales y riego por goteo. La distribución del contenido de agua en la zona de raíces y bajo esta fue simulada considerando un modelo de flujo no saturado. El contenido de agua y la succión fueron medidos a diferentes profundidades y empleados para la calibración y validación del modelo. Ensayo de trazador (tritio) en campo en una parcela experimental con riego por goteo y cultivos hortícolas anuales durante cuatrocientos treinta días. El movimiento de trazador a lo largo del perfil de suelo fue simulado considerando transporte multifásico. Los perfiles de concentración de trazador, a partir de un espaciado y limitado número de muestras destructivas, fueron usados para calibrar y validar el modelo. Experimento de larga duración (nueve años hidrológicos) para diferentes tipos de cultivo: cultivos hortícolas anuales, cultivos hortícolas perennes y árboles frutales. La recarga producida por cada tipo de cultivo fue estimada a partir del balance de agua en suelo, zona no saturada y acuífero. Las fluctuaciones del nivel freático registradas a lo largo del mencionado periodo fueron usadas para calibrar y validar el modelo. Esta experiencia permitió evaluar la fiabilidad de las estimaciones de recarga a partir de las otras dos metodologías previas (a corto plazo) para el tipo de cultivo coincidente (cultivos hortícolas anuales). Para las tres aproximaciones, el cubrimiento de suelo por las plantas y el crecimiento de raíces han sido incluidos en la condición de contorno superior. La evapotranspiración se ha dividido en evaporación y transpiración como una función del índice de área de hoja, y es limitada por el contenido de agua en el suelo. La transpiración a su vez ha sido distribuida a través del perfil de suelo como una función del contenido de agua y profundidad de raíces. Valores similares de recarga han sido obtenidos a partir de las tres técnicas, aunque el modelo de flujo no saturado la sobreestima ligeramente. La evapotranspiración real fue siempre más baja que la potencial, ya que el contenido de agua en suelo fue insuficiente para mantener la extracción de agua por parte de las raíces, a pesar de la alta frecuencia de riego. Aunque las prácticas agrícolas por parte de los agricultores son las correctas, con una alta eficiencia de riego, se obtuvieron altos valores de recarga. La lluvia es distribuida de manera irregular en unos pocos eventos intensivos, algo por otro lado muy común en regiones semi-áridas, lo que contribuye de manera significativa a la percolación profunda, debido al constante alto contenido de humedad en el suelo.In the past decades a large body of literature has focused on the assessment of the natural recharge and parameters of control (including climate, vegetation, soils, and topography). On the contrary, only few papers focused on aquifer recharge from intensively irrigated farmland. Although findings have improved the understanding of recharge phenomena, they still fail to characterize many features of aquifer recharge from the mentioned land use. In this context, the aims of this thesis are: (i) to improve the understanding of aquifer recharge from intensively irrigated farmland, and (ii) to provide new tools for its characterization. Also, this thesis provides a framework that can be easily used by practitioners to infer quantitative information. Field tests, including different crop types and agricultural management, were carried out in the Campo de Cartagena area of southeast Spain, a semi-arid region where intensive irrigated agriculture is prevalent. The development of methodologies, with field observations in both saturated and unsaturated media, along with the application of numerical modelling were used to understand the processes governing the recharge from irrigated farmland. The developed approaches can be summarized as follows: A field experiment with annual row crops and drip irrigation. Soil moisture dynamics through the root zone and below were simulated from unsaturated flow approach. Soil moisture and pressure head data at different depths were recorded along six hundred days for model calibration and prediction. A tracer test (tritium) in field along four hundred thirty days. The test was carried out in an experimental plot with drip irrigation and annual row crops. The tracer transport in soil was simulated considering a multiphase approach. Tracer concentration profiles, from a limited and sparse number of destructive samples, were used to calibrate and validate the modelling approach. A long-term field experiment (based on nine hydrologic years) for different crop types, annual row crops, perennial vegetables and fruit trees. The recharge produced from each crop type was estimated from a water balance approach, including soil, vadose zone and aquifer. Water table fluctuations, recorded along the mentioned period, were used for model calibration and predictions. This long-term approach permits to evaluate recharge estimates reliability of the two previous methodologies (short-term) for the type of crop overlapped (annual row crops). For the three approaches, ground cover and root depth are assumed as upper boundary conditions. Evapotranspiration is allocated to evaporation and transpiration as a function of leaf-area-index and is limited by soil moisture content; transpiration is distributed through the soil profile as a function of soil moisture and root depth. Similar recharge values have been obtained from the three techniques, although the unsaturated flow approach slightly overestimates values. Actual evapotranspiration was always lower than potential evapotranspiration, because soil moisture was insufficient to sustain the potential uptake, despite high irrigation frequency. Although the agricultural practices from farmers are sound, high irrigation efficiency, high recharge values are achieved. Rainfall is unevenly distributed into a few intensive events, likewise very common in semi-arid regions, and it meaningfully contributes to deep percolation, due to consistently high soil water content.Postprint (published version

A New Route of Valorization of Petrochemical Wastewater: Recovery of 1,3,5-Tris (4-tert-butyl-3-hydroxy-2,6-dimethyl benzyl)¿1,3,5-triazine-2,4,6-(1H,3H,5H)-trione (Cyanox 1790) and Its Subsequent Application in a PP Matrix to Improve Its Thermal Stability

[EN] The various chemicals in industrial wastewater can be beneficial for improving its circularity. If extraction methods are used to capture valuable components from the wastewater and then recirculate them throughout the process, the potential of the wastewater can be fully exploited. In this study, wastewater produced after the polypropylene deodorization process was evaluated. These waters remove the remains of the additives used to create the resin. With this recovery, contamination of the water bodies is avoided, and the polymer production process becomes more circular. The phenolic component was recovered by solid-phase extraction and HPLC, with a recovery rate of over 95%. FTIR and DSC were used to evaluate the purity of the extracted compound. After the phenolic compound was applied to the resin and its thermal stability was analyzed via TGA, the compound's efficacy was finally determined. The results showed that the recovered additive improves the thermal qualities of the material.This research was partially funded by the Ministry of Science, Innovation, and Universities (MICIU) project number MAT2017-84909-C2-2-R Nanolignin.Hernández-Fernández, J.; Ortega-Toro, R.; López-Martínez, J. (2023). A New Route of Valorization of Petrochemical Wastewater: Recovery of 1,3,5-Tris (4-tert-butyl-3-hydroxy-2,6-dimethyl benzyl)¿1,3,5-triazine-2,4,6-(1H,3H,5H)-trione (Cyanox 1790) and Its Subsequent Application in a PP Matrix to Improve Its Thermal Stability. Molecules. 28(5). https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules2805200328

Seismic hazards of the Iberian Peninsula - evaluation with Kernel functions

The seismic hazard of the Iberian Peninsula is analysed using a nonparametric methodology based on statistical kernel functions; the activity rate is derived from the catalogue data, both its spatial dependence (without a seismogenetic zonation) and its magnitude dependence (without using Gutenberg–Richter's law). The catalogue is that of the Instituto Geográfico Nacional, supplemented with other catalogues around the periphery; the quantification of events has been homogenised and spatially or temporally interrelated events have been suppressed to assume a Poisson process. The activity rate is determined by the kernel function, the bandwidth and the effective periods. The resulting rate is compared with that produced using Gutenberg–Richter statistics and a zoned approach. Three attenuation laws have been employed, one for deep sources and two for shallower events, depending on whether their magnitude was above or below 5. The results are presented as seismic hazard maps for different spectral frequencies and for return periods of 475 and 2475 yr, which allows constructing uniform hazard spectra

La competencia digital en el bachillerato: evolución del concepto (2017-2023)

In 2013, the DigComp reference framework established a new way of understanding digital competences that has permeated the formal education processes in the countries of the European Union. In Spain, the different regulations governing pre-university education have incorporated digital competence as one of the "key" competences that students must attain in order to become fully educated, critical citizens, prepared for professional and academic life.  In university settings, these competences are necessary for academic success. Based on previous research into the informational behaviour of Spanish Baccalaureate students, diagnosing their digital and information competences, this paper analyses the evolution of this concept, which has evolved strategically after the different periods of confinement of the academic community due to the global pandemic COVID-19, when both teachers and students had to use more digital forms of teaching and learning.El marco de referencia DigComp estableció en 2013 una nueva forma de entender las competencias digitales que ha impregnado los procesos de enseñanza reglada de los países de la Unión Europea. En España, las diferentes normativas que regulan las enseñanzas previas a la universidad han incorporado la competencia digital como una de las competencias “clave” que los estudiantes deben alcanzar para convertirse en ciudadanos plenamente formados, críticos y preparados para la vida profesional y académica.  En los ámbitos universitarios, estas competencias son necesarias para poder alcanzar el éxito académico. A partir de una investigación previa del comportamiento informacional de los estudiantes de Bachillerato en España, diagnosticando sus competencias digitales e informacionales, en este trabajo se lleva a cabo un análisis de cómo ha evolucionado este concepto, que ha trascendido en estratégico tras los distintos períodos de confinamiento que ha tenido la comunidad académica a causa de la pandemia mundial COVID-19, cuando tanto docentes como estudiantes tuvieron que emplear formas de enseñanza y aprendizaje más digitales

Urban Infrastructure Vulnerability to Climate-Induced Risks: A Probabilistic Modeling Approach Using Remote Sensing as a Tool in Urban Planning

[EN] In our contemporary cities, infrastructures face a diverse range of risks, including those caused by climatic events. The availability of monitoring technologies such as remote sensing has opened up new possibilities to address or mitigate these risks. Satellite images allow the analysis of terrain over time, fostering probabilistic models to support the adoption of data-driven urban planning. This study focuses on the exploration of various satellite data sources, including nighttime land surface temperature (LST) from Landsat-8, as well as ground motion data derived from techniques such as MT-InSAR, Sentinel-1, and the proximity of urban infrastructure to water. Using information from the Local Climate Zones (LCZs) and the current land use of each building in the study area, the economic and climatic implications of any changes in the current features of the soil are evaluated. Through the construction of a Bayesian Network model, synthetic datasets are generated to identify areas and quantify risk in Barcelona. The results of this model were also compared with a Multiple Linear Regression model, concluding that the use of the Bayesian Network model provides crucial information for urban managers. It enables adopting proactive measures to reduce negative impacts on infrastructures by reducing or eliminating possible urban disparities.This work has been funded by the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation through the PONT3 project Ref. PID2021-124236OB-C33 and through the grant PRE2019-087331 for the training of predoctoral researchers.Rodríguez-Antuñano, I.; Barros-González, B.; Martínez-Sánchez, J.; Riveiro, B. (2024). Urban Infrastructure Vulnerability to Climate-Induced Risks: A Probabilistic Modeling Approach Using Remote Sensing as a Tool in Urban Planning. Infrastructures. 9(7). https://doi.org/10.3390/infrastructures90701079

Strain and growth conditions may regulate resistance of Listeria monocytogenes biofilms to banzalkonium chloride

Listeria monocytogenes is one of the main foodborne pathogens. The formation of biofilms by L. monocytogenes contributes to its resistance to disinfectants, which represents a serious risk for food production plants. The aim of this study was to compare the e ect of sub-inhibitory concentrations of benzalkonium chloride (BAC) (1.25 or 2.5 mg/L) on biofilm production and on biofilm reduction after exposure to an inhibitory concentration of BAC (1280 mg/L) in two isogenic L. monocytogenes strains: the BAC-sensitive wild-type strain S2-1 and its BAC-resistant mutant derivative S2BAC, which presented a multidrug resistance phenotype. The biofilm-forming ability of the strains under di erent BAC concentrations was evaluated by the resazurin method using polystyrene microplates. The biofilm reduction after BAC exposure was evaluated by using stainless steel coupons (SSCs). When the resazurin method was used, S2BAC produced significantly more biofilm in the presence of a sub-inhibitory concentration of BAC compared to that in the culture medium without BAC (p < 0.05). When the SSC method was used, the presence of sub-inhibitory concentrations of BAC resulted in a higher resistance of the biofilm for S2BAC compared to that in the culture medium without BAC (p < 0.05). This was not observed with the sensitive S2-1 strain. These results suggest that biofilm behavior depends on the strain and sub-inhibitory concentrations of disinfectants and may explain the ability of certain isolates to persist in niches of food processing plantsinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

AFL-CIO Legislative Guide: 112th Congress (2011–2012)

The AFL-CIO Legislative Guide for the 112th Congress covers the following issues as they relate to labor and public policy: The Economy Freedom to Form a Union Health Care Retirement Security Core Labor Laws, Labor Standards and Workplace Protections Education, Civil and Human Rights, Fair and Open Elections The Global Econom

First data of the Colombia Lightning Mapping Array - COLMA

The first data set of VHF lightning mapping using a Lightning Mapping Array system - LMA in a tropical region is presented in this paper. Six sensors were installed at the north of Colombia near Santa Marta city. Since the installation of the LMA network in 2015, up to 7000 intra-cloud (IC) discharges from September to November 2015 have been analyzed. The data suggests that, the electrical charge distribution in tropical thunderstorms shows higher vertical development reaching higher altitudesPreprin

Two-Dimensional-Based Hybrid Shape Optimisation of a 5-Element Formula 1 Race Car Front Wing under FIA Regulations

Front wings are a key element in the aerodynamic performance of Formula 1 race cars. Thus, their optimisation makes an important contribution to the performance of cars in races. However, their design is constrained by regulation, which makes it more difficult to find good designs. The present work develops a hybrid shape optimisation approach to obtain an optimal five-element airfoil front wing under the FIA regulations and 17 design parameters. A first baseline design is obtained by parametric optimisation, on which the adjoint method is applied for shape optimisation via Mesh Morphing with Radial Basis Functions. The optimal front wing candidate obtained outperforms the parametric baseline up to a 25% at certain local positions. This shows that the proposed and tested hybrid approach can be a very efficient alternative. Although a direct 3D optimisation approach could be developed, the computational costs would be dramatically increased (possibly unaffordable for such a complex five-element front wing realistic shape with 17 design parameters and regulatory constraints). Thus, the present approach is of strong interest if the computational budget is low and/or a fast new front wing design is desired, which is a frequent scenario in Formula 1 race car design.The authors want to acknowledge the financial support from the Ramón y Cajal 2021 Excellence Research Grant action from the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation (FSE/AGENCIA ESTATAL DE INVESTIGACIÓN), the UMA18-FEDERJA-184 grant, and the Andalusian Research, Development and Innovation Plan (PAIDI—Junta de Andalucia) fundings. Partial funding for open access charge: Universidad de Málag

Simultaneous determination of dechloranes, polybrominated diphenyl ethers and novel brominated flame retardants in food and serum

A sensitive method for the simultaneous quantification of dechloranes, polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) and novel brominated flame retardants (NBFRs) has been developed for gas chromatography (GC) coupled to tandem mass spectrometry operating in electron capture negative ionization (ECNI) mode. The major advance has been achieved by combining selected ion monitoring (SIM) and multiple reaction monitoring (MRM) modes in well-defined time windows, to determine dechloranes, PBDEs and NBFRs at picogram per gram level in one single analysis in complex matrix biological samples. From the chromatographic point of view, efforts were devoted to study several injection modes using multimode inlet (MMI) in order to obtain low instrumental detection limits, necessary for trace compounds such as Dechlorane Plus (DP) isomers. Method performance was also evaluated: calibration curves were linear from 20 fg μL−1 to 100 pg μL−1 for the studied compounds, with method detection limits at levels of 50 fg g−1 for DPs. Repeatability and reproducibility, expressed as relative standard deviation, were better than 5% even in solvent vent mode for the injection of standards. The application to a wide range of complex samples (including food, human and animal serum samples) indicated a sensitive and reliable way to quantify at the picogram per gram level 4 halogenated norbornenes (HNs), Dechlorane Plus (anti-DP and syn-DP) and 2 of their homologues (Dechlorane-602 and Dechlorane-603), 11 PBDE congeners (no. 28, 47, 49, 66, 85, 99, 100, 153, 154, 183 and 209) and 5 novel BFRs, i.e. decabromodiphenyl ethane (DBDPE), 1,2-bis(2,4,6-tribromophenoxy)ethane (BTBPE), hexabromobenzene (HBB), 2,3,4,5-tetrabromo-ethylhexyl-benzoate (TBB) and tetrabromophthalate (TBPH).The authors acknowledge the financial support of Universitat Jaume I (UJI-A2016-01) and Generalitat Valenciana (research group of excellence PROMETEO/2009/054 and PROMETEO II 2014/023 and Collaborative Research on Environment and Food-Safety (ISIC/2012/016)). Carlos Sales acknowledges the COST Action ES1307 for the STSM grant which made possible his stay at the Toxicological Centre of Antwerp. Dr. Giulia Poma and Dr. Govindan Malarvannan acknowledge the University of Antwerp for their postdoctoral fellowships