Concordance of freshwater and terrestrial biodiversity

Efforts to set global conservation priorities have largely ignored freshwater diversity, thereby excluding some of the world\u27s most speciose, threatened, and valuable taxa. Using a new global map of freshwater ecoregions and distribution data for about 13,300 fish species, we identify regions of exceptional freshwater biodiversity and assess their overlap with regions of equivalent terrestrial importance. Overlap is greatest in the tropics and is higher than expected by chance. These high-congruence areas offer opportunities for integrated conservation efforts, which could be of particular value when economic conditions force conservation organizations to narrow their focus. Areas of low overlap-missed by current terrestrially based priority schemes-merit independent freshwater conservation efforts. These results provide new information to conservation investors setting priorities at global or regional scales and argue for a potential reallocation of future resources to achieve representation of overlooked biomes. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc

Sandra Postel, Leading Expert on Water Issues, to Speak at University of Dayton Oct. 7

News release announces that an Oct. 7 lecture at the University of Dayton will feature Sandra Postel and the challenges of water sustainability in a world where it is increasingly scarce

Assessment of the feasibility of a new end use in water recycling schemes for urban water

University of Technology, Sydney. Faculty of Engineering and Information Technology.Pressure on the availability of Australian freshwater resources is significantly increasing due to emerging climate change and population growth factors. Sustainable urban water consumption has become a critical issue in Australia due to the increasing urbanization, country’s dry climate and increasingly variable rainfall. Water recycling is considered vital in alleviating the demand on existing and limited water supplies. It is the process by which wastewater, typically from sewage and/or stormwater collection, is treated to a variety of quality levels depending on the intended use and required safety standards. The benefits of using recycled water include protection of water resources, prevention of coastal pollution, recovery of nutrients for agriculture, augmentation of river flow, savings in wastewater treatment, enhancing groundwater recharge, and sustainability of water resource management. This will help in alleviating the pressure on existing water supplies and on the other hand protects remaining water sources from being polluted. Therefore, demands on water utilities to develop water recycling capacity and supplies are expected to intensify in Australia to cope with the persisting and increasing water stress. Numerous initiatives have been embraced Australia-wide to increase the availability of less-climate dependent water sources. Dual reticulation systems are one of the integral parts of such initiatives. Many cities in Australia are already equipped with dual reticulation system and this is likely to expand in many other cities in the future due to the persisting and increasing water stress. Considerable amount of fresh water conservation has been achieved due to the use of recycled water in urban communities. However, the end uses of the recycled water in such systems are limited and confined to toilet flushing, garden irrigation and car washing. Washing machine involves significant amount of household water (almost 20%) in most of the countries of the world including Australia. In this regards, use of recycled water for washing machine as a new end use of recycled water could be one innovative thought. Hence, this study aims to introduce a new end use to recycled water for urban water. The recycled water parameters in terms of maximum allowable values of heavy metals in recycled water for laundry were formulated as the result of the study. Vision of community and their major concerns in regards to use of recycled water for washing machine were identified. The investigations with recycled water for washing clothes in washing machines were carried out to address all the major concerns of the general community regarding this new end use. The results indicated that Class A recycled water being supplied to the dual reticulation systems in urban community is safe for this new end use and highly recommended. The conceptual design criteria of educational leaflets for the dissemination of information on use of recycled water for various end uses were presented. Hence, this study proposes clear pathway to assist the adoption of water reform by actively engaging members of the community in this particular new recycled water application. Public acceptance of this new end use would be a significant step forward into sustainable thinking of urban communities. Conclusively, a new end use for recycled water for washing machines is acceptable and considered as a sustainable approach for Australian urban water

Response of Okra Plant to Subsurface Drip Irrigation Using Mixed Agricultural Drainage Water

Agriculture in arid areas with its limited water resources will tremendously benefit from drip irrigation. Subsurface drip irrigation system applies water below the soil surface through emitters. It has many advantages over surface drip including better use of low quality drainage water. However there is a need to determine the best irrigation rate and placement of the emitters such that optimal yield can be obtained. A study was carried out to see the response of various moisture regimes supplied through subsurface drip irrigation system using mixed drainage water on the growth and yield of okra Abelmoschus esculentus (Climson Spineless CV). An experiment was conducted during November 2006 to May 2007 inside a greenhouse in the Agriculture Research Station at the University of King Faisal in Al-Hasa, Saudi Arabia. The experiment was laid out following a split plot design. The experiment was divided into two main categories of fresh water and mixed-drainage water. Every category consisted of three water quantities (WQ) viz. V1=100%, V2=75% and V3=50% of the water needs. Every water quantity had three replications R1, R2, and R3. Every replication was divided into five irrigation emitter lateral depths D0 cm, D10 cm, D20 cm, D30 cm, and D40 cm. Statistical analysis was performed for all crop performance parameters. The effect of irrigation emitter lateral depths on okra growth parameters such as plant height, number of leaves per plant, okra moisture, root zone width, root zone depth, okra fruit diameter, and average weight of single okra fruit were analyzed. Results were compared for various irrigation emitter lateral depths (LD) and water quantities (WQ) applied. Irrigation emitter lateral at 10 cm depth was found to be the best to grow okra plant using both fresh and mixed drainage water due to higher concentration of roots even with deficit irrigation supplying only 73% of the required water quantity. Yields were lower with emitters at depths of 30 cm and 40 cm due to lower concentration of roots as the root zone width decreased from the ground to D40 cm. The emitter placement beyond 20 cm depth is not recommended for the okra plants, as the root concentration is less beyond that depth. The average okra plant height with full irrigation using fresh water and emitters at the soil surface was 23 cm; however, it was 31 cm using the mixed water, probably due to some salts present in the mixed drainage water. The study showed that good okra harvest is still possible with mixed drainage water at 4.2 dS/m applied using only about three-quarter of the irrigation water requirement as compared to 2.2 dS/m for fresh water. The possibility of using mixed drainage water under deficit irrigation will increase the water availability for agriculture in arid areas. Consequently, better fresh water conservation is possible. A drip irrigation system design that can be considered as a typical system to grow okra plant in arid areas was developed in this study. The results of the experiment and the crop production models achieved from the statistical analysis provide a good example for growing okra using mixed drainag

Climate change mitigation and adaptation strategies for construction activities within planetary boundaries: Limitations of developing countries

Continued unsustainable human activities have ushered in a new climate regime where storms have become more intense, droughts periods are now longer, floods are incessant and the occurrence of wild fires more frequent. Mitigating the effects of climate change is crucial for minimizing the occurrence of hazards associated with climate change. Adapting to this new climate era is important for the continued existence of life on planet earth. This paper presents a review of climate mitigation and adaptation strategies with specific focus on the construction industry. It discusses the following climate mitigation and adaptation strategies: use of green energy, use of sustainable building materials, construction of high rise buildings and living building elements, use of innovative designs and construction methods and recycling of urban waste. The paper also argues that developing countries are most vulnerable to climate change effects but certain factors limit them from mitigating and adapting to climate change

Fouling During the Use of Seawater as Coolant - The Development of a ‘User Guide’

ESDU International of London, UK has recently published a ‘User Guide’ on fouling in heat exchange systems using seawater as the coolant. Developed over a period of eighteen months in close collaboration with a team of oil refiners, heat transfer equipment and services suppliers and universities, with valuable input from the power industry, the User Guide is a practical guide to the current state of knowledge relating to fouling in cooling systems using seawater. Its objective is to provide the designer and the operator of both onshore and offshore equipment with a practical source of guidance on the occurrence, the mechanisms and the mitigation of seawater fouling in these systems. ESDU’s collaborative Oil Industry Fouling Working Party was formed in recognition of the huge economic and environmental importance of heat exchanger fouling and the potential benefits that can accrue from better understanding of mitigation strategies. The seawater fouling User Guide is the second in a group, following the development of the Crude Oil Fouling User Guide issued in 2000. Work is now underway on cooling water fouling, The development of the User Guide is discussed in this paper and its technical content is summarize