Article
Engineering, Chemical
V Martinez-Alvarez, A. Imbernon-Mulero, B. Gallego-Elvira, M. Soto-Garcia, J. F. Maestre-Valero
Summary: This article analyzes the impacts of using desalinated seawater (DSW) as agricultural water in south-eastern Spain, from agronomic, environmental, and economic perspectives. The results show that agronomic impact is favorable, but the benefits of reducing water salinity become saturated when DSW exceeds 50%. The detrimental environmental impact is due to increased energy consumption associated with DSW supply, but this can be mitigated using renewable energies. The economic impact is sensitive to DSW cost and offers heterogeneous results for different crops. The study suggests that combining DSW with traditional resources is the most efficient option.
Review
Green & Sustainable Science & Technology
Rosa Maria Martinez-Espinosa
Summary: Water scarcity and sustainability are worldwide concerns, leading to the development of technologies like shade covers to optimize water use. While shade covers can save water and maintain water quality, issues such as high production cost and environmental pollution need to be addressed.
Article
Agronomy
Herminia Puerto, Miguel Mora, Bernat Roig-Merino, Ricardo Abadia-Sanchez, Jose Maria Camara-Zapata, Ricardo Suay, Carmen Rocamora
Summary: The study conducted a four-year assessment on irrigation water and energy use efficiency, as well as water productivity in Valencia, Spain. Most farmers were found to irrigate below crop water requirements, indicating potential inefficiencies in irrigation practices and variability in overall water productivity metrics.
Article
Energy & Fuels
Nicholas Gilmore, Thomas Britz, Erik Maartensson, Carlo Orbegoso-Jordan, Sebastian Schroder, Martino Malerba
Summary: This study assesses the feasibility of micro-pumped hydro energy storage on a continental scale and suggests using agricultural reservoirs to reduce construction costs. Through a survey of farm dams in Australia, a large number of suitable pumped hydro sites are identified. Compared to lithium-ion batteries, pumped hydro storage has lower costs for larger storage capacities, despite lower discharge efficiency, making it a viable option for reliable and low-carbon power systems in rural communities.
Article
Agronomy
Bernardo Martin-Gorriz, Victoriano Martinez-Alvarez, Jose Francisco Maestre-Valero, Belen Gallego-Elvira
Summary: This study highlights the significant impact of different water sources on agricultural greenhouse gas emissions and carbon footprint. Replacing traditional water supply methods with desalinated seawater may lead to an increase in greenhouse gas emissions and a decrease in carbon balance, but even in this scenario, irrigated agriculture can still act as a CO2 sink.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Jinuk Kim, Jiwan Lee, Jongyoon Park, Sehoon Kim, Seongjoon Kim
Summary: This study developed a reservoir operation rule that can simultaneously meet irrigation and environmental flow requirements, effectively managing agricultural water resources and controlling environmental flow. The results show that by controlling the reservoir water level appropriately, both irrigation needs and environmental flow can be satisfied. This study provides valuable information for evaluating the future impacts of climate and environmental flow changes at other locations.
Article
Agronomy
Michela Amato, Diego Dasi, Ana Gonzalez, Maria Antonia Ferrus, Maria Angeles Castillo
Summary: The widespread use of antibiotics has led to environmental and health issues globally, including toxic effects on non-targeted organisms and increased presence of resistant bacteria due to horizontal transfer of resistance genes. Research in agricultural irrigation ditches around Valencia, Spain, revealed high levels of antibiotic resistance in surface water samples, with multi-resistant E. coli isolates showing multiple resistance patterns. Proper management and surveillance of irrigation waters are essential to control antibiotic resistance rates in agricultural environments.
AGRICULTURAL WATER MANAGEMENT
(2021)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Young-Jun Jo, Jung-Hun Song, Younggu Her, Giorgio Provolo, Jina Beom, Minhyuk Jeung, Young-Joo Kim, Seung-Hwan Yoo, Kwang-Sik Yoon
Summary: Excessive nutrient loadings from drainage areas lead to water quality degradation in rivers globally. Environmental decision makers are exploring cost-effective ways to secure environmental flow and agricultural reservoirs have been considered as an alternative source of EF. A framework was proposed to assess the EF supply potential of agricultural reservoirs, emphasizing their unconventional roles for improved environmental quality.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Monica Duque-Acevedo, Luis J. Belmonte-Urena, Eduardo Teran-Yepez, Francisco Camacho-Ferre
Summary: This study compares Fruit and Vegetable Producer Organizations (FVPOs) and non-FVPOs in terms of prioritization, perception, and adoption of sustainable and circular practices. The results show that FVPOs prioritize environmental factors and implement green manuring and biodegradable raffia as the main practices for waste reduction. Environmental considerations and sustainable and circular production models are highlighted as alternatives to the traditional production system.
JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT
(2022)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Gun-Ho Cho, Mirza Junaid Ahmad, Kyung-Sook Choi
Summary: This study evaluated the water supply reliability of major agricultural reservoirs in Korea and found that climate change had a minimal impact on WSR, while recent changes in farming practices were the primary cause of reservoir failure in maintaining WSR.
Article
Engineering, Chemical
Georgios J. Tsikalakis, Panagiotis J. Bourbourakis, Nikolaos Makrinakis
Summary: Crete, one of the largest islands in the Mediterranean Sea, is facing water scarcity, especially in the Eastern region. The National Water Commission of Greece has identified the need to create water reservoirs for irrigation, but the current studies have not explored the potential for hydroelectric energy utilization. This study presents a water management plan to reduce energy consumption and proposes the use of hydroelectric power in Eastern Crete.
DESALINATION AND WATER TREATMENT
(2022)
Article
Green & Sustainable Science & Technology
Laishram Kanta Singh, Madan K. Jha, V. M. Chowdary
Summary: The study investigates the spatio-temporal variability of water demand and supplies in an Eastern Indian Canal Command under different meteorological conditions, with a focus on the dynamic groundwater reserve. It suggests cost-effective alternatives for efficient management of available water resources and identifies management strategies for sustainable agricultural production under diverse climatic conditions.
ENVIRONMENT DEVELOPMENT AND SUSTAINABILITY
(2021)
Article
Engineering, Civil
Zahra Jafari, Sayed Hamid Matinkhah, Mohammad Reza Mosaddeghi
Summary: In arid lands, efficient irrigation is crucial for managing limited water supplies and irregular precipitation events to ensure seedling establishment. This study used the HYDRUS-2D/3D software to simulate wetting patterns around reservoirs with different permeabilities and found that soil water content was highest near the reservoir and decreased with distance. The software also accurately simulated soil water content, showing high correspondence with measured data.
WATER RESOURCES MANAGEMENT
(2022)
Review
Environmental Sciences
Pamela Pittaway, Michael Scobie, Erik Schmidt
Summary: Commercial evaporation reduction products, including suspended and floating continuous covers, floating modular covers, and monomolecular and multimolecular chemical films, have been developed since the 1960s. However, the adoption rate of these products by agricultural water managers is low, possibly due to the lack of information on their suitability for farm water storages. This study reviewed the performance of these products and found that continuous covers are suitable for storages <= 2 ha, floating modular covers for storages <= 5 ha, monomolecular films for storages <= 100 ha, and multimolecular films for storages <= 10 ha.
JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY
(2023)
Review
Environmental Sciences
Mohammad A. Mojid, Mohammed Mainuddin
Summary: The increasing demand for food globally has placed significant stress on agricultural water usage, leading to a threat to sustainability in agricultural production and food security. Resource-conservation technologies such as conservation agriculture and water-saving measures are being adopted to address these challenges, although their overall impacts on hydrology outcomes at larger temporal and spatial scales are still unclear.
