The link between biodiversity and ecosystem multi-functionality is an ongoing concern in ecological studies. Ecologists have focused on soil quality (SQ) as an ecosystem function and its relationship ...to biodiversity. Developing an appropriate and sensitive soil quality index (SQI) is critical, but it is severely restricted particularly in the forests. This study determined the most appropriate SQI for both protected and unprotected areas of Arasbaran biosphere reserve forests (Northwest Iran), as well as its relationship to the diversity of three layers of forest plant species (tree, tree regeneration, and forest floor plant cover), NDVI index, and litter amount. Three approaches were utilized to establish SQI for two types of soil data sets, including total data set (TDS) (pH, EC, SP. OC, caco3, clay, silt, sand, N, P, K, BD, gravel, C·N) and the minimum data sets (MDS) (SP. OC, clay, silt, N, K, BD, C·N): (1) SQI-1 (simple additive), (2) SQI-2 (Nemero quality index), and (3) SQI-3 (weighted additive modeled). Three SQI strategies were assessed using three different methods: Overall Sensitivity Index, Efficiency Index and Sensitivity Index. The findings revealed that the SQI-3 is the best SQI for employing only a limited number of soil properties (MDS). The findings revealed that the SQI-3 has a positive and significant relationship with the Evenness-tree and Taxa-Regeneration in the protected region (P-Value: 0.02). In contrast, the SQI-3 has a negative correlation with the NDVI (Normalized Difference vegetation Index) (P-Value: 0.02) but a positive significant relationship with the litter and Taxa-Grass indicators in the unprotected region (P-Value: 0.00). The study's findings demonstrated that forest preservation affected the link between the SQI and the studied parameters. As a result, it is concluded that biodiversity-ecosystem function is impacted by management changes and cannot be maintained constant under varied management conditions. This shift in the links between plant and SQ emphasizes the fact that plants biodiversity loss and SQ can have particularly severe consequences in non-protective conditions, necessitating biodiversity conservation measures to mitigate the effects of conservation.
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•This study shows that the weighted additive SQI model is suitable for evaluating the SQ of temperate deciduous forests.•There is a significant positive relationship between the SQI and the Taxa-regeneration and Evenness-tree indices in the protected area.•There is a relationship between SQI with NDVI, Litter and Taxa-grass.•Impact of forest protection on the relationship between SQI and forest plant diversity indicators.•Determine a suitable model of SQI for different ecosystems and make it available to researchers as a standard model.
Different water quality indices were determined to assess the spatiotemporal variations of Dhaleshwari river, specially, where effluent from the central effluent treatment plant (CETP) of newly ...shifted tannery industrial park was discharged. Thirty physicochemical parameters were examined to evaluate the drinking water quality index (DWQI), irrigation water quality index (IWQI), heavy metal pollution index (HPI) and contamination index (Cd). Pearson’s correlation coefficient was also utilized to understand the interrelationship and coherence pattern among the parameters and indices. DWQI values using CCME method were within the ‘Poor’ (0–44) range (37 at both upstream and junction and 34 at the downstream) and those using W.A. method were at ‘Poor’ (51–75) and ‘Unsuitable’ ( > 100) level (52 at upstream and 63 at downstream and 103 at the junction). IWQI values showed the ‘Excellent’ (0–25) quality status (a range of 19.2–20.3). Considering heavy metal pollution, HPI values revealed ‘Critical’ ( > 100) condition of water, and Cd values ( > 3) emphasized ‘High’ contamination of the river water. Temporally, water quality deteriorated in the winter season compared to the monsoon and post-monsoon season. Spatial changes in water quality in junction and downstream side clearly indicated the negative impact of tannery industrial park. Different indices were positively correlated either very strongly or strongly. This study will provide an index-based baseline data that will help the local people in the vicinity of tannery industrial park envisage the different applications of the river water and the policymakers take conservation strategies to save the river Dhaleshwari as well.
The main objective of the study is to assess the groundwater quality based on water quality index and health threats associated with fluoride contamination in the Tiruppur region of southern India. ...Totally 40 groundwater samples were collected and analyzed for various physicochemical parameters such as pH, EC, TDS, Ca2+, Mg2+, Na+, K+, Cl−, HCO3-, SO42−, NO3- and F−. The dominance of major cations and anions conforms to the following order Ca2+> Na+> K+> Mg2+ and Cl− > HCO3- > SO42-> NO3- > F−, respectively. About 48% of the groundwater samples indicated Ca–Mg–Cl water type in the Piper trilinear diagram. The Gibbs plot indicated that all the water samples fell under rock dominance. Water quality index (WQI) results showed that 22.5, 75 and 2.5% of the samples represented good, poor and very poor quality water types, respectively. The fluoride ions in groundwater of this region ranged from 0.1 to 2.70 mg/L with a mean of 1.33 mg/L. About 50% of the groundwater samples experienced fluoride concentration exceeding the permissible limit of 1.5 mg/l. Hazard quotient (HQ) and total hazard index (THI) were computed based on the United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) guidelines to evaluate the health threats for infants, children, teens, women and men. The THI ranged from 0.14 to 3.76, 0.11 to 3.01, 0.07 to 1.93, 0.06 to 1.64 and 0.06 to 1.50 for infants, children, teens, women and men, respectively. The percentages of risks in terms of THI were respectively 78, 75, 55, 33 and 23% for infants, children, teens, women and men respectively. The health risk assessment indicated that infants are most vulnerable to fluoride intake in this region. Therefore, proper treatment should be done by the government organizations to provide safe groundwater for the inhabitants.
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•Half of the groundwater samples exceeded the permissible limit of F- prescribed by WHO for human intake.•About 77% of groundwater samples occupying 608 km2 area are poor to very poor for drinking needs.•More than 75% of groundwater samples pose non-carcinogenic health threats for infants and children.•Younger people and women are vulnerable to fluoride compared to older people and men.
Microfibrillated cellulose (MFC) is an emerging cellulosic material that has shown enormous potential in various industrial sectors such as food packaging, cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, filler for ...cement and paper, and others. Yet, there is still the need to improve its processing in order to reach its full potential. Despite research efforts for the production of MFC, the production volumes remain low because the costs of these products are hardly competitive with synthetic polymers. The present study investigates the conversion of bleached Kraft pulp into MFC using three different oxidative treatments: (1) oxidation with sodium periodate followed by oxidation with hydrogen peroxide to enrich the pulp with carboxyl groups; (2) activation of hydrogen peroxide with copper to produce hydroxyl radicals; and (3) use of hydrogen peroxide alone in alkaline medium. Treatments (1) and (2) allowed producing interesting MFC with reduced energy consumption.
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•Target Hazard Quotient and Water Quality Index approaches to evaluate hand-dug wells.•Water characteristics in relation to human health and designated water uses determined.•p-values ...for most parameters were (p < 0.05). Thus, the null hypothesis is discredited.•Maximum THQ values were 2.53133 × 10−3 and 3.00418 × 10−3 for adults and children, respectively.•HI < 1 found, suggest no significant danger by consuming the water.
The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control recently reported an outbreak of yellow fever in Bauchi state. To strategize mitigation measures, an investigation into water sources became necessary. This study adopted Water Quality Index (WQI), Target Hazard Quotient (THQ) and Hazard Index (HI) approaches to evaluate water quality from hand-dug wells within Rafin Zurfi area, Bauchi State. The specific objectives were; sample characterization, statistical analysis by SPSS, and determination of health risk analysis by WQI. Water from Hand-dug wells were examined using standard methods of the American Public Health Association (APHA). Experimental results proved that pH values of samples are adequate according to NSDWQ, while samples E and L exceeded the WHO permissible limits. Turbidity, Total hardness, TSS, EC, BOD, Ca, SO42−, Cl−, Cu and Zn measurements were all within permissible limits. The analytical results were taken in to Geographic Information Systems environment (GIS) to generate numerical spatial variation maps for parameters examined and show the health risk associated to heavy metals. HI values for adults and children were found to be 4.365119 × 10−3 and 5.180528 × 10−3, respectively. Therefore, the study concludes that, there is no significant danger of metal toxicity from the sample wells (since HI < 1).
•Forest conversion to agriculture leads to degradation of deep soil layers.•Active iron plays a critical role in maintaining soil quality in acidic red soils.•Loss of nitrogen and potassium leads to ...soil degradation in cornfields.
Forests around the globe have been converted to agricultural land to meet human demands. The investigation of soil quality index (SQI) as affected by land use change is essential to prevent and control soil degradation mainly in rapidly developing nations. Research on the effects of land-use change on soil quality, especially within deep soil layers, remains lacking despite the prevalence of forest conversion. Here, we selected six paired plots in an intact forest and an adjacent corn field and collected soil samples from 11 layers at depths of 0–140 cm. We then evaluated 16 soil variables for inclusion in a minimum data set and built a SQI from this dataset. Our results indicate that soil organic carbon, total nitrogen, potassium, and free iron are the most important indicators of soil quality in tropical acidic red soils. Deforestation and corn cultivation related to significant decreases in SQI. Of note, SQI decreased to a differing extent among different soil layers, implying that degradation was not constant among layers, despite the fact that tilling typically affects only the top 0–20 cm of soil. The effect of agricultural conversion on soil quality was more pronounced in topsoil soil layers than in the deep layer. The main driver of soil degradation in corn fields was found to be reduced total nitrogen, followed by reduced potassium. Therefore, mitigating or reducing the loss of these nutrients is recommended, possibly through fertilization. We also note that active iron plays an important role in maintaining soil organic carbon concentrations, and thus is critical for maintaining soil quality.
•The purpose of this study was to develop a new model based on multi-criteria calculations.•The new model is suitable for today's technologies and addresses the weakness in the current land valuation ...methods.•In our study, we also created three different models to investigate how the parameters were apportioned during the land evaluation.•We found that, while the deduction rate was 4.97% in the current method, they were 4.89%, 4.86% and 4.85% in our new models, respectively.•Consequently, it is suggested that our models could be used instead of the current method in the land consolidation works in Turkey.
Land consolidation is an effective technique in land management that contributes to sustainable rural development. Land valuation is one of the most important steps in land consolidation because it plays an important role in the reallocation process. Land valuation is also an important problem in Turkey as in many countries in the world. Because the lands will be reallocated at the end of the consolidation process, it is very important to determine the precise value of each parcel. However, the methods used in land valuation in many countries lag behind current techniques and technologies. For this reason, a new method for land valuation is needed. The purpose of this study was to develop a new model based on multi-criteria calculations that is suitable for today's technologies and addresses the weakness in the current land valuation methods. In a case study of Solak, Antalya, Turkey, we identified fourteen key land value factors. Those factors were assigned weights by the Land Valuation Committee, academic staff, engineers, and local landowners. The weights were then integrated into a framework called the Land Quality Index. The land quality index factors are the criteria for evaluating the geographical, physical, and socio-economic structure of the region. The scores for each factor on each parcel were determined using GIS software. The total score of fourteen factors was then converted to a 100-point scale, that comprised the Land Quality Index. The land value of each parcel was determined by adding the soil index to the Land Quality Index. In our study, we also created three different models to investigate how the parameters were apportioned during the land valuation. We found that, while the current method used by the government agency (General Directorate of State Hydraulic Works) classified the lands into five groups, our methods classified the lands into 17, 20, 24 groups, respectively. In addition, while the deduction rate was 4.97 % in the current method, they were 4.89 %, 4.86 % and 4.85 % in our new models, respectively. The method we proposed in this study determined land values more accurately, precisely, and fairly compared to current method used by General Directorate of State Hydraulic Works. It is suggested that our models could be used instead of the current method in the land consolidation works in Turkey.
Long-term observations indicate that, the ambient air quality in Shanghai continues to improve, however the synergistic effects between the air pollutants PM2.5, O3 and NO2 are also increasing. The ...concentration of chemical components included in PM2.5 is higher in moderately polluted air containing multiple pollutants. This suggests that air pollution metrics based on multi-pollutant synergy are more descriptive of ambient air quality than single-pollutant air quality index (AQI) models that may ignore the effect of synergy between pollutants on ambient air quality forecasts. Therefore, this study proposes a new multi-pollutant air quality index model (NMAQI) based on four air pollutants (PM2.5, SO2, NO2 and O3) that emphasizes the relationship between PM2.5, NO2 and O3 in ambient air. The model successfully categorized observational data into classes of good, moderate, and polluted air quality ratings. Verification of the NMAQI model using the PM2.5 chemical composition spectrum shows that the NMAQI model can more accurately classify samples with high concentrations of chemical components (often misclassified by AQI) into high pollution levels. The model has an improved capacity to assess the degree of pollution in urban ambient air and to reduce the risk of public exposure to highly polluted atmospheric environments.
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•A new multi-pollutant air quality index model is proposed and successfully applied.•PM2.5 components are used to validate the model.•Model improves detection of urban ambient air quality and public exposure reduction.
Human society's progress has increased the quantity of pollutants emitted into the environment. Water is one of the natural resources most affected by economic activity, with pollutants reaching ...water bodies without proper treatment. In this context, this book presents the latest advances and developments in statistical approaches for evaluating and forecasting water resources quality. New methodologies for analyzing and predicting the water quality that can be applied in related fields are also presented.
Ensuring availability in terms of quality and quantity and sustainable management of safe, affordable drinking water is one of the integral parts of envisioning the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals ...(SDGs). Saudi Arabia faces many challenges in terms of water supply, inadequate water resources, and distribution due to low rainfall throughout the year. An uncertain water quality index (WQI) has been quantified to monitor water resource quality and management. The current study developed six different computational models WQI, namely: Generalized regression neural network (GRNN), Elman Neural Network (Elm NN, considered as a new generation learning tool), Feed Forward Neural Network (FFNN), Support Vector Machine (SVM), Linear Regression (LR), and Neuro-Fuzzy (NF). The experimental data were collected from 40 sampling locations. The obtained physicochemical variables (pH, EC, Turb, TDS, COD, Cl, NH3, PO4−, N/NO3−, SO4−, and TPC) were subjected to feature sensitivity technique, and the model combinations were determined based on sensitivity analysis and principal component analysis (PCA). Goodness-of-fit, error criteria, and mean bias coupled with visualization methods were used to assess the accuracy of the models. The quantified results showed that the NF model surpassed the other models and provided the highest accuracy. NF produced the highest R2 value of 0.9989 and lowest MAD = 0.0590, MAPE = 13%, and BIAS = −0.0003. The outcomes indicate that the water quality at a few locations requires minor treatment. The techniques employed validated the application of computing intelligence for optimum decision-making.
•Hydro-environmental modelling is crucial in Saudi Arabia. New generation learning was used for modelling the WQI variable.•Subsequently, different data intelligent methods were used for comparison.•Sensitivity analysis and PCA was employed for feature extraction.•Results served as a robust multi-decision technique by policymakers.
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