Water governance describes the legislation, policies, regulation and institutional frameworks related to the management of water resources. Water governance in the EU is enshrined in the WFD having the basin as a basic spatial unit. The need for the engagement of stakeholders is one of the governance cornerstones guarantying solution co-creation and measures acceptance. Thus, the inclusion of the interests of scientific and non-scientific groups in decision-making through valuations of local ecosystem services is crucial. Although it is documented that a good governance scenario is developed with the contribution of the stakeholders, a number of studies do not include a participatory bottom-up approach.

The object of our paper is to examine the contribution of the participatory bottom-up approach in the effectiveness of local water resource management.

Under the framework of the Eye4water project which aims to strengthen the local water management practices in the Lissos river basin (Thrace, NE Greece) a participatory assessment of local river basin was applied, through a process of jointly identifying and evaluating the main water- related issues. Firstly, we identified the social system engaged to the Lissos river basin through stakeholder’s mapping. Secondly, based on a criteria selection (inclusiveness, gender-equality, critical water users, equal representation) three groups of stakeholders were organized and invited in a workshop. Each of the group was guided by two facilitators. The participants had the opportunity to answer in opened and closed questions, focused on the local characteristic of the basin.

Our preliminary results show that mutual learning should be encouraged across different target groups at multiple levels. A clear signal from the discussion is that the current management is insufficient without clear objectives. Well recognized threats as water pollution, flood’s risk, groundwater lowering are present while biodiversity issues are quite under lighten.

Natural disasters such as floods have become a massive destruction of the natural environment and infrastructure because of their destructive effects and cause socioeconomic losses. In the present study, the authors attempt to present a flood hazard susceptibility map of a western region in Ontario, Canada to facilitate flood prevention and mitigation. To this purpose, a combination of the Multi-criteria decision-making (MCDM) model and Geographic Information System (GIS) has been considered. Herein, an Analytical hierarchy process (AHP) model is applied based on Triangular Fuzzy Numbers (TFNs) in a GIS environment. A total of eight quantitative criteria including elevation, land use/land cover, geology, rainfall, drainage density, slope, soil type, and distance from the river, have been used for the flood modeling. Fuzzified pairwise comparison matrices of values have determined the Importance Weights (IWs) of these criteria in Saaty’s scale. Calculating IWs, each adequate criterion's impact on flood risk was investigated using the fuzzy AHP method. The Consistency Index of each pairwise comparison of measures has been checked. Based on the calculated IWs results of each criterion, the elevation, land use/land cover, and geology criteria play significant roles as the most eminent flood occurrence criteria. In addition, the results demonstrate percentages of flooded areas and the flood hazard index of the study area.

Climate change affects many meteorological parameters which could result in spatiotemporal variations of the hydrological cycle. These variations can affect local rainfall intensities or design storms and therefore, it is necessary to assess the local effects of climate change in different areas. To do so, meteorological variables under the influence of greenhouse gas changes and socio-economic scenarios must first be simulated. The most reliable method to perform such simulations, is the use of data from the General Circulation Models (GCM). In addition, due to the critical role of precipitation and the significant temporal and spatial variability of this variable, it is imperative to know and accurately study the models that best predict precipitation. Therefore, the current research aims at evaluating the accuracy of the daily precipitation data of the most recent Coupled Model Intercomparison Project phases 5 and 6 (CMIP5 and CMIP6 models), over a historical period from 1953 to 2010, as well as the predicted data for the future between 2010 and 2050 for the Quebec City rain gauge station (Jean Lesage Intl). In this regard, precipitation data were analyzed using statistical Index such as R, NRMSE, BIAS, NARMSE, SLOPE, and RMSRE to find the most accurate model for the study area. The results of this evaluation can help the decision makers to choose the best precipitation model, which is moradaptable to the study area. In addition, the trend of future precipitation will be investigated based on selected models’ scenarios using the Mann-Kendall test.

Contamination of groundwater by uranium, nitrate, ammonium and sulfate near uranium sludge storages due to degradation of engineering safety barriers is an urgent problem during their long-term operation. The purification of such multicomponent contaminants is a complex task and one of the promising methods for it is in situ bioremediation using the metabolic potential of aborigenic microflora. The work focused on the geochemical, geological, and microbiological parameters of groundwater with multi-component contamination near uranium sludge storages of four chemical plants. In conditions of extreme nitrate contamination (up to 15 g/L), denitrifying bacteria were found to be the dominant group of microorganisms in all cases. In conditions of nitrate-ammonium contamination, bacteria responsible for the Anammox process were found. In laboratory, optimal conditions were selected to stimulate microflora to promote nitrate removal. To do this, sources of carbon and phosphorus (sucrose, acetate, whey) were added to the water samples in concentrations necessary for the complete nitrate removal by microbial denitrification. The experiment was carried out at a temperature of 10 C in hermetically sealed vials. Uranyl nitrate was added to the samples at a concentration of 5 mg/l for uranium. It has been found that nitrate removal contributes the cycle of anaerobic processes of authigenic sedimentation due to sulfate and iron reduction processes, which provide the formation of a mineral geochemical barrier for uranium immobilization. As a result of the experiment, after 3-6 months, depending on the concentration of nitrate in the groundwater sample, the uranium content in the liquid phase decreased by 92-98%. The most significant uranium removal effect was achieved by adding a sample of sodium dihydrogen phosphate (100 mg/l). Elemental analysis of the resulting amorphous biogenic phases showed the presence of sulfur, iron, phosphorus, and uranium in them. Modeling using HCh 4.4 (MSU) and PHREEQC 2.18 (USGS) software packages was carried out to determine the optimal conditions for the formation of a biogeochemical barrier for in situ uranium immobilization in the aquifers near uranium sludge storages of four different plants. Based on the modeling, zones optimal for in situ biogeochemical barrier and the optimal composition of solutions for microorganisms stimulating were selected. Conducting field trials at two enterprises showed the high efficiency of biogeochemical barriers for removing nitrates and immobilizing uranium (95-100%) in reduced, poorly soluble forms.

Environmental, economic, and climatic changes in many parts of the world put serious pressure on water resources. Thus, a reliable alternative water supply has become a central issue on a global scale. The use of rainwater harvesting systems has emerged as one of the most efficient ways to obtain fresh water for non-potable purposes, especially in irrigation. Since there is also a universal trend of aquifer depletion, the implementation of rainwater harvesting systems will contribute to reducing the stress on conventional water resources as well as central water supply systems. While determining the suitability of the water resource, water quality becomes a prominent issue. The quality of the harvested rainwater mostly is adequate for non-potable purposes. However, due to various reasons (e.g. nutrient inputs, temperature increase, draught, etc.), cyanobacteria proliferation can occur in rainwater harvesting ponds and damage the water quality. Furthermore, some species can excrete cyanotoxins that may enter the agricultural fields by irrigation and cause environmental and public health problems. The main objective of this study was to investigate the water quality of the rainwater harvesting ponds of Istanbul which are used for irrigation. For this purpose, samples were collected from 18 rainwater harvesting ponds during the summer of 2022 and physicochemical and biological characterization of these samples was carried out. Cyanobacterial bloom was observed in 3 ponds out of 18 which the dominant species were potentially cyanotoxin producers (Microcystis, Aphanizomenon, Dolichospermum, Planktothrix, and Cuspidothrix). It is found that these ponds were not proper for irrigation purposes. To increase the water quality in these reservoirs, onsite management strategies should be taken into consideration.

Küçükçekmece Lagoon, located inside the Istanbul metropolitan area is B-class wetland that is considered one of the most important waterbody in the region. It is connected to the Marmara Sea by a small canal. Due to rapid industrialization and population growth, a significant deterioration in water quality has been observed since the 1990s. Due to the construction of a dam on Sazlıdere stream, which is the most important feeding source for the lagoon, there has been a decrease in freshwater inflow, so the amount of salinity in the lagoon has started to increase. While salinity was around 11 ppt at the surface water of the lagoon in the 2010s, the level of salinity concentration exceeds 17 ppt today which also has an impact on the ecosystem.

The aim of this study is to evaluate the water quality changes in the Kucukcekmece lagoon in a decade. For this purpose, the temporal and spatial distribution of silicate, nitrate, nitrite, phosphate, chlorophyll-a, temperature, salinity, and dissolved oxygen in Küçükçekmece Lagoon were analyzed in three stations. Moreover, water samples were collected from the water column in the middle of the lake to detect anoxic conditions measuring H₂S concentrations. According to Carlson Trophic Index, Küçükçekmece Lagoon has a hypereutrophic character for a decade. The water quality revealed a high spatial and temporal variation in the lagoon and the bottom (ca 18 m) waters were rich in H₂S of which the highest concentration was measured as 215 mg/L. Overall, from the large dataset of water quality for more than ten years, there is an obvious effect of anthropogenic activities and the closure of freshwater inlets on the trophic conditions of the lagoon.

Mining and processing of raw minerals in the central and eastern regions of Ukraine (enterprises of the uranium mining, hydrometallurgical industry, galvanic productions) leads to pollution of a large part of the territories and imbalance of the natural ecosystem. The ecological situation in these industrial regions requires special attention both environmental monitoring and protection of the water basin from toxicants of various nature.

To remove the trace amounts of heavy metal ions and radionuclides from polluted water, the sorption methods are the most effective. Natural clay minerals are widely used in various environmental protection technologies as cheap, accessible and effective sorbents. Considering the tasks and conditions for purification of polluted waters the different methods of surface modification of clay minerals were used.

The surface modification of the montmorillonite by cationic surfactants (hexadecyltrimethylammonium bromide) was aimed at changing the charge of the surface. It is shown that anionic forms of uranium (VI) and chromium (VI) are efficiently sorbed on the positively charged surface of organophilized montmorillonite.

The method of surface modification of montmorillonite by large-sized inorganic cations leads to the formation of two-dimensional zeolite-like materials with an adjustable size of flat micropores and high heat resistance - pillared clays. The highest values of sorption for uranium (VI) were obtained on Ti-Fe pillared clay, for chromium (VI) on Zr-Al pillared clay.

Highly selective sorbents with sorption-reduction properties were obtained by applying nanoscale zero-valent iron powder to montmorillonite surface. The efficiency of chromium (VI) and uranium (VI) purification depends on the mass ratio of zero-valent iron: montmorillonite. The inorganic toxicants (U(VI), Cr(VI)) immobilize on the surface of the sorbent. Subsequently theys degree of oxidation change and the insoluble surface sediments form.

Banana is one of the main fruit crops in the world as it has gained importance in the global market due to its high source of nutrients and fiber content for many industries. Owing to climate change and irregular precipitation, the yield of banana crops is becoming very unpredictable and thus, there is a need to understand the impact of climatic parameters on the yield. Mathematical models are crucial for strategic and forecasting applications; however, models related to the banana crop are less common, and reviews on previous modelling efforts are scarce, emphasizing the need for evidence-based studies on this topic. This study employs the geospatial approach to establish a relationship between climatic variables and banana crop productivity of Anand district of Gujarat, India. Sentinel data was utilized to derive various indices like Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), Leaf Area Index (LAI), Enhanced Vegetation Index (EVI) and Normalized Difference Water Index (NDWI). Land Surface Temperature (LST) was also derived using Landsat dataset. Evapotranspiration data was also considered while understanding the impact of these parameters on yield. Values were extracted based on the ground control points (GCP) of different agricultural fields of study area. Derived data was analyzed using different statistical tools to understand the relationship between different indices and productivity of banana crop. Results indicated that the banana yield is highly dependent on water availability and evapotranspiration of the study area proving that these parameters can be utilized for generating predicting models of banana yield.

We analyze propagation of Antarctic Bottom Water in the abyssal depths of the Atlantic Ocean based on the author's measurements in 2002-2022. Antarctic Bottom Water is formed over the continental slope in the Weddell Sea. The bottom water that is formed in the Weddell Sea flows through the Orkney Passage to the Scotia Sea. Its potential temperature in the Orknay Passage is -0.54°C. Then it propagates to the Argentine Basin. The main flow from the Argentine Basin is directed to the Vema Channel (31° S), then to the Brazil Basin. The water enters the Vema Channel with a temperature of -0.13°C and leaves it with a temperature of -0.08°C. Further, the flow is divided into equatorial transport through the Romanche (0º N) and Chain fracture zones and the flow to the northwest into the North American Basin. Through the Vema Fracture Zone (11° N), the flow is directed to the basins of the East Atlantic. The predominant penetration of Antarctic waters into the Northeast Atlantic basins occurs through the Vema Fracture Zone and not through the Romanche Fracture Zone due to strong mixing of deep waters in the Romanche FZ caused by internal tidal waves. This research was supported by RSF grant 21-77-2004.

This study aims to quantify the provisional ecosystem services of water supply in irrigated agriculture and the respective crop production, in the surrounding cropland areas of 'Lake Karla' subbasin, located in the southeastern part of Pinios river basin, Thessaly region, central Greece. The area is characterized by water scarcity and overexploitation of groundwater resources, issues that are expected to be eliminated with the full operation of Karla, an artificial multi-purpose reservoir, constructed recently on the land where the homonymous natural Lake Karla was situated before its drainage in 1962. The methodology of the work is based on the development of a dynamic GIS hydrologic and management model of the study area with SWAT (Soil and Water Assessment Tool) that simulates hydrology, reservoir operation, irrigation practices and crop production. The model is executed for a 10-y period with historic climate under two scenarios: a) with irrigation needs covered by surface water resources due to the presence of Karla reservoir and b) without Karla reservoir in operation and groundwater being the only irrigation water source. The results are compared and discussed emphasizing on the net provisional services that the local agricultural society can gain from the full operation of Karla on an annual basis, with caution on the minimum water level in the reservoir that has to be maintained to support biodiversity and other ecosystem functions. Additional benefits such as regulating (flood control) and cultural (aesthetic, educational and recreational) services are also highlighted. The study concludes that the construction of the remaining parts of the initially planned collective irrigation network around the reservoir should be of priority for the maximization of the benefits for the society and the environment by the Karla reservoir.