#waterresources — Public Fediverse posts
Live and recent posts from across the Fediverse tagged #waterresources, aggregated by home.social.
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Australia's oldest coalmine plans to expand under Sydney's water catchment
By Kelly FullerPeabody’s plan to keep its Metropolitan Mine south of Sydney operating until 2044 has won emphatic union backing while drawing calls from the Greens for it to be rejected.
#MineralSands #Coal #EnvironmentallySustainableBusiness #WaterResources #RegionalCommunities #KellyFuller
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Australia's oldest coalmine plans to expand under Sydney's water catchment
By Kelly FullerPeabody’s plan to keep its Metropolitan Mine south of Sydney operating until 2044 has won emphatic union backing while drawing calls from the Greens for it to be rejected.
#MineralSands #Coal #EnvironmentallySustainableBusiness #WaterResources #RegionalCommunities #KellyFuller
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Australia's oldest coalmine plans to expand under Sydney's water catchment
By Kelly FullerPeabody’s plan to keep its Metropolitan Mine south of Sydney operating until 2044 has won emphatic union backing while drawing calls from the Greens for it to be rejected.
#MineralSands #Coal #EnvironmentallySustainableBusiness #WaterResources #RegionalCommunities #KellyFuller
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Australia's oldest coalmine plans to expand under Sydney's water catchment
By Kelly FullerPeabody’s plan to keep its Metropolitan Mine south of Sydney operating until 2044 has won emphatic union backing while drawing calls from the Greens for it to be rejected.
#MineralSands #Coal #EnvironmentallySustainableBusiness #WaterResources #RegionalCommunities #KellyFuller
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Australia's oldest coalmine plans to expand under Sydney's water catchment
By Kelly FullerPeabody’s plan to keep its Metropolitan Mine south of Sydney operating until 2044 has won emphatic union backing while drawing calls from the Greens for it to be rejected.
#MineralSands #Coal #EnvironmentallySustainableBusiness #WaterResources #RegionalCommunities #KellyFuller
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https://www.europesays.com/africa/414034/ Between Two Niles: What China’s Water Security Endorsement Means for Ethiopia #China #Egypt #Ethiopia #front #opinion #WaterResources
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https://www.europesays.com/africa/413515/ China’s GERD Leverage: Can Beijing Broker a Deal Between Egypt and Ethiopia? #China #Economics #Egypt #Ethiopia #opinion #WaterResources
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Perth looks back to the day when Mundaring Weir last overflowed
By Emma Wynne and Natalie JonesThirty years ago, Perth's Mundaring Weir overflowed following good winter rains. The visitors who flocked to see the spectacle had no idea it would never happen again.
#DamsandReservoirs #WaterSupply #WaterResources #History #EmmaWynne #NatalieJones
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Perth looks back to the day when Mundaring Weir last overflowed
By Emma Wynne and Natalie JonesThirty years ago, Perth's Mundaring Weir overflowed following good winter rains. The visitors who flocked to see the spectacle had no idea it would never happen again.
#DamsandReservoirs #WaterSupply #WaterResources #History #EmmaWynne #NatalieJones
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Perth looks back to the day when Mundaring Weir last overflowed
By Emma Wynne and Natalie JonesThirty years ago, Perth's Mundaring Weir overflowed following good winter rains. The visitors who flocked to see the spectacle had no idea it would never happen again.
#DamsandReservoirs #WaterSupply #WaterResources #History #EmmaWynne #NatalieJones
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Perth looks back to the day when Mundaring Weir last overflowed
By Emma Wynne and Natalie JonesThirty years ago, Perth's Mundaring Weir overflowed following good winter rains. The visitors who flocked to see the spectacle had no idea it would never happen again.
#DamsandReservoirs #WaterSupply #WaterResources #History #EmmaWynne #NatalieJones
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Perth looks back to the day when Mundaring Weir last overflowed
By Emma Wynne and Natalie JonesThirty years ago, Perth's Mundaring Weir overflowed following good winter rains. The visitors who flocked to see the spectacle had no idea it would never happen again.
#DamsandReservoirs #WaterSupply #WaterResources #History #EmmaWynne #NatalieJones
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On-Demand Global Landsat Evapotranspiration Product - Development, Evaluation, And Dissemination
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https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rse.2026.115633 <-- shared paper
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https://espa.cr.usgs.gov <-- shared (open data) USGS EROS Science Processing Architecture (ESPA) platform
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https://etdata.org/ <-- OpenET SSEBop platform implementation (water management)
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https://www.usgs.gov/landsat-missions/landsat-collection-2-provisional-actual-evapotranspiration-science-product <-- shared USGS Landsat Collection 2 Provisional Actual Evapotranspiration Science Product
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H/T @mac Friedrichs | Remote Sensing Scientist, KBR | USGS EROS
“This paper summarizes new achievements in developing and distributing the Global Landsat Level-3 Evapotranspiration (ET) product. It is freely available through the USGS EROS Science Processing Architecture (ESPA) platform (2nd link above). 🛰️ …
Since the product launch in June 2020, there have been over 1.2 million Landsat-based ET orders around the world. This indicates increasing awareness and application of the ET data to help understand and manage the relationships among food, energy, and water resources. 🌽💧 …
It features the ESPA workflow and evaluation of the upgraded SSEBop model using a variety of observational datasets and hydrologic regions, and examination against OpenET SSEBop platform implementation (3rd link above.)…”
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“HIGHLIGHTS
• ESPA platform allows access to on-demand, global, Landsat-based, ET products.
• SSEBop model has been used to create ET data since 1982 through ESPA.
• A quick estimation of field-scale crop consumptive water use can be achieved.
• Numerous orders reflect worldwide extensive interest and utilization of the data.
• Method, workflow, and performance of the actual ET data are presented in the study..."
#EROSScienceProcessingArchitecture #climate #global #Evapotranspiration #ET #GIS #spatial #mapping #remotesensing #earthobservation #water #hydrology #opendata #Landsat #OpenET #SSEBop #WaterManagement #Agriculture #USGS #EROS #datadelivery #food #foodsecurity #energy #water #watersecurity #model #modeling #ESPA #farming #cropland #wateruse #waterresources #workflow
@USGS @EROS -
Enhancements To The USGS Landsat Level 2 Surface Temperature And Emissivity Product For Collection3 Reprocessing
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https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rse.2026.115563 <-- shared paper
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H/T @terry Sohl | USGS EROS Science Branch Chief
“HIGHLIGHTS:
• C3 advances Landsat TIR atmospheric correction, emissivity correction, and uncertainty estimates.
• C3 enables global surface temperature products, including polar regions.
• C3 retrievals improve accuracy and consistency across validation sites.
• Split window and single channel methods diverge at extreme temperature conditions.
• C3 and Landsat 10 support multi-decadal climate monitoring.
ABSTRACT: The Landsat program provides the longest continuous global record of thermal infrared observations of the Earth's surface, underpinning critical applications in climate monitoring, water resources, ecosystem dynamics, urban heat analysis, and natural hazard assessment. The release of a global inventory of Landsat Collection 2 Level 2 surface temperature products by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) marked a major milestone in operational provision of Landsat thermal infrared analysis-ready data. Ongoing validations and community uses of Collection 2 have identified opportunities to further improve accuracy, uncertainty characterization, and emissivity correction across diverse atmospheric and surface conditions. In preparation for the planned Landsat Collection 3 reprocessing of the Landsat data record in the late 2020s, the USGS is implementing a coordinated set of enhancements to the Level 2 surface temperature products. These include revised emissivity estimation that leverages external datasets, improved atmospheric characterization and uncertainty propagation, expanded dynamic range for high temperature targets, consideration of split window atmospheric correction algorithm for Landsat 8 and 9, and decoupling of thermal infrared processing from visible to shortwave infrared constraints to enable surface temperature retrievals under low or no solar illumination conditions. These changes are designed to improve product quality and consistency across the Landsat record. Beyond near-term performance gains, the Collection 3 design establishes a scalable processing architecture to accommodate the expanded spectral and radiometric measurement capabilities of the forthcoming Landsat 10 mission. By preserving continuity across the Landsat 4–9 record while enabling future algorithm evolution, Landsat Collection 3 will provide a foundation for long-term, multi-decadal Earth system thermal infrared observations…”
#GIS #spatial #mapping #satellite #remotesening #earthobservation #Landsat #thermalinfrared #TIR #surface #temperature #emissivity #thermal #infrared #analysisreadydata #Collection2 #Collection3 #opendata #atmosphericcorrection #global #climate #monitoring #waterresources #ecosystems #dynamics #urbanheat #spatialanalysis #spatiotemporal #naturalhazards #updates #EROS #USGS
@USGS EROS | @USGS -
A National-Scale Database Of Groundwater Level Data For Switzerland
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https://doi.org/10.1038/s41597-026-07353-6 <-- shared paper
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H/T @RaoulCollenteur | Groundwater Hydrologist at Collenteur HydroConsult GmbH
“Looking for a ready-to-use FAIR dataset with groundwater levels, signatures, and meteorological drivers to test new models and analysis methods to learn from groundwater level data? Why not try [the authors’] new Swiss Groundwater Database with almost 1,000 piezometers in diverse climatological and hydrogeological settings within Switzerland? 💡
💧 Long groundwater level time series with frequent measurements
💧 Meteorological drivers included
💧Unique dataset in terms of hydrogeological data in an alpine setting
… [They] hope [that they] can develop the database in the future with other variables (i.e., groundwater temperature, spring discharge, etc.) and welcome additions and collaborations to make this happen. 🌊…”
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“Groundwater is a vital component of the global supply of freshwater, playing a critical role for human populations, agriculture, and ecosystems. Due to the complex interactions between groundwater, surface water, climate, and human activity, these systems are frequently studied using advanced data analysis and modeling techniques. The effectiveness of these methods is generally enhanced by the availability and quality of data. In Switzerland, the focus area of this study, groundwater data is fragmented and lacks a standardized nationwide compilation. Consequently, the process of conducting nationwide studies with substantial sample sizes is both resource-intensive and time-consuming. In this paper, [they] introduce the Swiss Groundwater Database, a comprehensive compilation of groundwater time series and associated metadata throughout Switzerland. The current database consists of groundwater level data from 985 monitoring wells, which were completed with additional static and time-varying variables. The environmental characteristics and climate indices were compiled and determined for each monitoring well. The database is designed to facilitate and support large-sample hydrological research related to groundwater in Switzerland and beyond…”
#water #hydrography #database #GIS #spatial #mapping #groundwater #Switzerland #FAIR #SwissGroundwaterDatabase #opendata #hydrogeology #meteorology #weather #climate #alpine #waterresources #agriculture #ecosystems #humanimpacts #spatialanalysis #spatiotemporal #model #modeling #dataanalysis #nationwide #metadata #monitoring #wells
@Federal Office for the Environment FOEN | @Federal Office of Meteorology and Climatology MeteoSwiss -
Fifth-generation farm at a standstill due to contamination
By Emily SmithThe future of Kate Tucker’s family farm looks as murky as its waterways, which face a raft of contamination issues, but poor environmental regulation has left her with few options.
#WaterPollution #WaterResources #WaterSupply #LivestockFarming #AgriculturalandFarmingPractice #StateandTerritoryGovernment #LocalGovernment #EmilySmith
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Unraveling The Drivers Of Water Shortage Across Spatial Scales And Sectors In Colorado's West Slope River Basins
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https://doi.org/10.1029/2026EF008137 <-- shared paper
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['sorry' about your Kentucky Bluegrass, almonds, etc... /s]
H/T Sai Veena Sunkara | Postdoctoral Associate
“…Colorado’s West Slope basins provide nearly 70% of the inflows to Lake Powell and are also essential to communities, agriculture, industry, hydropower, and downstream Colorado River users.
To examine the wide range of possible futures, [they] simulated 2.1 million years, defining 20,000 plausible scenarios applying changes to streamflow, snowmelt timing, drought persistence, and agricultural, municipal, and industrial water demand.
A key finding is that there is 𝗻𝗼 𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗴𝗹𝗲 𝗰𝗮𝘂𝘀𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝗳𝘂𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝘄𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝘀𝗵𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗮𝗴𝗲𝘀. The most influential drivers vary by basin, sector, and water user. In some areas, shortages are driven primarily by persistent low-flow conditions or changing snowmelt timing. In others, increasing municipal, industrial, or irrigation demand plays a larger role. This suggests that adaptation strategies must be tailored to specific basins and users rather than relying on a single, system-wide solution. Other major findings are
• West Slope deliveries to Lake Powell could fall more than 50% below the current median baseline
• Storage in major West Slope reservoirs could decline 40–55% below historical medians
These results underscore the need for water-planning approaches that account for deep uncertainty, persistent drought, shifting snowmelt patterns, and sector-specific demand…”
#Colorado #waterallocation #StateMod #USWest #USA #WesternSlope #waterresources #watersecurity #watershortage #drought #snowmelt #rainfall #precipitation #riverbasin #water #hydrography #hydrology #reasons #agriculture #industry #hydropower #streamflow #surfacewater #municipal #irrigation #adaptationstrategies #planning #policy #mitigation #ColoradoRiver #basins #climatechange #extremeweather #populationpressure #waterdemand #waterrights #model #modeling #HiddenMarkovModel #stochastic #projecteddemand #ColoradoRiverBasin #wateruse #spatial #mapping #spatialanalysis #spatiotemporal #strategy -
Busy Beavers - The Turbidity Signature Of Ecosystem Engineers At Work
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https://doi.org/10.1002/hyp.70661 <-- shared paper
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H/T @alan Puttock
“Beavers are the quintessential ecosystem engineers. In slow-flowing streams, they create complex wetlands with ponds by building dams and canals that can positively impact biodiversity, hydrology and water quality. These activities can interchangeably capture or release sediment along the watercourse. To date this has not been quantified at the resolution of rainfall events or beaver activity. This study used 15-min frequency, sustained monitoring upstream and downstream of a newly establishing beaver wetland to measure episodic changes in water turbidity at an event resolution. Monitoring showed no significant differences between upstream and downstream turbidity over 160 days when the first pair of beavers, known not to be building dams or canals, were resident. Shortly after introduction of another beaver pair, however, dam building, burrows and canal excavations were quickly observed, resulting in the creation of a complex beaver wetland between 2021 and 2024. Monitoring over 375 days during this period showed significant differences. Downstream turbidity was significantly higher overall than upstream: 13.1 Nephelometric Turbidity Units (NTU) compared to 4.2 NTU. Stochastic spikes in downstream turbidity during the study period not recorded upstream were associated with dam building and burrowing. Overall, there was no significant difference in turbidity loads, which was at least partially explained by a reduction in discharge downstream, particularly in higher flows, during the dam building period. This demonstrates a complex system with the trapping of influent sediment, the storing of water and the periodic release of beaver wetland sediment leading to net balance in loads. These results help provide context for other studies which have used temporally discrete sampling campaigns rather than continuous high-frequency monitoring. They provide a unique insight into the downstream impacts of a rapidly developing beaver wetland over its first three and a half years in a landscape that hasn't had beavers for over 400 years…"
#hydromorphic #water #hydrology #dam #beaverdam #waterquality #biodiversity #ecology #benefits #NatureBasedSolutions #Wetlands #Ecology #Biodiversity #EnvironmentalScience #Wildlife #Ecosystem #bioviversity #conservation #restoration #landscaperecovery #floodmanagement #FloodMitigation #flooding #energy #floodrisk #sustainability #wetlands #hydrography #dams #impoundment #deadwood #waterresources #landscapeengineer #benefits #vegetation #ecology #ecosystem #riversystemsstabilisation #naturalwaterregulation #resilience #valleysreborn #fisheries #invertebrates #extremeweather #floodflows #sediment #baseflow #drought #landmanagement #naturalsystems #landuse #monitoring #spatialanalysis #spatiotemporal -
Can Himalayan Crops Help Secure The Future Of Food?
(Exploring how genomic diversity, traditional crops, and regional cooperation can strengthen climate resilience and food security across the Hindu Kush Himalaya [HKH])
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https://substack.com/home/post/p-207443153 <-- shared technical post
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https://openlibrary.substack.com/ <-- shared Substack, “Open Library on Green Economy”
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https://adaptationwithoutborders.org/knowledge-base/adaptation-without-borders/shifting-cooperation-in-the-hindu-kush-himalaya/ <-- shared technical article, “Shifting cooperation in the [HKH]”
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https://www.icimod.org/who-we-are/the-hindu-kush-himalaya/ <-- background on the HKH, International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD)
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https://doi.org/10.48130/cas-0026-0003 <-- shared paper
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[not at all my technical area - but fascinating, including the spatial component #alldataisspatial]
H/T @jeevan Labh
“As we navigate the intensifying impacts of the 2026 El Niño, the vulnerability of our global food systems require careful evaluation. With this year’s erratic weather patterns driving severe, prolonged droughts in some regions and unseasonal, devastating floods in others, the climate crisis is proving that it is not a distant threat; it is happening right now, in our fields and on our plates.
This crisis is more visible in the Hindu Kush Himalaya (HKH) region. Often called the “water tower of Asia,” this vast mountain range sustains 240 million people across eight countries and provides essential ecosystem services to nearly 2 billion people downstream. When glaciers melt at accelerated rates and monsoons become unpredictable, the narrative often focuses solely on the mountain communities. But the truth is much broader: a disrupted harvest in the high hills of Nepal or Bhutan creates a domino effect. It leads to displaced populations, reduced agricultural output flowing into the Indus, Ganges, and Brahmaputra basins, and ultimately, skyrocketing food prices for families living in the sprawling downstream plains.
The climate crisis respects no borders and recognizes no difference between altitude and sea level. Because this problem affects us all, the solution must protect us all. Fortunately, the means to overcome this challenge are already in our hands, locked within the ancient seeds of the mountains…”
## #GreenEconomy #economy #monoculture #agriculture #farming #crop #cropland #HinduKushHimalaya #himalaya #mountain #HKH #spatial #mapping #elevation #climatechange #foodsecurity #food #extremeweather #weather #ElNiño #drought #rainfall #precipitation #snowmelt #climatecrisis #mountainrange #water #hydrology #ecosystem #glacier #moonsoons #community #harvest #Nepal #Bhutan #watersheds #watersecurity #risk #hazard #waterresources #genes #genomicdiversity #cooperation -
Can Himalayan Crops Help Secure The Future Of Food?
(Exploring how genomic diversity, traditional crops, and regional cooperation can strengthen climate resilience and food security across the Hindu Kush Himalaya [HKH])
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https://substack.com/home/post/p-207443153 <-- shared technical post
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https://openlibrary.substack.com/ <-- shared Substack, “Open Library on Green Economy”
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https://adaptationwithoutborders.org/knowledge-base/adaptation-without-borders/shifting-cooperation-in-the-hindu-kush-himalaya/ <-- shared technical article, “Shifting cooperation in the [HKH]”
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https://www.icimod.org/who-we-are/the-hindu-kush-himalaya/ <-- background on the HKH, International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD)
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https://doi.org/10.48130/cas-0026-0003 <-- shared paper
--
[not at all my technical area - but fascinating, including the spatial component #alldataisspatial]
H/T @jeevan Labh
“As we navigate the intensifying impacts of the 2026 El Niño, the vulnerability of our global food systems require careful evaluation. With this year’s erratic weather patterns driving severe, prolonged droughts in some regions and unseasonal, devastating floods in others, the climate crisis is proving that it is not a distant threat; it is happening right now, in our fields and on our plates.
This crisis is more visible in the Hindu Kush Himalaya (HKH) region. Often called the “water tower of Asia,” this vast mountain range sustains 240 million people across eight countries and provides essential ecosystem services to nearly 2 billion people downstream. When glaciers melt at accelerated rates and monsoons become unpredictable, the narrative often focuses solely on the mountain communities. But the truth is much broader: a disrupted harvest in the high hills of Nepal or Bhutan creates a domino effect. It leads to displaced populations, reduced agricultural output flowing into the Indus, Ganges, and Brahmaputra basins, and ultimately, skyrocketing food prices for families living in the sprawling downstream plains.
The climate crisis respects no borders and recognizes no difference between altitude and sea level. Because this problem affects us all, the solution must protect us all. Fortunately, the means to overcome this challenge are already in our hands, locked within the ancient seeds of the mountains…”
## #GreenEconomy #economy #monoculture #agriculture #farming #crop #cropland #HinduKushHimalaya #himalaya #mountain #HKH #spatial #mapping #elevation #climatechange #foodsecurity #food #extremeweather #weather #ElNiño #drought #rainfall #precipitation #snowmelt #climatecrisis #mountainrange #water #hydrology #ecosystem #glacier #moonsoons #community #harvest #Nepal #Bhutan #watersheds #watersecurity #risk #hazard #waterresources #genes #genomicdiversity #cooperation -
Can Himalayan Crops Help Secure The Future Of Food?
(Exploring how genomic diversity, traditional crops, and regional cooperation can strengthen climate resilience and food security across the Hindu Kush Himalaya [HKH])
--
https://substack.com/home/post/p-207443153 <-- shared technical post
--
https://openlibrary.substack.com/ <-- shared Substack, “Open Library on Green Economy”
--
https://adaptationwithoutborders.org/knowledge-base/adaptation-without-borders/shifting-cooperation-in-the-hindu-kush-himalaya/ <-- shared technical article, “Shifting cooperation in the [HKH]”
--
https://www.icimod.org/who-we-are/the-hindu-kush-himalaya/ <-- background on the HKH, International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD)
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https://doi.org/10.48130/cas-0026-0003 <-- shared paper
--
[not at all my technical area - but fascinating, including the spatial component #alldataisspatial]
H/T @jeevan Labh
“As we navigate the intensifying impacts of the 2026 El Niño, the vulnerability of our global food systems require careful evaluation. With this year’s erratic weather patterns driving severe, prolonged droughts in some regions and unseasonal, devastating floods in others, the climate crisis is proving that it is not a distant threat; it is happening right now, in our fields and on our plates.
This crisis is more visible in the Hindu Kush Himalaya (HKH) region. Often called the “water tower of Asia,” this vast mountain range sustains 240 million people across eight countries and provides essential ecosystem services to nearly 2 billion people downstream. When glaciers melt at accelerated rates and monsoons become unpredictable, the narrative often focuses solely on the mountain communities. But the truth is much broader: a disrupted harvest in the high hills of Nepal or Bhutan creates a domino effect. It leads to displaced populations, reduced agricultural output flowing into the Indus, Ganges, and Brahmaputra basins, and ultimately, skyrocketing food prices for families living in the sprawling downstream plains.
The climate crisis respects no borders and recognizes no difference between altitude and sea level. Because this problem affects us all, the solution must protect us all. Fortunately, the means to overcome this challenge are already in our hands, locked within the ancient seeds of the mountains…”
## #GreenEconomy #economy #monoculture #agriculture #farming #crop #cropland #HinduKushHimalaya #himalaya #mountain #HKH #spatial #mapping #elevation #climatechange #foodsecurity #food #extremeweather #weather #ElNiño #drought #rainfall #precipitation #snowmelt #climatecrisis #mountainrange #water #hydrology #ecosystem #glacier #moonsoons #community #harvest #Nepal #Bhutan #watersheds #watersecurity #risk #hazard #waterresources #genes #genomicdiversity #cooperation -
Can Himalayan Crops Help Secure The Future Of Food?
(Exploring how genomic diversity, traditional crops, and regional cooperation can strengthen climate resilience and food security across the Hindu Kush Himalaya [HKH])
--
https://substack.com/home/post/p-207443153 <-- shared technical post
--
https://openlibrary.substack.com/ <-- shared Substack, “Open Library on Green Economy”
--
https://adaptationwithoutborders.org/knowledge-base/adaptation-without-borders/shifting-cooperation-in-the-hindu-kush-himalaya/ <-- shared technical article, “Shifting cooperation in the [HKH]”
--
https://www.icimod.org/who-we-are/the-hindu-kush-himalaya/ <-- background on the HKH, International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD)
--
https://doi.org/10.48130/cas-0026-0003 <-- shared paper
--
[not at all my technical area - but fascinating, including the spatial component #alldataisspatial]
H/T @jeevan Labh
“As we navigate the intensifying impacts of the 2026 El Niño, the vulnerability of our global food systems require careful evaluation. With this year’s erratic weather patterns driving severe, prolonged droughts in some regions and unseasonal, devastating floods in others, the climate crisis is proving that it is not a distant threat; it is happening right now, in our fields and on our plates.
This crisis is more visible in the Hindu Kush Himalaya (HKH) region. Often called the “water tower of Asia,” this vast mountain range sustains 240 million people across eight countries and provides essential ecosystem services to nearly 2 billion people downstream. When glaciers melt at accelerated rates and monsoons become unpredictable, the narrative often focuses solely on the mountain communities. But the truth is much broader: a disrupted harvest in the high hills of Nepal or Bhutan creates a domino effect. It leads to displaced populations, reduced agricultural output flowing into the Indus, Ganges, and Brahmaputra basins, and ultimately, skyrocketing food prices for families living in the sprawling downstream plains.
The climate crisis respects no borders and recognizes no difference between altitude and sea level. Because this problem affects us all, the solution must protect us all. Fortunately, the means to overcome this challenge are already in our hands, locked within the ancient seeds of the mountains…”
## #GreenEconomy #economy #monoculture #agriculture #farming #crop #cropland #HinduKushHimalaya #himalaya #mountain #HKH #spatial #mapping #elevation #climatechange #foodsecurity #food #extremeweather #weather #ElNiño #drought #rainfall #precipitation #snowmelt #climatecrisis #mountainrange #water #hydrology #ecosystem #glacier #moonsoons #community #harvest #Nepal #Bhutan #watersheds #watersecurity #risk #hazard #waterresources #genes #genomicdiversity #cooperation -
Can Himalayan Crops Help Secure The Future Of Food?
(Exploring how genomic diversity, traditional crops, and regional cooperation can strengthen climate resilience and food security across the Hindu Kush Himalaya [HKH])
--
https://substack.com/home/post/p-207443153 <-- shared technical post
--
https://openlibrary.substack.com/ <-- shared Substack, “Open Library on Green Economy”
--
https://adaptationwithoutborders.org/knowledge-base/adaptation-without-borders/shifting-cooperation-in-the-hindu-kush-himalaya/ <-- shared technical article, “Shifting cooperation in the [HKH]”
--
https://www.icimod.org/who-we-are/the-hindu-kush-himalaya/ <-- background on the HKH, International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD)
--
https://doi.org/10.48130/cas-0026-0003 <-- shared paper
--
[not at all my technical area - but fascinating, including the spatial component #alldataisspatial]
H/T @jeevan Labh
“As we navigate the intensifying impacts of the 2026 El Niño, the vulnerability of our global food systems require careful evaluation. With this year’s erratic weather patterns driving severe, prolonged droughts in some regions and unseasonal, devastating floods in others, the climate crisis is proving that it is not a distant threat; it is happening right now, in our fields and on our plates.
This crisis is more visible in the Hindu Kush Himalaya (HKH) region. Often called the “water tower of Asia,” this vast mountain range sustains 240 million people across eight countries and provides essential ecosystem services to nearly 2 billion people downstream. When glaciers melt at accelerated rates and monsoons become unpredictable, the narrative often focuses solely on the mountain communities. But the truth is much broader: a disrupted harvest in the high hills of Nepal or Bhutan creates a domino effect. It leads to displaced populations, reduced agricultural output flowing into the Indus, Ganges, and Brahmaputra basins, and ultimately, skyrocketing food prices for families living in the sprawling downstream plains.
The climate crisis respects no borders and recognizes no difference between altitude and sea level. Because this problem affects us all, the solution must protect us all. Fortunately, the means to overcome this challenge are already in our hands, locked within the ancient seeds of the mountains…”
## #GreenEconomy #economy #monoculture #agriculture #farming #crop #cropland #HinduKushHimalaya #himalaya #mountain #HKH #spatial #mapping #elevation #climatechange #foodsecurity #food #extremeweather #weather #ElNiño #drought #rainfall #precipitation #snowmelt #climatecrisis #mountainrange #water #hydrology #ecosystem #glacier #moonsoons #community #harvest #Nepal #Bhutan #watersheds #watersecurity #risk #hazard #waterresources #genes #genomicdiversity #cooperation -
Ancient Water Wisdom - The Acequias Of Sierra Nevada, Europe’s Oldest Groundwater System ⛰️
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https://memolaproject.eu/sierra-nevada/wateruse <-- shared link to the 𝗠𝗘𝗠𝗢𝗟𝗔 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗷𝗲𝗰𝘁 page
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https://regadiohistorico.es/ <-- shared technical page, “Collaborative map of historical irrigation systems in Granada and Almería” / “Mapa colaborativo de regadíos históricos de Granada y Almería”
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https://youtu.be/-TIUI2KflMk?si=iaSOwV99-WWMDCpV <-- shared video overview, “Participa al Mapa colaborativo de regadíos históricos de Granada y Almería”
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H/T @sofie de Volder | Co-founder TRAQUA
“[The author has] already discussed ancient water management systems, such as the qanats in Persia and other Eastern countries. In Europe, there are the acequias of the Sierra Nevada in Andalusia, Spain.
The hand-dug channels date back over 1,000 years to the Moorish era. Networks of canals, aqueducts and cisterns were engineered to capture and transport snowmelt, turning this natural resource into a sustainable water supply for agriculture. The high-altitude ditches had openings, allowing water to infiltrate into fractures and faults, replenishing the aquifer, and to irrigate the lower levels of the slopes.
𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗱𝗲𝗳𝗶𝗻𝗲 𝗮𝗰𝗲𝗾𝘂𝗶𝗮𝘀?
✅ Gravity-fed irrigation that supported terraced farms and local biodiversity.
✅ Designed to distribute water slowly and equitably, even during dry summers.
✅ Stretching over thousands of kilometres, these systems fell into disuse in the 1980s but are now part of restoration efforts led by the MEMOLA Project (Universidad de Granada).
With climate change and more intense droughts, the Acequias could provide an ancient solution to the modern-day water crisis…”
#Spain #𝗮𝗰𝗲𝗾𝘂𝗶𝗮𝘀 #waterresources #historic #irrigation #mapping #watermanagement #agriculture #farming #watersecurity #HistoricalIrrigationSystems #agroecological #SierraNevada #Andalusia #Moors #engineering #constructed #channels #canals #aqueducts #cisterns #water #hydrography #snowmelt #naturalresource #sustainability #groundwater #aquifers #recharge #MEMOLA #mapping #climatechange #extremeweather #drought -
GMIA-NEXT - Next-Generation Global Map of Irrigated Areas |
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https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-10085674/v1 <-- shared paper
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https://zenodo.org/records/17627111 <-- shared open data
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H/T @kyle Davis
“Irrigation plays a critical role in global food production and climate adaptation and exercises profound influence over humanity's water use. Yet despite its critical importance, there is a persistent lack of understanding of fine-scale irrigation patterns across the planet, knowledge which is essential for informing global food security and sustainability targets. Utilizing either statistical downscaling or remote sensing approaches, existing global irrigation datasets are constrained by coarse spatial resolutions, a lack of timeliness, or varying robustness and reliability. To address this gap, here [they] integrate[d] multi-source Earth observation and environmental datasets and use[d] machine learning to develop a medium-resolution (30 metre) global irrigated area dataset for the 2023/24 growing season. Within existing cropland extent, we leverage a newly compiled set of georeferenced irrigated (N=230,683) and non-irrigated (N=153,194) ground-truth points and integrate seasonal vegetation metrics derived from Landsat 8/9 imagery with agroecological-zone information and hydroclimatic and topographic variables. [They] subsequently develop and evaluate two machine-learning frameworks, a continental Agro-Ecological Zone (AEZ) tile-based framework and a continental-scale framework, and apply the best-performing approach for each continent. Evaluation using held-out test samples yielded a global accuracy of 80.5 ± 2.1%. The resulting maps were also validated against independent global and national irrigation datasets and statistics, demonstrating broad agreement in the spatial distribution of irrigated areas. This approach is robust and reliable because it is built on a harmonized global ground-truth database, incorporates multiple predictors, and is rigorously validated using independent datasets. All code, ground-truth, and data products are freely and publicly available [link above] and can serve as a robust, scale-neutral, and fully reproducible framework for fine-resolution irrigation mapping. These advances provide the critical and long-needed foundation for near-real-time monitoring and early warning systems, and fine-scale land and water resource management…”
#IrrigatedAreas #Mapping #GIS #spatial #mapping #spatialanalysis #spatiotemporal #global #irrigation #water #hydrology #hydrography #waterresources #farming #agriculture #opendata #remotesensing #earthobservation #geomorphometry #AI #machinelearning #LLM #model #modeling #WaterManagement #opendata #AgroEcologicalZone #AEZ #cropland #irrigatedareas #foodproduction #wateruse #humanimpacts #EarthObservation #remotesensing #earlywarning #monitoring #FoodandAgricultureOrganizationFAO #FAO
@FAO - Food and Agriculture Organization -
Eager Beavers - Rodents Engineer Czech Wetland Project After Years Of Human Delay [ecosystem engineers]
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https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/feb/11/beavers-save-czech-taxpayers-by-flooding-ex-army-training-site <-- shared technical media article
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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beaver-engineered_dam_in_the_Czech_Republic <-- shared wiki technical page
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https://phys.org/news/2025-02-fine-beavers-czech-treasury-million.html <-- shared technical article
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https://youtu.be/GSTw8qmBP4Y?si=XK2Iy2pAltW91flj <-- shared video (Czech)
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H/T @ScienceGirl
"We don't expect any conflict with the beaver in the next 10 years," ~ Bohumil Fiser from the Czech Nature Conservation Agency
--
“For seven years, planners struggled to complete a $1.2 million wetland restoration project in the Brdy region of the Czech Republic. The goal was to build a dam that would improve water management and bring back valuable wetland habitat, but the project remained trapped in a maze of permits and approvals.
Then a family of eight Eurasian beavers did what engineers had planned… without permits, machinery, or a budget.
The beavers built a network of dams in almost the exact area chosen for the proposed project, naturally restoring the wetland system officials had spent years trying to create. After seeing the results, authorities decided there was little point continuing with the original human-built dam.
Although some reports suggested the beavers completed the work overnight, experts say their construction likely took several weeks. The reason it seemed sudden is that the animals quietly worked away until their finished dams became impossible to miss.
Beavers are known as “ecosystem engineers” because their behaviour can reshape entire environments. By cutting trees and blocking streams, they create ponds and wetlands that support countless species, including fish, amphibians, insects, birds, and mammals.
Their wetlands also act as natural water reservoirs, helping during droughts, reducing flood risks, filtering water, storing carbon, and keeping landscapes wetter during wildfires…
Once heavily hunted across Europe, beaver populations have been recovering thanks to conservation efforts, proving that sometimes nature can solve problems humans spend years trying to fix…"
#water #hydrology #KlabavaRiver #Czech #BrdyRegion #protected #CzechRepublic #armytraining #military #beaver #Eurasianbeavers #dam #beaverdam #waterquality #restoration #biodiversity #crayfish #wetland #ecology #benefits #Beavers #NatureBasedSolutions #Wetlands #Ecology #Biodiversity #Agroforestry #EnvironmentalScience #Conservation #Wildlife #Ecosystem #bioviversity #conservation #restoration #landscaperecovery #EcosystemEngineers #nature #floodmanagement #FloodMitigation #flood #flooding #energy #floodrisk #sustainability #wetlands #hydrography #dams #impoundment #deadwood #waterresources #landscapeengineer #agriculture #benefits #vegetation #ecology #ecosystem #riversystemsstabilisation #naturalwaterregulation #resilience #drought #wildfire #valleysreborn #slowdetermination #fisheries #invertebrates #extremeweather #floodflows #sediment #baseflow #drought #landmanagement #naturalsystems #landuse #ecosystemengineers #watermanagement -
Water in the air an 'untapped water resource' until now
By Joanna PrendergastCan water be made from air in WA's Wheatbelt? Researchers are putting an invention to the test.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-07-09/water-from-the-air-to-grow-native-seedlings/106888152
#WaterResources #WaterSupply #LivestockFarming #LocalFoodSystems #Agribusiness #ScientificResearch #IrrigatedFarming #JoannaPrendergast
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Comparative Hydro-Climatic Datasets For Catchment-Wise Linked Water Fluxes And Storage Changes Across South America
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https://doi.org/10.3389/fenvs.2026.1764771 <-- shared paper
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https://doi.org/10.1038/s43247-026-03661-2 <-- shared paper
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https://doi.org/10.1002/joc.6443 <-- shared paper
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https://www.pik-potsdam.de/en/news/latest-news/from-droughts-to-floods-climate-change-and-migration-in-peru | https://publications.iom.int/books/evaluacion-de-la-evidencia-cambio-climatico-y-migracion-en-el-peru <-- shared 2021 Peru hydroclimate technical article | report
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https://youtu.be/Ngbm0gsmYAw?si=haqV7t15pGkEmJB8 <-- shared overview video
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#water #GIS #spatial #mappping #spatialanalysis #spatiotemporal #remotesensing #earthobservation #Hydrology #Hydroclimatology #ClimateChange #extremeweather #WaterResources #WaterSecurity uncertainity #SouthAmerica #ClimateData #PeerReview #OpenScience #Hydrometeorology #opendata #datasets #rainfall #precipitation #fluvial #heatwave #temperature #changing #consistency #flood #flooding #drought #riskmanagement #risk #hazard #earthsystems #resilience #waterquality #waterpollution #model #modeling #monitoring #records #hydroclimate #hydrogeomorphology #review #SouthAmerica #planning #policy #sustainability #evapotranspiration #runoff #waterstorage #SAHCD -
Advancing Detailed Flood Hazard Identification in Alberta, Canada - Insights from Two Recent Flood Studies
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https://doi.org/10.3390/w18131592 <-- shared paper
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“The increasing frequency of floods and the severity of their consequences for public safety, infrastructure, and the economy demand improved methods for flood hazard identification. Flood studies that include flood hazard mapping are critical tools for informing emergency response and flood recovery, as well as for land use and mitigation planning. The methodology for such flood studies has evolved, and access to more powerful computational resources and high-resolution base data has contributed to the increased use of two-dimensional hydraulic modelling, where one-dimensional modelling previously was the default. However, local-scale flood studies face real-world constraints, including sparse data, challenging hydrologic conditions, and budget limitations, which can hinder the application of advanced techniques. This study addresses these challenges through innovative, practice-driven solutions in two case studies in Alberta, Canada: a small, partly channelised prairie stream network (Wolf Creek, Lacombe) and a laterally dynamic river on a distributary delta (Swan River, Kinuso). Three core components of flood hazard studies are described: field survey data collection, regional hydrology assessment, and hydraulic modelling. Key findings include demonstrating that LiDAR-derived terrain models alone cannot capture channel conveyance, the importance of low-flow calibration in the absence of high-water marks, the selection of a modelling methodology based on bathymetric and topographic features within a study area, and the development of inflow hydrographs for unsteady-state simulation in flat floodplains…”
#FloodMapping #FloodRisk #Hydrology #HydraulicModeling #HECRAS #WaterResources #Alberta #Resilience #RiverSurvey #spatialanlaysis #spatiotemporal #floodhazardmapping #HECRAS #model #modeling #remotesensing #LiDAR #bathymetry #floodfrequencyanalysis #unsteadysimulation #FHIMP #FHIP #WoldCreek #Lacombe #SwanRiver #Kinuso #Alberta #Canada #localscale #provincialfloodstudy # prairie #stream #river #flood #flooding #water #hydrology #risk #hazard #watershed #publicsafety #cost #damage #economics #infrastructure #use #practicedriven #floodhazard #survey #hydraulic #terrainmodels #hydrogeomorphology #topography #elevation #floodplain
@Alberta Environment and Protected Areas | @Government of Alberta | @Barr Engineering -
🦫 Could Beavers Help Tackle One Of Climate Change’s Fastest-Growing Challenges? [UK] 🦫
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https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/climate-change-beavers-hidden-battle-against-britains-rome-cook-frgve/ <-- shared technical article
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https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cx26r1gz1x8o <-- shared media article, “Beavers have helped reduce flood risk…”
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https://www.wildlifetrusts.org/saving-species/beavers <-- shared overview, beavers in the UK
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https://www.npr.org/2026/05/21/nx-s1-5738979/beavers-britain-climate-change-flooding <-- shared media article, “As floods get worse, Britain tries a new solution: beavers”
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https://www.rewildingbritain.org.uk/why-rewild/reintroductions-key-species/key-species/eurasian-beaver <-- shared reintroduction overview
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https://youtu.be/NXZjt1M6loY?si=pwjU0t1GXxGLfNnD <-- shared video, “Watch the moment wild beavers return to Cornwall” [UK]
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https://youtu.be/65HBgO33GDo?si=2qfBAa2Qaz23I81g <-- shared video, “First Beavers in Bedfordshire in over 400 years” [UK]
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https://scottishwildlifetrust.org.uk/our-work/our-projects/scottish-beavers/ <-- shared overview, beaver reintroduction into Scotland
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https://youtu.be/vCjvCQHX7mQ?si=fJS9E1wi0LyDq5Fw <-- shared video, “Scotland Released 11 Beavers Into a Dead River — What They Did With Mud and Sticks Was [amazing]”
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H/T @RomeCook
“In [this] article, [the author] explore[s]:
🌿 How beaver-created wetlands support biodiversity
🦟 Their potential influence on mosquitoes and other insect pests
🕷️ The indirect role they may play in tick ecology
🦇 How dragonflies, bats, birds, amphibians and beneficial insects contribute to natural pest regulation
🚜 What this could mean for sustainable agriculture and agroforestry
🌍 Why this matters for biodiversity, farming, and human and animal health in a changing climate…
The beaver isn’t simply creating wetlands. It may be rebuilding the ecological balance that our landscapes have gradually lost….”
#Beavers #BeaverConference2026 #NatureBasedSolutions #Wetlands #Ecology #Biodiversity #Entomology #IntegratedPestManagement #BiologicalControl #Agroforestry #SustainableAgriculture #ClimateChange #OneHealth #EnvironmentalScience #Conservation #Research #ResearchCollaboration #Wildlife #EcosystemServices #bioviversity #conservation #restoration #landscaperecovery #trophiccascade #Rewilding #Nature #SpeciesReintroduction #Environment #EcosystemEngineers #nature #restoration #floodmanagement #FloodMitigation #flood #flooding #floodrisk #sustainability #wetlands #hydrography #hydrology #dams #impoundment #deadwood #waterresources #landscapeengineer # agriculture #benefits #agroforestry #vegetation #waterquality #ecology #ecosystem #restoration #riversystemsstabilisation #climatechange -
Impact Of Floods On Surface Water Quality - A Systematic Review And Comprehensive Assessment
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https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhydrol.2026.135916 <-- shared paper
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https://www.epa.gov/system/files/documents/2024-12/2024-12.pdf <-- shared paper
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“Floods, as extreme flow events, are among the costliest and devastating natural hazards. Among the various domains impacted by flooding, environmental degradation, particularly the deterioration of water quality (WQ), is one of the most impacted yet often overlooked. Therefore, it is essential to understand the nature and source of water pollution associated with flooding. This study aims to evaluate and assess multiple studies conducted globally to determine the impact of floods on WQ. A literature review and assessment of 66 studies published between 2007 and 2026 was conducted using the total comprehensiveness score (TCS). To support the scoring process, studies that scored more than 70% of the maximum achievable TCS (15.4) are considered the most detailed and comprehensive in addressing the objectives of this review. 16 studies achieved a TCS above 15.4, indicating that a limited number of studies incorporate a broader set of factors in this domain. A higher number of studies were conducted post the year 2021, highlighting both scientific progress and a growing focus on WQ impacts from disasters such as floods, beyond the traditionally emphasized socio-economic loss. Among the shortlisted studies, fluvial floods are the most frequently examined, followed by pluvial floods and coastal floods. During fluvial floods, turbidity increased by up to two orders of magnitude, while nutrient concentrations (TN, TP) typically rose by ∼ 10–30%. In contrast, pluvial floods were characterised by dilution-driven decreases in EC and TDS, with DOX, BOD and COD showing variable responses across flood types. This review evaluates flood impacts on WQ, catchment characteristics, and sources of WQ modification. The findings of the research reveal that not all WQ parameters are responsible for WQ degradation during every flood event. Rather, it is a combination of certain parameters that leads to deteriorated WQ. WQ degradation depends on interacting factors such as flood duration, extent, depth, and flow dynamics. In overall, this study provides an overview of the multiple cascading impacts of floods on WQ, along with a detailed perspective on the set of criteria that should be considered in future research…”
#water #hydrology #hydrography #flood #flooding #criteriaassessment #waterpollution #waterquality #parameters #extremeflow #waterresources #extremeweather #waterresources #watermanagement #global #literaturereview #morphology #source #type #watersecurity #research #papers #compilation #humanimpacts #PRISMA #spatiotemporal #fluvial #pluvial #coast #coastal #risk #hazard #riverine #climatechange #EnvironmentalScience #Research #ClimateResilience #floodtype #pollution #naturalhazard -
#NavajoNation Declares #DroughtEmergency as President #BuuNygren Signs Order
by Levi Rickert June 11, 2026
Excerpt: "Commission members advanced the declaration after reviewing worsening #drought conditions across the region and considering recent emergency actions taken by #Arizona and #NewMexico. State officials have pointed to persistent drought, below-average precipitation, elevated #wildfire risks, and growing impacts on #WaterResources and agriculture.
"The commission also reviewed U.S. Drought Monitor data showing that Arizona experienced its hottest and driest January-through-March period on record in 2026, with extreme drought persisting across portions of #Navajo, #Apache, and #Coconino counties.
"To address the crisis, the declaration recommends that the Division of Natural Resources move forward with drought mitigation infrastructure projects, including repairs to #windmills and improvements to livestock #WaterStorage systems.
"The commission also recommended allocating $6,553,730 from the Agricultural Infrastructure Fund to support drought mitigation efforts, including windmill repairs and related water infrastructure improvements.
"In addition, Navajo Nation chapters are encouraged to activate local emergency mitigation plans and coordinate with Administrative Service Centers, the Division of Community Development, the Department of Emergency Management, and other entities to strengthen preparedness and response efforts."
#ClimateCrisis #ExtremeDrought #Dine #WaterIsLife #NoWaterForDatacenters #NativeAmericanNews
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[G]lobal Decline In Endorheic Basin Water Storages
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https://doi.org/10.1038/s41561-018-0265-7 <-- shared paper
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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Endorheic_basin <-- shared Wikipedia page
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“Endorheic (hydrologically landlocked) basins spatially concur with arid/semi-arid climates. Given limited precipitation but high potential evaporation, their water storage is vulnerable to subtle flux perturbations, which are exacerbated by global warming and human activities. Increasing regional evidence suggests a probably recent net decline in endorheic water storage, but this remains unquantified at a global scale. By integrating satellite observations and hydrological modelling, [they] reveal[ed] that during 2002–2016 the global endorheic system experienced a widespread water loss of about 106.3 Gt/yr, attributed to comparable losses in surface water, soil moisture and groundwater. This decadal decline, disparate from water storage fluctuations in exorheic basins, appears less sensitive to El Niño–Southern Oscillation-driven climate variability, which implies a possible response to longer-term climate conditions and human water management. In the mass-conserved hydrosphere, such an endorheic water loss not only exacerbates local water stress, but also imposes excess water on exorheic basins, leading to a potential sea level rise that matches the contribution of nearly half of the land glacier retreat (excluding Greenland and Antarctica). Given these dual ramifications, [they] suggest the necessity for long-term monitoring of water storage variation in the global endorheic system and the inclusion of its net contribution to future sea level budgeting…”
#water #hydrology #hydrography #global #waterresources #waterstorage #Endorheic #Basin #watersecurity #arid #semiarid #rainfall #precipitation #spatialanalysis #spatiotemporal #globalwarming #climatechange #humanimpacts #anthropogenic #regional #remotesensing #GIS #spatial #mapping #earthobservation #surfacewater #groundwater #soilmoisture #exorheic #watermanagement #hydrosphere #waterstress #SLR #sealevelrise #monitoring #waterbudgets -
The #EnvironmentalCost of #ArtificialIntelligence: #Carbon, #Water, and #LandFootprints
#AI’s rapid growth drives huge energy, water, and land use, raising environmental and equity challenges across its global infrastructure.
Date Published 3 Jun 2026
UNU-INWEH Report: Aczel, M., Chamanara, S., Matin, M., Farsi, A., Marwala, T., Madani, K. (2026).
"This report, Environmental Cost of Artificial Intelligence: Carbon, Water and Land Footprints, by the #UnitedNationsUniversity Institute for Water, Environment and Health ( #UNU - #INWEH ) on its 30th anniversary, examines one of the most underexplored consequences of AI’s rapid expansion: the environmental footprints of the energy required to power it. As artificial intelligence becomes embedded in economies, public services, research, communication, and everyday life, it depends on a growing physical infrastructure of #datacenters, advanced #chips, #CoolingSystems, #ElectricityGrids, #WaterResources, land, and #CriticalMineral supply chains. The report shows that AI is not only a digital technology, but also a material system with measurable #EnvironmentalCosts.
"The report moves beyond a carbon-only lens by quantifying the carbon, water, and land footprints associated with the electricity used to train, deploy, and operate AI systems at scale. Its central finding is that AI’s environmental costs depend not only on how much electricity is used, but also on where that electricity is generated and which energy sources power it. Every kilowatt-hour used by AI carries carbon, water, and land implications, and these footprints do not always move in the same direction: low-carbon electricity is not automatically low-water or low-land. The report also shows that AI’s footprint is shaped by both major infrastructure trends, including the rapid growth of data centers, and everyday use patterns, including model choice, output length, modality, and the growing use of text, image, and video generation.
"Importantly, the report frames AI’s environmental footprint as a governance and justice challenge, not only a technical problem. The benefits of AI often flow across borders and sectors, while the environmental burdens of data center siting, electricity demand, water withdrawals, #LandUse, MineralExtraction, and #EWaste can be concentrated in specific communities and regions. To address these risks, the report calls for a responsible AI ecosystem grounded in transparency, efficiency by design, equity and #EnvironmentalJustice, lifecycle responsibility, global cooperation, and sustainable use. By making AI’s carbon, water, and land footprints visible and comparable, the report provides a practical basis for integrating AI into energy, climate, water, and land-use planning, ensuring that innovation advances without shifting environmental costs onto vulnerable communities."
Download PDF:
https://unu.edu/inweh/collection/environmental-cost-of-AIs-Enrgy-Use-Carbon-water-and-land-footprints#AIBoom #Electricity #Hyperscale #BigTech #BigData #CarbonFootprint #EnvironmentalRacism #EnvironmentalDegradation #NoisePollution #LightPollution #WaterIsLife #AIAgents #BotTraffic #GreenSpaces #Farmland #Prairies #Woodland #TechGiants #ProtectNature #NoDatacenters #EnergyConsumption #USPol #WorldPol #Datacentres
#DatacenterMoratoriums -
Erin Brockovich Asks Americans For Help As She Launches Data Center Map
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https://www.newsweek.com/erin-brockovich-asks-americans-for-help-as-she-launches-data-center-map-11989813 <-- shared media article
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https://brockovichdatacenter.com/ <-- shared Brockovich AI Data Center Reporting web site
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https://youtu.be/fp5ozQraKf4?si=7qu3g77iVVD3GGFJ <-- shared media video, @cbs Sunday Morning, “Nationwide boom in AI data centers stirs resistance”
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#GIS #spatial #mapping #USA #nation #AI #datacenters #waterresources #utilities #energyconsumption #water #hydrology #hydrography #watermanagement #community #humanimpacts #costs #economics #ewaste #noise #risk #hazard #electricity #localcommunities #taxbreaks #cooling #energy #highenergyusage #infrastructure #landuse #environment #ecology #public #skepticism #environmentalimpact #scalability #growth #Virginia #Utah #Texas #Ohio #Arizona #Georgia
#ErinBrockovichFoundation #ErinBrockovich -
The 10 Cleanest Lakes In The United States
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https://www.worldatlas.com/lakes/the-10-cleanest-lakes-in-the-united-states.html <-- shared technical article
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https://www.lake.com/company/reports/cleanest-and-dirtiest-lakes-in-america/ <-- shared 2025 Cleanest and Dirtiest Lakes in America Report
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[this post should not be seen as an endorsement of any specific organisation’s approach or views]
#water #hydrology #hydrography #waterquality #USA #CONUS #waterbody #best #worst #impaired #pollution #waterresources #cleanest #lake #waterchemistry #sampling #monitoring #NWQA #dissolvedoxygen #ammonia #lead #phosphorus #sulfate #totaldissolvedsolids #TDS #turbidity #pH #geography #hydrogeomorphology #management #planning #policy #farming #agriculture #waste #climatechange #agriculturalrunoff #drought #extremeweather
@Environmental Integrity Project -
The 2026 western U.S. snowpack is even worse than you think.
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https://www.linkedin.com/posts/daniel-tappa-8a2a06a3_the-2026-western-us-snowpack-is-even-worse-share-7446194071208947712-I7HO
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#snowpack #water #waterresources #drought #USWest #WaterManagement #NRCS #snotel #snow #snowdrought #2026 -
Detecting Land Use And Land Cover Changes And Quantifying Soil Erosion And Sediment Export Using GIS And Remote Sensing In The GERD Catchment, Ethiopia
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https://doi.org/10.1016/j.iswcr.2026.100657 <-- shared paper
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https://infonile.org/en/2023/05/battling-for-survival-along-the-warming-source-of-the-blue-nile/ <-- shared technical media article
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https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-65241-7_4 <-- shared technical book chapter
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https://doi.org/10.3390/rs8121020 <-- shared 2016 paper
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#landuse #landcover #RUSLE #model #soil #erosion #sedimentation #GERD #catchment #NorthAfrica #Ethiopia #AbbayBasin #sustainability #landmanagement #agriculture #farmland #foodsecurity #water #hydrogology #reservior #watermanagement #watersecurity #waterresources #catchment #GrandEthiopianRenaissanceDam #BlueNile #hydrography #impoundment #GIS #spatial #mapping #remotesensing #earthobservation #thematic #spatialanalysis #spatiotemporal #landsat #elevation #DEM #CHIRPS #rainfall #precipitation #LULC #AI #forest #grazing #grassland #field #crops #cropland #waterbodies #urban #biophysical #risk #hazard #mitigation #soilquality -
Global Atlas Will Track Human And Climate Impact On River Systems
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https://news.cornell.edu/stories/2026/03/global-atlas-will-track-human-and-climate-impact-river-systems
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“Rivers are critical resources that affect everything from watersheds to agriculture to energy. But rivers, in turn, have been impacted by humans, often in the form of hydraulic infrastructure such as dams and wells.
A new [Cornell] project… will create a global record that shows how river systems around the world have changed under human influence over the last 75 years…”
#GIS #spatial #mapping #research #spatialanalysis #spatiotemporal #water #waterresources #river #remotesensing #earthobservation #climatechange #climate #change #resources #humanimpacts #survey #monitoring #hydraulic #infrastructure #dams #wells #engineered #canals #global #spatialdata #opendata #history #anthropocene #freshwater #DARE #sediment #discharge #transport #temperature #fish #biodiversity #atlas #ecology #ecosystems #riverine #delta #model #modeling #machinelearning #AI
#CornellUniversity | #CornellDuffieldCollegeofEngineering -
Changes In Dominant Streamflow Drivers As Network-Scale Flow Regime Shifts From Intermittent To Ephemeral Across A Multi-Year Drought
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https://doi.org/10.1002/hyp.70413 <-- shared paper
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#GIS #spatial #mapping #water #hydrology #fluvial #pluvial #precipitation #extremeweather #California #USA #semiarid #watershed #headwaters #weather #metrology #spatialanalysis #spatiotemporal #model #modeling #geostatistics #monitoring #sensors #instrumentation #insitu #drought #streamflow #ephemeral #intermittent #catchments #waterresources #watermanagement #watersecurity #planning
#coast #coastal #hydrogeomorphic #geology #climate -
Global Subsidence Of River Deltas
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https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-025-09928-6 <-- shared paper
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H/T Wageningen University & Research
“🌊🔍 River deltas are sinking!
A new study [link above] reveals that river deltas worldwide are sinking significantly, faster than sea levels rise..."
#GIS #mapping #spatial #remotesensing #NASA #earthobservation #RiverDelta #ClimateChange #spatialanalysis #spatiotemporal #water #hydrology #marine #river #delta #coast #coastal #global #subsidence #groundwater #extraction #pumping #overpumping #watertable #hydrogeology #sediment #waterresources #planning #policy #landuse #landscape #hydrogeomorphology #worldwide #riverdelta #humanimpacts #ecosystems #sealevel #sealevelrise #SLR #flood #flooding #landloss #salinity #risk #hazard #salinization #vulnerable #measurements #monitoring #elevation #insar #radar #surfaceelevation #anthropogenic #urbanexpansion -
California Prepares for Extreme Weather Swings as New Water Year Begins [October 1st 2025]
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https://water.ca.gov/News/News-Releases/2025/Sep-25/California-Prepares-for-Extreme-Weather-Swings-as-New-Water-Year-Begins <-- shared technical article
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#water #hydrology #waterresources #CaliforniaDepartmentOfWaterResources #change #extremeweather #watersecurity #watermanagement #California #SoCal #SouthernCalifornia #climate #drought #flood #flooding #atmosphericriver #precipitation #rainfall #planning #mitigation #policy #watershortage #wateryear #fall #winter #uncertainity #climateprediction #NOAA #LaNina #storms #risk #hazard #watershed #protection #wildfire #waterquality #atmosphere #risk #hazard #wet #dry
@CaliforniaDepartmentOfWaterResources -
Momentum To Address Arizona’s Rural Groundwater Issues
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https://azwaterinnovation.asu.edu/momentum-address-arizonas-rural-groundwater-issues <-- shared technical article
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https://doi.org/10.1029/2025GL115593 <-- shared paper
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#AWII #WaterInnovation #Groundwater #ASUResearch #ResearchMatters #GIS #spatial #mapping #water #hydrology #groundwater #waterresources #management #planning #ColoradoRiver #ColoradoRiverBasin #depletion #pumping #overpumping #climatechange #extremeweather #droughts #watershortage #waterstorage #remotesensing #spatialanalysis #earthobservation #satellite #spatiotemporal #GRACE #GRACEFO #model #modeling #sustainable #extraction #research #Arizona #US #USA #community #workshops
@Impact Water - Arizona -
Hypereutrophication, Hydrogen Sulfide, And Environmental Injustices - Mechanisms And Knowledge Gaps At The Salton Sea
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https://doi.org/10.1029/2024GH001327
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[I have long been fascinated by this ‘accidental waterbody’, from its creation all the way through the extreme pollution issues as it evaporates – and the lithium under it – a heck of a history, culturally, demographically, hydrologically, contaminants, public health, agriculturally and so much more…]
#GIS #spatial #mapping #Hypereutrophication #HydrogenSulfide, #EnvironmentalInjustice #SaltonSea #California #publichealth #water #hydrology #sea #waterbody #accident #fertiliser #fertilizer #dust #dustborne #lake #degradation #health #community #rural #Latinx #Hispanic #farmworkers #children #TorresMartinezDesert #Cahuilla #Indian #FirstNation #evaporation #H2S #research #waterquality #waterresources #agriculture #environment #airquality #wind #airborne #spatialanalysis #monitoring #spatiotemporal #sensor #emissions #nutrients #Coachella #ImperialValley #sediment -
The Rivers That Science Says Shouldn't Exist
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https://phys.org/news/2025-04-rivers-science-shouldnt.html <-- shared technical article
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https://doi.org/10.1029/2024WR039824 <-- shared paper
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#water #hydrology #network #river #bifurcation #GIS #spatial #mapping #divergence #Casiquiare #Orinoco #Amazon #distributary #tributary #Wayambo #Suriname #Echimamish #Canada #watershed #delineation #morphology #geomorphometry #ecology #management #waterresources #model #modeling #bidirectional #flow #geophysical -
Evidenced Paleodrainages In Desert Regions Of Saudi Arabia - Satellite Images With Field-Based Study
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https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-4959129/v1 <-- shared paper
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#GIS #spatial #mapping #water #hydrology #streams #poroussediments #pebbles #RadarImages #SaudiArabia #MiddleEast #remotesensing #drainage #paleodrainage #desert #evidence #satellite #imagery #fieldwork #fieldchecked #Quaternary #Pleistocene #climatechange #geology #landform #geomorphology #arid #streamnetwork #PALSAR #ASTER #thermaldifferentiation #spatialanalysis #multispectral #sediment #lithology #hydromorphic #geomorphmetry #waterresources #usecase -
Where Glaciers Melt, The Rivers Run Red
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https://www.nytimes.com/2024/11/19/science/peru-glaciers-water-pollution.html <-- shared media article
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#GIS #spatial #mapping #water #hydrology #waterquality #ShallapRiver #CordilleraBlanca #Peru #watersecurity #glacial #glacier #climatechange #melting #mineralogy #geochemistry #tropicalglaciers #contamination #contaminates #toxic #metals #heavymetals #humanimpacts #acid #acidic #oxidisation #pollution #Andes #deglaciation #pyrite #ironsulfide #meltwater #ironhydroxide #sulfuricacid #heavymetals #spatialanalysis #spatiotemporal #foodsecurity #fishing #farming #watersupply #waterresources -
Fiber-Optic Seismic Sensing Of Vadose Zone Soil Moisture Dynamics
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https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-024-50690-6 <-- shared paper
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[broadly, a 'seismic' listening technique could help researchers map water movement, moisture levels in soil, with these researchers at Caltech have figured out a way to use vibrations from passing cars to see how much water sits directly beneath the ground’s surface…]
#GIS #spatial #mapping #remotesensing #array #survey #soil #regolith #seismic #water #hydrology #waterresources #watersecurity #subsurface #vadose #vadosezone #soilmoisture #moisture #weather #precipitation #rainfall #surfacewater #groundwater #ecology #agriculture #ecosystems #spatiotemporal #model #modeling #spatialanalysis #fiberoptics #fibreoptics #evapotranspiration #insitu #climatechange #drought #extremeweather #watermanagement #semiarid #geophysics -
Las Vegas Is Going All In On Its Water Conservation Plan
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https://www.smithsonianmag.com/innovation/las-vegas-going-all-in-water-conservation-plan-180983974/ <-- shared technical article
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[Las Vegas was never a smart place for a city, a happenstance of cultural, commercial and other social factors, including the legalization of gambling in 1931 with the associated organised crime and now commercial money-making interests driving large growth; climate change and dwindling water resources have only exacerbated that poor location’s various issues – but it is refreshing to see that the city and state officials realise that they were on the proverbial ‘borrowed time’, or in this case: water]
#water #hydrology #waterresources #watersecurity #climatechange #drought #LasVegas #ColoradoRiver #growth #urban #urbandevelopment #sutainability #zeroscaping #waterconservation #Nevada #sustainability #greywater #blackwater #watersaving #urbanplanning #townplanning #regulations #fines #enforcement #legislation #USWest -
[State Of] Colorado To Shield Thousands Of Acres Of Wetlands, Miles Of Streams [After Federal Supreme Court Sackett Decision]
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https://coloradosun.com/2024/05/09/colorado-law-protecting-wetlands-supreme-court/ <-- shared media article
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#water #hydrology #waterquality #waterresources #watersecurity #Colorado #USWest #staterights #supremecourt #Sackett #protection #CleanWaterAct #EPA #permits #permitting #construction #development #roads #impacts #statewaters #wetlands #streams #seasonal #ephemeral #legislation #statehouse #WesternUSA #rain #snowmelt #precipitation #climatechange #oversight #subsurface #groundwater #legal #regulations #waterways #dredge #fill #farming #agriculture #irrigation #wastewater #treatment #pollution #treatment #mitigation