1. |
- Al Bayaty, Majd, et al.
(author)
-
Riparian Management and Nutrients Distribution in Different Zones of Euphrates Riverbanks
- 2023
-
In: International Journal of Design & Nature and Ecodynamics. - : International Information and Engineering Technology Association. - 1755-7437 .- 1755-7445. ; 18:1, s. 1-10
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The dynamic of nutrient cycling is a critical factor in riparian regions. It is essential to understand the behaviour of riparian areas in the maintenance and management river ecosystem. Sediment load, nutrients, and pathogens are transported to water bodies through land drainage and riverside flow. The classification of environmental agencies was poor for them. In this study, a qualitative investigation was implemented to determine the relationship between these practices and variations in nutrient retention for several types of riverbank soil. Also, the riverbank soils were including soil covered by wild reed plants. All the field works were along the Euphrates River in three locations. Moreover, study the variation in the content of vegetation riverbank soils from nitrogen, organic matter (OM), potassium (K), phosphorus (P), and PH. The results presented that riverbanks consider important locations for nutrient retention. Whilst agricultural activities have minimized the content of soil of OM (30%), N (49%), and K (3%), in subsurface soil but not so great lowering in surface layers. In contrast, management practices and human activities such as burning caused an apparent increase of OM (4%), N (77%), and a clear reduction in P (12%) content at both surface and subsurface layers of soil. Under all circumstances, riverbank soils showed a relative increase of nutrients at wet toe-slopes. Furthermore, it is noted that riparian vegetation and aquatic plants played a significant role by causing critical changes in riparian sides or even contrary effects on riverbank management practices and destruction of natural soil nutrient conditions. Thus, it should be carefully considered when evaluating the ecological impacts of riparian disturbances.
|
|
2. |
- Jahad, Udai A., et al.
(author)
-
Dissolved Oxygen Variation on the Steps with a Quarter Circle End Sill for Flows over the Stepped Spillways
- 2022
-
In: International Journal of Design & Nature and Ecodynamics. - : International Information and Engineering Technology Association. - 1755-7437 .- 1755-7445. ; 17:5, s. 639-648
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Determining the aeration efficiency of the stepped spillways is important because the Dissolved Oxygen (DO) concentration helps indicate the water quality. This study investigated the effects of varying step shape and chute slope on the aeration efficiency for stepped spillways. The measured parameters were DO, the inception point of the free surface, and the water surface profile above the crest to evaluate the geometry variation impacts. Several experiments were conducted on a six-step configuration over a stepped spillway with chute angle (θ = 26.6°, 21.8°, and 8.9°). The discharges up to 0.055 m3/s. The step configurations were including flat step, normal end sill, and quarter circle end sill. The results showed when the chute angle changed from 26.6°to 8.9°, the aeration efficiency of E20 improved with 11.51% at the lowest discharge and 6.05% at the highest discharge for the flat step model with 10 steps. Also, E20 improved 11.39% at the lowest discharge and 6.50% at the highest discharge for the flat step model with 6 steps. The performance of the steps with the quarter circle end sill model in terms of aeration efficiency increased by 10%.
|
|
3. |
- Liljedahl, B. E., et al.
(author)
-
Some ecological effects of underwater self-explosion of ammunition in Lake Lomtjärn Sweden : The impact from mercury
- 2012
-
In: International Journal of Design & Nature and Ecodynamics. - 1755-7437 .- 1755-7445. ; 7:2, s. 210-226
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- After the Second World War, dumping in lakes was a rational way to solve the security problem with the extensive amount of unreliable or unused ageing ammunition. Most commonly the ammunition was dumped in sealed boxes or as pieces. In some cases the ammunition was deliberately detonated when dumped. In Lake Lomtjärn, a small lake in central Sweden, extremely high levels of mercury (300 mg/kg dry weight Hg) were detected in the sediments. The mercury was expected to originate from years of dumping followed by an underwater self-explosion of ignition capsule containing mercury. The lake is unique in the sense that the mercury levels are among the highest found so far in Sweden and that no other source of pollutant is present in the area. The aim of this study was to evaluate the environmental impact from the underwater explosion. Samples of sediment, bottom water, surface water, bottom fauna, littoral fauna and fi sh (muscle and liver) were analysed for metals as well as physical parameters in order to investigate effects on biota. Acute toxicity of bottom water was determined by Daphnia magna. Results showed very high mercury content (2–338 mg/kg dry weight) in sediment down to 15 cm depth evenly distributed over the whole lake and low levels for other heavy metals (As, Cd, Cu, Pb and Zn). Water showed low levels of mercury (0.02 μg/L in bottom and surface water) as for the other heavy metals (As, Cd, Cu, Pb and Zn). Disturbance of bottom fauna was found for BQI index and O/C index. Disturbance in littoral fauna was seen around the lake (low taxa in six families, ASPT index 5.4. Danish fauna index 4 and acidity index 2). Acute toxicity (Daphnia magna ) was high. Levels of mercury in perch were high (muscle 0.6–3.59 mg/kg and liver 1.05–7.64 mg/kg). It was concluded that the underwater detonation of ammunition in Lake Lomtjärn has caused very high levels of mercury in the sediment and a high impact on the ecological chain. In risk assessments aiming to remediation decisions it is recommended early to highlight expected ecological pathways of (mercury) and relevant biomarkers in the ecosystem of concern.
|
|
4. |
- Mahmood, Nabeel S., et al.
(author)
-
Analysis of Slope Stability and Soil Liquefaction of Zoned Earth Dams Using Numerical Modeling
- 2022
-
In: International Journal of Design & Nature and Ecodynamics. - : International Information and Engineering Tachnology Association. - 1755-7437 .- 1755-7445. ; 17:4, s. 557-562
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The design of dams requires comprehensive studies to ensure the safety and feasibility of these important engineering projects, as any possible failure case may lead to considerable losses in human life and properties. Specifically, analyses should be performed to evaluate seepage, slope stability, and soil liquefaction of large earth dams. In this study, numerical modeling, based on finite element methods, was used to analyze seepage, slope stability, and liquefaction of Makhoul Dam which is a large zoned dam, currently under construction on Tigris River in the north of Iraq. Earthquake shakings impose additional hysteric and short-term loads that may lead to dam failure due to high pore water pressure, piping, and soil liquefaction. Therefore, the dynamic stability of the dam and soil liquefaction were also evaluated, as a result of applying an earthquake shaking to the dam. For the static condition, the dam was safe against internal erosion and slope failure, as the calculated value of the safety factor was greater than the allowable value. However, the results obtained from the dynamic analysis indicated that a possible earthquake, with an acceleration of 0.38g and 10 seconds period, led to upstream slope failure, a relative displacement as high as 2 meters at the dam crest, and soil liquefaction at the upstream slope. As discussed herein, dam redesign or geotextile reinforcement may be considered to reduce the effects of earthquakes on the dam.
|
|
5. |
- Sayl, Khamis Naba, et al.
(author)
-
Towards the Generation of a Spatial Hydrological Soil Group Map Based on the Radial Basis Network Model and Spectral Reflectance Band Recognition
- 2022
-
In: International Journal of Design & Nature and Ecodynamics. - : International Information and Engineering Technology Association (IIETA). - 1755-7437 .- 1755-7445. ; 17:5, s. 761-766
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Hydrological soil group is essential to soil information for several fields of modeling and applications. This information can affect suitable environmental, agricultural, and hydrological development. Laboratory analysis for soil sampling cannot efficiently provide the needed information because these analyses are commonly costly, time-consuming, and limited in retrieving the temporal and spatial variability. In this context, remote sensing is now solid to offer meaningful spatial data for studying soil characteristics on various spatial scales utilizing the different spectral reflectance. For this study, the integration of Geographic Information System (GIS) remote sensing data and survey data with the Artificial Neural Network (ANN) were used to generate a hydrological soil group map and to infer spatial patterns of soils across complete area converges for Alghadaf Wadi in the Western Desert of Iraq. The generated soil information was tested based on the sand, silt, and clay content. The testing result indicated that the differences between actual and predicted values to determine soil classes are agreed well. Therefore, this method is vital for mapping and monitoring soil texture by providing timely, fast repetitive data and relatively cheap.
|
|
6. |
- Small, Gaston E., et al.
(author)
-
Would a sustainable city be self-sufficient in food production?
- 2019
-
In: International Journal of Design & Nature and Ecodynamics. - 1755-7437 .- 1755-7445. ; 14, s. 178-194
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Urban agriculture has increased in many cities and has the potential to provide an array of benefits including increased local food production, nutrient recycling, urban green space, and biodiversity. While certain environmental benefits of urban agriculture are evident, it is not clear what the optimal extent of urban agriculture would be in designing a sustainable city. Closing the loop by recycling waste products into new resources is fundamental to sustainability, but the extent to which this should occur at local, regional, or global scales is an open question. We analyze how potential benefits and costs associated with urban agriculture scale with the extent of implementation, and compare potential tradeoffs in different metrics of sustainability. We assess how the appropriate metrics to optimize in a given city are context-dependent. For example, maximizing production in a small land footprint could be important in densely developed urban environments, whereas filling vacant land with food-producing gardens may be a more appropriate goal in certain post-industrial cities. We assess the potential role that urban agriculture plays in making urban food systems more resilient to climate change and other disruptions. Finally, we consider a case study comparing the resources required and pollution generated to produce the lettuce supply of on U.S. metropolitan area through outdoor urban agriculture and indoor urban agriculture, compared to conventional production and cross-continental transportation. This analysis illustrates the importance of considering multiple metrics in assessing sustainability of urban agriculture.
|
|
7. |
- Subramaniyan, Mukund, 1989, et al.
(author)
-
Real-Time data-driven average active period method for bottleneck detection
- 2016
-
In: International Journal of Design and Nature and Ecodynamics. - 1755-7445 .- 1755-7437. ; 11:3, s. 428-437
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Prioritising improvement and maintenance activities is an important part of the production management and development process. Companies need to direct their efforts to the production constraints (bottlenecks) to achieve higher productivity. The first step is to identify the bottlenecks in the production system. A majority of the current bottleneck detection techniques can be classified into two categories, based on the methods used to develop the techniques: Analytical and simulation based. Analytical methods are difficult to use in more complex multi-stepped production systems, and simulation-based approaches are time-consuming and less flexible with regard to changes in the production system. This research paper introduces a real-Time, data-driven algorithm, which examines the average active period of the machines (the time when the machine is not waiting) to identify the bottlenecks based on real-Time shop floor data captured by Manufacturing Execution Systems (MES). The method utilises machine state information and the corresponding time stamps of those states as recorded by MES. The algorithm has been tested on a real-Time MES data set from a manufacturing company. The advantage of this algorithm is that it works for all kinds of production systems, including flow-oriented layouts and parallel-systems, and does not require a simulation model of the production system.
|
|
8. |
- Sulaiman, Sadeq Oleiwi, et al.
(author)
-
Simulation Model for Optimal Operation of Dokan Dam Reservoir Northern of Iraq
- 2021
-
In: International Journal of Design & Nature and Ecodynamics. - : International Information and Engineering Technology Association (IIETA). - 1755-7437 .- 1755-7445. ; 16:3, s. 301-306
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Due to the limitation of water renewable resources on one hand and increasing growth in consuming water in different parts such as agriculture, industry, urban, and the environment in other hand, face management of these valuable resources to many challenges. Present study attempts to clarify recent condition of the problem and introduce effective management tools in water supply sector. In order to achieve this purpose, simulating model HEC-Res Sim was used for Dokan Dam to study the operational behavior of the reservoir and to investigate the model capability in representing and simulating the real system. The study based on monthly discharge data for the period from 1986 to 2016 measured at the inlet of Dokan Dam reservoir. The results of the current study were compared and evaluated against those counterparts observed data using two statistical metrics, correlation coefficient and Nash- Sutcliff coefficient efficiency. Moreover, an empirical formula was found linking the amount of inflow to the reservoir with the amount of outflow. The results showed that the HEC-ResSim 3.0 performed well in simulating the monthly discharges. Therefore, HEC-ResSim 3.0 could be used for better water system analysis in this study area.
|
|
9. |
- Sörensson, Anna, 1977-, et al.
(author)
-
How do Cities of Different Sizes in Europe Work with Sustainable Development?
- 2019
-
In: International Journal of Design & Nature and Ecodynamics. - 1755-7437 .- 1755-7445. ; 14:4, s. 287-298
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Today, competition between cities to attract inhabitants, companies and tourists is strong and cities must be up-to-date in terms of development to succeed. One way for smaller destinations to achieve sustainable development is by being creative with respect to tourism. Some destinations are in the shadow of others and need to stand out in some way. The purpose of this paper is to study European cities of different sizes and their work on sustainable development. The following research questions are addressed: How do different cities work on sustainable development? How does the size of the city influence its work on sustainability? How can a city be influenced by surrounding areas in its sustainability work? The study uses a qualitative method. Data were collected from 34 small cities, towns and villages in Europe. The destinations were selected using non-probability sampling. The data were analysed using an interpretative approach. The results show that the local community plays a key role in contributing to the sustainable development of small destinations. It is also of great importance for a place to have an identity and to reach different types of stakeholders. The conclusion is that local communities must be engaged in the sustainable development of smaller destinations. It is also important to focus on the environment since today’s tourists are more aware of environmental sustainability. Several of the cities can be seen as shadow destinations since they are included in larger regions and are dependent on other destinations that are more famous. Finally, successful rural destinations offer value to the tourist, have a strong identity and include stakeholders in the development process.
|
|