Let's give a voice to young soil researchers

Water Accounting Plus for Water Resources Reporting and River Basin Planning

Purpose: Early-career researchers (ECRs) have various foundational competencies that they need to demonstrate to produce effective research output. Mentors can provide guidance to help them hone their skills and shape their research and professional identity. However, many young researchers do not have structured mentorship or formal avenues to support their research development. This research study sought to explore ECRs perceptions of the skills needed and their research readiness to engage in collaborative research, core attributes of a research mentor, experience working with a research mentor, benefits of collaborative research, and ways to improve research output among ECRs. Methodology: A mixed-methods design was employed. Data were collected from 10 ECRs via an online questionnaire developed in Google Forms and from one interviewee – a research mentor – through a structured interview. Participants were selected through purposive sampling. Data were analysed using qualitative content analysis and descriptive statistics. Findings: Major findings revealed that mentorship plays a valuable role in shaping ECRs research skills and improving confidence, highlighting that research mentors should not only demonstrate academic and technical competence but also psychosocial and soft skills. Additionally, collaborative research brings numerous benefits, including strengthening cross-disciplinary research. Nevertheless, research structures need to be strengthened by deliberate policies, investments, and incentives to boost research output. Unique contribution to theory, practice and policy: The study contributes to the limited literature in Jamaica and the Caribbean concerning mentorship of ECRs. It invites universities and researchers to develop sustainable frameworks to support young researchers, including graduate students and teachers at the lower levels of the education system who are interested in developing and strengthening their research skills. Beyond Jamaica and the Caribbean, the study’s implications are applicable to wider contexts in which ECRs struggle to establish their research identity. Therefore, requisite stakeholders are encouraged to dedicate the necessary funding and mentorship support to improve quality research output.

ICSM is an international seminar focusing on sustainability research. Held annually during winter vacations, ICSM discusses topics related to sustainable development. It will continue to be hosted in the South Eastern Asia Countries each year.We recognized that the world has been facing the challenges of both environmental protection and sustainable development during the past few decades. Scholars, researchers, and students around the world have spent tremendous efforts working on the related issues, from technology developments, education systems, to management regulations.ICSM aims at bringing researchers, scientists, and students to a platform where new ideas, intriguing experiences, and novel research results related to sustainability development can be disseminated and discussed. It brings together the need to consider solutions that benefit our environment from various aspects, including science and technology, business, education, and management.Our first meeting was held in Thailand. The 2020 ICSM organized by the International College of Krirk University was held on the January 15-17, 2020 in Bangkok, Thailand. The conference this year had emphasized interdisciplinary research along with practices and fosters exchanges among scientists, practitioners, professionals and young researchers in finding solution and sharing latest technology in the sustainability management studies. Over several decades, environmental pollution in the world deteriorating in most cities due to rapid urbanization and industrialization. The environmental problem has been linked to economic issues and become more complicated which deteorite the quality of our life. Hence, it is more important to deeply talk about the sustainability management issues in current stage.The ICSM 2020 conference is also functioned as an occasion in establishing networking among scientists, practitioners, professionals and young researchers in South Eastern Asia areas in strengthening international collaboration. A wide range of issues was covered from essential knowledge, practical aspects of sustainability science, technological management and environmental quality that focusing on community, industry, health impact, policy, big data and natural hazard modelling using earth observation data, field investigate report, green consumption, and clean technology process etc.It was a great honor that this conference has received more than 300 papers submitted and very happy to say that about 38 papers have been selected to publish in the IOP proceeding series. All these papers which had been accepted subjected to a severe peer-reviewing process to confirm quality and consistency.I acknowledged with gratitude the assistance rendered by the scientific team of 2020 ICSM was led by Associate Professor Dr. Ken C.K. Wang, Assistant Professor Eric C.J. Tseng, and all the track chairs with nonstop backing and assistance led to the smooth publication of this proceeding. Finally, thank all the authors, reviewers and the conference secretariat for their contribution which had made this publication come true.In conclusion, I also look forward to all members participating in this seminar, from the process of this seminar and this paper collection, can get some inspiration for sustainable development.With our warmest regards,Associate Professor Dr. Chenin ChenThe Conference Chair

Environmental and economic risks assessment under climate changes for three land uses scenarios analysis across Teshio watershed, northernmost of Japan

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We assessed the effects of historical (1931–1998) changes in both land use and climate on the water budget of a rapidly urbanizing watershed, Ipswich River basin (IRB), in northeastern Massachusetts. Water diversions and extremely low flow during summer are major issues in the IRB. Our study centers on a detailed analysis of diversions and a combined empirical/modeling treatment of evapotranspiration (ET) response to changes in climate and land use. A detailed accounting of diversions showed that net diversions increased due to increases in water withdrawals (primarily groundwater pumping) and export of sewage. Net diversions constitute a major component of runoff (20% of streamflow). Using a combination of empirical analysis and physically based modeling, we related an increase in precipitation (2.7 mm/yr) and changes in other climate variables to an increase in ET (1.7 mm/yr). Simulations with a physically based water‐balance model showed that the increase in ET could be attributed entirely to a change in climate, while the effect of land use change was negligible. The land use change effect was different from ET and runoff trends commonly associated with urbanization. We generalized these and other findings to predict future streamflow using climate change scenarios. Our study could serve as a framework for studying suburban watersheds, being the first study of a suburban watershed that addresses long‐term effects of changes in both land use and climate, and accounts for diversions and other unique aspects of suburban hydrology.

Climate and land use change are among the main drivers affecting virtually all species on earth. There were extensive studies projecting impacts of climate and land use changes on habitat loss and fragmentation but few on connectivity loss, and those that investigated connectivity did not disentangle the combined effects between climate change and land use change. This study uses the Himalayan brown bear (Ursus arctos isabellinus) as a case study to illustrate an approach for disentangling the effects of climate change and human land use on population connectivity in the future. First, we assessed the current spatial pattern of population connectivity by simulating cumulative resistant kernels and factorial least‐cost paths with empirical field data. Then, we simulated the changes in connectivity due to future climate change under alternative emission scenarios (RCP 2.6 and RCP 8.5) in mid (2041–2060) and late (2061–2080) 21st century, which served as baseline scenarios of future connectivity. Finally, we estimated the changes in future connectivity due to human land use changes by adding a low and a high human land use activity scenario to the baseline climate change scenarios in our simulations. Alarmingly, all high emission scenarios, with or without human land use change, were projected to result in >99% reduction in current core areas of connectivity by the end of 21st century at 50th percentile threshold or above. This study demonstrates a spatially explicit scenario modeling approach to examine the interplay between future climate change and human land use on species connectivity. Our results suggest that regional land use regulations may be insufficient to conserve connectivity for HBB if nothing is done to reduce climate change at a global scale.

Groundwater contributes a significant proportion of stream flow, and its contribution varies temporally throughout the year. The objective of this study was to investigate the temporal dynamics of groundwater contribution to stream flow under the effects of climate and land use changes. A study area of the Mainstem sub-watershed of the Kiskatinaw River watershed, British Columbia, Canada was used as a case study. A physically conceptual model, Gridded Surface Subsurface Hydrologic Analysis (GSSHA), was developed for the study area. One greenhouse gas (GHG) emission scenario (i.e., B1: more integrated and environmental friendly world) was used for climate change study for 2012-2016, and land use changes scenarios were generated for shortterm period (2012-2016) due to limited future projected land use data. The simulation results revealed that climate change affects significantly the temporal patterns of mean groundwater contribution to stream flow. Due to precipitation variability, these contributions varied monthly, seasonally, and annually. When land use changes (i.e., increasing forest clear cut area, and decreasing forest and agricultural areas) were combined with climate change scenarios, these contributions were decreased due to changes in the flow patterns to the regime with more surface runoff and stream flow but less groundwater discharge. Compared to the reference period (20072011), the mean annual groundwater contribution to stream flow from 2012 to 2016 under the B1 climate change scenario and the combined effects of B1 scenario and land use changes is expected to decrease by 1.8% and 4.3%, respectively, due to increased precipitation (on average 3.6% under the B1 scenario) and temperature (on average 0.36°C under the B1 scenario), and land use changes. The results obtained from this study will provide useful information for seasonal and annual water extractions from the river and allocation to the stakeholders for future water Original Research Article Saha; BJECC, 5(1): 1-22, 2015; Article no.BJECC.2015.001 2 supply, as well as ecological conditions of the stream, which will be beneficial to aquatic ecosystems. They will also provide how land use changes can impact the groundwater contribution to stream flow, which will be useful for planning of water resources management considering future climate and land use changes.

The water conservation function of ecosystems is a research hot spot in the field of water resources, and it is also an important ecological service function of terrestrial ecosystems and a key point in eco-hydrology research. With the increasing frequency of human activities and climate change, how to reveal the response of ecosystem water conservation function to the changing environment is a scientific problem that needs to be urgently addressed in ecological hydrology research. To reveal the eco-hydrological processes under the changing environment, this study was based on the distributed hydrological model (SWAT) and used water conservation amount (WCA) as an indicator to assess the water conservation capacity of ecosystems. Scenario analysis and statistical analysis were also used to determine the spatial and temporal evolution of the WCAs of farmland, forest, and grassland ecosystems under a changing environment and to further investigate the influence mechanisms of land use change and climate change on the WCA. The findings show that (1) the climate conditions in the Hanjiang watershed have determined the distribution pattern of the ecosystem’s WCA. The spatial distribution patterns of the WCA of each ecosystem differed significantly between the dry season and the wet season. Under the combined influence of human activities and climate change, there was no significant change in the spatial distribution pattern of the WCA. (2) Climate change patterns, which were dominated by precipitation and influenced by evapotranspiration, determined the changes in the WCA of ecosystems. In addition, there were significant spatial differences in the response of the watershed WCA under changing environments in the dry season. Differences in land use type and local climate change were the main reasons for such differences. (3) There were differences in the WCA and the response to changing environments among ecosystems. Forest ecosystems had the highest WCA; grassland ecosystems were the most sensitive to land use change. This study can provide a theoretical basis for alleviating the increasingly serious water resource problems in the basin and ensuring water and ecological security in the basin.

The impact of land use- and climate change on the managed eco-geomorphic balance in the Alps

Computer and Communication Technology (CCT) are now involved in governmental, industrial, and business domains more than ever. Thus, it is important for CCT personnel to continue academic research to improve technology and its adoption to modern applications. The up-to-date research and technologies must be distributed to researchers and CCT community continuously to aid future development. The intent of the activity is to let the participants acquaint with transcendental growth, recent trends, innovations and security issues involved in the domain of communication technologies, high performance computing, big data, social media, hardware & software design, advanced software engineering, Internet of Things (IoT), e-governance etc. and their impact on societal applications through various brainstorming sessions. The conference will facilitate the young researchers, industries and research agencies especially, those, who are carrying out their research work in the aforesaid domain of Computer Science, Information Technology, Electronics and Communication Engineering with valuable discussions in order to make the outcomes more realistic. The technical committee of GC-RDCT 2022 (second edition) received 150+ papers, out of which 38 are shortlisted for the Conference for oral. Through this Conference, we have tried to bring in researchers from various universities and institutions to interact and deliberate within and get ideas for their future scientific endeavors. Due to the prevailing COVID-19 pandemic, the conference was organized in FULL VIRTUAL MODE. The conference was held in Google Meet online platform. All the speakers and the presenters have been connected through goggle meet platform and the inaugural function of the conference was held physically at AJIET and was live streamed through Google Meet and Youtube.I am pleased to acknowledge the unstinting support from my colleagues at AJIET, the International Advisory, the Technical Program, and the Local Organization Committee members. I am incredibly grateful to our Management, Principal & Administrative Staffs, for providing required support.List of Committees of GC-RDCT 2022 is available in this Pdf.

Detecting vulnerability of humid tropical forests to multiple stressors

ABSTRACTProjections of soil erosion under climate and land use changes are pivotal for optimizing soil conservation strategies. Ecological policies are thought to influence future land‐use changes and associated soil erosion dynamics. However, these policies are inadequately incorporated into projections, leaving the future trajectory of soil erosion still unclear. China's ecological redline policy (ERP) is among the first national policies to integrate multiple ecosystem services into land use planning, preventing anthropogenic soil erosion on over 25% of the territory. Therefore, focusing on China, three alternative Shared Socioeconomic Pathway and Representative Concentration Pathway scenarios (SSP1‐2.6, SSP3‐7.0, and SSP5‐8.5) were coupled with future‐oriented ERP to reflect future soil erosion patterns by the late‐21st century. Projections rely on an integrated multi‐model approach. The conducted analysis suggests that climate change is projected to exacerbate soil erosion by 12.06%–36.90% due to increased precipitation, characterized by high‐intensity events. Land use change is projected to mitigate or even reverse the climate‐induced increase in soil erosion. The combined climate and land use simulations showed that the annual average soil erosion rate will increase by 26.36% under the SSP5‐8.5 scenario, while it will decrease by 8.08% and 14.94% under the SSP1‐2.6 and SSP3‐7.0 scenarios, respectively. The implementation of ERP reduces potential soil erosion by 4.08%–14.89% (equal to 0.31–0.86 Gt year−1 soil loss) in the late‐21st century, particularly in scenarios with intensive conflicts between population and land sources. This study provides a valuable reference for the formulation of national strategies aimed at controlling soil loss accelerated by climate change.

The Citarum Watershed is indeed a critical water resource in Indonesia, playing a significant role in providing water to Jakarta and other areas in West Java. However, it faces severe environmental stress due to land use changes and climate changes. The Upper Citarum Watershed, considered to be a conservation area, has experienced rapid development due to human activities and economic growth. Climate change not only affects the rainfall value but also the rainfall patterns and sediment flow. The sedimentation process significantly impacts the soil characteristics around the river body. Several factors such as topography, flow velocity, and soil texture influence the sediment characteristics. Given the critical condition of climate and land use change, this study aims to analyse the impacts of the hydrological response of land use and climate change on the sediment rate in the Upper Citarum Watershed. The land use change analysis was conducted by comparing the land use data in 2000, 2010, and 2023 in the Upper Citarum Watershed. The deposition process of solid particles such as sand, silt, and gravel that are transported in the Upper Citarum River were examined in a soil investigation. The sediment rate and deposition by river flow were analysed using HEC-RAS quasi-unsteady flow. The impact of climate change in this study was assessed by simulating the discharge in three conditions, with the first simulation using the discharge from 2000 to 2010, the second simulation using the discharge from 2011 to 2023, and the last simulation using the discharge from 2000 to 2023. Due to the land use change, the developed area increased from 4% to 24% between 2000 until 2023. The magnitude of low flow during the simulation step for three discharge gauges (Majalaya, Dayeuhkolot, and Nanjung) decreased up to 48%, but, on other hand, the sediment rate increased by 20% in Dayeuhkolot.

Examines land availability and use in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) as well as the trade-offs among competing uses, by introducing the land cover databases mobilized for this study before describing land use patterns, their determinants, and their evolution over time. The severe scarcity of land in the MENA region remains the critical issue emerging from the analysis. The demographic and climatic trends indicate increasing land demand, and yet land remains under growing stress from climate change. Increasing land scarcity leads to strategic trade-offs about the best use of land to meet competing economic, social, sustainability, and sovereignty objectives. Degradation and desertification, stemming from both climatic and anthropological factors—especially in Algeria, Egypt, Iran, Jordan, Morocco, and Syria—have high economic costs. If climatic and population trends continue as predicted, agricultural land will become significantly scarcer in the MENA region, falling to a level that could lead to a major crisis if not addressed.