bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The Nordic Model in a Global Company Situated in Norway. Challenging Institutional Orders?
Authors: Kvande Elin , Børve Hege Eggen
Published: December 2015

In this article, we explore the impact of internationalization as organizational processes where institutional actors meet in local contexts and negotiate the institutional order. The internationalization of working life implies that different traditions and practices meet and challenge each other. The focus is on how important elements of the Nordic micro model like cooperation between employees and employers and regulation of working hours are implemented in a global company situated in Norway. In general, it seems that employees and employers cooperate in line with this tradition in the Nordic micro model. Norwegian manager’s practices are described to be in accordance with Scandinavian management traditions, while managers from the United States appear to practice management consistent with the liberal working life model. The findings show a tension-filled clash between two different management practices, which indicates that the Nordic micro model in this field might be under pressure. Manager’s recommendation to the employees was not to become members of the trade union. The absence of trade unions in the organization implies that employees and employers are not cooperating on a collective level. This means that only parts of the regulatory arrangement related to participation and cooperation are implemented. Findings concerning working time and the relation to the institutional order represented by the Norwegian Work Environment Act indicate a clear tension between different institutional traditions in the organization. The company does not respect the Norwegian in working time regulations. These regulations are seen as counterproductive for a company that competes in the international market. This devaluation of the regulations in the Nordic model implies that the institutional order represented in the Nordic micro model is challenged.
The Nordic difference: Job quality in Europe 1995–2010
Authors: Oinas Tomi , Anttila Timo , Mustosmäki Armi , Nätti Juoko
Published: December 2015

Previous empirical research has pointed out that Nordic countries are distinguished from the rest of Europe in terms of job quality. On the other hand, it has been debated whether, in the longer run, the Nordic welfare state is able to insulate workers from globalization effects. This article investigates whether Nordic countries have retained their advantageous position concerning job quality compared with other EU countries. Empirical analyses are based on the European Working Conditions Survey collected in 1995, 2000, 2005, and 2010. We use data on employees in the 15 member states of the EU prior to enlargement in 2004 (n = 61,457). The results partly confirm previous findings of high job quality in the Nordic countries. However, there are clear differences between Nordic countries. To be precise, Denmark stands out from the rest of Europe and other Nordic countries with its higher level of job quality.
Work and Labor in Slow-Progressive Sectors of the Economy
Authors: Vuorensyrjä Matti
Published: December 2015

In the late 1960s, William Baumol demonstrated that structurally unbalanced growth, with the associated cost disease phenomenon, can be expected to have some very particular effects on work and labor in slow-progressive sectors of the economy: performing arts, health care, education, and law enforcement. Specifically, there will be downward pressure on the rate of growth of unit wages and upward pressure on the rate of growth of productivity in these sectors. In the long run, the effects of cost disease are potentially damaging for work and labor in some of the key human service occupations in the public sector. In this interdisciplinary paper, we put forward a simple model, which reconstructs and renews the model discovered by Baumol in 1967. Our model makes only a minor modification to Baumol’s original cost disease model, but the implications of this modification are noteworthy. They are also largely unexplored in empirical research. In this paper, we search for empirical traces of the effects of cost disease on work and labor. We use earlier economic and social scientific research literature on inter-industry wage differences and on time pressure, and we analyze differences in work orientations with the help of the ISSP Work Orientations III data set. Our empirical findings are early and rough intimations. However, they do give preliminary support to the propositions of the paper. The observed changes in employment, wages, and experienced time pressure all correspond to what we would expect on the basis of the cost disease hypothesis. The same applies to the observed differences in the structure of incentives across different occupational groups. The paper is not empirically conclusive, but we see it as a basis for interesting further research.
Nursing in Times of Neoliberal Change: An Ethnographic Study of Nurses’ Experiences of Work Intensification
Authors: Selberg Rebecca
Published: December 2015

Through an ethnographic study of nurses’ experiences of work intensification, this article shows how nurses respond to and act upon neoliberal transformations of work. The article identifies and explores those transformations considered by the informants, nurses working in public sector hospital wards, as central to changing conditions of work and experiences of work intensifications. It further analyzes nurses’ responses toward these transformations and locates these responses within a particular form of femininity evolving from rationalities of care, nurses’ conditions within the organization, and classed and gendered experiences of care work. The article illustrates that in times of neoliberal change and public sector resource depletion, nurses respond to women’s traditional caring responsibilities as well as to professional commitments and cover for the organization. Maintaining the level of frontline service is contingent on increased exploitation and performance control of ward nurses, and their ability and willingness to sacrifice their own time and health for the sake of their patients. The article argues that in the case of ward nurses in the Swedish public sector, work intensification is a multilayered process propelled by three intersecting forces: austerity ideology linked to the neoliberal transformation of the welfare state and public sector retrenchment; explicit care rationalities impelled by aspirations of the nursing profession to establish, render visible, and expand the nursing field both in relation to the medical profession and in relation to so-called unskilled care work performed by assistant nurses and auxiliaries; and the progressive aspect of New Public Management, which challenges the power and authority of the professions and contributes to strengthening the positions of clients and patients.
Work, Sickness, Absence, and Identity-Work
Authors: Gjernes Trude
Published: December 2015

This article explores how a group of industrial workers experience long-term sickness absence and how they cope with this situation. The article presents data from in-depth interviews with male industrial workers employed in a Norwegian factory. The findings suggest that the factory workers handle their failing health by engaging in activities other than wage work. They did not accept a social situation characterized by passivity, social isolation, marginalization, or loss of self. The workers reported that they lived active lives, reproducing social identities through different bodily activities. It was also made clear that the sickness absence was not a result of their choice, but a result of a failing body and the employer’s inability to adapt work to their health situation.
Making Materials Matter—A Contribution to a Sociomaterial Perspective on Work Environment
Authors: Abildgaard Johan Simonsen , Nickelsen Niels Christian Mossfeldt
Published: December 2015

This paper aims to discuss the implications of adopting an STS (science and technology studies)- based conceptualization of the psychosocial work environment. We problematize how work environment research presently divides elements of working conditions into separate physical and psychosocial dimensions. Based on actor network theory, a currently dominant perspective in the field of STS, we discuss the concept of sociomaterial work environment. An ANT perspective on work environment is relevant and timely, we argue, first and foremost because more entities are embraced in the analyses. We argue that the ANT perspective leads to a more nuanced understanding of the work environment where it is not a set of predefined categories that is the focus of interest, but rather the work environment as multiple locally performed aspects of agency, translation, and collectively constructed reality. This perspective on work environment, we argue, addresses pivotal issues raised in the work environment debate during the last ten years, for instance of how the work environment as a concept saliently belongs to a social democratic Scandinavian agenda in which the singular employee in a work environment context is predominantly seen as a victim. This trope, which was peaking in the 1970s, is increasingly becoming obsolete in a changing economy with still more flexible jobs. The contribution of this paper is to provide a presentation and a discussion of the potentials and pitfalls provided by a shift toward a sociomaterial work environment perspective, as well as an empirical exemplification of a sociomaterial approach to work environment assessment.
Google Android mobile phone applications for water quality information management
Authors: Jonoski A. , Almoradie A. , Khan K. , Popescu I. , van Andel S. J.
Published: December 2015

This paper introduces some experiences with developing mobile phone demonstrator applications for water quality information management using the Google Android platform. The work presented is part of an EU research project named LENVIS (Localised ENVironmental and health Information Services for all). The applications are focused on delivery of water quality information related to outdoor bathing waters in two case study areas in the Netherlands. Both monitored and modelled water quality information is delivered via mobile phone applications that are integrated with web applications. The applications also have functionalities for collecting user feedback on bathing water quality from the field and integrating it with the information provided by the water management authorities. Initial test results of the applications with targeted user groups are also presented, which demonstrate the promising potential of this technology for water quality information management applications and they indicate potential use in other application areas.
Numerical study of 3D flow at right-angled confluences with and without upstream planform curvature
Authors: Đorđević Dejana
Published: December 2015

The purpose of this paper is to study the individual and combined effect of upstream planform curvature and difference in bed elevations at the tributary entrance to the confluence on the flow in the confluence hydrodynamics zone. To do this, flow at right-angled confluences with three planforms and four values of bed elevation discordance ratio (ΔzT/hd) is simulated using a three-dimensional (3D) numerical model. Three confluence planforms include confluences with the (1) straight tributary canal (SC), (2) right bend (RB) and (3) left bend (LB) in the tributary. Four ΔzT/hd values in the range [0.0, 0.5] include both concordant and discordant beds' confluences. Overall, nine cases with the straight main canal are considered. Special attention is paid to the flow deflection and flow separation zones since the former affects transfer of momentum from the tributary to the main canal and the latter affects transport capacity of the post-confluence channel. Comparison of the results reveals that the influence of RB in the tributary is practically negligible in comparison to the straight canal case. With the increasing difference in bed elevations between the tributary and main canals (ΔzT), the presence of LB strengthens 3D flow and the structure of the recirculation zone is destroyed.
Towards a hydroinformatics for China
Authors: Abbott M. B. , Vojinovic Z.
Published: December 2015

The relation of hydroinformatics to modern science is considered in relation to the origins and nature of modern science itself and to the technology that has assured the predominance of the European peoples over the peoples of most of the rest of the world for some 250 years. The current increasingly rapid reversal of this predominance is introduced with special reference to Asia in general and China in particular. This reversal is seen as a consequence of a transmutation in societies generally from modern conditions to postmodern conditions. The relation between knowledge providers and knowledge consumers is then introduced and related to the advent of the Internet and further to the World Wide Web, and further again to mobile devices. It is explained that the numerical predominance of China in access to the Web and to mobile telephony has proceeded alongside Chinese government initiatives that have supported this social development. The present contribution follows upon one with the same main title that was directed specifically to the Islamic world and another directed more generally to North-East Asia. Since this paper is directed almost exclusively towards China, it traces some developments currently occurring in China that exemplify its theses.
Supervised committee machine with artificial intelligence for prediction of fluoride concentration
Authors: Nadiri Ata Allah , Fijani Elham , Tsai Frank T.-C. , Asghari Moghaddam Asghar
Published: December 2015

The study introduces a supervised committee machine with artificial intelligence (SCMAI) method to predict fluoride in ground water of Maku, Iran. Ground water is the main source of drinking water for the area. Management of fluoride anomaly needs better prediction of fluoride concentration. However, the complex hydrogeological characteristics cause difficulties to accurately predict fluoride concentration in basaltic formation, non-basaltic formation, and mixing zone. SCMAI predicts fluoride by a nonlinear combination of individual AI models through an artificial intelligent system. Factor analysis is used to identify effective fluoride-correlated hydrochemical parameters as input to AI models. Four AI models, Sugeno fuzzy logic, Mamdani fuzzy logic, artificial neural network (ANN), and neuro-fuzzy are employed to predict fluoride concentration. The results show that all of these models have similar fitting to the fluoride data in the Maku area, and do not predict well for samples in the mixing zone. The SCMAI employs an ANN model to re-predict the fluoride concentration based on the four AI model predictions. The result shows improvement to the CMAI method, a committee machine with the linear combination of AI model predictions. The results also show significant fitting improvement to individual AI models, especially for fluoride prediction in the mixing zone.
Uncertainty assessment of monthly water balance models based on Incremental Modified Fuzzy Extension Principle method
Authors: Nasseri M. , Zahraie B. , Ansari A. , Solomatine D. P.
Published: December 2015

In this paper, a new method, namely Incremental Modified Fuzzy Extension Principle (IMFEP), is proposed for uncertainty assessment of conceptual water balance models. IMFEP is based on a new modification of fuzzy extension principle using fuzzy approximate. The most important feature of the IMFEP method lies in its realistic superposition of convex fuzzy membership functions of model inputs at different fuzzy α-cuts. To evaluate the IMFEP method, four other fuzzy-based approaches have been used to assess the uncertainties in simulating monthly water balance in basin scale and their results are compared with IMFEP. These approaches, one based on simple fuzzy mathematics, Vertex method, UNcertainty Estimation based on local Errors and Clustering (UNEEC) and Modified Fuzzy Extension Principle (MFEP) have been previously used for uncertainty estimation of water models. The nonlinear monthly water balance models calibrated for the two basins in Iran and France and their outputs with the five aforementioned methods have been compared. For both basins, IMFEP and MFEP methods have shown the best performance followed by UNEEC and Vertex methods (however, the differences in the underlying assumptions of the UNEEC method have to be taken into account). It can be concluded that the IMFEP method shows strong performance of uncertainty propagation in all evaluated fuzzy α-cuts.
River instantaneous peak flow estimation using daily flow data and machine-learning-based models
Authors: Dastorani Mohammad T. , Koochi Jamile Salimi , Darani Hamed Sharifi , Talebi Ali , Rahimian M. H.
Published: December 2015

Estimation of the design flood flow for hydraulic structures is often performed by adjusting probabilistic models to daily mean flow series. In most cases, this may cause under design of the structure capacity with possible risks of failure because instantaneous peak flows may be considerably larger than the daily averages. As there is often a lack of instantaneous flow data at a given site of interest, the peak flow has to be estimated. This paper develops new machine-learning-based methods to estimate the instantaneous peak flow from mean daily flow data where long daily data series exist but the instantaneous peak data series are short. However, the presented methods cannot be used where only daily flow data are available. Developed methodologies have been successfully applied to series of flow information from different gauging stations in Iran, with important improvements compared to traditional empirical methods available in the literature. Reliable results produced by the machine-learning-based models compared to the traditional methods show the superior ability of these techniques to solve the problem of inadequate measured peak flow data periods, especially in developing countries where it is difficult to find sufficiently long instantaneous peak flow data series.
Robust sensor placement for leak location: analysis and design
Authors: Blesa Joaquim , Nejjari Fatiha , Sarrate Ramon
Published: December 2015

In this paper, a nominal sensor placement methodology for leak location in water distribution networks is presented. To reduce the size and the complexity of the optimization problem a clustering technique is combined with the nominal sensor placement methodology. Some of the pressure sensor placement methods for leak detection and location in water distribution networks are based on the pressure sensitivity matrix analysis. This matrix depends on the network demands, which are nondeterministic, and the leak magnitudes, that are unknown. The robustness of the nominal sensor placement methodology is investigated against the fault sensitivity matrix uncertainty. Providing upon the dependency of the leak location procedure on the network operating point, the nominal sensor placement problem is then reformulated as a multi-objective optimization for which Pareto optimal solutions are generated. The robustness study as well as the resulting robust sensor placement methodology are illustrated by means of a small academic network as well as a district metered area in the Barcelona water distribution network.
Robustness-based optimal pump design and scheduling for water distribution systems
Authors: Jung Donghwi , Lansey Kevin E. , Choi Young Hwan , Kim Joong Hoon
Published: December 2015

We introduce a new system robustness index for optimizing the pump design and operation of water distribution systems. Here, robustness is defined as a system's ability to continue functioning under varying demand conditions. The maximum difference between the daily maximum and minimum pressures of a node was taken as a robustness indicator and incorporated as a constraint in a pump design and operation model that minimizes the total pump cost (construction and operation cost). Two well-known benchmark networks, the Apulian and Net2 networks, were modified and used to demonstrate the proposed model. The Pareto relationship between the total cost and system robustness was explored through independent optimizations of the model for different robustness constraint values. The resulting solutions were compared to the traditional least-cost solution. Regardless of the study networks, considering the robustness resulted in a greater number of small pumps compared with the least-cost solution. A sensitivity analysis on tank capacity was performed with the Apulian network. The proposed model is the pump design and operation tool that accounts for both the total pump cost and system robustness, which are the most important factors considered by water distribution operators.
Meshless particle modelling of free surface flow over spillways
Authors: Jafari-Nodoushan Ehsan , Hosseini Khosrow , Shakibaeinia Ahmad , Mousavi Seyed-Farhad
Published: December 2015

A meshless Lagrangian (particle) method based on the weakly compressible moving particle semi-implicit formulation (WC-MPS) is developed and analysed for simulation of flow over spillways. To improve the accuracy of the model for pressure and velocity calculation, some modifications are proposed and evaluated for the inflow and wall boundary conditions implementation methods. The final model is applied for simulation of flow over the 45° and 60° ogee spillways (with different inflow rates) and also shallow flow over a spillway-like curved bed channel. To evaluate the model, the numerical results of free surface profile and velocity and pressure field are compared with the available experimental measurements. Comparisons show the results’ accuracy of the developed model and proposed improvements. The results of this study will not only provide a reliable numerical tool for modelling of flow over spillways, but also provide an insight for better understating flow pattern over these hydraulic structures.
PROOST: object-oriented approach to multiphase reactive transport modeling in porous media
Authors: Gamazo P. , Slooten L. J. , Carrera J. , Saaltink M. W. , Bea S. , Soler J.
Published: December 2015

Reactive transport modeling involves solving several nonlinear coupled phenomena, among them, the flow of fluid phases, the transport of chemical species and energy, and chemical reactions. There are different ways to consider this coupling that might be more or less suitable depending on the nature of the problem to be solved. In this paper we acknowledge the importance of flexibility on reactive transport codes and how object-oriented programming can facilitate this feature. We present PROOST, an object-oriented code that allows solving reactive transport problems considering different coupling approaches. The code main classes and their interactions are presented. PROOST performance is illustrated by the resolution of a multiphase reactive transport problem where geochemistry affects hydrodynamic processes.
Making the invisible visible: the impact of federating groundwater data in Victoria, Australia
Authors: Dahlhaus Peter , Murphy Angela , MacLeod Andrew , Thompson Helen , McKenna Kirsten , Ollerenshaw Alison
Published: December 2015

The Visualising Victoria's Groundwater (VVG) web portal federates groundwater data for the State of Victoria, Australia, thus making legacy data, government datasets, research data and community-sourced data and observations visible to the public. The portal is innovative because it was developed outside of the government and offers real-time access to remote authoritative databases by integrating the interoperable web services they each provide. It includes tools for data querying and 3D visualisations that were designed to meet end-user needs and educate the broader community about a normally invisible resource. The social impact of the web portal was measured using multidisciplinary research that employed survey instruments, expert reference groups, and internet analytics to explore the extent to which the web portal has supported decision making by governments, industry, researchers and the community. The research found that single access, multiple data set web portals enhance capacity by providing timely, informed and accurate responses to answer queries and increase productivity by saving time. The provision of multiple datasets from disparate sources within a single portal has changed practices in the Victorian groundwater industry.
A two-stage soil infiltration system incorporated with heterotrophic denitrification (TSISHD) for urban runoff treatment
Authors: Hou Lizhu , Xu Xue , Song Yiran , Feng Chuanping
Published: December 2015

To enhance denitrification performance of soil infiltration, a soil infiltration system incorporated with heterotrophic denitrification (TSISHD) for urban runoff treatment was developed. Sawdust and grass powders were added in the anaerobic stage (ANS) to provide organic carbon sources for the denitrification process, and the reduction environment was improved by iron addition in the ANS. Aerobic respiration and nitrification primarily occurred in the upper aerobic stage (AES), which removed 86.68% of the chemical oxygen demand (COD) and 91.80% of the NH+4-N. Moreover, heterotrophic denitrification occurred in the bottom ANS when added sawdust and grass powders were used as a carbon source. Overall, the TSISHD showed remarkable removal efficiencies of 88.29%, 82.50%, 92.05%, and 78.10% for COD, NO−3-N, NH+4-N, and total phosphorus, respectively, and the corresponding effluent concentrations met the national quality standard of China for class V surface water. The removal efficiencies were significantly higher than those of the previous soil infiltration systems without inoculated microbes. The developed system has the potential to treat urban runoff.
Spatial and temporal variability of nitrogen load from catchment and retention along a river network: a case study in the upper Xin'anjiang catchment of China
Authors: Wang Ai , Tang Lihua , Yang Dawen
Published: December 2015

Understanding the spatial and temporal variability of nitrogen load and characteristics of retention along a river network is important for land management and water resources protection. This study employs a geomorphology-based non-point source pollution model (GBNP) to simulate the hillslope hydrological processes and transport of sediment and pollutants in the upper Xin'anjiang (XAJ) catchment. Based on the simulation, the spatial and temporal distribution of total nitrogen (TN) load from hillslopes and retention characteristics along the river network are analyzed. The results indicate that annual TN load ranges from 0.54 ton/km2 to 1.88 ton/km2 and is relatively higher during spring and summer. Average TN load positively correlates with irrigated cropland area (r =0.820) and negatively correlates with forest (r = −0.43). Seasonal TN retention ratios in the river network range from 0% to 81%, and streams of order 1 in the Horton–Strahler system have the highest retention ratio and are followed by orders 2, 3, and 4, which are mainly determined by the river hydraulic properties. Results of scenarios analysis demonstrate that TN retention ratios in the river network increase with TN load from hillslopes, but reach a maximum value rapidly, which indicates the limitation of the self-purification capacity of rivers.
A generalized concentration curve (GCC) method for storm flow hydrograph prediction in a conceptual linear reservoir-channel cascade
Authors: Wan Hui , Xia Jun , Zhang Liping , Zhang Wenhua , Xiao Yang , Gippel Christopher J. , She Dunxian , Xu Chongyu
Published: December 2015

The unit hydrograph (UH) is a hydrological tool that represents the unit response of a watershed to a unit input of rainfall. UH models based on lumped reservoir and channel conceptual cascade assume that rainfall is evenly distributed, thus limiting the use of UHs to relatively small watersheds of less than around 500 km2 in area. In this paper, a new hydrograph prediction method, named the generalized concentration curve (GCC), was derived that can be applied to large heterogeneous watersheds. The GCC method divides the watershed into subareas by isochrones. In each subarea, an independent linear reservoir-channel cascade model that considers both attenuation and translation is established. Comparative application of the GCC and the traditional Nash instantaneous unit hydrograph to 18 storm events from three medium-sized watersheds (727, 1,800 and 5,253 km2 in area) revealed superior performance of the GCC, with the average Nash–Sutcliffe efficiency coefficient higher by 7.66%, and the average peak discharge error lower by 4.14%. This study advances the theory of UH and expands the scope of application of UH to larger watersheds.
A study on crown interception with four dominant tree species: a direct measurement
Authors: Li Xiang , Niu Jianzhi , Zhang Linus , Xiao Qingfu , McPherson Gregory E. , van Doorn Natalie , Yu Xinxiao , Xie Baoyuan , Dymond Salli , Li Jiao , Meng Chen , Luo Ziteng
Published: December 2015

An experiment was conducted to concentrate on the rainfall interception process of individual trees for four common species in Beijing, China, which included needle species (Platycladus orientalis and Pinus tabulaeformis) and broadleaf species (Quercus variabilis and Acer truncatum). Two types of interception storages, the maximum (Cmax) and the minimum interception storage (Cmin), were examined at four simulated rainfall intensities (from 11.7 to 78.5 mm h−1). Results showed that an average of 91% of Cmax for all the species was intercepted during the first 10 minutes of rainfall, while 45% of Cmax drained off after rainfall cessation. Leaf area index (LAI) and leaf area (LA) were significantly correlated (p < 0.05) with Cmax and Cmin, while such significant correlations were not found between rainfall intensity and Cmax and Cmin. Average Cmax and Cmin across all the species corresponded to 3 and 1% of gross rainfall. Mean Cmax and Cmin of the needle species were 3.0 and 1.8 times larger than that for the broadleaf ones. Results revealed that interception was a dynamic process which encompassed three phases. In addition, LAI and LA were valid predictors of interception in small trees, and deserve further test in forest stands.
A comparative study of different objective functions to improve the flood forecasting accuracy
Authors: Jie Meng-Xuan , Chen Hua , Xu Chong-Yu , Zeng Qiang , Tao Xin-e
Published: December 2015

In the calibration of flood forecasting models, different objective functions and their combinations could lead to different simulation results and affect the flood forecast accuracy. In this paper, the Xinanjiang model was chosen as the flood forecasting model and shuffled complex evolution (SCE-UA) algorithm was used to calibrate the model. The performance of different objective functions and their combinations by using the aggregated distance measure in calibrating flood forecasting models was assessed and compared. And the impact of different thresholds of the peak flow in the objective functions was discussed and assessed. Finally, a projection pursuit method was proposed to composite the four evaluation indexes to assess the performance of the flood forecasting model. The results showed that no single objective function could represent all the characteristics of the shape of the hydrograph simultaneously and significant trade-offs existed among different objective functions. The results of different thresholds of peak flow indicated that larger thresholds of peak flow result in good performance of peak flow at the expense of bad simulation in other aspects of hydrograph. The evaluation results of the projection pursuit method verified that it can be a potential choice to synthesize the performance of the multiple evaluation indexes.
Calibration of the Hargreaves–Samani method for the calculation of reference evapotranspiration in different Köppen climate classes
Authors: Almorox Javier , Grieser Jürgen
Published: December 2015

The Penman–Monteith equation (FAO-56) is accepted as the standard model for estimating reference evapotranspiration (ETo). However, the major obstacle to using FAO-56 widely is that it requires numerous climatic data. The Hargreaves–Samani (HS) method is frequently used for the calculation of ETo since it is based on measurements of daily minimum and maximum air temperature alone. Those are commonly recorded at many meteorological stations throughout the world. It is the objective of this paper to evaluate the quality of HS and calibrate the coefficients of this method for different climates as represented by the Köppen classification. Estimated values are compared with Penman–Monteith ETo values in terms of the coefficient of efficiency Ceff as well as the root mean square error, the mean absolute error and the Bayes information criterion. The Penman–Monteith equation for ETo (FAO-56) is based on physics and known to provide best estimates of ETo. The results of our work show that the correlation between long-term monthly means of HS and FAO-56 can be improved significantly by introducing climate-class specific coefficients.
A study on the estimating of sediment concentration with turbidity and acoustic backscatter signal for different sediment sizes
Authors: Meral Ramazan
Published: December 2015

Turbidity and acoustic measurement are alternative indirect methods to determine sediment concentration. Acoustic Doppler velocimetry can be used to estimate suspended sediment concentration (SSC) with the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) in the water. In this study, particles size affecting turbidity and SNR values was investigated using four different sediment size groups (0–50, 50–100, 100–200, and 200–250 micron). The highest turbidity values were determined for small-sized sediment, and they decreased for bigger sediment size. Clay content decreased the relationship between sediment and turbidity and caused a reading error for high concentrations (>4 g.l−1). However, R2 values greater than 0.900 were obtained for all treatments (R2: 0.952, 0.992, 0.987, and 0.977, respectively, from small size to large size group). SNR values had good relationships with SSC values for less than 40 dB and 1 g.l−1 sediment concentrations (R2: 0.990, 0.998, 0.994, and 0.973, respectively, from small size to large size group). SNR values were strongly affected by small changes in sediment concentration but this property can be accepted as advantageous for sensitive measurement. As a result of this study, it could be concluded that turbidity and SNR values can be used for continuous sediment monitoring.
Simulating water flow in variably saturated soils: a comparison of a 3D model with approximation-based formulations
Authors: Hopp Luisa , Fatichi Simone , Ivanov Valeriy Y.
Published: December 2015

In hydrological models, variably saturated flow is often described using the Richards equation, either in a fully three-dimensional (3D) implementation or using a quasi-3D framework based on the 1D Richards equation for vertical flow and a flow-approximation for the other two dimensions. However, it is unclear in which configuration or under which boundary conditions these approximations can produce adequate estimates. In this study, two formulations with a quasi-3D approach are benchmarked against a fully 3D model (HYDRUS-3D). The formulations are: the Real-time Integrated Basin Simulator + VEGetation Generator for Interactive Evolution (tRIBS + VEGGIE) model that uses the Dupuit–Forchheimer assumption and the Tethys & Chloris (T&C) model that implements the kinematic approach. Effects of domain slope, hillslope size, event size and initial moisture conditions on simulated runoff and soil moisture dynamics are examined in event-based simulations at the hillslope scale. The Dupuit–Forchheimer assumption (tRIBS-VEGGIE) produces deviations from the HYDRUS-3D solutions only for simulations with initially dry soil. Using the kinematic approach (T&C) results in deviations from the 3D solution primarily for the small hillslope domain in combination with a gentle slope angle. This applies especially to the partition between subsurface and surface runoff production, with T&C being biased towards the latter. For all other cases investigated, the simpler formulations provide reasonable approximations of the 3D model.
Variability of seasonal and annual rainfall in the River Nile riparian countries and possible linkages to ocean–atmosphere interactions
Authors: Onyutha Charles
Published: December 2015

Variability analyses for the rainfall over the Nile Basin have been confined mostly to sub-basins and the annual mean of the hydroclimatic variable based on observed short-term data from a few meteorological stations. In this paper, long-term country-wide rainfall over the period 1901–2011 was used to assess variability in the seasonal and annual rainfall volumes in all the River Nile countries in Africa. Temporal variability was determined through temporal aggregation of series rescaled nonparametrically in terms of the difference between the exceedance and non-exceedance counts of data points such that the long-term average (taken as the reference) was zero. The co-occurrence of the variability of rainfall with those of the large-scale ocean–atmosphere interactions was analyzed. Between 2000 and 2012, while the rainfall in the equatorial region was increasing, that for the countries in the northern part of the River Nile was below the reference. Generally, the variability in the rainfall of the countries in the equatorial (northern) part of the River Nile was found to be significantly linked to occurrences in the Indian and Atlantic (Pacific and Atlantic) Oceans. Significant linkages to Niño 4 regarding the variability of both the seasonal and annual rainfall of some countries were also evident.
Observations and snow model simulations of winter energy balance terms within and between different coniferous forests in southern boreal Finland
Authors: Rasmus Sirpa , Gustafsson David , Lundell Robin , Saarinen Timo
Published: December 2015

Variation of canopy properties between different forest types is seldom taken into account in hydrological and climate models, and consideration of variation inside a forest is normally omitted. In this work, three data sets on near surface energy balance terms (incoming shortwave and longwave radiation; air and snow–soil interface temperatures) were collected in the southern boreal coniferous zone in Finland during three winters below different types of forest canopies. The aim was to evaluate the ability of a snow mass and energy balance model with a canopy module to reproduce the observed differences in below-canopy incoming radiations and snow–soil interface temperature. Clear differences were seen between pine and spruce forest sites (higher snow–soil interface temperatures and incoming shortwave fluxes, and lower incoming longwave fluxes at the pine site). Differences were also observed between the sparse and dense pine canopy locations. Canopy parameter values had a great effect on the quality of the model simulations. The combination of optically obtained leaf area index (LAI) values with a needle clumping correction and either optical or empirical sky view fraction (SVF) values as a canopy parameterization gave better correspondence to observations than the use of uncorrected effective LAI and any SVF.
Hydrogeochemical and isotopic characterization of groundwater at Žitný Island (SW Slovakia)
Authors: Ženišová Z. , Povinec P. P. , Šivo A. , Breier R. , Richtáriková M. , Ďuričková A. , L'uptáková A.
Published: December 2015

Hydrogeochemical investigations and spatial variations studies on the distribution of water isotopes and radiocarbon in the groundwater of Žitný Island (Rye Island) were carried out. Žitný Island represents the largest groundwater reservoir in Central Europe (about 10 Gm3). The chemical composition of the groundwater of Žitný Island depends mainly on the chemical composition of Danube water, as well as on the length of its infiltration from the Danube River. The groundwater is characterized by potamogenic mineralization, and its chemical composition is influenced by anthropogenic contamination. Sub-surface water profiles showed enriched δ18O levels up to around 20 m water depth, and depleted values for deeper waters. The observed isotopic composition of the groundwater is similar to Danube water, suggesting that the Danube River is the main source of the Žitný Island groundwater. The core of the sub-surface 14C profile represents contemporary groundwater with 14C values above 80 pMC.
Study on extinction depth and steady water storage in root zone based on lysimeter experiment and HYDRUS-1D simulation
Authors: Liu Tiegang , Lai Jianbin , Luo Yi , Liu Lei
Published: December 2015

HYDRUS-1D was combined with lysimeter experiments to study extinction depth and steady water storage in root zone (Ws) of groundwater evaporation (ETgw) under winter wheat and silt soil. The measured soil water contents and daily ETgw with various groundwater depths were used to calibrate and validate the parameters in HYDRUS-1D. In total, 13 groundwater depths ranging from 0.5 to 5.0 m were set up for scenario simulation to determine the extinction depth and Ws. The results showed that HYDRUS-1D had an acceptable performance in simulating the soil water storage in the 0–60 cm layer and the daily ETgw. Moreover, the ETgw decreased linearly with increasing groundwater depth from 0.5 to 2.5 m and decreased as a power function with increasing groundwater depth from 2.5 to 5.0 m. Under the condition of winter wheat and silt soil, the extinction depth of ETgw was about 5.0 m. Ws decreased linearly with increasing groundwater depth from 0.7 to 2.0 m, but was not influenced further by the groundwater at depths beyond 2.0 m.
The impact of atmospheric wet deposition on roof runoff quality in an urbanized area
Authors: Qin Hua-Peng , Tang Qiao-Ling , Wang Li-Yu , Fu Guangtao
Published: December 2015

Understanding the sources of chemical components in roof runoff can help to prevent water quality problems in rooftop rainwater harvesting. To identify the contribution of wet deposition to the mass of components in roof runoff, the samples from air, rainwater, dust buildup and roof runoff were collected from an urban site in Shenzhen of China in 2011–2012. The results indicate that: (1) wet deposition has a dominant contribution to the mass of total organic carbon (TOC), NH4+, NO3–, Cl– and organic acids in the roof runoff, while the mass of NH4+, acetic acid and formic acid in the roof runoff may be greatly reduced by the neutralization between the components with alkaline dust buildup on the rooftop; and (2) wet deposition partially contributes to the mass of Na+, K+, Mg2+, Ca2+, F– and SO42– in the roof runoff, while other factors like dust buildup on the rooftop and chemical reactions also have a non-negligible impact. Furthermore, TOC, NH4+, NO3– and organic acids in the wet deposition are mainly influenced by the atmospheric pollution due to fast increase in fossil fuel consumption (e.g. vehicle emissions). Therefore, the effects of wet deposition should be carefully considered for rooftop rainwater harvesting in urbanized areas.
Effects of various input levels and different soil water retention curve models on water content estimation using different statistical methods
Authors: Bayat Hossein , Ebrahimi Eisa
Published: December 2015

This study investigated the impact of different input variables on the predictability of the water content using soil water retention curve (SWRC) models. The particle and aggregate size distribution model parameters were calculated by fitting the Perrier model to the related distributions for 75 soil samples. Nine SWRC models were fitted to the experimental data and their coefficients were obtained. The regression method was used to estimate the coefficients for nine SWRC models at three input levels. Cluster analysis classified the SWRC models into more homogeneous groups according to the accuracy of their predictions. The SWRC estimated using the Gardner model had the highest accuracy, but it was not an appropriate model for the soils because of its low fitting accuracy. Boltzman, Campbell, and Fermi models obtained the highest accuracy after the Gardner model. The Durner model yielded the lowest prediction accuracy due to the lack of correlation between the input variables and coefficients in this model. Thus, the water content predictions obtained using different SWRC models varied because different input variables were employed.
Latrine desludging pump development using a simple test for simulant strength: A case study from Uganda
Authors: Radford J. T. , Malinga S. , Drummond G. , Atayo H. , Whitesell A. B. , Sugden S.
Published: December 2015

A simple and low-cost test to measure the physical strength of faecal sludge simulants is presented and used in the development of improved desludging pumps in Kampala, Uganda. The technical performance of two variants of the Gulper manual pump have for the first time been quantitatively assessed under controlled conditions. The time taken to prime and the average flow rate in the following 30 seconds are reported for both pumps on two different strengths of faecal sludge, demonstrating a distinct improvement in the redesigned Gulper II. This pump is now undergoing field trials across East Africa with a view to it being marketed and sold to pit-emptying entrepreneurs by Sanitation Solutions Group.
Lessons learnt from adaptation planning in four deltas and coastal cities
Authors: Jeuken Ad , Haasnoot Marjolijn , Reeder Tim , Ward Philip
Published: December 2015

Deltas and coastal cities around the world face the need to adapt to uncertain future changes. We compared adaptation planning on flood risk management in four cases based on three main elements of adaptive planning: to prepare for a wide range of plausible future scenarios; to respond to change with robust and flexible actions; and to monitor critical changes to be able to reassess the plan accordingly. Differences can be observed in the implementation of these elements. Good practices could be distinguished: cases consider a wide range of future scenarios; short-term decisions are coupled with long-term options while envisioning these options and possibilities for switching between them through adaptation pathways; opportunities originating from other agendas to achieve multiple objective investments are seized; and the system's resilience is improved by a wide variety of measures. At the same time some barriers for using adaptive planning approaches were identified: the use of a wide range of scenarios is only accepted in an exploratory phase of planning. Structural flood protection measures taken in the past do constrain future choices. The potential for monitoring and reassessment of options is hampered by the fact that trends in some variables cannot be detected.