WaterWired

Joshua Newton's Water Jobs and More! - 31 July 2014

Joshua actually sent these on 30 July 2014. 

 

Todd Jarvis and I will be lunching with Joshua on 4 August here in Corvallis. Be great to see Dr. Newton!

 

1) Executive Director (The Water Institute) - University of Waterloo (Waterloo, Canada)

2) Coordinator (Natural Resources Group) - International Institute for Environment and Development (London or Edinburgh)

3) Consultancy: Water/Conservation Energy Change Specialist (Performance Evaluation of Public Action Project (PAP)) - Management Systems International (Jordan)

4) Consultancy: WASH - UNICEF (Nairobi)
Download ToR WASH Consultant, UNICEF ESARO

5) Senior Cross-Sector Governance Specialist - RTI (Washington DC)

6) Executive Director - Green Empowerment (Portland, OR, USA):  Download Green Empowerment Executive Director Job Announcement 2014

7) Consultancy: Ground Water - Action Against Hunger (Pakistan)

8) TetraTech jobs (Ethiopia):
- Chief of Party (Water Sector) - TetraTech
- Deputy Chief of Water (Water Sector) - TetraTech

- Wash Advocacy Advisor

9) Environmental Affairs Officer - UNECE Water Convention Secretariat (Geneva)

10) Consultancy: UNEP (Division of Environmental Policy Implementation) (Nairobi)

11) Chief Technical Adviser (Decentralized water supply and use management) - FAO (Yemen)

12) WaterAid jobs:
- Programme Managers x2 (Mozambique)
- Senior Programme Manager Rural (Mozambique)
- Regional Funding Manager West Africa (Senegal)
- Senior Programme Coordinators (Uganda)
- Senior International Reward Manager (London)
- Sanitation and Water for All Civil Society Advisor Consultancy (London)
- Senior Policy Analyst / Deputy Head of Policy (London)

13) Consultancy: Senior Advocacy and Communication Advisor - WSSCC (Home-based)

14) Verification and Climate Officer - FLORCET (Bonn)

15) International Consultant for conducting trend, variation and frequency analyses of historical climate and extremes and detecting changes - Mekong River Commission (Lao)

16) Country Director - water.org (Bangladesh)

17) Deputy Secretary General - Ramsar Convention (Gland, Switzerland)

18) Executive Director - Friends of the River (Sacramento, CA, USA)

19) Senior Manager (California Policy and Partnerships) - Ceres (Boston)

20) Policy Officer (Water and Biodiversity) - European Environmental Bureau (Brussels)

21) Data Management, Communications, Knowledge Management, and Training Specialist (2 vacancies) - USAID (Washington DC):
Download Water DCKT Announcement

22) Director (Water Resources Center) - University of Minnesota (Minnesota, USA) Download WRC Director PD Final 6-2-14-DK

23) Greater Mekong Program Manager - Conservation International (Cambodia)

24) Consultancy: Climate Change and Security - OSCE (Job#VNSECC00925) (Vienna) 

25) Junior Policy Analyst (Water Governance Initiative) - OECD (Paris)

26) Faculty appointment (Adaptation to a Changing Environment) - University of Western Ontario (London, Ontario, Canada)
Download Adaptation_Senior_Final

 

27) Michigan State University - Water Resources Extension Educator. Closes: 14 Sept. Posting Number 9823. Download MSU_Extension_Water_Resources

 

28) Postdoctoral Position - University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. Pore Scale Modeling of Multiphase Flow and Reactive Transport. Avaliable: 1 October 2014 
Download Postdoctoral_Position_UIUC

 

29) Postdoctoral Position -Watershed Modeling - Starting Fall, 2014 at the City University of New York Institute for Sustainable Cities. Job location: Kingston, NY (Hudson River Valley). Application deadline: 15 August 2014
Download Postdoctoral_Watershed_Modeling_CUNY

 

30) Salmon Drift Creek Watershed Council (Lincoln City, OR) - Water Quality Program Coordinator. P-T 8-16 hours per week. Closes: 15 Sept.
Download SDCWC_WQ_Program_Coordinator

 

31) EPA - WED (Corvallis, OR) - Student Services Contract - Recent Grads or Current Students with MS - hydrology, geology, engineering, water resources. 0.5 FTE max. Closes: 18 Sept.
Download RFQ-DC-14-00218-Corvallis_OR

 

32) Sandia National Laboratories (Albuquerque, NM). Five Postdocs: Experimental Geomechanics; Geochemistry; Computational Fracture Mechanics; Molecular Simulation; Multiphase Flow Experiments and Modeling. Download SNL_CFSES_PostDocs 

 

33) Flinders University (Australia) - National Centre for Groundwater Research and Training. Two (or more) Postocs. Closes: 29 August
Download Postdocs_NCGRT_Flinders

 

"A teacher is one who makes himself progressively unnecessary." - Thomas Carruthers 

CRS Report: Shale Energy Technology Assessment - Current and Emerging Water Practices

Two days in a row! Another report from the Congressional Research Service (CRS): Shale Energy Technology Assessment: Current and Emerging Water Practices, by Mary Tiemann, Peter Folger, and Nicole T. Carter.  

 Download CRS_Shale_Energy_Technology_Assessment

Summary

Shale oil and gas (collectively referred to as shale energy), long considered “unconventional” hydrocarbon resources, are now being developed rapidly. Economic extraction of shale energy resources typically relies on the use of hydraulic fracturing. This technique often requires significant amounts of freshwater, and fracturing flowback and related wastewaters must be recycled or disposed of after a well is completed. While shale energy presents a significant energy resource, its development has the potential to pose risks to water availability and water quality.

This report provides a technological assessment of existing and emerging water procurement and management practices in shale energy-producing regions of the United States. The intersection of evolving technology, growing environmental concerns, demand for new sources of hydrocarbon energy, and the potential national interests in developing shale oil and gas resources provides the context for this study. Congressional attention has been focused on two key aspects of the issue: shale energy as a growing U.S. energy source, and environmental concerns associated with the development of these resources.

Water for shale energy projects is used most intensely in the fracturing portion of a well’s life cycle. Under current practices, fracturing typically is a water-dependent activity, often requiring between a few million and 10 million gallons of water per fractured horizontal well. This water demand often is concentrated geographically and temporally during the development of a particular shale formation. Production activities and management and treatment of the wastewater produced during shale energy production (including flowback from fracturing and water produced from source formations) have raised concerns over the potential contamination of groundwater and surface water and induced seismicity associated with wastewater injection wells.

Water resource issues may pose constraints on the future development of domestic shale oil and gas. Potential negative effects from shale energy extraction—particularly effects associated with hydraulic fracturing and wastewater management—have prompted state and regional regulatory actions to protect water supplies. Future congressional and executive branch actions may influence development of shale oil and shale gas on federal lands and elsewhere through additional regulatory oversight or other policy actions. At the same time, advances in shale energy extraction and wastewater management techniques may reduce some development impacts.

The pace of technological change in water sourcing and water management in the shale energy sector is rapid, but uneven. Trends in water management have generally been influenced by local disposal costs, regulations, and geologic conditions rather than by water scarcity alone. Emerging technologies and practices in water resources management can be divided into those that seek to reduce the amount of consumptive freshwater utilization in the drilling and completion process, and those that seek to lower the costs and/or minimize the potential for negative environmental impacts associated with wastewater management.

Water management issues are relevant to the entire life cycle of shale energy development, because fluids will continue to be produced even after a well is drilled, fractured, and producing oil and/or natural gas. Research that views the shale energy production process in a life-cycle and materials-flow context may facilitate the identification of technologies and processes that can mitigate potential impacts along different stages of shale energy development. 

Report Authorship

This technology assessment was undertaken by Pennsylvania State University, with contributions from Michael Arthur, Seth Blumsack, Thomas Murphy, David Yoxtheimer, and Ross Pifer. Their work was performed under contract to CRS, and was part of a multiyear CRS project to examine various aspects of U.S. energy policy. John L. Moore, Assistant Director of the Resources, Science, and Industry Division, served as CRS project coordinator. Mary Tiemann, Specialist in Environmental Policy, Peter Folger, Specialist in Energy and Natural Resources Policy, and Nicole Carter, Specialist in Natural Resources Policy, served as CRS reviewers and editors of this report. This assessment is one of two reports produced by the authors; see also CRS Report R43636, U.S. Shale Gas Development: Production, Infrastructure, and Market Issues.

The material in this report is current as of 2013. The report will not be updated. 

Enjoy!

As usual, thanks again to Jan Schoonmaker for sending this my way.  

"Any man who afflicts the human race with ideas must be prepared to see them misunderstood." - H.L. Mencken (thanks to Faruck Morcos)

Tuesday Treat - CRS Report: Federal Response to Drought in California - An Analysis of S. 2198 and H.R. 3964

More good stuff from the Congressional Research Service (CRS): Federal Response to Drought in California: An Analysis of S. 2198 and H.R. 3964, by Pervaze A. Sheikh, Betsy A. Cody, and Charles V. Stern.

 Download CRS_Federal_Response_CA_Drought

Summary

California is experiencing serious water shortages due to widespread drought. Even though much of the state is served by two large water infrastructure projects that store water for future use—the federal Central Valley Project (CVP) and the State Water Project (SWP)—both projects have had to reduce water deliveries to the farmers and communities that they serve. Many water users have received no water from the CVP and SWP this year and are supplementing surface water supplies with groundwater. Some water basins are experiencing overdraft of local aquifers (i.e., extracting of more ground water than will be replenished over time). The dry hydrological conditions, in combination with regulatory restrictions on water being pumped from the Sacramento and San Joaquin Rivers Delta confluence with San Francisco Bay (Bay-Delta) to protect water quality and fish and wildlife, have resulted in historic water supply cutbacks for senior water rights users in some areas. The effects are widespread and are being felt by many economic sectors. The extent and severity of the drought is also taking its toll on fish and wildlife resources and has increased concern for wildfires. California also experienced severe water supply shortages during a three- year drought, which lasted from 2008 – 2010 and during a five-year drought from 1987 to 1992.

Several bills have been introduced in the 113th Congress to address California water supply and drought in particular. This report discusses the similarities and differences between two bills that have been passed by their respective chambers: H.R. 3964, which passed the House on February 5, 2014; and S. 2198, which passed the Senate on May 22, 2014.

H.R. 3964 and S. 2198 have few similarities in their specific approaches to addressing drought conditions in California; however, to different degrees, they both aim to provide more water for users that receive water from the CVP and SWP. The primary thematic similarity shared between the bills is to authorize or direct activities that would attempt to increase water supplies for users while, in some cases, decreasing or meeting the minimum water needs of the environment (e.g., fish and wildlife, and water quality). The duration of the authorization for these activities varies under each bill. In some cases, activities aimed to increase water supplies are authorized in times of a declared drought or decreased water supplies, and in other cases, these activities are authorized permanently without conditions.

The differences between the bills hinge on the approach the bills take towards allocating water supplies for users. S. 2198 would authorize the approval of projects and actions to maximize water supplies for users within existing laws and regulations; whereas H.R. 3964 would amend laws, and in some cases, pre-empt state and federal law to re-allocate water supplies and achieve its objectives.

A short-term issue for Congress is how to address the drought, and in particular, demands for more water from the CVP and SWP without jeopardizing the continued existence of several fish species, degrading water quality, or overriding state water rights allocations. A long-term issue for Congress is how to improve the supply and reliability of federal water deliveries and stabilize, and potentially restore, the aquatic ecosystems upon which water and power users and diverse economies depend upon. Efforts to address the long-term water and environmental needs of the state have been focused, in part, on the Bay Delta Conservation Plan (BDCP). However, the BDCP is controversial and if approved is expected to take years, if not decades, to implement. In the meantime, questions continue to be raised about annual Bay-Delta pumping levels and their adequacy in providing water supply to state and federal contractors and their effects on fish and wildlife, particularly on threatened and endangered species.  

Enjoy!

As usual, thanks again to Jan Schoonmaker for sending this my way. 

”It is better to deserve honors and not have them than to have them and not to deserve them.” - Mark Twain (thanks to Faruck Morcos)

Elaine J. Hanford's Bulletin Boards: 1) Geosciences; 2) Enviro-Sciences - 28 July 2014

More excellent news articles and educational displacement behavior from Elaine and Spot.

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Elaine's previous Bulletin Boards are archived here. 

Geosciences Bulletin Board – 28 July 2014 - Compiled by Elaine J. Hanford. Compilation of selected current news articles pertinent to the discipline. 

 

Just for fun: Meet the insane(?) surfers who catch waves in the Arctic (video)

• http://www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-culture/meet-insane-surfers-who-travel-arctic-ocean-catch-wave-180952113/

 

Update on possible explanation for radiation leak at NM Waste Isolation Plant

• http://news.yahoo.com/lead-lined-glove-tied-mexico-radiation-leak-lawmaker-021048915.html

 

Planetary geology: Trove of data collected on 2012 solar storm that missed the Earth

• http://news.yahoo.com/earth-survived-near-miss-2012-solar-storm-nasa-222404357.html

 

Cave with trove of Pleistocene fossils to be reopened for investigation by paleontologists

• http://news.yahoo.com/wyoming-cave-fossil-secrets-excavated-061433750.html

 

Zircon crystals hold key to estimating how much magma is beneath the surface

• http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/mystery-how-much-magma-lies-beneath-earths-surface-explored-by-scientists-1458011

 

Massive landslide inside the 1875 Askja caldera in Iceland

• http://www.wired.com/2014/07/massive-landslide-inside-the-askja-caldera/

 

Did mastodons and mammoths roam or did they have home territories?

• http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/07/140721181953.htm

 

Was T-Rex into gang activity? Fossils suggest group hunted as a pack

• http://www.livescience.com/46965-tyrannosaurs-were-pack-animals.html

 

NASA “PACE” mission starting to study ocean ecology and carbon cycle

• http://www.spacedaily.com/reports/NASA_Kicks_Off_Field_Campaign_to_Probe_Ocean_Ecology_Carbon_Cycle_999.html

 

Why is the geothermal industry growing? More data from oil & gas industry

• http://www.nytimes.com/2014/07/24/business/geothermal-industry-grows-with-help-from-oil-and-gas-drilling.html

 

On the Mississippi River: “Engineering won’t solve the problems that engineering caused”

• http://www.onearth.org/articles/2014/06/should-we-let-the-mighty-mississippi-be-mighty-again

 

Is this finally the end of the proposed Pebble Mine project in Bristol Bay, Alaska?

• http://www.onearth.org/articles/2014/07/five-reasons-alaskas-pebble-mine-is-probably-buried-including-todays-epa-action

 

Landsat program began 42 years ago…Landsat 8 now in orbit observing the Earth

• http://www.livescience.com/46966-landsat-turns-42.html
• Landsat images in video: http://www.livescience.com/46957-landsat-42-years-of-earth-from-space-photos-video.html

 

Researchers continue to examine Mount St Helens

• http://news.yahoo.com/u-scientists-map-interior-mount-st-helens-volcano-192240123.html

 

Two paleo-ecologists get involved in politics….translating the science

• http://www.nature.com/news/science-and-politics-hello-governor-1.15593

 

“False tsunami alert” causes public panic and one person dies

• http://indianexpress.com/article/world/asia/false-tsunami-alert-leaves-one-dead-prompts-hundreds-to-flee-in-philippines/

 

How does “fake flooding” compare with the real thing?

• http://phys.org/news/2014-07-fake-impacts.html

 

New data on mid-level clouds and atmospheric dynamics

• http://phys.org/news/2014-07-nrl-reveals-meteorological-insight-mid-level.html

 

This is why OSHA requires shoring of excavations! Beach hole collapses…man dies

• http://www.kcra.com/news/man-dies-in-norcal-after-beach-hole-collapses/27099350

 

Filming scenes around San Francisco for yet another disaster movie “San Andreas”

• http://www.berkshireeagle.com/entertainment/ci_26194257/rock-filming-scenes-around-san-francisco-this-week

 

New diagnostic tool for Valley Fever

• http://medicalxpress.com/news/2014-07-dangers-diagnostic-tool-valley-fever.html

 

Dog dies after jumping into unmarked geothermal ditch waters…now posted and fenced

• http://www.komonews.com/news/local/268150542.html

 

Reconstruction of 308 million year old organism may help explain origin of vertebrates

• http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/07/140721123739.htm

 

Global warming “slowdown” or global cooling interval is part of natural variation

• http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/07/140721181805.htm

 

Planetary geology: Where did all the sunspots go??

• http://www.latimes.com/science/sciencenow/la-sci-sn-the-sun-goes-eerily-quiet-20140718-story.html

 

Scope of Oso Landslide largely a result of reactivation of 2006 event

• http://www.heraldnet.com/article/20140722/NEWS01/140729754
• GEER report:http://www.geerassociation.org/GEER_Post%20EQ%20Reports/Oso_WA_2014/index.html

 

California halts injection of fracking waste in midst of drought and declining water tables

• http://www.resilience.org/stories/2014-07-21/california-halts-injection-of-fracking-waste

 

USGS Fact Sheet: Salt water intrusion into Biscayne Bay Aquifer, Miami-Dade Co., FL

• http://pubs.usgs.gov/fs/2014/3050/pdf/fs2014-3050.pdf

 

Dredging results in increased incidence of deadly coral diseases

• http://www.livescience.com/46896-coral-reefs-diseases-dredging.html

 

Natural sandstone arches form as result of geological processes and physical strength

• http://www.livescience.com/46891-how-rock-sandstone-arches-form.html

 

Secrets of the Cascadia subduction zone

• http://www.earthmagazine.org/article/unlocking-cascadia-subduction-zones-secrets-peering-recent-research-and-findings

 

Calibration controversy: is sea ice contracting or expanding….where’s the real data?

• http://news.yahoo.com/antarctica-really-getting-icier-study-sparks-debate-145519492.html

 

Yet another massive one in “Sinkhole Alley” in Florida … forces evacuations

• http://news.yahoo.com/floridas-sinkhole-alley-another-massive-one-swallows-street-174258475.html

 

Forewarning of the “Big One” in California

• http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/northamerica/usa/10978030/Los-Angeles-awaits-earthquake-that-could-be-the-Big-One.html

 

Enviro-Sciences Bulletin Board – 28 July 2014 - Compiled by Elaine J. Hanford. Compilation of selected current news articles pertinent to the discipline. 

 

Doctor from Fort Worth TX infected and Ebola travels to Nigeria by infected passenger

• http://news.yahoo.com/american-doctor-africa-tests-positive-ebola-003920683.html
• http://news.yahoo.com/nigeria-screen-airline-travelers-ebola-165545938.html

 

Site selection process for $1.2B Zeogas plant hampered for by socio-political factors in Port Arthur TX

• http://www.panews.com/local/x864249852/Competition-fierce-for-industrial-projects-jobs

 

Musk ox are declining in number and being driven into Nome, Alaska, by grizzly bears…. but humans may conduct a hunt

• http://news.yahoo.com/growing-influx-musk-oxen-prompts-alaska-hunt-194700369.html

 

Despite potential public health risks, US District Court upholds right of FDA to allow use of some antibiotics in livestock feed

• http://news.yahoo.com/u-court-upholds-fda-animal-feed-policy-despite-170816287.html

 

If solar storm of 2012 had hit Earth (the next one is coming) it would have caused significant disruption of activity and damages could have been very costly

• http://news.yahoo.com/earth-survived-near-miss-2012-solar-storm-nasa-222404357.html

 

Excessive demand depleting Colorado River Basin…apocalypse approaches as drought continues…we don’t know how much groundwater we have so we could run out

• http://news.yahoo.com/drought-apocalypse-approaches-colorado-river-basin-dries-221214264.html
• http://news.yahoo.com/shocking-underground-water-loss-us-drought-185439412.html
• Video: http://news.yahoo.com/satellites-show-major-southwest-groundwater-105431089.html

 

The mayfly emergence is a good thing! (video)

• http://news.yahoo.com/video/annual-mayfly-emergence-huge-shows-180620897.html

 

What to do with wastewater treatment sludge & sediment?? Make pottery!

• http://phys.org/news/2014-07-eco-pottery-product-treatment-sludge.html

 

South Lafourche Levee system upgrades in Louisiana should be completed next year

• http://www.insurancejournal.com/news/southcentral/2014/07/22/335447.htm

 

Looks like those “Eat more chicken” ads are working!

• http://feedstuffs.com/story-boost-chicken-consumption-45-115401

 

Cargill working with USDA to remove growth-promoting antibiotics from turkey production

• http://www.cargill.com/news/releases/2014/NA31665860.jsp

 

Beef production is 10X more damaging to the environment than raising other livestock

• http://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-28409704

 

China cuts off city after man dies of bubonic plague

• http://news.yahoo.com/chinese-officials-seal-off-plague-city-puzzling-us-080446975.html

 

An outbreak of influenza Human Influenza A (H7N9) associated with poultry farm in China

• http://wwwnc.cdc.gov/eid/article/20/11/14-0608_article

 

How can woodrats eat toxic plants? It is because of their symbiotic bacteria!

• http://www.natureworldnews.com/articles/8183/20140722/woodrats-feast-on-toxic-plants-thanks-to-gut-microbes.htm

 

The secrets to success if you are a meerkat

• http://www.natureworldnews.com/articles/8186/20140722/maliciousness-of-meerkats-the-secret-to-their-success.htm

 

Monitoring water along the Nile River could help reduce conflicts

• http://phys.org/news/2014-07-satellite-nile-region.html

 

Wildlife refuges in the Pacific Northwest and Hawaii will phase out use of pesticides

• http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_WILDLIFE_REFUGES_PESTICIDES

 

Shark sitings are boon for tourism at Cape Cod…just don’t go in the waters

• http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_SHARK_TOURISM

 

USDA Report: Innovative Solutions to Human-Wildlife Conflicts

• http://www.aphis.usda.gov/publications/wildlife_damage/2014/rpt_nwrc_accomps.pdf

 

Newest NEPA Fact Sheet

• http://www.aphis.usda.gov/publications/wildlife_damage/2014/fsc_nepa.pdf

 

Get exposed!!! Farm life is good for pregnant women and their children

• http://sciencenordic.com/farm-life-beneficial-pregnant-women

 

China shuts down food factory….so where will your Chicken McNuggets come from now?

• http://www.seeddaily.com/reports/China_shuts_meat_producer_supplying_McDonalds_KFC_999.html

 

Is the National Flood Insurance Program affordable? More floods on the way…

• http://www.spacedaily.com/reports/Is_the_US_National_Flood_Insurance_Program_Affordable_999.html

 

A guide to conserving on household water use

• http://www.technology.org/2014/07/22/researchers-provide-guide-household-water-conservation/
• List: http://www.environmentmagazine.org/Archives/Back%20Issues/2014/July-August%202014/water_full.html

 

New water balance calculations for the Dead Sea…drinking water resources will decline

• http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/07/140722111840.htm

 

Do elephants have keener sense of smell than a bloodhound?

• http://news.sciencemag.org/biology/2014/07/elephants-may-have-best-noses-earth

 

Britain may approve manipulation to include human DNA from 3 “parents”

• http://www.theguardian.com/science/2014/jul/22/mitochondrial-transfer-procedure-babies-three-dna

 

A novel approach to handling organic garbage in New York City

• http://www.nytimes.com/2014/07/20/realestate/a-mission-to-separate-organic-waste-in-new-york-city-trash.html

 

Program to explore Australia that found 700 new plant and animal species will continue

• http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2014/jul/22/bush-bliz-which-found-700-new-plant-and-animal-species-to-be-extended

 

What will the consequences be if Australia’s scheme to farm the north is pursued?

• http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn25870-australias-epic-scheme-to-farm-its-northern-wilds.html#.U86vLyLn-M8

 

USGS Fact Sheet: Salt water intrusion into Biscayne Bay Aquifer, Miami-Dade Co., FL

• http://pubs.usgs.gov/fs/2014/3050/pdf/fs2014-3050.pdf

 

GEER Report: Oso, Washington, landslide

• http://www.geerassociation.org/GEER_Post%20EQ%20Reports/Oso_WA_2014/index.html

 

Perspective: The opposing dichotomy of “political reality” and “physical reality”

• http://www.resilience.org/stories/2014-07-22/two-realities

 

Epigenetics – inheriting the environmental damage done to our ancestors (video)

• http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/can-we-inherit-the-environmental-damage-done-to-our-ancestors-video/

 

Brazil approves use of pesticide in coffee growing to combat coffee borer beetle

• http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/brazil-approves-new-pesticide-to-combat-coffee-beetle/

 

Analyzing the complicated relationships between humans and Nature

• http://www.noodls.com/view/1920AAD9E57E0CCD566241922AD960584778C4D7?1864xxx1405719896

 

New movie: “RiverBlue” addresses river pollution from dyes for blue jeans

• http://www.treehugger.com/sustainable-fashion/riverblue-documentary-wants-save-our-rivers-denim-industry.html

 

The current status of oil in the world

• http://www.resilience.org/stories/2014-07-21/peak-oil-review-july-21

 

Sioux fear for the safety of the Ogallala Aquifer if the Keystone pipeline is constructed

• http://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/we-will-fight-keystone-xl-pipeline-foes-fear-worst-water-n150041

 

Seals make the best of the installation of offshore wind farms…they feed there

• http://www.bbc.co.uk/nature/28375794

 

Unregulated, powdered pure caffeine is lethal

• https://www.yahoo.com/health/pure-caffeine-powder-what-you-need-to-know-92454856242.html

 

Keeping newly discovered Grizzly Bear feeding site secret…to allow species to recover

• http://news.yahoo.com/secret-grizzly-bear-feeding-discovered-kept-hidden-184448987.html

 

The simple act of washing hands can significantly cut hospital infection rates

• http://news.yahoo.com/clean-hands--vanderbilt-s-hand-washing-initiative-172312795.html

"We grow too soon old and too late smart." - German (?) proverb

Four IWRM Papers, 2: The Anthropocene & New Paradigms; Horizontal & Vertical; Oil & Gas; CC Adaptation

Here are four more worthwhile papers examining IWRM - Integrated Water Resources Management. They appeared in a recent special issue of the International Journal of Water Resources Development (Volume 30, Issue 3). All present somewhat unusual aspects of IWRM. 

1) A new paradigm for water? A comparative review of integrated, adaptive and ecosystem-based water management in the Anthropocene, Jess Schoeman, Catherine Allan and C. Max Finlayson, Institute for Land, Water and Society, School of Environmental Sciences, Charles Sturt University, Albury NSW, Australia

Download New_Paradigm_for_Water

Abstract

The failure of conventional approaches to achieve equitable and sustainable water management has prompted a new way of perceiving and acting with water. This is creating a ‘new water paradigm’ that emphasizes broader stakeholder involvement; integration of sectors, issues and disciplines; attention to the human dimensions of management; and wider recognition of the economic, ecological and cultural values of water. This article reviews three approaches arising within the new water paradigm: integrated water resources management; ecosystem-based approaches; and adaptive management. The article concludes that the strengths of each approach address different moral and ecological challenges. Combining these strengths, while minimizing tensions, may contribute to more effective water management in the Anthropocene. 

2) Integrated water resources management: horizontal and vertical explorations and the ‘water in all policies’ approach, Olli Varis, Konrad Enckell and Marko Keskinen, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Water & Development Research Group, Aalto University, Espoo, Finland

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Abstract

Water constitutes a sector that overlaps with many other sectors and within itself has an array of quite different interests, stakeholders with varying mind-sets and consequently notable governance challenges. Integrated water resources management (IWRM) is the recommended approach to tackle this situation. Integration – both vertical (within the sector) and horizontal (across different established sectors) – is seen as fundamental to balanced governance and policy making. IWRM has a long history, and rich experiences, both positive and negative, have been reported. This article summarizes some of this experience and concludes that both vertical and horizontal challenges are ample. To contextualize and systematize integration, a flow chart is presented for various tasks and phases of water governance, and the challenges of integration are embedded into that framework. Because water is not the only sector that overlaps with other sectors and has integration challenges, the health sector is considered to learn from its approaches. Particularly interesting is the ‘health in all policies’ approach. This is helpful in further developing IWRM, in particular with respect to horizontal integration, in which IWRM may particularly need development. 

3) Can integrated water resource management be of value to business, specifically the oil and gas sector?, Ruth Romer, IPIECA, London, UK

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Abstract

Water is an important resource for both business and society; it is a cross-cutting issue and should be managed using an integrated approach. Many businesses, such as oil and gas, have global operations in multiple geographic and climatic contexts across a range of jurisdictions. This paper explores whether the conceptual framework of integrated water resource management (IWRM) is an applicable approach for business to manage water issues. There are currently limited documented experiences of the relationship between business and IWRM. This article summarizes key findings from research that was supported by King’s College London. Findings indicate that although IWRM is a high-level, holistic approach, the principles can be of value. 

4) Evaluating IWRM implementation success: are water policies in Bangladesh enhancing adaptive capacity to climate change impacts?, Josselin J. Rouillard, School of Geosciences, University of Edinburgh, UK; David Benson, Environment and Sustainability Institute and Department of Politics, University of Exeter, UK; Animesh K. Gain, Department of Economics, Ca' Foscari University of Venice, Italy 

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Abstract

Optimizing the capacity to adapt to climate change impacts has become a critical challenge for human societies. This article therefore evaluates how integrated water resource management (IWRM) approaches help enhance adaptive capacity to climate change impacts on water resources. An evaluative framework is derived from key IWRM principles and their roles in modulating adaptive capacity. This framework is then used to evaluate IWRM implementation in Bangladesh. The analysis draws on policy documents, interviews and a survey of policy makers. Results suggest that policy principles and implementation in favour of IWRM can be a source of success but also of failure for adaptive capacity. Recommendations for amending the concept with the aim of increasing adaptive capacity are outlined. 

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