Coupling analysis of social-economic water consumption and its effects on the arid environments in Xinjiang of China based on the water and ecological footprints

In arid areas,ecological degradation aroused by over-exploitation of fresh water,expansion of artificial oasis and shrinkage of natural oasis,has drawn attention of many scholars and officials.The water and ecological footprints can be used to quantitatively evaluate the water consumption of social-economic activities and their influence on the eco-environments.In addition,increase of the water footprint indicates the expansion of artificial oasis,and the influence on the natural oasis could be reflected by the variation of the ecological footprint.This study was conducted to answer a scientific question that what is the quantitative relationship between the expansion of the artificial oasis and the degradation of the natural oasis in the arid environments of Xinjiang,China.Thus,based on the social-economic data,water consumption data and meteorological data during 2001–2015,we calculated the water and ecological footprints to express the human-related pressure exerted on the water resources and arid environments in Xinjiang(including 14 prefectures and cities),and explore the relationship between the water and ecological footprints and its mechanism by using the coupling analysis and Granger causality test.The results show that both the water and ecological footprints of Xinjiang increased significantly during 2001–2015,and the increasing rate of the ecological footprint was much faster than that of the water footprint.The coupling degree between the water and ecological footprints was relatively high at the temporal scale and varied at the spatial scale.Among the 14 prefectures and cities examined in Xinjiang,the greater social-economic development(such as in Karamay and Urumqi)was associated with the lower coupling degree between the two footprints.Increases in the water footprint will cause the ecological footprint to increase,such that a 1-unit increase in the consumption of water resources would lead to 2–3 units of ecological degradation.The quantitative relationship between the increases of the water and ecological footprints,together with the intensities of water consumption both in the natural and artificial oases of Tarim River Basin,have approved the fact that the formation and expansion of 1 unit of the artificial oasis would bring about the degradation of 2 units of the natural oasis.These conclusions not only provide a technical basis for sustainable development in Xinjiang,but also offer a theoretical guide and scientific information that could be used in similar arid areas around the world.

PELIMINARY ANALYSES FOR CROP WATER CONSUMPTION BY USING LYSIMETER

This paper deliberates on the issue of water consumption (evapotranspiration, ET) of three main crops in North China: wheat, corn and bean, which is mainly related to three factors as indicated by the definition of SPAC system. Water consumption was measured on daily and sometimes hourly basis by Lysimeter, which can be adjusted to have the same groundwater level as that in the field, thus the measurement could serve as representative of crop water consumption for adjacent area. The consumption period for three crops has been analyzed and cumulative deviation from the mean of daily evapotranspiration been used to divide the whole growing period into several parts, which are related to but different from the growing periods. The serial correlation coefficients for varied lag time have been calculated to verify that the process of daily ET is not random, and therefore the cumulative daily consumption has been simulated by polynomial method, which gives relative good results. Finally, the effort has been made to investigate the relation of crop yield and water consumption and water use efficiency based on a time series of seven years.

Effects of Tillage Practices on Water Consumption, Water Use Efficiency and Grain Yield in Wheat Field

Water shortage is a serious issue threatening the sustainable development of agriculture in the North China Plain, with the winter wheat （Triticum aestivum L.） as its largest water-consuming crop. The effects of tillage practices on the water consumption and water use efifciency （WUE） of wheat under high-yield conditions using supplemental irrigation based on testing soil moisture dynamic change were examined in this study. This experiment was conducted from 2007 to 2010, with ifve tillage practice treatments, namely, strip rotary tillage （SR）, strip rotary tillage after subsoiling （SRS）, rotary tillage （R）, rotary tillage after subsoiling （RS）, and plowing tillage （P）. The results showed that in the SRS and RS treatments the total water and soil water consumptions were 11.81, 25.18%and 12.16, 14.75%higher than those in SR and R treatments, respectively. The lowest ratio of irrigation consumption to total water consumption in the SRS treatment was 18.53 and 21.88%for the 2008-2009 and 2009-2010 growing seasons, respectively. However, the highest percentage of water consumption was found in the SRS treatment from anthesis to maturity. No signiifcant difference was found between the WUE of the lfag leaf at the later iflling stage in the SRS and RS treatments, but the lfag leaf WUE at these stages were higher than those of other treatments. The SRS and RS treatments exhibited the highest grain yield （9 573.76 and 9 507.49 kg ha-1 for 3-yr average） with no signiifcant difference between the two treatments, followed by P, R and SR treatments. But the SRS treatment had the highest WUE. Thus, the 1-yr subsoiling tillage, plus 2 yr of strip rotary planting operation may be an efifcient measure to increase wheat yield and WUE.

“Water Consumption”in the Diagenetic Stage and Its Petroleum Geological Significance

Inspired from the anomaly of low pressure in the middle and deep reservoir of the Paleogene in the Jiyang depression, this paper theoritically discusses＂waterconsumption＂of the principal mineral alteration during the diagenetic stage. The preliminary research result shows that ＂water consumption＂ of mineral alteration in the diagenetic stage can make formation water greatly decrease. Relevant formations will be in the stage of low pressure without supply of exterior liquid. Pressure differences between the relevant formations and wall rocks make hydrocarbons enter easily to form the effective reservoir.

Study on Water Consumption Coefficient of People's Living and Its Regional Disparity in the North of China

By employing the information-reshufflingmethod that integrates census data, precipitation dataand inquiry data of water consumption, this paperdiscusses 5 (water consumption coefficient of people’sliving) in allusion to different precipitation zones anddifferent periods of time. The study shows that 5-(water consumption coefficient of urban people’sliving), 5. (water consumption coefficient of ruralpeople’s living) and increase with time passing, andthe increasing extent of 5 is 1.84, 2.62, 2.84 and 2.68times respectively from the west to the east, whichresults from the total quantity of water resources andthe speed of urbanization. 5- and 5. of eachprecipitation zone increased with 5- increasing morequickly than 5., and the difference between the twoalso increased when time passed. In the past fifty years(1950-2000), the increasing extent of 5- was 1.71,2.96, 2.41 and 2.33 times respectively from the westto the east, in which 200-400mm precipitation zoneincreased more than others. Meanwhile the increasingextent of 5. is 1.55, 1.60, 1.53 and 1.64 timesrespectively from the west to the east with eachprecipitation zone increasing similarly. The change of5-is due to the speed of urbanization and the stabilityof water resources. This study provides basis forcalculating the water demand of people’s living andrevealing the impact of water demand of people’s livingon ecological drought in different zones.

Studies on Water Consumption Characteristics and Crops Rotation Effects in Plateau of Northern Hebei Province

Experiments were carried out in 1994 - 1998 to study crop rotation and its effects on crop water consumption characteristics of field with sandy chestnut soil in the Plateau of north Hebei Province. Five crops including spring wheat, oat, pea, flax and potato were examined. There was little difference in field water consumption among the crops during the growing season. WUE varied significantly in a range of 1. 347 -11.177kg · ha-1 · mm-1 among crops and 11.44% - 46.66% among previous crops. It was pointed out that the land equivalent ratio (LER) can be used as an index to evaluate the biological effects of crop rotation comprehensively. The 2-4 year crop rotation patterns with higher LER were estimated in the paper.

Water Consumption and Maize Yield for Alternative Furrow Irrigation in Western Heilongjiang Province

Aiming at less and un-uniform distribution rainfall problems, the serious draught in spring, low crop production and water efficiency in sandy soil area of Heilongjiang Province, the experiment of alternative furrow irrigation was conducted in Dumeng County in 2009. The purpose of the experiment was to find the water consumption law and its influence on maize yield. The results showed that the highest water consumption was during the heading stage and the highest daily consumption of water was during the filling stage. The stimulation effect of alternative furrow irrigation on yield was obvious in the appropriate irrigation level. The best irrigation pattern for the highest yield was as follows： the seedling stage was 325 m3. hm^-2; the jointing stage was 400 m3-hm^-2; and the filling stage was 288 m3- hm-2. The water consumption during each growing period was that the seedling was 38.85 mm; the jointing was 108.11 mm; the heading was 124.39 ram; the filling was 88.96 ram; the milk was 60.21 ram; and the harvesting was 47.89 mm.

Water Consumption Processes of Different Planting Models in Rice Production of Northeast China

Different irrigation schemes have different effects on water consumption in rice production.However,few studies have been conducted on the water consumption processes between dry direct seeding rice and transplanting rice under different irrigation schemes.Water consumption process,water use efficiency and correlation effect of water consumption on yield under different planting models in rice production were investigated in northeast China in 2018.Seven treatments were implemented:drip irrigation dry direct seeding rice(DDSR),wet irrigation dry direct seeding rice(WDSR),flooded irrigation dry direct seeding rice(FDSR),transplanting flooded rice(TFR),controlled irrigation transplanting rice(CTR),intermittent irrigation transplanting rice(ITR)and wet irrigation transplanting rice(WTR).Among them,TFR was the control.The results showed that the peaks of the water consumption amount,intensity and its modulus coefficient of the seven treatments all appeared in the middle tillering and the jointing booting stages.The total water consumption amount(ET)and average water consumption intensity of DDSR,WDSR,FDSR and WTR were lower than those of TFR,CTR and ITR.The maximum water use efficiency of yield(WUEy)occurred in DDSR with a value of 3.8 kg·m^(-3).WUEy of DDSR,WDSR and FDSR were significantly higher than those of TFR,CTR and ITR.In the middle tillering and the heading and flowering stages,the water consumption amount of each treatment had a positive effect on yield formation,and the water consumption amount in the late tillering stage had a negative effect on yield formation.The relationship between ET and yield(Y)of dry direct seeding and transplanting planting models showed a quadratic function curve.ET of transplanting planting model had a significant positive impact on Y,and ET of dry direct seeding planting model had no impact on Y.DDSR had the least total water consumption of 199.8 mm·m^(-2),the lowest water consumption intensity of 2.0 mm·d^(-1) and the greatest water use efficiency of 3.8 kg·m^(-3),which suggested that DDSR had the most significant water saving effect.The combination of dry direct seeding planting model and drip irrigation scheme would be a good option for determining a water-saving rice planting model in northeast China.

Water Consumption and Use Efficiency of Main Crops on Semi-drought Area of Western Liaoning Province

The laws of water consumption in corn,peanuts and millet on the semi-drought area of western Liaoning Province were studied through the FAO-Penman Monteith method and the water balance method.Among three corps,the amount of the day water demand,the whole growth period water demand and the soil water deficit of corn were all the largest.At the same time,its degree of agreement between the water demand and the level of precipitation was the worst,and its average in crop coefficient was larger.The amount of th...

Conversion of water consumption of a single tree and a forest stand of Populus euphratica

Our study dealt with the determination of sapwood sap flow of a single Populus euphratica tree by heat pulse technique and the calculation of water consumption of an entire forest stand, given the correlation between sap flow and sapwood area of P. euphratica. The relation between diameter at breast height （DBH） and sapwood area constitutes a powerful model; these variables are highly correlated. By means of an analysis of DBH in the sample plot, the distribution of the sapwood area of the forest land was obtained and the water consumption of this P. euphratica forest, in the lower reaches of the Heihe River, calculated as 214.9 mm by standard specific conductivity of the sample tree.

Efficiency,Equity and Effect:a case study on virtual water consumption characteristics

Scarcity of water is the key factor restricting the growth of social economy.The virtual water theory provides a new way to solve the problem of water scarcity.For this paper,we have calculated the virtual water consumption of each household,grouped by income,of Gansu province for 1992-2005.Then we advanced the indicator of virtual water with per-unit-of-consumption expenditure to analyze the efficiency of virtual water consumption.Additionally,we recurred to the diversity theory advanced by Ulanowicz,which is broadly employed by ecologists and biologists,to analyze the characteristics of virtual water consumption.As a result,the virtual water consumption of each group decreased yearly from 1992 to 2005,on the whole;decreasing proceeded slower during the period of 1992-1997 than during 1998-2005.Per-unit-consumption expenditure of virtual water for each group represents the same characteristics,on the whole,as virtual water consumption.The largest variation of this indicator exists in the group of the lowest income,which ranges from 1.58 to 0.18 m3/Yuan.yr;whereas the least exists in the highest income group,which is 0.58 to 0.07 m3/Yuan.yr.The virtual diversity indicator increased year by year,and the change of this indicator in 1992-1997 was more obvious than in 1998-2005.Finally,from this study we find that,in view of virtual water,we can save water by means of changing consumption patterns and increasing consumption diversity,but without degrading the quality of living and reducing the demands of living.When the problem of water scarcity becomes more and more serious in Gansu of China,this suggestion becomes more and more important.The consumption,the role of guiding production produce,is very important.An unsustainable consumption pattern is the main factor causing the deterioration of the world environment,especially in a developing country.The sustainable consumption is the only way to develop human beings and achieve the economical sustainable economics.

Effect of Irrigation System, Tillage System, and Seeding Rates on Wheat (<i>Triticum aestivum</i>L.) Growth, Grain Yield and Its Water Consumption and Efficiency

A field trial was conducted at a private farm in AL-Hashimiya district Babylon Governorate—the republic of Iraq during the 2016-2017 and 2017-2018 growing seasons. This study was conducted using two irrigation methods, sprinkler and surface irrigation, for each of them had three Tillage methods (zero-tillage, medium-tillage, deep-tillage) and each tillage system had four seeding rate of wheat yield (120, 180, 240, 300) kg∙ha-1. Results indicated that the consumptive water use was 557.5 and 535.9 mm for surface irrigation and 460.9 and 442.6 mm for sprinkler irrigation in the 2016-2017 and 2017-2018 growing seasons. Sprinkler irrigation significantly increased the flag leaf area with no significant effect on plant height. However, the minimum tillage and seeding rate (240 kg∙ha-1) significantly increased the plant height and flag leaf area in both growing seasons. For the grain yield, the sprinkler irrigation, minimum tillage, and seeding rate (240 kg∙ha-1) also increased the plant height and flag leaf area by 13%, 10, % 11%, 11%, 12%, and 14% in both growing seasons, respectively, through an increased number of spikes/m2, the number of grain spike-1, and 1000-grain weight in both growing seasons, respectively. Interestingly the grain yield was increased by 33% and 32% in both growing seasons under the effects of these three factors altogether, respectively. It can be concluded that these factors act synergistically, resulting in a significant improvement in the wheat grain-yield of, less consumptive water use, and high water use efficiency.

The effect of different irrigation patterns on rice yield and water consumption

The ecological and physiological water require-ment of rice and rice yield was studied underthree irrigation patterns, which were A: moistirrigation, remains 70-90% of saturated soilwater content except 3-4 cm deep water layerin tillering stage in paddy; B: flood irrigation,remains 4-5 cm deep water layer except 80%relative water content in the late tillering stage

Scenario-Based Assessment of the Water-Energy-Food Nexus in Kuwait: Insights for Effective Resource Management

The interdependency among water, food, and energy (WEF) in the GCC countries is strongly and closely interlinked, and is intensifying as demand for resources increases with population growth and changing consumption patterns, and are expected to be further compounded by the impacts of climate change. Therefore, integrated management of the three sectors is crucial to reduce trade-offs and build synergies among them. This paper presents a comprehensive framework to assess the WEF nexus in Kuwait as a representative case for the GCC countries. The framework consists of three main steps: 1) evaluating the influence of socio-economic development and climate change on water, energy, and food resources;2) generating scenario-based projections;and 3) conducting an extensive quantitative nexus analysis. The WEF interlinkages in Kuwait are modelled quantitatively using the Q-Nexus model, and current critical interdependencies are evaluated. Then, various WEF-Nexus scenarios were conducted for the year 2035 to explore the effects of management interventions in one sector on the other two sectors. The main findings are that per capita municipal water consumption is a major influencer on the WEF-nexus due to the heavy reliance on thermal desalination in municipal water supply in Kuwait, which is attributed to its energy intensity, financial cost, GHGs emissions, and environmental impacts on the marine and air environments. To reduce WEF trade-offs, mitigate risks, and build synergies among the three sectors, it is important to shift the current policy focus on supply-side management approach to the demand-side management and efficiency approaches.

A fuzzy cognitive map-based algorithm for predicting water consumption in Spanish healthcare centres

The management of water consumption in healthcare centres can have positive impacts on both the environmental performance and profitability of health systems.Computational tools assist in the decision-making process of managing the operation and maintenance of healthcare centres.This research aimed to integrate the empirical knowledge of experts in Healthcare Engineering and the historical data from 66 healthcare centres in a Fuzzy Cognitive Map.The outputs of the predictive model included water consumption,water cost,and CO_(2) emissions in healthcare facilities,along with eleven variables to discover the causes and consequences of water consumption in healthcare centres.A healthcare centre with about 12350 users,located in a city that experiences an average of 1100 heating degree days,whose facilities be moderately energy-efficient contributing over 50%with renewable energies is expected to consume 8.4 dam^(3) of water with 32.1 k€of cost,and contribute realising 30.8 ton CO_(2)eq emissions.The use of Fuzzy Cognitive Maps for prediction can provide a high level of effectiveness in identifying the factors that contribute to water consumption and in designing key performance indicators to manage the environmental performance of healthcare buildings.This tool is extremely effective in enhancing the performance of the management division of health systems.

Impact of the shrinking winter wheat sown area on agricultural water consumption in the Hebei Plain

This study firstly analyzed the shrinkage of winter wheat and the changes of crop- ping systems in the Hebei Plain from 1998 to 2010 based on the agricultural statistic data of 11 cities and meteorological data, including daily temperature, precipitation, water vapor, wind speed and minimum relative humidity data from 22 meteorological stations, and then calcu- lated the water deficit and irrigation water resources required by different cropping systems, as well as the irrigation water resources conserved as a result of cropping system changes, using crop coefficient method and every ten-day effective precipitation estimation method. The results are as follows. 1） The sown areas of winter wheat in the 11 cities in the Hebei Plain all shrunk during the study period. The shrinkage rate was 16.07% and the total shrinkage area amounted to 49.62×10^4 ha. The shrinkage was most serious in the Bei- jing-Tianjin-Tangshan metropolitan agglomerate, with a shrinkage rate of 47.23%. 2） The precipitation fill rate of winter wheat was only 20%-30%, while those of spring maize and summer maize both exceeded 50%. The irrigation water resources demanded by the winter wheat-summer maize double cropping system ranged from 400 mm to 530 mm, while those demanded by the spring maize single cropping system ranged only from 160 mm to 210 ram. 3） The water resources conserved as a result of the winter wheat sown area shrinkage during the study period were about 15.96×10^8 m^3/a, accounting for 27.85% of those provided for Beijing, Tianjin and Hebei by the first phase of the Mid-Route of the South-to-North Water Diversion Project.

Spatial econometric analysis on influencing factors of water consumption efficiency in urbanizing China

Due to the limitation of total amount of water resources, it is necessary to enhance water consumption efficiency to meet the increasing water demand of urbanizing China. Based on the panel data of 31 provinces in China in 1997-2013, we analyze the influencing factors of water consumption efficiency by spatial econometric models. Results show that, 1） Due to the notable spatial autocorrelation characteristics of water consumption efficiency among different provinces in China, general panel data regression model which previous studies often used may be improper to reveal its influencing factors. However, spatial Durbin model may best estimate their relationship. 2） Water consumption efficiency of a certain province may be influenced not only by its socio-economic and eco-environmental indicators, but also by water consumption efficiency in its neighboring provinces. Moreover, it may be influenced by the neighboring provinces＇ socio-economic and eco-environmental indicators. 3） For the macro average case of the 31 provinces in China, if water consumption efficiency in neighboring provinces increased 1%, water consumption efficiency of the local province would increase 0.34%. 4） Among the ten specific indicators we selected, per capita GDP and urbanization level of itself and its neighboring provinces have the most prominent positive effects on water consumption efficiency, and the indirect effects of neighboring provinces are much larger. Therefore, the spatial spillover effects of the economic development level and urbanization level are the primary influencing factors for improving China＇s water consump- tion efficiency. 5） Policy implications indicate that, to improve water consumption efficiency, each province should properly consider potential influences caused by its neighboring prov- inces, especially needs to enhance the economic cooperation and urbanization interaction with neighboring provinces.

Impacts of Recent Climate Change on Dry-Land Crop Water Consumption in the Northern Agro-Pastoral Transitional Zone of China

Climate change has substantially impacted crop growth and development in the northern agro-pastoral transitional zone. Examination of the response of crop water consumption to climate change may provide a guide for adapting local agricultural production and ecological construction to new realities. The water consumption of three local crops （wheat, naked oats, and potatoes） is examined for Wuchuan County in the northern agro-pastoral transitional zone of China using meteorological data from 1960 to 2007 and soil moisture data from 1983 to 2007. The relationships between climate change and the crop water consumption are discussed. The results show that Wuchuan experienced both a warming trend and a reduction of precipitation between 1960 and 2007. The annual mean surface air temperature increased at a rate of 0.04℃ yr-1 and the annual precipitation decreased at a rate of 0.7 mm yr-1 . Both trends are particularly pronounced between 1983 and 2007, with an increase in annual mean temperature of 0.09℃ yr-1 and a decrease in annual mean precipitation of 2.1 mm yr-1 . Crop water consumption decreased between 1983 and 2007 for wheat （1.65 mm yr-1 ）, naked oats （2.04 mm yr-1 ）, and potatoes （3.85 mm yr-1 ）. Potatoes and naked oats consume more water than wheat. Climate change has significantly impacted crop water consumption. Water consumption and rainfall during the growing season are positively correlated, while water consumption and active accumulated temperature are negatively correlated. Compared to precipitation, accumulated temperature has little impact on crop water consumption. Recent climate change has been detrimental for crop production in Wuchuan County. Adaptation to climate change should include efforts to breed drought-resistant crops and to develop drought-resistant cultivation techniques.

Optimization of water use structure and plantation benefit of unit water consumption using fractional programming and conditional value-at-risk model

For optimizing the water-use structure and increasing plantation benefit of unit water consumption,a multi-objective model for water resources utilization was established based on fractional programming(FP).Meanwhile,considering the stochasticity of water availability in the study area,the impact of the risk factor(λ)from a quantitative and qualitative perspective was analyzed.The chance-constrained programming(CCP)and conditional value-at-risk(CVaR)models were introduced into five important major grain production areas in Sanjiang Plain,and the crop planting structure under this condition was optimized.The results showed that,after optimization,overall benefit of cultivation increased from 42.07 billion Yuan to 42.47 billion Yuan,water consumption decreased from 15.90 billion m3 to 11.95 billion m3,the plantation benefit of unit water consumption increased from 2.65 Yuan/m3 to 3.55 Yuan/m3.Furthermore,the index of water consumption,benefit of cultivation and plantation benefit of unit water consumption showed an increasing trend with the increase of violation likelihood.However,through the quantification ofλfrom an economic perspective,the increasing ofλcould not enhance plantation benefit of unit water consumption significantly.

Effects of water and salt coordinated regulation at the different growth stages on water consumption and yield of tomato

The objective of this study was to explore the effects of different degrees of water and salt stress on the actual water consumption and soil salt accumulation of tomatoes and the salt tolerance characteristics of tomatoes under brackish water combined with regulated deficit irrigation mode.The greenhouse pot experiment was used to set three influencing factors,the irrigation water salinity S1 was 1.1 g/L(local shallow groundwater),S2 was 2.0 g/L,and S3 was 4.0 g/L,respectively,and different degrees of water deficit(W1 ranged from 65%-75%Field Capacity(FC),W2 ranged from 55%-65%FC,W3 ranged from 45%-55%FC)and seedling stage(T1),blossoming and bearing fruits stage(T2)and mature picking stage(T3).The response of fresh fruit weight,stems and leaves weight,yield and water use efficiency of tomato under water and salt stress were monitored and analyzed.The results showed the coordinated regulation of water and salt can significantly reduce the electrical conductivity of the 0-30 cm soil of the tomato root system.The higher the salinity of irrigation water,the better the salt control effects of the coordinated regulation of water and salt;the coordinated regulation of water and salt at different growth stages had significant effects on the weight of fresh tomato fruits,the weight of stems and leaves and the yield.The salinity of irrigation water was in inverse proportion to the yield of tomatoes;In S1 treatment irrigation(irrigation water salinity was 1.1 g/L)under the mildly regulated deficit in the seedling stage(irrigation water was 55%-65%of the field water capacity)can effectively reduce the irrigation water volume during the whole growth stage while ensuring that there was no significant reduction in yield.The research results provided a scientific and reliable theoretical basis for the increase of local tomato production,the improvement of water use efficiency and the formulation of suitable irrigation patterns.