The paper focuses on the generation of floods as a principal soil threat and on soil erosion as an additional soil threat on arable lands of hillslope areas. As the most important component of floods causing the degradation of soils on arable lands, surface runoff is analysed in this study. The protective effect of crop management on the generation of surface runoff and sediment transport on arable lands is estimated on a plot and slope scale. The site of the case study, which is located in the Myjava river basin in western Slovakia, is a hilly agricultural field with an area of 29 ha; it is characterised by arable soil, extreme erosion processes, and muddy floods. Field rainfall simulation experiments were combined with physically-based modelling for studying the formation of surface runoff under various soil covers. The field experiments consisted of simulating runoff generation from artificial rainfalls using the Eijkelkamp rainfall simulator on experimental plots with a focus on estimating the volume of surface runoff, the mass of sediments transported by the surface runoff, and the time to runoff. The volumes of the surface runoff and the values of the time to runoff have been applied in the parameterisation of the SMODERP physically-based hydrological model. The hydrological modelling of the surface runoff on the selected slope profile quantified the protective effect of various soil covers on reducing surface runoff. The outcome of the modelling was the maximum allowed lengths of the slope that represent the crucial values for flood and erosion control. When exceeding these critical values, protective measures, e.g., vegetation strips, should be proposed.

Estimating the effectiveness of crop management on reducing flood risk and sediment transport on hilly agricultural land – A Myjava case study, Slovakia

This paper proposes a UAV-based PM2.5 air quality and temperature-humidity monitoring system. The system includes an air quality detector comprising four Arduino sensor modules. Specifically, it includes a dust (DSM501A) sensor and a temperature and humidity (DHT11) sensor. The NEO-6M GPS module and DS3231 real-time module are also included for input visualization. A DIY SD card logging shield and memory module is also available for data recording purposes. The Arduino-based board houses multiple sensors and all are programmable using the Arduino integrated development environment (IDE) coding tool. Measurements conducted in a vertical flight path show promise where comparisons with ground truth references data showed good similarity. Overall, the results point to the idea that a light-weight and portable system can be used for accurate and reliable remote sensing data collection (in this case, PM2.5 concentration data and environmental data).

Development of UAV-Based PM2.5 Monitoring System

Fighting Earth’s degradation and safeguarding the environment are subjects of topical interest and sources of hot debate in today’s society. According to the United Nations, there is a compelling need to take immediate actions worldwide and to implement large-scale monitoring policies aimed at counteracting the unprecedented levels of air, land, and water pollution. This requires going beyond the legacy technologies currently employed by government authorities and adopting more advanced systems that guarantee a continuous and pervasive monitoring of the environment in all its different aspects. In this paper, we take the research on integrated and large-scale environmental monitoring a step further by providing a comprehensive review that covers transversally all the main applications of wireless sensor networks (WSNs), unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), and crowdsensing monitoring technologies. By outlining the available solutions and current limitations, we identify in the cooperation among terrestrial (WSN/crowdsensing) and aerial (UAVs) sensing, coupled with the adoption of advanced signal processing techniques, the major pillars at the basis of future integrated (air, land, and water) and large-scale environmental monitoring systems. This review not only consolidates the progresses achieved in the field of environmental monitoring, but also sheds new lights on potential future research directions and synergies among different research areas.

https://www.mdpi.com/1424-8220/22/5/1824/pdf?version=1646041947

Toward Integrated Large-Scale Environmental Monitoring Using WSN/UAV/Crowdsensing: A Review of Applications, Signal Processing, and Future Perspectives

https://link-springer-com-443.webvpn.jmu.edu.cn/content/pdf/10.1007%2F978-3-030-11155-7_66-1.pdf

Water Treatment and Desalination Using the Eco-materials n-Fe 0 (ZVI), n-Fe 3 O 4 , n-Fe x O y H z [mH 2 O], and n-Fe x [Cation] n O y H z [Anion] m [rH 2 O]

The drastic growth of population in highly industrialized urban areas, as well as fossil fuel use, is increasing levels of airborne pollutants and enhancing acid rain. In rapidly developing countries such as Iran, the occurrence of acid rain has also increased. Acid rain is a driving factor of erosion due to the destructive effects on biota and aggregate stability; however, little is known about its impact on specific rates of erosion at the pedon scale. Thus, the present study aimed to investigate the effect of acid rain at pH levels of 5.25, 4.25, and 3.75 for rainfall intensities of 40, 60, and 80 mm h⁻¹ on initial soil erosion processes under dry and saturated soil conditions using rainfall simulations. The results were compared using a two‐way ANOVA and Duncan tests and showed that initial soil erosion rates with acidic rain and non‐acidic rain under dry soil conditions were significantly different. The highest levels of soil particle loss due to splash effects in all rainfall intensities were observed with the most acidic rain (pH = 3.75), reaching maximum values of 16 g m⁻² min⁻¹. The lowest levels of particle losses were observed in the control plot where non‐acidic rain was used, with values ranging from 3.8 to 8.1 g m⁻² min⁻¹. Similarly, under saturated soil conditions, the lowest level of soil particle loss was observed in the control plot, and the highest peaks of soil loss were observed for the most acidic rains (pH = 3.75 and pH = 4.25), reaching maximum average values of 40 g m⁻² min⁻¹. However, for saturated soils with acidic water but with non‐acidic rain, the highest soil particle loss was observed for the control plot for all the rainfall intensities. In conclusion, acidic rain has a negative impact on soils, which can be more intense with a concomitant increase in rainfall intensity. Rapid solutions, therefore, need to be found to reduce the emission of pollutants into the air, otherwise, rainfall erosivity may drastically increase.

/pdf/the-increase-of-rainfall-erosivity-and-initial-soil-erosion-1kkd5lo1xt.pdf

The increase of rainfall erosivity and initial soil erosion processes due to rainfall acidification

In major cities, air quality is of significant concern because of its negative effect on the health of the region’s living conditions, climate, and economy. Recent studies show the significance of the data on microlevel pollution which includes severe air pollutants and their impacts on human. Conventional methods of measuring air quality need skilled personnel for accurate data measurement that are based on stationary and limited measuring station networks. However, it is costly to seize the spatio-temporal variability and to recognize pollution hotspots that are necessary to develop real-time exposure control strategies. Due to the restricted accessibility of information and the non-scalability of standard techniques for air pollution monitoring, a real-time system with both higher spatial and temporal resolution is crucial. In recent times, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) mounted with various sensors have been implemented for on-site air quality surveillance as they can offer new methods and research possibilities in air pollution and emission tracking, as well as in the study of environmental developments. An extensive literature review has been conducted, and it was observed that there are types of UAVs and types of sensors that are used for air quality monitoring for the parameters like CO, SO2, NO2, O3, PM2.5, PM1.0, and black carbon. Low-cost wireless sensors have been using for monitoring purpose in the past studies, and when results obtained are validated with the stationary monitoring instruments, the coefficient of correlation (R2) is found to be varied from 0.3 to 0.9. The difficulties, however, are not just technical, but at present time, policies and laws, which vary from country to country, symbolize the major challenge to the extensive use of UAVs in air quality/monitoring studies.

A Review on Air Quality Measurement Using an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle

Hydrological processes are complex to compute in hilly areas when compared to plain areas. The governing processes behind runoff generation on hillslopes are subsurface storm flow, saturation excess flow, overland flow, return flow and pipe storage. The simulations of the above processes in the soil matrix require detailed hillslope hydrological modelling. In the present study, a hillslope experimental plot has been designed to study the runoff generation processes on the plot scale. The setup is designed keeping in view the natural hillslope conditions prevailing in the Northwestern Himalayas, India where high intensity rainfall events occur frequently. A rainfall simulator was installed over the experimental hillslope plot to generate rainfall with an intensity of 100 mm/h, which represents the dominating rainfall intensity range in the region. Soil moisture sensors were also installed at variable depths from 100 to 1000 mm at different locations of the plot to observe the soil moisture regime. From the experimental observations it was found that once the soil is saturated, it remains at field capacity for the next 24–36 h. Such antecedent moisture conditions are most favorable for the generation of rapid stormflow from hillslopes. A dye infiltration test was performed on the undisturbed soil column to observe the macropore fraction variability over the vegetated hillslopes. The estimated macropore fractions are used as essential input for the hillslope hydrological model. The main objective of the present study was to develop and test a method for estimating runoff responses from natural rainfall over hillslopes of the Northwestern Himalayas using a portable rainfall simulator. Using the experimental data and the developed conceptual model, the overland flow and the subsurface flow through a macropore-dominated area have been estimated/analyzed. The surface and subsurface runoff estimated using the developed hillslope hydrological model compared well with the observed surface runoff for a rainfall intensity of 100 mm/h. The surface runoff hydrograph was very well predicted by the model, with correlation coefficient (R2) and Nash–Sutcliffe efficiency coefficient (E) as 0.95 and 0.91, respectively. The observed soil/macropore storage component was estimated with the help of water balance equation and compared with the model predicted macropore storage. The error in computing the soil/macropore storage was estimated as 0.38 mm i.e., 13%.

https://www.mdpi.com/2306-5338/4/1/17/pdf

Hydrological Modelling Using a Rainfall Simulator over an Experimental Hillslope Plot

A watershed is an area of land from which all rain water drains to a common location. In their natural state, streams and their associated floodplains provide a variety of important functions including the movement of water and sediment, storage of flood waters, recharge of groundwater, treatment of pollutants, dynamic stability, and habitat diversity. Disturbances to this system, either natural or human-induced, places stress on the system and has the potential to alter structure and/or impair the ability of the stream to perform ecological functions. Water conservation structures are helpful in maintaining the desired flow requirement and sediment yield within the watershed area. In this study, Jonk River, a tributary of Mahanadi basin has been selected to assess the impact of conservation structures for disaster risk reduction, sustainable agriculture and rural development. The outlet of Jonk River is located near Rampur in Chhattisgarh. Total area of the watershed is computed as 3424 km2. Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) has been used to calculate the discharge and sediment flow on daily and monthly basis for the year of 2001 considering two case scenarios i.e. with and without ponds as conservation structure (20 ponds in the villages are considered along the buffer area of the centreline of jonk river). The simulated discharge and sediment flow data has been compared with the observed data and the correlation coefficient is found to be 0.84 & 0.77 respectively. The annual discharge and sediment flow value in “with pond scenario” has been detected to be reduced by 69.27 and 64.10% respectively. The results observed in the present work can be used for site suitability analysis of soil and water conservation structures in the areas those are prone to soil erosion and floods. The study also reveals that the applications of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and Geospatial Data Management can be used efficiently for watershed management and rural development.

Impact of Water Conservation Structures on Hydrology of a Watershed for Rural Development

. Photogrammetric surveying with the use of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV) have gained vast popularity in short span. UAV have the potential to provide imagery at an extraordinary spatial and temporal resolution when coupled with remote sensing. Currently, UAV platforms are fastest and easiest source of data for mapping and 3D modelling. It is to be considered as a low-cost substitute to the traditional airborne photogrammetry. In the present study, UAV applications are explored in terms of 3D modelling, visualization and parameter calculations. National Institute of Technology Raipur, Raipur is chosen as study area and high resolution images are acquired from the UAV with 85% overlap. 3D model is processed through the point cloud generated for the UAV images. The results are compared with traditional methods for validation. The average accuracy obtained for elevation points and area is 97.99% and 97.75%. The study proves that UAV based surveying is an economical alternative in terms of money, time and resources, when compared to the classical aerial photogrammetry methods.

https://www.int-arch-photogramm-remote-sens-spatial-inf-sci.net/XLII-5/649/2018/isprs-archives-XLII-5-649-2018.pdf

Unmanned aerial vehicle applications of 3d modelling, visualization and parameter calculations


 
 
 
Introduction: Particulate matter pollutants and gaseous pollutants are some of the most hazardous pollutants released into the atmosphere. In order to determine how these pollutants impact the living being at breathing height, the current study measures these pollutants using wireless sensors at a height of 1 m above the ground. 
Materials and methods: In this study, horizontal monitoring of the air pollutants using wireless sensors at twenty-four locations covering four zones including industrial, residential, public-place and transportation of the Raipur city has been evaluated. Spatial variation has been obtained using Inverse Distance Weighting (IDW) method in Geographic Information System (GIS). 
Results: The obtained results indicate that as compared to the monsoon and post-monsoon seasons, the concentrations of air pollutants are highest in the winter. It was observed that Particulate Matters (PM2.5 and PM10) are the main causes of declining air quality, but Nitrogen dioxide (NO2) and Sulfur dioxide (SO2) concentrations were below Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) guidelines except for NO2 in winter. The Carbon monoxide (CO) concentration has been above the standard limit in all three seasons. The main finding of this study is to evaluate how air contaminants vary in space and time near the ground surface which is not possible through the static monitoring instruments in the study area. 
Conclusion: The primary benefit of the obtained results is their great resolution in a compact area, effectively addressing the air quality issue. The findings suggest that seasonality has a substantial impact on the amount of pollutants in the city. According to the temporal distributions of the air pollutants, monsoon had the best air quality, followed by post-monsoon while the winter season has the highest concentration of pollution. 
 
 
 


Vinit Lambey

Papers

A Review on Air Quality Measurement Using an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle

Hydrological Modelling Using a Rainfall Simulator over an Experimental Hillslope Plot

Impact of Water Conservation Structures on Hydrology of a Watershed for Rural Development

Unmanned aerial vehicle applications of 3d modelling, visualization and parameter calculations

Spatio-Temporal analysis of sensor based air pollutants in Raipur city, India