The most comprehensive map of the world's rivers has been constructed by a group of academics at the University of Oxford. This map represents a significant step forward in terms of flood forecasting, climate risk planning, and water resource management in a world that is warming.  The new research, which was published in the journal Water Resources Research, features the introduction of GRIT, a mapping method that ultimately demonstrates how rivers actually flow, branch, and connect landscapes.  Rivers are essential to existence, but they also present an increasing menace.  It is anticipated that floods would become more frequent and severe in many regions of the world as a result of the increasing irregular nature of rainfall and the rising levels of the ocean.  According to the assumption that rivers flow in a single direction and never split, the global river maps that are now in existence are both out of date and unnecessarily simplistic.  They frequently fail to take into account intricate details, such as the scenario in which a single river channel divides into many channels.  These branching river systems are significant due to the fact that they are frequently located in locations that are prone to flooding and have a high population density. Furthermore, they are essential for comprehending the movement of water across the surface of the Earth.  A new worldwide river network known as worldwide River Topology (GRIT) has been developed by the team in order to solve this restriction of existing river maps that are used for water management and flood prediction. This network incorporates these branching rivers and massive canals, which captures the complexity of the situation.  By merging high-resolution satellite imagery of rivers with enhanced elevation data of the Earth's surface, the Global River Information System (GRIT) was developed.  Along with the main river courses, the GRIT also gives information on the sizes of rivers, the directions in which rivers flow, and the sites where rivers break.  The overall length of the GRIT river network is 19.6 million kilometers, and it contains 67 thousand streams that split off from one another.  In the fields of hydrology, ecology, geomorphology, and flood control, GRIT has the potential to greatly improve application capabilities.  "We needed a global map that reflects the way rivers 'actually' behave," said Dr. Michel Wortmann, who developed GRIT at Oxford as a Research Associate on the EvoFLOOD project. "We needed a map that reflects the way all rivers behave."  The assumption that rivers just flow in a downward direction in a straight line is not sufficient, particularly when we are attempting to forecast floods, comprehend ecosystems, or make preparations for the effects of climate change.  This map depicts the entirety of the complexity that exists among the world's rivers.  A significant advance in the forecast of floods and the protection against climate change  Despite the fact that rivers are essential to ecosystems and human existence, they are becoming increasingly hazardous as a result of climate change, particularly when it comes to flooding.  In order to get ready, it is necessary for governments and scientists to have an understanding of where water is likely to move on a big scale.  Through the use of GRIT, a significantly more comprehensive perspective of water movement may be obtained, which contributes to the enhancement of flood models, water management systems, and disaster preparation.  Additionally, the new river network provides assistance for the creation of artificial intelligence (AI) models that are global in scope and may be used to predict flooding, drought, water quality, habitat conservation, and natural hazards.  Despite the fact that GRIT already represents a significant step forward, the Oxford team emphasizes that this is only the beginning.  "GRIT has been built to evolve," professor of hydroclimatology at the University of Oxford Louise Slater said. "GRIT has been built to evolve."  "Because it's fully automated, in contrast with previous global networks, we can keep updating it with the latest satellite images and topographic data, to understand shifts in the rivers and landscape." link: https://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1029/2024WR038308   data: https://zenodo.org/records/7629908  

The issue with handling file addresses has been fixed. 😑

There are many different frequencies of light that reach Earth, some of which are visible to us and others of which are not. Because of its special characteristics, shortwave infrared (SWIR) stands out among these frequencies and is very helpful for Light Detection and Ranging (LIDAR) systems. Like SONAR, which utilizes sound waves to determine distances, LIDAR employs laser pulses. The danger of SWIR waves is that they do not reach the retina through the cornea and lens of the human eye. SWIR is therefore eye-safe and perfect for real-world uses like LIDAR systems. A novel technique for creating silver telluride (Ag₂Te) colloidal quantum dots has been demonstrated by researchers at the Institute of Photonic Sciences (ICFO). In LIDAR systems, quantum dots are employed as light detectors, also known as photodetectors. The new technique overcomes the drawbacks of conventional SWIR photodetectors, which employ hazardous heavy metals like lead or mercury in their quantum dot constituents. A more eco-friendly substitute, silver telluride colloids, has already been studied for application in quantum dots. Despite their potential, a number of barriers prevent them from being widely used. By refining the surface engineering of silver telluride colloidal quantum dots to extract maximum efficiency while being environmentally benign, the current work tackles these issues. Quantum dots and their toxicity The diameters of quantum dots, which are tiny semiconductor particles, range from 2 to 10 nanometers. A human hair's breadth might accommodate about 15,000 quantum dots placed side by side for comparison. A quantum dot contains trapped electrons. The distinctive electrical and optical characteristics observed are caused by these quantum confinement effects. Because of their inherent stability and optoelectronic (light and electrical) qualities, hazardous metals are a desirable choice for their components. Even though there are safer substitutes, such as silver telluride colloids, their efficacy in detecting both strong and dim light is hindered by noise, long reaction times, and a narrow light detection range. Engineering the surface The researchers used two approaches to these problems. They began by refining the synthesis of colloidal quantum dots made of silver telluride. They were able to eliminate surface imperfections on semiconductor particles, which are known to reduce efficiency, by refining the procedure. The invention occurs in the second step, which takes place after synthesis. Following the synthesis, scientists treated the quantum dot's thin layer with silver nitrate. By introducing contaminants into the quantum dots through the application of silver nitrate, the doping procedure modifies the electrical characteristics of the dots. The silver nitrate in this instance transformed the quantum dots from p-type semiconductors to n-type semiconductors. The p and n show whether the current flowing through the material is caused by positive or negative charges. The n-type quantum dots do not have the problem of high dark current and poor performance as the p-type does. Applications of LIDAR that are eye-safe The SWIR photodetector composed of colloidal quantum dots of silver telluride was tested by the researchers. By drastically lowering the dark current, the photodetector improved accuracy and decreased noise. The gadget demonstrated improved light detection efficiency, collecting light of a certain wavelength with a 30% efficiency rate. Additionally, the detector can measure distances precisely because of its fast response time of only 25 nanoseconds. Lastly, a far greater range of light intensities may be handled by the detector. source: interestingengineering

Vacant lots, though overlooked or seen as eyesores by many, represent opportunities. UConn College of Agriculture, Health and Natural Resources doctoral researcher Pan Zhang and Assistant Professor Sohyun Park, both in the Department of Plant Science and Landscape Architecture, have created a framework to help cities and community members assess and prioritize which lots will have the biggest impact—for everyone—if they are repurposed. Their research is published in the journal Sustainability. Due to rapid deindustrialization and white flight, Hartford is home to some of the poorest neighborhoods in the country, and areas of North Hartford were designed as an urban renewal Promise Zone in 2008. Zhang explains the project started in 2018 as part of a class project with retired Associate Professor Kristin Schwab. The class she was taking was tasked by the planners from the City of Hartford blight remediation team along with community stakeholders to evaluate and assess city-owned vacant lots. The city wanted to have a framework to systematically manage the lots and potentially pick sites that were expected to be most suitable, and successful, for regeneration and placemaking purposes. Zhang partnered with Park to continue developing the framework after the semester. Urban greening efforts are underway in other post-industrial cities, like Detroit and Cleveland, but Park says these efforts tend to be driven by single goals, either economic or environmental. The researchers wanted to create a comprehensive framework that could accomplish many goals, and that is how they created the Vacant Land Assessment System (VLAS). These kinds of projects face several challenges, such as zoning restrictions, potential remediation of brownfield sites, ensuring the projects address community needs and avoid gentrification, as well as how to reach consensus on the reuse programs if lands were privately owned. "First, the city gave us a spreadsheet with all the street addresses of their properties and when we started to geocode the inventory, we realized there were spatial patterns that were categorizable," says Zhang. Using publicly available information and geographic information systems (ArcGIS) tools they analyzed features of the properties, geographical distribution, and potential strategies for reclaiming the vacant lots. The researchers analyzed the characteristics of the lots based on their proximity to different facilities, infrastructure, schools, and parks, for example, to assess future reuse opportunities. They organized the properties into four types, or typologies, and categorized them as Row House, Street Corner, Commercial/Industrial, and Main Street. Then reuse programs were designed for each category to create some generalized strategies. "After that, we consulted with the city about which sites to work on in North Hartford. Then we worked with the planners, neighborhood NGOs, and stakeholders to try to apply those sustainable placemaking strategies. We got good feedback and reactions from the public when we presented the final design outcomes," says Zhang. Zhang says the VLAS framework leverages existing spatial data and resources so the tools can be easily used by other planners in any municipality and can help with planning and managing spaces from site to neighborhood to city scales and can also serve as an assessment tool. Another essential quality of the framework is that it links scientific expertise with policymakers and community stakeholders to create a collaborative working environment. Though the project implementing the VLAS framework has not gone forward yet, Zhang hopes that it will one day, "I continued to work in that neighborhood the summer after that project and residents still remember me and that project. It is something the residents were looking forward to." Zhang feels the approach could have lasting ecological impacts as more greening lots could not only increase access to green spaces but also increase connectivity with forests in and around cities. "We want to greenify those lands that have been disregarded and underestimated in the city setting. The existing native trees in those vacant lots might have more potential than people think," says Park. "They might be good for local ecosystems, even though that's not an intact ecosystem, but rather what's called a novel ecosystem where urban wildlife can thrive. Also, actively greenifying those lands helps the community's health and well-being in the long term and may be able to help break the cycle of poverty, and violence that is prevalent in those areas. "Even though this is a small case study, when we can scale up these practices to a broader level, we might be touching upon some societal problems that we have. There might be some implications that we can draw from this research." By using the holistic approach and multi-scale thinking of VLSA, greening vacant lots could be for the common benefit of all. Park stresses that community engagement is key. "Even though this is a research-based, data-driven study, all things that could happen should be involved with members who live in that neighborhood. I think connections from the research to community engagement and participation should be key to making things happen." source: VLAS: Vacant Land Assessment System for Urban Renewal and Greenspace Planning in Legacy Cities