Journal articles on the topic 'African Continent for fresh water collection'

Species of the genus Ceratophallus are known only from some islands in the western Indian Ocean and Africa, where they occur in Eritrea and the area extending southwards and westwards into the Western Cape of South Africa. The most recent classification recognises nine species of this genus of which only two, namely Ceratophallus natalensis (Krauss) and Ceratophallus gibbonsi (Nelson) occur in South Africa. Although partially sympatric, C. gibbonsi is largely associated with a tropical climate and perennial water-bodies while C. natalensis is fairly common in cooler areas and are often found in ephemeral rain pools. This article focuses on the geographical distribution and habitats of C. natalensis, the most widespread species of the genus, as reflected by the data on record in the National Freshwater Snail Collection (NFSC). Details pertaining to the habitats of 1 797 samples of C. natalensis as recorded at the time of collection were extracted from the database of the NFSC. In view of the finding of Brown1 that C. natalensis and C. gibbonsi are partly sympatric, but that the latter is associated with fully tropical climatic areas, samples of Ceratophallus collected in loci ( 1 / 16 th square degrees) that fall within the altitude interval ranging from 0-500 m, were selected for closer investigation. A number of 153 samples from 64 loci falling within this altitude interval was subsequently identified as C. natalensis. The number of loci in which the 1 797 collection sites were located, was distributed in intervals of mean annual air temperature and rainfall, as well as intervals of mean altitude, to illustrate the frequency of occurrence within specific intervals. A temperature index was calculated for all mollusc species in the database from their frequencies of occurrence within selected temperature intervals and the results were used to rank them in order of their association with low to high climatic temperatures. Chi-square values were calculated to evaluate the significance of the difference between the frequency of occurrence in, on, or at the different options for each variable. Additionally, an effect size value was calculated to determine the significance of the effect of all the different variables discussed in this paper on the geographical distribution of C. natalensis in South Africa. A multivariate analysis in the form of a decision tree was also constructed. This is a statistical model that enables the selection and ranking of those variables that can maximally discriminate between the frequency of occurrence of a given species under specific conditions as compared to all other mollusc species in the database.The 1 797 samples of C. natalensis of which the collection sites could be located on a 1:250 000 topo-cadastral map series of South Africa were spread over 334 loci. This species was recovered from all types of water-bodies represented in the database but the largest percentage was reported from dams (31.2%), streams (22.2%) and rivers (15.7%). The majority of samples came from habitats with perennial (60.0%), standing (62.9%), clear (63.8%) and fresh (76.7%) water, while 42.1% of the samples were recovered from habitats with a muddy substratum. More than 95% of the samples were reported from sites that fell within the temperature interval ranging from 16-20°C and the majority of samples (64.8%) came from sites falling within the rainfall interval ranging from 601–900 mm. More than 50% of the samples came from sites falling within the altitude interval ranging from 1 001–1 500 m and this differed significantly from the frequency of occurrence within all the alternative altitude intervals. The temperature index calculated for C. natalensis ranked it in the eighth position for all species in the database due to its association with low climatological temperatures. However, the effect size values calculated for this index for 18 of the other 53 species in the database did not differ significantly from the value calculated for C. natalensis. A moderate to large effect size value was calculated for temperature and altitude suggesting that these two variables played an important role in the geographical distribution of C. natalensis, a finding also substantiated by the results of the decision tree analysis. Harrison8 divided the riverine and stream invertebrates of southern Africa into two main groups – a so-called old element with Gondwanaland affinities with relatives in other southern continents and a Pan-Ethiopian (Sub-Saharan) element. Also included in this last element are some species associated with temperate climate and sometimes with mountains, that obviously related to the African fauna. According to this author this group includes the following four sub- groups: (1) widespread species found in tropical and temperate climates, (2) warm stenothermal, tropical species, (3) Highveld-temperate climate species, (4) montane, cold stenothermal species and (5) temporary mountain stream species. According to Brown9 C. natalensis could be placed in the more or less eurythermal sub-group (1). This is supported by the geographical distribution of the collection sites of the samples of C. natalensis depicted in figure 1. Presently this species is the only member of the subfamily Planorbinae reported from Lesotho and it is currently on record from nine loci in that country in our database. It is therefore not surprising that the temperature index calculated for this species ranked it under the eight species in the database most closely associated with cooler climatic conditions. It is reported in literature that this species can utilise a wide variety of habitats including ephemeral water-bodies like marshes, slow-flowing streams, natural depressions and ditches only briefly filled with water. This is supported by the results of the present investigation which indicated the presence of this species in all types of water-body on record in the database and that 26% of the samples came from temporary habitats. It is not known whether C. natalensis can serve as intermediate host for any human helminth parasite. However, Loker et al. 12 reported the shedding of 11 different trematode cercariae from naturally infected snails in Tanzania and Frandsen and Christensen13 mention at least 10 different cercariae which could be shed from species of Ceratophallus under natural conditions. To our knowledge no efforts have been made to establish the possible role of C. natalensis as intermediate host of economically important helminth parasites in South Africa. In view of its relatively wide distribution in this country and the reports that it can act as intermediate host of a variety of helminth parasites elsewhere in Africa, it is recommended that its role as potential intermediate host in South Africa should be investigated.

In West Africa, as in many other estuaries, enormous volumes of marine water are entering the continent. Fresh water discharge is very low, and it is commonly strongly linked to rainfall level. Some of these estuaries are inverse estuaries. During the Great Sahelian Drought (1968–1993), their hyperhaline feature was exacerbated. This paper aims to describe the evolution of the two main West African inverse estuaries, those of the Saloum River and the Casamance River, since the end of the drought. Water salinity measurements were carried out over three to five years according to the sites in order to document this evolution and to compare data with the historical ones collected during the long dry period at the end of 20th century. The results show that in both estuaries, the mean water salinity values have markedly decreased since the end of the drought. However, the Saloum estuary remains a totally inverse estuary, while for the Casamance River, the estuarine turbidity maximum (ETM) is the location of the salinity maximum, and it moves according to the seasons from a location 1–10 km downwards from the upstream estuary entry, during the dry season, to a location 40–70 km downwards from this point, during the rainy season. These observations fit with the functioning of the mangrove, the West African mangrove being among the few in the world that are markedly increasing since the beginning of the 1990s and the end of the dry period, as mangrove growth is favored by the relative salinity reduction. Finally, one of the inverse estuary behavior factors is the low fresh water incoming from the continent. The small area of the Casamance and Saloum basins (20,150 and 26,500 km² respectively) is to be compared with the basins of their two main neighbor basins, the Gambia River and the Senegal River, which provide significant fresh water discharge to their estuary.

Nowhere in the world is poverty more visible, more destructive and more pervasive than in Africa. Too often, Africa is associated with stories of failure and pessimism, of wars and famines, floods and unrest. Africa appears to be slipping back on many development indicators, even as other parts of the world move ahead. In 2003, however, there are prospects of achieving progress in water, sanitation and hygiene in Africa. Across the continent, there is a strong sense of the need for peace, democracy and co-operation. Through the Highly Indebted Poor Countries initiative, industrialised countries are finally proposing to write off a significant part of the debt into which the poorest countries have fallen. Many African countries have written Poverty Reduction Strategy Papers, which give clarity and direction to the development work in those countries. Within the water sector itself, the African Ministerial Conference on Water (AMCOW) has been formed to share ideas and lessons and to provide mutual support and active direction. Recent meetings, especially the World Summit on Sustainable Development (August 2002), are giving fresh political impetus to this work. This paper suggests five priorities for achieving the water and sanitation Millennium Development Goals in Africa. It relates them to practical examples of inspiring and positive initiatives in water and sanitation from across the continent. These examples have worked, or have the potential to work, at a large scale, are demonstrably sustainable, and do not benefit from too many unique local conditions. These characteristics enable the lessons from these examples to be useful for other people in, and indeed outside, Africa.

Notwithstanding the dispersed nature of the water, energy and food (WEF) nexus scholarship in the African continent, its strategic importance to the African agenda has gained widespread attention in research and planning circles. In this regard, the bibliometric science mapping and content analysis of the WEF nexus scientific publication trends, the conceptual, intellectual and social structures, as well as the inherent paradigmatic shifts in the WEF nexus body of knowledge in the African continent have been undertaken, using the nexus body of literature accessed from the Web of Science and Scopus core collection databases. The review results confirmed that, whilst the WEF nexus scholarship has expanded since 2013, there is also evidence of growth in the conceptual, intellectual and social structures of the WEF nexus in the African continent. These shifts have resulted in the emergence of hot topics (subfields) including modelling and optimization, climate variability and change, environmental ecosystem services sustainability, and sustainable development and livelihoods. The review further determined that these structures have evolved along two main perspectives of WEF nexus research development, i.e., the interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary domains. In support of the interpretation of the visual analytics of the intellectual structure and changing patterns of the WEF nexus research, the shifts in positivist, interpretivist and pragmatic paradigmatic perspectives (these are underpinned by the ontology, epistemology, and methodology and methods) are considered when explaining WEF nexus research shifts: (a) From the unconnected silo paradigms that focus on water, energy and food (security concerns) to interconnected (and sometimes interdependent or nested) linkages or systems incorporating environmental, social-economic and political drivers (also viewed as subfields) in a bid to holistically support the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) across the African continent; and (b) in the evaluation of the WEF nexus scholarship based on novel analytical approaches. We contend that whilst the theories of science change underpin this apparent expansion, the macro-economic theory will find use in explaining how the WEF nexus research agenda is negotiated and the Integrative Environmental Governance (IEG) is the duly suited governance theory to bridge the inherent disconnect between WEF nexus output and governance processes uncovered in the literature. Overall, operational challenges and opportunities of the WEF nexus abound, transitioning the WEF nexus research to practice in Africa, motivating the need to take advantage of the scholar–practitioner research underpinnings, as contemplated in the transdisciplinary research approach, which is characterised by the dual quest for new knowledge and considerations of use. Yet, there is need for more coordinated and collaborative research to achieve impact and transition from WEF nexus thinking to WEF nexus practice.

In December 2000 seed harvested from wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) cultivars SST 876 and SST 825 produced under sprinkler irrigation near Douglas, Northern Cape Province, South Africa, contained a substantial amount of partially bunted kernels. Kernel embryos contained black masses of teliospores, and in many instances the endosperm was partially degraded. Teliospores were brown to dark brown, densely echinulate, 25 to 45 μm in diameter with a short mycelial fragment on some of the spores. Hyaline, smooth-walled sterile cells were also present. Teliospores were soaked in sterile distilled water for 2 days, streaked on 2% water agar plates and incubated at 22°C in the dark. Teliospores germinated after 5 days, producing 50 to 250 filiform, nonconjugating, primary basidiospores and forcibly discharged allantoid, secondary basidiospores. Based on kernel appearance, a rotten fish odor in infected grain, teliospore morphology, and germination characteristics, the pathogen was identified as Tilletia indica Mitra, the cause of Karnal bunt (1). This morphological identification was confirmed at the USDA-ARS Systematic Botany and Mycology Laboratory, Beltsville, MD. Molecular verification of 12 South African isolates was provided by the Foreign Disease-Weed Science Research Unit at Fort Detrick, MD, using real-time polymerase chain reaction with the Tin3/Tin10 T. indica-specific primer set (2). Four additional isolates were confirmed as T. indica using the same primer set as well as ITS rDNA sequencing at the Beltsville laboratory. Reference specimens were deposited at the National Fungal Collection in Pretoria, South Africa (PREM 57214), and at Beltsville (BPI 748170). At present, the mode of introduction of T. indica into South Africa, as well as its precise distribution, is not known. It appears, however, that the pathogen is restricted to the Douglas production area in the Northern Cape where quarantine measures have been taken to contain and possibly eradicate the disease. References: (1) L. A. Castlebury and L. M. Carris. Mycologia 91:121, 1999. (2) R. D. Frederick et al. Phytopathology 90:951, 2000.

The objective of virtually all development initiatives in Africa is poverty reduction. The crippling challenge of poverty facing most African states is, by no means, a fresh one. However, the problem has assumed a disturbing dimension at the turn of the 21st Century, if we compare African states with emerging economies in the global south. The paper adopts functionalism as a theoretical framework due to the fact that African states have embraced the idea of integration, with African Union (AU) being a potential instrument of realising their d `evelopment aspirations. Relying on secondary sources of data collection, it sought to gain in-depth understanding of previous studies, in order to gain fresh insight and enriched perspectives. The paper examined selected continental and global development initiatives, as well as their impact towards achieving the goal of poverty reduction in Africa. While noting that political stability is a major precondition for economic growth, the paper noted that most African states are at sub-optimal level of economic performance because of high level of impunity among the political leadership, abuse of due process and failure to adhere to global best practices. The paper observed that the realities of the present interdependent world system dictate that there is no alternative to global partnership if African states are desirous to make a break from their stunted growth and vicious cycle of poverty. The paper recommends that African states need to re- tool and refine their development strategies along the Asian trajectory. It concludes that only an African consensus on the utility of an integration framework can help advance the goal of poverty reduction in the continent.

The Southern African Millennium Ecosystem Assessment (SA f MA) evaluated the relationships between ecosystem services and human well-being at multiple scales, ranging from local through to sub-continental. Trends in ecosystem services (fresh water, food, fuel-wood, cultural and biodiversity) over the period 1990–2000 were mixed across scales. Freshwater resources appear strained across the continent with large numbers of people not securing adequate supplies, especially of good quality water. This translates to high infant mortality patterns across the region. In some areas, the use of water resources for irrigated agriculture and urban–industrial expansion is taking place at considerable cost to the quality and quantity of freshwater available to ecosystems and for domestic use. Staple cereal production across the region has increased but was outstripped by population growth while protein malnutrition is on the rise. The much-anticipated wood-fuel crisis on the subcontinent has not materialized but some areas are experiencing shortages while numerous others remain vulnerable. Cultural benefits of biodiversity are considerable, though hard to quantify or track over time. Biodiversity resources remain at reasonable levels, but are declining faster than reflected in species extinction rates and appear highly sensitive to land-use decisions. The SA f MA sub-global assessment provided an opportunity to experiment with innovative ways to assess ecosystem services including the use of supply–demand surfaces, service sources and sink areas, priority areas for service provision, service ‘hotspots’ and trade-off assessments.

Sediments of two small watercourses Leskava and Troubsky Brook in the Brno city suburban area were examined for their ecotoxicity. Using a standard procedure, extracts of the sediments were prepared for diagnostic tests. These extracts were tested for acute toxicity to fresh-water organisms. The ecotoxicological tests were performed on the fresh-water algaPseudokirchneriella subcapitata, the vascular water plantLemna minor, on a representative of invertebrates – the water fleaDaphnia magnaand on theXenopus laevisfrog embryo and luminiscentVibrio fischeribacteria. Possible toxic effects were evaluated using the test determining the inhibition of the growth of white mustard rootSinapis alba. Results of ecotoxicological assessment of sediment leachates showed that their quality varied significantly during the year. Differences were found between results of sediment evaluations from different collection profiles, which may indicate effects of point source pollution. Of the ecotoxicological tests used, the most sensitive organisms included the green algaePseudokirchneriella subcapitata, bioluminiscent bacteriaVibrio fischeriand the African clawed frogXenopus laevis. The highest concentrations of arsenic were found by chemical analysis in both spring and autumn sediment leachate samples collected at Site L1 (Leskava). The highest organic pollutant concentrations were found in autumn sediment leachate samples from Site L1. In total PAH sums, phenanthrene was the dominant pollutant at all the sites investigated.

This article presents a critical analysis of the impact (influence) of the theory of liberalism on the United Nations’ (UN) and Africa Union’s (AU) approach to global peace and security. There are various and sometimes conflicting theories of international relations relating to how world politics functions, including international and regional peace and security. Which theory of international relations and peace would explain the United Nations' role in promoting worldwide peace and security, as well as the African Union's role in promoting regional peace and security within the African continent? Even though this question is difficult to answer and no single theory can fully capture the complexities surrounding the issues at hand, this article contends that the liberal peace framework has had a profound influence on the creation of the United Nations and the African Union, as well as their roles in international and regional peace and security. To this purpose, the study adopts a qualitative critical research strategy with secondary data collection and analytical approaches which comprise characterizing, thematizing, and contextualizing the topic at hand. The paper explains how liberalism influenced the essential thinking, values and norms, institutional legitimacy and mandate. It also conceptualizes and operationalizes peace and security concerns at the UN and AU. This is tied to UN-led global action which, when paired with the AU's considerable continental role, illustrates liberalism's impact in terms of laws, conventions, principles, and practices, facilitating cooperative peacebuilding efforts. Despite some critical theoretical and practical shortcomings, this paper argues that liberalism is still essential to achieving the UN’s and AU's, agenda for global peace and security.

Although agriculture remains the mainstay of the African economy, it is currently going through stress because of a multitude of factors including climate change. Thus, many countries in their efforts to transform their agricultural sectors are employing climate-smart initiatives including the provision of water harvesting technologies for irrigated crop production during the dry season. This paper examines the role of irrigation in the drive towards a transformation of smallholder agriculture in Africa. Focus group discussions, key informant interviews and individual questionnaires were employed for the data collection. The data were analyzed using the regression adjustment (RA) technique. The results indicate that irrigation has significant and positive impacts on farm incomes, employment, consumption, food security and non-farm businesses, all of which are necessary conditions for a successful transformation of smallholder agriculture in Africa. The impacts of irrigation on health and environmental sustainability are mixed—the positive being the ability of irrigators to pay for improved healthcare for their families and the negatives include the outbreak of waterborne diseases associated with irrigation water. Construction of irrigation facilities causes destruction to the environment but improves provisioning ecosystem services. It is generally concluded that access to irrigation is associated with higher farm incomes, employment, consumption, food security and engagement in non-farm business activities. The key policy implication of these findings is that African governments must formulate strategic policies that will accelerate investments in the provision of irrigation facilities to better promote the agenda to transform smallholder agriculture in the continent.

A low-cost heat-exchanger system that can be used in high-pressure/low-pressure isolated solar water-heating systems in South Africa was developed for household applications. The combination of a copper coil and electrical heater allowed for isolation of the high-pressure and low-pressure sections of the system and enabled the utilisation of large low-cost solar heat-absorber platforms that operated at low pressure with a low risk of fouling and leaking. The design comprised a copper coil heat exchanger to be installed inside a conventional geyser, to replace the normal heating element and thermostat system in a conventional commercially available household geyser. The electric heating element still supplements the system in low solar energy conditions. The circulation in the system is created by a small separate photovoltaic panel and a circulation pump. An integrated switch allows the system to alternate between conventional electrical heating and solar water-heating according to prevailing weather conditions. Current tests show that the system of 15 m2 area can be installed at a cost of approximately ZAR 10 000–12 000. The system can provide hot water at approximately 12 cents per kWh, with a total heat storage capacity of up to 10 kWh per day. This implies a saving to the customer of up to ZAR 600 per month. The accumulated saving to a household over the ten-year lifetime of the product is estimated at ZAR 200 000. As the thermal energy storage capacity of current systems as available on the local market is approximately 1 kWhr per day for a 2 m2 collector. A typical increase in thermal energy collection capacity of tenfold more than the capability of conventional systems on the market is hence achieved. The system offers implementation possibilities for South Africa’s low-cost housing schemes and can provide for creating numerous new business and job opportunities on the African continent with its abundant solar irradiation resources.

SUMMARYWhen compared to tropical forest zones in west and central Africa, off-take of wild meat from savannah and grassland biomes by local rural communities has not been well assessed. This case study of wild meat collection activities within a rural community in the Mount Frere region of the Eastern Cape (South Africa) uses last-catch records derived from 50 wild meat gatherers to calculate average off-take of taxa, species and fresh mass of wild meat per collection event. When per-event off take is overlaid onto household hunting frequency data, annual off-take would be 268.6 kg km−2 yr−1 or 3 kg person−1 yr−1 presuming constant off-take over an annual period. Monetary value of off-take would be South African R 307 (US$ 39) per household annually. For some species, off-take weight per km2 shows similar values to data from tropical forest zones, but high human population densities tend to dilute off-takes to less nutritionally significant amounts at the per person scale. However, unlike many tropical zones, none of the species harvested can be considered high-priority conservation species. Even densely populated and heavily harvested communal lands appear to offer high wild meat off-takes from low conservation priority species.

Access to clean water, reliable energy services and adequate food supply are basic needs for life and contribute to the reduction of national and global levels of human poverty and forced migration. This study concentrated on reviewing progress made in understanding the relationship between the Water-Energy-Food (WEF) nexus and climate change adaptation, using Africa as a case study. The method used to achieve this objective was the bibliometric analysis, covering the period from 1980–2021. Data used for this study were acquired from the Web of Science (WoS) and Scopus databases. Initially, 95 documents were retrieved from the WoS and Scopus core collection databases, but 30 duplicates were removed, and 65 documents were used. The outputs were further analysed using the bibliometric R package and VOS viewer. Analysis of the top 100 keywords in the 65 publications that link WEF nexus with climate change adaptation for Africa showed that 46 keywords fall under the application of WEF nexus, 31 keywords under the implementation of WEF nexus and 23 keywords under the implication of WEF nexus. Researchers from countries around the world have published the WEF nexus work undertaken on the African continent. Countries with the highest number of publications were South Africa, the United Kingdom, the United States of America, Germany, Kenya and Zimbabwe. Thematic analysis was used to explore the conceptual structure of WEF publications, and it produced four themes: (i) well-established concepts appropriate for structuring the conceptual framework of the field of WEF nexus in Africa; (ii) strongly developed concepts but still marginal for the field of WEF nexus in Africa; (iii) not fully developed or marginally interesting concepts for the field of WEF nexus in Africa, and (iv) significant cross-cutting concepts in the field of WEF nexus in Africa in relation to climate change adaptation. This study contributes to the growing body of literature on the WEF nexus by pointing out dominant themes from those that are still emerging in the scholarly work done in Africa.

Access to clean water, reliable energy services and adequate food supply are basic needs for life and contribute to the reduction of national and global levels of human poverty and forced migration. This study concentrated on reviewing progress made in understanding the relationship between the Water-Energy-Food (WEF) nexus and climate change adaptation, using Africa as a case study. The method used to achieve this objective was the bibliometric analysis, covering the period from 1980–2021. Data used for this study were acquired from the Web of Science (WoS) and Scopus databases. Initially, 95 documents were retrieved from the WoS and Scopus core collection databases, but 30 duplicates were removed, and 65 documents were used. The outputs were further analysed using the bibliometric R package and VOS viewer. Analysis of the top 100 keywords in the 65 publications that link WEF nexus with climate change adaptation for Africa showed that 46 keywords fall under the application of WEF nexus, 31 keywords under the implementation of WEF nexus and 23 keywords under the implication of WEF nexus. Researchers from countries around the world have published the WEF nexus work undertaken on the African continent. Countries with the highest number of publications were South Africa, the United Kingdom, the United States of America, Germany, Kenya and Zimbabwe. Thematic analysis was used to explore the conceptual structure of WEF publications, and it produced four themes: (i) well-established concepts appropriate for structuring the conceptual framework of the field of WEF nexus in Africa; (ii) strongly developed concepts but still marginal for the field of WEF nexus in Africa; (iii) not fully developed or marginally interesting concepts for the field of WEF nexus in Africa, and (iv) significant cross-cutting concepts in the field of WEF nexus in Africa in relation to climate change adaptation. This study contributes to the growing body of literature on the WEF nexus by pointing out dominant themes from those that are still emerging in the scholarly work done in Africa.

Access to clean water, reliable energy services and adequate food supply are basic needs for life and contribute to the reduction of national and global levels of human poverty and forced migration. This study concentrated on reviewing progress made in understanding the relationship between the Water-Energy-Food (WEF) nexus and climate change adaptation, using Africa as a case study. The method used to achieve this objective was the bibliometric analysis, covering the period from 1980–2021. Data used for this study were acquired from the Web of Science (WoS) and Scopus databases. Initially, 95 documents were retrieved from the WoS and Scopus core collection databases, but 30 duplicates were removed, and 65 documents were used. The outputs were further analysed using the bibliometric R package and VOS viewer. Analysis of the top 100 keywords in the 65 publications that link WEF nexus with climate change adaptation for Africa showed that 46 keywords fall under the application of WEF nexus, 31 keywords under the implementation of WEF nexus and 23 keywords under the implication of WEF nexus. Researchers from countries around the world have published the WEF nexus work undertaken on the African continent. Countries with the highest number of publications were South Africa, the United Kingdom, the United States of America, Germany, Kenya and Zimbabwe. Thematic analysis was used to explore the conceptual structure of WEF publications, and it produced four themes: (i) well-established concepts appropriate for structuring the conceptual framework of the field of WEF nexus in Africa; (ii) strongly developed concepts but still marginal for the field of WEF nexus in Africa; (iii) not fully developed or marginally interesting concepts for the field of WEF nexus in Africa, and (iv) significant cross-cutting concepts in the field of WEF nexus in Africa in relation to climate change adaptation. This study contributes to the growing body of literature on the WEF nexus by pointing out dominant themes from those that are still emerging in the scholarly work done in Africa.

Access to clean water, reliable energy services and adequate food supply are basic needs for life and contribute to the reduction of national and global levels of human poverty and forced migration. This study concentrated on reviewing progress made in understanding the relationship between the Water-Energy-Food (WEF) nexus and climate change adaptation, using Africa as a case study. The method used to achieve this objective was the bibliometric analysis, covering the period from 1980–2021. Data used for this study were acquired from the Web of Science (WoS) and Scopus databases. Initially, 95 documents were retrieved from the WoS and Scopus core collection databases, but 30 duplicates were removed, and 65 documents were used. The outputs were further analysed using the bibliometric R package and VOS viewer. Analysis of the top 100 keywords in the 65 publications that link WEF nexus with climate change adaptation for Africa showed that 46 keywords fall under the application of WEF nexus, 31 keywords under the implementation of WEF nexus and 23 keywords under the implication of WEF nexus. Researchers from countries around the world have published the WEF nexus work undertaken on the African continent. Countries with the highest number of publications were South Africa, the United Kingdom, the United States of America, Germany, Kenya and Zimbabwe. Thematic analysis was used to explore the conceptual structure of WEF publications, and it produced four themes: (i) well-established concepts appropriate for structuring the conceptual framework of the field of WEF nexus in Africa; (ii) strongly developed concepts but still marginal for the field of WEF nexus in Africa; (iii) not fully developed or marginally interesting concepts for the field of WEF nexus in Africa, and (iv) significant cross-cutting concepts in the field of WEF nexus in Africa in relation to climate change adaptation. This study contributes to the growing body of literature on the WEF nexus by pointing out dominant themes from those that are still emerging in the scholarly work done in Africa.

Access to clean water, reliable energy services and adequate food supply are basic needs for life and contribute to the reduction of national and global levels of human poverty and forced migration. This study concentrated on reviewing progress made in understanding the relationship between the Water-Energy-Food (WEF) nexus and climate change adaptation, using Africa as a case study. The method used to achieve this objective was the bibliometric analysis, covering the period from 1980–2021. Data used for this study were acquired from the Web of Science (WoS) and Scopus databases. Initially, 95 documents were retrieved from the WoS and Scopus core collection databases, but 30 duplicates were removed, and 65 documents were used. The outputs were further analysed using the bibliometric R package and VOS viewer. Analysis of the top 100 keywords in the 65 publications that link WEF nexus with climate change adaptation for Africa showed that 46 keywords fall under the application of WEF nexus, 31 keywords under the implementation of WEF nexus and 23 keywords under the implication of WEF nexus. Researchers from countries around the world have published the WEF nexus work undertaken on the African continent. Countries with the highest number of publications were South Africa, the United Kingdom, the United States of America, Germany, Kenya and Zimbabwe. Thematic analysis was used to explore the conceptual structure of WEF publications, and it produced four themes: (i) well-established concepts appropriate for structuring the conceptual framework of the field of WEF nexus in Africa; (ii) strongly developed concepts but still marginal for the field of WEF nexus in Africa; (iii) not fully developed or marginally interesting concepts for the field of WEF nexus in Africa, and (iv) significant cross-cutting concepts in the field of WEF nexus in Africa in relation to climate change adaptation. This study contributes to the growing body of literature on the WEF nexus by pointing out dominant themes from those that are still emerging in the scholarly work done in Africa.

Access to clean water, reliable energy services and adequate food supply are basic needs for life and contribute to the reduction of national and global levels of human poverty and forced migration. This study concentrated on reviewing progress made in understanding the relationship between the Water-Energy-Food (WEF) nexus and climate change adaptation, using Africa as a case study. The method used to achieve this objective was the bibliometric analysis, covering the period from 1980–2021. Data used for this study were acquired from the Web of Science (WoS) and Scopus databases. Initially, 95 documents were retrieved from the WoS and Scopus core collection databases, but 30 duplicates were removed, and 65 documents were used. The outputs were further analysed using the bibliometric R package and VOS viewer. Analysis of the top 100 keywords in the 65 publications that link WEF nexus with climate change adaptation for Africa showed that 46 keywords fall under the application of WEF nexus, 31 keywords under the implementation of WEF nexus and 23 keywords under the implication of WEF nexus. Researchers from countries around the world have published the WEF nexus work undertaken on the African continent. Countries with the highest number of publications were South Africa, the United Kingdom, the United States of America, Germany, Kenya and Zimbabwe. Thematic analysis was used to explore the conceptual structure of WEF publications, and it produced four themes: (i) well-established concepts appropriate for structuring the conceptual framework of the field of WEF nexus in Africa; (ii) strongly developed concepts but still marginal for the field of WEF nexus in Africa; (iii) not fully developed or marginally interesting concepts for the field of WEF nexus in Africa, and (iv) significant cross-cutting concepts in the field of WEF nexus in Africa in relation to climate change adaptation. This study contributes to the growing body of literature on the WEF nexus by pointing out dominant themes from those that are still emerging in the scholarly work done in Africa.

Access to clean water, reliable energy services and adequate food supply are basic needs for life and contribute to the reduction of national and global levels of human poverty and forced migration. This study concentrated on reviewing progress made in understanding the relationship between the Water-Energy-Food (WEF) nexus and climate change adaptation, using Africa as a case study. The method used to achieve this objective was the bibliometric analysis, covering the period from 1980–2021. Data used for this study were acquired from the Web of Science (WoS) and Scopus databases. Initially, 95 documents were retrieved from the WoS and Scopus core collection databases, but 30 duplicates were removed, and 65 documents were used. The outputs were further analysed using the bibliometric R package and VOS viewer. Analysis of the top 100 keywords in the 65 publications that link WEF nexus with climate change adaptation for Africa showed that 46 keywords fall under the application of WEF nexus, 31 keywords under the implementation of WEF nexus and 23 keywords under the implication of WEF nexus. Researchers from countries around the world have published the WEF nexus work undertaken on the African continent. Countries with the highest number of publications were South Africa, the United Kingdom, the United States of America, Germany, Kenya and Zimbabwe. Thematic analysis was used to explore the conceptual structure of WEF publications, and it produced four themes: (i) well-established concepts appropriate for structuring the conceptual framework of the field of WEF nexus in Africa; (ii) strongly developed concepts but still marginal for the field of WEF nexus in Africa; (iii) not fully developed or marginally interesting concepts for the field of WEF nexus in Africa, and (iv) significant cross-cutting concepts in the field of WEF nexus in Africa in relation to climate change adaptation. This study contributes to the growing body of literature on the WEF nexus by pointing out dominant themes from those that are still emerging in the scholarly work done in Africa.

Fisheries play a significant role in the livelihoods of the world population, while the dependence on fisheries is acute in developing countries. Fisheries are consequently a critical element for meeting the sustainable development (SDG) and FAO goals to reduce poverty, hunger and improve health and well-being. However, 90% of global marine fish stocks are fully or over-exploited. The amount of biologically unsustainable stocks increased from 10% in 1975 to 33% in 2015. Freshwater ecosystems are the most endangered ecosystems and freshwater fish stocks are worldwide in a state of crisis. The continuous fish stock decline indicates that the world is still far from achieving SDG 14 (Life Below Water), FAO’s Blue Growth Initiative goal and SDG 15 (Life on Land, including freshwater systems). Failure to effectively manage world fish stocks can have disastrous effects on biodiversity and the livelihoods and socio-economic conditions of millions of people. Therefore, management strategies that successfully conserve the stocks and provide optimal sustainable yields are urgently needed. However, successful management is only possible when the necessary data are obtained and decision-makers are well informed. The main problem for the management of fisheries, particularly in developing countries, is the lack of information on the past and current status of the fish stocks. Sound data collection and validation methods are, therefore, important. Stock assessment models, which support sustainable fisheries, require life history traits as input parameters. In order to provide accurate estimates of these life history traits, standardized methods for otolith preparation and validation of the rate of growth zone deposition are essential. This review aims to assist researchers and fisheries managers, working on marine and freshwater fish species, in understanding concepts and processes related to stock assessment and population dynamics. Although most examples and case studies originate from developing countries in the African continent, the review remains of great value to many other countries.

Abstract. The chemical characterization of filter high volume (HV) and Berner impactor (BI) samples PM during RHaMBLe 2007 shows that the Cape Verde aerosol particles are mainly composed of sea salt, mineral dust and associated water. The influence from the African continent on the aerosol constitution was generally small but air masses which came from south-western Europe crossing the Canary Islands transported dust to the sampling site together with other loadings. The mean mass concentration was determined for PM10 as 17 μg/m3 from the impactor samples and as 24.2 μg/m3 from HV filter samples. Non sea salt (nss) components of PM were found in the submicron fractions including nitrate in the coarse mode fraction. Bromide was found in all samples with much depleted concentrations in the range 1–8 ng/m3 compared to fresh sea salt aerosol indicating intense atmospheric halogen chemistry. A chloride deficit of 31% and 38% for the coarse mode particles (3.5–10 μm; 1.2–3.5 μm), of 67% (0.42–1.2 μm) and 83% (0.14–0.42 μm) for the submicron fractions was determined. During 14 May with high mineral dust loads also the maximum of OC (1.71 μg/m3) and EC (1.25 μg/m3) was measured. The minimum of TC (0.25 μg/m3) was detected during the period 25 to 27 May when pure marine air masses arrived. The concentrations of carbonaceous material decrease with increasing particles size from 60% for the ultra fine particles to 2.5% in coarse mode PM. Total iron (dust vs. non-dust: 0.53 vs. 0.06 μg m−3), calcium (0.22 vs. 0.03 μg m−3) and potassium (0.33 vs. 0.02 μg m−3) were found as good indicators for dust periods because of their heavily increased concentration in the 1.2 to 3.5 μm fraction as compared to their concentration during the non-dust periods. For the organic constituents, oxalate (78–151 ng/m3) and methanesulfonic acid (MSA, 25–100 ng/m3) are the major compounds identified. A good correlation between nss-sulphate and MSA was found for the majority of days indicating active DMS chemistry and low anthropogenic influences.

Abstract. The chemical characterization of filter high volume (HV) and Berner impactor (BI) samples PM during RHaMBLe (Reactive Halogens in the Marine Boundary Layer) 2007 shows that the Cape Verde aerosol particles are mainly composed of sea salt, mineral dust and associated water. Minor components are nss-salts, OC and EC. The influence from the African continent on the aerosol constitution was generally small but air masses which came from south-western Europe crossing the Canary Islands transported dust to the sampling site together with other loadings. The mean mass concentration was determined for PM10 to 17 μg/m3 from impactor samples and to 24.2 μg/m3 from HV filter samples. Non sea salt (nss) components of PM were found in the submicron fractions and nitrate in the coarse mode fraction. Bromide was found in all samples with much depleted concentrations in the range 1–8 ng/m3 compared to fresh sea salt aerosol indicating intense atmospheric halogen chemistry. Loss of bromide by ozone reaction during long sampling time is supposed and resulted totally in 82±12% in coarse mode impactor samples and in filter samples in 88±6% bromide deficits. A chloride deficit was determined to 8% and 1% for the coarse mode particles (3.5–10 μm; 1.2–3.5 μm) and to 21% for filter samples. During 14 May with high mineral dust loads also the maximum of OC (1.71μg/m3) and EC (1.25 μg/m3) was measured. The minimum of TC (0.25 μg/m3) was detected during the period 25 to 27 May when pure marine air masses arrived. The concentrations of carbonaceous material decrease with increasing particle size from 60% for the ultra fine particles to 2.5% in coarse mode PM. Total iron (dust vs. non-dust: 0.53 vs. 0.06 μg m3), calcium (0.22 vs. 0.03 μg m3) and potassium (0.33 vs. 0.02 μg m3) were found as good indicators for dust periods because of their heavily increased concentration in the 1.2 to 3.5 μm fraction as compared to their concentration during the non-dust periods. For the organic constituents, oxalate (78–151 ng/m3) and methanesulfonic acid (MSA, 25–100 ng/m3) are the major compounds identified. A good correlation between nss-sulphate and MSA was found for the majority of days indicating active DMS chemistry and low anthropogenic influences.

Southern highbush blueberry plants (Vaccinium corymbosum interspecific hybrids) showing rust-like symptoms were observed in July 2006 in Porterville in the Western Cape (WC), South Africa. Diseased plants were also found in Villiersdorp and George in the WC in 2007. In 2008, symptoms were observed in George, and in 2009, in all the previous reported areas. Cvs. Bluecrisp, Emerald, Jewel, Sharpblue, and Star were infected. Reddish-to-brown spots appeared on the adaxial surface of leaves and developed into yellow-to-orange erumpent uredinia with pulverulent urediniospores. Uredinia were hypophyllous, dome shaped, 113 to 750 μm wide, and occasionally coalescing. Urediniospores were broadly obovate, sometimes ellipsoidal or pyriform, with yellowish orange content, and measured 19 to 27 × 12 to 20 μm (average 24 × 15 μm, n = 30). Spore walls were echinulate, hyaline, 1 to 1.5 μm thick, and with obscure germ pores. No telia or teliospores were observed. Voucher specimens were lodged in the South African National Fungus Collection in Pretoria (PREM 60245). The isolate was initially identified as Thekopsora minima P. Syd. & Syd., based primarily on the absence of conspicuous ostiolar cells characteristic of Naohidemyces spp. (3). Genomic DNA was extracted from urediniospores. Approximately 1,400 bp were amplified spanning the 5.8S, ITS2, and 28S large subunit of the ribosomal DNA (1). The sequence (GU355675) shared 96% (907 of 942 bp; GenBank AF522180) and 94% (1,014 of 1,047 bp; GenBank DQ354563) similarities in the 28S portion, respectively, to those of Naohidemyces vaccinii (Wint.) Sato, Katsuya et Y. Hiratsuka and Pucciniastrum geoppertianum (Kuehn) Kleb, two of the three known rust species of blueberry (2). Although no sequences of T. minima were available for direct comparison, phylogenetic analyses of the 28S region strongly supported the South African blueberry rust as congeneric with T. guttata (J. Schröt.) P. Syd. & Syd. (GenBank AF426231) and T. symphyti (Bubák) Berndt (GenBank AF26230) (data not shown). Four 6-month-old cv. Sharpblue plants were inoculated with a suspension (approximate final concentration of 1 × 105 spores per ml) of fresh urediniospores in a water solution with 0.05% Tween 20. After incubation at 20°C for 48 h under continuous fluorescent lighting, the plants were grown in a glasshouse (18/25°C night/day temperatures). Identical uredinia and symptoms developed approximately 3 weeks after inoculation on the inoculated plants, but not on two control plants of cv. Sharpblue sprayed with distilled water and kept at the same conditions. The alternate host hemlock (Tsuga spp.) is not endemic to South Africa and not sold as an ornamental plant according to a large conifer nursery. Hosts of T. minima include Gaylussacia baccata, G. frondosa, Lyonia neziki, Menziesia pilosa, Rhododendron canadense, R. canescens, R. lutescens R. ponticum, R. prunifolium, R. viscosum, V. angustifolium var. laevifolium, V. corumbosum, and V. erythrocarpon (3). Visual inspection of possible hosts in the gardens in close proximity of Vaccinium production areas did not show any rust symptoms. To our knowledge, this is the first report of T. minima on blueberries outside of Asia and the United States (2). References: (1) M. C. Aime. Mycoscience 47:112, 2006. (2) D. F. Farr and A. Y. Rossman. Fungal Databases. Systematic Botany and Mycology Laboratory. Online publication. USDA-ARS, 2009. (3) S. Sato et al. Trans. Mycol. Soc. Jpn. 34:47, 1993.

BACKGROUND Red blood cell (RBC) deformability plays a critical role in RBC elongation and viscosity, and when reduced, perfusion of peripheral tissues and oxygen delivery are impaired. Intracellular ATP maintains water and ion homeostasis in RBCs; reduced ATP leads to water and ion loss, dehydration and loss of RBC elasticity. RBC dehydration increases mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentration (MCHC) and also affects distribution of RBC width (RDW). Patients with sickle cell disease (SCD) have reduced RBC ATP, and markedly reduced RBC deformability when compared to healthy individuals. Here, we employed Laser-Optical Rotational Red Cell Analyzer (LORRCA, RR Mechatronics) to evaluate deformability in RBCs from patients with SCD (HbSS) compared to RBCs from sickle cell carriers (HbAS) and ethnic-matched healthy controls (HbAA). We further analyzed how these LORRCA-derived parameters correlate with ATP, MCHC, and RDW. METHODS We enrolled adult subjects (age ≥ 18 years) of African-descent, and not recently transfused (within 8 weeks) under protocol NCT03685721 approved by the NHLBI Institutional Review Board. Fresh whole blood in EDTA was processed on the same day of collection. Cells were counted and diluted in polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) solution before undergoing LORRCA assays including deformability, osmoscan, and oxygenscan (HbSS subjects). The deformability assay uses the elongation Index (EI) to measure the cells' ability to undergo deformation with increasing shear stress at 0.95, 3, and 30 Pascals (Pa). The osmoscan assay measures the deformability under continuous osmotic changes (0-600mOsm/kg) and has several parameters: O min (RBC fragility); El max (maximum deformability and membrane flexibility); O max (osmolality where EI max is achieved) and O hyper (intracellular viscosity and maximum deformability in the hypertonic region). The oxygenscan assay measures the oxygen pressure at the time when RBCs start to become rigid (point of sickling). Whole blood levels of ATP were measured using LC-MS/MS with LLOQ at 50.0 μg/mL and converted to intracellular concentrations by dividing by the hematocrit (as a fraction). Descriptive statistics and correlation (Spearman) of ATP, RDW, and MCHC with each LORRCA parameter were performed using R (v4.2.3) and Prism(v9). RESULTS We studied 156 subjects which comprised of 63 HbSS (33 males), 61 HbAS (23 males) and 32 HbAA (8 males) genotypes. The average age in years (range) in HbSS was 32 (18-58); in HbAS, 43 (18-70), and in HbAA, 38 (19-72). As shear stress and osmotic pressure increased, the mean EI and osmolality were significantly (p<0.001, unpaired two-sample t-test) lower in the HbSS cohort compared to HbAS and HbAA (Figure 1). There was no significant difference in the mean EI and osmolality between HbAA and HbAS with increasing shear stresses and osmotic pressures. As shear stress increased, the correlation of deformability with reduced ATP got significantly stronger in the HbSS cohort (r= -0.351 at 0.95 Pa to r=-0.401 at 30 Pa) but the trend was reversed for the HbAS and HbAA cohort (Table 1). Under increasing osmotic pressure, a significant correlation was found between reduced ATP and maximal deformability (EI Max) in HbSS (p=0.008) compared to HbAS (p=0.896) and HbAA (p=0.114). MCHC was significantly correlated with RBC hydration state (O Hyper) in all 3 genotypic groups (HbSS, HbAS and HbAA). Similarly, RDW correlated with maximal deformability (EI Max) under increasing osmotic pressure in all 3 cohorts. In the HbSS subjects, there was a significant positive correlation of ATP and RDW with point of sickling (oxygenscan); MCHC was negatively correlated but was not significant. CONCLUSION RBC deformability was reduced in HbSS patients compared to HbAS and HbAA under increasing shear stress and osmotic pressure. ATP levels showed significant correlation with RBC deformability as measured by LORRCA, particularly in patients with SCD, suggesting increasing ATP levels as an important therapeutic strategy in patients with SCD. In keeping with published data, our analyses showed that RBC volume and size as well as intracellular hemoglobin concentration can affect deformability.

In 2022, the Swiss branch of the international publishing house Springer published a book, a collection of papers entitled Military Geoscience: A Multifaceted Approach to the Study of Warfare. It consists of selected contributions by international researchers in the field of military geoscience, presented at the 13th International Conference on Military Geosciences, held in Padua in June 2019. The first paper is by the editors, Aldin Bondesan and Judy Ehlen, and provides a brief overview of understanding the concept of military geoscience as an application of geology and geography to the military domain, and the historical development of the discipline. It should also be pointed out that the International Conferences on Military Geosciences (ICMG), which organises this biennial international conference, has over the past two decades also covered other aspects, such as conflict archaeology. The publication is further divided into three parts. The first part comprises three contributions covering military geoscience up to the 20th century. The first paper, by Chris Fuhriman and Jason Ridgeway, provides an insights into the Battle of Marathon through topography visualisation. The geography of the Marathon field, the valley between Mt. Cotroni and Mt. Agrieliki, allowed the Greek defenders to nullify the advantage of the Persian cavalry and archers, who were unable to develop their full potential. This is followed by a paper by Judy Ehlen, who explores the geological background of the Anglo-British coastal fortification system along the English Channel, focusing on the Portsmouth area of Hampshire. The author thus points out that changes in artillery technology and naval tactics between the 16th and 19th centuries necessitated changes in the construction of coastal fortifications, both in terms of the form of the fortifications and the method of construction, including the choice of basic building materials, as well as the siting of the fortifications in space. The next article is then dedicated to the Monte Baldo Fortress in north-eastern Italy, between Lake Garda and the Adige River. In his article, Francesco Premi analyses the presence of the fortress in the transition area between the Germanic world and the Mediterranean, and the importance of this part of Italy (at the southernmost part of the pre-Alpine mountains) in military history, as reflected in the large number of important military and war relics and monuments. The second part of the book, which is the most comprehensive, focuses on the two World Wars and consists of nine papers. The first paper in this part provides an analysis of the operation of trench warfare training camps in the Aube region of France. The group of authors, Jérôme Brenot, Yves Desfossés, Robin Perarnau, Marc Lozano and Alain Devos, initially note that static warfare training camps have not received much attention so far. Using aerial photography of the region dating from 1948 and surviving World War II photographic material, they identified some 20 sites where soldiers of the Entente forces were trained for front-line service in trenches. Combined archaeological and sociological fieldwork followed, confirming the presence of these camps, both through preserved remains and the collective memory. The second paper in this volume also concerns the survey on trenches, located in northern Italy in the Venezia Tridentina Veneto area in northern Italy. The authors Luigi Magnini, Giulia Rovera, Armando De Guio and Giovanni Azzalin thus use digital classification methods and archaeology to determine how Italian and Austro-Hungarian First World War trenches have been preserved or, in case they have disappeared, why this was the case, both from the point of view of the natural features as well as from the anthropological point of view of the restoration of the pre-war settings. The next paper, by Paolo Macini and Paolo Sammuri, analyses the activities of the miners and pioneers of the Italian Corps of Engineers during the First World War, in particular with regard to innovative approaches to underground mine warfare. In the Dolomites, the Italian engineers, using various listening devices, drilling machinery and geophysical methods, developed a system for drilling underground mine chambers, which they intended to use and actually used to destroy parts of Austro-Hungarian positions. The paper by Elena Dai Prà, Nicola Gabellieri and Matteo Boschian Bailo concerns the Italian Army's operations during the First World War. It focuses on the use of tactical maps with emphasis on typological classification, the use of symbols, and digital cartography. The authors thus analysed the tactical maps of the Italian Third Army, which were being constantly updated by plotting the changes in positions and tactical movements of both sides. These changes were examined both in terms of the use of new symbols and the analysis of the movements. This is followed by a geographical presentation of the Italian Army's activities during the First World War. The authors Paolo Plini, Sabina Di Franco and Rosamaria Salvatori have thus collected 21,856 toponyms by analysing documents and maps. The locations were also geolocated to give an overview of the places where the Italian Army operated during the First World War. The analysis initially revealed the complexity of the events on the battlefields, but also that the sources had misidentified the places of operation, as toponyms were misidentified, especially in the case of homonyms. Consequently, the area of operation was misidentified as well. In this respect, the case of Vipava was highlighted, which can refer to both a river and a settlement. The following paper is the first on the Second World War. It is the article by H. A. P. Smith on Italian prisoners of war in South Africa. The author outlines the circumstances in which Italian soldiers arrived to and lived in the southern African continent, and the contribution they made to the local environment and the society, and the remnants of their presence preserved to the present day. In their article, William W. Doe III and Michael R. Czaja analyse the history, geography and significance of Camp Hale in the state of Colorado. In doing so, they focus on the analysis of the military organization and its impact on the local community. Camp Hale was thus the first military installation of the U.S. Army, designated to test and train U.S. soldiers in mountain and alpine warfare. It was here that the U.S. 10th Mountain Division was formed, which concluded its war path on Slovenian soil. The Division's presence in this former camp, which was in military use also after the war until 1965, and in the surrounding area is still visible through numerous monuments. This is followed by a paper by Hermann Häusler, who deals with German military geography and geology on the Eastern Front of the Second World War. A good year before the German attack on the Soviet Union, German and Austrian military geologists began an analysis of the topography, population and infrastructure of the European part of the Soviet Union, which led to a series of publications, including maps showing the suitability of the terrain for military operations. During the war, military geological teams then followed the frontline units and carried out geotechnical tasks such as water supply, construction of fortifications, supply of building materials for transport infrastructure, and analysis of the suitability of the terrain for all-terrain driving of tracked and other vehicles. The same author also authored a paper in the next chapter, this time focusing on the activities of German military geologists in the Adriatic area. Similarly to his first contribution, the author presents the work of military geologists in northern Italy and north-western Slovenia. He also focuses on the construction of fortification systems in northern Italy and presents the work of karst hunters in the Operational Zone of the Adriatic Littoral. Part 3 covers the 21st century with five different papers (chapters). The first paper by Alexander K. Stewart deals with the operations of the U.S. Army specialised teams in Afghanistan. These Agribusiness Development Teams (ADTs) carried out a specialised form of counter-guerrilla warfare in which they sought to improve the conditions for the development of local communities through agricultural assistance to the local population. In this way, they were also counteracting support for the Taliban. The author notes that, in the decade after the programme's launch, the project had only a 19% success rate. However, he stresses that such forms of civil-military cooperation should be present in future operations. The next chapter, by Francis A. Galgan, analyses the activities of modern pirates through military-geographical or geological methods. Pirates, who pose a major international security threat, are present in four regions of the world: South and South-East Asia, East Africa and the Gulf of Guinea. Building on the data on pirate attacks between 1997 and 2017, the author shows the temporal and spatial patterns of pirate activities, as well as the influence of the geography of coastal areas on their activities. This is followed by another chapter with a maritime topic. Mark Stephen Blaine discusses the geography of territorial disputes in the South China Sea. Through a presentation of international law, the strategic importance of the sea (sea lanes, natural resources) and the overlapping territorial claims of China, Taiwan, Malaysia, Vietnam and Indonesia, the author shows the increasing level of conflict in the area and calls for the utmost efforts to be made to prevent the outbreak of hostilities or war. M. H. Bulmer's paper analyses the Turkish Armed Forces' activities in Syria from the perspective of military geology. The author focuses on the Kurdish forces' defence projects, which mainly involved the construction of gun trenches, observation towers or points, tunnels and underground facilities, as well as on the Turkish armed forces' actions against this military infrastructure. This involved both mountain and underground warfare activities. While these defensive infrastructures proved to be successful during the guerrilla warfare period, direct Turkish attacks on these installations demonstrated their vulnerability. The last chapter deals with the current operational needs and limitations of military geosciences from the perspective of the Austrian Armed Forces. Friedrich Teichmann points out that the global operational interest of states determines the need for accurate geo-data as well as geo-support in case of rapidly evolving requirements. In this context, geoscience must respond to new forms of threats, both asymmetric and cyber, at a time when resources for geospatial services are limited, which also requires greater synergy and an innovative approach to finding solutions among multiple stakeholders. This also includes increased digitisation, including the use of satellite and other space technologies. The number of chapters in the publication illustrates the breadth and depth of military geoscience, as well as the relevance of geoscience to past, present and future conflicts or military operations and missions. The current military operations in Ukraine demonstrate the need to take into account the geo-geological realities of the environment and that terrain remains one of the decisive factors for success on the battlefield, irrespective of the technological developments in military engineering and technology. This can also be an incentive for Slovenian researchers and the Slovenian Armed Forces to increase research activities in the field of military geosciences, especially in view of the rich military and war history in the geographically and geologically diverse territory of Slovenia.

Africa as a continent occupies one fifth of the earth’s land surface but possesses the largest natural resources on the earth’s surface. The continent is endowed with large deposits of coal, iron ore, asbestos, copper, gold, diamonds, uranium, emeralds, silver, chromium, cobalt, crude oil, quartz, aluminum, zinc, nickel, and platinum, to say the least. Together with this are large fresh water resources that labyrinth the continent pouring their contents into the inland lakes and oceans that surround the continent. The arable land is full of flora and fauna that attracts millions of tourists from around the world who pay large sums to see what the African takes for granted. Yet, the continent is home to millions reeling under chronic poverty, under nourished and under fed with unprecedented high levels of illiterate, unskilled, economically underdeveloped and unbankable populace. The Asian Tigers, China, India and Latin America have emerged as shining stars on the path to sustainable development, but Africa, the storehouse of natural wealth, lingers behind. This paper argues that the failure of Africa is a result of the failure of African leadership to come up with policies and programs specific to the context of the continent. Africa needs sustainable empowerment of the disadvantaged chronically poor millions that languish in poverty on the continent. The model suggests a developmental policy that uses “deliberate structures” to “deliberately empower” the indigenous African as fundamental to the economic development of the continent. Entrepreneurship as a developmental vehicle is modeled to provide in-built-solutions to the 21 causes of the failure of businesses. A model of projectised entrepreneurship using Africanized colonial resources is constructed with special emphasis on South Africa and its unique past. This will be supported deliberately by increasing start-ups at a reduced failure rate in place of perpetual handouts.

Abstract Africa is particularly vulnerable to climate change impacts, which threatens food security, ecosystem protection and restoration initiatives, and fresh water resources availability and quality. Groundwater largely contributes to the mitigation of climate change effects by offering short- to long-term transient water storage. However, groundwater storage remains extremely difficult to monitor. In this paper, we review the strengths and weaknesses of satellite remote sensing techniques for addressing groundwater quantity issues with a focus on GRACE space gravimetry, as well as concepts to combine satellite observations with numerical models and ground observations. One particular focus is the quantification of changes in groundwater resources in the different climatic regions of Africa and the discussion of possible climatic and anthropogenic drivers. We include a thorough literature review on studies that use satellite observations for groundwater research in Africa. Finally, we identify gaps in research and possible future directions for employing satellite remote sensing to groundwater monitoring and management on the African continent. Article Highlights Overview on the distribution and characteristics of African groundwater resources including future projections Combination of satellite and in situ observations with numerical models allows us to obtain a synoptic view of groundwater-related processes Summary of current concepts and achievements of satellite remote sensing-based groundwater monitoring and decision making over Africa

AbstractThe availability of streamflow records in Africa has been declining since the 1980s due to malfunctioning gauging stations and data collection failures. Africa also has insufficient hydrological information owing to the allocation of few resources to research efforts. Unreliable runoff datasets and large uncertainties in runoff trends due to climate change patterns and human activities are major challenges to water resource management in Africa. Therefore, this study aimed to improve runoff estimates and to assess runoff trend responses to climate change and human activities in Africa during 1981–2016. Using statistical methods, monthly gridded runoff datasets were generated for the period of 1981–2016 from a modified runoff curve number method calibrated with river discharge data from 535 gauging stations. According to the cross-validation results, the constructed runoff datasets comprised the Nash and Sutcliffe coefficients ranging from 0.5 to 1, coefficients of determination ranging from 0.5 to 1 and percent biases between ±25% for a large number of stations up to 73%, 80% and 91% of the 535 gauged catchments used as references. Analysis of runoff trend responses to climate change and human activities revealed that land cover change contributed more (72%) to the observed net runoff change (0.30%•a−1) than continental climate changes (28%). These contributions were results of cropland expansion rate of 0.46%•a−1 and a precipitation increase of 0.07%•a−1. The performance and simplicity of the statistical methods used in this study could be useful for improving runoff estimations in other regions with limited streamflow data data. The results of the current study could be important to natural resource managers and decision makers in terms of raising awareness of climate change adaptation strategies and agricultural land-use policies in Africa.

The strategic importance of fresh water for global water and food security will probably intensify under climate change which worsen the situation as it leads to increased frequency and intensity of climatic extremes such as flood, drought, cyclone, heat/ cold waves, alteration in water cycle, water resources depletion, increased variability of precipitation, salt water intrusion in aquifers, increasing irrigation demand, decreasing soil moisture and rapid evaporation of surface water and many more. This review provides an insight about climate change and its impact on quantity and quality of water, water scarcity on a global scale with emphasis on Indian water resources, its availability and conservation strategies to mitigate water scarcity. Global warming resulting in climate change is expected to account for about 20% of the global increase in water scarcity. Global water consumption has increased six fold in last century and in coming decades is expected to grow rapidly. By 2025, 1.8 billion people will be living in countries or regions with absolute water scarcity, and two-thirds of the world's population could be living under water stressed conditions. African continent is the worst affected by the scarcity of water. The gross per capita water availability in India will decline from about 1820 m3 per year in 2001 to as low as about 1140 m3 per year in 2050. It is estimated that the country would need 1180 billion cubic meters (BCM) of water annually by 2050. So, there is an urgent need of sustainable utilization of water resources, formulation of climate adaption strategies, making the people and government aware about shrinking water resources as well as taking urgent action for conservation and harvesting of water at local, national and global scale.

Fish is significant as a vector of disease pathogen of human and animals. The study of the helminthes parasites of Clarias gariepinus in Abraka was carried out to investigate the occurrence, prevalence and intensity of helminthes parasites in Clarias gariepinus; and to compare the helminthes parasites burden of the wild and cultured Clarias gariepinus in Abraka fresh water. A total number of four hundred and nine (409) Clarias gariepinus were examined. Collection of fish samples was done monthly for twelve months. The external parts of each fish were examined with a hand lens for the occurrence of helminthes parasites. Portions of the muscles were also teased apart in saline water and examined under the microscope first at x 40 and later x 100 oil immersion. Organs of the body were examined separately in petri dishes containing normal saline. The different groups of parasites recovered were preserved in formaldehyde and identified using prescribed methods. Of the 409 C. gariepinus examined, 172 were infected, showing an infection rate of 42.1%. C. gariepinus from the wild had a higher prevalence of 31.1% while those from culture ponds had a lower prevalence of 11%. A total of 485 parasites were recovered, comprising of 113 trematodes and 372 nematodes which represents 23.3% and 76.7% respectively. Identified trematodes included Diplosomum sp., Macrogyrodactylus sp., and Quadriancanthus sp., while namatodes included Procamallanus sp. and an Ascarid nematode. The highest intensity of infection of 3.11 was recorded in the Ascarid nematode while the least of 1.25 came from Diplostomum sp. in C. gariepinus caught from the wild. Although, there appears to be a lack of reported cases of the occurrence of the ascarid nematode that was recovered from the muscles of C. gariepinus in literature, it is evident from this study that it is a common endoparasite of the African catfish in Abraka freshwater.