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Abstract In the next 25 years an unprecedented number of new marine artificial structures, over 75,000 offshore wind turbines alone, are planned to meet global net zero targets. Structures are required to last for multiple decades in the hostile marine environment; where the largest cost across their whole lifecycle is on operations and maintenance dependent on accessibility in calm seas. However, the role of climate change on accessibility, and thus operational cost, has not been resolved. Here we provide the first study of future accessibility; evaluated from global climate model driven wave modelling, using the high emission scenario (RCP8.5). We found that climate change drives significant regional variation in accessibility, with the northern hemisphere benefiting from a 6% increase in operating windows whilst accessibility in parts of the southern hemisphere is reduced by 6-9%. These findings will help offshore developers and stakeholders incorporate adaptions to climate change as part of strategic planning practices.

Slurry transportation is an essential process in numerous industrial applications, widely studied for its efficiency in material conveyance. Despite substantial research, the impact of pipe wall roughness on critical metrics such as pressure drop, specific energy consumption (SEC), and the Nusselt number remains relatively underexplored. This study provides a detailed analysis using a three-dimensional computational model of a slurry pipeline, with a 0.0549 m diameter and 3.8 m length. The model employs an Eulerian multiphase approach coupled with the RNG k-ε turbulence model, assessing slurry concentrations Cw = 40–60% (by weight). Simulations were conducted at flow velocities Vm = 1–5 m/s, with pipe roughness (Rh) ranging between 10 and 50 µm. Computational findings indicate that both pressure drop and SEC increase proportionally with roughness height, Vm, and Cw. Interestingly, the Nusselt number appears unaffected by roughness height, although it rises corresponds to Vm, and Cw. These insights offer a deeper understanding of slurry pipeline dynamics, informing strategies to enhance operational efficiency and performance across various industrial contexts.

The growing concern on global warming has pushed to set ambitious targets of carbon neutrality or net zero at the water sector. Meanwhile, poor data availability has been reported to restrict the national assessment of climate impacts and mitigation strategies in water sector. In national greenhouse gas (GHG) inventories, water sector is embedded in other sectors' emissions making it difficult to monitor separately. This study presents a national scale evaluation of climate change impacts for water sector in Finland based on life cycle analysis (LCA). In addition, the effectiveness of currently available emission reduction measures is evaluated by scenario analysis until the year 2035. According to the results, the life cycle climate change impacts from the Finnish municipal water sector were 0,67 (0,46-0,88) million tonnes CO2-eq./year (142.8 (98.9-187.1) kg CO2-eq./person/year). Drinking water services accounted for 12.5-13.9 % and wastewater services 86.1-87.4 % of the total emissions. With currently feasible emission reduction measures, the climate change impacts could be reduced approximately 14-30 % in total by 2035. The aim of carbon neutrality in the water sector was found to be unrealistic to achieve with existing and currently feasible measures for Finland and thus significant new emission mitigation measures are needed. The vague definition of carbon neutrality and system boundary of water sector as well as the uncertainties related to the assessment of direct emissions, undermine the credibility of the ambitiously set target. Prioritizing emission offsets to reach the target may inadvertently lead to unintended negative consequences due to the limitations and incompleteness of offset methods.

Ozone (O3), a major air pollutant, can negatively impact plant growth and yield. While O3 impacts have been widely documented in crops such as wheat and soybean, few studies have looked at the effects of O3 on sorghum, a C4 plant and the fifth most important cereal crop worldwide. We exposed grain sorghum (Sorghum bicolor cv. HAT150843) to a range of O3 concentrations (daytime mean O3 concentrations ranged between 20 and 97 ppb) in open-top chambers, and examined how whole plant and leaf morphological traits varied in response to O3 exposure. Results showed no significant impact of realistic O3 exposure on whole plant biomass and its partitioning in sorghum. These findings suggest that sorghum is generally resistant to O3 and should be considered as a favourable crop in O3 polluted regions, while acknowledging further research is needed to understand the mechanistic basis of O3 tolerance in sorghum.

CONTEXT: Flanders, a densely populated region in Belgium, faces challenges in balancing agricultural production with renewable energy targets. Agrivoltaic systems combine solar energy and agricultural activity on the same field and can increase land productivity while simultaneously expanding the share of renewables. However, its potential and implications for the region is geographically complex. OBJECTIVE: This research aims to assess the suitability of Flanders' 658,000 ha agricultural land for agrivoltaic systems, using a geographical multi criteria decision analysis (MCDA), considering environmental, technical, agronomic, and cultural criteria to optimize land use for simultaneous food and energy production. METHODS: We describe a Geographic information system Multiple-criteria decision analysis (GIS-MCDA) using QGis-software. Expert stakeholder input was incorporated by applying the pairwise comparison method from the analytical hierarchical process (AHP). Criterion weights are applied to seven classifiers: irradiance, soil suitability, slope, orientation (aspect), crop type, flood risk and distance to roads/grid. Areas with particular societal, ecological, economic, and historical importance are excluded. The resulting scores are then placed in their agronomic and energy context. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: Our analysis indicates that 60.4 % of Flanders' farmland is well suited for agrivoltaic development, and that 9 % of farmland under AV would suffice to meet future energy targets in combination with rooftop PV. After our analysis, 11.5 % of total agricultural land was classified as less suitable, 28.74 % as somewhat suitable, 19.40 % as suitable and 12.22 % as very suitable. SIGNIFICANCE: Transitioning away from fossil fuels requires a multi-facetted approach. Agrivoltaic systems can contribute to this shift, opening up additional land without significantly compromising farm revenue. This study presents insights into the feasibility and geographic potential of agrivoltaic systems in densely populated regions with intensive agriculture like Flanders and can serve as a base for future discussion regarding dual land use planning decisions locally and abroad. We would like to thank all participants of the survey, as well as Marleen Gysen and Tom Schaeken (Boerenbond) for organizing the dissemination events making it possible to reach the appropriate expert audience. Special thanks also to Gabriele Torma (Aarhus University) for helping set up the survey. Also, thanks to Wim Clymans (VITO) for providing feedback on the draft manuscript and Andreas Harlander (Krinner GMBH) for the use of their photo. This work was supported by the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme project “HyPErFarm” [grant number 101000828]; a Flanders Innovation and Entrepreneurship (VLAIO) “TETRA” grant project “Agrivoltaics” [grant number HBC.2019.2049]; and a VLAIO LA-traject grant “Agri-PV” [grant number HBC.2022.0920]. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.