Fellowship of the Spring: An initiative to document and protect the world's oases

Roderick J. Fensham; Rouhollah Adinehvand; Sally Babidge; Marco Cantonati; Matthew Currell; Linda Daniele; Alper Elci; Diana M.P. Galassi; África de la Hera Portillo; Salah Hamad; Dongmei Han; Hussain Ali Jawadi; Jaafar Jotheri; Boris Laffineur; Alsharifa Hind Mohammad; Alireza Naqinezhad; Amin Navidtalab; Kathleen Nicoll; Taleb Odeh; Viviana Re; Bernard Sanjuan; Valeria Souza; Lawrence E. Stevens; Memory Tekere; Ernest Tshibalo; Jennifer Silcock; John Webb; Braam van Wyk; Mehrdad Zamanpoore; Karen G. Villholth

doi:10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.163936

Fellowship of the Spring: An initiative to document and protect the world's oases

Roderick J. Fensham
, Rouhollah Adinehvand
, Sally Babidge
, Marco Cantonati
, Matthew Currell
, Linda Daniele
, Alper Elci
, Diana M.P. Galassi
, África de la Hera Portillo
, Salah Hamad
, Dongmei Han
, Hussain Ali Jawadi
, Jaafar Jotheri
, Boris Laffineur
, Alsharifa Hind Mohammad
, Alireza Naqinezhad
, Amin Navidtalab
, Kathleen Nicoll
, Taleb Odeh
, Viviana Re

Bernard Sanjuan, Valeria Souza, Lawrence E. Stevens, Memory Tekere, Ernest Tshibalo, Jennifer Silcock, John Webb, Braam van Wyk, Mehrdad Zamanpoore, Karen G. Villholth

Research output: Contribution to Journal › Comment / Letter to the editor › Academic

Abstract

An ‘oasis’ signifies a refugium of safety, recovery, relaxation, fertility, and productivity in an inhospitable desert, a sweet spot in a barren landscape where life-giving water spills forth from the Earth. Remarkable mythological congruencies exist across dryland cultures worldwide where oases or ‘arid-land springs’ occur. In many places they also provide specialised habitats for an extraordinary array of endemic organisms. To inform their management, and maintain their integrity, it is essential to understand the hydrogeology of aquifers and springs. Gravity-fed vs artesian aquifers; actively recharged vs fossil aquifers, and sources of geothermal activity are important concepts presented here. There consequences for oases of sustainable and unsustainable groundwater extraction, and other examples of effective conservation management. Oases are archetypes for human consciousness, habitats that deserve protection and conservation, and a lingua franca for multicultural values and scientific exchange. We represent an international Fellowship of the Spring seeking to encompass and facilitate the stewardship of oases and aquifers through improved knowledge, outreach, and governance.

Original language	English
Article number	163936
Journal	Science of the Total Environment
Volume	887
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.163936
Publication status	Published - 20 Aug 2023
Externally published	Yes

Funding

This article is dedicated to Somaye Moghimi who was working with the first author on the database underpinning this project. She was dedicated to understanding the springs in her country Iran. She was also proud of her Persian culture and held great aspirations for her country. Somaye was killed on 29 October 2022 during the crowd crush in Seoul.

Access to Document

10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.163936

Persistent URL (handle)

Persistent link

Cite this

Fensham, R. J., Adinehvand, R., Babidge, S., Cantonati, M., Currell, M., Daniele, L., Elci, A., Galassi, D. M. P., de la Hera Portillo, Á., Hamad, S., Han, D., Jawadi, H. A., Jotheri, J., Laffineur, B., Mohammad, A. H., Naqinezhad, A., Navidtalab, A., Nicoll, K., Odeh, T., ... Villholth, K. G. (2023). Fellowship of the Spring: An initiative to document and protect the world's oases. Science of the Total Environment, 887, Article 163936. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.163936

@article{c43db178735b44678dcd8002c6cb7742,

title = "Fellowship of the Spring: An initiative to document and protect the world's oases",

abstract = "An {\textquoteleft}oasis{\textquoteright} signifies a refugium of safety, recovery, relaxation, fertility, and productivity in an inhospitable desert, a sweet spot in a barren landscape where life-giving water spills forth from the Earth. Remarkable mythological congruencies exist across dryland cultures worldwide where oases or {\textquoteleft}arid-land springs{\textquoteright} occur. In many places they also provide specialised habitats for an extraordinary array of endemic organisms. To inform their management, and maintain their integrity, it is essential to understand the hydrogeology of aquifers and springs. Gravity-fed vs artesian aquifers; actively recharged vs fossil aquifers, and sources of geothermal activity are important concepts presented here. There consequences for oases of sustainable and unsustainable groundwater extraction, and other examples of effective conservation management. Oases are archetypes for human consciousness, habitats that deserve protection and conservation, and a lingua franca for multicultural values and scientific exchange. We represent an international Fellowship of the Spring seeking to encompass and facilitate the stewardship of oases and aquifers through improved knowledge, outreach, and governance.",

author = "Fensham, \{Roderick J.\} and Rouhollah Adinehvand and Sally Babidge and Marco Cantonati and Matthew Currell and Linda Daniele and Alper Elci and Galassi, \{Diana M.P.\} and \{de la Hera Portillo\}, {\'A}frica and Salah Hamad and Dongmei Han and Jawadi, \{Hussain Ali\} and Jaafar Jotheri and Boris Laffineur and Mohammad, \{Alsharifa Hind\} and Alireza Naqinezhad and Amin Navidtalab and Kathleen Nicoll and Taleb Odeh and Viviana Re and Bernard Sanjuan and Valeria Souza and Stevens, \{Lawrence E.\} and Memory Tekere and Ernest Tshibalo and Jennifer Silcock and John Webb and \{van Wyk\}, Braam and Mehrdad Zamanpoore and Villholth, \{Karen G.\}",

year = "2023",

month = aug,

day = "20",

doi = "10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.163936",

language = "English",

volume = "887",

journal = "Science of the Total Environment",

issn = "0048-9697",

publisher = "Elsevier B.V.",

}

Fensham, RJ, Adinehvand, R, Babidge, S, Cantonati, M, Currell, M, Daniele, L, Elci, A, Galassi, DMP, de la Hera Portillo, Á, Hamad, S, Han, D, Jawadi, HA, Jotheri, J, Laffineur, B, Mohammad, AH, Naqinezhad, A, Navidtalab, A, Nicoll, K, Odeh, T, Re, V, Sanjuan, B, Souza, V, Stevens, LE, Tekere, M, Tshibalo, E, Silcock, J, Webb, J, van Wyk, B, Zamanpoore, M & Villholth, KG 2023, 'Fellowship of the Spring: An initiative to document and protect the world's oases', Science of the Total Environment, vol. 887, 163936. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.163936

TY - JOUR

T1 - Fellowship of the Spring

T2 - An initiative to document and protect the world's oases

AU - Fensham, Roderick J.

AU - Adinehvand, Rouhollah

AU - Babidge, Sally

AU - Cantonati, Marco

AU - Currell, Matthew

AU - Daniele, Linda

AU - Elci, Alper

AU - Galassi, Diana M.P.

AU - de la Hera Portillo, África

AU - Hamad, Salah

AU - Han, Dongmei

AU - Jawadi, Hussain Ali

AU - Jotheri, Jaafar

AU - Laffineur, Boris

AU - Mohammad, Alsharifa Hind

AU - Naqinezhad, Alireza

AU - Navidtalab, Amin

AU - Nicoll, Kathleen

AU - Odeh, Taleb

AU - Re, Viviana

AU - Sanjuan, Bernard

AU - Souza, Valeria

AU - Stevens, Lawrence E.

AU - Tekere, Memory

AU - Tshibalo, Ernest

AU - Silcock, Jennifer

AU - Webb, John

AU - van Wyk, Braam

AU - Zamanpoore, Mehrdad

AU - Villholth, Karen G.

PY - 2023/8/20

Y1 - 2023/8/20

N2 - An ‘oasis’ signifies a refugium of safety, recovery, relaxation, fertility, and productivity in an inhospitable desert, a sweet spot in a barren landscape where life-giving water spills forth from the Earth. Remarkable mythological congruencies exist across dryland cultures worldwide where oases or ‘arid-land springs’ occur. In many places they also provide specialised habitats for an extraordinary array of endemic organisms. To inform their management, and maintain their integrity, it is essential to understand the hydrogeology of aquifers and springs. Gravity-fed vs artesian aquifers; actively recharged vs fossil aquifers, and sources of geothermal activity are important concepts presented here. There consequences for oases of sustainable and unsustainable groundwater extraction, and other examples of effective conservation management. Oases are archetypes for human consciousness, habitats that deserve protection and conservation, and a lingua franca for multicultural values and scientific exchange. We represent an international Fellowship of the Spring seeking to encompass and facilitate the stewardship of oases and aquifers through improved knowledge, outreach, and governance.

AB - An ‘oasis’ signifies a refugium of safety, recovery, relaxation, fertility, and productivity in an inhospitable desert, a sweet spot in a barren landscape where life-giving water spills forth from the Earth. Remarkable mythological congruencies exist across dryland cultures worldwide where oases or ‘arid-land springs’ occur. In many places they also provide specialised habitats for an extraordinary array of endemic organisms. To inform their management, and maintain their integrity, it is essential to understand the hydrogeology of aquifers and springs. Gravity-fed vs artesian aquifers; actively recharged vs fossil aquifers, and sources of geothermal activity are important concepts presented here. There consequences for oases of sustainable and unsustainable groundwater extraction, and other examples of effective conservation management. Oases are archetypes for human consciousness, habitats that deserve protection and conservation, and a lingua franca for multicultural values and scientific exchange. We represent an international Fellowship of the Spring seeking to encompass and facilitate the stewardship of oases and aquifers through improved knowledge, outreach, and governance.

UR - https://www.scopus.com/pages/publications/85162866843

UR - https://www.scopus.com/pages/publications/85162866843#tab=citedBy

U2 - 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.163936

DO - 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.163936

M3 - Comment / Letter to the editor

SN - 0048-9697

VL - 887

JO - Science of the Total Environment

JF - Science of the Total Environment

M1 - 163936

ER -

Fellowship of the Spring: An initiative to document and protect the world's oases

Abstract

Funding

Access to Document

Persistent URL (handle)

Other files and links

Fingerprint

Cite this