In an age of globalisation and hyperconnectivity, the COVID-19 pandemic has caused unprecedented and sustained impact worldwide. This article discusses issues related to (science) communication at different phases of the COVID-19 epidemic timeline. We consider the role of communication for prevention from the ecological perspective, taking into consideration that many emerging pathogens, including COVID-19, likely arise in part due to anthropogenic changes to natural environments. Communication forms part of the early response setting the scene for public buy-in of public health interventions at the start of an outbreak, as well as to maintain precautions over time. Finally, communication is a key element in increasing acceptance for new tools that require mass uptake to be effective, as seen with roll-out challenges for the COVID-19 vaccines, which faced heightened concerns of efficacy and safety while mired with rampant misinformation. Ultimately, strategies for prevention of viral epidemics such as COVID-19 must include communication strategies at the forefront to reduce the risk of the emergence of new diseases and enhance efforts to control their spread and burden. Despite key themes emerging, what constitutes effective communication strategies for different people and contexts needs to be investigated further.

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Halophyte agriculture in marginal soils using saline water offers a sustainable solution for generating biomass feedstock for carbon-neutral aviation biofuels. A full-scale sustainable energy and agriculture system (SEAS) demonstration is planned for the Abu Dhabi coast, where evaporitic gypsiferous soils pose a challenge to long-term operation because of the potential for land degradation. In this study, geochemical modelling on the Geochemist's Work Bench (GWB®) platform was employed to: (1) Evaluate the feasibility of using coastal groundwater versus seawater as irrigation feedwater; (2) determine the change in agricultural return water salinity through site-specific soils upon different seawater irrigation rates; and, (3) assess mineral deposition effects in the soil column as a function of site-specific soil characteristics at candidate sites over a one-year period of continuous seawater irrigation. Evaporation modelling was used to evaluate potential feedwater sources while varying feedwater composition and electrolyte activity coefficient models. 1-D saturated-flow advection-precipitation/dissolution modelling was utilized to assess return water quality and mineral deposition as a function of both the electrolyte activity coefficient model and the mineral composition of site-specific soils. Results pointed to seawater as the more viable feedwater option compared to coastal groundwater because of slower onset of precipitation. This effort demonstrated that soil type did not influence agricultural return water salinity (except for strongly gypsic soils) but influenced mineral precipitation under surficial evaporation conditions. Porosity loss correlated with layers of mineral deposition. The study points to the need for careful selection of land and saline water resources for the sustainable farming of halophytes.

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