Water quality assessment, by statistical analysis, on rural and urban areas of Chocancharava River (Río Cuarto), Córdoba, Argentina

Water quality has degraded dramatically in the Chocancharava River (Río Cuarto, Córdoba, Argentina) due to point and non-point sources. This paper aims to assess spatial and temporal variations of physical and chemical parameters of the river. Six sampling sites and six sampling campaigns were developed. During the period 2007–2008, wet and dry seasons were included. A statistical analysis was carried out with 23 physical and chemical variables. Then, a new statistical analysis was carried out including the Riparian Corridors Quality Index and the physical and chemical variables (24 variables). Considering a multivariate system, analysis of variance, principal component analysis and cluster analysis were used. From the statistical analysis, the river was divided into two zones with different degrees of contamination. The most polluted zone is due to pollution inputs of urban, industrial and agricultural sources. This area showed a remarkable deterioration in water quality, mainly due to wastewater discharges. According to Riparian Quality, better results were found in sections of poor water quality, due to the fact that the river bank forest was less degraded downstream of the sewage discharge.     

Evaluation of levels, sources and distribution of toxic elements in PM10 in a suburban industrial region, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

The Oswaldo Cruz Foundation Campus (FIOCRUZ), in a suburban region of the city of Rio de Janeiro, was selected as a case study to assess the pollution released from vehicle and industrial facilities in Basin III, the most polluted area of the city. Concentrations of particulate matter (PM10) and trace metals in airborne particles were determined in an intensive field campaign. The samplings were performed every six days for 24 h periods, using a PM10 high volume sampler, from September 2004 to August 2005. PM10 mass concentrations were determined gravimetrically and the metals by ICP-OES. For PM10, the arithmetic mean for the period is 169 ± 42 μg m⁻³ which is 3.4 times the national recommended standard of 50 μg m⁻³. Additionally, 51% of the samplings exceeded the recommended 24 h limit of 150 μg m⁻³. Ca, Mg, Fe, Zn and Al were the metals that presented the higher concentrations. The correlation matrix gave two main clusters and three significant principal components (PC). Both PC1 and PC2 are associated to crustal, vehicular and industrial emissions while PC3 is mainly associated to geological material. Enrichment factors for Zn, Cu, Cd and Pb indicate that for these elements, anthropic sources prevail over natural inputs. PM10 levels showed a good correlation with hospital admissions for respiratory diseases in children and elderly people.     

Characterization of water reservoirs affected by acid mine drainage: geochemical,mineralogical, and biological (diatoms) properties of the water

This work presents a combination of geochemical, mineralogical, and biological data obtained in water reservoirs located in one of the most paradigmatic mining regions, suffering from acid mine drainage (AMD) problems: the Iberian Pyrite Belt (IPB). Four water reservoirs located in the Spanish sector of the IBP, storing water for different purposes, were selected to achieve an environmental classification based on the effects of AMD: two mining dams (Gossan and Águas Ácidas), a reservoir for industrial use (Sancho), and one with water used for human supply (Andévalo). The results indicated that the four reservoirs are subject to the effect of metallic loads from polluted rivers, although with different levels: Águas Ácidas > Gossan > Sancho ≥ Andévalo. In accordance, epipsammic diatom communities have differences in the respective composition and dominant taxa. The dominant diatoms in each reservoir indicated acid water: Pinnularia acidophila and Pinnularia aljustrelica were found in the most acidic dams (Gossan and Águas Ácidas, with pH <3), Pinnularia subcapitata in Sancho (pH 2.48–5.82), and Eunotia exigua in Andévalo (pH 2.34–6.15).     

A data envelopment analysis approach to choose transport modes based on eco-efficiency

The main purpose of this paper is to use data envelopment analysis (DEA) as a support tool to establish a relative eco-efficiency measure for the different bioethanol transportation modes and to prioritize these different modes according to these figures. From a review of previous studies, we selected a set of attributes to be considered in DEA, and then experts were consulted about the importance of these attributes for this type of analysis in Brazil. To quantify the attributes, we established indicators and submitted them to DEA to evaluate the relative eco-efficiency to each available transportation mode for the case studied. The use of DEA established the guidelines to improve the transportation modes that were not considered 100?% relatively eco-efficient. These improvements could be achieved considering the percentage, reduction or growth for each of the attributes in the selected transportation mode. The proposed approach can help the Brazilian government to develop a plan to improve the bioethanol transportation infrastructure and can be used to propel short-term improvements in the highway transport of bioethanol, which could be useful given the Brazilian transportation context.     

Evaluation of the efficiency of a Venturi scrubber in particulate matter collection smaller than 2.5 µm emitted by biomass burning

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - Energy demand has increased worldwide, and biomass burning is one of the solutions most used by industries, especially in countries that have a great...     

Could alternative energy sources in the transport sector decarbonise the economy without compromising economic growth?

There are numerous challenges that evaluators face when determining the success of urban climate resilience initiatives (e.g., how to attribute impacts to initiatives). Fortunately, a growing body of literature—much of it dealing with climate change adaptation—has emerged which can help address these challenges. This narrative review of academic and grey literature reviews various monitoring and evaluation methods that can assess the inputs, processes, outputs, outcomes, and impacts that result from climate resilience planning and action. Since there is no commonly accepted monitoring and evaluation approach, the literature stresses the importance of acknowledging the context in which resilience is being evaluated, in order to ensure that appropriate methods are chosen. This context includes the ways that the resilience framework and definition chosen for a project constrain and determine the monitoring and evaluation approaches which can be adopted. As a result of this, a blend of quantitative and qualitative approaches is often recommended, with sufficient evidence suggesting that qualitative approaches (e.g., outcome harvesting) are essential. Nuanced approaches to monitoring and evaluation give evaluators additional means of reporting progress, and of demonstrating success, which is especially important as cities begin to implement resilience initiatives in the coming years.     

DETERMINING THE ACCURACY OF COHERENT OPTICAL IDENTIFICATION OF DIATOMS1

ABSTRACT: The discriminating capability of a coherent optical processor in identifying diatom species was tested using 25 species selected by diatom taxonomists. A 25 × 25 matrix of auto- and cross-correlations was used for this purpose. In no case did cross-correlation signals approach the intensity of auto-correlations indicating that false identifications were extremely improbable. Shape and height differences of the cross-correlation signals can be attributed to variations in diatom shapes, sizes, and cell wall morphology.     

Domestic versus foreign energy use: an analysis for four European countries

Environment, Development and Sustainability - In order to adequately assess energy policies and set clear objectives, a key preliminary step is to know the energy use patterns of the different...     

Atrazine toxicity to Handroanthus heptaphyllus,a nontarget species from a Brazilian biome threatened by agriculture

The economic basis of the Brazilian midwest is agriculture, concentrating most of the grain production in the country. With the purpose of increasing yield, farmers have intensified land use and the use of atrazine among other pesticides, which can supposedly compromise human health and photosynthetic metabolism of plant species from Cerrado, such as Handroanthus heptaphyllus. The aim of this study was to determine experimentally the sensitivity level of H. heptaphyllus to atrazine, by measuring gas exchange, chlorophyll a fluorescence, chloroplastidic pigments, and membrane permeability. The experiment was conducted in a factorial scheme. Nine‐month‐old H. heptaphyllus plants were treated with six realistic doses of atrazine: 0, 25, 50, 100, 200, and 400 g a.i. ha^–1 (corresponding to 10, 20, 40, 80, and 100% of the commercial dose recommended for corn crops, respectively), with five replications. Evaluations were performed at 12, 36, 84, 180, and 276 h after treatment application. Photosynthesis, the effective quantum yield of photosystem II, and electron transport rate were gradually reduced by the action of atrazine. On the other hand, the nonphotochemical quenching increased gradually, which indicates that this mechanism was not sufficient to avoid oxidative stress and cellular damage in H. heptaphyllus treated plants. Based on these results, we concluded that the action of the herbicide in the photosynthetic reduction occurs by the electron transport rate limitation. Therefore, H. heptaphyllus trees are at risk in Cerrado areas next to agricultural lands.