Analysis and modelling of the pollutant emissions from European cars regarding the driving characteristics and test cycles

Within the European research project ARTEMIS, significant works have been conducted to analyse the hot emissions of pollutant from the passenger cars regarding the driving cycles and to propose modelling approaches taking into account large but heterogeneous datasets recorded in Europe. The review and analysis of a large range of test cycles enabled first the building-up of a set of contrasted cycles specifically designed for characterizing the influence of the driving conditions. These cycles were used for the measurement of the pollutants emission rates from nine passenger cars on a chassis dynamometer.Emissions measured on 30 vehicles tested on cycles adapted to their motorization (i.e., cycles for high- or low-powered cars, inducing thus a significant difference in the dynamic) were also considered for analysing the influence of the cycles and of the kinematic parameters on the hot emission rates of the regulated pollutants (CO, HC, NO_x, CO₂, PM). An analyses of variance demonstrated the preponderance of the driving type (urban, rural road, motorway), of the vehicle category (fuel, emission standard) and emitting status (high/normal emitter) and thus the pertinence of analysing and modelling separately the corresponding emissions. It also demonstrated that Urban driving led systematically to high diesel emission rates and to high CO₂, HC and NO_x emissions from petrol cars. Congested driving implied high CO₂ (diesel and petrol) and high diesel NO_x emission. On motorway, the very high speeds generated high CO₂, while unsteady speeds induced diesel NO_x and petrol CO over-emissions. A search for pertinent kinematic parameters showed that urban diesel emissions were mostly sensitive to stops and speed parameters, while petrol emissions were rather sensitive to acceleration parameters. On the motorway, diesel NO_x and CO₂ emissions rates increased with the speed variability and occurrence of high speeds, while CO₂ and CO over-emission from petrol cars were linked to the occurrence of strong acceleration at high speeds.A modelling approach based on partial least square regression was tested, which demonstrates its ability to discriminate satisfactorily the emissions according to dynamic related parameters and in particular when considering the two-dimensionnal distribution of instantaneous speed and acceleration.Finally, a strategy was proposed to analyse the large but heterogeneous set of hot emission data collected within the ARTEMIS project. The approach consisted in analysing the similarity of the numerous cycles as regards their kinematic, grouping them into reference test patterns through an automatic clustering, and then computing reference emissions for these patterns. These principles enabled the development of a method to compute the emissions at a low spatial scale, i.e. the so-called traffic situation approach, which was implemented in the European Artemis model for estimating the cars’ pollutant emissions.     

Ecological restoration as a strategy for mitigating and adapting to climate change: lessons and challenges from Brazil

Climate change is a global phenomenon that affects biophysical systems and human well-being. The Paris Agreement of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change entered into force in 2016 with the objective of strengthening the global response to climate change by keeping global temperature rise this century well below 2 °C above pre-industrial levels and to pursue efforts to limit the temperature increase even further to 1.5 °C. The agreement requires all Parties to submit their “nationally determined contributions” (NDCs) and to strengthen these efforts in the years ahead. Reducing carbon emissions from deforestation and forest degradation is an important strategy for mitigating climate change, particularly in developing countries with large forests. Extensive tropical forest loss and degradation have increased awareness at the international level of the need to undertake large-scale ecological restoration, highlighting the need to identify cases in which restoration strategies can contribute to mitigation and adaptation. Here we consider Brazil as a case study to evaluate the benefits and challenges of implementing large-scale restoration programs in developing countries. The Brazilian NDC included the target of restoring and reforesting 12 million hectares of forests for multiple uses by 2030. Restoration of native vegetation is one of the foundations of sustainable rural development in Brazil and should consider multiple purposes, from biodiversity and ecosystem services conservation to social and economic development. However, ecological restoration still presents substantial challenges for tropical and mega-diverse countries, including the need to develop plans that are technically and financially feasible, as well as public policies and monitoring instruments that can assess effectiveness. The planning, execution, and monitoring of restoration efforts strongly depend on the context and the diagnosis of the area with respect to reference ecosystems (e.g., forests, savannas, grasslands, wetlands). In addition, poor integration of climate change policies at the national and subnational levels and with other sectorial policies constrains the large-scale implementation of restoration programs. The case of Brazil shows that slowing deforestation is possible; however, this analysis highlights the need for increased national commitment and international support for actions that require large-scale transformations of the forest sector regarding ecosystem restoration efforts. Scaling up the ambitions and actions of the Paris Agreement implies the need for a global framework that recognizes landscape restoration as a cost-effective nature-based solution and that supports countries in addressing their remaining needs, challenges, and barriers.

     

EGG PRODUCTION AND HATCHING SUCCESS IN NORTH ADRIATIC SEA POPULATIONS OF THE COPEPOD Acartia clausi

Egg production, fecal pellet production and hatching success are reported for Acartia clausi females sampled during three cruises in February 1997, 1998 and June 1997 at 20-24 stations along 4 transects in the North Adriatic Sea. Dramatically low hatching rates were recorded during both diatom bloom events in February as opposed to much higher rates during post-bloom conditions in June, even though A. clausi productivity during the bloom was apparently high. These results are discussed in the light of recent findings on the negative impact of diatoms on copepod reproductive potential.     

Sustainable Cellular Biocomposites from Natural Fibers and Unsaturated Polyester Resin for Housing Panel Applications

Increased environmental awareness and interest in long-term sustainability of material resources has motivated considerable advancements in composite materials made from natural fibers and resins, or biocomposites. In spite of these developments the lower stiffness and strength of biocomposites has limited their applications to non-load-bearing components. This paper presents an overview of a study aimed at showing that the shortcomings of biocomposites can be overcome through hybrid material designs and efficient structural configurations to make them suitable for load bearing structural components. Hybrid blends of natural and synthetic fibers can significantly improve the characteristics of biocomposites with minimal cost and environmental impact, and hierarchical cellular designs can maximize material efficiency in structural components. Periodic and hierarchical cellular plate designs made from natural fibers and unsaturated polyester resin were evaluated experimentally and analytically. Stiffness, strength, and dimensional stability of all-biocomposite and hybrid natural–synthetic material systems were evaluated through material tests while structural performance of cellular plate designs was assessed through flexural tests on laboratory-scale samples. The experimental results were correlated with analytical models for short-fiber composites and cellular structures. The results showed that biocomposites have adequate short-term performance and that they can efficiently compete with housing panels made from conventional structural materials.     

Analysis of aerosol particles and coarse particulate matter concentrations in Chillán, Chile, 2001-2003

Daily particle samples were collected in Chillán, Chile, at six urban locations from September 1, 2001, through September 30, 2003. Aerosol samples were collected using monitors equipped with a Sierra Andersen 246-b cyclone inlet on Teflon filters. Average concentrations of coarse particulate matter (PM10) for the 2001-2003 period ranged from 43.4 microg/m3 to 81.8 microg/m3 across the six sites. Annual PM10 concentration levels exceeded the European Union concentration limits. Mean PM10 levels during the cold season (April through September) were more than twice as high as those observed in the warm season (October through March). Average contributions to PM10 from organic matter, soil dust, nitrate (NO3-), elemental carbon, ammonium (NH4+), and sulfate (SO4(2-)) were 31%, 27%, 11%, 8%, 7%, and 5%, respectively. The chemical analyses indicated that carbonaceous substances were the most abundant components of PM10 in cold months, whereas crustal material was the most abundant component of PM10 during warm months. Higher concentration levels were observed in the downtown area suggesting a clear anthropogenic origin, whereas in the rural sites the source was mainly natural, such as resuspended soil dust associated with traffic on unpaved roads and agricultural activities.     

Orientation of sandhoppers at different points along a dynamic shoreline in southern Tuscany

Orientation experiments were carried out on Talitrus saltator (Crustacea Amphipoda) at four points along 3 km on a dynamic sandy beach inside the Maremma Regional Park (Grosseto, Italy) to highlight behavioural variation related to distance from a river mouth, to erosion or accretion of shoreline, and to human trampling on the beach. Tests were performed using circular transparent Plexiglas arenas, contemporaneously at the four points. Replicates were made in 2 different months (September 2002 and May 2003), on 2–3 successive days, in the morning and afternoon. The distributions of the angles of orientation were compared for the different points and seasons, and multiple regression analysis was performed to test the effects of environmental and intrinsic variables on orientation. Sandhoppers showed the highest scatter at the eroded shoreline, intermediate scatter at the accreting beach most distant from the river mouth, and consistent orientation seaward at the least disturbed point. Orientation of sandhoppers was significantly affected by season, global radiation, time of day, distance from the river mouth, and human trampling. Sex and air humidity were of minor significance in the multiple regression model. The results, on the one hand, confirm plasticity in orientation of sandhoppers living on a dynamic shoreline, and on the other hand, show that variation in orientation could potentially be used as a bioindicator of shoreline changes.Communicated by R. Cattanevo-Vietti, Genova     

Can Eco-Labels Tune a Market? Evidence from Dolphin-Safe Labeling

In this paper we test whether the dolphin-safe labels altered consumer purchases of tuna. We also provide a partial measure of the total welfare effects of the dolphin-safe labeling policy. The results confirm our hypothesis that the dolphin–tuna controversy and the subsequent implementation of dolphin-safe labeling affected consumer behavior. Further, the paper provides market-based evidence that consumers can respond to eco-labels; the dolphin-safe label increased the market share of canned tuna. The welfare analysis provides a partial measure of society's willingness to pay to avoid personally contributing to dolphin mortality as a result of tuna fishing.