Carbon stocks and losses to deforestation in protected areas in Brazilian Amazonia

Regional Environmental Change - By 2014 approximately 2.2 million km2 (~43%) of Brazil’s Legal Amazonia region had been incorporated into an extensive network of 718 protected areas, which...     

Development of a Practical Method to Detect Noroviruses Contamination in Composite Meals

Various methods to detect foodborne viruses including norovirus (NoV) in contaminated food have been developed. However, a practical method suitable for routine examination that can be applied for the detection of NoVs in oily, fatty, or emulsive food has not been established. In this study, we developed a new extraction and concentration method for detecting NoVs in contaminated composite meals. We spiked NoV-GI.4 or -GII.4 stool suspension into potato salad and stir-fried noodles. The food samples were suspended in homogenizing buffer and centrifuged to obtain a food emulsion. Then, anti-NoV-GI.4 or anti-NoV-GII.4 rabbit serum raised against recombinant virus-like particles or commercially available human gamma globulin and Staphylococcus aureus fixed with formalin as a source of protein A were added to the food emulsion. NoV-IgG-protein A-containing bacterial complexes were collected by centrifugation, and viral RNA was extracted. The detection limits of NoV RNA were 10–35 copies/g food for spiked NoVs in potato salad and stir-fried noodles. Human gamma globulin could also concentrate other NoV genotypes as well as other foodborne viruses, including sapovirus, hepatitis A virus, and adenovirus. This newly developed method can be used as to identify NoV contamination in composite foods and is also possibly applicable to other foodborne viruses.     

The quality of Albanian natural waters and the human impact

Albania possesses a wealth of aquatic ecosystems, many of enormous natural and biological value, such as the Lakes Ohrid, Prespa and Shkodra, glacial lakes, river valleys, and coastal lagoons. Although many habitats are highly polluted by inorganic and organic wastes, detailed knowledge on the water quality is still lacking. For the first time, an environmental assessment of the water quality is presented and the main polluting sources identified. As a consequence, a systematic control and the establishment of routine monitoring of surface and groundwater is proposed, which elucidates the present environmental state and helps to develop new strategies of waste and wastewater management. It would help allow Albania to reach an international standard in environmental protection, as a part of UNECE Convention, the Mediterranean Action Plan, the MAP/UNEP Medpol Program and the Basel Convention.     

Shift in apparent contrast of disc at Secchi disc depth in coastal sea areas

The relationship between Secchi disc depth and amount of suspended material in seawater varies depending on the particular marine area. To identify the cause of this dependence, we calculated the apparent contrast (C _SD) at each Secchi disc depth in different coastal sea areas. When the turbidity from the surface to the Secchi disc depth was uniform, the C _SD was distributed in the range of 1.3 to 0.001 for a Secchi disc depth (Z _SD) of 2–18 m. Z _SD tended to decrease as C _SD became larger. The dominant wavelength for the sea color was 475–500 nm for a Secchi disc depth of 13–18 m, and 500–575 nm for a Z_SD of 2–6 m, shifting to longer wavelengths as the Secchi disc depth increased. That is, when Z _SD decreased, the dominant wavelength of the sea color, and the C _SD increased simultaneously. This phenomenon seems to occur because the contrast threshold for the human eye is higher at longer wavelengths. In other words, the contrast threshold is visibly indistinguishable when the apparent contrast in ocean waters with low Secchi disc depths is high. This phenomenon occurs because the human eye is affected by the color of the sea.     

Brazil’s Amazonian protected areas as a bulwark against regional climate change

Regional Environmental Change - Brazil’s Amazonian protected areas play an important role in maintaining the environmental services of the region, including Amazonia’s role in regional...     

Limnological study on a newly built drinking water reservoir near Tirana, Albania

Bovilla Lake is a reservoir constructed 12 years ago for supplying the city of Tirana (Albania) mainly with drinking water. It has a surface area of 4.6 km(2), a maximum depth of originally 60 m and is monomictic with a stratification period from early spring to end of October. The lake is oligotrophic with low nutrient concentrations (e.g. SRP in spring about 8 μg L(?-1)) and minor oxygen depletion in the hypolimnion during thermal stagnation. The lake is highly turbid due to severe particle import by several rivers during rain periods. This led to a massive deposition of sediments, lifting the maximum depth to 45 m in 2008. Furthermore, the photic zone reached hardly more than 10 m. Algal species diversity is high; however, diatoms from the genus Cyclotella dominate most of the year both in numbers and biomass. Our study describes for the first time the hydrography and limnology of the Bovilla Reservoir.