Recent developments in the analysis of Large Wood dynamics in fluvial systems

Environmental Fluid Mechanics -     

Post‐earthquake rehabilitation of the rural water systems in Kashmir's Jehlum Valley

After the devastating earthquake of 8 October 2005 in Kashmir, international organizations provided the Pakistani government with relief and reconstruction assistance. Under the oft‐cited motto ‘rebuild better’, many of these efforts targeted the rural areas. The emergency period was followed by a development phase, during which all actors sought to ensure that their reconstruction projects would have long‐term, sustainable impacts. Based on the authors’ experience during that phase, this paper offers specific guidelines for rehabilitation work on Kashmir's rural water supply system, stressing the need for analysis of the social context to guarantee sustainability of the completed projects.     

Fe and As geochemical self-removal dynamics in mineral waters: evidence from the Ferrarelle groundwater system (Riardo Plain,Southern Italy)

Environmental Geochemistry and Health - A theoretical pattern for Fe and As co-precipitation was tested directly in a groundwater natural system. Several monitoring wells were sampled to identify...     

Gathering new knowledge from existing monitoring dataset of Campania marine coastal area (Southern Italy)

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - In this study we propose, a multi-step strategy of selection and characterization of long-term dataset of contaminant concentrations in different...     

Solid state dehalogenation of PCBs in contaminated soil using NaBH4

In this work we present the results of an experimental study on the abatement of polychlorinated biphenyl (PCBs) in contaminated soil using a high energy milling technique, that promotes a reaction only by impact between milling bodies. A sample of soil from a controlled landfill was treated with powdered NaBH(4) using two different hydride/soil ratios (5 and 2.5% w/w). The efficiency of the dehalogenation/hydrogenation reaction was studied as a function of the milling time (3.5 up to 30 h). After each run, the total PCBs content and the production of inorganic chloride were measured. The complete abatement was obtained with a starting PCBs concentration of about 2600 mg/kg. The residual PCBs concentration resulted to be <0.2 mg/kg. The final products of the treatment were biphenyl and NaCl. Other toxic or hazardous organic by-products were not generated. Boron was found as boric acid.     

Behavioural evidence for the involvement of Dufour’s gland secretion in nestmate recognition in the social wasp Polistes dominulus (Hymenoptera: Vespidae)

The results of recent studies by our group have suggested that in social wasps of the genus Polistes the Dufour’s gland is involved in kin recognition. In fact, the same hydrocarbons occurring on the cuticle are found in the gland secretion, and in P. dominulus the composition of the glandular secretion is more similar in foundresses belonging to the same colonies than in heterocolonial foundresses. In this study, P. dominulus colonies were experimentally presented with previously treated dead conspecific females. These lures had been deprived of their epicuticular lipids and coated with epicuticular or Dufour’s gland secretion extracts from females hetero- or homocolonial with respect to the tested colonies. The behaviour of the colonies towards these lures indicates that, like the epicuticular lipids, the Dufour’s gland secretion is involved in nestmate recognition. Received: 14 August 1995/Accepted after revision: 5 November 1995     

Modeling the vegetation-atmosphere carbon dioxide and water vapor interactions along a controlled CO2 gradient

Ecosystem functioning is intimately linked to its physical environment by complex two-way interactions. These two-way interactions arise because vegetation both responds to the external environment and actively regulates its micro-environment. By altering stomatal aperture, and therefore the transpiration rate, plants modify soil moisture and atmospheric humidity and these same physical variables, in return, modify stomatal conductance. Relationships between biotic and abiotic components are particularly strong in closed, managed environments such as greenhouses and growth chambers, which are used extensively to investigate ecosystem responses to climatic drivers. Model-assisted designs that account for the physiological dynamics governing two-way interactions between biotic and abiotic components are absent from many ecological studies. Here, a general model of the vegetation-atmosphere system in closed environments is proposed. The model accounts for the linked carbon-water physiology, the turbulent transport processes, and the energy and radiative transfer within the vegetation. Leaf gas exchange is modeled using a carbon gain optimization approach that is coupled to leaf energy balance. The turbulent transport within the canopy is modeled in two-dimensions using first-order closure principles. The model is applied to the Lysimeter CO₂ Gradient (LYCOG) facility, wherein a continuous gradient of atmospheric CO₂ is maintained on grassland assemblages using an elongated chamber where the micro-climate is regulated by variation in air flow rates. The model is employed to investigate how species composition, climatic conditions, and the imposed air flow rate affect the CO₂ concentration gradient within the LYCOG and the canopy micro-climate. The sensitivity of the model to key physiological and climatic parameters allows it to be used not only to manage current experiments, but also to formulate novel ecological hypotheses (e.g., by modeling climatic regimes not currently employed in LYCOG) and suggest alternative experimental designs and operational strategies for such facilities.     

Application of smart irrigation systems for water conservation in Italian farms

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - In many countries, water supplies are limited and must be managed for different uses. Providing additional resources for irrigation can be an...