Recording the occurrence of trophic level changes in the lagoon of Venice over the '90s

Four areas of the Venice lagoon, placed near the Malamocco mouth (Alberoni, st. A), in the Lido watershed (Sacca Sessola, st. B) and near the mainland under the influence of freshwater and urban (San Giuliano, st. C) or industrial (Fusina, st. D) effluents were monitored in two periods: 1989-92 and 1998-99 in order to quantify some environmental changes (macroalgal and phytoplankton biomass, nutrient concentrations, physico-chemical variables) occurred in both the water column and the surface sediment over the '90s. Stations B and C, two areas particularly affected by macroalgae exhibited a biomass of ca. 20 and 8 kg WW m(-2), respectively, during 1989-90. In 1998-99 maximum densities decreased to ca. 0.3 and 0.01 kg WW m(-2). During that period, phytoplankton also decreased significantly both in peaks (Chl a: from 58-86 to 4.0-3.5 microg dm(-3)) and mean values (Chl a: from 9.1-10.3 to 1.3-1.4 microg dm(-3)), especially at sts. C and D. As far as nutrient concentrations are concerned, a different trend was observed in the water column and in the surface sediment, mainly because of the reduction of the primary producers and the disappearance of anoxic crises. In 1998-99 reactive phosphorus (RP) in the water column was up to ca. 3 times as high as in 1989-92. Conversely, dissolved inorganic nitrogen (DIN) was not significantly changed. In 1998-99 the 5 cm sediment top layer at sts. B, C, displayed a significant total nitrogen (TN) and total phosphorus (TP) decrease (TN annual mean: from 1.29 and 2.79 mg DW g(-1) to 0.69 and 1.47 mg DW g(-1), respectively; TP: from 401 and 626 microg DW g(-1) to 360 and 455 microg DW g(-1)). A different result was found at st. A which in 1998-99 was colonised by the seagrass Zostera marina L. That station showed a TN sediment increase from 0.25 to 0.67 mg DW g(-1) and a TP decrease from 455 to 350 microg DW g(-1). Station D, which did not show any macrophyte biomass coverage either in 1992-93 or in 1998-99, exhibited negligible differences. Besides the monitoring of biomasses and nutrients, significant changes related to oxygen concentration, water transparency, pH and E(h) and sediment rates were also recorded.     

Sedimentation rates and erosion processes in the lagoon of Venice

Since the early 1990s in the lagoon of Venice, especially in the central basin, the surface sediment underwent high re-suspension and sedimentation changes and water turbidity increased both because of the disappearance of the macroalgal coverage and the harvesting of the Manila clam Tapes philippinarum Adams and Reeve, which had rapidly colonised the bottom free of macrophytes. Clams are harvested with hydraulic and mechanical dredges which remove and re-suspend surface sediments causing the transport and loss of the finest materials. Sediment transport and re-deposition in the lagoon have been monitored with sediment traps placed onto the bottoms near the Malamocco mouth (st. A), the Lido watershed (st. B) and the mainland (sts. C and D). From 1989-1993 to 1998-1999 sedimentation rates increased significantly at st. A (from 41 to 228 kg DW m(-2) year(-1)), st. B (from 65 to 760 kg DW m(-2) year(-1)) and st. C (from 140 to 721 kg DW m(-2) year(-1)), while at st. D sedimentation rates increased only by ca. 20%. In parallel sediment grain-size changed with a loss of the finest fraction especially near the mainland. The erosion or sedimentation status, acquired by utilizing sedimentation devices placed onto the bottoms, showed that sts. B, C, D were affected by sediment losses, while st. A, populated by seagrasses and characterised by seasonal variations which depend on the shoot development, did not show any significant bathymetric change on an annual basis. The highest sediment erosion was recorded at st. D (ca. 3.6 cm year(-1)) whereas a loss of ca. 1.5 and 0.5 cm year(-1) was found at sts. C and B, respectively, which accounted for a mean loss in the central lagoon of ca. 1.2 million tonnes year(-1). Those data agree with the previous indirect estimation of sediment loss which was based on the number of fishing boats operating in the lagoon on an annual basis.     

Automatic classification of climate change effects on marine species distributions in 2050 using the AquaMaps model

Environmental and Ecological Statistics - Habitat modifications driven by human impact and climate change may influence species distribution, particularly in aquatic environments. Niche-based...     

Addressing transboundary conservation challenges through marine spatial prioritization

The Adriatic and Ionian Region is an important area for both strategic maritime development and biodiversity conservation in the European Union (EU). However, given that both EU and non‐EU countries border the sea, multiple legal and regulatory frameworks operate at different scales, which can hinder the coordinated long‐term sustainable development of the region. Transboundary marine spatial planning can help overcome these challenges by building consensus on planning objectives and making the trade‐offs between biodiversity conservation and its influence on economically important sectors more explicit. We address this challenge by developing and testing 4 spatial prioritization strategies with the decision‐support tool Marxan, which meets targets for biodiversity conservation while minimizing impacts to users. We evaluated these strategies in terms of how priority areas shift under different scales of target setting (e.g., regional vs. country level). We also examined the trade‐off between cost‐efficiency and how equally solutions represent countries and maritime industries (n = 14) operating in the region with the protection‐equality metric. We found negligible differences in where priority conservation areas were located when we set targets for biodiversity at the regional versus country scale. Conversely, the prospective impacts on industries, when considered as costs to be minimized, were highly divergent across scenarios and biased the placement of protection toward industries located in isolation or where there were few other industries. We recommend underpinning future marine spatial planning efforts in the region through identification of areas of national significance, transboundary areas requiring cooperation between countries, and areas where impacts on maritime industries require careful consideration of the trade‐off between biodiversity conservation and socioeconomic objectives.     

Strategies for the enhancement of automobile shredder residues (ASRs) recycling: Results and cost assessment

With reference to the European regulation about the management of End-of-Life Vehicles (ELVs), Directive 2000/53/EC imposes the achievement of a recycling target of 85%, and 95% of total recovery by 2015. Over the last few years many efforts have been made to find solutions to properly manage the waste coming from ELVs with the aim of complying with the targets fixed by the Directive.This paper focuses on the economical evaluation of a treatment process, that includes physical (size and density), magnetic and electrical separations, performed on the light fraction of the automobile shredder residue (ASR) with the aim of reducing the amount of waste to dispose of in a landfill and enhancing the recovery of valuable fractions as stated by the EU Directive. The afore mentioned process is able to enhance the recovery of ferrous and non-ferrous metals of an amount equal to about 1% b.w. (by weight) of the ELV weight, and to separate a high energetic-content product suitable for thermal valorization for an amount close to (but not higher than) 10% b.w. of the ELV weight.The results of the economical assessment led to annual operating costs of the treatment ranging from 300,000 €/y to 350,000 €/y. Since the considered plant treats about 13,500 metric tons of ASR per year, this would correspond to an operating cost of approximately 20–25 €/t. Taking into account the amount and the selling price of the scrap iron and of the non magnetic metal recovered by the process, thus leading to a gain of about 30 €/t per ton of light ASR treated, the cost of the recovery process is balanced by the profit from the selling of the recovered metals. On the other hand, the proposed treatment is able to achieve the fulfillment of the targets stated by Directive 2000/53/EC concerning thermal valorization and reduce the amount of waste generated from ELV shredding to landfill.     

Participatory approach, acceptability and transparency of waste management LCAs: case studies of Torino and Cuneo

The paper summarises the main results obtained from two extensive applications of Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) to the integrated municipal solid waste management systems of Torino and Cuneo Districts in northern Italy. Scenarios with substantial differences in terms of amount of waste, percentage of separate collection and options for the disposal of residual waste are used to discuss the credibility and acceptability of the LCA results, which are adversely affected by the large influence of methodological assumptions and the local socio-economic constraints. The use of site-specific data on full scale waste treatment facilities and the adoption of a participatory approach for the definition of the most sensible LCA assumptions are used to assist local public administrators and stakeholders showing them that LCA can be operational to waste management at local scale.     

Effects of local fisheries and ocean productivity on the northeastern Ionian Sea ecosystem

To better understand the effects of fisheries and ocean productivity on the northeastern Ionian Sea we constructed an Ecopath with Ecosim model with 22 functional groups. Data on biomass, production/biomass, consumption/biomass, and diet for each group were estimated or extrapolated from the literature. Fisheries landings and discards were also included. Temporal trajectories were simulated using Ecosim. The model was fitted with time-series data for the most important groups from 1964 to 2006. Simulations highlighted a decline of top predators and of most of the commercial species since the late 1970s. The model shows that the decline of fish resources was mainly caused by an intensive fishing pressure that occurred in the area until the end of the 1990s and also by changes in primary production that impacted the trajectories of the main functional groups. In particular, simulated changes through time in PP impacted the abundance trends of all the commercial species, showing a cascade-up effect through the ecosystem. The application of Ecopath with Ecosim was a useful tool for understanding the trends of the main functional groups of the northeastern Ionian Sea. The model underlined that management actions are needed to restore and protect target species including marine mammals, pelagic and demersal fishes. In particular, measures to reduce overfishing, illegal fishing activities and to respect existing legislations are in need. Moreover, the adoption of marine protected areas could be an effective management measure to guarantee prey survival and to sustain marine predators.     

Determination of glyphosate residue in maize and rice using a fast and easy method involving liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry (LC/MS/MS)

A fast and easy method was developed for the determination of glyphosate in maize and rice by using liquid chromatography triple quadrupole mass spectrometry with a Dionex Ion Pack column and phosphate buffer mobile phase. Samples were extracted with an acidified methanol solution. An isotope-labeled internal standard was added to the sample before extraction to ensure accurate tracking and quantification. The method’s performance was evaluated through a series of assessments to determine the accuracy, precision, linearity, matrix effect, limit of detection (LOD), and limit of quantification (LOQ). The mean recoveries for both matrices were within 70–105% at three fortification levels, including the LOQ. The precision for replicates was <20% (RSD%) for both matrices. Good linearity (R²=0.9982) was obtained over the concentration range of 0.01–1.5?mg kg^?1. The LOD was determined to be 0.002?mg kg^?1 for rice and 0.004?mg kg^?1 for maize. The LOQ was 0.01?mg kg^?1 for both maize and rice. Due to its versatility, the proposed method could be considered useful for the determination of glyphosate in cereals in routine analysis.     

Seasonal variation and source estimation of organic compounds in urban aerosol of Augsburg, Germany

This study reports a general assessment of the organic composition of the PM_2.5 samples collected in the city of Augsburg, Germany in a summer (August-September 2007) and a winter (February-March 2008) campaign of 36 and 30 days, respectively. The samples were directly submitted to in-situ derivatisation thermal desorption gas chromatography coupled with time of flight mass spectrometry (IDTD-GC-TOFMS) to simultaneously determine the concentrations of many classes of molecular markers, such as n-alkanes, iso- and anteiso-alkanes, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), oxidized PAHs, n-alkanoic acids, alcohols, saccharides and others.The PCA analysis of the data identified the contributions of three emission sources, i.e., combustion sources, including fossil fuel emissions and biomass burning, vegetative detritus, and oxidized PAHs. The PM chemical composition shows seasonal trend: winter is characterized by high contribution of petroleum/wood combustion while the vegetative component and atmospheric photochemical reactions are predominant in the hot season.