Dynamic modeling of urban areas for supporting integrated coastal zone management in the South Coast of São Miguel Island, Azores (Portugal)

Coastal areas are complex systems subject to significant erosion processes resulting from both physical and anthropogenic factors. This context introduces the importance of quantifying the impacts resulting from land artificialization increase, the assessment of coastal erosion and the development of strategies for achieving an Integrated Coastal Zone Management (ICZM). In this study we employed the Land Transformation Model (LTM) to forecast urban growth to year 2014 in the South Coast of São Miguel Island, Azores (Portugal). Two different scenarios for modeling urban growth were tested: (1) one that considered an urban sprawl trend equivalent to the one measured between years 1998 and 2005, and (2) another that considered the restrictions included in the intervention area of South Coast Management Plan (POOC Costa Sul). The objective was to evaluate the impact of the POOC Costa Sul in the urban growth of the studied area. Results show that the POOC Costa Sul is not effective in containing urban growth quantities which are equivalent to the non-restricted scenario. However, it was possible to observe that it is effective in deciding where the urban expansion is likely to happen, preventing, for instances, the occurrence of urban growth near water lines or in the maritime public domain. We conclude that this type of models can be very relevant to manage and monitor coastal management plans.     

Arsenic partitioning among particle-size fractions of mine wastes and stream sediments from cinnabar mining districts

Tailings from abandoned mercury mines represent an important pollution source by metals and metalloids. Mercury mining in Asturias (north-western Spain) has been carried out since Roman times until the 1970s. Specific and non-specific arsenic minerals are present in the paragenesis of the Hg ore deposit. As a result of intensive mining operations, waste materials contain high concentrations of As, which can be geochemically dispersed throughout surrounding areas. Arsenic accumulation, mobility and availability in soils and sediments are strongly affected by the association of As with solid phases and granular size composition. The objective of this study was to examine phase associations of As in the fine grain size subsamples of mine wastes (La Soterraña mine site) and stream sediments heavily affected by acid mine drainage (Los Rueldos mine site). An arsenic-selective sequential procedure, which categorizes As content into seven phase associations, was applied. In spite of a higher As accumulation in the finest particle-size subsamples, As fractionation did not seem to depend on grain size since similar distribution profiles were obtained for the studied granulometric fractions. The presence of As was relatively low in the most mobile forms in both sites. As was predominantly linked to short-range ordered Fe oxyhydroxides, coprecipitated with Fe and partially with Al oxyhydroxides and associated with structural material in mine waste samples. As incorporated into short-range ordered Fe oxyhydroxides was the predominant fraction at sediment samples, representing more than 80 % of total As.     

Quantifying effects of oxidant air pollutants on agricultural crops

Estimating risks of air pollution damage to agricultural crops requires identifying crop location and size, likely doses, models for translating dose to response, and measures of response appropriate for economic analysis. Assessment of risk requires compatible data sets for each of these variables. Analysis of air pollution mixtures suggests that oxidant crop damage is caused by three compounds: ozone, nitrogen oxides, and peroxyacetylnitrates. The phytotoxicity of ozone, the most prevalent photochemical oxidant, has been studied more extensively than the other two oxidants, and its effects on vegetation are best understood. Response of vegetation to air pollutants was first characterized by foliar or visible injury. Subsequent research indicated that foliar injury did not translate directly into reduced plant growth or yield, which can be measured. Response to air pollutants may be influenced by physical, biological, and environmental factors. Inherent genetic resistance is probably the most important single factor affecting plant response, although environmental factors influencing stomatal aperture may also be important. For several crops open-top chamber studies and cross sectional analyses of field data provide adequate information to develop dose-response functions. All of these studies have both strengths and weaknesses. Although a number of different models exist for selected crops, there is no single biological or statistical criterion which identifies the best or most accurate model.     

Land cover along hiking trails in a nature tourism destination: the Azores as a case study

Environment, Development and Sustainability - Tourists have become increasingly interested in certain aspects of their destination, including landscape and biodiversity elements, thereby promoting...     

Toxicological response of silver catfish (Rhamdia quelen) after acute exposure to a commercial insecticide containing thiamethoxam

Abstract

This study assessed the hematological, enzymatic and osmoregulatory responses of silver catfish (Rhamdia quelen) exposed to sublethal concentrations (1.125 and 3.750?µg/L) of a commercial thiamethoxam-containing insecticide used on rice crops. Groups of 6 fish per tank (in triplicate, n?=?3, total 54 fish) were exposed for up to 96?h to different concentrations of the compound. After this period, fish were placed in clean water for 48?h. Two fish from each tank (6 per treatment) that had been exposed to the insecticide for 24?h were anesthetized with eugenol and blood was collected to evaluate hematological and biochemical parameters. Blood, liver and muscle were collected for determination of metabolic parameters, plasma cortisol, Cl^-, Na⁺ and K⁺ levels and H⁺-ATPase and Na⁺/K⁺-ATPase activity in the gill. H⁺-ATPase activity was higher in fish exposed to 1.125?µg/L insecticide at 24?h compared to control (0.0?µg/L). Differences in cortisol levels were evidenced throughout the experimental period. These results indicated that exposure to the insecticide changed the hematological, biochemical and metabolic profile of the animals, suggesting concern about environmental safety. Therefore, we discourage the use of this pesticide in areas that come into contact with water bodies inhabited by fish.     

Monitoring of (bio)available labile metal fraction in a drinking water treatment plant by diffusive gradients in thin films

A performance study of diffusive gradients in thin films (DGT) and inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry (ICP-OES) was applied for the monitoring of the labile fraction of metals Al, Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Fe, Mn, Ni, Pb and Zn, in Sant Joan Despí Drinking Water Treatment Plant located in the South of Barcelona’s Metropolitan Area (Spain). The DWTP monitoring protocol was optimized by working for 1 day of deployment (24 h) with the DGT device in contact with both treated and river water matrixes. Additionally, it was demonstrated that an increase in the deployment time of 1 week did not decrease the evaluated concentrations of the studied metals. The quality parameters of the DGT device and ICP-OES determination, such as limit of quantification, accuracy expressed as relative error (%) and reproducibility expressed as relative standard deviation, were evaluated. Good results were obtained for all the metals in ultrapure water; limits of quantification ranged from 1.5 μg L^− 1 for cadmium to 28 μg L^− 1 for zinc when deployment time of 24 h was used and from 0.2 μg L^− 1 for cadmium to 4 μg L^− 1 for zinc when this time was increased by 1 week. Accuracy and precisions lower than or equal to 10% were obtained at a parametric concentration value of the metals regulated in the European Drinking Water Guidelines (98/83/EC). DGT deployment was tested in river and treated water, and good results were obtained for Cd, Ni, Co and Zn, whereas for the other metals, a continuous control of their metallic labile fractions was monitored. Therefore, DGT device allows the continuous monitoring of the labile metal species in a drinking water treatment plant.     

Rapid ethnobotanical diagnosis of the Fulni-? Indigenous lands (NE Brazil): floristic survey and local conservation priorities for medicinal plants

This study was developed as part of the project ??Studies for Environmental and Cultural Sustainability of the Fulni-ô Medical System: Office on handling medicinal plants??. The Fulni-ô people are located in Pernambuco State, Northeastern Brazil. One of the components of this project was an ethnobotanical diagnosis of the indigenous land, where a phytosociological survey was performed in an area of Caatinga vegetation, located at Ouricuri settlement. Based on these ethnobotanical data, we calculated a conservation priority index aiming to rank species that should receive immediate attention from the Fulni-ô people. We identified 44 woody plants, 50% of which have a medicinal use. Among these, six plants were considered highly vulnerable and in need of immediate conservationist attention, in order to ensure the perpetuation of these species and the sustainability of traditional therapeutic practices of the Fulni-ô: Anadenanthera colubrina, Myracrodruon urundeuva, Lippia sp., Spondias tuberosa, Maytenus rigida, and Sideroxylon obtusifolium. We recommend the direct involvement of the Fulni-ô people in the conservation and the management of local resources by implementing a management plan and monitoring strategies for the populations of plants considered most important by the indigenous group.