Spatial Patterns of Land Use Changes Across a Mediterranean Metropolitan Landscape: Implications for Biodiversity Management

Land use and land cover change (LUCC) is an acknowledged cause of the current biodiversity crisis, but the link between LUCC and biodiversity conservation remains largely unknown at the regional scale, especially due to the traditional lack of consistent biodiversity data. We provide a methodological approach for assessing this link through defining a set of major pressures on biodiversity from LUCC and evaluating their extent, distribution, and association with a set of physical factors. The study was performed in the Metropolitan Region of Barcelona (MRB, NE of Spain) between 1956 and 2000. We generated a LUCC map for the time period, which was reclassified into a set of pressures on biodiversity (forestation, deforestation, crop abandonment, and urbanization). We then explored the association of these pressures with a set of physical factors using redundancy analysis (RDA). Pressures encompassed 38.8 % of the MRB area. Urbanization and forestation were the dominating pressures, followed by crop abandonment and deforestation. RDA showed a significant distribution gradient of these pressures in relation to the studied physical factors: while forestation and deforestation are concentrated in remote mountain areas, urbanization mainly occurs in lowlands and especially on the coast, and close to previous urban centers and roads. Unchanged areas are concentrated in rainy and relatively remote mountain areas. Results also showed a dramatic loss of open habitats and of the traditional land use gradient, both featuring Mediterranean landscapes and extremely important for their biodiversity conservation. Implications of these results for biodiversity management are finally discussed.     

Biological evaluation of SZI‐121, a new miticide

Abstract

A large number of tetrazine analogues were synthetised and tested as miticides. A comprehensive screening system was applied to recognise some effects important in terms of field performance. A promising new substance, coded as SZI‐121 was choosen for further development. It proved to be about four‐times more active as an ovicide (LC₅₀=0.05 ppm) than the reference clofentezine, when administered to the eggs directly (LC₅₀=0.23 ppm). In contrast to clofentezine which has solely a contact mode of action, SZI‐121 has excelent translaminar activity acting on already laid eggs (LC₅₀= 18.66 ppm) or those in females feeding on the opposite, non‐treated side of the leaf (LC₅₀=5.11 ppm). High toxicity of SZI‐121 to the chrysalis form (LC₅₀=0.39 ppm) was also observed. The field rate of SZI‐121 is 60–100 g a.i./ha against a wide range of phytophagous mites including European red mite (Panonychus ulmi), two spotted spider mite (Tetranychus urticae), grape leaf rust mite (Calepitrimerus vitis), vine leaf blister mite (Colomerus vitis), apple leaf rust mite (Aculus schlechtendali), stone fruit leaf rust mite (Vasates fockeui). Because it stops the development of mites in egg and chrysalis forms simultaneously, SZI‐121 can be used independently from actual development stages of mites during the whole season as the field trials demonstrated. These characteristics permit SZI‐121 to be easily fitted into integrated pest management.     

Photochemical model evaluation of the surface ozone impact of a power plant in a heavily industrialized area of southwestern Spain

The characterization and evaluation of the impact that an industry is likely to have on the surrounding ozone levels is one of many problems confronting air quality managers and should be taken into consideration when authorizing its installation. The correct management of an environment, in terms of monitoring existing industries and planning new activities, requires adequate knowledge of the processes sustained by the industrial emissions therein.This paper explores the improvements in air quality management arising from taking into account the uncertainties involved in the photochemical modeling of the impact of an industry on surface ozone levels.For this, we evaluate the impact on ozone levels of a power plant located in an industrial area of southwestern Spain (Huelva). The evaluation takes into account the effects of both emissions' uncertainty and the non-linear chemistry between ozone and its precursors, thus providing a probable range of increase over the normative values (hourly and 8-hourly maximums) defined in the European Directive. The proposed methodology is easily applicable by air quality managers.Advanced modeling techniques were used for the power plant assessment, MM5 atmospheric modeling system, and air quality model CAMx. The results from meteorology and ozone forecasts have shown acceptable agreement with the observations.The spatial distribution of the impact is found to be strongly determined by mesoscale meteorological processes, which are reinforced by the local orography; there is also a marked temporal evolution. The industrial plume is observed to induce a decrease (or maintenance) of the ozone levels near the emission source (0–10 km), and an increase in the ozone concentrations farther away (with maximums between 10 and 50 km). In fact, in the meteorological episodes with a predominance of local breeze circulations, impacts have been detected at distances of more than 100 km from the emission source.Sensitivity of the power plant impact to variations in ozone precursor emissions is described, and the scenarios and the points in the domain presenting higher sensitivity and registering larger impacts are also identified. The results show that the largest impacts take place in emission scenarios where the NO_x has been reduced with respect to the base case scenario. In contrast, in scenarios where the VOC emissions are reduced with respect to the base case scenario, the impact is smaller or remains unchanged. This is important in areas like the study case, where there is a high percentage of biogenic VOC emissions and the industrial areas are close to natural protected areas and agricultural fields.     

Determining Attenuation of Impulse Noise With an Electrical Equivalent of a Hearing Protection Device

Determining the effectiveness of impulse noise attenuation with hearing protection devices (HPDs) is an important part of their selection. Measuring impulse noise parameters under an HPD would involve exposing subjects to impulses with a high peak sound pressure level. This paper presents a computational method of determining impulse noise parameters under the cups of earmuffs. Calculations are done using the transfer function of earmuffs, determined with Shaw’s electrical equivalent of an HPD, taking into account the design parameters of earmuffs. The developed method was used for calculations in the presence of impulse noise generated by gunshots. To verify the computational method, the results of these calculations were compared with the results of measurements.     

The role of infrastructure,socio-economic development,and food security to mitigate the loss of natural disasters

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - This study shows the impact of risk (hazard, exposure, and vulnerability) and resilience (infrastructure, information and communication technology,...     

Stabilization/solidification of MSW incineration residues from facilities with different air pollution control systems. Durability of matrices versus carbonation

This paper discusses the stabilisation/solidification process with Portland cement applied to municipal solid waste incineration residues. Two types of residues were considered: fly ash (FA) produced in an electrostatic precipitator, and air pollution control (APC) residues from a semi-dry scrubber process. Cement pastes with different percentages of FA and APC residues were characterised according to their physical properties, the effect of the hydration products and their leaching behaviour. Portland pastes prepared with APC residues showed a rapid setting velocity in comparison with setting time for those pastes substituted with FA residues. Portland cement hydration was retarded in FA pastes. Leaching test results showed that heavy metals (such as Zn, Pb and Cd) and sulphates are immobilised within the paste, whereas chlorides are only partially retained. The carbonation process increases the leachability of S04(2-) and heavy metals such as Zn and Cr.     

Study on PCDDs/PCDFs and co-PCBs content in food samples from Catalonia (Spain)

The results of a surveillance programme on polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins (PCDDs), dibenzofurans (PCDFs) and co-planar polychlorinated biphenyls (co-PCBs) determination in 70 foodstuffs samples produced all over the four provinces of Catalonia is presented. The study included the analyses of raw milk, pure virgin olive oil, butter, chicken, pork and mussel samples collected between November 1999 and January 2000. Milk, virgin oil, pork or butter presented a variable dioxin and co-PCBs content, even though the limits proposed in the draft of the EC Regulation for its commercialization in the European countries were not reached. The levels of PCDDs/PCDFs and co-PCBs determined in chicken samples varied between 0.36–3.59 pg I-TEQ/g fat chicken (0.4–3.8 WHO-TEQ/g fat). Just one case presented remarkable content of dioxins (about 30 pg I-TEQ/g fat) with a complex congener-specific profile which indicates the presence of an external contamination. On the other hand, a congener-specific profile dominated by 2,3,7,8-TCDF and OCDD was observed in mussel samples from Catalonia. This fact was also observed in mussel samples from other sites in Spain.     

Transgenic Spartina alterniflora for phytoremediation

Perennial monoculture forming grasses are very important natural remediators of pollutants. Their genetic improvement is an important task because introduction of key transgenes can dramatically improve their remediation potential. Transfer of key genes for mercury phytoremediation into the salt marsh cordgrass (Spartina alterniflora) is reported here. S. alterniflora plays an important role in the salt marsh by cycling of␣elements, both nutrients and pollutants, protects the coastline from erosion, is a keystone species in the␣salt marsh supporting a large food web, which in turn supports a significant segment of economy, including tourism, has an impact on cloud formation and consequently on global weather, and is thus an ecologically important species relevant for our life-support systems. Embryogenic callus of S. alterniflora was co-inoculated with a pair of Agrobacterium strains LBA4404 carrying the organomercurial lyase (merB) and mercuric reductase (merA) genes, respectively, in order to co-introduce both the merA and the merB genes. Seven stable geneticin resistant lines were recovered. The presence of merA and merB genes was verified by PCR and Southern blotting. All but one transgenic lines contained both the merA and the merB sequences proving that co-introduction into Spartina of two genes from separate Agrobacterium strains is feasible and frequent, although the overall frequency of transformation is low. Northern blotting showed differences in relative expression of the two transgenes among individual transformants. The steady-state RNA levels appeared to correlate with the phenotype. Line #7 showed the highest resistance to HgCl₂ (up to 500 μM), whereas line #3 was the most resistant to phenylmercuric acetate (PMA). Wild-type (WT) callus is sensitive to PMA at 50 μM and to HgCl₂ at 225 μM.     

Rural landscape, production and human consumption: past, present and future

Production and consumption of food and in a rural area over the last 400 years were reconstructed for a parish in south east Sweden. This was based on a number of different data sources, including historical maps and official demographic and agricultural statistics. Changes in population (and thus consumption) and the production from arable land and livestock were calculated and used to provide an estimate of the area's supply and demand over time, and of the historical sustainability of the area. Overall food productivity was remarkably constant over time, at approximately 0.04 kgC m(-2) y(-1), despite recent changes in population size and the area of cultivated land. The empirical results from the past and the present, together with the future land changes due to shoreline displacement were used to predict the situation in the future. These final estimates can be used in the assessment of risk for exposure to contaminated food for the future population in the area.