Tools based on multivariate statistical analysis for classification of soil and groundwater in Apulian agricultural sites

In this paper, the results obtained from multivariate statistical techniques such as PCA (Principal component analysis) and LDA (Linear discriminant analysis) applied to a wide soil data set are presented. The results have been compared with those obtained on a groundwater data set, whose samples were collected together with soil ones, within the project “Improvement of the Regional Agro-meteorological Monitoring Network (2004–2007)”. LDA, applied to soil data, has allowed to distinguish the geographical origin of the sample from either one of the two macroaeras: Bari and Foggia provinces vs Brindisi, Lecce e Taranto provinces, with a percentage of correct prediction in cross validation of 87%. In the case of the groundwater data set, the best classification was obtained when the samples were grouped into three macroareas: Foggia province, Bari province and Brindisi, Lecce and Taranto provinces, by reaching a percentage of correct predictions in cross validation of 84%. The obtained information can be very useful in supporting soil and water resource management, such as the reduction of water consumption and the reduction of energy and chemical (nutrients and pesticides) inputs in agriculture.     

Three-dimensional Modelling of Radionuclides Dispersion in a Marine Environment with Application to the Fukushima Dai-ichi Case

In this work, we present the implementation, verification and validation of a three-dimensional model able to reproduce the propagation of \(^{137}C_{s}\) radionuclide in coastal waters and its interaction with suspended sediments, in the framework of the open-source TELEMAC-MASCARET modelling system. The validation of the model was realized by comparing numerical results with field measurements of radionuclides concentration in the Japan Sea nearby the Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear power plant (NPP). The developed model uses as external forcing the data available immediately after or during the accident, as, e.g. weather conditions (wind, pressure, temperature) and/or the harmonic components of tides. In contrast with previous models implemented in the study area, the model presented here is limited to the coastal area near Fukushima and refined in the coastal area close to the NPP. Numerical results show that the model is able to reproduce the propagation and diffusion of the released \(^{137}C_{s}\) in the vicinity of the Fukushima Dai-ichi NPP. Consequently, we show that the numerical results obtained with a small-scale model with a simple forcing are consistent, at a coastal scale, with models which employed a general circulation model based on data assimilation techniques or variation method for hydrodynamics. Therefore, this model could be employed in an emergency situation, when the dissolved radioactivity is considered.

     

A fuzzy knowledge-based decision support system for groundwater pollution risk evaluation

In this paper we propose a decision support system that can provide information on the environmental impact of anthropic activities by examining their effects on groundwater quality. We use the combined value of both intrinsic vulnerability of a specific local aquifer, obtained by implementing a parametric managerial model (SINTACS), and a degree of hazard value, which takes into account specific human activities. Incomplete information is notoriously common in environmental planning. To overcome this deficiency we apply an algorithmic and a qualitative approach, based on expert judgment incorporated into the system's knowledge base. The decision support system takes into account the uncertainty of the environmental domain by using fuzzy logic and evaluates the reliability of the results according to information availability.     

Metal-based optical chemosensors for CN<Superscript>−</Superscript> detection

This critical review focuses on recent advances (2010–2015) in the detection of cyanide anion via metal-based optical chemosensors in which a change in colour and/or fluorescence intensity (or emission wavelength) of a molecular metal complex is determined by the direct interaction of the metal centre with this anion.     

Seasonal Ozone Levels and Control by Seasonal Meteorology

Meteorological data, particularly 850-MB level temperatures, for Fort Totten, New York (1980) and Atlantic City, New Jersey (1981-1988) were examined for any relationship to seasonal ozone levels. Other radiosonde stations in the Northeast were utilized for 1983 and 1986, years of widely differing ozone levels. Statistics for selected parameters and years are presented.

Emphasis is placed on recurring warm temperature regimes in high ozone years. Successive occurrences or episodes of high temperatures characterize seasonally high ozone years. Seasonally persistent high temperatures are related to seasonally chronic high ozone. An example is presented relating the broad-scale climatologlcally anomalous pattern of high temperatures to anomalous circulation patterns at the 700-MB level.     

Determining the role of the method used to recycle polypropylene waste materials from automotive industry using sepiolite and zeolite fillers

Journal of Material Cycles and Waste Management - In this work, the effectiveness of a rapid recycling method of waste polypropylene (WPP) with the addition of inorganic fillers was investigated....