On the quantitative distribution and community structure of the meio and macrofaunal communities in the coastal area of the Central Adriatic Sea (Italy)

Many coastal areas have served as repositories of different anthropogenic and naturally induced organic material and nutrients. The major sources thereof are riverine inputs which strongly influence the spatial and temporal distribution of benthic communities. In this study, the benthic foraminiferal, meiofaunal, and macrofaunal colonies in front of three rivers in a poorly known, but environmentally valuable, area of the Central Adriatic Sea have been examined concurrently. The physico-chemical parameters of bottom water and sediment characteristics were determined in order to characterize both the sediment-water interface and the benthic environments. Although changes in the biota are neither univocal nor unidirectional, a moderate influence of riverine input on the different communities' components can be inferred. The most affected taxa are foraminifera and copepods and, to a lesser extent, meiofaunal polychaetes and platyhelminthes. These results are also tested by the ABC curves, which reveal that the macrofaunal communities closest to the river mouths are moderately disturbed. This integrated investigation documents, for the first time, how benthic communities can be used as an early warning indicator with which to monitor the health quality of a coastal ecosystem.     

Linking contemporary river restoration to economics,technology, politics,and society: Perspectives from a historical case study of the Po River Basin,Italy

River restoration is a novel paradigm of ‘mirescape’ (land-and-water-scape) management that developed along with the emergence of aquatic ecology. River restoration can be seen as the application of an ecological perspective to return rivers to nature. However, the river restoration paradigm is also the contemporary iteration of historical phases of mirescape management. We review the long and varied recorded history of the Po River in northern Italy as a case study to illustrate the transformations and common themes of mirescape management. We find, first, that significant changes in mirescape management and river condition only occur in the context of larger social, political, technological and economic transformations. Second, we show how particular cultural understandings, economic interests, technological innovations and political powers have driven particular paradigms of mirescape management. These have tended towards increasing territorial separation of wet and dry. We find, third, that these separations lead not only to increasing economic precariousness for many, but also to increasingly severe disasters. We conclude that river restoration faces social and political challenges to becoming relevant at a mirescape scale, due to its lack of integration with land management, or with current social, political, technological and economic transformations. To act on this conclusion, we suggest philosophically aligned social movements that river restoration could work with to improve impact and uptake.     

Cr(VI) reduction capability of humic acid extracted from the organic component of municipal solid waste

The capacity of humic acid extracted from organic waste (HAw) to reduce Cr(Ⅵ) was tested at pH 2.5,4 and 6 and compared with coal-derived humic acid (HAc).HAw was more effective than HAc in reducing Cr(Ⅵ).The kinetics of Cr(Ⅵ) reductions depended strongly on pH.The calculation of the apparent rate coefficients indicated that HAw was more efficient at reducing Cr(Ⅵ) than HAc,but was also more efficient than HAs from soil and peat.The reduction capability of HAs depends on the type of functional groups (i.e.,thiols and phenols) present,rather than the free radicals.HAw was more efficient at reducing Cr(Ⅵ) than HAc because more reactive phenols were present,i.e.,methoxy-and methyl-phenols.     

Levels of PCDD/Fs and trace elements in superficial soils of Pavia Province (Italy)

Trace elements and polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and dibenzofurans (PCDD/Fs) were analyzed in soils from rural and light-industrialized sites (n=168) of Province of Pavia (Northern Italy). Most of the trace element values fit in typical ranges of concentrations in soils and are similar to the ones reported for rural sites in Italy or sites with no direct anthropogenic impact. Total concentrations of 2,3,7,8 chlorine substituted PCDD/Fs in superficial soils ranged between 24.4 and 1287 pg g(-1) dw (0.5-28.9 pg WHO(98)-TEQ g(-1) dw). The North Eastern part of the Province presented significantly higher levels (p<0.001) than the rest of the Province for As, Cd, Hg, Pb, Zn and PCDD/Fs. While the existence of a defined heavy metal polluting source for this specific site has been suggested, in the case of PCDD/Fs, profiles were not linked to any specific emission source fingerprint. In the whole extension of Pavia Province, OCDD/F dominated the 2,3,7,8 chlorine substituted congener soil pattern, followed by the 1,2,3,4,6,7,8 hepta-CDD/F congener. Principal Component Analysis (PCA) showed that this profile could not be associated to any described PCDD/F emission source fingerprint and was relatively similar to the baseline deposition of sites with no direct impact of PCDD/F emission sources independently of land use.     

Water Security in Uzbekistan: Implication of Return Waters on the Amu Darya Water Quality

- DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1065/espr2006.01.007 Goal, Scope and Background Amu Darya river, one of the main water resources of Uzbekistan, shows a relevant longitudinal enrichment of soluble contents which strongly limits the human uses of its waters. Because of the low natural run-off processes, salts and pollutants are mainly driven to the river by the return waters used for washing and irrigating the surrounding lands. The influence of return waters on stream quality is dramatically relevant in the lower reaches of the river where almost all the flowing waters have been previously used for the agriculture practises. To provide analytical evidence on the potential effects of return waters on the quality of the Amu Darya river, the paper reports and comments data on salinity and metals contents of the waters flowing in the artificial channel network of Bukhara and in the Amu Darya river, from Bukhara up to the dam forming the Tuyamuyn Hydro Complex (THC). Methods A total of 15 sampling sites were selected for the analytical survey: Two sites were located on the Amu Darya river downstream from the inflow of the return waters from Bukhara, two in the river entering in the THC, and three downstream from the dam forming the reservoir complex. The waters entering and leaving the Bukhara agricultural area were sampled in two main collectors, while the waters flowing in the channel system were sampled in six distinct collectors. The following parameters were considered in the survey: pH, Oxygen, Hardness, Salinity, Conductivity, P-PO4 3–, P tot, N tot, N-NO3 2–, N-NO2 –, COD, Ca2+, Mg2+, Fe, Mn, Zn, Cr, Cu, Ni, Cd, Pb. Results and Discussion Salt concentrations below 1000 mg/l were measured in the Amu Darya waters upstream to Bukhara. In the drainage system, salinity exceeds the palatability limit and reaches the maximum peak of 3200 mg/l in the outflow collector. Due to dilution effects, salinity returns to lower values (400–700 mg/l) along the Amu Darya river downstream from Bukhara; calcium and magnesium resulted the major constituents of the overall salinity. No serious metal contaminations were detected in the waters entering and leaving the examined channel system. Differently, the Amu Darya waters upstream to the THC showed a relevant metal contamination, with Cr, Ni, Fe concentrations exceeding the limits for human consumption. In the downstream sites, located in the Tuyamuyn Hydro Complex and in the Amu Darya river flowing out from this reservoir, excluding Fe, all the examined metals showed lover concentrations and values below the normative limits. Conclusion The direct human consumption of the lower Amu Darya waters is strongly limited by salinity and by metal contamination. Although the salinity of the return waters from the Bukhara drainage system results in above normal limits, no corresponding increases were measured in the Amu Darya river downstream from the return water inflow at the time of the survey. As for the metal contamination of the Amu Darya river, the survey revealed the presence of relevant sources of metal contamination downstream from Bukhara external to the agricultural drainage system. This contamination resulted in reduced sedimentation processes taking place in the limnetic zones of the Amu Darya river upstream to the dam forming the Tuyamuyn Hydro Complex. Recommendation and Outlook To fully understand the longitudinal increase of Amu Darya salinity, an evaluation of the cumulative effects of the loads from the main agricultural areas is required, also by using mass-balance models. As for the metals, an investigation should be addressed to identify the anthropogenic sources of contaminations present in the lower Amu Darya region and the metal loads should be diverted.     

Soluble and insoluble fractions of heavy metals in wet and dry atmospheric depositions in Bologna,Italy

Atmospheric depositions were collected monthly using a modified wet and dry sampler (dry deposition was collected on a water surface) located in Bologna, a northern Italian urban area, to evaluate the impact of airborne heavy metals on the local pollution load. Wet deposition samples were filtered and heavy metal contents in soluble and insoluble fractions were determined. The same procedure was applied to the water samples which collected dry deposition. The entire procedure was tested using a certified reference material (CRM), which provided satisfying recovery results. The percentage of heavy metal soluble fraction in dry deposition was generally lower than in wet one; Cd, V, Cu and Zn showed a higher average solubility than Cr, Ni and Pb both in wet and dry deposition. Factor analysis, after a varimax rotation of principal components, suggested possible anthropogenic sources which explain different metal deposition patterns. This data analysis also allowed to distinguish different clusters formed by monthly fluxes of heavy metals.     

Effect of humic acids on the Fenton degradation of phenol

We show that the degradation of phenol by Fe(III) and hydrogen peroxide is faster in the presence of humic acids. This is most likely due to faster reduction of Fe(III)-humate complexes by H₂O₂/HO₂^·/O₂^–· when compared with Fe(III)-H₂O complexes. The fact that humic acids, a major class of naturally occurring compounds, favour the Fenton reaction has great relevance in the field of water and soil decontamination, where organic compounds usually have a negative effect. Furthermore, it adds insight into the self-depuration processes of natural aquifers.     

A European supergrid for renewable energy: local impacts and far-reaching challenges

This article assesses the impact of extensive deployment of indigenous and external renewable energy sources on a local electricity system (Sardinia Island) and discusses the main challenges faced by the European power grids in integrating high shares of renewable-based generation technologies. It presents the 2030 scenarios for the Sardinian power system and the results of steady-state analyses in extreme (renewable) generation and consumption conditions. These results are eventually combined with the assessment of key technology development trends to explain how this can affect the development of a European supergrid. In general, the article stresses that rendering the bulk-power system capable of accommodating high renewable energy penetration not only requires reinforcing the electricity highways but also demands carefully planning the architecture of and the interface with regional power systems.     

The rise of thermophilic sea urchins and the expansion of barren grounds in the Mediterranean Sea

Recent ecological studies have shown a strong relation between temperature, echinoids and their grazing effects on macro-algal communities. In this study, we speculate that climate warming may result in an increasingly favourable environment for the reproduction and development of the sea urchin Arbacia lixula. The relationship between increased A. lixula density and the extent of barren grounds in the Mediterranean Sea is also discussed.