GIS As A Tool For Assessing The Influence Of Countryside Designations and Planning Policies On Landscape Change

The county of Bedfordshire is typical of landscape in lowland England with land cover dominant over land form and agriculture forming the major land use. Landscape change can be influenced by planning policies through their control of land use. A number of designated areas such as Areas of Great Landscape Value, Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty and Green Belt have been defined where particular planning priorities for the conservation of the countryside apply. This paper reports work where an attempt has been made to measure the influence of these designations on landscape change using the tools of aerial photograph interpretation and Geographic Information Systems (GIS). Aerial photographs were available for the study area for 1968, 1981 and 1991. These were interpreted to a landscape classification scheme in terms of point, linear and area features such as trees, hedgerows and cultivated land, respectively. Field work was carried out to assess the accuracy of the interpretation. The resulting data were input to a GIS for each date of photography. Digital maps were created for the land cover features and tables were generated of lengths of linear features or counts of point features for each kilometre square in the study area. Spatial analysis tools provided by the GIS were used to describe the landscape character of each of the designated areas and then to measure the change that had taken place within them over the time period defined by the photography. Areas which were not designated for conservation of scenic beauty were shown to be poorer in traditional landscape features.     

Biodegradation of chlorsulfuron and metsulfuron-methyl by Aspergillus niger in laboratory conditions

Two sulfonylurea herbicides, chlorsulfuron and metsulfuron-methyl, were studied under laboratory conditions, in order to elucidate the biodegradation pathway operated by Aspergillus niger, a common soil fungus, which is often involved in the degradation of xenobiotics. HPLC-UV was used to study the kinetic of degradation, whereas LC-MS was used to identify the metabolites structure. In order to avoid the chemical degradation induced by a decrease in pH, due to the production of citric acid by the fungus, the experiments were performed in a buffered neutral medium. No significant degradation for both compounds was observed in mineral medium with 0.2% sodium acetate. On the contrary, in a rich medium, after 28 days the degradations, chemical degradation excluded, were about 30% for chlorsulfuron and 33% for metsulfuron-methyl. The main microbial metabolites were obtained via cleavage of the sulfonylurea bridge. In addition the fungus seems to be able to hydroxylate the aromatic ring of chlorsulfuron. In the case of metsulfuron-methyl the only detected metabolite was the triazine derivative, while the aromatic portion was completely degraded. Finally, the demethylation of the methoxy group on the triazine ring, previously observed with a Pseudomonas fluorescens strain, was not observed with A. niger.     

Pesticide by-products in the Rhône delta (Southern France). The case of 4-chloro-2-methylphenol and of its nitroderivative

A field monitoring campaign for pesticides and their transformation intermediates was carried out in the Rh?ne delta (Southern France). It was evidenced the following transformation sequence: MCPA-->4-chloro-2-methylphenol (CMP)-->4-chloro-2-methyl-6-nitrophenol (CMNP). Interestingly CMP disappeared about as quickly as MCPA, while CMNP was environmentally more persistent than the parent molecules. This is very relevant to the environmental risk associated with the occurrence of these compounds, because the nitration of chlorophenols reduces their acute toxicity but the nitroderivatives could have more marked long-term effects, associated with their genotoxicity. Irradiation experiments suggested that the photonitration of CMP into CMNP involves nitrogen dioxide, generated from the photolysis of nitrate and from the photooxidation of nitrite by ()OH. The photochemistry of Fe(III) species could also play a significant role, but its contribution is still difficult to be quantified. Another important intermediate of CMP transformation is methylnitrophenol (MNP), produced via a dechlorination/nitration pathway, with ortho-cresol as the most likely reaction intermediate.     

Using OpenMI and a Model MAP to Integrate WaterML2 and NetCDF Data Sources into Flood Modeling of Genoa,Italy

Extreme hydrometeorological events such as flash floods have caused considerable loss of life and damage to infrastructure over recent years. Flood events in the Mediterranean region between 1990 and 2006 caused over 4,500 fatalities and cost over €29 billion in damage, with Italy one of the worst affected countries. The Distributed Computing Infrastructure for Hydro‐Meteorology (DRIHM) project is a European initiative aiming at providing an open, fully integrated eScience environment for predicting, managing, and mitigating the risks related to such extreme weather phenomena. Incorporating both modeled and observational data sources, it enables seamless access to a set of computing resources with the objective of providing a collection of services for performing experiments with numerical models in meteorology, hydrology, and hydraulics. The purpose of this article is to demonstrate how this flexible modeling architecture has been constructed using a set of standards including the NetCDF and WaterML2 file formats, in‐memory coupling with OpenMI, controlled vocabularies such as CF Standard Names, ISO19139 metadata, and a Model MAP (Metadata, Adaptors, Portability) gateway concept for preparing numerical models for standardized use. Hydraulic results, including the impact to buildings and hazards to people, are given for the use cases of the severe and fatal flash floods, which occurred in Genoa, Italy in November 2011 and October 2014.     

The importance of achieving a high customer satisfaction with recycling services in communities

Some studies show that there are external, infrastructural, and economic factors that enable individuals and communities to act ecologically. A variable associated with sustainable behavior is the level of satisfaction with infrastructural and economic factors, which in turn relates to recycling behavior. The main aim of this study was to assess the reliability and validity of the customer satisfaction with recycling scale and to analyze its relationship with sociodemographic variables (age and gender), house location (in the center or the suburbs, population size of), and psychological variables (self-reported individual recycling behaviors, general satisfaction with recycling service companies, and the perception of costs and the quality of service). A total of 1498 individuals responded to the in-home questionnaire related to these variables. Exploratory and confirmatory factorial analyses confirm a good fit for a four-dimensional model: assurance, tangibles, empathy, and communication. Results show that those individuals who live in town centers tend to self-report higher levels of satisfaction with tangibles than those living in the suburbs. Population sizes correlate significantly and negatively with the four dimensions of service satisfaction, while age seems to relate significantly and negatively to all the studied variables. Finally, we discuss the implications regarding the importance of customer satisfaction in facilitating the environmentally responsible behavior.     

Comparative assessment of metribuzin sorption efficiency of biochar,hydrochar and vermicompost

Abstract

In this study, we used two biochars (BC) produced from grapevine pruning residues (BCgv) and red spruce wood (BCrs), two hydrochars (HC) from urban pruning residues (HCup) and the organic fraction of municipal solid wastes (HCuw), and two vermicomposts (VC) obtained vermicomposting digestates from buffalo manure (VCbm) and mixed feedstock (VCmf). Adsorption kinetics and isotherms of metribuzin onto these materials were performed. Sorption kinetics followed preferentially a pseudo-second-order model, thus indicating the occurrence of chemical interactions between the sorbate and the adsorbents. Adsorption constants were calculated using the Freundlich and Langmuir models. Metribuzin sorption data on BCgv and both HC fitted preferentially the Freundlich equation, whereas on the other materials data fitted both isotherms well (r?>?0.95). Metribuzin sorption capacity of the materials followed the trend BC?>?HC?>?VC. Sorption constants of metribuzin normalised per organic carbon content (K_OC) on BCgv, BCrs, HCup, HCuw, VCbm and VCmf were 561, 383, 251, 214, 102 and 84?L kg^?1, respectively. A significant positive correlation (P?=?0.016) was calculated between distribution coefficients (K_d) of all materials and the corresponding organic carbon contents, thus indicating a prominent role of the organic fraction of these materials in the adsorption of metribuzin.     

Both trivalent and hexavalent chromium strongly alter in vitro germination and ultrastructure of kiwifruit pollen

Due to its widespread industrial use, chromium is considered a dangerous environmental pollutant. It is known to inhibit plant growth and development. The present study provides the first evidence of the toxicity of this metal on the male haploid generation of a higher plant. Both Cr(III) and Cr(VI) species, supplied as CrCl(3) and CrO(3), respectively, exerted a strong dose-dependent inhibitory effect on kiwifruit pollen tube emergence and growth. Cr(III) resulted more effective than Cr(VI) in the 16-75microM interval; moreover, complete inhibition of germination was attained at much lower doses than Cr(VI). Also tube morphology was affected. While the plasma membrane was still undamaged in the large majority of the treated pollen grains, dramatic ultrastructural alterations were induced by chromium including chromatin condensation, swelling of mitochondria, cytoplasmic vacuolization, and perturbed arrangement of endoplasmic reticulum cisternae. Thus, it seems that the impact of the two chromium species on kiwifruit pollen may result in severe compromission of both essential structures and functions of the male gametophyte.     

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....     

The effects of accelerated carbonation on CO2 uptake and metal release from incineration APC residues

This work presents the results of a study on accelerated carbonation of incinerator air pollution control residues, with a particular focus on the modifications in the leaching behaviour of the ash. Aqueous carbonation experiments were carried out using 100% CO₂ at different temperatures, pressures and liquid-to-solid ratios, in order to assess their influence on process kinetics, CO₂ uptake and the leaching behaviour of major and trace elements. The ash showed a particularly high reactivity towards CO₂, owing to the abundance of calcium hydroxides phases, with a maximum CO₂ uptake of ～250 g/kg. The main effects of carbonation on trace metal leaching involved a significant decrease in mobility for Pb, Zn and Cu at high pH values, a slight change or mobilization for Cr and Sb, and no major effects on the release of As and soluble salts. Geochemical modelling of leachates indicated solubility control by different minerals after carbonation. In particular, in the stability pH range of carbonates, solubility control by a number of metal carbonates was clearly suggested by modelling results. These findings indicate that accelerated carbonation of incinerator ashes has the potential to convert trace contaminants into sparingly soluble carbonate forms, with an overall positive effect on their leaching behaviour.