The Environmental “Risky” Region: Identifying Land Degradation Processes Through Integration of Socio-Economic and Ecological Indicators in a Multivariate Regionalization Model

The economic policy needs to pay increasingly more attention to the environmental issues, which requires the development of methodologies able to incorporate environmental, as well as macroeconomic, goals in the design of public policies. Starting from this observation, this article proposes a methodology based upon a Simonian satisficing logic made operational with the help of goal programming (GP) models, to address the joint design of macroeconomic and environmental policies. The methodology is applied to the Spanish economy, where a joint policy is elicited, taking into consideration macroeconomic goals (economic growth, inflation, unemployment, public deficit) and environmental goals (CO₂, NO _x and SO _x emissions) within the context of a computable general equilibrium model. The results show how the government can “fine-tune” its policy according to different criteria using GP models. The resulting policies aggregate the environmental and the economic goals in different ways: maximum aggregate performance, maximum balance and a lexicographic hierarchy of the goals.     

Physiological effects of mercury in the lichens Cladonia arbuscula subsp. mitis (Sandst.) Ruoss and Peltigera rufescens (Weiss) Humb

This study aimed at investigating the cellular distribution of Hg in the lichens Cladonia arbuscula subsp. mitis and Peltigera rufescens treated with Hg²⁺ and at testing if Hg treatment affects selected physiological parameters. In both species, increasing Hg accumulation under increasing Hg supply in the treatment solutions was found. P. rufescens showed a higher intracellular accumulation. Photosynthetic parameters were negatively affected in both species, as indicated by the decrease in photosynthetic pigments content, photosynthetic efficiency and chlorophyll integrity. Cell membranes of both species endured damage as indicated by the increase in the concentration of products of lipid peroxidation and decrease in ergosterol content. Nevertheless, differences between the two species were found, suggesting a differential sensitivity to Hg.     

PTR-MS measurements and analysis of models for the calculation of Henry's law constants of monosulfides and disulfides

Sulfides are known for their strong odor impact even at very low concentrations. Here, we report Henry’s law constants (HLCs) measured at the nanomolar concentration range in water for monosulfides (dimethylsulfide, ethylmethylsulfide, diethylsulfide, allylmethylsulfide) and disulfides (dimethyldisulfide, diethylsulfide, dipropylsulfide) using a dynamic stripping technique coupled to Proton Transfer Reaction-Mass Spectrometry (PTR-MS). The experimental data were compared with literature values and to vapor/solubility calculations and their consistency was confirmed employing the extra-thermodynamic enthalpy-entropy compensation effect. Our experimental data are compatible with reported literature values, and they are typically lower than averaged experimental literature values by about 10%. Critical comparison with other freely available models (modeled vapor/solubility; group and bond additivity methods; Linear Solvation Energy Relationship; SPARC) was performed to validate their applicability to monosulfides and disulfides. Evaluation of theoretical models reveals a large deviation from our measured values by up to four times (in units of M atm⁻¹). Two group contribution models were adjusted in view of the new data, and HLCs for a list of sulfur compounds were calculated. Based on our findings we recommend the evaluation and adaption of theoretical models for monosulfides and disulfides to lower values of solubility and higher values of fugacity.     

Uranium groundwater anomalies and L'Aquila earthquake, 6th April 2009 (Italy)

Monitoring of chemical and physical groundwater parameters has been carried out worldwide in seismogenic areas with the aim to test possible correlations between their spatial and temporal variations and strain processes. Uranium (U) groundwater anomalies were observed during the preparation phases of the recent L'Aquila earthquake of 6th April 2009 in the cataclastic rocks near the overthrust fault crossing the deep underground Gran Sasso National Laboratory. The results suggest that U may be used as a potential strain indicator of geodynamic processes occurring before the seismic swarm and the main earthquake shock. Moreover, this justifies the different radon patterns before and after the main shock: the radon releases during and after the earthquake are much than more during the preparatory period because the process does not include only the microfracturing induced by stress-strain activation, but also radon increases accompanying groundwater U anomalies.     

Co-production of hydrogen and electricity with CO2 capture

Electricity and hydrogen can be used as energy carriers to reduce emissions of CO₂ from small and mobile energy users. One of the most promising technologies for the production of electricity and hydrogen with low CO₂ emissions is coal gasification with CO₂ capture and storage. Performance and cost data are presented for plants which produce electricity and hydrogen alone and plants which co-produce both of these energy carriers. The co-production plants include plants which produce a fixed ratio of hydrogen to electricity and plants which are able to vary the ratio while continuing to operate the gasification and CO₂ capture parts of the plant at full load. The paper also assesses the ability of these types of plants to satisfy the varying demands for hydrogen and electricity in future energy supply systems. The lowest cost option for the scenarios assessed in the paper is the use of flexible co-production plants with underground buffer storage of hydrogen.     

Tracing the fate of PCBs in forest ecosystems

Forests were shown to play an important role in influencing atmospheric concentrations and transport of persistent organic pollutants (POPs) in the environment. World forests cover more than 4 billion hectares and contain up to 80% of the above ground organic carbon. Given the lipophilic nature of POPs, this suggests that forests can influence the environmental fate of POPs at a global scale. POP accumulation in forest canopies still presents points of concern given the complexity of these ecosystems. In particular, the role of ecological parameters such as LAI (leaf area index) and SLA (specific leaf area) and their dynamics during the growing season was not sufficiently investigated yet. This paper reviews, compares and interprets a unique case study in which air and leaf concentrations and deposition fluxes for selected polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) were measured in three different forest types exposed to the same air masses. In order to trace the air-leaf-soil path of these compounds, a dynamic model of POP accumulation into forest canopy was applied. The dynamics of the canopy biomass strongly affected the trend of leaf concentration with time. Growth dilution effect can prevent the more chlorinated compounds from reaching the partitioning equilibrium before litter fall, while the more volatile compounds can approach equilibrium in the range of few weeks. An amount of up to 60 ng of PCBs per square metre of ground surface was predicted to be stored in each of the selected forests at fully developed canopy. Dry gaseous deposition fluxes to forest canopy were estimated to reach a maximum value of about 0.5-1.5 ng m(-2) d(-1) during the spring period.     

Minimum Quality Standards in Hedonic Markets with Environmental Externalities

We investigate the introduction of a minimum quality standard (MQS) in a vertically differentiated duopoly with an environmental externality. We establish that the MQS bites only if the hedonic component of consumer preferences is sufficiently strong. Then, we illustrate an underlying trade-off between the beneficial effects of quality enhancement on prices and the associated undesirable increase in the environmental externality.     

Fingerprinting and Groundwater Model Application to Evaluate Hydraulic Barrier Efficiency (Italy)

Remediation actions at contaminated sites are based on multiple numerical model scenarios considering different parameter distributions, source positions and contaminant transport paths. In some cases the excess of scenarios is due to uncertainties in the conceptual model as a result of the spread of contamination through heterogeneities in the physical system. Reduction of project hypotheses and conceptual model uncertainty is therefore needed. This result can be achieved by coupling hydrogeological investigations with environmental forensic techniques, better localization of the source and understanding of contamination history. In this respect, in the present study, compositional fingerprinting and groundwater flow modeling were applied to a former oil storage facility where, even though a hydraulic barrier had been built to stop the hydrocarbon plume, the presence of some hydrocarbons was still found in downgradient monitoring wells. The final aim was to evaluate the efficacy of the hydraulic barrier and identify of the source of pollution. Fingerprinting results indicated pollution with a gasoline-diesel mixture much altered by water washing and/or biodegradation. Comparison of seven groundwater samples collected in wells and monitoring wells was performed by analyzing the volatile fraction (BTEX) and the total ion chromatogram (TIC), focusing attention on: n-alkanes (m/z 85), alkylcyclohexanes (m/z 83), isoprenoids (m/z 113), C4-alkylbenzenes (m/z 134), C3-C6 alkylbenzenes and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). The most probable scenario was then identified by combining the results of fingerprinting with different contaminant paths obtained using the numerical model.