Seasonal variations of live moisture content and ignitability in shrubs of the Mediterranean Basin

2007 ◽  
Vol 16 (5) ◽  
pp. 633 ◽  
Author(s):  
G. Pellizzaro ◽  
P. Duce ◽  
A. Ventura ◽  
P. Zara
Keyword(s):  
Moisture Content ◽  
Seasonal Changes ◽  
Mediterranean Basin ◽  
Meteorological Data ◽  
Seasonal Pattern ◽  
Western Mediterranean ◽  
Regression Equations ◽  
Shrub Species ◽  
Western Mediterranean Basin ◽  
The Mediterranean Basin

The objectives of the present study were (i) to describe the seasonal pattern of ignition delay (ID time) and moisture content of live fine fuel (LFMC) for eight common shrub species of the Western Mediterranean Basin, and (ii) to evaluate the relationships between LFMC and ignitability. The experiment was carried out in a shrubland area located in Sardinia, Italy. LFMC and time to ignition or ID time values were determined monthly or twice a month throughout the year. Ignitability was determined by laboratory tests. Meteorological data were also collected from a weather station located in the study area. Significant linear regression equations of ID time v. LFMC were found for most of the species, with R2 values ranging from 67 to 94%. In general, very low values of ID time were observed when LFMC ranged from 70 to 100%. In addition, two groups of species were identified, depending on seasonal changes of both LFMC and ID time (or ignitability): (i) species with LFMC not greater than 100% and high ignitability values all throughout the year, and (ii) species with large seasonal variability of LFMC and ignitability values that were low in winter and high in summer. Significant differences in ignitability among species were also observed.

scholarly journals Meso-Alpha Scale Tropospheric Interactions within the Western Mediterranean Basin: Statistical Results Using 15-Year NCEP/NCAR Reanalysis Dataset

2015 ◽  
Vol 2015 ◽  
pp. 1-11 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. L. Palau ◽  
F. Rovira
Keyword(s):  
Mediterranean Sea ◽  
Mediterranean Basin ◽  
Meteorological Data ◽  
Western Mediterranean ◽  
Linkage Test ◽  
Reanalysis Dataset ◽  
Seasonal Evolution ◽  
Western Mediterranean Sea ◽  
Western Mediterranean Basin ◽  
Daily Oscillation

After a 15-year average of the reanalyses meteorological data provided by NCEP/NCAR, this paper shows the mean seasonal evolution, between April and October, of the tropospheric dynamics in the Western Mediterranean Basin (WMB). As shown in this paper, it is the result of the meso-alpha interaction between the daily oscillation of coastal thermally driven circulations around the basin and the daily pulsation of sinking speeds over areas of the Western Mediterranean Sea. Furthermore, from the 15-year average, a statistically significant correlation has been found between these processes (the daily oscillation of sea breezes and the daily pulsation of subsidence/convergence on the WMB). The quantification of this persistent link between these tropospheric processes elucidates their teleconnection at the meso-alpha scale and the seasonal evolution of the strength of this linkage. Test statistics are greater than critical values for the 5% significance level of the F-distribution. Besides, we have estimated a generalised diurnal compensatory subsidence over the Western Mediterranean Sea with a maximum mean sinking (subsidence) motion of up to −0.2 cm/s at 18:00 h UTC and 1000 hPa and a nocturnal generalised mean upward (convergence) motion of up to 0.05 cm/s at 00:00 h UTC and 1000 hPa.

scholarly journals Fuel loading and flammability in the Mediterranean Basin woody species with different post-fire regenerative strategies

2010 ◽  
Vol 19 (6) ◽  
pp. 783 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. Saura-Mas ◽  
S. Paula ◽  
J. G. Pausas ◽  
F. Lloret
Keyword(s):  
Mediterranean Basin ◽  
Fire Risk ◽  
Woody Species ◽  
Western Mediterranean ◽  
Fuel Load ◽  
Fuel Loading ◽  
Selective Pressures ◽  
Western Mediterranean Basin ◽  
The Mediterranean ◽  
The Mediterranean Basin

The flammability and combustibility of plant communities are determined by species features related to growth-form, structure and physiology. In some ecosystems, such as the Mediterranean ones, these characteristics may contribute to the existence of fire-prone species. We measured several parameters associated with the flammability and fuel loading of dominant woody species with different post-fire regenerative strategies (seeders and non-seeders) in shrublands in the western Mediterranean Basin. Overall, seeder species show lower fuel load but are more prone to burning owing to a higher dead-to-live fuel ratio, live fine-fuel proportion and dead fine-fuel proportion. Moreover, they burst into flame at lower temperatures than non-seeders. In the Mediterranean Basin, most seeder species emerged mainly during the Quaternary, under a highly fluctuating Mediterranean climate and during recurrent fires. We propose that properties related to the combustibility and flammability of seeders may be the result of selective pressures associated with both fire and climate. These results suggest that ecosystems dominated by seeder species are more susceptible to fire risk than those dominated by non-seeder species in the Mediterranean Basin. Therefore, the proportion of these types of species resulting from previous fire or management history is likely to determine the characteristics of future fire events.

scholarly journals The regime of desert dust episodes in the Mediterranean based on contemporary satellite observations and ground measurements

2013 ◽  
Vol 13 (6) ◽  
pp. 16247-16299 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. Gkikas ◽  
N. Hatzianastassiou ◽  
N. Mihalopoulos ◽  
V. Katsoulis ◽  
S. Kazadzis ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mediterranean Basin ◽  
Western Mediterranean ◽  
Spatial And Temporal Variability ◽  
Central Mediterranean ◽  
Study Region ◽  
Desert Dust ◽  
Western Mediterranean Basin ◽  
Spatial Coverage ◽  
The Mediterranean ◽  
The Mediterranean Basin

Abstract. The regime of desert dust (DD) episodes over the broader Mediterranean basin is studied for the period 2000–2007. The novelty of this work lies in its complete spatial coverage of the region. An objective and dynamic algorithm has been set up, which uses daily measurements of various aerosol optical properties taken by different satellite databases, enabling the identification of DD episodes and their classification into strong and extreme ones. The algorithm's performance was tested against surface based (in situ) Particulate Matter (PM) and (columnar) sun-photometric AERONET measurements from stations distributed across the Mediterranean. The comparisons have shown the reasonable ability of the algorithm to detect the DD episodes taking place within the study region. The largest disagreements with PM data were found in summer and western Mediterranean, when African dust transport has a great vertical extent that cannot be satisfactorily captured by surface measurements. According to our results, DD episodes in the Mediterranean basin are quite frequent (up to 11.4 episodes/year) while there is a significant spatial and temporal variability in their frequency of occurrence and their intensity. Strong episodes occur more frequently in the western Mediterranean basin whilst extreme ones appear more frequently over central Mediterranean Sea areas. Apart from this longitudinal variation, there is a predominant latitudinal variability in both frequency and intensity, with decreasing values from south to north. A significant seasonal variation was also found for the frequency of DD episodes, with both strong and extreme episodes being more frequent during summer in the western Mediterranean basin, but during spring in its central and eastern parts. In most cases (>85%) the Mediterranean dust episodes last a bit longer than a day, although their duration can reach 6 days for strong episodes and 4 days for extreme episodes. A noticeable year by year variability was also found, especially for the frequency of the episodes. The spatial and temporal patterns of Mediterranean DD episodes can be explained based on surface pressure and precipitation spatio-temporal distribution patterns over the study region, as well as by the year by year variability of North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO). In this context, a decreasing frequency of appearance of DD episodes over the Mediterranean basin has been revealed over the period 2000–2007, especially over land surfaces, in line with decreasing NAO Index over the same period. Our findings demonstrate the reasonable ability to detect desert dust outbreaks in the Mediterranean basin from satellites.

scholarly journals Assessing the Potential of Short Sea Shipping and the Benefits in Terms of External Costs: Application to the Mediterranean Basin

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (13) ◽  
pp. 5383 ◽  
Author(s):  
Antonio Comi ◽  
Antonio Polimeni
Keyword(s):  
Mediterranean Basin ◽  
Choice Model ◽  
Western Mediterranean ◽  
External Costs ◽  
Short Sea Shipping ◽  
The Road ◽  
The North ◽  
Western Mediterranean Basin ◽  
The Mediterranean ◽  
The Mediterranean Basin

The paper aims to investigate short sea shipping services as a competitive, sustainable freight transport system which is able to respond to economic, social and environmental needs. An assessment methodology is proposed which considers an aggregate discrete choice model, simulating the split between the competitive transport alternatives in the Mediterranean basin. The proposed methodology was used to assess the potential of short sea shipping (SSS) and the net benefits deriving from lower external costs in the north-western Mediterranean basin. Two future scenarios are considered: introduction of new SSS services as envisaged by current EU projects and plans, and the introduction of new SSS routes and an increase in frequencies of existing services. Significant results were obtained in terms of shifting freight traffic from the road network as well as external benefits.

scholarly journals Gm and Km alleles in two Spanish Pyrenean populations (Andorra and Pallars Sobira): a review of Gm variation in the Western Mediterranean basin

2001 ◽  
Vol 65 (6) ◽  
pp. 537-548 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. P. GIRALDO ◽  
E. ESTEBAN ◽  
M. P. ALUJA ◽  
R. M. NOGUES ◽  
CH. BACKES-DURO ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mediterranean Basin ◽  
Western Mediterranean ◽  
Western Mediterranean Basin

scholarly journals Algerian Olive Germplasm and Its Relationships with the Central-Western Mediterranean Varieties Contributes to Clarify Cultivated Olive Diversification

Plants ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (4) ◽  
pp. 678
Author(s):  
Kamel Atrouz ◽  
Ratiba Bousba ◽  
Francesco Paolo Marra ◽  
Annalisa Marchese ◽  
Francesca Luisa Conforti ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mediterranean Basin ◽  
Genetic Relationships ◽  
Olive Tree ◽  
Mediterranean Area ◽  
Western Mediterranean ◽  
Central Mediterranean ◽  
Western Mediterranean Basin ◽  
New Information ◽  
Mediterranean History ◽  
New Synonymy

Olive tree with its main final product, olive oil, is an important element of Mediterranean history, considered the emblematic fruit of a civilization. Despite its wide diffusion and economic and cultural importance, its evolutionary and phylogenetic history is still difficult to clarify. As part of the Mediterranean basin, Algeria was indicated as a secondary diversification center. However, genetic characterization studies from Maghreb area, are currently underrepresented. In this context, we characterized 119 endemic Algerian accessions by using 12 microsatellite markers with the main goal to evaluate the genetic diversity and population structure. In order to provide new insights about the history of olive diversification events in the Central-Western Mediterranean basin, we included and analyzed a sample of 103 Italian accessions from Sicily and, a set of molecular profiles of cultivars from the Central-Western Mediterranean area. The phylogenetic investigation let us to evaluate genetic relationships among Central-Mediterranean basin olive germplasm, highlight new synonymy cases to support the importance of vegetative propagation in the cultivated olive diffusion and consolidate the hypothesis of more recent admixture events occurrence. This work provided new information about Algerian germplasm biodiversity and contributed to clarify olive diversification process.

Variability of Mediterranean aerosols properties at three regional background sites in the western Mediterranean Basin

2014 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michaël Sicard ◽  
Julien Totems ◽  
Rubén Barragan ◽  
François Dulac ◽  
Marc Mallet ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mediterranean Basin ◽  
Western Mediterranean ◽  
Regional Background ◽  
Western Mediterranean Basin

IV.—Titaniferous Volcanic Rocks

1907 ◽  
Vol 4 (4) ◽  
pp. 157-165 ◽  
Author(s):  
T. Crook
Keyword(s):  
Mediterranean Basin ◽  
Volcanic Rocks ◽  
Western Mediterranean ◽  
Geological Society ◽  
Western Mediterranean Basin

In a paper read recently at a meeting of the Geological Society, Dr. Washington proposes to treat certain basalts of the Western Mediterranean basin as constituting “a hitherto unrecognised petro-graphic province, or comagmatic region, one of the most salient characters of which is the presence of salfemanes (basalts) that contain remarkably high amounts of titanium.”

The valid nomen for the tree frog (genus Hyla) of Tunisia and Eastern Algeria

Zootaxa ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 4759 (4) ◽  
pp. 597-599 ◽  
Author(s):  
CHRISTOPHE DUFRESNES ◽  
PIERRE-ANDRÉ CROCHET
Keyword(s):  
Mediterranean Basin ◽  
Western Mediterranean ◽  
Northern Italy ◽  
Tree Frog ◽  
Rad Sequencing ◽  
Western Mediterranean Basin ◽  
Genome Wide ◽  
Genome Wide Data ◽  
Tree Frogs ◽  
Eastern Algeria

Mediterranean tree frogs, Hyla gr. meridionalis Boettger, 1874 (Anura: Hylidae) are widespread around the Western Mediterranean Basin, where they naturally occur across the Maghreb (Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia). Individuals of diverse Moroccan origins have been introduced and have expanded throughout the Iberian Peninsula, southern France and northern Italy (Liguria), but also on the Canary and Balearic archipelagos (Recuero et al. 2007; Dufresnes et al. 2019). Early molecular studies uncovered several mitochondrial lineages and suggested a major cryptic diversification within this taxon, with Tunisian and eastern Algerian (Numidia) populations carrying deeply divergent haplotypes compared with the rest of the range (Recuero et al. 2007; Stöck et al. 2008; Stöck et al. 2012). While intron markers showed little differentiation (Stöck et al. 2008; Stöck et al. 2012), genome-wide data obtained from RAD-sequencing have supported the deep split suspected from mtDNA (Dufresnes et al. 2018). 

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