scholarly journals Functional diversity of the macro‑invertebrate community in the port area of Kerkennah Islands (Tunisia)

2012 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
pp. 93 ◽  
Author(s):  
N. ALOUI‑BEJAOUI ◽  
A. AFLI
Keyword(s):  
Functional Diversity ◽  
Functional Organization ◽  
Ecological Status ◽  
Anthropogenic Pressures ◽  
Water Turbidity ◽  
Port Area ◽  
Navigation Channel ◽  
Negative Impacts ◽  
Good Ecological Status ◽  
Physical And Chemical

The harbour area of Sidi Youssef in Kerkennah islands is characterized by specific anthropogenic pressures linked to fishing activities. To study the functional diversity of benthic macro invertebrates, 10 stations located around the port and along the ship canal were sampled by SCUBA diving. Collected invertebrates were identified, counted and preserved. For the functional organization of the community, the most common biodiversity indices and functional groups were assessed at each station, and main physical and chemical parameters were measured. Results showed that the main apparent anthropogenic stress, that could lead to negative impacts on the studied area, was related to dredging/harbour activities. Suspension feeders, consisting essentially of polychaetes, which may be disturbed by water turbidity, dominated the stations farthest from the port, where the intensity of harbour activities is obviously reduced. On the contrary, carnivores dominated inside the port, possibly benefiting from fish scraps discarded at the area, while stations close to the port appeared to be more balanced trophically. The applied biotic indices showed that the area is in good ecological status, except of the navigation channel and the port entrance, which were slightly degraded.

scholarly journals Development of a fish-based index for the assessment of the ecological status of Lake Balaton in the absence of present day reference condition

2020 ◽  
pp. 11 ◽  
Author(s):  
András Specziár ◽  
Tibor Erős
Keyword(s):  
Native Species ◽  
Ecological Status ◽  
Fish Fauna ◽  
Native Fish ◽  
Lake Balaton ◽  
Anthropogenic Pressures ◽  
Key Species ◽  
Good Ecological Status ◽  
Electric Fishing

A fish-based index is proposed to indicate the ecological status of Lake Balaton, Hungary in accordance with the standard of the European Water Framework Directive (WFD). The Balaton fish index (BFI) synthetises information of 13 lake-specific fish metrics including gillnetting and electric fishing data of species richness of native assemblages, relative abundance, biomass and age structure of native key species, representation of non-native species and general health status. The main anthropogenic pressures considered were the degradation of littoral habitats, invasion of non-native fish species, eutrophication and fishing/angling including stocking. Ecological quality ratio (EQR) is assessed by relating actual fish assemblage metrics to the supposed undisturbed reference status of Lake Balaton reconstructed by expert judgement based on recent and historic information on the fish fauna and its changes. Values of BFI were consistent and indicated good ecological status of Lake Balaton in the period of 2005–2018. This study provides an example on how an EQR assessment methodology might be established in unique habitats with no possibilities for statistical evaluation of pressure-respond relationships and exact determination of the reference status.

scholarly journals WFD Ecological Quality Indicators Are Poorly Correlated with Water Levels in River Catchments in Tuscany (Italy)

Hydrology ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 8 (4) ◽  
pp. 185
Author(s):  
Chiara Arrighi ◽  
Isabella Bonamini ◽  
Cristina Simoncini ◽  
Stefano Bartalesi ◽  
Fabio Castelli
Keyword(s):  
Central Italy ◽  
Ecological Status ◽  
Ecological Indicators ◽  
Water Levels ◽  
Poor Correlation ◽  
Anthropogenic Pressures ◽  
Ecological Sampling ◽  
Good Ecological Status ◽  
Environmental Agencies ◽  
Ecological Flows

The Water Framework Directive (WFD) requires European countries to achieve a good ecological status of surface water bodies and demands that River District Authorities define ecological flows consistently. Nevertheless, the relationship between ecological and hydrological indicators is not fully understood and not straightforward to apply because ecological and hydrological indicators are monitored by different institutions, with different timings and purposes. This work examines the correlation between a set of ecological indicators monitored by environmental agencies (STAR-ICMi, LIMeco, IBMR, and TDI) and water levels with assigned durations monitored by the hydrologic service in Tuscany (central Italy). Reference water levels are derived from stage-duration curves obtained by the statistical analysis of daily levels in the same year of ecological sampling. The two datasets are paired through a geospatial association for the same river reach and the correlation is measured through Pearson’s r. The results show poor correlation (r between −0.33 and −0.42) between ecological indicators and hydrologic variables, confirming the findings observed in other Italian catchments with different hydrologic regimes, climate, and anthropogenic pressures. Nevertheless, the negative correlations show a decreasing water quality with water depths, i.e., in the lower part of the catchments more affected by anthropogenic pressures. These findings suggests that the determination of ecological flows with a purely hydrological approach is not sufficient for achieving WFD objectives in the study area.

scholarly journals Can zooplankton species be used as indicators of trophic status and ecological potential of reservoirs?

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Manuel E. Muñoz-Colmenares ◽  
Juan M. Soria ◽  
Eduardo Vicente
Keyword(s):  
Water Quality ◽  
Trophic Status ◽  
Ecological Status ◽  
Zooplankton Species ◽  
Keratella Cochlearis ◽  
Physical And Chemical Variables ◽  
Daphnia Cucullata ◽  
Good Ecological Status ◽  
Physical And Chemical ◽  
Ecological Potential

AbstractThe European Water Framework Directive implements the policies to achieve a good ecological status of all European waterbodies. To determine the ecological potential in freshwater environments, abiotic (morphology, physical and chemical variables) and biotics (algae, fishes, etc.) metrics are used. Despite their importance in trophic web, zooplankton was not included as one of the Biological Quality Elements (BQE) to determine the water quality. In the present research, we studied the zooplankton species that can be considered as indicators of trophic status and ecological potential for more than 60 water reservoirs. The data were obtained from more of 300 samples collected during 10 years from reservoirs at Ebro River watershed, which is the largest basin in Spain. According to their physicochemical and biological elements, the trophic status and ecological potential of these reservoirs were established. More than 150 zooplankton species were identified during the study. The results from this research indicate that species that are related with low water quality are: Acanthocyclops americanus, Ceriodaphnia spp., Daphnia cucullata, Daphnia párvula, Diaphanosoma brachyurum, Brachionus angularis, Keratella cochlearis and Phompolyx sulcata. An indicator of moderate quality was Bosmina longirostris, while Daphnia longispina, Ascomorpha ovalis and Ascomorpha saltans were considered as indicators of good water quality. The data obtained suggest that zooplankton species can be used as a valuable tool to determine the water quality status and should be considered, in a near future, as one more of the BQE within the WFD metrics.

scholarly journals The assessment of the amount of water pollution and its suitability for drinking of the Tyśmienica River Basin, Poland

2021 ◽  
Vol 193 (5) ◽  
Author(s):  
Antoni Grzywna ◽  
Joanna Sender
Keyword(s):  
River Basin ◽  
High Performance ◽  
Ph Value ◽  
Ecological Status ◽  
Polluted Water ◽  
Chemical Parameters ◽  
Measuring Point ◽  
Physical And Chemical Parameters ◽  
Good Ecological Status ◽  
Physical And Chemical

AbstractThe quality and potability of waters of the Tyśmienica River Basin were determined in 2017 at eight measuring stations. The paper presents analyses of the physical and chemical parameters of surface waters of the basin. With regard to suspended solids, pH value, electric conductivity, sulphates, ammonia, chlorides and phosphate, the water was classified as having a very good ecological status. In the case of Kjeldahl nitrogen, the waters were classified as having a good ecological status. In the case of the remaining parameters, i.e. BOD, DO, TOC and COD, the status varied among stations. The values of all the physical and chemical parameters complied with the values for undisturbed conditions. Only ammonia and COD showed significant differences among stations. The WPI values for each measuring point ranged from 0.90 to 1.56, what corresponds to the descriptive indicators of moderately polluted water. The high concentrations of COD and TOC indicate that high-performance treatment processes (category A3) must be used to ensure that the water is suitable for drinking.

scholarly journals The Influence of Flow Regime on Ecological Quality, Bird Diversity, and Shellfish Fisheries in a Lowland Mediterranean River and Its Coastal Area

Water ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (5) ◽  
pp. 918 ◽  
Author(s):  
Oscar Belmar ◽  
Carles Ibáñez ◽  
Ana Forner ◽  
Nuno Caiola
Keyword(s):  
Aquatic Vegetation ◽  
Environmental Flows ◽  
Ecological Status ◽  
Model Performance ◽  
Habitat Characteristics ◽  
Bird Diversity ◽  
Ecological Quality ◽  
Anthropogenic Pressures ◽  
Discharge Data ◽  
Mantis Shrimp

Designing environmental flows in lowland river sections and estuaries is a challenge for researchers and managers, given their complexity and their importance, both for nature conservation and economy. The Ebro River and its delta belong to a Mediterranean area with marked anthropogenic pressures. This study presents an assessment of the relationships between mean flows (discharges) computed at different time scales and (i) ecological quality based on fish populations in the lower Ebro, (ii) bird populations, and (iii) two shellfish fishery species of socioeconomic importance (prawn, or Penaeus kerathurus, and mantis shrimp, or Squilla mantis). Daily discharge data from 2000 to 2015 were used for analyses. Mean annual discharge was able to explain the variation in fish-based ecological quality, and model performance increased when aquatic vegetation was incorporated. Our results indicate that a good ecological status cannot be reached only through changes on discharge, and that habitat characteristics, such as the coverage of macrophytes, must be taken into account. In addition, among the different bird groups identified in our study area, predators were related to river discharge. This was likely due to its influence on available resources. Finally, prawn and mantis shrimp productivity were influenced up to a certain degree by discharge and physicochemical variables, as inputs from rivers constitute major sources of nutrients in oligotrophic environments such as the Mediterranean Sea. Such outcomes allowed revisiting the environmental flow regimes designed for the study area, which provides information for water management in this or in other similar Mediterranean zones.

scholarly journals Influence of Anthropogenic Loads on Surface Water Status: A Case Study in Lithuania

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (8) ◽  
pp. 4341
Author(s):  
Laima Česonienė ◽  
Daiva Šileikienė ◽  
Vitas Marozas ◽  
Laura Čiteikė
Keyword(s):  
Total Nitrogen ◽  
Water Status ◽  
Arable Land ◽  
Ecological Status ◽  
Water Bodies ◽  
Agricultural Pollution ◽  
Good Ecological Status ◽  
Water Catchment ◽  
Lake Basins

Twenty-six water bodies and 10 ponds were selected for this research. Anthropogenic loads were assessed according to pollution sources in individual water catchment basins. It was determined that 50% of the tested water bodies had Ntotal values that did not correspond to the good and very good ecological status classes, and 20% of the tested water bodies had Ptotal values that did not correspond to the good and very good ecological status classes. The lake basins and ponds received the largest amounts of pollution from agricultural sources with total nitrogen at 1554.13 t/year and phosphorus at 1.94 t/year, and from meadows and pastures with total nitrogen at 9.50 t/year and phosphorus at 0.20 t/year. The highest annual load of total nitrogen for lake basins on average per year was from agricultural pollution from arable land (98.85%), and the highest total phosphorus load was also from agricultural pollution from arable land (60%).

scholarly journals Monitoring Skeletal Anomalies in Big-Scale Sand Smelt, Atherina boyeri, as a Potential Complementary Tool for Early Detection of Effects of Anthropic Pressure in Coastal Lagoons

Water ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (2) ◽  
pp. 159
Author(s):  
Chiara Leone ◽  
Francesca De Luca ◽  
Eleonora Ciccotti ◽  
Arianna Martini ◽  
Clara Boglione
Keyword(s):  
Early Detection ◽  
Habitat Degradation ◽  
Anthropogenic Impacts ◽  
Coastal Lagoons ◽  
Ecological Status ◽  
Detection Methods ◽  
Anthropogenic Pressures ◽  
Morphological Examination ◽  
Skeletal Anomalies

Mediterranean coastal lagoons are increasingly affected by several threats, all concurrently leading to habitat degradation and loss. Methods based on fish for the assessment of the ecological status are under implementation for the Water Framework Directive requirements, to assess the overall quality of coastal lagoons. Complementary tools based on the use of single fish species as biological indicators could be useful as early detection methods of anthropogenic impacts. The analysis of skeletal anomalies in the big-scale sand smelt, Atherina boyeri, from nine Mediterranean coastal lagoons in Italy was carried out. Along with the morphological examination of fish, the environmental status of the nine lagoons was evaluated using a method based on expert judgement, by selecting and quantifying several environmental descriptors of direct and indirect human pressures acting on lagoon ecosystems. The average individual anomaly load and the frequency of individuals with severe anomalies allow to discriminate big-scale sand smelt samples on the basis of the site and of its quality status. Furthermore, a relationship between skeletal anomalies and the environmental quality of specific lagoons, driven by the anthropogenic pressures acting on them, was found. These findings support the potentiality of skeletal anomalies monitoring in big-scale sand smelt as a tool for early detection of anthropogenic impacts in coastal lagoons of the Mediterranean region.

Back to the Future: Reducing Atmospheric Particulate Matter Levels to Improve Human Health

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Spyros Pandis
Keyword(s):  
Particulate Matter ◽  
Atmospheric Aerosols ◽  
Atmospheric Chemistry ◽  
Control Strategy ◽  
Atmospheric Particulate Matter ◽  
Anthropogenic Emissions ◽  
The Us ◽  
Negative Impacts ◽  
Predictive Understanding ◽  
Physical And Chemical

<p>The human development of our planet has a variety of negative impacts on the composition of its atmosphere at every scale – locally, regionally, and even globally. One of these dramatic changes has been the increase in the mass concentrations of sub-micrometer particles by one to sometimes two orders of magnitude over populated areas in the Northern Hemisphere. These atmospheric aerosols can cause serious health problems, reduce visibility, contribute to acidic deposition and material damage, but are also cooling the planet by reflecting sunlight back to space. Atmospheric chemistry occurs within a fabric of complicated atmospheric dynamics and physics. This interplay often results in nonlinear and often counterintuitive changes of the system when anthropogenic emissions change. A major goal of our research has been to gain a predictive understanding of the physical and chemical processes that govern the dynamics, size, and chemical composition of atmospheric aerosols.</p><p>To illustrate the advances in the experimental techniques and theoretical tools in atmospheric aerosol science, we will go back to the beginning of the 21<sup>st</sup> century and we will revisit the design a particulate matter control strategy for the Eastern US based on the data, knowledge, and tools available at that time. We will then look at the effects of the parts of this control strategy that have been materialized and their effects on public health using the current understanding. Finally, we will look forward in ways of further improving air quality in the US and Europe.</p>

scholarly journals Macrophyte assessment in European lakes: Diverse approaches but convergent views of ‘good’ ecological status

2018 ◽  
Vol 94 ◽  
pp. 185-197 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sandra Poikane ◽  
Rob Portielje ◽  
Luc Denys ◽  
Didzis Elferts ◽  
Martyn Kelly ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Ecological Status ◽  
Good Ecological Status

scholarly journals Its present state overmoistened landscape systems of Lviv Region

2014 ◽  
pp. 347-354
Author(s):  
N. Blazhko
Keyword(s):  
Key Words ◽  
Present State ◽  
Environmental Conditions ◽  
Ecological Status ◽  
Ecological Condition ◽  
Wetland Landscape ◽  
Current State ◽  
Destabilizing Factors ◽  
Good Ecological Status ◽  
Stabilizing Factors

Reviewed the current state of wetland landscape systems (PLC) Lviv region. Highlighted areas PLC of good ecological status, with a satisfactory ecological condition and unsatisfactory environmental conditions. Key words: overmoistened landscape systems (OLS)peat, peat, drainage improvement, environmental stabilizing factors, environmental destabilizing factors.

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