scholarly journals Biomonitoring of atmospheric trace elements in agricultural areas and a former uranium mine

Biomonitoring ◽  
2014 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Judith H. Rodriguez ◽  
Eduardo D. Wannaz ◽  
Sebastian B. Weller ◽  
María L. Pignata
Keyword(s):  
Trace Elements ◽  
Air Quality ◽  
Trace Metal ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Physiological Response ◽  
Metal Accumulation ◽  
Uranium Mine ◽  
Mining Areas ◽  
Agricultural Areas

AbstractMost biomonitoring studies worldwide have evaluated the air quality in industrial and urban areas, and even in mining areas to a lesser extent. However, air quality investigations in agricultural areas are scarce. In the present study, the trace metal accumulation and physiological response of the biomonitor

scholarly journals Terrestrial biodiversity threatened by increasing global aridity velocity under high-level warming

2021 ◽  
Vol 118 (36) ◽  
pp. e2015552118
Author(s):  
Hao Shi ◽  
Hanqin Tian ◽  
Stefan Lange ◽  
Jia Yang ◽  
Shufen Pan ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Spatial Distribution ◽  
Protected Areas ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Physiological Response ◽  
Natural Protected Areas ◽  
Species Ranges ◽  
Terrestrial Species ◽  
Terrestrial Biodiversity ◽  
High Level ◽  
Agricultural Areas

Global aridification is projected to intensify. Yet, our knowledge of its potential impacts on species ranges remains limited. Here, we investigate global aridity velocity and its overlap with three sectors (natural protected areas, agricultural areas, and urban areas) and terrestrial biodiversity in historical (1979 through 2016) and future periods (2050 through 2099), with and without considering vegetation physiological response to rising CO2. Both agricultural and urban areas showed a mean drying velocity in history, although the concurrent global aridity velocity was on average +0.05/+0.20 km/yr−1 (no CO2 effects/with CO2 effects; “+” denoting wetting). Moreover, in drylands, the shifts of vegetation greenness isolines were found to be significantly coupled with the tracks of aridity velocity. In the future, the aridity velocity in natural protected areas is projected to change from wetting to drying across RCP (representative concentration pathway) 2.6, RCP6.0, and RCP8.5 scenarios. When accounting for spatial distribution of terrestrial taxa (including plants, mammals, birds, and amphibians), the global aridity velocity would be -0.15/-0.02 km/yr−1 (“-” denoting drying; historical), -0.12/-0.15 km/yr−1 (RCP2.6), -0.36/-0.10 km/yr−1 (RCP6.0), and -0.75/-0.29 km/yr−1 (RCP8.5), with amphibians particularly negatively impacted. Under all scenarios, aridity velocity shows much higher multidirectionality than temperature velocity, which is mainly poleward. These results suggest that aridification risks may significantly influence the distribution of terrestrial species besides warming impacts and further impact the effectiveness of current protected areas in future, especially under RCP8.5, which best matches historical CO2 emissions [C. R. Schwalm et al., Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 117, 19656–19657 (2020)].

Improving the Protection of Children Against Air Pollution Threats in Romania � The RokidAIR Project Approach and Future Perspectives

2017 ◽  
Vol 68 (4) ◽  
pp. 841-846
Author(s):  
Hai-Ying Liu ◽  
Daniel Dunea ◽  
Mihaela Oprea ◽  
Tom Savu ◽  
Stefania Iordache
Keyword(s):  
Air Pollution ◽  
Air Quality ◽  
Health Effects ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Behavioural Change ◽  
Health Assessment ◽  
Warning System ◽  
Personal Exposure ◽  
Mobile Technologies ◽  
Quality Maps

This paper presents the approach used to develop the information chain required to reach the objectives of the EEA Grants� RokidAIR project in two Romanian cities i.e., Targoviste and Ploiesti. It describes the PM2.5 monitoring infrastructure and architecture to the web-based GIS platform, the early warning system and the decision support system, and finally, the linking of air pollution to health effects in children. In addition, it shows the analysis performance of the designed system to process the collected time series from various data sources using the benzene concentrations monitored in Ploiesti. Moreover, this paper suggests that biomarkers, mobile technologies, and Citizens� Observatories are potential perspectives to improve data coverage by the provision of near-real-time air quality maps, and provide personal exposure and health assessment results, enabling the citizens� engagement and behavioural change. This paper also addresses new fields in nature-based solutions to improve air quality, and studies on air pollution and its mental health effects in the urban areas of Romania.

Atmospheric transport and deposition of trace elements to lake erie from Urban areas

1996 ◽  
Vol 33 (4-5) ◽  
pp. 259-265
Author(s):  
Gerald J. Keeler ◽  
Nicola Pirrone
Keyword(s):  
Trace Elements ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Lake Erie ◽  
Atmospheric Transport ◽  
Spatial And Temporal Variation ◽  
Deposition Flux ◽  
Emission Sources ◽  
Dry Deposition Flux ◽  
Ambient Concentration ◽  
Ambient Concentrations

A hybrid receptor-deposition (HRD) modeling approach was used to determine the spatial and temporal variation in the ambient concentration and dry deposition flux of trace elements on fine (< 2.5 mm) and coarse (> 2.5 mm) particulate matter over Lake Erie. Upper-air observations from the National Weather Service (NWS) and ambient concentrations measured at two sampling sites downwind of major emission sources in the Lake Erie basin were input to the model. An evaluation of the deposition flux of size-segregated trace elements to the lake during the over-water transport was performed. The average total (fine + coarse) deposition flux was 9.6 ng/m2-h for V, 70 ng/m2-h for Mn, 3.2 ng/m2-h for As, 4.2 ng/m2-h for Se, 10 ng/m2-h for Cd, and 43.3 ng/m2-h for Pb.

scholarly journals Morpho-Physio-Biochemical Attributes of Roadside Trees as Potential Tools for Biomonitoring of Air Quality and Environmental Health in Urban Areas

Land ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (3) ◽  
pp. 236
Author(s):  
Ha Na You ◽  
Myeong Ja Kwak ◽  
Sun Mi Je ◽  
Jong Kyu Lee ◽  
Yea Ji Lim ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Air Pollution ◽  
Air Quality ◽  
Environmental Health ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Biochemical Parameters ◽  
Lipid Peroxide ◽  
Platanus Occidentalis ◽  
Physiological Variables ◽  
Sources Of Pollution ◽  
Species Specific

Environmental pollution is an important issue in metropolitan areas, and roadside trees are directly affected by various sources of pollution to which they exhibit numerous responses. The aim of the present study was to identify morpho-physio-biochemical attributes of maidenhair tree (Ginkgo biloba L.) and American sycamore (Platanus occidentalis L.) growing under two different air quality conditions (roadside with high air pollution, RH and roadside with low air pollution, RL) and to assess the possibility of using their physiological and biochemical parameters as biomonitoring tools in urban areas. The results showed that the photosynthetic rate, photosynthetic nitrogen-use efficiencies, and photochromic contents were generally low in RH in both G. biloba and P. occidentalis. However, water-use efficiency and leaf temperature showed high values in RH trees. Among biochemical parameters, in G. biloba, the lipid peroxide content was higher in RH than in RL trees, but in P. occidentalis, this content was lower in RH than in RL trees. In both species, physiological activities were low in trees planted in areas with high levels of air pollution, whereas their biochemical and morphological variables showed different responses to air pollution. Thus, we concluded that it is possible to determine species-specific physiological variables affected by regional differences of air pollution in urban areas, and these findings may be helpful for monitoring air quality and environmental health using trees.

scholarly journals Trace element catalyses mineral replacement reactions and facilitates ore formation

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Yanlu Xing ◽  
Joël Brugger ◽  
Barbara Etschmann ◽  
Andrew G. Tomkins ◽  
Andrew J. Frierdich ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mass Transfer ◽  
Trace Elements ◽  
Fluid Flow ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Metal Accumulation ◽  
Nucleation And Growth ◽  
Reaction Interface ◽  
Ore Formation ◽  
Key Factor ◽  
Mineral Replacement

AbstractReaction-induced porosity is a key factor enabling protracted fluid-rock interactions in the Earth’s crust, promoting large-scale mineralogical changes during diagenesis, metamorphism, and ore formation. Here, we show experimentally that the presence of trace amounts of dissolved cerium increases the porosity of hematite (Fe2O3) formed via fluid-induced, redox-independent replacement of magnetite (Fe3O4), thereby increasing the efficiency of coupled magnetite replacement, fluid flow, and element mass transfer. Cerium acts as a catalyst affecting the nucleation and growth of hematite by modifying the Fe2+(aq)/Fe3+(aq) ratio at the reaction interface. Our results demonstrate that trace elements can enhance fluid-mediated mineral replacement reactions, ultimately controlling the kinetics, texture, and composition of fluid-mineral systems. Applied to some of the world’s most valuable orebodies, these results provide new insights into how early formation of extensive magnetite alteration may have preconditioned these ore systems for later enhanced metal accumulation, contributing to their sizes and metal endowment.

A decision support tool for the assessment of air quality in urban areas: An application for Athens, Greece

1999 ◽  
Vol 69 (1-2) ◽  
pp. 31-42
Author(s):  
D. Deligiorgi ◽  
C. Cartalis ◽  
G. Kouroupetroglou ◽  
C. Moutselos ◽  
E. Kambitsi
Keyword(s):  
Decision Support ◽  
Air Quality ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Decision Support Tool ◽  
Support Tool
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