scholarly journals Aquatic Angiosperm Transplantation: A Tool for Environmental Management and Restoring in Transitional Water Systems

Water ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (10) ◽  
pp. 2135 ◽  
Author(s):  
Adriano Sfriso ◽  
Alessandro Buosi ◽  
Yari Tomio ◽  
Abdul-Salam Juhmani ◽  
Chiara Facca ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Aquatic Plant ◽  
Anthropogenic Impacts ◽  
Ecological Status ◽  
Venice Lagoon ◽  
First Year ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Aquatic Angiosperm ◽  
Suspended Particulate ◽  
The 1960S ◽  
Plant Recolonization

Since the 1960s, the Venice Lagoon has suffered a sharp aquatic plant constriction due to eutrophication, pollution, and clam fishing. Those anthropogenic impacts began to decline during the 2010s, and since then the ecological status of the lagoon has improved, but in many choked areas no plant recolonization has been recorded due to the lack of seeds. The project funded by the European Union (LIFE12 NAT/IT/000331-SeResto) allowed to recolonize one of these areas, which is situated in the northern lagoon, by widespread transplantation of small sods and individual rhizomes. In-field activities were supported by fishermen, hunters, and sport associations; the interested surface measured approximately 36.6 km2. In the 35 stations of the chosen area, 24,261 rhizomes were transplanted during the first year, accounting for 693 rhizomes per station. About 37% of them took root in 31 stations forming several patches that joined together to form extensive meadows. Plant rooting was successful where the waters were clear and the trophic status low. But, near the outflows of freshwater rich in nutrients and suspended particulate matter, the action failed. Results demonstrate the effectiveness of small, widespread interventions and the importance of engaging the population in the recovery of the environment, which makes the action economically cheap and replicable in other similar environments.

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.

Rehabilitation studies and recovery of a once lifeless estuary: the Golden Horn

2005 ◽  
Vol 51 (11) ◽  
pp. 27-35 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. Yüksek ◽  
E. Okuş ◽  
N. Yılmaz
Keyword(s):  
Water Quality ◽  
Anthropogenic Impacts ◽  
Marine Life ◽  
Resistant Species ◽  
Golden Horn ◽  
Rich Diversity ◽  
Short Period ◽  
The 1960S ◽  
Outer Estuary ◽  
Day By Day

Within this study fluctuations in biodiversity of the Golden Horn from past to present are evaluated. Limited studies and observations dating back to 60 years ago pointed out the importance of the Golden Horn as a fishery. Unfortunately, in accordance with increase in unplanned settlements and industry around the Golden Horn in the 1960s, pollution stress became a demanding factor for this unique environment, affecting biodiversity adversely. Preliminary studies in the 1990s indicated survival of only a couple of pollution-resistant species, at the relatively cleaner outer estuary. Following intensification of “still ongoing” rehabilitation studies in 1998, a remarkable day-by-day recovery in marine life has began, in regard to improvements in water quality. Surveys conducted in 2002 using SCUBA, documented the level of diversification of life at the Golden Horn. Extended till Haliç Bridge, all appropriate substratums were intensely covered by macrobenthic forms and particularly filter feeders dominated the plankton-rich ecosystem. Detection of seahorses at the inner-middle parts of the estuary, in addition to numerous fish, invertebrate and macroalgae species, clearly depicted the level of recovery and change in the ecosystem. All results support the existence of a dynamic biological life at the Golden Horn, improving considerably with rehabilitation studies. Achieving the diversity of the 1940s is not possible, since the Black and Marmara seas, highly influencing water quality in the Golden Horn are also suffering from anthropogenic impacts and are far beyond their rich diversity in the 1940s. However, it is obvious that ecosystems should recover when mankind gave a chance to them. Recovery of the recently lifeless Golden Horn in such a short period of time is a very good example.

scholarly journals Assessing glyphosate in water, marine particulate matter, and sediments in the Lagoon of Venice

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Matteo Feltracco ◽  
Elena Barbaro ◽  
Elisa Morabito ◽  
Roberta Zangrando ◽  
Rossano Piazza ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Particulate Matter ◽  
Suspended Particulate Matter ◽  
Water Environment ◽  
Venice Lagoon ◽  
Lagoon Of Venice ◽  
Agricultural Chemicals ◽  
Sediment Samples ◽  
Lagoon Water ◽  
Pollution Levels ◽  
Suspended Particulate

Abstract Lagoon water, suspended particulate matter, and sediment samples from seven sites at Lagoon of Venice were collected from 2019 to 2021 in order to study the presence of the herbicide glyphosate (N-(phosphonomethyl)glycine), among the most widely used agricultural chemicals worldwide, but its occurrence in lagoon water environment has not been deeply investigated. The sites were selected considering a supposed diversity of inputs and of pollution levels. An analytical method based on ion chromatography coupled with tandem mass spectrometry was optimized and validated for lagoon water, marine particulate matter, and sediment samples. Maximum concentrations of glyphosate were 260 and 7 ng L−1 for lagoon water and suspended particulate matter, respectively, and 15 ng g−1 for sediment, with some spatial and temporal fluctuations. Our results demonstrate that glyphosate content in the Venice Lagoon mainly depends on external forcing from river inlets and agricultural lagoon activities.

scholarly journals Sediment Carbon Variations in the Venice Lagoon and Other Transitional Water Systems of the Northern Adriatic Sea

Water ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (12) ◽  
pp. 3430
Author(s):  
Adriano Sfriso ◽  
Alessandro Buosi ◽  
Yari Tomio ◽  
Abdul-Salam Juhmani ◽  
Stefania Chiesa ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Inorganic Carbon ◽  
Anthropogenic Impacts ◽  
Venice Lagoon ◽  
Total Carbon ◽  
Central Basin ◽  
Northern Adriatic Sea ◽  
Biological Origin ◽  
Northern Adriatic ◽  
High Concentrations ◽  
Shell Fragments

The concentrations of inorganic, organic and total carbon, and some sedimentary parameters (sediment density, fines, pH, and shell fragments), have been analyzed in surface sediments of the Venice Lagoon since 1987. Environmental scenarios, characterized by different anthropogenic impacts, have been considered, especially in the central basin where more information is available. Data collected in 2009 in the lagoons and ponds of Po Delta, in Comacchio Valleys and Pialassa della Baiona have been also considered and analyzed together with those recorded in the whole Venice Lagoon in 2011. The results show a strong correlation of the inorganic carbon (Cinorg) with the carbonatic or siliceous origins of the sediments and changes of both Cinorg and organic carbon (Corg) according to different anthropogenic impacts, especially eutrophication and clam-fishing activities. Higher sediment density, grain-size, and pH were associated to good-high ecological conditions and the higher presence of inorganic carbon of biological origin (shell fragments and calcified macroalgal fragments). Conversely, Corg, which is associated to eutrophic conditions, was strongly affected by the sediment disturbance and the presence of high concentrations of bivalves which enhance its consumption.

Predicting potential change in agricultural sediment inputs to rivers across England and Wales by 2015

2009 ◽  
Vol 60 (7) ◽  
pp. 626 ◽  
Author(s):  
Adrian L. Collins ◽  
Steven G. Anthony ◽  
Julia Hawley ◽  
Tony Turner
Keyword(s):  
Point Source ◽  
Suspended Sediment ◽  
Agricultural Sector ◽  
Ecological Status ◽  
The European Union ◽  
England And Wales ◽  
Modelling Framework ◽  
Projected Change ◽  
Compliance Testing ◽  
Point Source Discharges

Recent work has evaluated the gap between current and compliant suspended sediment losses due to farming across England and Wales and the potential for change by 2015. The study adopted the guideline annual average sediment threshold of 25 mg L–1 cited by the European Union Freshwater Fish Directive. Compliance testing required national scale sediment source apportionment to assess the current contributions of diffuse agricultural and urban sector losses, channel bank erosion and point source discharges to the total suspended sediment loads delivered to all rivers. Results suggested that the agricultural sector dominates present day (year 2000) sediment inputs to rivers (1929 kt = 76%) compared with eroding channel banks (394 kt = 15%), diffuse urban sources (147 kt = 6%) and point source discharges (76 kt = 3%). Projected change in farming by 2015, represented by the Business As Usual forecast of structural developments and predicted uptake of sediment mitigation methods, suggested a 9% reduction in sediment losses from the agricultural sector across England and Wales. Further mitigation of diffuse agricultural sediment transfers to watercourses will therefore be necessary to ensure ‘good ecological status’ in some catchments. A similar modelling framework could be applied in other countries.

European Court of Justice (ECJ)

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sabine Saurugger ◽  
Fabien Terpan
Keyword(s):  
European Integration ◽  
Market Integration ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Integration Process ◽  
Core Element ◽  
Academic Field ◽  
Court Of Justice ◽  
European Court ◽  
The 1960S ◽  
Analytical Approaches

Considered an unusually powerful actor that has furthered European integration, the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) has attracted considerable interest from both scholars and the public. Legal scholars and political scientists, as well as historians, have studied the Court in the context of it being one of the main actors in the integration process. Those that saw European integration as “integration through law” originally considered the Court to be the core element driving this process. The Court’s case law has influenced market integration, the balance of power among the EU’s institutions, and the “constitutional” boundaries between supranational and national competences. The pathbreaking rulings Costa vs. Enel and van Gend en Loos introduced new legal principles of direct effect and primacy in the 1960s; the 2007 Laval and Viking rulings triggered criticism of the Court’s decision, which was said to put the rights of companies above those of workers; whereas the Mangold ruling in 2005 on age discrimination was widely welcomed in spite of some negative reactions in Germany. Hence, while “integration through law” remains a powerful narrative in the academic field of European studies, the Court’s decisions and its role in the EU system have not remained unchallenged. This view of the Court as being less central to European integration is based on two developments in this field of study. On the one hand, research findings based on various analytical approaches—from rational choice to post-positivist—suggest that “integration through law” since the beginning of European integration has been a far less straightforward process than we have otherwise been led to believe. Scholars assert that the Court has been constrained by political, administrative, and constitutional counteractions since its establishment in 1952. On the other hand, scholars have identified a number of developments in the integration process from the early 1990s and the Maastricht Treaty, such as the increase in new modes of governance and intergovernmental decision-making, that explain why the Court’s role has come into question. Understanding these debates is crucial to grasping the broader institutional as well as political and legal developments of European integration.

scholarly journals Opinions towards Companion Animals and Their Welfare: A Survey of Croatian Veterinary Students

Animals ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 199 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tomislav Mikuš ◽  
Mario Ostović ◽  
Ivana Sabolek ◽  
Kristina Matković ◽  
Željko Pavičić ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Veterinary Medicine ◽  
Animal Welfare ◽  
Companion Animals ◽  
First Year ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Veterinary Students ◽  
First Year Students ◽  
Study Programme ◽  
Study Results ◽  
Before And After

This survey was the first one investigating opinions of veterinary students in Croatia towards companion animals and their welfare, with special reference to dogs and cats as the most popular companion animals in the European Union. The study included students of all six years of the integrated undergraduate and graduate veterinary medicine study programme in Croatia. First-year students were surveyed twice, before and after having attended the course on animal welfare. Student opinions were assessed on the basis of their mean responses to five-point Likert scale questions and frequency of responses to Yes/No/I do not know questions and ratio scale questions. Study results revealed students to have strongly positive opinions towards companion animals and their welfare. The majority of student statements did not differ significantly between the first and sixth study years or before and after having attended the animal welfare course in the first study year, mostly yielding a straight, non-fluctuating line. Students were not sure whether welfare of companion dogs and cats was compromised. Study results pointed to reliable and reasonable opinions of veterinary medicine students in Croatia towards companion animals and their welfare, as well as to the welfare issues these species may be facing nowadays.

scholarly journals Utilizing Original TEM Negatives and Micrographs For Teaching in the Digital Domain

2002 ◽  
Vol 10 (3) ◽  
pp. 33-35
Author(s):  
Josè A. Mascorro
Keyword(s):  
Medical Students ◽  
Electron Micrographs ◽  
Biological Tissues ◽  
First Year ◽  
Educational Materials ◽  
Transmission Electron ◽  
Laboratory Examinations ◽  
Power Point ◽  
The 1960S ◽  
First Year Medical Students

Original transmission electron micrographs illustrating a variety of biological tissues are excellent tools that can be used in the education and examination of first year medical students. Many of these valued micrographs (and the negatives that produced them) date back to the 1960s, to the time when this researcher started a career in microscopy that continues to this day, To avoid returning to the darkroom and laborious photographic techniques, original negatives were scanned to produce micrographs for use in written or laboratory examinations or as images transported into Power Point lecture presentations. Original micrographs also were scanned and provided additional educational materials.

The Hare and the Tortoise Revisited: The New Politics of Consumer and Environmental Regulation in Europe

2003 ◽  
Vol 33 (4) ◽  
pp. 557-580 ◽  
Author(s):  
DAVID VOGEL
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
European Union ◽  
Environmental Regulation ◽  
The United States ◽  
Political Support ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Related Factors ◽  
New Politics ◽  
Regulatory Standards ◽  
The 1960S

There has been an important shift in the pattern of divergence between consumer and environmental protection policies in Europe and the United States. From the 1960s through the mid 1980s American regulatory standards tended to be more stringent, comprehensive and innovative than in either individual European countries or in the European Union (EU). However, since around 1990 the obverse has been true; many important EU consumer and environmental regulations are now more precautionary than their American counterparts.The ‘new’ politics of consumer and environmental regulation in Europe are attributable to three inter-related factors: a series of regulatory failures within Europe, broader and stronger political support for more stringent and comprehensive regulatory standards within Europe and the growth in the regulatory competence of the European Union.In many respects, European regulatory politics and policies since the 1990s resemble those of the United States during the 1970s. Thus health, safety and environmental politics and policies in the United States are no longer as distinctive as many scholars have portrayed them.

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