Search results for " Indicators"
showing 10 items of 326 documents
Preservation of modern and mis 5.5 erosional landforms and biological structures as sea level markers: A matter of luck?
2021
The Mediterranean Basin is characterized by a significant variability in tectonic behaviour, ranging from subsidence to uplifting. However, those coastal areas considered to be tectonically stable show coastal landforms at elevations consistent with eustatic and isostatic sea level change models. In particular, geomorphological indicators—such as tidal notches or shore platforms—are often used to define the tectonic stability of the Mediterranean coasts. We present the results of swim surveys in nine rocky coastal sectors in the central Mediterranean Sea using the Geoswim approach. The entire route was covered in 22 days for a total distance of 158.5 km. All surveyed sites are considered to…
An integrated environmental indicator for urban transportation systems: description and application
2015
A simplified version of the ecological footprint method is proposed for assessing the environmental performances of urban transportation systems. The method, starting from the knowledge of the composition of the running vehicular fleet, is here applied to a southern Italian province. It represents a synthetic indicator of the environmental pressure exerted by the system also matching the pollutant emissions with the carrying capacity of the site. Particularly, the forested area needed to absorb the CO2 emissions of the system is compared with the total forested area of the province. The results of the case-study indicates the yearly maximum distance that each vehicle of the fleet can cover …
VET workers’ problem-solving skills in technology-rich environments: European approach
2014
International journal for research in vocational education and training 1 (2014) 1, S. 57-80
A test on Ellenberg indicator values in the Mediterranean evergreen woods (Quercetea ilicis)
2015
The consistency and reliability of Ellenberg’s indicator values (Eiv) as ecological descriptors of the Mediterranean evergreen vegetation ascribed to the phytosociological class Quercetea ilicis have been checked on a set of 859 phytosociological releves × 699 species. Diagnostic species were identified through a Twinspan analysis and their Eiv analyzed and related to the following independent variables: (1) annual mean temperatures, (2) annual rainfall. The results provided interesting insights to disentangle the current syntaxonomical framework at the alliance level demonstrating the usefulness of ecological indicator values to test the efficiency and predictivity of the phytosociological…
Meiofauna as indicator for assessing the impact of fish farming at exposed marine site
2012
This study aimed to detect the impact of organic loads due to biodeposition from a fish farm in an exposed area of the Strait of Sicily, Mediterranean Sea. Sediment chemistry and meiofaunal assemblages were investigated on a seasonal basis at four stations: two from the impacted area and two control stations. The presence of the cages induced a significant accumulation of proteins, lipids and biopolymeric carbon, resulting in a reduction in meiofaunal density at the impacted stations. Changes in community structure were also evident, as meiofauna under the cages were characterized by increased importance of polychaetes and copepods in comparison with a much lower importance of gastrotrichs …
Benthic microbial indicators of fish farm impact in a coastal area of the Tyrrhenian Sea
2004
Abstract We studied the impact of organic loads due to the biodeposition of a fish farm in a non-impacted coastal area of the Tyrrhenian Sea (Western Mediterranean). Sediment chemistry and benthic microbial community were investigated from July 1997 to February 1998 on monthly basis at two stations: one was located under the fish farm, while the second was about 1 km away, and served as a reference site. The presence of the cage induced rapid changes in the benthic conditions: the sediments were rapidly (after 6 weeks) reduced. A significant accumulation of biopolymeric carbon was observed beneath the cage both 2 weeks after the initial cage deployment, on non-impacted sediments, and 5-7 mo…
Renewable energy sources: a Mediterranean perspective
2010
Southern Mediterranean countries are growing very fast. Globally, the evolution of economic and social indicators in the area is positive, since significant progresses have been registered in the field of economic as well as human development.
Resilience of Mediterranean Forests to Climate Change
2017
In the Mediterranean region, forests play a key role in the welfare of urban and rural peoples, by providing highly appreciated marketed goods as well as high value but nonmarket services. Anthropogenic climate change entails a significant impact on Mediterranean forests, such as the reduced species diversity, high density, pest, and diseases. In this chapter, we present the achievements of the project LIFE ResilForMed (Resilience of Mediterranean Forests to climate change), as Sicilian responds on adaptation and mitigation to climate change: (i) map of Sensitivity Forest Areas to desertification of the Sicilian region; (ii) list of bird indicators showing sensitivity to desertification in …
Comparing different methods to determine soil physical quality in a mediterranean forest and pasture land
2016
Soil physical quality (SPQ) can be assessed by different experimental methodologies and criteria and the optimal/critical values or ranges for SPQ indicators are still approximate. Sampling soils with minimal anthropic pressures should allow improvements in SPQ assessment. Different experimental methodologies and criteria were applied to sample a Mediterranean oak forest (Quercus ilex L.) and pasture land, in Sicily, with a varying degree of anthropic disturbance. Soil water retention was determined in the laboratory and the field, using the BEST (Beerkan Estimation of Soil Transfer parameters) procedure of soil hydraulic characterization. Capacity-based indicators, the S index, and locatio…
Challenges and barriers in mental healthcare systems and their impact on the family: A systematic integrative review
2020
The aim of this systematic integrative review is to analyse the challenges and barriers found in mental healthcare systems and the impact they have on the family. Searches were made of the Web of Science, Scopus, Medline and Cochrane databases using terms relating to mental health, family care and healthcare systems. We included and critically evaluated studies published in English between 2015 and 2019 that directly or indirectly analysed public mental health policies and the consequences they have for the family. We analysed our findings following the inductive content analysis approach. A total of 32 articles that met quality indicators were identified. Very closely related structural, c…