Search results for " basin"
showing 10 items of 838 documents
The sea–air exchange of mercury (Hg) in the marine boundary layer of the Augusta basin (southern Italy): Concentrations and evasion flux
2013
Abstract The first attempt to systematically investigate the atmospheric mercury (Hg) in the MBL of the Augusta basin (SE Sicily, Italy) has been undertaken. In the past the basin was the receptor for Hg from an intense industrial activity which contaminated the bottom sediments of the Bay, making this area a potential source of pollution for the surrounding Mediterranean. Three oceanographic cruises have been thus performed in the basin during the winter and summer 2011/2012, where we estimated averaged Hg atm concentrations of about 1.5 ± 0.4 (range 0.9–3.1) and 2.1 ± 0.98 (range 1.1–3.1) ng m −3 for the two seasons, respectively. These data are somewhat higher than the background Hg atm …
Spatio-temporal distribution of microplastics in a Mediterranean river catchment: The importance of wastewater as an environmental pathway.
2021
Abstract Microplastics (MPs) are considered to be ubiquitous contaminants in freshwater ecosystems, yet their sources and pathways at the river catchment scale need to be better determined. This study assessed MP (55–5000 µm) pollution in a Mediterranean river catchment (central Spain) and aimed to identify the importance of wastewater as an environmental pathway. We sampled treated and untreated wastewaters, and raw and digested sludge from five WWTPs during two seasons. River water and sediments were sampled at three locations with different anthropogenic influences during three seasons. On average, 93% (47–99%) of MPs were retained by WWTPs. Concentrations in river water and sediment ran…
Astronomical tuning of the Tortonian 87Sr/86Sr curve in the Mediterranean basin
2003
This work presents a detailed 87Sr/86Sr isotope curve for the interval 7.5–9.7 Ma obtained by a high-resolution analysis (sampling spacing of about 40 kyr) of an astronomically calibrated land-based sedimentary sequence exposed in the central Mediterranean area (Gibliscemi section, southern Sicily). The main aim is to verify a synchronous response of the Mediterranean seawater Sr isotope record to the oceanic forcing on the basis of multiple comparisons of the Gibliscemi record with published coeval 87Sr/86Sr curves. A good correlation with the 87Sr/86Sr data from the ODP site 926 (equatorial Atlantic ocean), considered to be the Sr chemostratigraphic reference section for the Late Miocene,…
Aseasonal sheep and goat milk production in the Mediterranean area: Physiological and technical insights
2015
Abstract Aseasonal or out-of-season milk production for small ruminants raised in Mediterranean areas refers generally to milk having to be produced at a time that corresponds to summer which is when conditions are generally unfavourable with respect to both physiological aspects and nutritional factors related to seasonal climatic trends. In fact, sheep and goat milk production in the Mediterranean basin is mostly based on pasture utilization and thus follows the pasture availability pattern. This causes a strong seasonal pattern to the amount of milk processed by cheese processes plants, with the peak being in the spring, a marked reduction in early summer and nil or low availability of m…
Assessing persistent organic pollutants (POPS) in the sicily island atmosphere, mediterranean, using PUF disk passive air samplers
2016
In this study, PUF disk passive air samplers were deployed at eight sites, during two sampling periods, on the Island of Sicily in the Mediterranean basin. Samples were screened for a number of persistent organic pollutants (POPs) including polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) (n = 28 congeners), organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) (n = 16 compounds), and polybrominated biphenyl ethers (PBDEs n = 28) using GC-MS. PCB concentrations in air ranged ~10-300 pg m-3. The PCB pattern was dominated by lower to middle molecular weight PCBs (Cl3-5) and PCB-28 and PCB-52 were the most abundant congeners. α- and γ-Hexachlorocyclohexanes (HCHs) concentrations in air were relatively high ~420 ± 320 (50-1000) an…
Sea level and climate forcing of the Sr isotope composition of late Miocene Mediterranean marine basins
2014
Sr isotope records from marginal marine basins track the mixing between seawater and local continental runoff, potentially recording the effects of sea level, tectonic, and climate forcing in marine fossils and sediments. Our 110 new Sr-87/Sr-86 analyses on oyster and foraminifera samples from six late Miocene stratigraphic sections in southern Turkey, Crete, and Sicily show that Sr-87/Sr-86 fell below global seawater values in the basins several million years before the Messinian Salinity Crisis, coinciding with tectonic uplift and basin shallowing. 87Sr/86Sr from more centrally located basins (away from the Mediterranean coast) drop below global seawater values only during the Messinian S…
Effects of nutraceuticals of Mediterranean diet on aging and longevity
2020
Abstract Among the many existing dietary interventions, Mediterranean diet has received much attention because of its beneficial influence on healthy aging and longevity. Mediterranean dietary pattern, characterized by low glycemic index and low-animal protein intake, is rich in nutraceuticals and functional foods, and bioactive compounds able to reduce the signaling of molecular pathways, such as nutrient-sensing ones, affecting aging process. Therefore a close adherence to a Mediterranean-style diet allows avoiding cardiovascular disorders and other age-related diseases, and it is responsible for the high rate of long-living individuals scattered throughout the Mediterranean basin. For th…
DESCRIPTION AND MORPHOMETRICAL VARIABILITY OF A NEW SPECIES OF LIGOPHORUS AND OF LIGOPHORUS CHABAUDI (MONOGENEA: DACTYLOGYRIDAE) ON MUGIL CEPHALUS (T…
2006
A comparative morphological study of specimens of Ligophorus spp. from Mugil cephalus in western Mediterranean and the Black Sea localities has been carried out, indicating the presence of 2 distinct forms, i.e., Ligophorus chabaudi and Ligophorus cephali n. sp. A detailed description of the latter and an up-to-date redescription of L. chabaudi are provided. The existence of these 2 morphological species was additionally supported by principal component analysis based on 19 metric characters of 87 specimens arranged in samples defined by parasite species and geographical locality. The analysis indicated consistent differences between species but not between localities; this pattern was well…
Hypogeous fungi in Mediterranean maquis, arid and semi-arid forests
2014
Hypogeous fungi are common in arid and semi-arid areas of the Mediterranean basin and, in particular, they are found in Italy, Spain, northern African countries (especially in Morocco, Algeria, and Tunisia), and in the Middle East. These fungi and, in particular, some species belonging to the genus Tuber and the desert truffles (Terfezia spp. and Tirmania spp.) form ascomata of considerable economic value. In this review, a panorama of hypogeous fungal diversity and information on their ecology in Mediterranean arid and semi-arid ecosystems have been reported; their economical importance and cultivation potential are also underlined.
Relationship of Weather Types on the Seasonal and Spatial Variability of Rainfall, Runoff, and Sediment Yield in the Western Mediterranean Basin
2020
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