Search results for " pollution"
showing 10 items of 1010 documents
Geochemical comparison of natural and anthropogenic metal fluxes in extreme environments: Mt. Etna volcano (Italy) and Šalek Valley (Slovenia)
2009
Geochemical comparison between some metals (As, Cd, Cu, Pb, Se, V, Zn) emissions from an active volcano (Mt. Etna) and a highly industrialized area (Šalek Valley) showed some interesting similarities: in general, most of the elements emitted into the atmosphere do not return to the Earth’s surface and are therefore dispersed into the environment. Exceptions for Šalek Valley are Cd, which probably derives in large part from rock leaching, and in part As and Pb, which fall mostly as ash. Also, Etna’s emissions are richer in Cd and Cu, whereas industrial emissions at Šalek Valley are richer in V and Zn. All other metals have similar fluxes in the two types of emissions.
The city under electrodes : from the measure to the evaluation of traffic air pollution : towards a multi-agent simulation of urban road traffic
2016
Based on surveys, traffic is constructed from assumptions about the relationship between origins and destinations. In order to rebuild a road traffic wich would be closer to observation and on a wider set of road sections, it appears interesting to use counting data from urban sensors : this is our starting point of view. The insertion of these in-situ dataset in the road traffic measurement provides the opportunity to experience the potential of sensors to estimate Traffic Air Pollution (TAP) levels at the intraurban scale. However, this requires to change the nature of these estimation, here through the construction of a model of multi-agents simulation, in order to extract more informati…
Aberrant gene expression profiles in Mediterranean sea urchin reproductive tissues after metal exposures
2019
Abstract Marine organisms are simultaneously exposed to numerous pollutants, among which metals probably represent the most abundant in marine environments. In order to evaluate the effects of metal exposure at molecular level in reproductive tissues, we profiled the sea urchin transcriptional response after non-lethal exposures using pathway-focused mRNA expression analyses. Herein, we show that exposures to relatively high concentrations of both essential and toxic metals hugely affected the gonadic expression of several genes involved in stress-response, detoxification, transcriptional and post-transcriptional regulation, without significant changes in gonadosomatic indices. Even though …
Attività di interconfronto tra codici di trasporto atmosferico per la preparazione e la risposta alle emergenze nucleari
2019
In questo lavoro vengono presentati e confrontati i risultati ottenuti con tre differenti codici (FLEXPART, CALPUFF e ldX) per il trasporto atmosferico di inquinanti radioattivi. I codici vengono confrontati su una singola simulazione di un possibile rilascio incidentale alla stazione frontaliera di Gösgen (CH), in condizioni meteorologiche sfavorevoli per il territorio italiano. In this work we present and compare the results obtained iwth three different codes (FLEXPART, CALPUFF and ldX) for the atmospheric dispersion of radioactive pollutants. The codes are compared on a single simulation of a possible incident release in the Gösgen (CH) nuclear power plant with weather conditions that a…
The contribution of ozone to forest decline
1995
More than 10 years of intensive research into forest decline in Germany has ascertained that the full extent of the visible damage cannot be explained by just one of the current hypotheses on forest decline. One of the prominent hypotheses is that chronic exposure of forest trees to ozone is probably one of the primary causes of forest decline. The aim of this paper is the critical review of a number of recent results dealing with the ozone hypothesis from a plant physiological point of view. The synopsis focusses on the effects of ozone on conifers because the most extensive data are available for coniferous trees, especially for spruce (Picea sp.) and pine (Pinus sp.) trees.
From COVID-19 to future electrification: Assessing traffic impacts on air quality by a machine-learning model
2021
The large fluctuations in traffic during the COVID-19 pandemic provide an unparalleled opportunity to assess vehicle emission control efficacy. Here we develop a random-forest regression model, based on the large volume of real-time observational data during COVID-19, to predict surface-level NO(2), O(3), and fine particle concentration in the Los Angeles megacity. Our model exhibits high fidelity in reproducing pollutant concentrations in the Los Angeles Basin and identifies major factors controlling each species. During the strictest lockdown period, traffic reduction led to decreases in NO(2) and particulate matter with aerodynamic diameters <2.5 μm by –30.1% and –17.5%, respectively, bu…
Suspended particulate matter fluxes along with their associated metals, organic matter and carbonates in a coastal Mediterranean area affected by min…
2016
International audience; A study of suspended particulate matter (SPM) fluxes along with their associated metals, organic matter and carbonates, was conducted off the Mejerda River outlet in May 2011 and in March and July 2012 at depths of 10, 20 and 40 m using sediment traps. SPM fluxes are more significant near the Mejerda outlet, especially in winter, but dissipate further offshore. Normalization reveals that the Mejerda is a major source of Pb, Zn, Cd, Cu, Ni, and Co, all of which are the result of human activities. In contrast, Fe, Mn and N are of authigenic origin. The enrichment factor shows that Pb, Zn and especially Cd are the most highly polluting metals off the Mejerda outlet. Thi…
Growth and defense in deciduous trees and shrubs under UV-B
2005
Abstract Reflection by waxy or resinous surface structures and hairs, repair reactions of biomolecules and induction of different sheltering components provide the means of plant protection from harmful solar UV-B radiation. Secondary products, especially flavonoids and phenolic acids as defense components are also important in plant tolerance to UV-B, fulfilling the dual role as screens that reduce UV-B penetration in plant tissues, and as antioxidants protecting from damage by reactive oxidant species. Plants are sensitive to UV-B radiation, and this sensitivity can be even more clone-specific than species-specific. The results available in the literature for deciduous trees and shrubs in…
Occurrence of priority pollutants in WWTP effluents and Mediterranean coastal waters of Spain
2011
A comprehensive study aimed at evaluating the occurrence, significance of concentrations and spatial distribution of priority pollutants (PPs) along the Comunidad Valenciana coastal waters (Spain) was carried out in order to fulfil the European Water Framework Directive (WFD). Additionally, PP concentrations were also analysed in the effluent of 28 WWTPs distributed along the studied area. In coastal waters 36 organic pollutants of the 71 analysed, including 26 PPs were detected although many of them with low frequency of occurrence. Only 13 compounds, which belong to four different classes (VOCs, organochlorinated pesticides, phthalates and tributyltin compounds (TBT)) showed a frequency o…
Determination of extremely low (236)U/(238)U isotope ratios in environmental samples by sector-field inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry usi…
2005
A method by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) was developed which allows the measurement of (236)U at concentration ranges down to 3 x 10(-14)g g(-1) and extremely low (236)U/(238)U isotope ratios in soil samples of 10(-7). By using the high-efficiency solution introduction system APEX in connection with a sector-field ICP-MS a sensitivity of more than 5,000 counts fg(-1) uranium was achieved. The use of an aerosol desolvating unit reduced the formation rate of uranium hydride ions UH(+)/U(+) down to a level of 10(-6). An abundance sensitivity of 3 x 10(-7) was observed for (236)U/(238)U isotope ratio measurements at mass resolution 4000. The detection limit for (236)U a…