Search results for "Environmental Biotechnology"
showing 10 items of 568 documents
Unsteady State Water Level Analysis for Discharge Hydrograph Estimation in Rivers with Torrential Regime: The Case Study of the February 2016 Flood E…
2017
Discharge hydrograph estimation during floods, in rivers with torrential regime, is often based on the use of rating curves extrapolated from very low stage-discharge measurements. To get a more reliable estimation, a reverse flow routing problem is solved using water level data measured in two gauged stations several kilometers from each other. Validation of the previous analysis carried out on the flood event of February 2016 at the Europa Bridge and Castiglione Scalo sections of the Crati River (Cosenza, Italy) is based on the use of 'soft' discharge measurement data and the comparison of the water level data computed in the downstream gauged section by three different hydraulic models w…
Modelling bulk surface resistance by MODIS data and assessment of MOD16A2 evapotranspiration product in an irrigation district of Southern Italy
2016
Abstract In this study, accurate estimates of daily actual evapotranspiration, ET a , were obtained based on the direct Penman–Monteith application, in which the bulk surface resistance term was computed by considering, as main input, daily remotely sensed Land Surface Temperature (LST). In particular, Eddy Covariance measurements of ET a , associated to LST obtained by MODIS time series (MOD11A2) characterized by 8-day resolution, allowed to calibrate a simple bulk surface resistance model, based on two-years of data observations collected in a quite homogeneous irrigation district of Sicily, where olive grove is the main crop. The model was then validated by an independent database collec…
Estimating crop primary productivity with Sentinel-2 and Landsat 8 using machine learning methods trained with radiative transfer simulations
2019
Abstract Satellite remote sensing has been widely used in the last decades for agricultural applications, both for assessing vegetation condition and for subsequent yield prediction. Existing remote sensing-based methods to estimate gross primary productivity (GPP), which is an important variable to indicate crop photosynthetic function and stress, typically rely on empirical or semi-empirical approaches, which tend to over-simplify photosynthetic mechanisms. In this work, we take advantage of all parallel developments in mechanistic photosynthesis modeling and satellite data availability for an advanced monitoring of crop productivity. In particular, we combine process-based modeling with …
The FLUXCOM ensemble of global land-atmosphere energy fluxes
2019
Although a key driver of Earth’s climate system, global land-atmosphere energy fluxes are poorly constrained. Here we use machine learning to merge energy flux measurements from FLUXNET eddy covariance towers with remote sensing and meteorological data to estimate global gridded net radiation, latent and sensible heat and their uncertainties. The resulting FLUXCOM database comprises 147 products in two setups: (1) 0.0833° resolution using MODIS remote sensing data (RS) and (2) 0.5° resolution using remote sensing and meteorological data (RS + METEO). Within each setup we use a full factorial design across machine learning methods, forcing datasets and energy balance closure corrections. For…
Study of aerobic granular sludge stability in a continuous-flow membrane bioreactor.
2015
A granular continuous-flow membrane bioreactor with a novel hydrodynamic configuration was developed to evaluate the stability of aerobic granular sludge (AGS). Under continuous-flow operation (Period I), AGS rapidly lost their structural integrity resulting in loose and fluffy microbial aggregates in which filamentous bacteria were dominant. The intermittent feeding (Period II) allowed obtaining the succession of feast and famine conditions that favored the increase in AGS stability. Although no further breakage occurred, the formation of new granules was very limited, owing to the absence of the hydraulic selection pressure. These results noted the necessity to ensure, on the one hand the…
Experimental analysis of the effect of vegetation on flow and bed shear stress distribution in high-curvature bends
2016
The cross-sectional circulation, which develops in meandering bends, exerts an important role in velocity and the boundary shear stress redistributions. This paper considers the effect of vegetation on cross-sectional flow and bed shear distribution along a high-curvature bend. The analysis is conducted with the aid of data collected in a large-amplitude meandering flume during a reference experiment without vegetation and an experiment with vegetation on the bed. The results show that the presence of vegetation modifies the curvature-induced flow pattern and the directionality of turbulent structures. In fact, in the presence of vegetation, the turbulent structures tend to develop within a…
New Flow-Resistance Law for Steep Mountain Streams Based on Velocity Profile
2017
This paper deduces a new flow-resistance equation for open-channel flow applying dimensional analysis and self-similarity theory. The incomplete self-similarity hypothesis is used to establish the flow velocity distribution whose integration gives the theoretical expression of the Darcy-Weisbach friction factor. The theoretical resistance equation then is tested by the available field measurements of flow velocity, water depth, river width and bed slope carried out in 653 reaches of several Canadian mountain streams. A relationship between the G function of the velocity profile and the channel slope and the flow Froude number is also established. The analysis shows that the Darcy- Weisbach …
Comments on “Measurement of dimensionless Chezy coefficient in step-pool reach (Case study of Dizin River in Iran)” by Torabizadeh A., Tahershamsi A.…
2018
This paper is a comment on a previous published paper.
Flow Resistance in Step-Pool Rills
2017
Rills evolve morphologically, and the adjustment of rill channel geometry to flow affects the relationships among velocity, discharge, and slope. The resistance to flow in step-pool rills is mainly due to form-induced mechanisms and, in comparison, grain resistance is of minor significance. Previous studies on rill flow resistance have been performed exclusively for grainresistance conditions and use a stream flow equation. In this study, a new flow resistance equation, deduced by applying dimensional analysis and self-similarity theory, was applied to rill flow in step-pool channels. First, the incomplete self-similarity hypothesis was used for establishing a power flow velocity profile wh…
Applying Hypothesis of Self-Similarity for Flow-Resistance Law in Calabrian Gravel-Bed Rivers
2018
In this paper, the results of an investigation carried out to test the applicability of a flow-resistance law on gravel-bed rivers in southern Italy (fiumare) are reported. First, dimensional analysis and self-similarity theory are applied for deducing the flow-resistance law (i.e., relationship among friction factor, mean velocity, shear stress, and physical properties) for gravel-bed rivers with a high boulder concentration. The proposed approach is calibrated and tested using two independent data sets (104 reaches of some Calabrian fiumare). Then, the incomplete self-similarity hypothesis is also applied to theoretically deduce the flow-velocity profile, which was integrated for obtainin…