Search results for "Pollution"

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 organic air pollutant cumene hydroperoxide interferes with NOantioxidant role in rehydrating lichen

2013

Organic pollutants effects on lichens have not been addressed. Rehydration is critical for lichens, a burst of free radicals involving NO occurs. Repeated dehydrations with organic pollutants could increase oxidative damage. Our aim is to learn the effects of cumene hydroperoxide (CP) during lichen rehydration using Ramalina farinacea (L.) Ach., its photobiont Trebouxia spp. and Asterochloris erici. Confocal imaging shows intracellular ROS and NO production within myco and phycobionts, being the chloroplast the main source of free radicals. CP increases ROS, NO and lipid peroxidation and reduces chlorophyll autofluorescence, although photosynthesis remains unaffected. Concomitant NO inhibit…

Preliminary assessment of terrestrial microalgae isolated from lichens as testing species for environmental monitoring: Lichen phycobionts present hi…

2013

Bioassays constitute a tool for pollution analysis providing a holistic approach and high-quality indication of the toxicity. Microbioassays allow evaluating the toxicity of many samples, implying lower costs and enabling routine monitoring and pollution control. But tests conducted so far are limited to the use of a small number of taxa. Lichens are excellent bioindicators of pollution with great ecological significance. Studies show that the phycobiont is more sensitive to pollutants than the mycobiont. Phycobiont have features such as adaptation to anhydrobiosis and relatively rapid growth in vitro, making them suitable for microbioassays. Our aim is to determine the sensitivity of phyco…

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.

Toxicity of 4-chloro-o-cresol to fish. Light microscopy and chemical analysis of the tissue

1979

The Constraints of Vehicle Range and Congestion for the Use of Electric Vehicles for Urban Freight in France

2015

The 9th International Conference on City Logistics, Tenerife, Espagne, 17-/06/2015 - 19/06/2015; Electric vehicle is a solution to reduce pollutant emissions from road urban freight. This paper assesses the potential CO2 reduction by transferring urban freight from diesel to electric vehicles while simultaneously looking at the two main technical constraints: electric vehicle range and the impact on congestion linked to change diesel heavy duty vehicles (with a load up to 25 tons) to much smaller electric vehicles. The data used has been computed from a survey (ECHO) that describes in details a very large sample of French shipments. Two scenarios were set up, which differ mainly by the type…

Smart vs conventional motorways: environmental impact assessment under realistic traffic conditions

2020

Abstract This research aims at assessing the environmental impacts exerted by a smart motorway compared to those of a traditional motorway. The study has global policy implications: it takes into account the impacts due to the construction and maintenance of the infrastructure and the environmental effects produced by the traffic emissions, taking into account smart technologies and truck platooning regulation. Through a classical LCA approach, 1 km-long smart motorway with 2 m-high embankment was assumed as the functional unit for the analysis. A realistic traffic condition has been considered. A comparison between environmental effects produced by the use of virgin material and by Reclaim…