Search results for "SUS"
showing 10 items of 9030 documents
A review of Payment for Ecosystem Services for the economic internalization of environmental externalities: A water perspective
2016
Abstract The allocation of economic value to environmental goods is intended to internalize the socio-economic and environmental costs of policies implemented and thus recognizes the value of the ecosystem and the consequences of environmental damage. This entails identifying the costs and benefits of management measures for conservation and of degraded ecosystems. The difficulties of this task are: (i) they are goods that have no market and (ii) there is a need for economic funding for conservation purposes. Payment for Ecosystem Services (PES) seeks to internalize the environmental externalities of human actions, ascribing monetary value to Ecosystem Services (ES) and helping decision-mak…
The influence of the wind direction and plants on the variability of topsoil magnetic susceptibility in industrial and urban areas of southern Poland
2016
Volume magnetic susceptibility (κ) was measured on the soil surface and in the vertical topsoil profile within a 300 km2 area located in an urban-industrial conurbation. The results were compared to plant species compositions in the forest storeys, elevation above sea level, and terrain geomorphology. The content and mineral composition of the magnetic fraction were determined in the soil horizons. It was found that the extent of the area with enhanced topsoil magnetic susceptibility was similar to the dominant wind direction (south–west). Enhanced κ values were observed for the soil at the forest margin on the leeward side of the emitters as well as at sites located on exposed local elevat…
Coping with the impacts of Urban Heat Islands A literature based study on understanding urban heat vulnerability and the need for resilience in citie…
2018
The urban heat island (UHI) is a phenomenon whereby temperature levels in urban areas are higher than in surrounding rural settings. Urban heat islands are a matter of increasing concern, since they can affect communities by exacerbating air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions (due to the greater use of air conditioning) and the occurrence of heat-related illness, and may lead to higher levels of mortality. This paper provides a description of the phenomena of (UHI) and an analysis of how cities are vulnerable to it. It highlights the need for resilience and the variety of means by which the UHI can be tackled. It describes a set of trends in two regions in Germany and Australia, which i…
Climate change: A driver of future conflicts in the Persian Gulf Region?
2021
Ongoing global change and its direct environmental impacts, in addition to securing economic transition to the post-oil era, could trigger complex socio-economic and political crises in oil-dependent economies of the Persian Gulf Region (PGR). To evaluate the role of climate change and related policies in degrading the environment and its socio-economic impacts in the PGR, we have used a variety of available global datasets and published data. The results show that the countries of the PGR pursue some types of socio-economic reforms to alleviate the impacts of climate change. However, it seems that these attempts are not compatible with the environment's capacity. The main problem stems fro…
Open source solutions to improve the quality of sustainable forest management
2019
Climate change is becoming more acute, including in terms of individual perception. Forest, as an ecosystem, has a special role to play in mitigating climate change, protecting the soil, water and air. There are forests of scientific interest, preservation of the Eco fund and forest Geno fund, as well as recreational forests, so that the ecological functions are fulfilled in the optimum. Also, alongside the social function, green energy generation is one of the main attributes of the forest. In addition to preserving biodiversity, the forestry administration has as objectives the provision of the necessary resources for the short, medium and long-term development of local communities. Fores…
Chemical speciation of Fe, Mn, Pb, Zn, Cd, Cu, Co, Ni and Cr in the suspended particulate matter off the Mejerda River Delta (Gulf of Tunis, Tunisia)
2016
International audience; Fluxes of suspended particulate matter (SPM) and their associated metals were performed off the Mejerda River Delta during both the wet (March) and the dry (July) seasons in 2012, using sediment traps at study stations at depths of 10, 20 and 40 m. Fluxes nearest to the Mejerda outlet were more significant, especially during winter (36 g m−2 day−1), but dissipated further offshore, 24.5–6 g m−2 day−1 at the 20 m and 21.8–4.8 g m−2 day−1 at the 40 m stations. Many variations observed in seasonal and spatial metal fluxes are similar to those of SPM, in particular Pb and Zn, probably because they are associated with the mining activity characteristic of the Mejerda catc…
Characterization of a Newly Developed Aircraft-Based Laser Ablation Aerosol Mass Spectrometer (ALABAMA) and First Field Deployment in Urban Pollution…
2011
We present here the development and first field deployment of a novel Aircraft-based Laser ABlation Aerosol MAss spectrometer (ALABAMA), which is capable of measuring the chemical composition and size of individual ambient aerosol particles in the size range between 150 and 900 nm. The instrument uses a continuous wave 532 nm laser to size and detect the particles, a pulsed 266 nm laser to ablate and ionize the particles, and a bipolar, Z-shaped time-of-flight mass spectrometer to detect positive and negative ions. The ALABAMA fits into a 19"-aircraft rack of 150 cm height and has a total weight of 140 kg, thus currently being one of the smallest and lightest-weight instruments of its type.…
A New Network for the Advancement of Marine Biotechnology in Europe and Beyond
2020
Marine organisms produce a vast diversity of metabolites with biological activities useful for humans, e.g., cytotoxic, antioxidant, anti-microbial, insecticidal, herbicidal, anticancer, pro-osteogenic and pro-regenerative, analgesic, anti-inflammatory, anticoagulant, cholesterol-lowering, nutritional, photoprotective, horticultural or other beneficial properties. These metabolites could help satisfy the increasing demand for alternative sources of nutraceuticals, pharmaceuticals, cosmeceuticals, food, feed, and novel bio-based products. in addition, marine biomass itself can serve as the source material for the production of various bulk commodities (e.g., biofuels, bioplastics, biomateria…
Productivity modes in the Mediterranean Sea during Dansgaard–Oeschger (20,000–70,000 yr ago) oscillations
2013
The study of planktonic organisms during abrupt climatic variations of the last glacial period (Dansgaard-Oeschger oscillations, D-O) may reveal important insights on climatic, oceanographic and biological interactions. Here we present planktic foraminifera and coccolithophore data collected at the Ocean Drilling Program Site 963 (Sicily Channel), with a mean sampling resolution of respectively 43.5 and 98.9. yr, over the interval between 70,000 and 20,000. yr ago. The paleoenvironmental reconstruction suggests that three different scenarios can be seen across each D-O cycle: 1. oligotrophic surface water and a deep thermocline for the early Interstadials; 2. a Deep Chlorophyll Maximum and …
Early Middle Ages Houses of Gien (France) from the Inside: Geoarchaeology and Archaeobotany of 9th–11th c. Floors
2018
International audience; At Gien (France), indoor floors from early Middle Ages occupation (8th–10th c. AD) are very well preserved, providing a new reference for archaeological investigation in northern France. This site is located on an outcrop, 20 m above the Loire valley, where a 15th c. castle stands now. The medieval occupation combines high-status houses with crafting and agricultural areas. They constitute a new urban nucleus, which grew 2 km east from an ancient Roman settlement. During the rescue excavation, four buildings of different status were sampled and studied using an integrated approach, combining stratigraphy, micromorphology, chemical, macro-remain and phytolith analyses…