Search results for "wetland"
showing 10 items of 214 documents
Microalgal oil production for use in rice farms in Albufera (València) region
2013
In the Albufera (Valencia) region of Spain, rice has been farmed for nearly 500 years. Post-harvest flooding of rice fields has become an integral element of wetland refuge for migratory birds. The steady rise in the cost of purchased inputs is causing considerable economic stress to the viability of rice farming in this region. In 2011, it has been estimated the cost of purchased diesel accounted for about 15% of the gross revenue from grain sales. Setting aside about 1.6% of the 14,350-hectare paddy fields for the dedicated yearround cultivation of oleaginous microalgae appears to be sufficient for the entire annual need of diesel fuel. The isolated crude microalgal oil could be used dire…
Phytoremediation and Plant-Assisted Bioremediation in Soil and Treatment Wetlands: A Review
2015
Phytoremediation is a technology that is based on the combined action of plants and their associated microbial communities to degrade, remove, transform, or immobilize toxic compounds located in soils, sediments, and more recently in polluted ground water and wastewater in treatment wetlands. Phytoremediation could be used to treat different types of contaminants including petroleum hydrocarbons, chlorinated solvents, pesticides, explosives, heavy metals and radionuclides in soil and water. The advantages of phytoremediation compared to conventional techniques are lower cost, low disruptiveness to the environment, public acceptance, and potentiality to remediate various pollutants. The use …
Occurrence, distribution and behavior of emerging persistent organic pollutants (POPs) in a Mediterranean wetland protected area.
2018
The analysis of perfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) and organophosphate flame retardants (PFRs) in the different environmental compartments of a characteristic coastal wetland, the Albufera Natural Park (Valencia, Spain), is required for understanding the transport, accumulation and fate of these pollutants in an area under high anthropogenic pressure. Samples included 13 wastewater treatment plant influents, 13 effluents, 12 surface water, 19 sediment samples and 10 fish individuals from the Albufera Natural Park and the surrounding area. Tris(2-chloroisopropyl) phosphate (TCIPP) and perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) were at the highest concentrations in water, 330.2 ng L−1 and 47.8 ng L−1, r…
Pollution of Flooded Arable Soils with Heavy Metals and Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs)
2014
Soils that are exposed to floodwaters because of shallow groundwater and periodical wetlands are, to a large extent, exposed to contamination by organic and inorganic compounds. These are mainly compounds that have drifted along with the inflow of heavily laden floodwater and are produced within the soil profile by the anaerobic transformation of organic matter. Heavy metals and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) compounds are absorbed by the soil of the floodwaters, and moving in the soil profile, they pose a threat to groundwater. What is more, after a flood, they may be absorbed by the crops. This paper focuses on the effects of Odra River (Poland) floods, heavy metals, and PAHs on so…
Relation between reflectance of rice crop and indices of pollution by heavy metals in soils of albufera natural park (Valencia, Spain)
1993
13 páginas, 3 figuras, 4 tablas, 1 foto.
Major and trace element distribution in the peat from ombrotrophic bogs in Latvia.
2011
This study was undertaken to analyse major and trace elements and the nature of their accumulation in peat, with a particular emphasis on peat properties and the impact of local and regional pollution sources on the character of element accumulation in ombrotrophic bogs in Latvia. The element concentration values in peat from Latvia reflect the local processes that affect element concentrations in the peat mass, indicating accumulation of trace elements – apparently of anthropogenic origin (Pb, Cd, Co, Ni and others) – in the upper layers of the peat profiles. In addition, they indicate accumulation of several elements (for example, As, Cr and others) in deeper layers of bog, possibly due t…
Presence of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in sediments and surface water from Shadegan wetland – Iran: A focus on source apportionment, human and …
2018
Abstract Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) contamination in aquatic system is of concern since it may constitute a sink of these contaminants for wetland ecosystem. We investigated pollution characteristics and ecological risks of PAHs by sampling contaminated sediments and water from the Shadegan wetland in Khuzestan province, south-west Iran. Concentrations of total PAHs in water and sediment samples varied from 42 ± 2.3–136 ± 7.5 ng/L and 10 ± 0.5–317 ± 14.3 µg/kg, respectively. Source apportionment of PAHs by both approaches (Principal component analysis-multiple linear regression (PCA-MLR) and molecular isomeric ratios of specific PAHs), indicated impact of potential anthropogeni…
Towards (dis)continuity of agricultural wetlands: Latvia’s polder landscapes after Soviet productivism
2017
The concepts of agricultural regimes in advanced economies, such as productivism or non/neo/post-productivism, have been critically debated over the last decades to understand the transition and diversity of modern agriculture. We explore these concepts to understand the environmentally vulnerable landscape of agricultural wetlands in Latvia that, during the era of Soviet high modernism (productivist agricultural regime), have been converted into polders as part of a mass drainage movement. Today, these post-Soviet agro-polders can be characterised as antipodes in relation to integrity of heritage, ecology and the socio-economics of agricultural concerns. Building on case studies, wider pol…
First records of complete annual cycles in water rails Rallus aquaticus show evidence of itinerant breeding and a complex migration system
2020
Abstract In water rails Rallus aquaticus, northern and eastern populations are migratory while southern and western populations are sedentary. Few details are known about the annual cycle of this elusive species. We studied movements and breeding in water rails from southernmost Norway where the species occurs year-round. Colour-ringed wintering birds occurred only occasionally at the study site in summer, and vice versa. Geolocator tracks revealed that wintering birds (n = 10) migrated eastwards in spring to breed on both sides of the Baltic Sea, whereas a single breeding bird from the study site wintered in north Italy. Ambient light records of geolocator birds further indicated that all …
Assessing the sustainability of small wastewater treatment systems: A composite indicator approach
2014
The assessment of the sustainability of wastewater treatment (WWT) systems has gained interest in recent years. However, most previous studies have focused on environmental and/or economic dimensions ignoring social aspects. Moreover, they tend to be based on sets of indicators rather than providing a holistic assessment. To overcome this limitation, this paper proposes an innovative methodology to assess the sustainability of WWT systems based on the development of a composite indicator embracing economic, environmental and social issues. Subsequently, the global sustainability of seven WWT technologies for secondary treatment in small communities is compared. The joint application of the …