117,831 research outputs found
sj-docx-1-las-10.1177_00238309231200629 – Supplemental material for Articulatory Insights into the L2 Acquisition of English-/l/ Allophony
No full textSupplemental material, sj-docx-1-las-10.1177_00238309231200629 for Articulatory Insights into the L2 Acquisition of English-/l/ Allophony by Laura Colantoni, Alexei Kochetov and Jeffrey Steele in Language and Speech</p
Land-use Dynamics and Soil Quality in agro-forest systems: a country-scale assessment in Italy
No full textThe present study compares the spatial distribution of selected rural land use classes in Italy with two soil indicators (a Soil Quality Index [SQI] and the Maximum potential Water Capacity of the soil [MWC]) at three points in time (1960, 1990 and 2006). Results of the analysis showed that landscape changes reflect a ‘migration’ of both semi-natural (forests, pastures) and agricultural (arable land, vineyards) uses towards areas with lower-quality soils. In particular, the agricultural ‘mosaic’ and shrublandpasture classes that occupied land in 2006 had significant lower values of both the SQI and MWC compared to 1960. These processes may have implications for the stability of agro-forest ecosystems in the medium term. Due to its versatility, the procedure illustrated represents a monitoring tool for sustainable land management at the regional and country scales
Horizontal vs vertical growth. Understanding latent patterns of urban expansion in large metropolitan regions
No full textBuilding activity at the metropolitan scale reflects socioeconomic transformations increasingly dependent on place-specific factors. The present study investigates height profile and age of buildings over 12 time intervals (1910s–2010s) in Greece, a country experiencing particularly complex urban cycles in the last century, with the aim to identify distinctive forces fueling vertical and horizontal urban expansion. To discriminate vertical from horizontal expansion, a new indicator of urban growth (‘Vertical-to-Horizontal Growth’ ratio, VHG) was proposed and used to identify the dominant socioeconomic profile underlying local-scale urbanization processes. Results of this study contribute to discriminate intense vertical expansion coinciding with population growth in large urban areas (Athens, Salonika, Iraklio) from moderate horizontal expansion around medium-rank cities, along coastal areas and in internal lowlands with small compact towns. Greek municipalities display spatial patterns of building activity that reflect the distinct impact of geographical gradients, divergent responses to market stimuli and planning constraints. As in other European countries, urban cycles in Greece were heterogeneous over space, justifying a joint analysis of intensity and spatial direction of metropolitan growth
Assessing trends in climate aridity and vulnerability to soil degradation in Italy
No full textThe present study illustrates a framework to analyze changes in climate aridity and soil degradation on a country scale in Italy. The spatial distribution of an indicator of soil vulnerability to degradation (the SQI, soil quality index) was compared with an aridity index (the ratio of annual rainfall to annual reference evapotranspiration) estimated on a decadal basis during 1951–2010. The aridity index decreased by 0.38% per year indicating increased aridity and a non-uniform spatial distribution of soil vulnerability to degradation. Changes in the aridity index were found associated with the lowest SQI classes, suggesting that the largest increase in climate aridity affects land with high-quality soils. Territorial disparities in the aridity index between high-quality and low-quality soils decreased over time indicating a more
homogeneous and dry climate regime prevailing in the more recent decades. Results may inform sustainable land management policies and National Action Plans to combat desertification in the Mediterranean region. Areas classified at increased aridity and high vulnerability to soil degradation should be identified as a key target for climate change mitigation policies. Sustainable land management strategies are required to address the dependency between climate variations, land-use changes and soil degradation processes
Introduction: (Zero net) land degradation - the main challenge
No full textDesertification is one of the most important issues facing our societies because of its serious consequences for human health, landscape and the environment. Nonetheless, the issue has been in the eyes of media, decision makers and public opinion and it should be noted that this interest tends to be cyclical, corresponding to peaks that reflect the outbreak of emergency situations related to prolonged episodes of drought and water scarcity, in turn associated with climate changes. This volatile interest has focused on the relationship between desertification and climate change (and more generally on the biophysical factors underlying desertification), neglecting the important role played by social, economic, cultural, political and institutional factors. This role — brought to the fore by the most recent socioeconomic dynamics at various spatial scales — requires dedicated approaches from the scientific point of view and a less sensationalistic dissemination of research evidence. This book proposes a trans-disciplinary vision on issues of desertification and land degradation, focusing on long-term socio-ecological dynamics as an interpretative key to local systems’ complexity
Socioeconomic development, demographic dynamics and forest fires in Italy, 1961-2017: A time-series analysis
No full textEmpirical studies investigating long-term trends in wildfires' frequency and severity have been relatively scarce in Europe. Number of fire events, total burnt area and average fire size were studied between 1961 and 2017 in Italy with the aim to identify homogeneous time periods with similar wildfire frequency and severity and correlate them with the background socioeconomic context. Fire attributes had a diverging behavior over time: the number of fires was the highest in the 1970s and the early 1980s; total burnt area was relatively more constant over time with a peak in the 1980s; and, finally, average fire size decreased quite homogeneously from the peak observed in the 1960s and early 1970s. The number of fires and average fire size were significantly influenced by the value of the same variable one year before. Investigating long-term historical outlines of forest fires, a mixed approach based on time-series statistical analysis, multivariate techniques and regressive models intended to define changes in fire regimes and socioeconomic development. In fact, the comparative valuation of the socioeconomic aspects and wildfire trends can reveal a key step to recognizing mitigation and preventive possibilities. Through a multivariate analysis, a substantial difference in the socioeconomic profile can emerge by decade, evidencing a (more or less) rapid socioeconomic development in relation to the evolution of forest fires in Italy
Rooting the future; On-farm trees' contribution to household energy security and asset creation as a resilient development pathway-evidence from a 20-year panel in rural Ethiopia
No full textMost rural people globally cook with firewood or other sources of biomass. When biomass that has more productive uses is instead burnt, it is a sign of household level energy insecurity. Burning crop residue and dung for fuel reduces the availability of fertilizer and fodder, as well as directly contributes to poor health outcomes. Ethiopia is largely deforested, and now many of Ethiopia's trees are on farms rather than in forests. The objective of this research is to investigate the relationship of on-farm trees to household-level energy security, rural livelihoods, and wellbeing. Using an econometric model with 20-year panel data from rural Ethiopia, we find on-farm trees contribute to building the household's most valuable asset: their home. By contributing to household-level energy security, we find on-farm trees increase crop residue availability for maintaining the rural household's second most valuable asset: their livestock. Large development efforts, including integrated water management projects and investment programs from the World Bank, are increasingly recognizing contributions of trees on farms, and environmental quality in general, as important contributing factors to meeting sustainable development outcomes. Asset creation related to on-farm trees and improved home biomass management provides a compelling pathway for building resilience, maintaining wellbeing, and reinforcing the foundation of rural livelihoods
In-between Sprawl and Fires: long-term Forest Expansion and Settlement Dynamics at the Wildland-Urban Interface in Rome, Italy
No full textUnderstanding the intimate dynamics of urban–wildland interfaces in Mediterranean landscapes is particularly challenging
because of multiple biophysical factors (dry or arid climate, low-quality soils, poor vegetation cover) determining an
increased environmental sensitivity to human pressure. Although dense and compact cities were sprawling rapidly in the
most recent decades, many suburban areas in southern Europe still preserve biodiversity-rich habitats, traditional crop
mosaics and high-quality relict forest stands. Diachronic forest and settlement maps were analysed over two time intervals
(1936–1974 and 1974–2006) representing different socio-economic contexts on a local scale with the aim to assess trends in
forest land cover vis à vis urban growth in Rome, central Italy. Forests expanded into agricultural land during the whole time
period following cropland abandonment and benefiting from a higher level of land protection from urbanisation, especially
during the most recent decades. Although the broadleaved wood dominated the composition of forest fragments at the
wildland–urban interface at both the beginning and the end of the study period, coniferous stands showed a slower decrease
compared to other wood types, such as those dominated by chestnut or beech. The observed changes in forest composition
are the result of a higher disturbance level, possibly triggered by the increase of fire frequency and severity, a higher
fragmentation of natural land, intense soil sealing and a larger occurrence of invasive species. Forest diversity increased
especially in areas with medium-density settlements, indicating a tendency towards more heterogeneous forest structures at
the urban–wildland interface compared to natural landscapes. A long-term monitoring of settlement dynamics and woodland
expansion is required to inform a sustainable management of Mediterranean suburban forests
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