87,206 research outputs found
Spring airborne pollen data in two sites in Trentino (Northern Italy): a comparison with meteorological data
No full textIn this paper airborne pollen concentration is compared to meteorological data of Trento and S. Michele all’Adige, two sites in the Adige Valley, in Trentino (North Italy). Pollen ofCorylus, Alnus, Betula andOstrya, four winter-spring flowering plants are considered. Pollen sampling was carried out in 1996 by volumetric Hirst-type samplers. For all pollen types considered, maximum pollen concentration coincided in both stations and there was a good overlap of the main pollen season length; the pollen curves of S. Michele a/A and Trento showed a highly positive correlation. The daily airborne pollen concentrations, defined as the number of pollen grains per cubic meter of air (P/m3), were compared to daily meteorological data: minimum and maximum air temperature (°C), average relative humidity (%), precipitation (mm), global incident radiation (cal/cm2), average wind direction (°) and wind speed (m/s). A highly positive correlation was found forCorylus and maximum temperature in both monitoring stations.Betula was positively, whereasOstrya was negatively correlated to relative humidity. With this first analytical approach sharp differences in the atmospheric pollen presence between the stations located at Trento and S. Michele all’Adige were not foun
Concentration of airborne pollen of Vitisvinifera L. and yield forecast: a case study at S.Michele all'Adige, Trento, Italy
No full textThe possibility of creating a forecast model for grapeproduction using airborne pollen concentrations ofVitis vinifera L. was investigated. The studyarea is located in the province of Trento (46°11′,11°08′), North Italy. Because of its prestigious wineproduction, the area is quite important on a nationalscale. Airborne pollen concentration data (P/m3) werecollected for a five year period (1993–1997) with aHirst type sampler (VPPS 2000 – Lanzoni) following thestandard methodology proposed by the ItalianAeroallergen Network. For the same five-year period,grape production data (kg/ha) from vineyards adjacentto the pollen sampler were used along with provincialdata. Regression lines were constructed using the Lnof the annual sum of daily pollen concentrations (Ip)as the independent variable and grape productionvalues as the dependent variable. Correlations betweenpollen data (pollen index, beginning and duration ofmain pollen season) and meteorological data(temperature and rainfall) are show
Attività di analisi, monitoraggio e ricerca nel settore forestale: relazione attività 2017
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Standardization of hemipelvis alignment for in vitro biomechanical testing
No full textAlthough in vitro biomechanical tests are regularly performed, the definition of a suitable reference frame for hemipelvic specimens is still a challenge. The aims of the present study were to: (i) define a reference frame for the human hemipelvis suitable for in vitro applications, based on robust anatomical landmarks; (ii) identify the alignment of a hemipelvis based on the alignment of a whole pelvis (including right/left and male/female differences); (iii) identify the relative alignment of the proposed in vitro reference frame with respect to a reference frame commonly used in gait analysis; (iv) create an in vitro alignment procedure easy, robust and inexpensive; (v) quantify the intra-operator repeatability and inter-operator reproducibility of the procedure. A procedure to univocally identify the anatomical landmarks was created, exploiting the in vitro accessibility of the specimen's surface. Through the analysis on 53 CT scans (106 hemipelvises), the alignment of the hemipelvis based on the alignment of a whole pelvis was analyzed: differences between male/female and right/left hemipelvises were not statistically significant To overcome the uncertainty in the identification of the acetabular rim, a standard acetabular plane was defined. An alignment procedure was developed to implement such anatomical reference frame. The intra-operator repeatability and the inter-operator reproducibility were quantified with four operators, on male and female hemipelvises. The intra-operator repeatability was better than 1.5°. The inter-operator reproducibility was better than 2.0°. Alignment in the transverse plane was the most repeatable. The presented procedure to align hemipelvic specimens is sufficiently robust, standardized, and accessible. © 2017 Orthopaedic Research Society. Published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Orthop Res 36:1645–1652, 2018
Is there an impact of tropospheric ozone on the climate change mitigation potential of forests in Trentino (Northern Italy)?
No full textTropospheric ozone has a dual role in climate change. On the one hand, its positive radiative forcing of 0.25-0.65 W m-2 makes ozone the third most important greenhouse gas, after CO2 and CH4 (IPCC, 1997). On the other hand, ozone has been estimated to affect forest health and growth and therefore to reduce their potential C sink (e.g. Wittig et al., 2009). Failure in accounting for ozone effects on C sequestration has been estimated to increase the cost of climate change mitigation (Felzer et al., 2005). It is therefore important to have reliable information on distribution and effects of ozone, especially for mountain forests, which are considered particularly sensitive to climate change and exposed to high ozone levels.
In 2007, a five-year meso-scale (6,200 km2) study was undertaken in Trentino, North Italy, where forests are estimated to stock 31x106 t C in their above-ground biomass (Tonolli and Salvagni, 2007). We (i) measured ozone concentration at 15-20 forest sites according to a systematic grid, (ii) modeled ozone exposure and associated risk for vegetation and (iii) investigated the effects on vegetation by means of field studies and statistical modeling (Gottardini et al., 2012).
Results showed that ca. 76-95% of the forest area experienced an ozone concentration that exceeds the EU and UN/ECE risk thresholds, with a potential reduction of growth and therefore C sequestration. However, although specific symptoms related to ozone exposure have been identified on sensitive vegetation, measured effects on growth and health of forests were much less obvious. Despite the high exposure levels recorded, ozone was never a significant predictor of basal area increment and defoliation. Rather, frequency of tree damage and N-related variables were the most important predictors. An ad-hoc investigation based on long-term monitoring data confirmed the scarce relationship existing between ozone exposure and flux and tree defoliation and growth.
A complex picture emerged, with potential high risk and early indicators of effect, but apparent limited impact of ozone on growth and therefore on C sequestration and climate mitigation potential in Trentino. There is a clear need to reconcile this picture into a consistent, meaningful frame.
Felzer, B., Reilly, J., Melillo, J. et al., 2005. Future effects of ozone on carbon sequestration and climate change policy using a global biogeochemical model. Climatic Change 73, 345-373.
Gottardini, E., Cristofolini, F., Cristofori et al., 2012. Ozono e foreste in Trentino: progetto Ozone EFfects on FORests in Trentino (Ozone EFFORT). Fondazione Edmund Mach, San Michele all’Adige (TN), p. 144.
IPCC, 1997. The Regional Impacts of Climate Change: An Assessment of Vulnerability. R.T. Watson, M.C. Zinyowera, R.H. Moss (Eds). Cambridge University Press, UK. pp. 517.
Tonolli, S., Salvagni, F., 2007. InFoCarb: Inventario Forestale del Carbonio della Provincia di Trento. Centro di Ecologia Alpina, Trento, p. 176.
Wittig, V.E., Ainsworth, E.A., Naidu, S.L. et al. 2009. Quantifying the impact of current and future tropospheric ozone on tree biomass, growth, physiology and biochemistry: a quantitative meta-analysis. Global Change Biology 15, 396-424
Ozone EFFORT: rischi ed effetti dell’ozono sulla vegetazione in Trentino
No full textOzone EFFORT (Ozone EFfects on FORests in Trentino) è un progetto realizzato in provincia di Trento (6207 km2) nel periodo 2007-2011 allo scopo di rispondere ai seguenti quesiti: (i) esiste un rischio potenziale per la vegetazione in Trentino dovuto all’ozono? (ii) sono riscontrabili sulle piante sintomi specifici, correlabili ai livelli di esposizione all’ozono? (iii) vi sono effetti su salute e accrescimento delle foreste imputabili all’ozono?
Lo studio è stato svolto attraverso l’applicazione di differenti approcci metodologici:
- stima dei livelli di esposizione all’ozono e flussi stomatici: misure con campionatori passivi e dati da centraline automatiche, modellizzazione e spazializzazione dei dati;
- valutazione degli effetti: danni fogliari ozono-specifici, contenuto e fluorescenza della clorofilla, defogliazione ed accrescimento;
- vegetazione target: bioindicatori inseriti ad-hoc (Nicotiana tabacum L. Bel-W3, tabacco) e spontanei (Viburnum lantana L., viburno), alberi forestali.
I principali risultati riferiti ai tre questiti hanno evidenziato:
(i) eccedenze delle soglie di rischio (Direttiva EU 50/2008 e UNECE) per oltre il 90% dell’area di studio (Gottardini et al., 2010, Atmos. Environ., 44, 147-152; Ferretti et al., 2012, J. Environ. Monit., 14, 2238–2244; Cristofori et al., 2015, Ann. For. Sci., 72, 887-896).
(ii) Sintomi fogliari su tabacco significativamente correlati ai livelli di ozono, sebbene altri fattori (sito, tempo, temperatura dell’aria, umidità relativa) abbiano pari o maggiore importanza (Cristofolini et al., 2011, Ecol. Ind., 11, 1065–1073). Anche per il viburno i sintomi fogliari sono risulati correlati all’esposizione all’ozono, sia in termini spaziali (Gottardini et al., 2014, Sci. Tot. Environ., 493, 954–960), sia temporali (intra-stagione: Gottardini et al., 2010, J. Environ. Monit., 12, 2237–2243; inter-stagione: Gottardini et al., 2016, Ecol. Ind., submitted). Dati coerenti sono stati ottenuti anche considerando parametri connessi a stress fisiologico (contenuto e fluorescenza della clorofilla) (Gottardini et al., 2014, Ecol. Ind., 39, 65–74).
(iii) Scarsa relazione statistica tra livelli di esposizione all’ozono e stato di salute (defogliazione) ed accrescimento (incremento area basimetrica) delle piante forestali. Le misure sono state effettuate su 15 siti di Livello I ed un sito di Livello II della rete di monitoraggio ICP Forests. Tale risultato è stato confermato anche considerando dati di flusso stomatico stimati per il periodo 1996-2009 su un sito di monitoraggio intensivo di Picea abies (L.) Karst., in cui i valori hanno frequentemente ed ampiamente superato la soglia POD1 8 mmol m−2 (CLRTAP, 2014).
In conclusione, nonostante il rischio potenziale per la vegetazione in Trentino dovuto all’ozono sia elevato, gli effetti risultano limitati e le evidenze diminuiscono passando da bioindicatori specifici a piante forestali, e da sintomi fogliari specifici a salute ed accrescimento delle foreste
Ozone effort, a five-year study on ozone exposure, flux and effects on vegetation in Trentino (Northern Italy): a synthesis
No full textThe project Ozone EFFORT (Ozone EFfects on FORests in Trentino) was carried out in the province of Trento, northern Italy (6207 km2) over the 2007-2011 period to provide explicit answers to three main questions: (i) is there a potential risk placed by ozone to vegetation? (ii) Are there specific ozone symptoms on plants, and are they related to ozone levels? (iii) Are there ozone-related effects on forest health and growth? Different methods and techniques (field sample survey for ozone levels, injury, and chlorophyll-related measurements; modeling for spatialization, ozone flux, and effect assessment) and vegetation targets (ad hoc introduced and spontaneous bioindicators, forest trees) were adopted.
As for question (i), mapped ozone exposure (AOT40) after measurements by passive sampling and conventional monitors revealed exceedance of risk thresholds (both EU Directive 50/2008 and UNECE) for >90% of the investigated area (Gottardini et al., 2010, Atmos. Environ., 44, 147-152; Ferretti et al., 2012, J. Environ. Monit., 14, 2238–2244; Cristofori et al., 2014, Ann. For. Sci., DOI 10.1007/s13595-014-0440-y).
As for question (ii), although ozone levels were significantly related to foliar symptoms and height increment of introduced Nicotiana tabacum L. Bel-W3 plants, other factors (site, time, air temperature, relative humidity) resulted equally or even more important (Cristofolini et al., 2011, Ecol. Ind., 11, 1065–1073). Foliar symptoms on the spontaneous, ozone-sensitive Viburnum lantana L. were significantly (but not proportionally) related to ozone exposure both in time (Gottardini et al., 2010, J. Environ. Monit., 12, 2237–2243) and space (Gottardini et al., 2014, Sci. Tot. Environ., 493, 954–960). In the former case, results were corroborated by chlorophyll content and stress signals (chlorophyll a fluorescence transient analysis) (Gottardini et al., 2014, Ecol. Ind., 39, 65–74).
Finally [question (iii)], statistical analyses on forest health (in terms of defoliation) and growth (in terms of basal area increment) measured at 15 ICP Forests Level I plots revealed scarce relationship with ozone exposure. Instead, damage due to biotic and abiotic causes and foliar nutrition were consistently identified as the main drivers. Ozone flux estimated for one intensive Picea abies (L.) Karst. site over the 1996-2009 period exceeds frequently and largely the recommended POD1 8 mmol m−2 (CLRTAP, 2014). Yet, no relationship was found with health and growth, nor foliar symptoms were reported (Ferretti et al., in prep.).
In conclusion, the potential risk for vegetation in terms of ozone exposure and flux is very high in Trentino. Evidence of effects, however, are limited, and decreases when moving from specific bioindicator plants to forest trees, and from foliar symptoms to forest health and growth
Analisi della vitalità pollinica come possibile tecnica di bioindicazione della qualità dell'aria
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