1,720,977 research outputs found
Correlazioni tra valori immobiliari e servizi ecosistemici
No full textThe market value of urban property depends not only on its specific characteristics, but also on macro-economic variables such as socio-demographic, productive, infrastructural, and environmental quality and associated ecosystem services. The links between urban property real estate values and ecosystem services, particularly those generated by urban forests, are not yet sufficiently investigated and hence are the focus of this research. The study site is the City of Syracuse, New York, USA, with well characterized urban forest ecosystem services and property values. The paper correlates real estate values and parameters of economic condition (per-capita income), ecosystem services (carbon sequestration), and urban forestry system (tree canopy area). The median home value correlation with both per capita income has an R2= 0.8748 and with carbon sequestration it has an R2 = 0.7757. The data are obtained in the online i-Tree Landscape tool. Geographic information systems analysis is used to create maps that support analysis of the correlation levels between the involved variables
Generating electricity with urban green infrastructure microbial fuel cells
Full text linkUrban areas can modify their green infrastructure to include microbial fuel cells and generate electricity to help address energy security. Naturally occurring electroactive bacteria utilize plant compounds and organic pollutants as electron donors. Water is cleaned, electricity is generated, and additional ecological services are provided
HIERARCHICAL MONITORING OF WATER QUALITY: COORDINATING THE SPATIOTEMPORAL RESOLUTION OF MULTILAYER AND MULTISPECTRAL SENSORS TO CHARACTERIZE POLLUTION
No full textCharacterization of terrestrial discharges into coastal waters with thermal imagery from a hierarchical monitoring program
No full textBackground: The hierarchical use of remotely-sensed imagery from satellites, and then proximally-sensed imagery from helicopter sand drones, can provide a range of spatial and temporal coverage that supports water quality monitoring of complex pollution scenarios. Methods: The study used hierarchical satellite-, helicopter-, and drone-acquired thermal imagery of coastal plumes ranging from 3 to 300 m, near Naples, Italy, and captured temporally- and spatially-overlapping in situ samples to correlate thermal and water quality parameters in each plume and the seawater. Results: In situ sampling determined that between-plume salinity varied by 37%, chlorophyll-a varied by 356%, dissolved oxygen varied by 81%, and turbidity varied by 232%. The radiometric temperature, Trad, for the plume area of interest had a correlation of 0.81 with salinity, 0.74 with chlorophyll-a, 0.98 with dissolved oxygen, and -0.61 with turbidity. Conclusion: This study established hierarchical use of remote and proximal thermal imagery can provide monitoring of complex coastal areas
Coastal Water Pollution Characterization: Enhanced Situational Awareness Through Multiscale Data Acquisition and Analysis
No full textDetecting and managing coastal water pollution is crucial for preserving ecological functions and ecosystem services. However, it is challenging due to the complex nature of the coastal environment, large spatio-temporal scales, and high operational costs. To improve situational awareness, this study used a top-down approach, integrating multi-spectral data from satellites and drones with different resolutions. By combining these data sources, the researchers obtained complementary results and were able to focus on the same phenomenon from multiple perspectives. The study successfully applied this approach to monitor a polluted water plume in the Domitia coast, Italy, originating from wastewater plants and illicit discharges. The results confirmed the effectiveness of the proposed method in assessing water quality and increasing situational awareness in coastal areas. Implementing this approach can aid in the proper management of water resources
Cyanobacterial Biomonitoring in Lake Avernus During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Integrating Remote Sensing and Field Data for Pollution Source Detection
No full textIn the context of environmental monitoring studies, the complex dynamics of
environmental systems, constrained by the distribution, intensity and interaction of
multiple sources, limits the ability to detect pollution phenomena and to identify their
sources. The deployment of multidisciplinary, multilevel and multi-factorial strategies
supports the identification of the links between the pollutants’ sources and targets. Our new
biomonitoring strategy, based on the integration of remote (satellite) and proximal (drone)
sensing monitoring data with field data (bio/chemical analyses) and focused on the use of
cyanobacteria as bioindicators of pollution, was implemented and was validated through
its application on a test-bed area, i.e., Lake Avernus (Campania Region, Southern Italy). A
long-term analysis of multispectral remote sensing observations centred on the Lake
Avernus area highlighted the periodicity and seasonality of cyanobacterial bloom events
over the time interval 2019-2021. However, a sudden change of characteristics, observable
through remotely sensed data, was evidenced during the first and major lockdown related
to the COVID-19 pandemics, in year 2020. This sudden change depended on the drastic
modification of human habits and a reduction in pollutant emissions, as widely reported by
the scientific literature. During the same lockdown period, the opportunity to collect
samples in the field allowed to identify an unusual progression of Microcystis' bloom,
whose dynamics is triggered by the existing anthropogenic sources and the evolution of
environmental parameters, that can stimulate the blooming events. This work shows and
demonstrates how pollution attribution can be achieved using remote sensing of
cyanobacteria, which are excellent bioindicators due to their sensitivity to multiple
stressors and rapid response to habitat changes throughout the event
A 3D analysis of spatial habitat metrics about the confluence of Negro and Solimões rivers, Brazil
No full textConfluences are integral features in rivers characterized by complex 3D changes in flow hydrodynamics and bed morphology and provide important ecological functions.
This paper presents the first known analysis of 3D spatial habitat metrics, based on hydraulic complexity, using data from the Negro and Solimões rivers confluence in the Amazon Basin, during high and low flow conditions. The analysis was conducted using two bioenergetics metrics M2 and M3 computed for ~1m square cells within each cross section. M2 is related to the drag force on a fish moving between two locations in the river, while M3 is related to the energy needed by a fish to remain in a location without spinning.
M2 provides useful spatial analysis of the confluence, and its longitudinal distribution as well as its uniformity parameters in the river cross-sections showed a peak downstream the junction and a rapid decay in the central confluence hydrodynamic zone. This trend corresponded with the classic hydrodynamic features as well as with literature observed patterns of biotic assemblages downstream of river confluences. At the entrance of the Amazon channel, M2 peaks
corresponded to the largest concentration of fish larvae demonstrating that the metric could be used to identify hot spots for aquatic species richness. The 3D derived M2 values were larger in magnitude than M2 values derived from depth-averaged velocity data. The longitudinaldistribution of M3 metric peaked immediately downstream of the confluence, and the M3 helical flow cells corresponded with areas where dolphins congregate to feed, and could exert less energy to remain in this zone. The study demonstrated that a 3D analysis of velocity gradients is able to reveal and explain observed patterns of species abundance and richness beyond those captured by a 2D analysis
Hydraulic complexity at a large river confluence in the Amazon Basin
No full textConfluences are a classic feature in riverine networks with important ecological and morphological functions. A method to characterize the hydraulic complexity of a river based on velocity gradients was applied, for high and low flow conditions, to the Negro and Solimões Rivers confluence in the Amazon Basin. The applied metrics M1 and M2 approximate the drag forces imposed on aquatic organisms moving between two locations, and may identify potential habitat zones and edges. Metric M2 corresponded best with the hydraulic and morphological patterns in the confluence hydrodynamic zone, with the largest M2 values in the entrance of the confluence, centered at the mixing interface, and M2 values generally decaying laterally toward the banks and longitudinally with downstream distance. Seasonal decreases in discharge magnitude in the Amazon, and decreases in discharge between other river basins analyzed in this study, led to increases in hydraulic complexity metric M2. The hydraulic complexity metrics can characterize some aspects of habitat heterogeneity and contribute to an explanation for observations of increased species richness at Amazon basin confluences, and the larger ecological patterns of diversity increasing at nodes in riverine networks
ATTRIBUTION OF POLLUTION DISCHARGES IN COASTAL WATERS DURING THE COVID-19 LOCKDOWN USING REMOTE SENSING AND BIOINDICATORS
No full textAerosol pollution, including eroded soils, intensifies cloud growth, precipitation, and soil erosion: A review
No full textThe Earth's critical zone is vulnerable to atmospheric aerosol pollution due to aerosol impacts on cloud microphysics, precipitation characteristics, soil erosion, and the subsequent interactions of the soil-vegetation-atmosphere transfer of water, energy and aerosols. This review explains the individual and inter-connected processes of aerosol loading, cloud microphysics, precipitation characteristics, and soil erosion. A by-product of soil erosion is the generation of additional atmospheric aerosols, as well as the enhancement of surface erosion due to increased runoff. The literature includes empirical and theoretical studies within and across these domains. Case studies from China and Italy are provided to illustrate the key concepts connecting this system. The knowledge of the multiscale-impacts of aerosol pollution enables actions toward cleaner production processes to reduce aerosol pollution as well as forest and vegetation management to reduce soil erosion vulnerability. This review provides our community new insights on how to assess and manage earth's critical zone and our energy, food, water, and human resources
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