114 research outputs found
TV debate in: Frost Over the World
No full textFollowing the upheaval in Tunisia over the last few weeks, Sir David discusses whether the internet can play a role in bringing about freedom and democracy around the world. He is joined by Evgeny Morozov, the author of The Net Delusion - How Not to Liberate the World, and Noureddine Miladi, a Tunisian academic and media expert
Coastal Scenic Quality Assessment of Moroccan Mediterranean Beaches: A Tool for Proper Management
No full textThis paper focuses on the study of landscape quality of Moroccan Mediterranean coastal areas, with a view to distinguishing exceptional beaches with high scenic value. The main characteristics of 50 beaches along the studied coast were assessed using a coastal scenic evaluation system based on a set of 26 selected parameters, including physical (18) and human (8) parameters. Each parameter was examined via a five-point rating scale, ranging from presence/absence or poor quality (1) to excellent quality (5). A decision index (D) is afterward obtained and used to classify sites into five classes: Class I: D ≥ 0.85, which included 9 sites (18%); Class II: 0.85 > D ≥ 0.65, 10 sites (20%); Class III: 0.65 > D ≥ 0.40, 8 sites (16%); Class IV: 0.40 > D ≥ 0.00, 16 sites (32%); and Class V: D < 0.00, 7 sites (14%). The sites of Belyounech 2, Maresdar, El Hwad, and Dalya are the best examples of Class I and represent extremely attractive coastal landscapes. The sites of Ghandouri, Tangier Municipal, M’Diq, Martil, and Tangier Malabata are examples of degraded urban sites that are very unattractive due to high human pressures. Management efforts in Moroccan coastal landscapes can strengthen the control of human activities and improve the scenic value of the sites. Class II beaches, such as Mrisat, Souani, Taourirt, and Sfiha, could improve and upgrade to Class I through litter cleaning and a regular maintenance program. Using the same principle, Class III sites, such as Sidi Amer O Moussa and Sidi Driss, could improve and upgrade to Class II. Indeed, litter and sewage appear as the main factors of degradation of Moroccan coasts, and many excellent beaches are strongly affected by them. This should be a wakeup call to the Moroccan authorities to take urgent and appropriate management measures
The Sector Analysis as a Coastal Management Tool for Sustainable Tourism Development on the Mediterranean Coast of Morocco
No full textBeaches are ecologically valuable ecosystems and sites that attract many tourists from all over the world, therefore, knowledge of their environmental conditions to establish sound management strategies is of extreme relevance. This study aims to assess and classify 50 beaches through an innovative coastal management approach called “Sector Analysis”, which integrates Litter grading, the coastal scenic quality and beach typology in order to classify sites into one of three sectors: Green (high value sites), Red (low value sites) and Yellow (sites with contradictory values). Litter Grade makes it possible to classify a site according to the quantity of litter using four grades from “A” (low) to “D” (high amount). The Coastal Scenic Evaluation System (CSES) allows to classify sites into five classes, ranging from extremely attractive natural sites (Class I) to unattractive degraded and urbanized sites (Class V). This innovative methodology for sustainable coastal area management can be easily applied to any beach in the world. The results on Litter Grade and CSES considered in this paper were obtained from previous studies and used to obtain the Sector Analysis that showed only 8 sites (16%) are in the Green sector, 18 sites (36%) in the Red sector and 24 sites (48%) in the Yellow sector. The significant percentage of sites in the Red sector (one third of the sites studied) clearly indicates the degradation that the Moroccan Mediterranean coast has undergone due to considerable anthropogenic activities and the lack of adequate coastal management programs. In this study, various management interventions were proposed to conserve and improve the aesthetic quality of beaches and reduce the impact and presence of litter in the coastal areas
A Novelty Methodological Approach to Coastal Scenic Quality Evaluation—Application to the Moroccan Mediterranean Coast
No full textMany tourists around the world are interested in coastal sites of exceptional scenic quality. This paper aims to assess the landscape quality of 50 sites along the Moroccan Mediterranean coast based on a novelty Coastal Scenic Quality Evaluation (CSQE) method able to classify the attractiveness of the sites and to distinguish exceptional ones with high tourist potential. This proposed methodology relies on evaluating coastal areas through easily obtainable indicators in order to simplify its application to other regions around the world. Four landscape dimensions were selected: Substratum, Sea-Coastal Area, Vegetation and Scenic Background. Each dimension was numerically assessed and ranged from 0 to 1. The values of each dimension along the sites were classified as: <0.2 (very low); 0.2 to <0.4 (low); 0.4 to <0.6 (medium); 0.6 to <0.8 (high) and ≥0.8 (very high). The results show that the overall scenic quality score of the Moroccan Mediterranean coast is 0.6 (high quality), reflecting a potential tourist destination of high scenic value. Substratum, Sea-Coastal Area and Vegetation dimensions obtained a high quality score (0.6 to <0.8), while the Scenic Background dimension recorded medium quality (0.4 to <0.6). Urbanization, the presence of litter and sewage evidence were the main factors of degradation of the Moroccan coastal landscapes, i.e., 32 out of 50 sites (64%) obtained low scores (from 0 to 2) for these three variables. Sound management actions have to be taken to reduce their impacts, in order to preserve and improve the natural landscape, and strength its capacity to host the various tourist activities
Presence, Spatial Distribution, and Characteristics of Microplastics in Beach Sediments Along the Northwestern Moroccan Mediterranean Coast
No full textMicroplastics (MPs) (<5 mm) are recognized as an emerging global problem in all oceans and coastlines around the world. This paper provided the quantification and characteristics of microplastics found on fourteen beaches along the northwestern Moroccan Mediterranean coast. A total of 42 samples were gathered at a depth of 5 cm along the shoreline using a quadrant of 1 m × 1 m. Microplastics were detected in all sediment samples. The average abundance was 59.33 ± 34.38 MPs kg−1 of dry weight (median: 48.33 MPs kg−1), ranging from 22 ± 7.21 to 135.33 ± 38.80 MPs kg−1. Statistical analyses revealed significant differences between sampling sites. All observed microplastics were classified according to their shape, color, and size. The microplastic shapes comprised fibrous MPs (77.61%), fragments (15.65%), films (4.49%), foams (1.85%), and pellets (0.40%). Microplastic particles in the sediment samples ranged from 0.063 to 5 mm in length and were composed of small (54.3%, <1 mm) and large sizes (45.7%, 1–5 mm). The size fractions with the greatest percentage of MPs were 1–2 mm (24.9%). The dominant color of the microplastics was transparent (43.2%), followed by black (15.8%) and blue (13.3%), with shapes that were mainly angular and irregular. The present results indicate a moderate level of microplastic contamination on the beaches throughout the northern Moroccan Mediterranean coast, and tourism, fishing activities, and wastewater discharges as the most relevant sources
Isotomurus maculatus
No full text50. Isotomurus maculatus (Schäffer, 1896) (Fig. 10) Citation from Edough: Hamra-Kroua (2016: 86); Zoughailech (2017: 137). Not cited from Algeria outside Edough. Distribution: Distribution unclear, requires revision (Fjellberg 2007). The color pattern is slightly different from the specimens from Norway figured by this author and from Italy figured by Carapelli et al. (1995).Published as part of Brahim-Bounab, Hayette, Bendjaballah, Mohamed, Hamra-Kroua, Salah, Lachi, Noureddine, Bedos, Anne & Deharveng, Louis, 2020, Checklist of the springtails (Hexapoda: Collembola) of the Edough massif northeastern Algeria, pp. 51-78 in Zootaxa 4853 (1) on page 68, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4853.1.3, http://zenodo.org/record/441036
Possessive constructions in Arabic : A Cross-dialectal comparative study
No full textThis contribution is a cross-dialectal comparative analysis of possessive
constructions. The dialects under study include the Maghribin dialects and some of the dialects in the
Arabian Gulf. The paper analyses the formal aspects involved in the construction of the notion of
possession in individual dialects and its relation to Standard Arabic. The resulting strategies of
possessive formation and structure will be exhibited and formalized in a vast array of Arabic dialects
from a comparative angle.
The approach adopted in the analysis of these phenomena is more linguistic than conceptual.
It is supported by the underlying assumption that linguistic possession presupposes notional possession.
After comparative description and analysis of Standard and dialectal Arabic possessive structures, it
appears that an important linguistic shift has been and still is operating in the construction of possessive
structure. This shift is due to many reasons. One of the most important reasons is contact with other
languages or linguistic structures. In the case of Maghribin dialects, the paper finds that the shift from
'synthetic' construction to a more 'analytic' construction is due to a recognized Berber substratum. On
the other hand, and in the case of the Arabian Gulf regional dialects and Standard Arabic, European
(mainly English and French) linguistic forces are in play in the formation of a more dynamic type of
possessive structure.
In conclusion, and to summarize one of the most fundamental findings of this paper, there
appears to be a strong tendency in the field of Arabic possessive constructions toward a shift from
standardized and synthetic structures to a more dynamic and analytic construction. The 'analytic'
markers of the resulting structures are the result of a substratum and progressive language contactCorresponding Author:
Dr. Noureddine Guella, Associate Professor,
Language Unit, College of Languages and Translation, P.O. Box 87907, 11652-Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Email: [email protected]
Coastal Health of the Moroccan Mediterranean Coast: An Ecosystem Perspective for Coastal Management
No full textCoastal health assessment and diagnosis are important tools for decision-making and coastal management. In this paper, the concept of ecosystem health, which uses medical terminology to define the state of coastal health, was applied to examine and diagnose the state of the physical coastal systems of 120 coastal sites along the Moroccan Mediterranean coastline. Based on this assessment approach, five categories are defined: (1) “Good Health”, with two subdivisions: (1a) “Health Warning” and (1b) “Surface Wounds”; (2) “Minor Injury”; (3) “Major Injury”; (4) “On Life Support” and (5) “Deceased”. According to the results obtained, 38 sites (32%) were classified in the “Good Health” category, with 35 sites (29%) in the “Health Warning” and 11 (9%) in the “Surface Wounds” subdivisions; 14 sites (12%) in each of the “Minor Injury” and “Major Injury” categories; no sites (0%) in the “On Life Support” category; and 8 sites (7%) in the “Deceased” category. The considerable percentage of sites in the alert and lower categories highlights the level of degradation and ongoing loss of coastal ecosystems along the Moroccan Mediterranean coast due to the significant impact of anthropogenic processes and inadequate coastal management practices, highlighting the current degradation of its physical state and its capacity to function naturally, i.e., its ability to respond to various present and future environmental changes. The results and proposals presented in this paper offer important perspectives for the governance, preservation, and management of coastal systems and are very useful in limiting and preventing the degradation of coastal systems linked to natural processes and the development of future anthropogenic activities. In addition, they stress the importance of protecting sites classified as “healthy” and restoring those classified as “alert” or “unhealthy”, using sound management strategies based on reliable scientific data
Dataset of traffic dynamics during the 2019 Kincade Wildfire Evacuation
No full textThis dataset has been sourced from the Performance Measurement System of the California Department of Transportation. The data has been processed, analysed, presented and summarized in the paper: Rohaert et al., ‘Traffic dynamics during the 2019 Kincade wildfire evacuation’, [Submitted for peer-review to an international journal.], 2022.
CRediT author statement
Arthur Rohaert: Conceptualization, Data curation, Formal analysis, Investigation, Methodology, Resources, Software, Validation, Visualization, Writing - original draft, Writing - review & editing. Erica D. Kuligowski: Conceptualization, Funding acquisition, Investigation, Methodology, Resources, Supervision, Validation, Writing - review & editing. Adam Ardinge: Conceptualization, Formal analysis, Investigation, Methodology, Resources, Validation, Writing - review & editing. Jonathan Wahlqvist: Conceptualization, Formal analysis, Investigation, Methodology, Resources, Supervision, Validation, Writing - review & editing. Steven M.V. Gwynne: Conceptualization, Funding acquisition, Investigation, Methodology, Resources, Supervision, Validation, Writing - review & editing. Amanda Kimball: Conceptualization, Funding acquisition, Investigation, Methodology, Project Administration, Resources, Supervision, Validation, Writing - review & editing. Noureddine Bénichou: Conceptualization, Funding acquisition, Investigation, Methodology, Resources, Supervision, Validation, Writing - review & editing. Enrico Ronchi: Conceptualization, Formal analysis, Funding acquisition, Investigation, Methodology, Resources, Supervision, Validation, Writing - original draft, Writing - review & editing
Acknowledgements
This work has been funded under award 60NANB20D191 from the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), U.S. Department of Commerce. The authors would like to thank the WUI-NITY team (Guillermo Rein, Nikolaos Kalogeropoulos, Harry Mitchell, Max Kinateder, Maxime Berthiaume). The authors also acknowledge the technical panel of the project for their support and guidance: Carole Adam, Amy Christianson, Tom Cova, Lauren Folk, Abishek Gaur, Paolo Intini, Justice Jones, Bryan Klein, Chris Lautenberger, Ruggiero Lovreglio, Jerry McAdams, Ruddy Mell, Elise Miller-Hooks, Cathy Stephens, Steve Taylor, Sandra Vaiciulyte, Xilei Zhao, Rita Fahy, Lucian Deaton, and Michele Steinberg
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