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The insufficient taking into account of groundwater as a basis for implementing protection measures for coastal wetlands can be related to the damage they are increasingly exposed to. The aim of this study is to demonstrate the pertinence of combining hydrogeological tools with assessment of pollutant fluxes and stable isotopes of O, H and N, as well as groundwater time-tracers to identify past and present pollution sources resulting from human activities and threatening shallow groundwater-dependent ecosystems. A survey combining physico-chemical parameters, major ions, environmental isotopes ( 18 O, 2 H, 15 N and 3 H), with emerging organic contaminants including pesticides and trace elements, associated with a land use analysis, was carried out in southern Italy, including groundwater, surface water and lagoon water samples. Results show pollution of the shallow groundwater and the connected lagoon from both agricultural and domestic sources. The N-isotopes highlight nitrate sources as coming from the soil and associated with the use of manure-type fertilizers related to the historical agricultural context of the area involving high-productivity olive groves. Analysis of EOCs has revealed the presence of 8 pesticides, half of which have been banned for two decades and two considered as pollutant legacies (atrazine and simazine), as well as 15 molecules, including pharmaceuticals and stimulants, identified in areas with human regular presence, including rapidly degradable compounds (caffeine and ibuprofen). Results show that agricultural pollution in the area is associated with the legacy of intensive olive growing in the past, highlighting the storage capacity of the aquifer, while domestic pollution is sporadic and associated with regular human presence without efficient modern sanitation systems. Moreover, results demonstrate the urgent need to consider groundwater as a vector of pollution to coastal ecosystems and the impact of pollutant legacies in planning management measures and policies, with the aim of achieving 'good ecological status' for waterbodies., (Copyright © 2024. Published by Elsevier B.V.)

In semi-arid sub-Saharan Africa, climate change and the intensification of human activities have altered the hydrological balance and modified the recurrence of extreme hydroclimatic events, such as droughts and floods. The geomorphological heterogeneity of river catchments across the region, the variable human pressure, and the lack of continuous hydroclimatic data preclude the definition of proper mitigation strategies, with a direct effect on the sustainability of rural communities. Here, for the first time in Africa, we characterize hydrological extreme events using a multidisciplinary approach that includes sedimentary data from dams. We focus on the Limpopo River basin to evaluate which factors control flood magnitude since the 1970. Extreme flood events were identified across the basin in 1988-89, 1995-96, 1999-2000, 2003-04, 2010-11, 2013-14 and 2016-17. The statistical analysis of sedimentary flood records revealed a dramatic increase in their magnitude over the studied period. A positive correlation between maximum river flow and antecedent prolonged drought conditions was found in South Africa and Mozambique. Most importantly, since 1980, we observed the likely decoupling of extreme floods from the magnitude of La Niña events, suggesting that the natural interannual variability driven by El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) has been disrupted by climate changes and human activities., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest There are no conflict of interest to report in this work, nor known competing financial interests., (Copyright © 2024 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Mercury (Hg) is naturally released by volcanoes and geothermal systems, but the global flux from these natural sources is highly uncertain due to a lack of direct measurements and uncertainties with upscaling Hg/SO 2 mass ratios to estimate Hg fluxes. The 2021 and 2022 eruptions of Fagradalsfjall volcano, southwest Iceland, provided an opportunity to measure Hg concentrations and fluxes from a hotspot/rift system using modern analytical techniques. We measured gaseous Hg and SO 2 concentrations in the volcanic plume by near-source drone-based sampling and simultaneous downwind ground-based sampling. Mean Hg/SO 2 was an order of magnitude higher at the downwind locations relative to near-source data. This was attributed to the elevated local background Hg at ground level (4.0 ng m -3 ) likely due to emissions from outgassing lava fields. The background-corrected plume Hg/SO 2 mass ratio (5.6 × 10 -8 ) therefore appeared conservative from the near-source to several hundred meters distant, which has important implications for the upscaling of volcanic Hg fluxes based on SO 2 measurements. Using this ratio and the total SO 2 flux from both eruptions, we estimate the total mass of gaseous Hg released from the 2021 and 2022 Fagradalsfjall eruptions was 46 ± 33 kg, equivalent to a flux of 0.23 ± 0.17 kg d -1 . This is the lowest Hg flux estimate in the literature for active open-conduit volcanoes, which range from 0.6 to 12 kg d -1 for other hotspot/rift volcanoes, and 0.5-110 kg d -1 for arc volcanoes. Our results suggest that Icelandic volcanic systems are fed from an especially Hg-poor mantle. Furthermore, we demonstrate that the aerial near-source plume Hg measurement is feasible with a drone-based active sampling configuration that captures all gaseous and particulate Hg species, and recommend this as the preferred method for quantifying volcanic Hg emissions going forward., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Crown Copyright © 2024. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

In this work, we analyze 12 meteorological events that occurred in the Mediterranean Sea during the period November 2011-November 2021 from a seismic point of view. In particular, we consider 8 Medicanes and 4 more common storms. Each of these events, in spite of the marked differences between them, caused heavy rainfall, strong wind gusts and violent storm surge with significant wave heights usually >3 m. We deal with the relationships between these meteorological events and the features of microseism (the most continuous and widespread seismic signal on Earth) in terms of spectral content, space-time variation of the amplitude and source locations tracked employing two different methods (amplitude decay-based grid search and array techniques). By comparing the positions of the microseism sources with the areas of significant storm surges, we observe that the microseism locations align with the actual locations of the storm surges for 10 out of 12 events analyzed (two Medicanes present very low intensity in terms of meteorological parameters and the microseism amplitude does not show significant variations during these two events). We also perform two analyses that allowed us to obtain both the seismic signature of these events, by using a method that exploits the coherence of continuous seismic noise, and their strength from a seismic point of view, called Microseism Reduced Amplitude. In addition, by integrating the results obtained from these two methods, we are able to "seismically" distinguish Medicanes and common storms. Consequently, we demonstrate the possibility of creating a novel monitoring system for Mediterranean meteorological events by incorporating microseism information alongside with other commonly employed techniques for studying meteorological phenomena. The integration of microseism with the data provided by routinely used techniques in sea state monitoring (e.g., wave buoy and HF radar) has the potential to offer valuable insights into the examination of historical extreme weather events within the context of climate change., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Rock art paintings represent fragile ecosystems supporting complex microbial communities tuned to the lithic substrate and climatic conditions. The composition and activity of these microbial communities associated with different weathering patterns affecting rock art sites remain unexplored. This study aimed to explore how bacterial communities adapt their ecological strategies based on substrate weathering, while also examining the role of their metabolic pathways in either biodeterioration or bioprotection of the underlying stone. SEM-EDS investigations coupled with 16S rRNA gene sequencing and PICRUSt2 analysis were applied on different weathered surfaces that affect southern Ethiopian rock paintings to investigate the relationships between the current stone microbiome and weathering patterns. The findings revealed that samples experiencing low and high weathering reached a climax stage characterized by stable microenvironments and limited resources. This condition favored K-strategist microorganisms, leading to reduced α-biodiversity and a community with a positive or neutral impact on the substrate. In contrast, moderately-weathered samples displayed diverse microhabitats, resulting in the prevalence of r-strategist bacteria, increased α-biodiversity, and the presence of specialist microorganisms. Moreover, the bacterial communities in moderately-weathered samples demonstrated the highest potential for carbon fixation, stress responses, and complete nitrogen and sulfur cycles. This bacterial community also showed the potential to negatively impact the underlying substrate. This research provided valuable insights into the little-understood ecology of bacterial communities inhabiting deteriorated surfaces, shedding light on the potential role of these microorganisms in the sustainable conservation of rock art., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2023 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Despite being a vector of pollution towards connected ecosystems, groundwater is often underestimated or not taken into account in management frameworks. To fill this gap, we propose to add socio-economic data to hydrogeological investigations to identify past and present pollution sources linked to human activities at watershed scale in order to forecast threats towards groundwater-dependent ecosystems (GDEs). The aim of this paper is to demonstrate, by a cross-disciplinary approach, the added value of socio-hydrogeological investigations to tackle anthropogenic pollution fluxes towards a GDE and to contribute to more sustainable management of groundwater resources. A survey combining chemical compounds analysis, data compilation, land use analysis and field investigations with a questionnaire was carried out on the Biguglia lagoon plain (France). Results show a pollution with a two-fold source, both agricultural and domestic, in all water bodies of the plain. The pesticide analysis reveals the presence of 10 molecules, including domestic compounds, with concentrations exceeding European groundwater quality standards for individual pesticides, as well as pesticides already banned for twenty years. On the basis of both the field survey and the questionnaire, agricultural pollution has been identified as very local highlighting the storage capacity of the aquifer, whereas domestic pollution is diffuse over the plain and attributed to sewage network effluents and septic tanks. Domestic compounds present shorter residence time within the aquifer highlighting continuous inputs, related to consumption habits of the population. Under the Water Framework Directive (WFD), member states are required to preserve the good ecological status, quality and quantity of water bodies. However, for GDEs it is difficult to achieve the 'good status' required without considering the groundwater's pollutant storage capacity and pollution legacy. To help resolve this issue, socio-hydrogeology has proved to be an efficient tool as well as for implementing effective protection measures for Mediterranean GDEs., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2023 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Platinum group elements (PGEs) can be naturally found at very low concentrations in the Earth's crust. However, the increasing uses of PGEs in vehicle exhaust catalysts, in addition to some other applications (industry, jewelry, anticancer drugs) cause their anthropogenic emission and dispersion in the environment. The use of human hair samples analysis is considered a suitable biological indicator to assess human occupational and environmental exposure. It is an easily accessible material for individuals or population groups of non-invasive sampling. The aim of this study is a comparative analysis to investigate human hair content of Pd and Pt in adolescents, of both genders, residing near petrochemical plants of Augusta and Gela, in urban area of Palermo, and Lentini as control site (Sicily, Italy). A total of 108 samples were taken from school students (11-14 years old). Hair samples were cleaned, mineralized, and processed for analyses by inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). The samples from the industrial sites of Gela and Augusta do not have statistically significant differences between them for either Pd for Pt; however, they differ from the samples relating to the city of Palermo. Median Pd concentrations are higher than Pt in industrial sites and control site. In urban site the levels of both metals were comparable. The study does not reveal any statistically significant difference between Pd and Pt concentrations in female and male samples. The data confirm that the study areas are heavily affected by industrial and urban emissions of Pd and Pt, representing a potential hazard to the local population., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no competing interests., (Copyright © 2023. Published by Elsevier B.V.)

Seagrass meadows are important shallow coastal ecosystems due to their contribution to enhancing biodiversity, nutrient cycling, carbon burial, and sediment stabilisation, but the maintenance of their integrity has been threatened by several anthropogenic disturbances. Active restoration is considered a reliable strategy to enhance recovery of seagrass ecosystems, and decision making for correct seagrass restoration management requires relying on valuable information regarding the effectiveness of past restoration actions and experimental efforts. Previous experimental efforts and human-mediated active restoration actions of the slow growing seagrass Posidonia oceanica have been collated here by combining a literature systematic review and questionnaires consulting seagrass ecology experts. Overall, the poor consistency of the available information on P. oceanica restoration may be due to the wide portfolio of practices and methodologies used in different conditions, that supports the need of further field manipulative experiments in various environmental contexts to fill the identified knowledge gaps. The current situation requires an international, collaborative effort from scientists and stakeholders to jointly design the future strategy forward in identifying the best practices that lead to efficient restorations of P. oceanica habitat and functioning., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2022 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

The protection of groundwater resources from non-point-source pollutants, such as those coming from agricultural practices, is the focus of several European Directives, including the Water Framework Directive and the Pesticide Directive. Besides the environmental goals to be reached by the single EU member state, these directives clearly underline the role of experts in supporting planners and public authorities to fulfil these objectives. This work presents a new web-based, freely-available dynamical tool, named the pesticide fate tool, developed within the geospatial Decision Support system (DSS), LandSupport, for the assessment of groundwater vulnerability, specific for type of pollutant. The tool is based on the extended transfer function model, specifically expanded to consider the transport of reactive solutes, such as pesticides. The work describes the tool implementation for three case studies, with different spatial scales and pedo-climatic conditions: Valle Telesina, IT, Marchfeld, AT, and Zala County, HU. Principal inputs of the tool are: soil physical and hydrological properties, climate, groundwater table depth, type of crops and related pesticides. Results of the model are shown through the LandSupport GUI both as coloured maps, representing the relative concentration of pesticide at the arrival to the water table at the end of the simulation period, and as cumulative charts of the solute arrival at the depth of interest. The three case studies are shown as examples of application of the LandSupport DSS in supporting the Water and Pesticides directives, demonstrating that it represents a valuable instrument for public authorities, environmental planners, as well as agricultural extension services. For example, large differences are shown by soils in filtering the tetraconazole (99.9% vs 76%), a fungicide used in viticulture, or different percentage of arrival (0.32% and 0,01%) to the groundwater table are shown for two herbicides (Tribenuron and Florasulam) largely used to control annual dicotyledonous weeds., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2021 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Tetrabromobisphenol A-TBBPA, a widely used brominated flame retardant detected in aquatic environments, is considered a potential endocrine disruptor-ED for its reproductive/developmental effects in vertebrates. In aquatic invertebrates, the modes of action of most EDs are largely unknown, due to partial knowledge of the mechanisms controlling neuroendocrine functions. In the marine bivalve Mytilus galloprovincialis, TBBPA has been previously shown to affect larval development in the 48 h larval toxicity assay at environmental concentrations. In this work, the effects of TBBPA were further investigated at different times post-fertilization. TBBPA, from 1 μg/L, affected shell biogenesis at 48 hours post fertilization-hpf, as shown by phenotypic and SEM analysis. The mechanisms of action of TBBPA were investigated at concentrations of the same order of magnitude as those found in highly polluted coastal areas (10 μg/L). At 28-32 hpf, TBBPA significantly affected deposition of both the organic matrix and CaCO 3 in the shell. TBBPA also altered expression of shell-related genes from 24 to 48 hpf, in particular of tyrosinase, a key enzyme in shell matrix remodeling. At earlier stages (24 hpf), TBBPA affected the development of dopaminergic, serotoninergic and GABAergic systems, as shown by in situ hybridization-ISH and immunocytochemistry. These data contribute draw adverse outcome pathways-AOPs, where TBBPA affects the synthesis of neutrotransmitters involved in key events (neurodevelopment and shell biogenesis), resulting in phenotypic changes on individuals (delayed or arrested development) that might lead to detrimental consequences on populations., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2021 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

The study objective was to derive a susceptibility model for shallow landslides that could include process-related non-stationary variables, to be adaptable to climate changes. We selected the territory of the Mont-Emilius and Mont-Cervin Mountain Communities (northern Italy) as the study area. To define summary variables related to landslide predisposing and triggering processes, we investigated the relationships between landslide occurrences and intense rainfall and snowmelt events (period 1991-2020). For landslide susceptibility mapping, we set up a Generalized Additive Model. We defined a reference model through variable penalization (relief, NDVI, land cover and geology predictors). Similarly, we optimized a model including the climate variables, checking their smooth functions to ensure physical plausibility. Finally, we validated the optimized model through a k-fold cross-validation and performed an evaluation based on contingency tables, area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUROC) and variable importance (decrease in explained variance). The climate variables that resulted as being statistically and physically significant are the effective annual number of rainfall events with intensity-duration characteristics above a defined threshold (EAT ean ) and the average number of melting events occurring in a hydrological year (ME n ). In the optimized model, EAT ean and ME n accounted for 5% of the explained deviance. Compared to the reference model, their introduction led to an increase in true positive rate and AUROC of 2.4% and 0.8%, respectively. Also, their inclusion caused a transition of the vulnerability class in 11.0% of the study area. The k-fold validation confirmed the statistical significance and physical plausibility of the meteorological variables in 74% (EAT ean ) and 93% (ME n ) of the fitted models. Our results demonstrate the validity of the proposed approach to introduce process-related, non-stationary, physically-plausible climate variables within a shallow landslide susceptibility analysis. Not only do the variables improve the model performance, but they make it adaptable to map the future evolution of landslide susceptibility including climate changes., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest We confirm that the manuscript has been read and approved by all named authors and that there are no other persons who satisfied the criteria for authorship but are not listed. We further confirm that the order of authors listed in the manuscript has been approved by all of us. We confirm that there are no known conflicts of interest associated with this publication., (Copyright © 2021 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

The airborne transmission of SARS-CoV-2, the etiologic agent of the current COVID-19 pandemic, has been hypothesized as one of the primary routes of transmission. Current data suggest a low probability of airborne transmission of the virus in open environments and a higher probability in closed ones, particularly in hospitals or quarantine facilities. However, the potential diffusion of the virus in open environments, especially using particulate matter (PM) as a transport carrier, generated concern in the exposed populations. Several authors found a correlation between the exceeding of the PM10 concentration limits in some Italian cities and the prevalence of Covid-19 cases detected in those areas. This study investigated the potential presence of SARS-COV-2 RNA on a representative series of PM samples collected in the province of Padua in Northeastern Italy during the first wave of COVID pandemic. Forty-four samples of PM2.5 and PM10 were collected between February 24 and March 9, 2020 and analyzed with RT-qPCR for SARS-CoV-2 RNA. The experimental results did not indicate the presence of SARS-CoV-2 RNA in the outdoor PMs, thus confirming the low probability of virus airborne transmission through PM., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2021 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Mapping of surface soil Hg concentrations, a priority pollutant, at continental scale is important in order to identify hotspots of soil Hg distribution (e.g. mining or industrial pollution) and identify factors that influence soil Hg concentrations (e.g. climate, soil properties, vegetation). Here we present soil Hg concentrations from the LUCAS topsoil (0-20 cm) survey including 21,591 samples from 26 European Union countries (one sample every ~200 km 2 ). Deep Neural Network (DNN) learning models were used to map the European soil Hg distribution. DNN estimated a median Hg concentration of 38.3 μg kg -1 (2.6 to 84.7 μg kg -1 ) excluding contaminated sites. At continental scale, we found that soil Hg concentrations increased with latitude from south to north and with altitude. A GLMM revealed a correlation (R 2  = 0.35) of soil Hg concentrations with vegetation activity, normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI), and soil organic carbon content. This observation corroborates the importance of atmospheric Hg 0 uptake by plants and the build-up of the soil Hg pool by litterfall over continental scales. The correlation of Hg concentrations with NDVI was amplified by higher soil organic matter content, known to stabilize Hg in soils through thiol bonds. We find a statistically significant relation between soil Hg levels and coal use in large power plants, proving that emissions from power plants are associated with higher mercury deposition in their proximity. In total 209 hotspots were identified, defined as the top percentile in Hg concentration (>422 μg kg -1 ). 87 sites (42% of all hotspots) were associated with known mining areas. The sources of the other hotspots could not be identified and may relate to unmined geogenic Hg or industrial pollution. The mapping effort in the framework of LUCAS can serve as a starting point to guide local and regional authorities in identifying Hg contamination hotspots in soils., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2021 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Bisphenol A-BPA, a widespread plastic additive, is an emerging contaminant of high concern and a potential endocrine disruptor in mammals. BPA also represents a potential threat for aquatic species, especially for larval stages. In the marine bivalve Mytilus galloprovincialis, BPA has been previously shown to affect early larval development and gene transcription. In this work, the effects of BPA (0.05-0.5-5 μM) were further investigated at different times post fertilization (24-28-32-48 hpf). BPA induced concentration-dependent alterations in deposition of the organic matrix and calcified shell at different larval stages, as shown by double calcofluor/calcein staining, resulting in altered phenotypes at 48hpf. Transcription of Tyrosinase-TYR, that plays a key role in remodelling of the shell organic matrix, and of HOX1, a member of homeobox genes involved in larval shell formation and neurogenesis, were evaluated by In Situ Hybrydization-ISH. BPA altered the spatial pattern of expression of both genes, with distinct effects depending on the concentration and developmental stage. Moreover, BPA affected the time course of mRNA levels for TYR from 24 to 48hpf. BPA impaired development of serotonin-5-HT-immunoreactive neurons at different times pf; at 48hpf, the reduction in the number of serotoninergic neurons was associated with developmental delay and downregulation of the 5-HT receptor-5-HTR. All the effects were observed from the lowest concentration tested, corresponding to detectable BPA levels in contaminated coastal waters. These data demonstrate that BPA interferes with key processes occurring during the first developmental stages of mussels, thus representing a potential threat for natural populations., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2020 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

To meet the continuous growth of urbanised areas with the ever-increasing demand for safe water supplies, the implementation of new scientifically based methodologies can represent a key support for preventing groundwater quality deterioration. In this study, a new combined approach based on the application of the Weights of Evidence and the Null-Space Monte Carlo particle back-tracking methods was set up to assess tetrachloroethylene (PCE) contamination due to Point Sources in the densely urbanised north-eastern sector of the Milano FUA (Functional Urban Area). This combined approach offers the advantage of further enhancing the power of each individual technique by integrating both the advective transport mechanism, neglected by the Weights of Evidence, and the influence of specific factors, such as the land use variation, not considered by the Null-Space Monte Carlo particle tracking. To accurately test and explore the performance of this new approach, the analysis was carried out based on the simulation of synthetic PCE plumes using a groundwater numerical model already implemented in a previous study. The Weights of Evidence method revealed that the areas characterised by a groundwater depth lower than 17 m, a groundwater velocity higher than 2.6 × 10 -6  m/s, a recharge higher than 0.26 m/y and a significant variation of the industrial activities extent are the most susceptible to groundwater pollution. The Null-Space Monte Carlo particle back-tracking has proved to be effective in delineating the potential source zones and contaminant travel path. The proposed approach can offer additional insights for the protection of groundwater resource. The end-product provides crucial information on the zones that require to be prioritised for investigations and can be easily understood by non-expert decision-makers constituting an advanced tool for enhancing groundwater protection strategies., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2020 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

The deterioration of monument or building stone materials is mostly due to the growth of black crusts that cause blackening and disaggregation of the exposed surface. This study reports on new oxygen (δ 17 O, δ 18 O and Δ 17 O) and sulphur (δ 33 S, δ 34 S, δ 36 S, Δ 33 S and Δ 36 S) isotopic analyses of black crust sulphates formed on building stones in Sicily (Southern Italy). The measurements are used to identify the possible influence of volcanic emissions on black crust formation. Black crusts were mostly sampled on carbonate stone substrate in different locations subject to various sulphur emission sources (marine, anthropogenic and volcanic). Unlike atmospheric sulphate aerosols that mostly exhibit Δ 33 S > 0‰, here most of the analysed black crust sulphates show negative Δ 33 S. This confirms that black crust sulphates do not result from deposition of sulphate aerosols or of rainwater but mostly from the oxidation of dry deposited SO 2 onto the stone substrate. The δ 34 S and δ 18 O values indicate that most of black crust sulphate originates from anthropogenic activities. Δ 17 O values are found to be related to the sampling location. The largest 17 O-anomalies (up to ~4‰) are measured in black crust from areas highly influenced by volcanic emissions, which demonstrates the strong involvement of ozone in the formation of black crusts in volcanically influenced environments., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2020 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

This study explores the factors affecting the biodiversity of diatoms, vegetation with focus on bryophytes, and invertebrates with focus on water mites, in a series of 16 spring-habitats. The springs are located primarily from the mountainous part of the Emilia-Romagna Region (Northern Apennines, Italy), and two pool-springs from agricultural and industrial lowland locations. Overall, data indicate that biological diversity (Shannon-Wiener, α-diversity) within individual springs was relatively low, e.g.: S diatoms  = 0-46, S water-mites  = 0-11. However, when examined at the regional scale, they hosted a very high total number of taxa (γ-diversity; S diatoms  = 285, S water-mites  = 40), including several new or putatively-new species, and many Red-List taxa. This pattern suggested there is high species turnover among springs, as well as high distinctiveness of individual spring systems. A key goal was to assess the hydrogeological and hydrochemical conditions associated with this high regional-pool species richness, and to provide a guide to future conservation strategies. There was a striking variety of geological conditions (geodiversity, captured mainly with lithotype and aquifer structure) across the study region, which led to wide variation in the hydrosphere, especially in conductivity and pH. Agriculture and industrial activities (anthroposphere) in the lowlands resulted in nutrient enrichment and other forms of pollution. Across all 16 spring-systems, several hydrogeological conditions most strongly influenced the presence or absence of particular biota and were determinants of species importance: spring-head morphology, hydroperiod, discharge, current velocity, and elemental concentration. These findings have important practical consequences for conservation strategies. Our data show that it is imperative to protect entire regional groups of springs, including representatives of the different ecomorphological spring types, lithologies, and degrees of human influence. These findings suggest that springs, when studied from an ecohydrogeological perspective, are excellent systems in which to further investigate and understand geo-biodiversity relationships., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2020 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Based on a large body of evidence asbestos minerals have been classified as carcinogens. Despite the Italian ban on asbestos in 1992 and the subsequent remediation activities, latent sources of contamination may still represent a hazard where asbestos were particularly used. Using wild rats as sentinel animals, this study aimed at uncovering sites with the greatest potential for non-occupational exposure to asbestos in the city of Casale Monferrato (Piedmont Region, Italy), where the largest Italian manufacturing plant of asbestos-cement had been active. During the study period (2013-2015) a total of 40 wild rats were captured from 16 sampling capture points. The lungs of wild rats have been investigated by using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) with energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS). The SEM-EDS detected the presence of asbestos fibers (tremolite/actinolite, amosite, and chrysotile) in rats' lungs from 11 sampling points. The hypothetical rats' home-range and the observed site-specific concentration of asbestos fibers per gram of dry lung tissue were used to identify areas to be targeted by additional search of latent sources of asbestos. In conclusion, our results showed that the use of wild rats as sentinel animals may effectively integrate the strategies currently in use to reduce the exposure to asbestos., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2020 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

The present work aims to investigate the effects of water temperature increase on Mytilus galloprovincilis and Mytilus edulis pure larvae (PG, PE) and their hybrids (HFG, HFE). D-larvae were maintained at 18 °C or exposed to a higher temperature of 22 °C for 48 h. Initially, Embryotoxicity test was evaluated. Second, a transcriptomic analysis using a recently developed microarray platform was applied to determine the main biological processes involved in early life stages responses to temperature increase. Finally, an immunofluorescence investigation was performed to bridge the gap between transcriptomic regulation and the real changes at cellular/tissue levels. Embryotoxicity test revealed a higher sensitivity of M. edulis (PE) D-larvae as well as hybrids from females M. edulis (HFE) to temperature increase, with the highest rate of larval malformations. Transcriptomic results indicated a lack of an adequate heat shock protein (Hsp) response in PE and HFE larvae (the high expression was observed in PG larvae); the differential expression of gene involved in translation, energy metabolism and oxidative stress response may contribute to explain the observed complex alterations in the studied conditions. As revealed by immunohistochemistry, cytoskeleton proteins changes associated with a drastic decrease of Histidine-Rich Glycoprotein (HRG) may elucidate the larval abnormalities in shell development observed for PE and HFE larvae. Overall, the results indicate that each type of pure larva (PG and PE) and their respective female hybrid (HFG and HFE) react similarly to the temperature increase. Our data should be carefully considered in view of the water temperature increase in marine ecosystems and especially for the mussel's species in confluence zones., (Copyright © 2019 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Dispersal patterns of lichen species in monumental and archaeological sites and their relationships with spatial population structure are almost unknown, hampering predictions on colonization dynamics that are fundamental for planning conservation strategies. In this work, we tested if the local abundance and distribution pattern of some common lichen species on carbonate stones of heritage sites may be related to their patterns of propagule dispersal. We combined analyses of the spatial population structure of eight species on the calcareous balustrade of a heritage site in Torino (NW Italy) with aerobiological analyses. In situ and laboratory analyses were mainly focused on the ejection of ascospores and their air take-off and potential dispersal at short and long distance. Results indicate that the spatial distribution of lichens on the stone surfaces is influenced by both species-specific patterns of propagule dispersal and microenvironmental requirements. In particular, apotheciate species that have a higher ejection of ascospores with higher potential for long range dispersal are candidate for a much aggressive spreading on the monumental surfaces. Moreover, their occurrence on natural or artificial stone surfaces in the surroundings of the stone monumental surface may easily support recolonization dynamics after cleaning interventions, as an effective supply of propagules is expected. On the other hand, species with a lower dispersal rate have a more clustered distribution and are less effective in rapid recolonization, thus representing a minor threat for cultural heritage conservation. These results support the idea that information on the reproductive strategy and dispersal patterns of lichens should be coupled with traditional analyses on stone bioreceptivity and microclimatic conditions to plan effective restoration interventions of stone surfaces., (Copyright © 2019 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

One basic element for seismic hazard assessment is the empirical definition of ground motion prediction equations (GMPE) to estimate shaking expected for earthquakes of given magnitude and distance. GMPEs are calibrated from data of accelerometric stations, distinguishing among site categories of different lithological type (e.g. hard rocks, more or less stiff soils) expected to cause different levels of ground motion amplification. Such a site classification is commonly based on geological observations and/or geophysical parameters like the mean propagation velocity of seismic waves through subsoil surficial layers. However, doubts have been raised about the effectiveness of results obtained from these conventional methods. Here we propose a methodology of accelerometric site classification relying on peak ground motion observations, exploiting the large amount of such observations available in the Italian National accelerometric database. The method is based on a cluster analysis of differences between observations and predictions provided by GMPEs whose functional form does not comprise site class among the explanatory variables. The new method was applied to the ITalian ACcelerometric Archive (ITACA), extracting a "training" dataset (used to calibrate some GMPEs through regressions) and a "validation" dataset (to select the optimal GMPE form). A cluster analysis was then applied to regression residuals, grouping stations into three categories with increasing value of residual average. Checking the reclassification effectiveness through the examination of differences between independent "validation" observations and predictions of GMPEs adopting the new classification, these proved to be more consistent with site response properties than predictions provided by GMPEs using current classification., (Copyright © 2019. Published by Elsevier B.V.)

Surface waters, cold and hot springs were collected in different catchments along the Marsyangdi basin, in the Himalayan Range of West-Central Nepal, during the post-monsoon season in 2017 and analyzed for major ions and trace elements, with the aim of assessing the sources of dissolved species and to contribute in watershed planning. The major element data indicate that surface waters coming from the Tethyan Himalayan Sequence (THS) range from the Ca-Mg-HCO 3 to the Ca-Mg-HCO 3 -SO 4 water-types and reflect a two-component mixing of waters from carbonate- and sulfate-bearing sources. The latter component is attributable to sulfide oxidation with minor silicate weathering. In the Greater Himalaya Sequence (GHS), alteration of pedogenetic carbonates formed in response to silicate weathering under a variable CO 2 gas pressure dominates, yielding a Ca-HCO 3 signature. The stability diagram in the K 2 O-Al 2 O 3 -SiO 2 -H 2 O system and the paired increases in Ca 2+ , Na + , K + and silica indicate that degradation of silicate minerals through kaolinization and possibly plagioclase albitization reactions is the main process for hot groundwater. Cold and hot springs define a trend of increasing Li, SiO 2 and Cl - , suggesting that lithium was leached from silica-rich sources, such as pegmatite dykes and sills occurring in host rocks, and concentrated into halite-bearing salt aquifers. In hot waters Sb, As and Tl exceed the EU and USEPA thresholds. Tl is usually incorporated into pyrite and correlates with Li indicating the occurrence of an ore-bearing zone possibly related to hydrothermal activity at the transition zone between THS and GHS, as suggested by the relatively high Ba, Ni, Cu, Sb, As and Mn contents. The obtained data on water quality have significant implications for people living along the Upper Marsyangdi River in the management of water resources, especially in terms of the enhancement of cold water aquaculture and hot water uses for recreation purposes and tourism., (Copyright © 2019 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

The Lago di Lesina (Lesina Lake, southeastern Italy) is a coastal pond located on an alluvial plain to the north of Gargano Promontory. The aim of this work was to study the depositional and hydrological processes, the benthic environment and the heavy metal sediments pollution of Lesina Lake. The study was carried out by Redox potential, water content, grain-size, mineralogical and biogeochemical analyses in surface sediments collected from 100 sampling stations in the coastal pond bottom. The results showed a predominance of three types of bottom pelitic sediments of different origins and compositions: siliciclastic, carbonatic, and organic. Siliciclastic sediments, which were found especially in the western basin and in the northwestern sector of the central basin, are due to inputs from Acquarotta Canal, some intermittent western streams, and deflation by northerly winds of the sandy barrier that separates the lake from the sea. Carbonate sediments are carried by streams and canals draining the carbonate rocks of the Gargano Mountains and entering the lake from its eastern and southeastern border, these sediments are predominant in the eastern basin and in the southeastern sector of the central basin. Organic matter is abundant throughout the whole lake; it is due to the high productivity of the Lago di Lesina waters that are rich of nutrients for inputs of waters draining the surrounding intensively cultivated agricultural areas. The finer bottom sediments of the lake tend to be removed from the shallower bottoms between the central and eastern sub-basins and near the borders to be deposited in the central portion of the central and western sub-basins. Heavy metal sediment pollution due to anthropic inputs is limited and consists of As, Pb, Cu, and Ni in the western basin, Cu, Zn, and Ni in the eastern basin, and Pb along the northern border., (Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

In a previous paper, the Amtoudi Oasis, a remote area in the northern Sahara in southern Morocco, was chosen to model the dynamics of groundwater-dependent economics under different scenarios of water availability, both the wet 2009-2010 and the average 2010-2011 hydrological years. Groundwater imbalance was reflected by net aquifer recharge (R) less than groundwater allotment for agriculture and urban uses in the average year 2010-2011. Three key groundwater sustainability issues from the hydrologic perspective were raised for future research, which are addressed in this paper. Introducing a feasible methodology for groundwater resource modelling for sustainable use in sparse-data drylands, this paper updates available databases, compiles new databases, and introduces new formulations to: (1) refine the net groundwater balance (W) modelling for years 2009-2010 and 2010-2011, providing the magnitude of net lateral inflow from adjacent formations (R L ), the largest R component contributing to the oasis; (2) evaluate the non-evaporative fraction of precipitation (P) (B) from 1973 onward as a proxy of the potential renewable water resource available for use; and (3) define the critical balance period for variables to reach a comparable stationary condition, as prerequisite for long-term modelling of W. R L was about 0.07-fold P and 0.85-fold R. Historical yearly B-to-P ratios were 0.02 for dry, 0.04 for average, and 0.07 for wet hydrological years; the average yearly P being 124mm. A critical 17-year balance period with stable relative error below 0.1 was defined from the 44-year P and B time-series statistical study. This is the monitoring period proposed for the stationary evaluation of the variables involved in the long-term modelling of W. This paper seeks to offer a feasible methodology for groundwater modelling addressed for planning sustainable water policies in sparse-data drylands., (Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Chlorophyll-a (CHL-a) and sea surface temperature (SST) are generally accepted as proxies for water quality. They can be easily retrieved in a quasi-near real time mode through satellite remote sensing and, as such, they provide an overview of the water quality on a synoptic scale in open waters. Their distributions evolve in space and time in response to local and remote forcing, such as winds and currents, which however have much finer temporal and spatial scales than those resolvable by satellites in spite of recent advances in satellite remote-sensing techniques. Satellite data are often characterized by a moderate temporal resolution to adequately catch the actual sub-grid physical processes. Conventional pointwise measurements can resolve high-frequency motions such as tides or high-frequency wind-driven currents, however they are inadequate to resolve their spatial variability over wide areas. We show in this paper that a combined use of near-surface currents, available through High-Frequency (HF) radars, and satellite data (e.g., TERRA and AQUA/MODIS), can properly resolve the main oceanographic features in both coastal and open-sea regions, particularly at the coastal boundaries where satellite imageries fail, and are complementary tools to interpret ocean productivity and resource management in the Sicily Channel., (Copyright © 2018. Published by Elsevier B.V.)

In this paper we report an experimental study to assess the process of Sr-isotope uptake from the soil and its transfer to the grapevine and then to the wine made through micro-vinification. The experimental work has been carried out with a deep control of the boundary conditions (i.e., type of soil, geologic substratum, ground water supply, etc.) on 11 selected vine-plant sites over a period of four harvest years. Sr-isotopes have been determined on grape-bunches, grapevine sap, on the bioavailable fraction of the soil, on bulk soil, and on the rocks of the substratum. No significant Sr-isotope variability has been observed among micro-vinifications from different harvest years. A slight but significant Sr-isotope variability occurred among wines from rows embedded on different soil type. The Sr-isotope data on micro-vinifications well match those of grapevine sap and bioavailable fraction of soils, all of them falling well within the whole geological range of the bedrock, despite an evident decoupling between bioavailable fraction, whole soils and bedrocks does exist. This decoupling has been ascribed to differential geochemical behaviour of minerals in response to pedogenetic processes. The findings of our experiments indicate that the biological activity of the vine is not able to change the original 87 Sr/ 86 Sr composition up-taken from the bio-available fraction of the soil. Thus, the 87 Sr/ 86 Sr of the wine is an unadulterated feature of the terroir., (Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Agricultural soil (Ap-horizon, 0-20cm) samples were collected in Europe (33 countries, 5.6millionkm 2 ) as part of the GEMAS (GEochemical Mapping of Agricultural and grazing land Soil) soil-mapping project. The GEMAS survey area includes diverse groups of soil parent materials with varying geological history, a wide range of climate zones, and landscapes. The soil data have been used to provide a general view of U and Th mobility at the continental scale, using aqua regia and MMI® extractions. The U-Th distribution pattern is closely related to the compositional variation of the geological bedrock on which the soil is developed and human impact on the environment has not concealed these genuine geochemical features. Results from both extraction methods (aqua regia and MMI®) used in this study support this general picture. Ternary plots of several soil parameters have been used to evaluate chemical weathering trends. In the aqua regia extraction, some relative Th enrichment-U loss is related to the influence of alkaline and schist bedrocks, due to weathering processes. Whereas U enrichment-Th loss characterizes soils developed on alkaline and mafic bedrock end-members on one hand and calcareous rock, with a concomitant Sc depletion (used as proxy for mafic lithologies), on the other hand. This reflects weathering processes sensu latu, and their role in U retention in related soils. Contrary to that, the large U enrichment relative to Th in the MMI® extraction and the absence of end-member parent material influence explaining the enrichment indicates that lithology is not the cause of such enrichment. Comparison of U and Th to the soil geological parent material evidenced i) higher capability of U to be weathered in soils and higher resistance of Th to weathering processes and its enrichment in soils; and, ii) the MMI® extraction results show a greater affinity of U than Th for the bearing phases like clays and organic matter. The comparison of geological units with U anomalies in agricultural soil at the country scale (France) enables better understanding of U sources in the surficial environment and can be a useful tool in risk assessments., (Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Bioerosion and bioprotection (bio-remodeling) is the action exerted by biota colonizing rocky shores. It represents an important component among processes responsible for shaping coastal landforms, and a clear evidence of interaction between the biosphere and the solid earth. Barnacles extensively colonize the midlittoral belt of rocky shores in the Mediterranean Basin. Previous research, mostly based on laboratory evidence, suggests that barnacles are bioprotectors, in that they protect the rock surface from different types of physical and chemical weathering. In this paper, we present the results of a field experiment carried out at different spatial scales at two study areas along the moderately energetic and microtidal coast of NW Italy. Barnacles were removed from the sandstone bedrock in replicated plots (manipulated plots) arranged according to a hierarchical spatial design. After four months rock hardness was tested on each plot with both Schmidt hammer and Equotip Piccolo devices, as well as on a corresponding number of control plots. Data were processed by means of a multifactorial analysis of variance (ANOVA). In control plots, rock hardness tested with Schmidt hammer exceeded that measured in previously manipulated plots. Testing with Equotip yielded the opposite results. This experimental evidence confirmed that barnacles play a bio-protective role in the midlittoral at sub-surficial level, while adding the key aspect that this effect is generalizable to spatial scales ranging from a few centimeters up to tens of kilometers. In addition, our results showed, for the first time, that at surface level they can simultaneously act as bioeroders, likely causing corrosion of the rock surface by fostering dissolution of the sandstone carbonate matrix., (Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Following the detection of a severe thallium contamination of the drinkable water from the public distribution system of Valdicastello Carducci-Pietrasanta (northern Tuscany, Italy), and the identification of the source of contamination in the Molini di Sant'Anna spring (average Tl content≈15μgL -1 ), the replacement of the contaminated water with a virtually Tl-free one (Tl<0.10μgL -1 ) caused an increase in Tl concentration in the drinkable water. This suggested that the pipeline interior had become a secondary source of Tl contamination, promoting its mineralogical and geochemical study. Rust scales samples taken from several pipeline segments, as well as leaching products obtained from these samples, were investigated through scanning electron microscopy, X-ray fluorescence chemical analyses, inductively coupled plasma - mass spectrometry, X-ray diffraction, and X-ray absorption spectroscopy. Thallium-rich rust scales (up to 5.3wt% Tl) have been found only in pipeline samples taken downstream the water treatment plant, whereas the sample taken upstream contains much less Tl (~90μgg -1 ). The Tl-rich nature of such scales is related to the occurrence of nano- and micro-spherules of Tl 2 O 3 and less abundant nanocrystalline μm-sized encrustations of TlCl. Leaching experiments on Tl-rich rust scales indicate that a fraction of the available Tl is easily dissolved in tap water; X-ray absorption spectroscopy suggests that monovalent thallium occurs in water equilibrated with the rust scales, probably related to the dissolution of TlCl encrustations. Therefore, Tl dissolved as Tl + only in the water from the Molini di Sant'Anna spring was partially removed through oxidative precipitation of Tl 2 O 3 and precipitation of TlCl. This highlights the critical role played by the addition of chlorine-based oxidants in water treatment plants that could favour the deposition of Tl-rich coatings within the pipelines, giving rise to unexpected secondary sources of contamination., (Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Mediterranean areas are characterized by complex hydrogeological systems, where management of freshwater resources, mostly stored in karstic, coastal aquifers, is necessary and requires the application of numerical tools to detect and prevent deterioration of groundwater, mostly caused by overexploitation. In the Taranto area (southern Italy), the deep, karstic aquifer is the only source of freshwater and satisfies the main human activities. Preserving quantity and quality of this system through management policies is so necessary and such task can be addressed through modeling tools which take into account human impacts and the effects of climate changes. A variable-density flow model was developed with SEAWAT to depict the "current" status of the saltwater intrusion, namely the status simulated over an average hydrogeological year. Considering the goals of this analysis and the scale at which the model was built, the equivalent porous medium approach was adopted to represent the deep aquifer. The effects that different flow boundary conditions along the coast have on the transport model were assessed. Furthermore, salinity stratification occurs within a strip spreading between 4km and 7km from the coast in the deep aquifer. The model predicts a similar phenomenon for some submarine freshwater springs and modeling outcomes were positively compared with measurements found in the literature. Two scenarios were simulated to assess the effects of decreased rainfall and increased pumping on saline intrusion. Major differences in the concentration field with respect to the "current" status were found where the hydraulic conductivity of the deep aquifer is higher and such differences are higher when Dirichlet flow boundary conditions are assigned. Furthermore, the Dirichlet boundary condition along the coast for transport modeling influences the concentration field in different scenarios at shallow depths; as such, concentration values simulated under stressed conditions are lower than those simulated under undisturbed conditions., (Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Tree barks are relevant interfaces between plants and the external environment, and can effectively retain airborne particles and elements at their surface. In this paper we have studied the distribution of mercury (Hg) in soils and in black pine (Pinus nigra) barks from the Mt. Amiata Hg district in southern Tuscany (Italy), where past Hg mining and present-day geothermal power plants affect local atmospheric Hg concentration, posing serious environmental concerns. Barks collected in heavily Hg-polluted areas of the district display the highest Hg concentration ever reported in literature (8.6mg/kg). In comparison, barks of the same species collected in local reference areas and near geothermal power plants show much lower (range 19-803μg/kg) concentrations; even lower concentrations are observed at a "blank" site near the city of Florence (5-98μg/kg). Results show a general decrease of Hg concentration from bark surface inwards, in accordance with a deposition of airborne Hg, with minor contribution from systemic uptake from soils. Preliminary results indicate that bark Hg concentrations are comparable with values reported for lichens in the same areas, suggesting that tree barks may represent an additional useful tool for biomonitoring of airborne Hg., (Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

A geological study evidenced the presence of thallium (Tl) at concentrations of concern in groundwaters near Valdicastello Carducci (Tuscany, Italy). The source of contamination has been identified in the Tl-bearing pyrite ores occurring in the abandoned mining sites of the area. The strongly acidic internal waters flowing in the mining tunnels can reach exceptional Tl concentrations, up to 9000μg/L. In September 2014 Tl contamination was also found in the tap water distributed in the same area (from 2 to 10μg/L). On October 3, 2014 the local authorities imposed a Do Not Drink order to the population. Here we report the results of the exposure study carried out from October 2014 to October 2015, and aimed at quantifying Tl levels in 150 urine and 318 hair samples from the population of Valdicastello Carducci and Pietrasanta. Thallium was quantified by inductively coupled plasma - mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). Urine and hair were chosen as model matrices indicative of different time periods of exposure (short-term and long-term, respectively). Thallium values found in biological samples were correlated with Tl concentrations found in tap water in the living area of each citizen, and with his/her habits. Thallium concentration range found in hair and urine was 1-498ng/g (values in unexposed subjects 0.1-6ng/g) and 0.046-5.44μg/L (reference value for the European population 0.006μg/L), respectively. Results show that Tl levels in biological samples were significantly associated with residency in zones containing elevated water Tl levels. The kinetics of decay of Tl concentration in urine samples was also investigated. At the best of our knowledge, this is the first study on human contamination by Tl through water involving such a high number of samples., (Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

A hydrological-economic model is introduced to describe the dynamics of groundwater-dependent economics (agriculture and tourism) for sustainable use in sparse-data drylands. The Amtoudi Oasis, a remote area in southern Morocco, in the northern Sahara attractive for tourism and with evidence of groundwater degradation, was chosen to show the model operation. Governing system variables were identified and put into action through System Dynamics (SD) modeling causal diagrams to program basic formulations into a model having two modules coupled by the nexus 'pumping': (1) the hydrological module represents the net groundwater balance (G) dynamics; and (2) the economic module reproduces the variation in the consumers of water, both the population and tourists. The model was operated under similar influx of tourists and different scenarios of water availability, such as the wet 2009-2010 and the average 2010-2011 hydrological years. The rise in international tourism is identified as the main driving force reducing emigration and introducing new social habits in the population, in particular concerning water consumption. Urban water allotment (PU) was doubled for less than a 100-inhabitant net increase in recent decades. The water allocation for agriculture (PI), the largest consumer of water, had remained constant for decades. Despite that the 2-year monitoring period is not long enough to draw long-term conclusions, groundwater imbalance was reflected by net aquifer recharge (R) less than PI+PU (G<0) in the average year 2010-2011, with net lateral inflow from adjacent Cambrian formations being the largest recharge component. R is expected to be much less than PI+PU in recurrent dry spells. Some low-technology actions are tentatively proposed to mitigate groundwater degradation, such as: wastewater capture, treatment, and reuse for irrigation; storm-water harvesting for irrigation; and active maintenance of the irrigation system to improve its efficiency., (Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Soil pollution in agricultural lands poses a serious threat to food safety, and suggests the need for consolidated methods providing advisory indications for soil management and crop production. In this work, the three-step extraction procedure developed by the EU Measurement and Testing Programme and two soil-to-plant transfer factors (relative to total and bioavailable concentration of elements in soil) were applied on polluted agricultural soils from southern Italy to obtain information on the retention mechanisms of metals in soils and on their level of translocation to edible vegetables. The study was carried out in the Sarno river plain of Campania, an area affected by severe environmental degradation potentially impacting the health of those consuming locally produced vegetables. Soil samples were collected in 36 locations along the two main rivers flowing into the plain. In 11 sites, lettuce plants were collected at the normal stage of consumption. According to Italian environmental law governing residential soils, and on the basis of soil background reference values for the study area, we found diffuse pollution by Be, Sn and Tl, of geogenic origin, Cr and Cu from anthropogenic sources such as tanneries and intensive agriculture, and more limited pollution by Pb, Zn and V. It was found that metals polluting soils as a result of human activities were mainly associated to residual, oxidizable and reducible phases, relatively immobile and only potentially bioavailable to plants. By contrast, the essential elements Zn and Cu showed a tendency to become more readily mobile and bioavailable as their total content in soil increased and were more easily transported to the edible parts of lettuce than other pollutants. According to our results, current soil pollution in the studied area does not affect the proportion of metals taken up by lettuce plants and there is a limited health risk incurred., (Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

In alpine regions climatic change will alter the balance between water sources (rainfall, ice-melt, snowmelt, and groundwater) for aquatic systems, particularly modifying the relative contributions of meltwater, groundwater and rain to both rivers and lakes. While these changes are expected to have implications for alpine aquatic ecosystems, little is known about potential ecological tipping points and associated indicator taxa. We examined changes in biotic communities along a gradient of glacier influence for two study systems: (1) a stream network in the French Pyrénées; and (2) a network of lakes in the Italian Alps, with the aim of identifying potential indicator taxa (macroinvertebrates and zooplankton) of glacier retreat in these environments. To assess parallels in biotic responses across streams and lakes, both primary data and findings from other publications were synthesised. Using TITAN (Threshold Indicator Taxa ANalysis) changes in community composition of river taxa were identified at thresholds of <5.1% glacier cover and <66.6% meltwater contribution. Below these thresholds the loss of cold stenothermic benthic invertebrate taxa, Diamesa spp. and the Pyrenean endemic Rhyacophila angelieri was apparent. Some generalist taxa including Protonemura sp., Perla grandis, Baetis alpinus, Rhithrogena loyolaea and Microspectra sp. increased when glacier cover was <2.7% and <52% meltwater. Patterns were not as distinct for the alpine lakes, due to fewer sampling sites; however, Daphnia longispina grp. and the benthic invertebrate groups Plectopera and Planaria were identified as potential indicator taxa. While further work is required to assess potential indicator taxa for alpine lake systems, findings from alpine river systems were consistent between methods for assessing glacier influence (meltwater contribution/glacier cover). Hence, it is clear that TITAN could become a useful management tool, enabling: (i) the identification of taxa particularly sensitive to glacier retreat; and (ii) conservation efforts/resources to be better directed in alpine aquatic systems., (Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

The increasing production of nanoparticles (NPs) will lead to their release into the aquatic environment, where they could modify the bioavailability/bioconcentration and consequent biological impact of other contaminants. Interactive effects of n-TiO2, one of the most widespread NP type, and Cd(2+), a common heavy metal pollutant, have been described in freshwater species, whereas no information is available in marine organisms. In this work, the effects of co-exposure to n-TiO2 and Cd(2+) were investigated in the marine bivalve Mytilus galloprovincialis. Experimental conditions (100 μg/L, 96 h), were chosen in order to induce early but measurable stress responses (biomarkers) without toxicity. Several biomarkers, from molecular to tissue level, were measured in hemolymph and digestive gland; the effects on embryo development were also evaluated. In hemolymph, Cd(2+) abolished the increase in immune parameters induced by n-TiO2 (NO production and lysozyme activity). In the digestive gland, distinct interactive effects of n-TiO2 and Cd(2+) were observed on different lysosomal biomarkers (lysosomal membrane stability, lipid accumulation and lysosome/cytoplasm volume ratio) and transcription of the immune genes lysozyme and toll-like receptor (TLR). However, n-TiO2 did not affect specific metal-induced responses (metallothionein induction) and tissue metal accumulation. Cd(2+) alone, but not in combination with n-TiO2, affected embryo development. The interactive effects observed on different biomarkers were not apparently due to differences in bioavailability/bioaccumulation of Cd(2+) in the presence of n-TiO2 agglomerates; these effects may result from interactions of either contaminant with both common and distinct targets/mechanisms of action at different levels of biological organization. Overall, the results indicate that co-exposure to n-TiO2 and Cd(2+) did not result in increased adverse effects in M. galloprovincialis. These data underline the need for further knowledge on the potential interactions of NPs with existing contaminants in marine organisms., (Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

The distribution and translocation of mercury (Hg) was studied in the Paglia River ecosystem, located downstream from the inactive Abbadia San Salvatore mine (ASSM). The ASSM is part of the Monte Amiata Hg district, Southern Tuscany, Italy, which was one of the world's largest Hg districts. Concentrations of Hg and methyl-Hg were determined in mine-waste calcine (retorted ore), sediment, water, soil, and freshwater fish collected from the ASSM and the downstream Paglia River. Concentrations of Hg in calcine samples ranged from 25 to 1500 μg/g, all of which exceeded the industrial soil contamination level for Hg of 5 μg/g used in Italy. Stream and lake sediment samples collected downstream from the ASSM ranged in Hg concentration from 0.26 to 15 μg/g, of which more than 50% exceeded the probable effect concentration for Hg of 1.06 μg/g, the concentration above which harmful effects are likely to be observed in sediment-dwelling organisms. Stream and lake sediment methyl-Hg concentrations showed a significant correlation with TOC indicating considerable methylation and potential bioavailability of Hg. Stream water contained Hg as high as 1400 ng/L, but only one water sample exceeded the 1000 ng/L drinking water Hg standard used in Italy. Concentrations of Hg were elevated in freshwater fish muscle samples and ranged from 0.16 to 1.2 μg/g (wet weight), averaged 0.84 μg/g, and 96% of these exceeded the 0.3 μg/g (methyl-Hg, wet weight) USEPA fish muscle standard recommended to protect human health. Analysis of fish muscle for methyl-Hg confirmed that >90% of the Hg in these fish is methyl-Hg. Such highly elevated Hg concentrations in fish indicated active methylation, significant bioavailability, and uptake of Hg by fish in the Paglia River ecosystem. Methyl-Hg is highly toxic and the high Hg concentrations in these fish represent a potential pathway of Hg to the human food chain., (Published by Elsevier B.V.)

Platinum concentrations in topsoil samples collected in 1992 (48) and in 2001 (16) from the urban area of Rome have been determined by ICP-MS. Concentrations in 47 soil samples collected in 1992 from natural sites of Latium (an area around Rome) have been determined for a first assessment of natural background levels. The Pt concentrations in Rome urban soils collected in 1992 range from 0.8 to 6.3 ng/g (mean = 3.8 +/- 1.0) overlapping the concentration range of natural soils from Latium (mean = 3.1 +/- 2.1 ng/g). No significant correlation has generally been found between Pt contents in the 'natural' soils and related bedrock or major pedogenetic parameters. These results suggest that there is no evidence of Pt pollution in Rome urban soils at that time, because the massive use of the automobile catalytic converter has only just started. Higher (up to six times more) Pt concentrations, than those measured in the 1992 samples, have been measured, in some cases, in Rome urban soils collected in 2001, suggesting a possible start of Pt accumulation because of the large-scale use in the last decade of automobile catalytic converters. At the same time, a clear decrease of lead levels in Rome urban soils with respect to the levels measured in 1992 has been observed, paralleling the decreasing number of lead gasoline-fuelled cars. Here we present one of the first systematic studies for defining background levels of Pt in Italian natural soils, thus allowing for monitoring, in the future, should any possible Pt pollution caused by the use of automobile catalytic converter, especially in urban soils, occur.

Pollution originating from wood combustion characterised the urban atmospheres of the past and led to the formation of thin grey crusts on the surface of the stone of monuments. The grey crusts discovered on the Heads of the Kings of Juda statues, which adorned the facade of Notre Dame in Paris from the 13th century until 1792, constitute a material record of the effects of this ancient air pollution. The height at which the statues stood suggests that the effect was not the result of a point phenomenon, but was caused by a generalised pollution of the Paris atmosphere at the time.