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In terms of natural hazard events, resilience characterizations provide a means of identifying risk profiles, degrees of preparedness, and the ability of communities to respond and recover. While nationally consistent measures of community resilience to natural hazards are needed to address widespread socio-ecological impacts from a broad policy perspective, geographically specific resilience characterizations are needed to target local resources to increase community resilience. The Climate Resilience index (CRSI) was developed to characterize the resilience of socio-ecological systems in the context of governance and risk to natural hazard events for all U.S. counties for the years 2000–2015. Those resilience characterizations were based on the full range of nationwide county domain scores. This paper presents a re-scaled application of CRSI, where county domain scores are limited to the range of scores within a specific set of U.S. coastal and shoreline counties within each of eight coastal regions. The re-scaled CRSI values for selected counties/parishes in the Gulf of Mexico (GOM) region are also presented in conjunction with calculated Location Quotients (LQ) values >1.0, which represent a high employment dependence on ocean economy sectors. Using a combination of re-scaled CRSI and LQ values provides a more holistic picture of vulnerability and resilience in these U.S. coastal shoreline counties. The relative resilience assessments presented for coastal regions are useful in identifying potential strengths and weaknesses in resilience aspects given similar hazard profiles, a signature otherwise diluted in nation-wide county-level assessments. The unique approach of combining CRSI and LQ for characterizing natural hazard resilience described could be transferred to other specific geographies as defined by population groups, hazard profiles and economic dependence.

Renewable energy, which is the type of energy that plays a major role in the development and growth of countries, plays an important role in today’s world, considering that the life of depleted energy resources is finite. Compared to fossil energy sources, except that its source is infinite, a noticeable difference in carbon dioxide emission is seen as the reason for preferring renewable energy sources. Many studies in the literature investigate the relationship between the consumption of renewable energy resources and economic growth. This study was conducted on renewable energy production in 27 European Union member countries explores its impact on employment. In the study, panel ARDL test was conducted with the data for the years 2006-2019. According to the results of the study, renewable energy generation has a positive effect on employment in European Union countries in the long term. In the long run, a 1% increase in renewable energy primary production increases employment by 0.08%. Increasing the use of renewable energy resources should go beyond being a policy recommendation in international conventions. The fact that these resources provide employment in large areas can be a good alternative today with high unemployment rates.Keywords: renewable energy, employment, developed countries, panel ARDLJEL Classifications: O40, Q43, Q40DOI: https://doi.org/10.32479/ijeep.10744

Apart from being the most urbanized and largest emitter of CO2 emissions in Africa, South Africa currently harbours an ecological deficit territory mainly due to its desire to attain more growth with less attention to its natural environment. Since environmental distortions are mainly an outcome of human activities, this study becomes the first to investigate the linkage between natural resource (NR), human capital, energy consumption, and ecological footprint (EF) in South Africa. Findings from the long-run results reveal that energy consumption, natural resource, economic growth, and urbanization add to the EF, while human capital curtails environmental deterioration. The interaction between human capital and urbanization helps in mitigating environmental degradation, which suggests a moderating effect of human capital in urban sustainability. The CCR, DOLS and FMOLS confirm the robustness of the findings. A feedback causality exists between natural resource and economic growth, and between economic growth and EF. Natural resources and urbanization also Granger cause EF. Lastly, policies relating to urban and natural resource sustainability and human capital development are discussed.Keywords: Energy Consumption; Natural Resource; Human Capital; Urbanization; Ecological Footprint; South Africa.JEL Classifications: Q40, Q45, Q32.DOI: https://doi.org/10.32479/ijeep.11099

With the global climate change and rapid urbanization, urban flood disasters spread and become increasingly serious in China. Urban rainstorms and waterlogging have become an urgent challenge that needs to be monitored in real time and further predicted for the improvement of urbanization construction. We trained a recurrent neural network (RNN) model to classify microblogging posts related to urban waterlogging and establish an online monitoring system of urban waterlogging caused by flood disasters. We manually curated more than 4400 waterlogging posts to train the RNN model so that it can precisely identify waterlogging-related posts of Sina Weibo to timely determine urban waterlogging. The RNN model has been thoroughly evaluated, and our experimental results showed that it achieved higher accuracy than traditional machine learning methods, such as the support vector machine (SVM) and gradient boosting decision tree (GBDT). Furthermore, we build a nationwide map of urban waterlogging based on recent 2-year microblogging data.

Over the past decades, a large amount of petroleum pollutants has been released into the environment resulting from various activities related to petrochemicals. The discharge of wastewater with petrochemicals can pose considerable risk of harm to the human health and the environment. The use of adsorbents has received much consideration across the environmental field as an effective approach for organic pollutant removal. There is a particular interest in the use of biomass adsorbent as a promising environmentally-friendly and low-cost option for removing pollutants. In this article, we present a review of biomass-derived adsorbents for the removal of petroleum pollutants from water. The features of different adsorbents such as algae, fungi, and bacteria biomasses are summarized, as is the process of removing oil and PAHs using biomass-derived adsorbents. Finally, recommendations for future study are proposed.

The need for land has increased every year, and this increase is caused by the rate of population growth, resulting in changes in land use. Uncontrolled land use conversion has led to catastrophic flooding in the Antokan watershed. The purpose of this study was to determine the direction of land use change policies in the Antokan Watershed, West Sumatra Province. To determine land use change using the GIS method with the overlay technique of land use maps for the period 2000-2020. Furthermore, to determine the policy direction using the ISM method involving 20 experts. Research results in the Antokan watershed have shown changes in land use of 4,178 hectares during the 2000-2020 period. Changes occur in forest areas, mixed gardens, shrubs, and rice fields which have decreased, on the other hand, settlements, plantations and open land have expanded. Furthermore, there are two sub-elements that are the priority for policy direction to reduce the rate of land use change, namely making regulations and firm sanctions on land use errors (E3) and consistency in enforcing land use laws (E4).

Summary: COVID-19 is a sign of a global malaise. The pandemic is an outcome of what we term a planetary dysbiosis, for which underlining drivers include inequality and the exploitation and extraction of human and non-human labours. The implication is that the usual fixes to outbreaks of infectious diseases (ie, surveillance, pharmaceutical measures, and non-pharmaceutical measures) will be insufficient without a thorough reappraisal of and investment in planetary health. Given the heterogeneity and diversity of environments and populations, we envisage these actions as a matter for the generation of new kinds of public, requiring widespread and multiple forms of engagement to generate lasting solutions. We use and extend the concept of healthy publics to suggest a movement that can start to reclaim planetary health as a collective and ongoing issue.

Although Kazakhstan is a fossil fuel rich country, there is a strong desire by policymakers to develop a green and sustainable economy and contribute to the global energy transition. To understand the overall situation in green technology development in industrial sector, we conducted the first countrywide study in Kazakhstan. In this paper, we present the results of the large survey on the use of ‘green technologies’ by industrial companies in every region of the country. We aggregate the 380 reported cases of the use of green technologies by sectors, like energy production, waste management, and some others. We found that the largest number of cases is accumulated in the waste management sector, the smallest, in green building construction. Our work shows that only 266 out of 877 (~30%) industrial organizations in Kazakhstan utilize some form of green technologies. Based on detailed analysis of 141 organizations, Karagandy, East Kazakhstan, Aktobe, and Atyrau regions reported the largest number applications of green technologies among the 17 administrative-territorial units of Kazakhstan. We also discuss barriers to the diffusion of clean technologies. We believe that this work will be of interest to politicians, environmentalists, and practitioners who are concerned about the impacts of global warming.Keywords: clean technologies; sustainability; green economy; energy transition; power sector; climate changeJEL Classifications: Q01, Q2, Q53, Q55, Q56, O33DOI: https://doi.org/10.32479/ijeep.10897

Since the 1970s, Holling's socio-ecological systems (SES) approach has been a most predominant theoretical force in resilience research in the context of the climate crisis. From Holling's approach, however, two contrasting scientific approaches to resilience have developed, namely, naturalism and constructivism. While naturalist resilience research takes SES as complex systems marked by non-linearity and evolutionary changes, constructivist resilience research focuses on the embeddedness of SES in heterogenous contexts. In naturalist resilience research resilience is defined as a system property, while in constructivist resilience research resilience is politically loaded and historically contingent. The aim of this paper is to review and structure current developments in resilience research in the field of climate change studies, in terms of the approaches, definitions, models and commitments that are typical for naturalism and constructivism; identify the key tension between naturalist and constructivist resilience research in terms of the widely discussed issue of adaptation and transformation, and discuss its implications for sustainable development; and propose a research agenda of topics distilled from the adaptation-transformation tension between naturalist and constructivist resilience research.

O lodo granular aeróbio (LGA) é uma promissora alternativa para o tratamento de águas residuárias municipais e industriais. Entretanto, foram relatadas dificuldades nessa nova tecnologia, como longo período de start-up, instabilidade da granulação em longo prazo e incompleta remoção de nutrientes. Além disso, o gerenciamento do lodo descartado necessita ser aprimorado. As características do Brasil, como o clima, composição do esgoto sanitário e qualificação da mão de obra, devem ser levadas em conta na adoção desse tipo de tratamento. Desse modo, este trabalho apresenta as características do LGA e os processos bioquímicos envolvidos, associando-os aos benefícios e desafios a serem superados. Uma análise comparativa entre o reator em bateladas sequenciais com lodo granular e o reator com lodo apenas floculado é apresentada, assim como algumas características do esgoto brasileiro e do sistema de LGA que podem influenciar a escolha dessa alternativa. Palavras-chave: Lodo granular aeróbio. Reator em bateladas sequenciais. Tratamento de esgoto sanitário.

A escassez de água em regiões densamente urbanizadas gera disputa na alocação da água em reservatórios para o abastecimento urbano. Nesse artigo foi utilizada uma metodologia proposta para a definição do custo da escassez da água e posterior utilização em um modelo hidroeconômico de alocação de água. Como exemplo, foi utilizado o Sistema Cantareira em um estudo de caso. O modelo hidroeconômico apresentou a maior disponibilidade de água para as vazões urbanas demandadas e maior volume per capita armazenado nos reservatórios. A metodologia proposta pode promover a sustentabilidade econômica das companhias de saneamento. O benefício econômico regional obtido somente para o abastecimento urbano é de cerca de R$ 3 bilhões (média anual) na região de estudo. Palavras-chave: Sustentabilidade financeira. Sistema de suporte à decisão. Custo da escassez hídrica. Curva de demanda hídrica. Planejamento em recursos hídricos.

O tratamento de lixiviado de aterro sanitário, efluente de cabines sanitárias e lodo de fossa séptica combinado com esgoto sanitário tem sido uma estratégia utilizada para reduzir custos operacionais no tratamento de efluentes externos (EE). Entretanto, ainda não há consenso sobre os impactos na segurança operacional e na eficiência das estações de tratamento de esgotos sanitários (ES). Este trabalho avaliou um sistema de lodos ativados do tipo RSB tratando ES e EE. O percentual total de EE adicionados ao ES foi de 3,6% da vazão de ES tratado, provocando um aumento na carga afluente de DQO, DBO e nutrientes. As cargas de choque decorrentes da entrada dos EE dificultaram a manutenção de características adequadas de sedimentabilidade do lodo aeróbio, verificado pela perda de biomassa no efluente final e aumento do índice volumétrico de lodo de 46 mL.g-1 para 287 mL.g-1. A relação A/M oscilou entre 0,42 d-1 e 0,82 d-1. A entrada dos EE contribuiu para decréscimo na remoção de matéria orgânica e nutrientes. Análise do lodo ativado apresentou 56% de Fe, 16% de Ca, 10% de Si, 8% de S, 4% de Zn, 3% de Cu, 1,5% de Mn e 1,2% de K adsorvidos aos flocos, possivelmente devido à entrada dos EE. Palavras-chave: Efluente de banheiro químico. Esgoto sanitário. Lixiviado de aterro sanitário. Lodo de tanque séptico. Lodo ativado

Local food production (LFP) can play an impor­tant role in ensuring access to food during supply chain disruptions. Because the drafting, adoption, and implementation of policies regulating LFP is under the purview of local governments in many U.S. states, researchers at University of Florida, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences Exten­sion conducted a study to assess whether COVID-19 affected local government stakeholders’ (LGS) (N=92) perspectives on LFP and the role that LFP can play in responding to public health emergen­cies. LGS who oversee the drafting, adoption, and implementation of LFP policies include staff responsible for code enforcement, sustainability initiatives, and planning, as well as elected and ap­pointed leaders, such as mayors, city and county managers, and city and county commissioners. The survey assessed LGS’ attitudes and knowledge about LFP. The survey also asked LGS about their perceptions and awareness of LFP in their commu­nities, including their perceptions of the benefits of and barriers to LFP and the ways in which LFP producers were using the food they produced. Sur­vey questions also focused specifically on COVID-19 and the role of LFP in public health emergen­cies. In particular, survey questions asked whether LGS perceived a change in their own attitudes, knowledge, and perspectives; whether there had been a change in the LFP activi­ties in their communities following COVID-19; and what they thought the role of LFP was in responding to public health emergencies. Direct comparisons of LGS who responded to a 2019 survey (N=43) were assessed for statistically sig­nificant changes in overall attitudes, knowledge, or perceived benefits of LFP following COVID-19. This study found that LGS have generally positive attitudes and perceptions of benefits of LFP, including its role in public health emergencies, but have limited knowledge about LFP or awareness of barriers to its implementation. The results of this study indicate that LGS understand the potential benefits of LFP in public health emergencies but would benefit from information and training to support the development of policies and programs in their communities.

Background Land use land cover (LULC) transformation and ecosystems service valuation (ESVs) play important roles for vegetation restoration and design restoration options such as payment for ecosystems service programs. The objective of this work was to quantify LULC transformations and associated ESVs in the Gojeb sub-basin by analyzing LULC between 1986 and 2016 using satellite images, field observations and ancillary datasets. And Ecosystems service valuations of different land use types were carried out using benefit transfer method. Results The summarized LULC classes are: bareland, cropland, grassland, forest, plantation, settlement, shrub, water-body and woodland. The ESVs were evaluated for each LULC based on these LULC classes. Forests had the highest cover (> 423,000 ha ~ 60%) in 1986 but it reduced to 317,000 ha (~ 45%) in 2016. About > 56,000 ha of forests were changed to cultivated land, and > 105,000 ha to different classes. Cultivated land increased to > 258,000 ha (~ 37%) in 2016 compared to 150,000 ha (~ 21.5%) in 1986. The sub-basin had ESVs of US$2.52 billion in 1986 but decreased to US$ 1.97 billion in 2016; losing about US$ 0.551 billion within the last 30 years (annual loss rate of US$ 18.4 million). Potential drivers would be agricultural expansion, land degradation/erosion, landslide and deforestation, indicating that requires concerted effort to restore and manage landscapes for sustainable socio-ecological and economic uses. Conclusion This study is meaningful for management of natural resources in the catchment, improvement of hydropower production and lifespan of the hydropower reservoir besides to improving land productivity for small holder farmers as hydrological cycles and biodiversity components of the catchment can be improved. This study assist policy makers in designing evidence-based programs such as payment for ecosystem services in the study area and elsewhere.

A fresh water pufferfish Tetraodon lineatus in Egypt has limited information available. A total of 350 specimens were collected monthly from the river Nile, Aswan (2019). Specimens were 13.5–38.5 cm in total length with an average of 22.16 ± 5.02 cm and a total weight of 61.7–1456 g with an average of 339.86 ± 248.85 g. The length-weight relationship showed negative allometric growth, and both absolute and relative conditions decreased after March towards September, represents the spawning period. The sex ratio of 1 male to 1.28 females showed the predomination of females (56.23%) over males (43.77%) over the year. Males dominated the first length classes of 14–19 cm. The gonadosomatic index (GSI) was elevated from April to August, with its highest peak in June, and the unimodal curve indicated spawning once per year. The hepatosomatic index showed an inverse trend against the increase of GSI. Length at maturity was 18.7 cm for males and 18.2 for females. The lifespan of the fish was determined by the counting the growth rings of vertebrae No 3 was five years for both sexes at mean lengths of 14.5, 21.2, 26.3, 31.2, and 34.2 cm for 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, and 5th, years respectively. Age group III was the most abundant followed by age group II. Asymptotic length was 46.29 cm, condition was 0.242 year−1, and to was −0.609 year−1, growth performance was 2.71, and longevity was 11.78 years. Our results are among the first biology and population dynamics data on the freshwater pufferfish in Egypt, and they indicate a satisfactory growth rate and ability to live longer than their age at maturity. These data could be utilized as the basis for scientific studies of physiology and toxicology, and useful in further management.

The present study focuses on a comprehensive sea-level analysis in Alexandria Eastern Harbour (AEH). The study is based on hourly sea-level records from 10.06.2018 to 15.06.2020, from the new Inexpensive Device for Sea-level Measurement (IDSL), installed in AEH in June 2018. Before analysis, sea-level records were referred to the Mean Lower Low Water (MLLW) in the Harbour of −429 cm. The T_TIDE package was used to generate the astronomical tides. Residuals were calculated by subtracting the astronomical elevations from the observed sea-levels. Results revealed a mean sea-level of 24.6 cm. The seasonal behaviour of sea-level was determined with the lowest monthly means in spring and the highest in summer and winter. Tides in the Harbour are of semidiurnal type; with a mean tidal level of 0.05 cm. 23 tidal constituents out of 36 are significant, with SSa and M2 constituents having the largest amplitudes of 5.4 cm and 5.1 cm, respectively. Results revealed a ratio of 4.7 between spring and neap ranges. Residuals contribute to 99.0% in the recorded sea-level. The design risk factor and return periods of positive sea-level ranges were calculated and introduced in the present work.

A adição de composto orgânico aos solos de cobertura de aterros sanitários, principalmente em regiões do semiárido, apresenta-se como ótima alternativa para melhoramento das suas propriedades. O principal objetivo é avaliar a influência da adição de composto orgânico no solo em relação às propriedades geotécnicas de misturas estudadas. O campo experimental foi o Aterro Sanitário em Campina Grande-PB. O solo utilizado foi coletado diretamente da camada de cobertura e o composto orgânico, resultante de compostagem, foi concedido pelo laboratório de engenharia agrícola da Universidade Federal de Campina Grande. Os ensaios de caracterização geotécnica e sucção foram realizados segundo normas nacionais e internacionais. Verificou-se uma diminuição no percentual de partículas finas, aumento dos limites de consistência e redução da massa específica seca máxima na compactação, além de aumento da capacidade de retenção de umidade com o aumento do percentual orgânico nas misturas. Conclui-se que a adição de composto orgânico ao solo contribuiu para melhorar suas propriedades geotécnicas e fornecer nutrientes adequados ao processo de oxidação de metano por bactérias metanotróficas. Palavras-chave: Sucção. Matéria orgânica. Compostagem. Misturas. Oxidação de metano. Bactérias metanotróficas.

Macrobenthic communities in shallow mangrove-seagrass habitat at the southern portion of Saudi Arabia, Red Sea were explored to (i) characterize their diversity and abundance; (ii) examine the variability among outer, middle and inner stations; and (iii) evaluate the catch performance of scoop (bulldozer) and Van Veen grab. Fifteen sampling collections (9 scoop and 6 grab) captured 4,491 individuals encompassing 18 taxonomic groups. Polychaetes predominated the samples, followed by pelecypods, gammarids, gastropods, and isopods. The species richness did not differ among stations. The density of macrobenthos was significantly (ANOVA, F = 5.51, p = 0.020) higher in the outer and middle stations than the inner station. Moreover, the difference of macrobenthos abundance was seemingly associated with the sediment type and the presence and absence of seagrass. The proportion of non-shared groups over the total number of groups increases from the outer to the inner stations (30.7 to 57.1%), which revealed a degree of difference in the community. The exclusive presence of stomatopods in the inner station suggests their territorial behavior. As well, Van Veen grab captured higher taxonomic groups than scoop; the difference in abundance was not significant. Grab was more pragmatic with ease to operate and thus higher catch efficiency.

O presente estudo tem por finalidade analisar o tratamento de efluente vinícola em sistema combinado de um reator anaeróbio de manta de lodo e fluxo ascendente (Upflow Anaerobic Sludge Blanket - UASB) seguido de um filtro biológico aeróbio submerso (FBAS) na remoção de matéria carbonácea, nitrogenada, fosforada e de compostos fenólicos totais para enquadramento nos padrões ambientais de lançamento local. O sistema de escala laboratorial foi operado com efluente vinícola em diferentes concentrações de DQO (500- 1000 mg.L-1; Etapa I, II e III e 1000-2000 mg.L-1; Etapa IV e V) e foi variado também seu TDH (16h; Etapas III e IV 18h; Etapas II e V e 24h; Etapa I). Dos 422 dias de operação, o sistema combinado apresentou estado de equilíbrio aparente no dia 134, no qual foram iniciados os perfis de amostragem das características físico-químicas. As etapas I, II e III atenderam às legislações locais (< 200 mgDQOb.L-1) no residual orgânico máximo de 39 mgDQOb.L-1. A remoção dos nutrientes na forma de nitrito e nitrato atende à demanda da legislação nas etapas II, III, IV e V, apenas na primeira que o valor para nitrito ficou 0,4 mgNO2-.L-1 acima do limite. Os compostos fosforados não alcançaram em nenhuma etapa o limite máximo de lançamento (< 0,03 mg.L-1). A remoção dos compostos fenólicos ocorreu predominantemente na fase anaeróbia, tendo residual mínimo de 3,1 mgCFT.L-1. Portanto, é possível identificar que a condição com TDH global de 16 horas e concentração inicial do efluente vinícola de 500 a 1000 mgDQOb.-1 apresentou as melhores eficiências de remoção das características estudadas e para condições experimentais ao serem aplicadas a indústria. O efluente final do sistema UASB-FBAS atende parcialmente às legislações da Resolução Conama 357/2005, 430/2011; e à Portaria 70/2009 da CEMA. Dentre as características analisadas, é possível concluir que os maiores problemas de remoção foram os compostos fenólicos totais e fósforo total. Palavras-chave: Águas Residuárias. UASB. FBAS. Remoção Nutriente. Compostos Fenólicos.

Seven bacterial strains, isolated from marine samples beside K. pneumonia ATCC 13883 as a reference strain, were screened for urease production and calcium precipitation. Results concluded that isolate EZ15, like K. pneumonia, was urease positive. It showed high calcium precipitation (35.7%) and its biocement yield was 13 g/l. So, it was selected as a promising isolate for biocement production. It was identified biochemically and genotypically as Staphylococcus epidermidis EDH with 98% similarity. Technically, the produced biocement was observed as needle-like crystals, and the biocement aggregates mixed with calcifying S. epidermidis EDH were photographed. Data also indicated that the produced biocement, like the commercial CaCO3, successfully packed the clay particles tightly and decreased its porosity considerably, leading to increased clay water retention capacity (WRC) compared to control. Moreover, the compressive pressure resistance of the prepared biocement blocks containing S. epidermidis EDH suspension increased regularly from 267 to 362 Kg/cm2 along 28 days of solidification. The breaking load of treated blocks showed a similar trend along the same period. Advanced techniques used and characterized the produced biocement as calcium carbonate crystals (calcite).

Aquaculture in Mozambique was introduced in the late 1950s, and several strategies have since been put in place to develop the sector, especially in growing the Mozambique Tilapia (Oreochromis mossambicus). The study assessed aquaculture production in the Gaza Province of Mozambique. Data was obtained from semi-structured interviews and questionnaires in companies, community associations, and individuals focusing mainly on their adopted production systems, challenges, and opportunities. The study identified 15 fish farmers, with a total of 301 fish culture facilities in which 86% were ponds and 14% cages with cultivation structure varying from 120 m2 to 2000 m2 for ponds and 6 m3 to 13 m3 for cages. Two production systems were distinguished including extensive and semi-intensive with 61% and 39% respectively. Oreochromis niloticus was the main cultured species. These farmers get their feed from Livestock Feed Limited (LFL) and AquaPlus. The unavailability of quality feed, seed and inadequate extension workers were listed as the main challenges faced by the farmers leading to low fish production. Our findings clearly show that fish farming is an attractive activity for small and medium-scale farmers, and it can grow especially if necessary measures are taken to improve management, access to inputs, and extension services.

Biosorption is an efficient method for removing heavy metals from wastewater. Two dried marine macroalgae species; Ulva fasciata and Colpomenia sinuosa were used for bioremediation of cobalt polluted aqueous solutions. It was established that the optimum biosorption takes place at pH 6.0 and 7.0 for U. fasciata and C. sinuosa, respectively, with contact time 60 min for both species, initial Co(II) concentration 50 and 80 mg/L for U. fasciata and C. sinuosa, respectively, and biomass dosage 0.05 g/50 mL for both species. The biosorption mechanism of Co(II) onto the algal biomass was investigated utilizing the standard techniques. The isotherm models elucidated that Langmuir model fits the experimental data of Co(II) adsorption more than Freundlich model. The maximum biosorption capacity ( q max ) obtained for C. sinuosa (62.5 mg/g) was greater than that for U. fasciata (40.0 mg/g). It was also found that the biosorption process using U. fasciata and C. sinuosa followed the second-order kinetic. The effect of calcium, magnesium, and sodium ions (Ca+2, Mg+2, and Na+) on the metal sorption potential by biosorbents was studied. The adsorption behaviour of U. fasciata and C. sinuosa in treating wastewater sample collected from Edku Lake was also investigated.

O tratamento de efluentes contendo metais pesados é de extrema relevância, uma vez que tais substâncias apresentam elevada toxicidade, mesmo em baixas concentrações. Neste trabalho, empregou-se com sucesso um reator eletroquímico de leito fluidizado na remoção de cobre. O desempenho do reator foi avaliado pela Eficiência de Corrente (EC) e Consumo Energético Específico (CEE), tendo-se como variáveis a distância entre alimentador de corrente e contra-eletrodo (D), corrente (I) e concentrações de cobre (CCu) e de ácido (Các). O maior valor experimental obtido para EC foi de 82,18%, e o menor valor para CEE foi de 2,46 kW.h.kg-1. Utilizou-se um Planejamento Composto Central para obtenção de modelos empíricos para EC e CEE. Com o uso da Metodologia de Superfícies de Resposta e da técnica da Análise de Cristas, obtiveram-se as condições operacionais que minimizam CEE para dois valores de CCu, sendo os valores mínimos 1,58 e 2,31 kW.h.kg-1. Palavras-chave: Eletrodeposição de cobre. Eletrodo de leito fluidizado. Metodologia de superfície de respostas. Análise de cristas.

Cone snails are venomous predators comprising ~950 species widely distributed in different marine habitats. The production of bioactive molecules (known as conopeptides or conotoxins) marks the Conus as an utmost promising animal source for medicinal applications. This reflects the need for quick and reliable proof of the studied species’ identity. However, identification based on morphological characters has limitations and necessitates complementation with molecular techniques. DNA barcoding based on the mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase subunit I (COI) is currently used as a quick and reliable tool for species identification throughout the globe. The primary objective of this study is to establish reference sequences for Conus species from the Egyptian Red Sea coast, and to evaluate the capacity of DNA barcodes for specimen’ identification. The results of the present study revealed that COI sequences were matched for their maximum identity with those available in the GenBank and BOLD engine and gave matches to Conus species for all studied species (100% match rate). In all cases, DNA analyses were consistent with species classification based on shell characters. According to the phylogenetic tree, all Conus species were recovered as monophyletic and the seven studied species of Conus were well nested in seven separate clades/subclades with closely related species. In conclusion, our study successfully confirms the efficiency of DNA barcoding for specimen identification of different cone snails. Such analytical tool offers great chances for exploring Conus species to better evaluate their status in the Egyptian Red Sea coast, and more generally along the whole Red Sea coast.

To better understand snow chemistry in different environments across the Antarctic ice sheet, we investigated snow ions on a traverse from the coast to Dome A. Results show that the non-sea-salt (nss) fractions of K+, Mg2+, and Ca2+ are mainly from terrestrial particle mass and nssCl− is associated with HCl. Spatially, the non-sea-salt fractions of ions to the totals are higher in the interior areas than on the coast, and seasonally, the proportions are higher in summer than in winter. Negative nssSO42- on the coast indicates sea salts from the sea ice, and marine biogenic emissions dominate snow SO42- in interior areas throughout the year.

This study aims to compare the changes in the physicochemical and biological characteristics simultaneously in Nasser Lake as lentic water and the main Nile River as lotic water due to the construction of the Aswan High Dam. Therefore, water samples were seasonally collected from four sites along the lentic water and five sites along the lotic water. The results showed an increase in the water temperature and pH in the lentic than the lotic waters, while TSS, nutrients, BOD, and TDS showed a reverse trend. Furthermore, zooplankton recorded 45 taxa; 31 rotifers, 7 cladocerans, and 3 copepods, in addition to 4 taxa represented in rare groups. Rotifera dominated the main river water, while Copepoda dominated Nasser Lake water. Twenty-two holozooplankters appeared only in the main river water, while three holozooplankters appeared in the lake water and 20 holozooplankters were shared in both waterbodies. The appearance of Ptygura libera in the river for the first time proved that the lake is the source of some zooplankters in the river. According to the trophic state index and the river pollution index calculations, the two waterbodies categorized as eutrophic and unpolluted, respectively.

The global population is increasing and technical efforts have to be put in place to assure food security especially for the much needed animal protein for the growing human population. Several efforts are focused on fish production to cope with the demand. Research has been done in aquatic ecosystems by installing fish production infrastructures as well as floating cages. This review aims to examine the information available on floating cages in terms of density, feeding mode, economic profitability, socio-economic impact and load capacity determination model. Some keywords related to the topic were considered when using the scientific databases such as Google Scholar, Web of Science, Scopus and in the Researchgate database as well as Agora. A total of 65 important scientific manuscripts as material were used. From the review, it appears that the loading density in a floating cage depends on the species, the loading weight and on the water body. Feeding is based on food intake, while the optimization of natural food would significantly reduce the cost of production. Caged aquaculture contributes to food security and reduces youth unemployment. Economic profitability is a function of production factors, water quality and is strongly influenced by feed costs. It should be noted that any ecosystems awaiting exploitation for cage aquaculture must be subjected to carrying capacity determination and the best model for this determination is Dillon and Rigler (Dillon & Rigler, 1974). Therefore, studies on each species in a given ecosystem and research on the rate of ration and the appropriate frequency of feeding (due to the contribution of the natural food) are necessary to optimize fish yield at the level of each country.

Alamein City is one of the recently established cities along the Mediterranean coast in Egypt. Nineteen vertical electrical soundings (VES's) were measured in the study area with maximum current electrode separation of 600 m to examine the depth to water bearing layer, subsurface succession and structures controlling the distribution of the groundwater aquifer. The interpretation results of the VES data revealed that the subsurface section in the area is subdivided into three geoelectrical layers. The uppermost layer covers the ground surface and consists of alluvial deposits with moderately high electrical resistivity values (10.5–291 Ω.m.), with thicknesses ranging from 0.8 to 12.2 m. The second layer consists of Limestone (L. St.) intercalated with clay (water bearing layer) with low electrical resistivity values (0.2–10 Ω.m); with thicknesses ranging from 1.4 to 34 m. The third layer consists of saturated oolitic limestone with moderate electrical resistivity values (5.5–120 Ω.m). Gravity data were retrieved, corrected and analyzed. Gravity interpretation reveals that the depth of the basement rocks varies from 3600 to 6400 m with basement faults extending mainly in NW-SE direction, which is corresponding to the major trend in the Northern Western Desert.

A bacia hidrográfica do rio São Marcos, inserida nos Estados de Minas Gerais, Goiás e Distrito Federal, tem destaque na produção agrícola e na geração de energia elétrica, levando a conflitos pelo uso da água. O objetivo deste artigo foi trazer propostas para otimização do aproveitamento hídrico superficial, minimizando os conflitos de uso da água entre a geração hidroelétrica (Centrais Hidrelétricas de Batalha e Serra do Facão) e a irrigação por meio de pivôs centrais. Foram analisados novos critérios na estimativa da vazão de referência, com a determinação em bases sazonais, considerando os seis meses mais chuvosos (outubro a março) e os seis meses mais secos (abril a setembro), além da adoção de critérios de outorga diferentes dos adotados atualmente pelos Estados de Minas Gerais (50% da Q7,10), Goiás (70% da Q95) e Distrito Federal (80% da Q7,10), com porcentagens maiores e menores do que a vazão máxima outorgável. Com as alterações das vazões de referência calculadas em bases sazonais, percebeu-se uma piora na disponibilidade hídrica ao utilizar o período de estiagem, com um amento de 8% das áreas críticas. Já no período chuvoso houve uma diminuição de aproximadamente 2% nas áreas críticas. Na substituição dos critérios de outorga, o que trouxe os melhores resultados foi a adoção do critério de 80% da Q7,10, em que somente 2,3% das áreas da bacia hidrográfica estiveram acima dos limites outorgáveis. Nas regiões em que as situações de escassez são mais recorrentes, foram estimados cortes máximos no volume captado de até 89%. No reservatório de Serra do Facão, o potencial existente para captação se mostra favorável, sendo possível o aumento da demanda na região sem prejudicar a geração de energia elétrica. Em 27% da série temporal analisada, o reservatório de Batalha esteve no seu volume de reserva mínimo devido às grandes demandas existentes na região. Contudo, este estudo contribui para o planejamento e gestão dos recursos hídricos superficiais na bacia hidrográfica do rio São Marcos. Palavras-chave: Otimização hídrica. OPTIGES. Uso da água. Vazão de referência. Rio São Marcos.

Africa is a continent that incubates huge inland freshwater reservoirs, representing 27% of total world liquid freshwater, and bounded by marine blue belt. This topography makes Africa harboring diverse freshwater and marine fishery resources. However, fisheries in Africa are still facing big challenges that can be resolved by molecular genetic tools. The present review demonstrated how DNA barcoding approaches expand in African fisheries to solve the problems of fish species identifications, evolutions, population differentiations and biogeographic distributions. Additionally, the limited DNA metabarcoding applications in screening African fish gut microbiome and fish diseases were discussed. Also, we highlighted future perspectives in molecular barcoding applications in African fisheries and a concept for establishing of Africa fish gene bank.

Enhancing resilience is critical for coastal urban systems to cope with and minimize flood disaster risks. This issue is certainly more important in Africa, where the increase in flood frequency is a significant concern for many areas. In this context, urban planners need accurate approaches to set up a standard for measuring the resilience to floods. In Morocco, this issue is still not fully covered by the scientific community despite the obvious need for a new approach adapted to local conditions. This study applied a composite index and geographic-information-system approach to measure and map resilience to floods in three northern coastal municipalities. The approach is also based on a linear ranking of resilience parameters, offering a more optimal classification of spatial resilience variation. The results allowed us to identify specific areas with different resilience levels and revealed the relationship between urban dimensions and the flood resilience degree. This approach provides an efficient decision-support tool to facilitate flood risk management, especially in terms of prioritizing protective actions.

Urbanization has resulted in increased contaminant run-off in densely populated areas. Climate change is expected to result in a higher frequency of extreme weather events including torrential rainfall and storms. The contaminant levels of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH), chlorinated paraffins (CPF) and selected metals, in a small urban river were monitored during snow-melting and rainfall events to quantify the contribution to the contamination load of receiving waters of the inner Oslo fjord, Norway. Suspended particulate matter (SPM) was characterized with respect to levels of contaminants as well as toxic response using a battery of bioassays. The contaminant flux from the river to the fjord was quantified and assessed relative to sediment data. Historic data for near-shore sediment samples from the fjord were used to document urban input. The results show a clear episodic response in contaminant load emitted from the river to the fjord. The main historic input to the fjord was found to be PAH from pyrogenic sources like coal and wood burning as well as traffic. A significant reduction in the level of PAH was observed since the 1980s. The measured flux of CPF is consistent with on-going societal use despite a ban on the use of short chain CPF imposed in Norway from 2002.

Although healthy plants are vital to human and animal health, plant health is often overlooked in the One Health literature. Plants provide over 80% of the food consumed by humans and are the primary source of nutrition for livestock. However, plant diseases and pests often threaten the availability and safety of plants for human and animal consumption. Global yield losses of important staple crops can range up to 30% and hundreds of billions of dollars in lost food production. To demonstrate the complex interrelationships between plants and public health, we present four case studies on plant health issues directly tied to food safety and/or security, and how a One Health approach influences the perception and mitigation of these issues. Plant pathogens affect food availability and consequently food security through reductions in yield and plant mortality as shown through the first case study of banana Xanthomonas wilt in East and Central Africa. Case studies 2, 3 and 4 highlight ways in which the safety of plant-based foods can also be compromised. Case study 2 describes the role of mycotoxin-producing plant-colonizing fungi in human and animal disease and examines lessons learned from outbreaks of aflatoxicosis in Kenya. Plants may also serve as vectors of human pathogens as seen in case study 3, with an example of Escherichia coli (E. coli) contamination of lettuce in North America. Finally, case study 4 focuses on the use of pesticides in Suriname, a complex issue intimately tied to food security though protection of crops from diseases and pests, while also a food safety issue through misuse. These cases from around the world in low to high income countries point to the need for interdisciplinary teams to solve complex plant health problems. Through these case studies, we examine challenges and opportunities moving forward for mitigating negative public health consequences and ensuring health equity. Advances in surveillance technology and functional and streamlined workflow, from data collection, analyses, risk assessment, reporting, and information sharing are needed to improve the response to emergence and spread of plant-related pathogens and pests. Our case studies point to the importance of collaboration in responses to plant health issues that may become public health emergencies and the value of the One Health approach in ensuring food safety and food security for the global population.

Esta revisão descreve o comportamento do mercúrio (Hg) no ambiente, desde sua origem até as implicações no ecossistema e na saúde humana. O Hg constitui um dos poluentes de maior risco para o equilíbrio ecológico e saúde humana, justificado pela elevada toxicidade e potencial de bioacumulação e biomagnificação através da cadeia alimentar. Nos solos a mobilidade do Hg é controlada pelas espécies do elemento e pelos atributos do solo, como pH, matéria orgânica e mineral de argila. Em plantas, o Hg afeta a fotossíntese, a absorção de nutrientes e a transpiração, porém algumas plantas desenvolveram mecanismos para tolerar esse metal, como acumular altas concentrações nas raízes sem translocá-lo para as partes aéreas. Foram abordadas as principais fontes de Hg, os métodos de determinação usados para quantificar esse metal e a ocorrência em ecossistemas e seus desdobramentos, bem como foram identificadas áreas com elevadas contaminações por diferentes fontes, com destaque para contaminação industrial e mineração. Dessa forma, mais estudos devem ser replicados, no intuito de garantir saltos para promover a redução da emissão e incorporação ao sistema, assim como recuperar as áreas já contaminadas. Palavras-chave: Mercúrio. Saúde Humana. Meio Ambiente.

Background Forests are naturally endowed to combat climate change by protecting people and livelihoods as well as creating a base for sustainable economic and social development. But this natural mechanism is often hampered by anthropogenic activities. It is therefore imperative to take measures that are environmentally sustainable not only for mitigation but also for its adaptation. This study was carried out to assess the role of Non-timber forest products (NTFPs) as an adaptation strategy based on local perception to cope with the impacts of climate change among forest-dependent communities around the Bamkoko Forest Reserve in the South West Region of Cameroon. Methods Datasets were collected through household questionnaires (20% of the population in each village that constitute the study site was sample), participatory rural appraisal techniques, transect walks in the 4 corners of the Bamboko Forest Reserve with a square sample of 25 m2 × 25 m2 to identified and record NTFPs in the reserve,and direct field observations.). Both qualitative and quantitative (statistics) methods were used to analyze the collected data. Results A total of 18 plant species were identified as being harvested as Non Timber Forest Products by the residents around Bamkoko Forest Reserve. The majority of the respondents (88%) perceived that there has been a change in climate patterns due to increased temperatures and unpredictable rainfalls. Eru was the most affected NTFPs with a standard deviation of 1.66799 and agricultural crops was the most affected livelihood activity by climate change around Bamboko Forest Reserve with a standard deviation of 1.20459 and local population used more than one strategy to cope with these adverse effects Conclusions The study concluded that with the increasing climate change effects on crop production and other livelihoods, non-timber forest products still play a safety net role to assist communities. The need to ensure sustainable harvesting, improved processing, and access to non-timber forest products markets cannot be over-emphasized.

Neste artigo, apresenta-se um modelo para a remoção de fósforo em um robusto sistema de tratamento de esgoto que alia o tratamento anaeróbio em um reator UASB ao pós-tratamento em lagoas de polimento, operadas em regime de batelada sequencial (LPBS). Os processos que ocorrem nas LPBS favorecem um aumento no valor do pH, o que leva à remoção de fósforo pela precipitação de fosfato na presença de íons de cálcio. Foi possível obter uma reduzida concentração de fósforo (

Este estudo objetivou desenvolver expressões para determinar o valor da constante de decaimento em lagoas de polimento tratando efluente de reator UASB em função da profundidade da lagoa e da temperatura, bem como avaliou a influência do regime hidráulico sobre a eficiência da remoção bacteriana, visando estimar o tempo de permanência necessário para obter um efluente com qualidade higiênica para uso na irrigação irrestrita. A remoção bacteriana foi avaliada, em termos de E.coli, em 06 lagoas com profundidades variando entre 0,2 a 2,8 m. Pôde-se verificar que a constante de decaimento variou de modo inversamente proporcional à profundidade das lagoas. Além disso, o decaimento bacteriano se desenvolveu, em boa aproximação, conforme um processo de primeira ordem, tendo, portanto, uma vantagem considerável nas unidades operadas em regime de bateladas sequenciais (onde o decaimento é inversamente exponencial) sobre as lagoas de fluxo contínuo (onde o decaimento é inversamente hiperbólico). Palavras-chave: Tratamento de esgoto. Qualidade higiênica. Coliformes Termotolerantes. Cinética de decaimento.

Gross primary productivity (GPP) quantifies the amount of carbon dioxide (CO2) fixed by plants through photosynthesis. Although as a key quantity of terrestrial ecosystems, there is a lack of high-spatial-and-temporal-resolution, real-time and observation-based GPP products. To address this critical gap, here we leverage a state-of-the-art vegetation index, near-infrared reflectance of vegetation (NIRV), along with accurate photosynthetically active radiation (PAR), to produce a SatelLite Only Photosynthesis Estimation (SLOPE) GPP product for the contiguous United States (CONUS). Compared to existing GPP products, the proposed SLOPE product is advanced in its spatial resolution (250 m versus >500 m), temporal resolution (daily versus 8 d), instantaneity (latency of 1 d versus >2 weeks) and quantitative uncertainty (on a per-pixel and daily basis versus no uncertainty information available). These characteristics are achieved because of several technical innovations employed in this study: (1) SLOPE couples machine learning models with MODIS atmosphere and land products to accurately estimate PAR. (2) SLOPE couples highly efficient and pragmatic gap-filling and filtering algorithms with surface reflectance acquired by both Terra and Aqua MODIS satellites to derive a soil-adjusted NIRV (SANIRV) dataset. (3) SLOPE couples a temporal pattern recognition approach with a long-term Cropland Data Layer (CDL) product to predict dynamic C4 crop fraction. Through developing a parsimonious model with only two slope parameters, the proposed SLOPE product explains 85 % of the spatial and temporal variations in GPP acquired from 49 AmeriFlux eddy-covariance sites (324 site years), with a root-mean-square error (RMSE) of 1.63 gC m−2 d−1. The median R2 over C3 and C4 crop sites reaches 0.87 and 0.94, respectively, indicating great potentials for monitoring crops, in particular bioenergy crops, at the field level. With such a satisfactory performance and its distinct characteristics in spatiotemporal resolution and instantaneity, the proposed SLOPE GPP product is promising for biological and environmental research, carbon cycle research, and a broad range of real-time applications at the regional scale. The archived dataset is available at https://doi.org/10.3334/ORNLDAAC/1786 (download page: https://daac.ornl.gov/daacdata/cms/SLOPE_GPP_CONUS/data/, last access: 20 January 2021) (Jiang and Guan, 2020), and the real-time dataset is available upon request.

The design, implementation, and evaluation of energy policies in combating climate change are becoming increasingly evident to strengthen economic growth driven by the agricultural sector in most developing countries. The study analyzes the direct and indirect effects of renewable energy consumption (REC) on agriculture value-added (AgVA), CO2 emissions, and trade openness in the short- and long-run in the West African countries. The second-generation panel unit root tests, the panel cointegration methods, and Panel Vector Error Correction Model are used with World Bank data from 1990 to 2015. A panel Granger causality test was also used to determine the direction of causality between variables. Findings show a unidirectional relationship between AgVA, CO2 emissions, and REC; between REC, gross fixe capital formation (GFCF) and trade openness. Moreover, the bidirectional hypothesis is verified between agricultural development and trade openness. However, the null hypothesis is found between AgVA and GFCF, on the one hand, and GFCF and CO2 emissions, on the other hand. These results suggest that fostering renewable energy policy and revisiting trade policy toward reducing environmental pollution will enable agricultural development and boost the regional economy. AcknowledgmentThe author wants to thank Dr. Moukpè GNINIGUE for his technical supports and Prof. Jean Marcelin Bosson BROU from the University of Houphouet Boigny (Cote d’Ivoire), Dr. Odzadifo K. WONYRA and Dr. Hodabalo BATAKA from the University of Kara, Dr. Koffi Massesso ADJI from the West African Sciences Services Centre on Climate Change and Land Use (University of Cheikh Anta Diop, Dakar) and Essotanam MAMBA from the University of Lomé for their constructive comments on the earlier version of this manuscripts. Finally, the author is grateful to the anonymous reviewers and Editor-in-Chief of Environmental Economics, whose comments have improved this paper. However, the opinions expressed in this paper are solely those of the author.

Future climate scenarios for the Mediterranean region indicate a possible decrease in annual precipitation associated with an intensification of extreme rainfall events in the coming years. A major challenge in this region is to evaluate the impacts of changing precipitation patterns on extreme hydrological events such as droughts and floods. For this, it is important to understand the impact of climate change on soil moisture since it is a proxy for agricultural droughts, and the antecedent soil moisture condition plays a key role on runoff generation. This study focuses on 10 sites, located in southern France, with available soil moisture, temperature, and precipitation observations for a 10-year time period. Soil moisture is simulated at each site at the hourly time step using a model of soil water content. The sensitivity of the simulated soil moisture to different changes in precipitation and temperature is evaluated by simulating the soil moisture response to temperature and precipitation scenarios generated using a delta change method for temperature and a stochastic model (the Neyman–Scott rectangular pulse model) for precipitation. Results show that soil moisture is more impacted by changes in precipitation intermittence than precipitation intensity and temperature. Overall, increased temperature and precipitation intensity associated with more intermittent precipitation leads to decreased soil moisture and an increase in the annual number of days with dry soil moisture conditions. In particular, a temperature increase of +4 ∘C combined with a decrease of annual rainfall between 10 % and 20 %, corresponding to the current available climate scenarios for the Mediterranean, lead to a lengthening of the drought period from June to October with an average of +28 d of soil moisture drought per year.

O regime de bateladas sequenciais em lagoas de polimento apresenta duas vantagens importantes em relação às lagoas de fluxo contínuo: (1) reduz consideravelmente o tempo necessário para a remoção bacteriana e (2) possibilita a remoção eficiente dos nutrientes nitrogênio e fósforo. Entretanto, a aplicabilidade do regime de bateladas sequenciais é limitada pela concentração de material orgânico no afluente da lagoa: se essa concentração é alta, a demanda por oxigênio excede a capacidade de geração na lagoa e o ambiente fica anaeróbio, o que é indesejável, pois a digestão anaeróbia deixa um residual de material orgânico alto. Nesse contexto, este trabalho teve como objetivo avaliar a remoção do material orgânico residual do efluente pré-tratado anaerobiamente (reator UASB) em lagoas de polimento operadas em regime de bateladas sequenciais. Além disso, avaliou-se a influência da concentração inicial do material orgânico e da profundidade no desempenho das lagoas. A operação das lagoas de polimento permitiu a remoção eficiente da DBO (em média 70%), mas o tempo para alcançar a DBO mínima aumentou com a profundidade. Durante o tratamento, a DBO passou por um mínimo e depois aumentou presumivelmente devido à produção de algas. Em todos os casos, quando a DBO do afluente da lagoa aumentou, a concentração mínima do efluente também aumentou. Palavras-chave: Pré-tratamento anaeróbio. Remoção da DBO. Profundidade da lagoa.

O objetivo do trabalho foi propor e avaliar um sistema de tratamento de esgoto e de reúso agrícola aplicado em área rural, que permitisse contribuir com a melhoria das condições de esgotamento sanitário e incrementar a disponibilidade de água para uso na irrigação. O sistema de tratamento foi operado em escala unifamiliar, sendo composto de caixa de gordura, tanque de equalização, reator UASB e lagoas de polimento. O efluente tratado era encaminhado ao sistema de reúso, constituído por reservatório, motobomba e sistema de irrigação localizada, fertirrigando uma cultura do caju. Os resultados demonstraram que o sistema de tratamento operou com uma eficiência média de remoção de DBO5,20 de 74% e obteve efetividade na remoção de patógenos, visto que o efluente produzido apresentou um valor médio de E. coli de 2,2 * 104 NMP/100 mL e ausência de ovos de helmintos, atendendo às recomendações sanitárias da Organização Mundial da Saúde (OMS) para o uso pretendido. Preservaram-se também as concentrações iniciais de nitrogênio e fósforo, fundamentais para a nutrição da cultura explorada. O sistema de reúso incrementou a disponibilidade de água na propriedade em 40 m3/ano, reduzindo os gastos com adubação mineral e com a compra de água. Palavras-chave: Semiárido. Propriedade rural. Reúso agrícola. Qualidade higiênica.

Background Urban green spaces are important components, contributing in different ways to the quality of human well-being. In the planning and management of urban centres, attention to the appropriate site selection of urban green spaces with regard to the importance that these spaces have from the perspectives of ecology, socioeconomic, mentality, etc., is an inevitable requirement. In present decades, land suitability mapping methods and GIS have been used to support urban green space planners in developed countries; however, its application and practices are limited in developing countries, like Ethiopia. Therefore, the aim of this study has to select potential sites for green spaces in Sululta town that assist an effective planning process of green areas in a sustainable way. Methods In this study, GIS-based Multi-criteria analysis (MCA) has been adopted to select suitable sites for urban green spaces. Existing land use, proximity to settlement, road and water body, population density, land ownership, topography, and scenic attractiveness were recognized as the key factor affecting urban green land suitability. Results The results showed that 13.6%, 34%, 28%, and 18.9% of the study area are highly suitable, suitable, moderately suitable, and poorly suitable, respectively, for urban green spaces development. Furthermore, out of the total area of the study town 5.5% of the landmass is not suitable for urban green spaces development. Conclusions Therefore, the application of GIS-based MCA has provided an effective methodology to solve a complex decisional problem in urban green spaces site selection in the study town and urban planning all over the country.

No presente trabalho comparam-se diferentes sistemas que são usados para tratar esgoto, visando ao reúso agrícola ou industrial ou ainda à descarga em água de superfície. O tipo de sistema de tratamento deve atender aos requisitos necessários ao uso que se prevê para o efluente. Distinguem-se assim quatro tipos de sistemas de tratamento: lodo ativado, reator UASB, lagoas de estabilização e a combinação UASB-Lagoa de polimento (LP). O reator UASB sozinho não produz uma qualidade de efluente que permita o reúso ou descarga em águas de superfície. Se o reúso agrícola é desejado, não há necessidade de remoção de nutrientes. Nesse caso, os sistemas de lagoas de estabilização e UASB-LP podem ser usados. Se o reúso industrial é previsto, a remoção de nutrientes é necessária e pode-se usar o sistema de lodo ativado ou UASB-LP. Na escolha racional do tipo de sistema de tratamento, os fatores mais importantes são: desempenho e a área necessária. Pelo desempenho do sistema, avalia-se a capacidade de produzir a qualidade do efluente desejado e a área necessária indica se é factível a implantação do sistema. Outros fatores, como custo, simplicidade e estabilidade operacional também são relevantes. Ao fazer a comparação foi observado que o sistema com a melhor qualidade do efluente é UASB-LP, mas a área necessária é relativamente grande. O lodo ativado produz um efluente com qualidade muito boa, contudo o custo é alto, a operação não é simples e instabilidades podem ocorrer. O sistema de lagoas de estabilização deve ser evitado, porque é inferior ao UASB-LP em vários aspectos. Palavras-chave: Sistemas de tratamento de esgoto. Reúso agrícola. Reúso industrial. Lodo ativado. UASB. Lagoa de estabilização. UASB + lagoas de polimento.

Environmental issues are challenging human existence on earth. There is growing consensus that individuals need to change their behaviour and consumption patterns to create a sustainable society. Despite the indispensability of building a sustainable society in Saudi Arabia, only limited empirical examinations have been attempted about the awareness, attitudes and the role of individual attitude towards environment and sustainability. Attempting to fill this gap in literature, the study examined the relationship of Connectedness to nature and Environmental concern with Environmental sustainability. The data collected from 261 respondents was analyzed using Structural Equation Modeling. The results showed that Connectedness to nature and Environmental concern were antecedents of Commitment to environmental sustainability. Demographics did not have any effect on the variables studied. It is expected that the understanding about the various factors related to pro-environmental behaviour would facilitate designing of appropriate agendas and programs for effective dissemination of information about environment issues. Keywords: Environmental concern, connectedness to nature, commitment to environmental sustainability.JEL Classifications: K32, O13, O44, P18DOI: https://doi.org/10.32479/ijeep.10803

Here we present a global and regionally resolved terrestrial net biosphere exchange (NBE) dataset with corresponding uncertainties between 2010–2018: Carbon Monitoring System Flux Net Biosphere Exchange 2020 (CMS-Flux NBE 2020). It is estimated using the NASA Carbon Monitoring System Flux (CMS-Flux) top-down flux inversion system that assimilates column CO2 observations from the Greenhouse Gases Observing Satellite (GOSAT) and NASA's Observing Carbon Observatory 2 (OCO-2). The regional monthly fluxes are readily accessible as tabular files, and the gridded fluxes are available in NetCDF format. The fluxes and their uncertainties are evaluated by extensively comparing the posterior CO2 mole fractions with CO2 observations from aircraft and the NOAA marine boundary layer reference sites. We describe the characteristics of the dataset as the global total, regional climatological mean, and regional annual fluxes and seasonal cycles. We find that the global total fluxes of the dataset agree with atmospheric CO2 growth observed by the surface-observation network within uncertainty. Averaged between 2010 and 2018, the tropical regions range from close to neutral in tropical South America to a net source in Africa; these contrast with the extra-tropics, which are a net sink of 2.5±0.3 Gt C/year. The regional satellite-constrained NBE estimates provide a unique perspective for understanding the terrestrial biosphere carbon dynamics and monitoring changes in regional contributions to the changes of atmospheric CO2 growth rate. The gridded and regional aggregated dataset can be accessed at https://doi.org/10.25966/4v02-c391 (Liu et al., 2020).

Lagoas de Polimento (LP) são unidades de pós-tratamento de efluentes aplicadas em esgotos tratados anaerobiamente que permitem a remoção de nutrientes, além de patógenos e material orgânico residuais. O trabalho objetivou avaliar a influência do regime hidráulico sobre o desempenho de LP na remoção de matéria orgânica, E. coli, amônia e fosfato de efluentes de reatores UASB. As LP foram operadas em regime de fluxo contínuo (LPFC) e em bateladas sequenciais (LPBS). Operaram-se as LPFC com duas configurações: (1) lagoa unitária, e (2) duas lagoas em série. Os resultados mostram que LPBS tem desempenho superior, porém caso opte por lagoas operando em fluxo contínuo, há vantagem em operar as LPFC em série. A diferença é particularmente clara quando o objetivo do pós-tratamento é a remoção de nutrientes, uma vez que é factível obter uma remoção praticamente completa de N e P em LPBS, enquanto nas LPFC essa remoção ocorre de forma parcial. Ainda que LPBS sejam mais eficientes do que LPFC, deve-se considerar que a adoção do primeiro regime requer um custo adicional na construção do sistema. Palavras-chave: Lagoa de polimento. Fluxo contínuo. Bateladas sequenciais. Remoção de nutrientes.

The purpose of this paper is to examine how rising wind energy generation (in MWh) impact the wholesale power market’s volatility (in SEK) across four bidding regions in Sweden. Prior investigations show that though the increase in electricity production from wind energy lowers the average day-ahead electricity wholesale prices, however, uncertainty and volatility of market price could rise due to wind energy’s intermittent nature. This study results show that Swedish power market experiences higher price volatility in long-run frequency when the generation of wind electricity increases. The reason for this high and volatile electricity price might be found from inflexible baseload power generation. The paper further suggests that volatility in the Swedish power market could be increased due to ambitious renewable electricity target by the Swedish government. The analysis concludes by providing the evidence that further adjustment in regard to the energy and regulatory policies might foster the better integration of a higher share of renewables into the power system.Keywords: Renewable Electricity, Wind Energy, Electricity Market, Price Volatility, Regulatory PoliciesJEL Classification: Q470DOI: https://doi.org/10.32479/ijeep.10756

Summary Background Climate change threatens to undermine the past 50 years of gains in public health. In response, the National Health Service (NHS) in England has been working since 2008 to quantify and reduce its carbon footprint. This Article presents the latest update to its greenhouse gas accounting, identifying interventions for mitigation efforts and describing an approach applicable to other health systems across the world. Methods A hybrid model was used to quantify emissions within Scopes 1, 2, and 3 of the Greenhouse Gas Protocol, as well as patient and visitor travel emissions, from 1990 to 2019. This approach complements the broad coverage of top-down economic modelling with the high accuracy of bottom-up data wherever available. Available data were backcasted or forecasted to cover all years. To enable the identification of measures to reduce carbon emissions, results were disaggregated by organisation type. Findings In 2019, the health service's emissions totalled 25 megatonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent, a reduction of 26% since 1990, and a decrease of 64% in the emissions per inpatient finished admission episode. Of the 2019 footprint, 62% came from the supply chain, 24% from the direct delivery of care, 10% from staff commute and patient and visitor travel, and 4% from private health and care services commissioned by the NHS. Interpretation This work represents the longest and most comprehensive accounting of national health-care emissions globally, and underscores the importance of incorporating bottom-up data to improve the accuracy of top-down modelling and enabling detailed monitoring of progress as health systems act to reduce emissions. Funding Wellcome Trust.

Background Chronic kidney disease of unknown etiology (CKDu) was first recognized in Sri Lanka in the early 1990s, and since then it has reached epidemic levels in the North Central Province of the country. The prevalence of CKDu is reportedly highest among communities that engage in chena and paddy farming, which is most often practiced in the dry zone including the North Central and East Central Provinces of Sri Lanka. Previous studies have suggested varied hypotheses for the etiology of CKDu; however, there is not yet a consensus on the primary risk factors, possibly due to disparate study designs, sample populations, and methodologies. Methods The goal of this pilot case-control study was to evaluate the relationships between key demographic, cultural, and occupational variables as risk factors for CKDu, with a primary interest in pesticide exposure both occupationally and through its potential use as an ingredient in brewed kasippu alcohol. An extensive one health focused survey was developed with in cooperation with the Centre for Research, Education, and Training on Kidney Diseases of Sri Lanka. Results A total of 56 CKDu cases and 54 control individuals were surveyed using a proctored, self-reported questionnaire. Occupational pesticide exposure and alcohol consumption were not found to be significant risk factors for CKDu. However, a statistically significant association with CKDu was observed with chewing betel (adjusted odds ratio [aOR]: 6.11, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.93, 19.35), age (aOR: 1.07, 95% CI: 1.02, 1.13), owning a pet dog (aOR: 3.74, 95% CI: 1.38, 10.11), water treatment (aOR: 3.68, 95% CI: 1.09, 12.43) and pests in the house (aOR: 5.81, 95% CI: 1.56, 21.60). Conclusions The findings of this study suggest future research should focus on practices associated with chewing betel, potential animal interactions including pests in the home and pets, and risk factors associated with water.