Adsorption of cobalt by using inorganic components of sediment samples from water bodies

The adsorption of cobalt ions was evaluated using sediment samples from water bodies to investigate the adsorption properties of sediment and the behavior of these natural materials in the presence of nuclear and industrial waste.The two sediments(S1 and S2)were treated to eliminate humic and fulvic acids and then they were characterized by several techniques.The minerals found in both the sediments(X-ray diffraction)were quartz and albite;plus,goethite and muscovite in S1,and kaolinite and montmorillonite in S2.Point of zero charge(PZC)of S1 and S2 was 6.00 and 5.22,respectively.The specific area of S1(63.3 m²/g)is higher than S2(1.5 m²/g).Adsorption kinetics data for S1 and S2 were best fitted to the pseudo second-order model.The removal efficiency of S1 for cobalt was 96%with an adsorption capacity(qe)of 0.93 mg/g,and for S2 was 45%with a qeof 0.40 mg/g.The experimental data of the adsorption isotherms were adjusted to Langmuir and Freundlich models for S1 and S2,respectively.The thermodynamic parameters(enthalpy,entropy,and Gibb’s free energy)indicated that the adsorption processes were endothermic,spontaneous,and chemisorption mechanism.The results show that the adsorption capacities of the sediments depend on their composition.These water sediments have important adsorption properties for cobalt,and they can be used in the treatment of nuclear and industrial aqueous wastes.     

Assessing and monitoring local and long-range-transported hydrocarbons as potential stressors to fish stocks

The Arctic is poorly described and understood compared to the North Sea and other boreal areas. We need to learn how knowledge obtained at boreal conditions may be applied at Arctic conditions. Increasing activity of the hydrocarbon industry may cause exposure stress from discharges. Within a joint industry research programme (Biosea) we studied how responses in fish from oil exposure may differ at North Sea boreal and Barents Sea Arctic conditions. Hydrocarbon uptake, metabolites, and enzymatic and genotoxic biomarker type of effect responses were measured in cod (Gadus morhua L.). Hydrocarbon metabolites remain longer in fish bile than original hydrocarbons, which are eliminated fast from tissues. The metabolites may be measured to background concentrations. They describe exposure and they constitute a link to other effects. Body burden, biliary polyaromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) metabolite concentration, and quantities of Cytochrome P-450 1A (CYP1A) and DNA adducts increased with oil in water concentration. The extent of biomarker expression was lower for some biomarkers and elimination was slower at the lowest temperature. The results show that several factors have to be accounted for if warm-water biomarker data are to be applied in cold water.     

Evaluation framework for regulatory requirements related to data recording and traceability designed to prevent illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing

In 2001 FAO published the “International Plan of Action to Prevent, Deter and Eliminate Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated Fishing”. Based on this plan, national and supranational authorities have developed legislation to fight the so called IUU fishing. A key aspect of the legislation proposed so far is the mandatory recording of some data elements and the requirement that these data should be available for access through a traceability system. This article outlines a general framework for evaluation of these types of requirements, using a predictor-outcome N-way matrix. A “good practise” system is described, against which the existing systems and practises can be evaluated. The framework can be used to assess if the regulatory requirements ensure that the relevant IUU fishing identification data are made available, and it can also be used to evaluate the requirements imposed on the traceability system.     

Analysis of a database for anthropogenic sinkhole triggering and zonation in the Naples hinterland (Southern Italy)

Anthropogenic sinkholes are generally due to the collapse of man-made underground caves and represent a major threat, especially in urban contexts, where they could cause damage to people, buildings and lifelines. The hinterland of Naples (Campania, Southern Italy) is one of the most urbanized areas of Italy and is historically affected by frequent sinkhole phenomena. This study analyzes a database of both man-made caves and sinkholes collected by the authors over several years. The aim is to comprehend the predisposing and triggering factors of sinkholes in order to attempt a zonation of occurrence. The predisposing factor resulted to be the presence of a preexisting network of caves within the Campanian Ignimbrite tuff and their geometric features. Generally, the shallower the depth of the chamber roof and the lower the thickness of the vault, the higher is the frequency of sinkholes. Furthermore, an intrinsic fragility is represented by the access shafts of vertical wells, usually filled in and abandoned. Meanwhile, the main triggering mechanism identified consists in saturation of the subsoil, due to water leaks coming from buried sewage and water pipelines. The macrozonation of sinkhole occurrence shows that the highest class is achieved where the tuff is shallow and both man-made caves and historical sinkholes are present.

     

Flash flood occurrence and magnitude assessment in an alluvial fan context: the October 2011 event in the Southern Apennines

Natural Hazards - This study presents the analysis of flash floods triggered by an extreme rainfall event that occurred on 7 October, 2011, over the Marzano carbonate massif (Southern Apennines)....     

A Portable Matched-Field Processing System Using Passive Acoustic Time Synchronization

A portable matched-field processing (MFP) system for tracking marine mammals is presented, constructed by attaching a set of autonomous flash-memory acoustic recorders to a rope to form a four-element vertical array, or "insta-array." The acoustic data are initially time-synchronized by performing a matched-field global inversion using acoustic data from an opportunistic source, and then by exploiting the spatial coherence of the ocean ambient noise background to measure and correct for the relative clock drift between the autonomous recorders. The technique is illustrated by using humpback whale song collected off the eastern Australian coast to synchronize the array, which is then used to track the dive profile of the whale using MFP methods. The ability to deploy autonomous instruments into arbitrary "insta-array" geometries with conventional fishing gear may permit nonintrusive array measurements in regions currently too isolated, expensive, or environmentally hostile for standard acoustic equipment     

Tuning a Kalman filter carrier tracking algorithm in the presence of ionospheric scintillation

GPS Solutions - Strong ionospheric electron content gradients may lead to fast and unpredictable fluctuations in the phase and amplitude of the signals from Global Navigation Satellite Systems...