Ideal width of transects for monitoring source-related categories of plastics on beaches

Although there is a consensus on the necessity of monitoring solid wastes pollution on beaches, the methods applied vary widely. Therefore, creating, testing and recommending a method that not only allows comparisons of places and periods, but also the detection of source signals, will be important to reach the objectives of the source-prevention principle. This will also allow the optimisation of time, resources, and processing of samples and data. A classification of the items found into specific categories was made according to their most probable source/use (fisheries, food packaging, hazardous, sewage/personal hygiene, beach user, general home). This study tested different widths of sampling transects to be used in the detection of plastics contamination on beaches, until all the categories were significantly represented. Each transect had its total width (50m) sub-divided into eight intervals of 0-2.5m; 2.5-5m; 5-10m; 10-15m; 15-20m; 20-30m; 30-40m; and 40-50m. The accumulated number of categories in the 50m (up to 2.5m; up to 5m and so on) was used to determine the minimal width necessary to qualitatively characterize the area regarding plastics contamination. The diversity of the categories was directly related to the area of the sampling transect. These results indicate that a significant increase in the number of categories in the first intervals tend to stabilize from 15-20m onwards.     

Marine debris review for Latin America and the wider Caribbean region: from the 1970s until now, and where do we go from here?

The available literature on marine debris from Latin America and the Wider Caribbean Region was collected and linked, reviewing their methodologies and principal results (quantities, composition and spatial-temporal patterns). The study region comprises 52 coastal countries of which only 14 had registers of works on marine debris. A total of 70 works were available and 69 had their full contents accessed. Brazil dominated the available literature with 70% of the documents. Beaches were the most studied environment, and plastics the prevalent form of contamination in the whole region. The exposure of marine biota (species, type of contact, consequences) was highlighted. The studied region, although still little exploited by this sort of research, shows the same contamination patterns observed world-wide. We also contacted 40 researchers in the area, collecting scientific contributions, opinions and suggestions for improvement of this research field. Further advances and new (urgently needed) lines of research are also discussed.     

What drives policy change for REDD+? A qualitative comparative analysis of the interplay between institutional and policy arena factors

Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and forest Degradation (REDD+) has emerged as a promising climate change mitigation mechanism in developing countries. In order to identify the enabling conditions for achieving progress in the implementation of an effective, efficient and equitable REDD+, this paper examines national policy settings in a comparative analysis across 13 countries with a focus on both institutional context and the actual setting of the policy arena. The evaluation of REDD+ revealed that countries across Africa, Asia and Latin America are showing some progress, but some face backlashes in realizing the necessary transformational change to tackle deforestation and forest degradation. A Qualitative Comparative Analysis (QCA) undertaken as part of the research project showed two enabling institutional configurations facilitating progress: (1) the presence of already initiated policy change; and (2) scarcity of forest resources combined with an absence of any effective forestry framework and policies. When these were analysed alongside policy arena conditions, the paper finds that the presence of powerful transformational coalitions combined with strong ownership and leadership, and performance-based funding, can both work as a strong incentive for achieving REDD+ goals.

Key policy insights

• The positive push of already existing policy change, or the negative stress of resource scarcity together with lack of effective policies, represents institutional conditions that can support REDD+ progress.

• Progress also requires the presence of powerful transformational coalitions and strong ownership and leadership. In the absence of these internal drivers, performance-based funding can work as a strong incentive.

• When comparing three assessments (2012, 2014, 2016) of REDD+ enabling conditions, some progress in establishing processes of change can be observed over time; however, the overall fluctuation in progress of most countries reveals the difficulty in changing the deforestation trajectory away from business as usual.

     

Chronology of the Mediterranean sea-level highstand during the Last Interglacial: a critical review of the U/Th-dated deposits

Relative sea-level (RSL) evolution during Marine Isotopic Stage (MIS) 5 in the Mediterranean basin is still not fully understood despite a plethora of morphological, stratigraphic and geochronological studies carried out on highstand deposits of this area. In this review we assembled a database of 323 U/Th-dated samples (e.g. corals, molluscs, speleothems) which were used to chronologically constrain RSL evolution within MIS 5. The application of strict geochemical criteria to the U/Th samples indicates that only ~33% of data available for the Mediterranean Sea can be considered ‘reliable’. Most of these data (~65%) refer to the MIS 5e highstand, while only ~17% could be related to the MIS 5a. No attribution to MIS 5c can be unequivocally supported. Nevertheless, the resulting framework does not allow us to define a satisfactory RSL trend during the MIS 5e highstand and subsequent MIS 5 substages. Overall, the proposed selection of reliable/unreliable data would be useful for detecting areas where MIS 5 substage attributions are not supported by confident U/Th chronological data and thus the related reconstructions need to be revised. In this regard, the resulting framework calls for a reappraisal and re-examination of the Mediterranean records with advanced geochronological methodologies.     

Shell‐shape and morphometric variability in Mytilus galloprovincialis from micro‐tidal environments: responses to different hydrodynamic drivers

Tidal conditions differently influence inter‐tidal organisms in terms of general physiological and metabolic responses. In this study we investigated the morphological response in shells of Mytilus galloprovincialis native to different micro‐tidal coastal environments in the Northern Adriatic Sea. Our purpose was to highlight the ecophenotypic variability across tidal levels and to elucidate how tidal currents and waves produced by anthropogenic activities may play a part in modulating shell morphology. Three sampling sites were selected: an open‐sea area 15 km off‐shore and two sites within the lagoon of Venice, the first near one of its three inlets, and the other one in the proximity of Venice city centre. At each sampling site, organisms were seasonally collected at different depths within their vertical zonation, either in the inter‐tidal zone – i.e. at both the highest and lowest tide zonation limits, and subtidally. The mussel shells were analysed by investigation of their morphometric relationships (height/length and width/length ratios) and by elliptic Fourier analysis of the shell contours. Shell thickness and condition index were also evaluated for a better comprehension of energy allocation/partitioning. Estimates based on long‐term measurements, visual observation, wind statistics and wave growth laws allowed an evaluation of the forces acting on shells. At the open‐sea site, the observed phenotypic variability of both shell shape and thickness was clearly related to the tidal vertical zonation. At the two lagoon sites, the currents generated by tidal flow through the inlet and the waves caused by the frequent passage of boats influenced both shell shape and thickness. A trade‐off between protection and growth was apparent along the tide gradient, as emphasized by the differences in the partitioning and allocation of energy between shell and flesh production.     

Pullout Response of Uniaxial Geogrid in Tire Shred–Sand Mixtures

Use of tire shred–soil mixtures as backfill materials in mechanically stabilized earth walls has several advantages over other backfill materials: (1) good drainage, (2) high shear strength, and (3) low compacted unit weight. This paper presents the results of laboratory pullout tests performed on uniaxial geogrid embedded in tire shred–sand mixtures. The effects of tire shred size, tire shred–sand mixing ratio and confining pressure on the interaction between the geogrid and tire shred–sand mixtures are evaluated. Three sizes of tire shreds are considered: tire chips (with 9.5 mm nominal size), tire shreds 50-to-100 mm long and tire shreds 100-to-200 mm in length, with mixing ratios of 0, 12, 25 and 100 % of tire shreds in the mixtures (by weight). Based on compaction testing of a number of mixtures, the optimal mixing proportion of tire shreds and sand was found to lie between 25/75 and 30/70 (by weight of tire shred and sand); this is equivalent to approximately 40/60 and 50/50, respectively, by volume of tire shreds and sand. The pullout resistance of a geogrid embedded in tire shred–sand mixtures is significantly higher than that of the same geogrid embedded in tire shreds only. The size of the tire shreds has negligible effect on the pullout resistance of a geogrid embedded in mixtures prepared with either low (12/88 mix) or high (100/0 mix) tire shred content. However, when the 25/75 mixture is used, greater geogrid pullout resistance was obtained for the geogrid embedded in tire chip–sand mixtures than in tire shred–sand mixtures.     

Laboratory tests with interferometric optical fibre sensors to monitor shallow landslides triggered by rainfalls

Optical fibre–based sensors have now established their place in the field of geohazard monitoring due to their sensitivity to strain and temperature changes. Progressive development in the technology leads to the availability of novel, accurate and durable sensors at a relatively limited cost. This creates room for original monitoring applications that have been, so far, impeded by the shortcomings of conventional monitoring tools. In this work, we explore the applicability of an interferometric optical fibre sensor as a vibration sensing tool at laboratory scale. We tested the ability of the sensor to identify precursors of instability in a downscaled model of a rainfall-induced landslide composed of granular material. We carried out four experimental tests which involved different sensor deployments and soil mixtures. The recorded signals were processed by means of a time–frequency analysis and we identified two frequency-domain parameters—the spectral centroid and band power—that could provide information on the development of instability. Their ratio yielded a unique parameter through which a precursory stage could be outlined by defining a threshold value based on the data collected at the beginning of the experiment. In our lab tests, precursors of instability were detected 2–3 min before a crack was observed at the surface. This may upscale to a lead time of about 20–30 min or more in the field, classifying our monitoring approach in between an alarm and a warning system. The work presented here can be considered a first promising step towards an innovative monitoring system and shows the potential of optical fibre sensing as a shallow landslide monitoring technique, encouraging further testing, especially in real-case studies.

     

Solar activity in the last millennium recorded in the δ18O profile of planktonic foraminifera of a shallow water Ionian Sea core

In this paper we present the ¹⁸O profile of Globigerinoides ruber measured in the GT90/3 shallow water Ionian sea core, dated with high precision. The ¹⁸O profile covers the period 1200–1900 AD, with a resolution of 3.87 years. This long record of 700 years of ¹⁸O allows us to identify the imprint of the solar cycle in a climatic record. In fact, the spectral analysis of the time series performed with different methods shows a dominant periodicity of about 11 years with an amplitude of 0.07. The signal is in opposition to the sunspot number cycle. This component is identified at a high significance level by Monte Carlo Singular Spectrum Analysis (MC-SSA).