New approaches to environmental monitoring: the use of ICT to explore volunteered geographic information

Citizen participation in environmental monitoring is not a new idea. However, recent developments in information and communication technologies (ICT), such as the social web and the miniaturization of sensors, have created new opportunities to promote citizen participation in environmental monitoring. The analysis of existing citizen initiatives that use ICT tools, identified the need for a framework conceptualizing ways to increase the contribution of volunteered geographic data in environmental monitoring. Environmental Collaborative Monitoring Networks (ECMN) are proposed in this paper as a framework that combines the concepts of traditional environmental monitoring networks with the ideals of the open source movement. Such framework can guide the creation of fixed and mobile monitoring networks and is organized based on three building blocks: (1) Motivated Citizens; (2) Sensing Devices; and (3) Back-End Information Infrastructure. To illustrate the issues involved in the implementation of the building blocks of ECMN, the Senses@Watch project is presented, which explored the use of sensory data as a source of monitoring data.     

SHRIMP U–Pb zircon dating of anatexis in high-grade migmatite complexes of Central Spain: implications in the Hercynian evolution of Central Iberia

U–Pb SHRIMP ages obtained in zircons from the Sotosalbos and Toledo anatectic complexes in Central Spain give new constraints to the evolution of the inner part of the Hercynian Iberian belt. Pre-Hercynian ages in zircons from the Sotosalbos complex (∼464 Ma) are well preserved and reveal that an age diversity of the Lower Paleozoic magmatism in the area exists, as previous data on westernmost orthogneisses yield significant older ages. Zircon ages in the pelite-derived granites from the Toledo complex also show an important Neoproterozoic age component which points to a metasedimentary protolith deposited maximally 560 Ma ago. Younger zircon populations in both complexes at ∼330 Ma in the Sotosalbos region and ∼317 Ma in the Toledo complex indicate an important diachronism between the anatectic processes in both areas but also that these processes are mainly unrelated to the generation of the later Hercynian granite batholith of Central Spain, which could be of deeper crustal derivation. In addition, as migmatization occurred late in the metamorphic cycle, after peak conditions were attained, the age of anatexis is younger than the age of the main Hercynian metamorphic event, which still is not well constrained. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (doi:) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.     

Predictive Mapping of Prospectivity in the Gurupi Orogenic Gold Belt,North–Northeast Brazil: An Example of District-Scale Mineral System Approach to Exploration Targeting

The Gurupi Belt hosts a Paleoproterozoic gold province located in north–northeastern Brazil, at the borders of Pará and Maranhão states. It is considered to be an extension of the prolific West African Craton’s Birimian gold province into South America. Additionally, the belt has been the object of recent mineral exploration programs with significant resource discoveries. This study presents the results of predictive mapping using up-to-date mineral system concepts and recently finished regional-scale geological mapping, stream sediment and airborne geophysical surveys conducted by the Geological Survey of Brazil. We relate gold mineralization to an initially enriched crust, metamorphism, deep fluid pathways, structurally controlled damage zones and hydrothermal alteration. Prospective targets were generated using only regional public datasets and knowledge-driven targeting technique. This work did not incorporate any known gold deposits, yet it predicted the largest known deposits and their satellite targets. Besides, high prospective targets mapped almost 40% of known primary gold occurrences within 7% of the project area. This work allowed considerable search area reduction and identification of new target areas, thus collaborating on reducing costs, time and risk of mineral exploration. Results indicate that we achieved an efficient understanding of the geological processes related to the Gurupi Belt mineral system.     

The Xray-EUV spectrum of optically thin plasmas

The new observations of the Extreme Ultraviolet Explorer Spectrometers on EUVE and the future high resolution observation by Coronal Diagnostic Spectrometer (CDS) and SUMER on SOHO have suggested the revision of the Xray-EUV spectral code of the authors (1990) for optically thin plasmas. More accurate atomic data computations are now available and several lines have been added. Work is in progress to update the Xray-EUV code following the suggestions of the reviewers of the workshop on Atomic data assessment for SOHO held in Abingdon (March 1992). Special care is given to the highly ionized iron lines in the EUV spectral region.     

Induction of MFO activity in the antarctic fish Pagothenia bernacchii: Preliminary results

The aim of this study was to determine the detoxication capacity and the sensitivity to pollutants of fish living in a pristine environment such as the Antarctic Ocean. Forty specimens of Pagothenia bernacchii collected during the Antarctic summer of 1991–1992 were divided into three groups, and were treated with 10 mg/kg of B(α)P, 50 mg/kg of PCBs and corn oil and sacrificed after 2, 4 and 10 days. The mixed function oxidase activity measured in these fish through the test of BPMO, EROD and BROD activities revealed that both B(α)P and PCBs are effective in inducing this enzyme system. Owing to the slow metabolic rate of this species, related to the low ambient temperature of its natural habitat, the highest level of induction was monitored after 10 days i.e. much later than in fish of temperate seas.     

Farming the reef: is aquaculture a solution for reducing fishing pressure on coral reefs?

This paper presents the results of an analysis to determine the financial and social feasibility of aquaculture technologies for live reef organisms, including food fish and marine ornamentals, as an alternative to wild capture of live reef organisms in nearshore waters in the Indo-Pacific region. The paper provides information and policy guidance for appropriate aquaculture technology application for Indo-Pacific nations, which are the source of most live reef organisms supplied for international trade. Cautionary evidence indicates that, under certain conditions, some forms of small-scale aquaculture of live coral reef organisms can be a useful solution for reducing fishing pressure on coral reefs.     

Spatial and temporal variation of biomarkers in mussels (Mytilus galloprovincialis) from the Lagoon of Venice, Italy

A multiple biomarker approach was adopted in a seasonal study carried out in the Lagoon of Venice, with the double aim of evaluating the natural and anthropic stresses influencing the biological responses of mussel (Mytilus galloprovincialis) and of assessing the effects due to spatial rather than temporal variations.Biochemical (aldehyde dehydrogenase and catalase activities), cellular (neutral red retention time) and physiological (survival in air and condition index) biomarkers were determined in mussels collected in four differently impacted lagoon areas.Multivariate analysis showed that samples were distributed mainly according to temperature and four seasonal groups were identified. The combination of spatial and temporal information enabled us to distinguish physiological variations due to natural causes from those due to anthropic stress, and to identify the sampling period when several biomarkers are less influenced by both natural and endogenous factors.     

Benthic Community and Sediment Types: A Structural Analysis

Abstract. The distribution of the macrobenthic community, in relation to various physical and chemical characteristics of the sediment, was studied along the coast of Southern Tuscany (Central Tyrrhenian) in an area under the influence of the Ombrone River outflow.
The zonation of the benthos was found to be primarily under the control of a gradient of water movement, as is reflected by variations in the sediment structure from the coast to the open sea. This correlation is somehow influenced by secondary gradients such as the degree of mixing of the sediment and the deposition of terrigenous materials along the river plume.