Spatial and temporal prokaryotic variability in the northern Adriatic Sea

The prokaryotic community, both in terms of abundance and activity (exoenzymatic hydrolysis of proteins, polysaccharides and phosphorylated molecules and leucine uptake), was investigated seasonally for a 3‐year period (2004–2006) in the Gulf of Venice (northern Adriatic Sea). By focusing on spatial and temporal variability, the prokaryote dynamics showed significant variations on a horizontal and seasonal scale, but no substantial differences were observed among years. The basin‐scale variability was mainly influenced by allochthonous inputs from the Po river and the Venice Lagoon, which were the main source of nutrients, acting as a ‘bottom up’ control on prokaryotes. On a seasonal scale, all the microbial parameters (except the polysaccharide degradation) showed significant variations following the temperature fluctuations. The annual rate of change was very low for all the chemical, physical and biological parameters and only the abundance and phosphatase activity of the prokaryotes differed significantly among years.     

Higher-order Gauss-Bonnet cosmology by Lagrange multipliers

We study cosmological models derived from higher-order Gauss-Bonnet gravity F(R,G) by using the Lagrange multiplier approach without assuming the presence of additional fields with the exception of standard perfect fluid matter. The presence of Lagrange multipliers reduces the number of allowed solutions. We need to introduce compatibility conditions of the FRW equations, which impose strict restrictions on the metric or require the introduction of additional exotic matter. Several classes of F(R,G) models are generated and discussed.     

The radiation environment in a low earth orbit:the case of BeppoSAX

Low-inclination, low altitude Earth orbits (LEO) are of increasing importance for astrophysical satellites, due to their low background environment. Here, the South Atlantic Anomaly (SAA) is the region with the highest amount of radiation. We study the radiation environment in a LEO (500–600 km altitude, 4^° inclination) through the particle background measured by the Particle Monitor (PM) experiment onboard the BeppoSAX satellite, between 1996 and 2002. Using time series of particle count rates measured by PM we construct intensity maps and derive SAA passage times and fluences. The low-latitude SAA regions are found to have an intensity strongly decreasing with altitude and dependent on the magnetic rigidity. The SAA extent, westward drift and strength vs altitude is shown.     

A lacustrine record of early Holocene watershed events and vegetation history,Corvara in Badia,Dolomites (Italy)

The early–middle Holocene lacustrine succession of Corvara in Badia (Italian Dolomites, 1521 m a.s.l.) records landslides and other watershed events before the onset of human pressure. The sensitivity of this archive to relate climate change, watershed processes and vegetation dynamics in the catchment has been explored through a stratigraphic study, including the analysis of sedimentological features, magnetic properties, palaeobotanical records and radiocarbon dating. A palaeolake existed between 10.1 k and 7 k cal. yr BP and was surrounded by a dense conifer forest. Long‐term forest dynamics driven by ecological processes and by climatic conditions favourable to upward forest expansion is recorded throughout the pollen record. Within the fine clastic sedimentation, distinct layers enriched in organic debris of terrestrial origin have been attributed to instant events produced by mass movements. Their age fits the chronology of large landslide events already known in the catchment, enabling correlation of the field evidence of landslides with the lacustrine record. Landslide frequency is controlled by geological and structural factors, but it is significantly modulated by the centennial–millennial climatic phases that characterise the Holocene in the Alps. The taphonomical properties of pollen and macroremains provided valuable insight on the mechanism of watershed processes. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

On helioseismic tests of basic physics

An important goal of helioseismology is to provide information about the basic physics and parameters that determine the structure of the solar interior. Here we discuss the procedures applied in such analyses, using as an example attempts to obtain significant constraints on the value of Newton's gravitational constant G from helioseismology. The analysis is based on complete direct and inverse helioseismic analysis of a set of accurate observed acoustic frequencies. We confirm, as found by previous investigations based on different approaches, that the actual level of precision of the helioseismic inferences does not allow us to constrain G with a precision better than that which can be reached with direct experimental measurements. The conclusion emphasizes the importance in helioseismic inferences of considering not only the accuracy with which solar oscillations are measured, but also the effect of uncertainties in other aspects of the model computation and helioseismic analysis.     

Landslides triggered by the 23 November 2000 rainfall event in the Imperia Province, Western Liguria, Italy

From mid-October to 22 November 2000, the western Liguria Region of Italy experienced prolonged and intense rainfall, with cumulative values exceeding 1000 mm in 45 days. The severe rainfall sequence ended on November 23 with a high-intensity storm that dumped more than 180 mm of rain in 24 h. The high-intensity event caused flooding and triggered more than 1000 soils slips and debris flows and a few large, complex landslides. Slope failures caused three fatalities and severe damage to roads, private homes, and agriculture. Large (1:13,000) and very large (1:5000) scale colour aerial photographs were taken 45 days after the event over the areas most affected by the landslides. Through the interpretation of the 334 photographs covering an area of 500 km², we prepared a landslide inventory map that shows 1204 landslides, for a total landslide area of 1.6 km². We identified the rainfall conditions that triggered landslides in the Armea valley using cumulative- and continuous-rainfall data, combined with detailed information on the time of landslide occurrence. Landslide activity initiated 8 to 10 h after the beginning of the storm, and the most abundant activity occurred in response to rainfall intensities of 8 to 10 mm per hour. For the Ceriana Municipality, an area where the landslides were numerous in November 2000, we also collected information about a historical event that occurred on 8–11 December 1910 and triggered abundant landslides resulting in severe economic damage. A comparison of the damage caused by the historical and the recent landslide events indicated that damage caused by the 1910 historical event was more diffused but less costly than the damage caused by the 2000 event.     

Biogeochemical effects of disturbance in shallow water sediment by macroalgae harvesting boats

In the shallow water of Orbetello lagoon, macroalgae harvesting boats produce sediment disturbance. To evaluate the effect of this, during 2001-2002, a trial study was carried out in the lagoon in order to: verify seasonal and diurnal trends in nutrients and estimate the quantity of resuspended organic sediment. An unbalanced and balanced ANOVA (one and two way) analysis was applied. The disturbance did not produce strong and lasting eutrophication effects. In the seasonal survey, dissolved inorganic nitrogen (DIN) and soluble reactive phosphorus (SRP) showed significant decreases in disturbed areas at the end of the trial, while the control area showed a constant, significant increase. Dissolved organic nitrogen (DON) and phosphorus (DOP) significantly increased everywhere. In disturbed areas, sediment redox (Eh((NHE))) increased and porosity values decreased, contrary to the control area. Total organic carbon (TOC) remained unchanged in disturbed areas, but increased in the control area, where the C:P ration increased. The fall-out of sedimentary material resuspended by boat action for as far as 50 m from the boat route, was 189 g(dw)m(-2) made up mainly of organic matter. This disturbance could be the cause of change in vegetation in the lagoon.     

Structural dynamics of bacterioplankton assemblages in the Lagoon of Venice

In this study we examined the spatial and temporal dynamics of planktonic bacterial assemblages at four different sites in the Lagoon of Venice. Samples were collected in January, April, July and October 2005 and several parameters (temperature, salinity, dissolved oxygen, chlorophyll a, dissolved macronutrients, dissolved and particulate organic carbon, viral and heterotrophic nanoplanktonic abundances) were determined in order to highlight the most important factors which are implied in shaping such assemblages. Furthermore we tested the relationship between similar assemblages and the patterns of activities (prokaryotic carbon production and several hydrolytic activities) that they perform in order to establish if, in this highly variable environment, similar assemblages behave in analogous ways. Results indicate that seasonality act as the main forcing on the communities. Moreover, we found a mismatch between community structure and patterns of activity possibly as a consequence of the heterogeneity of the lagoon which can affect in turn the assemblages' metabolic requirements (and thus their responses).     

Conditional risk based on multivariate hazard scenarios

We present a novel methodology to compute conditional risk measures when the conditioning event depends on a number of random variables. Specifically, given a random vector \((\mathbf {X},Y)\), we consider risk measures that express the risk of Y given that \(\mathbf {X}\) assumes values in an extreme multidimensional region. In particular, the considered risky regions are related to the AND, OR, Kendall and Survival Kendall hazard scenarios that are commonly used in environmental literature. Several closed formulas are considered (especially in the AND and OR scenarios). An application to spatial risk analysis involving real data is discussed.