scholarly journals Nitrate vulnerability of karst aquifers and associated groundwater-dependent ecosystems in the Baltic region

2021 ◽  
Vol 80 (18) ◽  
Author(s):  
Andis Kalvāns ◽  
Konrāds Popovs ◽  
Agnese Priede ◽  
Oliver Koit ◽  
Inga Retiķe ◽  
...  

AbstractGroundwater pollution by agrochemicals such as nitrogen fertilizers can cause complex biogeochemical transformations to take place in groundwater-dependent ecosystems. To explore the interaction between nitrogen load and groundwater-dependent, spring-fed ecosystems, a study was conducted in Latvia in an area of suspected high nitrate (NO3−) vulnerability due to its geological settings. A map of NO3− vulnerability along the margins of the carbonate aquifer in Latvia is presented. The map is based on a conceptual model that was developed during an extensive case study involving hydrological, hydrochemical, and habitat investigation of springs discharging from a karst aquifer and spring-fed ecosystems. Areas that should be prime targets for restricting fertilizer application are highlighted on the map. Although the case study revealed increased nitrogen pollution (up to 51 mg L−1, standard deviation of 9 mg L−1, in the springs discharging from the karst aquifer), no clear evidence of adverse effects due to NO3− pollution on the groundwater-dependent ecosystems using biotic indicators was found, highlighting the resilience of spring-fed ecosystems against high nitrogen inputs. In the case study, downstream groundwater-dependent ecosystems retained 70% of the reactive nitrogen during the vegetation season, but only a small proportion during the cold season. Thus, NO3− pollution can be partly mitigated by restoring wetlands along valley slopes where natural groundwater discharge takes place. The conceptual model developed for groundwater NO3− vulnerability is applicable to other areas in the Baltic region and other places with similar climatic and geological conditions.

2017 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 49-70
Author(s):  
Silviu-Marian Miloiu

This article analyses the beginnings, development and prospect of Baltic studies in Romania. The article stands on three pillars. It starts with an investigation on the main sources of Romanian knowledge of the Baltic region and sorts out the way they have been represented in the Romanian mental images. Throughout the analysis, knowledge of each other is bonded to the concepts of memory and history based on the assumption that the largest part of our knowledge derives from remembering, this being applicable even in the high sphere of international relations. This theoretical framework is sampled to the case-study of Romania’s knowledge of Baltic area assessing the medieval, modern and 20th century legacy of the Romanian encounters with the Baltic States discovering that, although the distance between Suceava, the medieval capital of Moldova, and Vilnius is less than 1,000 km. (or 600 miles) and the Principality of Moldova of Stephen the Great neighbored the state of Jagiellonians, in most cases, the legacy of the relations between Romanians and Baltic nations played little role in feeding a sense of solidarity or complementarity between these nations. This pattern is now challenged by courses on Baltic and Nordic studies taught at Valahia University of Târgoviște and the activity of the Romanian Association for Baltic and Nordic Studies, which joins the efforts of scholars from various Romanian institutes and universities, especially from Iași, Cluj-Napoca, Bucharest, Constanța and Târgoviște. The analysis of these endeavors, the other two pillars of this article, brings forth educational, scholarly, editorial and dissemination efforts designed to change the perspective of the Romanian public in this respect.


2003 ◽  
pp. 50-61 ◽  
Author(s):  
V. A. Smagin ◽  
M. G. Napreenko

The paper characterizes the 3 associations comprising plant communities with Sphagnum rubellum in the south-eastern part of the Baltic region. The new syntaxa differ from each other both in their floristic characters and the pronounced affinity to definite regional mire types and particular habitats. The ass. Drosero-Sphagnetum rubelli is typical of the relatively most thorough ranges. It is observed from the Kaliningrad region to the Karelian Isthmus and, according to the published reference, occurs even throughout the whole area around the Baltic Sea. Its most typical habitat is that of margins of mire lakes and pools. The ass. Eriophoro-Sphagnetum rubelli occurs in central plateaus of convex plateau-like bogs, typical of the areas adjacent to the Baltic Sea coast. It occupies extended flat mire ecotopes with the water level 0.2–0.25 m deep. The ass. Empetro-Sphagnetum rubelli is characteristic of the retrogressive complex in the convex bogs of the East-Baltic Province. It is mostly observed along the coast of the Gulf of Finland. Its stands are rather dynamic and unstable in both space and time. The presence of communities comprised by these 3 associations is an important vegetation character of the series of regional mire types. Assuming an association level of the respective syntaxa seems rational for the purposes of adequate reflection of plant cover diversity.


2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (26) ◽  
pp. 122-130
Author(s):  
A. A. Dobrovolskaya ◽  

The article deals with statistics on the development of Bicycle roads in Russia and in the world, as well as design methods for a specific section of the connection of Bicycle routes in St. Petersburg. The article discusses the experience of using and entering bike paths based on the experience of Finland, as well as the types of bike paths and infrastructure features for metropolises. A model for creating a bike path by partially narrowing the roadway, graphical functions, and analytical information are provided. Practical examples of changing the infrastructure for bike paths are given. Keywords: bike path, traffic volume, design the roadway, lane width.


2005 ◽  
Vol 36 (4-5) ◽  
pp. 423-433 ◽  
Author(s):  
E. Jakobson ◽  
H. Ohvril ◽  
O. Okulov ◽  
N. Laulainen

The total mass of columnar water vapour (precipitable water, W) is an important parameter of atmospheric thermodynamic and radiative models. In this work more than 60 000 radiosonde observations from 17 aerological stations in the Baltic region over 14 years, 1989–2002, were used to examine the variability of precipitable water. A table of monthly and annual means of W for the stations is given. Seasonal means of W are expressed as linear functions of the geographical latitude degree. A linear formula is also derived for parametrisation of precipitable water as a function of two parameters – geographical latitude and surface water vapour pressure.


2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (12) ◽  
pp. 5513
Author(s):  
Muhammad Jamil ◽  
Numair Ahmed Siddiqui ◽  
Abdul Hadi Bin Abd Rahman ◽  
Noor Azahar Ibrahim ◽  
Mohd Suhaili Bin Ismail ◽  
...  

Deepwater lobes constitute a significant volume of submarine fans and are primarily believed to exhibit a simple sheet geometry. However, recent studies interpret the geometries of these deep-marine lobes as distinct with respect to the complexity of the facies and their distribution. Hence, a conceptual model of deep-marine sediments is essential to discuss the deep-marine sediments associated with the fan and lobe architecture. The present study highlights the facies heterogeneity and distribution of various lobe elements at a multiscale level by considering a case study of the West Crocker Formation of Sabah in northwest Borneo. The formation was logged on a bed-to-bed scale from recently well-exposed sections, with a total vertical thickness of more than 300 m. The lithological characteristics, bed geometry, sedimentary textures and structures of individual beds were used to categorize the rock units into nine sedimentary lithofacies: five sandstone lithofacies (S1–S5), one hybrid bed facies (H), two siltstone facies (Si1 and Si2) and one shale or mudstone facies (M). These facies were grouped into four facies associations (FA1–FA4), which were interpreted as lobe axis (FA1), lobe off-axis (FA2), lobe fringe (FA3) and distal fringe to interlobe (FA4) facies associations. This study is applicable for the distribution of lobes and their subseismic, multiscale complexities to characterize the potential of hydrocarbon intervals in deep-marine sand-shale system around the globe.


2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (4) ◽  
pp. 1994
Author(s):  
Muxue Liang ◽  
Hong Liao ◽  
Yue Huang ◽  
Zifang Qiao ◽  
Chenchen Tan ◽  
...  

So far, China’s particulate pollution control is principally focused on primary particles and sulfur dioxide from coal combustion. The contribution of ammonia emissions to particulate matter with an aerodynamic equivalent diameter of less than or equal to 2.5 microns (PM2.5) has been increasingly emphasized. As a world-famous agricultural country with 523 million farmers (2017, National Bureau of Statistics of China), approximately 70.0–90.0% of China’s ammonia emissions come from agriculture. With such a huge population, agriculture industrialization (socioeconomic policies and technology upgrades to reduce ammonia emissions from fertilizers and livestock) has a large potential but is more vulnerable to costs compared to other industries. We need a solution involving both economic benefits and environmental protection. For this purpose, we sent out an anonymous questionnaire consisting of 16 questions to 420 farmers and conducted a field visit survey in a rural area of Jiangsu Province. Through statistical analysis, we found that the use of nitrogen fertilizers in agriculture, which are an important source of ammonia through volatilization, is normal (200/420 × 100% = 47.62% of farmers use such fertilizers). Among the 420 farmers surveyed, 90.71% of them have knowledge of air pollution from agricultural activities and 92.15% of them have certain understanding of agricultural industrialization policies, indicating that coordinated control of ammonia emissions can be achieved together with policy propaganda. Through factor analysis and correlation analysis, we find that the early propaganda of policies can help farmers to be more willing to accept the policies. The correlation coefficient between awareness of pollution and policy approval is 0.94, and that between policy publicity and policy approval is 0.95. Generally speaking, the promotion of policies is worth carrying out during the implementation process.


2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. 1094-1104
Author(s):  
Nima Dastanboo ◽  
Xiao-Qing Li ◽  
Hamed Gharibdoost

AbstractIn deep tunnels with hydro-geological conditions, it is paramount to investigate the geological structure of the region before excavating a tunnel; otherwise, unanticipated accidents may cause serious damage and delay the project. The purpose of this study is to investigate the geological properties ahead of a tunnel face using electrical resistivity tomography (ERT) and tunnel seismic prediction (TSP) methods. During construction of the Nosoud Tunnel located in western Iran, ERT and TSP 303 methods were employed to predict geological conditions ahead of the tunnel face. In this article, the results of applying these methods are discussed. In this case, we have compared the results of the ERT method with those of the TSP 303 method. This work utilizes seismic methods and electrical tomography as two geophysical techniques are able to detect rock properties ahead of a tunnel face. This study shows that although the results of these two methods are in good agreement with each other, the results of TSP 303 are more accurate and higher quality. Also, we believe that using another geophysical method, in addition to TSP 303, could be helpful in making decisions in support of excavation, especially in complicated geological conditions.


2021 ◽  
Vol 19 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
P. Loza ◽  
A. Irmejs ◽  
Z. Daneberga ◽  
E. Miklasevics ◽  
E. Berga-Svitina ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Several recent studies in the Baltic region have found extended spectrum of pathogenic variants (PV) of the BRCA1/2 genes. The aim of current study is to analyze the spectrum of the BRCA1/2 PV in population of Latvia and to compare common PV between populations of the Baltic region. Methods We present a cohort of 9543 unrelated individuals including ones with cancer and unaffected individuals from population of Latvia, who were tested for three most common BRCA1 founder PV. In second line testing, 164 founder negative high-risk individuals were tested for PV of the BRCA1/2 using next generation sequencing (NGS). Local spectrum of the BRCA1/2 PV was compared with the Baltic region by performing a literature review. Results Founder PV c.5266dupC, c.4035delA or c.181 T > G was detected in 369/9543 (3.9%) cases. Other BRCA1/2 PV were found in 44/164 (26.8%) of NGS cases. Four recurrent BRCA1 variants c.5117G > A (p.Gly1706Glu), c.4675G > A (p.Glu1559Lys), c.5503C > T (p.Arg1835*) and c.1961delA (p.Lys654fs) were detected in 18/44 (41.0%), 5/44 (11.4%), 2/44 (4.5%) and 2/44 (4.5%) cases respectively. Additionally, 11 BRCA1 PV and six BRCA2 PV were each found in single family. Conclusions By combining three studies by our group of the same cohort in Latvia, frequency of the BRCA1/2 PV for unselected breast and ovarian cancer cases is 241/5060 (4.8%) and 162/1067 (15.2%) respectively. The frequency of three “historical” founder PV is up to 87.0% (369/424). Other non-founder PV contribute to at least 13.0% (55/424) and this proportion probably will rise by increasing numbers of the BRCA1/2 sequencing. In relative numbers, c.5117G > A is currently the third most frequent PV of the BRCA1 in population of Latvia, overcoming previously known third most common founder variant c.181 T > G. In addition to three BRCA1 founder PV, a total of five recurrent BRCA1 and two recurrent BRCA2 PV have been reported in population of Latvia so far. Many of the BRCA1/2 PV reported in Latvia are shared among other populations of the Baltic region.


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