Water and Land Pollution

2002 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Water Pollution ◽  
Hydrological Cycle ◽  
Climatic Conditions ◽  
Urban Setting ◽  
Human Consumption ◽  
Industrial Chemicals ◽  
Living Matter ◽  
Worldwide Distribution ◽  
Before And After ◽  
Groundwater Reserves

Water covers 70% of the earth’s surface. Only 3% of this is freshwater, which is indispensable in sustaining plant and animal life. The amount of freshwater is maintained constant by the hydrological cycle. This cycle involves evaporation from oceans and inland waters, transpiration from plants, precipitation, infiltration into the soil, and runoff of surface water into lakes and rivers. The infiltrated water is used for plant growth and recharges groundwater reserves. Although the global supply of available freshwater is sufficient to maintain life, the worldwide distribution of freshwater is not even. In some areas the supply is limited because of climatic conditions or cannot meet the demands of high population density. In other places, although there is no shortage of freshwater, the water supply is contaminated with industrial chemicals and is thus unfit for human use. Moreover, fish and other aquatic species living in chemically contaminated water become unfit for human consumption. Thus, water pollution deprives us and other species of two essential ingredients for survival: water and food. An example of hydrologic changes caused by urbanization is given in Figure 11.1. Conditions before and after urbanization were measured in Ontario, Canada, by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (1). In the urban setting, pervious areas are replaced with impervious ones (such as streets, parking lots, and shopping centers). Groundwater replenishment is greatly reduced and runoff is considerably increased by these changes. Thus, urbanization not only contributes to water pollution; it also increases the possibility of floods. Nitrogen is an important element for sustenance of life. However, in order to be incorporated into living matter it has to be converted into an assimilative form—an oxide or ammonia. Until the beginning of the twentieth century most of the atmospheric nitrogen was converted into assimilative form by soil microorganisms and by lightning. Nitrogen compounds which were not utilized by living matter did not accumulate because the denitrifying bacteria decomposed them to elemental nitrogen which was then released back into the atmosphere. In this way the nitrogen cycle was completed.

scholarly journals Mid-Infrared Spectroscopy as a Rapid Tool to Qualitatively Predict the Effects of Species, Regions and Roasting on the Nutritional Composition of Australian Acacia Seed Species

Molecules ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 26 (7) ◽  
pp. 1879
Author(s):  
Oladipupo Q. Adiamo ◽  
Yasmina Sultanbawa ◽  
Daniel Cozzolino
Keyword(s):  
Principal Component ◽  
Nutritional Composition ◽  
Human Consumption ◽  
Mid Infrared ◽  
Mir Spectroscopy ◽  
As Species ◽  
Before And After ◽  
Mir Spectra ◽  
Main Components ◽  
Rapid Tool

In recent times, the popularity of adding value to under-utilized legumes have increased to enhance their use for human consumption. Acacia seed (AS) is an underutilized legume with over 40 edible species found in Australia. The study aimed to qualitatively characterize the chemical composition of 14 common edible AS species from 27 regions in Australia using mid-infrared (MIR) spectroscopy as a rapid tool. Raw and roasted (180 °C, 5, 7, and 9 min) AS flour were analysed using MIR spectroscopy. The wavenumbers (1045 cm−1, 1641 cm−1, and 2852–2926 cm−1) in the MIR spectra show the main components in the AS samples. Principal component analysis (PCA) of the MIR data displayed the clustering of samples according to species and roasting treatment. However, regional differences within the same AS species have less of an effect on the components, as shown in the PCA plot. Statistical analysis of absorbance at specific wavenumbers showed that roasting significantly (p < 0.05) reduced the compositions of some of the AS species. The results provided a foundation for hypothesizing the compositional similarity and/or differences among AS species before and after roasting.

TRAFFIC ACCIDENTS INVOLVING CHILD PEDESTRIANS: A PROGRAM FOR THEIR PREVENTION

PEDIATRICS ◽  
1969 ◽  
Vol 44 (5) ◽  
pp. 838-847
Author(s):  
John H. Read
Keyword(s):  
Traffic Accidents ◽  
Climatic Conditions ◽  
Systematic Research ◽  
Injury Patterns ◽  
Traffic Pattern ◽  
Enforcement Policy ◽  
The Social ◽  
Before And After ◽  
Pedestrian Accidents ◽  
Australian City

The two papers that follow report the results of painstaking epidemiological work on pedestrian accidents involving children. Because these papers relate the age of the child to specific behavior patterns that result in accidents and to specific injury patterns that result from such accidents, they would appear to offer a sound empirical base for the development of a variety of countermeasures, whether such countermeasures are intended to reduce accidents or to limit the severity of the resulting injuries. Unfortunately, however, the ability to generalize such data is extremely limited. A given pattern of child-pedestrian behavior is the result of a highly complex set of variables: the social class and ethnicity of the child, the ecological characteristics of the neighborhood and the broader community, the characteristics of the traffic pattern and the types and density of the vehicles that make it up, the current enforcement policy, climatic conditions, road and highway characteristics, and a host of other conditions that combine and interact in various ways. Consequently, few localities are sufficiently similar to justify the application of data from one to another. The injury patterns described by Ryan, for example, are those produced by Australian vehicles on children walking, playing, and cycling in a specific Australian city. It seems quite unlikely that the injury patterns produced in an American urban environment would resemble those that Ryan reports. Indeed, data from another Australian city might show striking differences. For the same reasons, such data as Read presents cannot be used reliably as a before-and-after measure to assess the effectiveness of a specific countermeasure. Any significant changes in the data after the introduction of a countermeasure might well be attributable not to the countermeasure itself but to changes in traffic patterns, ecology, the weather, or other events which operated to reinforce or counteract the countermeasure in question. The overwhelming obstacle to systematic research in vehicular accidents and on the assessment of countermeasure effectiveness is the investigator's inability to control the numerous variables that affect both the incidence and the consequences of accidents. The present papers, despite their inherently interesting data, are seriously limited by this problem.

scholarly journals Survival of Young Greater Snow Geese (Chen Caerulescens Atlantica) During Fall Migration

The Auk ◽  
2005 ◽  
Vol 122 (2) ◽  
pp. 479-496 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stéphane Menu ◽  
Gilles Gauthier ◽  
Austin Reed
Keyword(s):  
Body Mass ◽  
High Arctic ◽  
Climatic Conditions ◽  
Factors Affecting ◽  
Chen Caerulescens ◽  
Migratory Flight ◽  
Snow Geese ◽  
Before And After ◽  
Chen Caerulescens Atlantica ◽  
Similar Survival

Abstract The many hazards that await birds along their migratory routes may negatively affect their survival, especially among newly fledged young. We estimated survival of young Greater Snow Geese (Chen caerulescens atlantica) during fall migration from the High Arctic to temperate areas and examined factors affecting their survival over a five-year period, using two approaches. First, each year (1993–1997), we banded fledglings and adults in mid-August, just before their departure from Bylot Island in the High Arctic (Nunavut, Canada), and again at an important staging area 3,000 km to the south at the Cap Tourmente National Wildlife Area (Québec, Canada) in October; recovery data from those two banding periods allowed estimation of survival during fall migration. Second, we visually determined brood size of neck-banded females before and after the main portion of the migratory flight, to estimate survival of young. The two approaches yielded similar survival estimates and showed the same interannual variation, thus suggesting that estimates were reliable. Mortality of young shortly after fledging and during the fall migration was high, compared with that of adults (monthly survival 0.662 in young vs. 0.989 in adults). However, mortality of young after migration was similar to that of adults (monthly survival 0.969 in young vs. 0.972 in adults). Migration survival of young varied considerably among annual cohorts (range of 0.119–0.707 over five years), and most of the mortality appeared to be natural. Survival was especially low in years when (1) temperatures at time of fledging and start of migration were low (i.e. near or below freezing), (2) mean body mass of goslings near fledging was low, or (3) mean fledging date was late. Our results suggest that migration survival of young is affected by a combination of several factors (climatic conditions, body mass, and fledging date) and that survival is reduced when one of those factors intervenes.

scholarly journals The Association of Knowledge, Attitudes and Access with Park Use before and after a Park-Prescription Intervention for Low-Income Families in the U.S.

2020 ◽  
Vol 17 (3) ◽  
pp. 701 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nooshin Razani ◽  
Nancy K. Hills ◽  
Doug Thompson ◽  
George W. Rutherford
Keyword(s):  
Low Income ◽  
Secondary Data ◽  
Family Characteristics ◽  
Urban Setting ◽  
Park Use ◽  
Before And After ◽  
Unit Increase ◽  
Low Income Families ◽  
Perceived Access

We conducted secondary data analyses of pooled data from a clinical trial that prescribed park visits to children and their caregivers in a low-income, urban setting. Data were collected at the prescribing visit (baseline) and at one and three months of follow up from 78 families. Family characteristics were identified at baseline; regression models were used to explore changes during follow up in associations of park use with knowledge, attitudes and perceived access to parks. At baseline, park users differed from non-users in demographics, knowledge of park locations, attitudes about the value of park visits, but not affinity for nature. Park users were also more likely than non-users to feel that their neighborhood was safe for children to play in. Changes in knowledge of park locations, nature affinity, and perceived access to parks were each significantly associated with increased park use by families at one and three months after the park prescription. Adjusting for age, gender, race, poverty, and US birth, increases in knowing the location of parks were associated with an increase of 0.27 weekly park visits (95% CI 0.05, 0.49; p = 0.016); increases in feeling a caregiver had money to visit parks were associated with 0.48 more weekly park visits (95% CI 0.28, 0.69; p < 0.001); increases in perceived money for park outings were associated with 0.24 increased park visits per week (95% CI 0.05, 0.42; p = 0.01); each unit increase in nature affinity was associated with 0.34 more weekly park visits (95% CI 0.09, 0.59; p = 0.007). In other words, knowing where to go, valuing nature, and having time, and money contributed to increased likelihood of visiting a park. We discuss in terms of health behavior theory how demographics, knowledge, attitudes and perceived barriers to park use can inform park prescription interventions.

scholarly journals Assessment of the Role of Snowmelt in a Flood Event in a Gauged Catchment

Water ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (3) ◽  
pp. 506 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jesús Mateo-Lázaro ◽  
Jorge Castillo-Mateo ◽  
José Sánchez-Navarro ◽  
Víctor Fuertes-Rodríguez ◽  
Alejandro García-Gil ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Hydrological Cycle ◽  
Digital Terrain Model ◽  
Terrain Model ◽  
Rain Gauges ◽  
Digital Terrain ◽  
Before And After ◽  
Thawing Process ◽  
Rainfall Model

An actual event that happened in the Roncal valley (Spain) is investigated and the results are compared between models with and without snowmelt. A distributed rainfall model is generated with the specific data recorded by the rain gauges of the catchment during the episode. To describe the process of water routing in the hydrological cycle of the basin, a model is used based on combinations of parallel linear reservoirs (PLR model), distribution by the basin, and tip-out into its drainage network configured using a digital terrain model (DTM). This PLR model allows simulation of the different actual reservoirs of the basin, including the snow and the contribution due to its melting which, in the model, depends on the temperature. The PLR model also allows for a water budget of the episode where, in addition to the effective rainfall contribution, the water that comes from the thaw is taken into account. The PLR model also allows determination of the amount of water that exists in the basin before and after the episode, data of great interest. When comparing the simulations with and without taking into account the thawing process, it is evident that the intervention of the snow reservoir has been decisive in causing a flood to occur.

scholarly journals Effect of the consumption of a food based on fruits and natural additives in patients with cardiovascular risk

Revista Vitae ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 26 (2) ◽  
pp. 68-77
Author(s):  
Maria Camila FRANCO LONDOÑO ◽  
Adrián ISAZA ◽  
Gladys POSADA ◽  
Maria Elena MALDONADO CELIS
Keyword(s):  
Blood Pressure ◽  
Systolic Blood Pressure ◽  
Inflammatory Markers ◽  
Fruits And Vegetables ◽  
Psidium Guajava ◽  
Passion Fruit ◽  
Human Consumption ◽  
Diabetic Patients ◽  
Before And After ◽  
Characterization Test

Background: cardiovascular diseases (CVD), a group of disorders of the heart and blood vessels are the main cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. Strategies for its prevention have been proposed, such as modifying life habits, including increasing the consumption of fruits and vegetables associated with the decrease in the probability of suffering CVD. Objective: to evaluate the effects of a base compote of guava (Psidium guajava) and passion fruit (Passiflora ligularis) on blood pressure and metabolic and inflammatory biomarkers in hypertensive type two diabetic patients. Methods: food characterization test (microbiological, proximal, sensorial, antioxidant activity and total phenols). The compote was administered for 21 days to 8 adults (30 to 65 years old); glycaemia, blood pressure, inflammatory markers, and BMI and waist circumference before and after the intervention were measured. Results: the sensory test showed: 66% acceptance and all attributes a value >3, indicating that it was well evaluated. The microbiological aspects comply with the safety for human consumption and nutritionally it stands out that the contribution of carbohydrates (12.3%) is adequate for these patients. The hydrophilic ORAC value was 98.570 μmol ET/g sample. In the patients at the end of the study, a statistically significant decrease in systolic blood pressure was observed (127 mmHg, p 0.041) and the pro-inflammatory markers TNFα, IL-1β and IL6 (31.9 pg/mL, p 0.012, 31.9 pg/mL, p 0.012, and 3.5 pg/mL, p 0.017 respectively) and glycaemia increase (157.5 mg/dL, p 0.036). Conclusions: the medium-term consumption of a compote based on guava, passion fruit, cinnamon and flaxseed oil improves systolic blood pressure and the proinflammatory markers TNFα, IL-1β and IL6 in diabetic and hypertensive patients.

scholarly journals Performance of sewage treatment plant with septic tank, anaerobic filter and constructed wetland with Typha spp

2019 ◽  
Vol 14 (7) ◽  
pp. 1
Author(s):  
Paulo Fortes Neto ◽  
Nara Lucia Perondi Fortes ◽  
Elizabeth Da Costa Neves Fernandes de Almeida Duarte ◽  
Rita Do Amaral Fragoso ◽  
Ana Catarina Marcos Henriques ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Removal Efficiency ◽  
Constructed Wetland ◽  
Sewage Treatment ◽  
Sewage Treatment Plant ◽  
Treatment Plant ◽  
Climatic Conditions ◽  
Effluent Treatment ◽  
Septic Tank ◽  
Anaerobic Filter ◽  
Before And After

  The study reports the performance of a sanitary effluent treatment constituted by a septic tank, anaerobic filter and constructed wetland. The study monitored nutrient’s, carbonaceous material’s and thermotolerant coliform’s (CT) removal efficiency during 12 months. The treatment system included a septic tank, an anaerobic filter and a horizontal subsurface flow constructed wetland cultivated with Typha spp. Effluent samples were monthly collected before and after the septic tank, anaerobic filter and wetland. The removal efficiency for N-NH+4 was 37.6%, 66.3% for total P, 37% for COD, 54% for BOD and 99.4% for CT. The anaerobic filter and wetland were more efficient than the septic tank. P-total reduction was higher in the constructed wetland than in the anaerobic filter. Climatic conditions influenced the evaluated constituent’s removal being the highest values during hot months.

scholarly journals A Feasibility Study on the Use of an Atmospheric Water Generator (AWG) for the Harvesting of Fresh Water in a Semi-Arid Region Affected by Mining Pollution

2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (16) ◽  
pp. 3278
Author(s):  
Julio Mendoza-Escamilla ◽  
Francisco Hernandez-Rangel ◽  
Pedro Cruz-Alcántar ◽  
María Saavedra-Leos ◽  
Josefa Morales-Morales ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Rural Communities ◽  
Fresh Water ◽  
Feasibility Study ◽  
New Technologies ◽  
Water Shortage ◽  
Mining Area ◽  
Climatic Conditions ◽  
Production Costs ◽  
Human Consumption ◽  
Atmospheric Water

Worldwide, the shortage of fresh water has increased exponentially due to population growth and contamination of available water, especially in water tables that provide water for general consumption. One of the main pollutants of water is arsenic (As), present in the environment and in most mining/metallurgical processes, which is a major health risk, especially as a carcinogen. In the region of Matehuala, San Luis Potosi (SLP), Mexico, a highly productive mining area, arsenic concentrations of 138.1 mg/kg have been found in soils—6.2 times higher than what is allowed in domestic soils, while in water it is reported up to 158 mg/L, exceeding permissible limits for human consumption. In addition to As pollution, the region suffers from water shortage both in the city and in rural communities. Therefore, it is necessary to explore new technologies to provide the population with fresh water. This paper presents a feasibility study on the use of an atmospheric water generator (AWG) to capture fresh water in the region of Matehuala, SLP. The region was found to have the necessary environmental conditions to use AWGs, with an annual average relative humidity (RH) of approximately 60%. Using a mathematical model of a dehumidifier, water harvesting can be evaluated under the region’s prevailing climatic conditions. The month with lowest harvest was found to be January, with 0.89 to 3.6 L/day, while the month with largest harvest was August at 3.9 to 18 L/day and water production costs of 0.0093 and $ 0.038 USD/L, respectively. The study concludes that the use of AWGs would help alleviate water shortages, thus benefiting marginalized people or communities, preserving ecosystems and the environment.

scholarly journals Understanding preservation and identification biases of ancient adhesives through experimentation

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (9) ◽  
Author(s):  
Paul R. B. Kozowyk ◽  
Annelou L. van Gijn ◽  
Geeske H. J. Langejans
Keyword(s):  
Early Modern ◽  
Technological Development ◽  
Climatic Conditions ◽  
The Past ◽  
Elapsed Time ◽  
Research Bias ◽  
Before And After ◽  
Adhesive Materials ◽  
Different Soils ◽  
Taphonomic Processes

Abstract Adhesive production is one of the earliest forms of transformative technology, predating ceramics and metallurgy by over 150,000 years. The study of the adhesives used by Neandertals and early modern humans currently plays a significant role in debates about human technological and cognitive evolution. Depending on the type of adhesive used, different production sequences were required. These can vary in complexity and would have needed different knowledge, expertise, and resources to manufacture. However, our knowledge of this important technological development is severely hampered by poorly understood taphonomic processes, which affects the preservation and identification of adhesive materials and leads to a research bias. Here we present the results from a 3-year field preservation experiment. Flint flakes hafted and non-hafted with replica adhesives were left to weather naturally on and below the surface at two locations with different soils and climatic conditions. Differential preservation was recorded on a variety of natural adhesives by digitally measuring the surface area of each residue before and after the elapsed time. Residues were further assessed and photographed using metallographic optical microscopy. Results show that certain adhesives preserve to a significantly higher degree than others, while some materials may be more easily overlooked or visually misdiagnosed. We must therefore be aware of both taphonomic and identification biases when discussing ancient adhesive technology. This research provides a first look that will help us understand the disparities between which adhesives were used in the past and what we find in the archaeological record today.

scholarly journals Phytoplankton community: indicator of water quality in the Armando Ribeiro Gonçalves Reservoir and Pataxó Channel, Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil

2009 ◽  
Vol 69 (2) ◽  
pp. 241-251 ◽  
Author(s):  
NT. Chellappa ◽  
FRA. Câmara ◽  
O. Rocha
Keyword(s):  
Water Quality ◽  
Water Treatment ◽  
Phytoplankton Community ◽  
Human Consumption ◽  
Wet Season ◽  
Toxic Cyanobacteria ◽  
Before And After ◽  
Density Values ◽  
Quantitative Analyses ◽  
Qualitative Similarity

The current study analysed spatial-temporal modifications of the phytoplankton community and water quality, during dry and wet seasons. The phytoplankton community was studied in three areas: Armando Ribeiro Gonçalves Reservoir (ARG), which is an important public use reservoir in RN, Pataxó Channel (PC-before water treatment), Itajá, RN, and after the water treatment (WTP). Water samples from the reservoir were collected during both dry (January, February and November, 2006) and wet seasons (March to June, 2006). Quali-quantitative analyses of phytoplankton were carried out. Results indicated a qualitative similarity of the phytoplankton community in the three areas. However, significant differences were registered in these areas in relation to species relative abundance, with dominance of potentially toxic cyanobacteria, such as Planktothrix agardhii Gomont (dry season) and Microcystis aeruginosa Kutz (wet season). Ecological indexes obtained higher values before water treatment. Nevertheless, densities of cyanobacteria (organisms/mL) gradually reduced in the waters of the reservoir and of the Pataxó Channel before and after water treatment. After the treatment, density values of cyanobacteria were adequate for human consumption, according to the values established by the Health Ministry.

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