Biodiversity dynamics of chironomid midges in high-altitude lakes of the Alps over the past two millennia

Information on the biodiversity of high altitude lakes in the Stelvio National Park was scarce and fragmentary, in most cases limited to a few studies on a single biological issue. To fill this gap, a multidisciplinary research program was established in 2011 to investigate macroinvertebrates, diatoms, and water chemistry in 8 high altitude lakes within the boundaries of the Park (Rhaetian Alps, Eastern Alps). The results of this study were compared with data on biological assemblages and chemical parameters of Alpine lakes in the Pennine-Lepontine Alps (Western Alps), to evaluate the role of local drivers with respect to regional ones. This comparison was possible thanks to the adoption of standardized sampling methodologies developed since the ’90s by the National Research Council-Water Research Institute (Verbania), in collaboration with several European Research centers. Despite located in a restricted geographical area, the lakes of the Stelvio National Park showed a high variability of chemical composition, and of sensitivity to acidification, lower than that of the Pennine-Lepontine Alpine lakes. Macroinvertebrate and diatom taxa were ubiquitous and frequent along the Alps, and mainly represented by cold-stenothermal species. Richness, Shannon, Simpson, and Pielou indices applied to phyto- and zoobenthos highlighted significantly lower values in Stelvio National Park lakes than in those of Pennine-Lepontine for macroinvertebrates, while no significant differences were found for diatoms. Two groups of lakes were identified by Cluster Analysis, mainly on the basis of major ion concentrations. Canonical Correspondence Analysis showed that the macroinvertebrate assemblage of the lakes studied is driven mainly by altitude and lake surface, and, to a lesser extent, by nutrient content. On the contrary, pH and acid-related variables played a secondary role for diatoms, while nutrients and, more in general, ionic content had significant effects on their species composition. Overall, the results of this first investigation showed that the high elevation of these lakes affects their macroinvertebrate assemblages, while their diatom communities are comparable throughout the Alps.

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Evolution of Glacial and High-Altitude Lakes in the Sikkim, Eastern Himalaya Over the Past Four Decades (1975–2017)

Frontiers in Environmental Science ◽

10.3389/fenvs.2018.00081 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 6 ◽

Cited By ~ 11

Author(s):

Aparna Shukla ◽

Purushottam K. Garg ◽

Smriti Srivastava

Keyword(s):

High Altitude ◽

Eastern Himalaya ◽

High Altitude Lakes ◽

The Past

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Phänologische Trends bei den Waldbäumen in der Schweiz | Phenological trends regarding the forest trees in Switzerland

Schweizerische Zeitschrift fur Forstwesen ◽

10.3188/szf.2005.0207 ◽

2005 ◽

Vol 156 (6) ◽

pp. 207-210 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Claudio Defila

Keyword(s):

Regional Differences ◽

Early Growth ◽

Horse Chestnut ◽

Forest Trees ◽

Spring Season ◽

Arrival Times ◽

The Past ◽

Early Arrival ◽

Southern Side ◽

The Alps

Numerous publications are devoted to plant phenological trends of all trees, shrubs and herbs. In this work we focus on trees of the forest. We take into account the spring season (leaf and needle development) as well as the autumn (colour turning and shedding of leaves) for larch, spruce and beech, and,owing to the lack of further autumn phases, the horse chestnut. The proportion of significant trends is variable, depending on the phenological phase. The strongest trend to early arrival in spring was measured for needles of the larch for the period between 1951 and 2000 with over 20 days. The leaves of the horse chestnut show the earliest trend to turn colour in autumn. Beech leaves have also changed colour somewhat earlier over the past 50 years. The trend for shedding leaves, on the other hand, is slightly later. Regional differences were examined for the growth of needles in the larch where the weakest trends towards early growth are found in Canton Jura and the strongest on the southern side of the Alps. The warming of the climate strongly influences phenological arrival times. Trees in the forest react to this to in a similar way to other plants that have been observed (other trees, shrubs and herbs).

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Effect of Variations in Weight or Normal Acceleration on the Ceiling of Jet-Propelled Aircraft

Journal of the Royal Aeronautical Society ◽

10.1017/s0368393100118735 ◽

1955 ◽

Vol 59 (534) ◽

pp. 435-437

Author(s):

P. L. Sutcliffe

Keyword(s):

High Altitude ◽

Normal Force ◽

Control Surface ◽

Military Aircraft ◽

Longitudinal Control ◽

The Past ◽

Normal Acceleration

The ability to manoeuvre at high altitude has become one of the main requirements in the design of modern military aircraft. Ability to manoeuvre enables the fighter pilot to execute tight turns during the attack on a bomber and the bomber pilot to perform evasive manoeuvres and so make the task of the fighter more difficult.Normally the main manoeuvre considered is the application of increased normal acceleration, or g, and if we assume that (a) there is sufficient pitching power available from the longitudinal control surface to increase the wing incidence to give the necessary increase in normal force, and (b) that the new wing incidence is below the stalling incidence of the wing, then the degree of manoeuvrability available is a function of thrust and drag alone. In the past the manoeuvrability required at a given altitude has been expressed in terms of the rate of climb available at that altitude and thus we have such definitions as “ the 1,000 ft./min. ceiling ” and so on.

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United States Army Research Institute of Environmental Medicine: Warfighter research focusing on the past 25 years

AJP Advances in Physiology Education ◽

10.1152/advan.00049.2011 ◽

2011 ◽

Vol 35 (4) ◽

pp. 353-360 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Kent B. Pandolf ◽

Ralph Francesconi ◽

Michael N. Sawka ◽

Allen Cymerman ◽

Reed W. Hoyt ◽

...

Keyword(s):

United States ◽

Environmental Medicine ◽

High Altitude ◽

United States Army ◽

50Th Anniversary ◽

The United States ◽

The Past ◽

Army Research Institute ◽

Efficient Planning ◽

Research Institute

The United States Army Research Institute of Environmental Medicine (USARIEM) celebrated its 50th anniversary on July 1, 2011. This article reviews its history, evolution, and transition of its research programs as well as its scientific and military accomplishments, emphasizing the past 25 yr. During the 1990s, USARIEM published a series of pocket guides providing guidance for sustaining Warfighter health and performance in Southwest Asia, Somalia, the former Republic of Yugoslavia, Rwanda, and Haiti. Issues identified during Operation Desert Storm elicited research that improved nutritional guidelines for protracted desert operations; safer use of nuclear, chemical, and biological protective clothing; equipment, development, and fielding of efficient microclimate cooling systems; and effective evaluation of pharmaceuticals to protect soldiers from chemical and biological threats. During the first decade of the 21st century, USARIEM and the Department of the Army published official medical/performance doctrines for operations in the heat and cold and at high altitude. The current Global War on Terrorism focused research to improve doctrines for hot, cold, and high-altitude operations, reduce musculoskeletal training injuries, provide improved field nutrition, more efficient planning for operational water requirements, and improve both military clothing and materiel. This article also describes the critically important interactions and communications between USARIEM and deployed units and the benefits to Warfighters from this association. This report presents USARIEM's unique and world-class facilities, organizational changes, scientific and support personnel, and major research accomplishments, including the publication of 2,200 scientific papers over the past 25 yr.

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An echo from the past: Building a Doppler repository for big data in diving research

Undersea and Hyperbaric Medicine ◽

10.22462/01.03.2021.7 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 57-58

Author(s):

Virginie Papadopoulou ◽

◽

Peter Lindholm ◽

Keyword(s):

Big Data ◽

High Altitude ◽

Decompression Sickness ◽

Non Invasive ◽

The Past ◽

Subject Variability ◽

Decompression Stress

Decompression sickness (DCS) remains a major operational concern for diving operations, submarine escape and high-altitude jumps. Aside from DCS symptoms, venous gas emboli (VGE) detected with ultrasound post-dive are often used as a marker of decompression stress in humans, with a specificity of 100% even though the sensitivity is poor [1]. Being non-invasive, portable and non-ionizing, ultrasound is particularly suited to regular and repeated monitoring. It could help elucidate inter- and intra-subject variability in VGE and DCS susceptibility, but analyzing these recordings remains a cumbersome task [2].

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Architecture, that wins peaks – triumph or confusion

E3S Web of Conferences ◽

10.1051/e3sconf/20184400191 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 44 ◽

pp. 00191

Author(s):

Anna Wojtas Harań

Keyword(s):

High Altitude ◽

Natural Environment ◽

Comparative Method ◽

Specific Character ◽

Natural Landscape ◽

Natural Forms ◽

Mountain Environment ◽

The Alps ◽

Tourist Infrastructure

The natural landscape provokes artists to revive it with architecture. Architects overcome technical limitations, physiographic, customary more or less picturesquely incorporating their works into the richness of natural forms. Many benefits come from this recklessness for the region. The hit trend is also appreciated for the triumph of technical thought. It puts into confusion at once because of the gradual takeover of the natural environment. The aim of the work is to search for solutions that would help preserve the beauty of the mountain environment and at the same time make the widest group of recipients available. Analyzing the above issues, the comparative method was used, presenting achievements in the field of high-altitude objects design in extreme physiographic conditions, implemented in the Alps region. The region has a developed ski and tourist infrastructure. It is an example of maintaining moderation and specific character, despite growing new needs and expectations from tourists and sportsmen. However, it is not free from the over-investment trap.

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