scholarly journals Assessing Po River Deltaic Vulnerability Using Earth Observation and a Bayesian Belief Network Model

Water ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (10) ◽  
pp. 2830
Author(s):  
Andrea Taramelli ◽  
Emiliana Valentini ◽  
Margherita Righini ◽  
Federico Filipponi ◽  
Serena Geraldini ◽  
...  

Deltaic systems are broadly recognized as vulnerable hot spots at the interface between land and sea and are highly exposed to harmful natural and manmade threats. The vulnerability to these threats and the interactions of the biological, physical, and anthropogenic processes in low-lying coastal plains, such as river deltas, requires a better understanding in terms of vulnerable systems and to support sustainable management and spatial planning actions in the context of climate change. This study analyses the potential of Bayesian belief network (BBN) models to represent conditional dependencies in vulnerability assessment for future sea level rise (SLR) scenarios considering ecological, morphological and social factors using Earth observation (EO) time series dataset. The BBN model, applied in the Po Delta region in the northern Adriatic coast of Italy, defines relationships between twelve selected variables classified as driver factors (DF), land cover factors (LCF), and land use factors (LUF) chosen as critical for the definition of vulnerability hot spots, future coastal adaptation, and spatial planning actions to be taken. The key results identify the spatial distribution of the vulnerability along the costal delta and highlight where the probability of vulnerable areas is expected to increase in terms of SLR pressure, which occurs especially in the central and southern delta portion.

Paleobiology ◽  
2015 ◽  
Vol 41 (1) ◽  
pp. 134-153 ◽  
Author(s):  
John Warren Huntley ◽  
Daniele Scarponi

AbstractParasitic trematode worms leave characteristic pits in their bivalve mollusk hosts and represent an ideal system for analyzing parasite-host interactions through space and time with statistically meaningful sample sizes. Previous work in Late Pleistocene–Holocene sequences from the Po plain revealed significant long-term fluctuations in trematode prevalence values: higher prevalence in retrogradational environments (TST) and negligible prevalence in progradational environments (HST). Here we expand upon this work by investigating traces of parasitism, kleptoparasitism, and predation on mollusk death assemblages from two domains along the northern Adriatic coastline. The domain north of the Po delta (TST-like) and the southern domain (including the Po delta; HST-like) comprise environments comparable to those recovered in late Holocene (<6 Kyr) subsurface progradational deposits. We collected 17,299 specimens representing 111 species from 11 locations on the northern Adriatic coast of Italy. Our results reveal high predation pressure, a high diversity of host taxa, and widespread presence of trematode infestation in starved, oligotrophic, environmentally more stable (i.e., TST-like) settings north of the Po delta. Immediately south of the Po delta, in settings with strong and variable sedimentary input, almost no infestation is recorded. The reappearance of infestation is evident in the southern portion of the study area (i.e., Cattolica-Montemarciano), relatively far from the highly stressed environments south of the Po River. There is no significant difference in trematode prevalence values between fossil and modern samples. The distribution of spionid traces (an indicator of stressed environments) was nearly the opposite of that displayed by trematodes. Drilling frequency is highest in TST-like environments and is not correlated with diversity indices. These results suggest that temporal trends of trematode prevalence (and possibly also other biotic interactions) in sedimentary successions are controlled by environmental changes driven by glacio-eustatic dynamics, and reaffirm the importance of interpreting temporal trends in the context of spatial variation.


2019 ◽  
Vol 62 (1) ◽  
pp. 5-15 ◽  
Author(s):  
Linda Dörrzapf ◽  
Anna Kovács-Győri ◽  
Bernd Resch ◽  
Peter Zeile

AbstractWalking as a transport mode is still often underrepresented in the overall transport system. Consequently, pedestrian mobility is usually not recorded statistically in the same manner as it is performed for motorised traffic which leads to an underestimation of its importance and positive effects on people and cities. However, the integration of walkability assessments is potentially a valuable complement in urban planning processes through considering important quantitative and qualitative aspects of walking in cities. Recent literature shows a variety of approaches involving discrepancies in the definition of walkability, the factors which contribute to it, and methods of assessing them. This paper provides a new understanding of the concept of walkability in the European context. Our approach relies on the extension of methodological competence in transportation, spatial planning and geography by linking new measurement methods for evaluating walkability. We propose an integrated approach to assessing walkability in a comprehensive methodology that combines existing qualitative and GIS-based methods with biosensor technologies and thus captures the perceptions and emotions of pedestrians. This results in an increased plausibility and relevance of the results of walkability analysis by considering the spatial environment and its effect on people.


2021 ◽  
Vol 33 (1) ◽  
pp. 104-121
Author(s):  
Samantha Paredes ◽  
Sean Pascoe ◽  
Louisa Coglan ◽  
Carol Richards

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (15) ◽  
pp. 8159
Author(s):  
Joanna Przedrzymirska ◽  
Jacek Zaucha ◽  
Helena Calado ◽  
Ivana Lukic ◽  
Martina Bocci ◽  
...  

This paper examines the concept of maritime multi-use as a territorial/SPATIAL governance instrument for the enhancement of sustainable development in five EU sea basins. Multi-use (MU) is expected to enhance the productivity of blue economy sectors, as well as deliver additional socio-economic benefits related to the environmental and social dimensions of sustainable development. The paper provides a definition of maritime multi-use and identifies the multi-uses with the highest potential in EU sea basins. In each sea basin, multi-use plays a different role as concerns sustainable development. For the Eastern Baltic Sea, the Mediterranean Sea and the Black Sea, the MU focus should remain on the environmental pillar of sustainable development. In the North Sea, North Atlantic and Western Baltic Sea, addressing social sustainability seems a key precondition for success of MU in enhancement of sustainable spatial development at sea. Moreover, it has been suggested to introduce MU key global strategies such as SDGs or Macroregional strategies and action plans and to supplement maritime spatial planning with sectoral incentives and educational efforts as key vehicles supporting MU. The paper concludes by identifying aspects which, in order to inform maritime spatial planning and maritime governance regarding a more conscious application of the aforementioned concept, require further investigation. Key tasks are related to: more profound evaluation of performance of policies supporting MUs, researching the impact of MU on societal goals and on the MU costs and benefits, including external ones, and finally identifying the impact of MU on the development of various sectors and regions on land.


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