scholarly journals A Broad-Scale Method for Estimating Natural Background Levels of Dissolved Components in Groundwater Based on Lithology and Anthropogenic Pressure

Water ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (11) ◽  
pp. 1531
Author(s):  
Julie Lions ◽  
Nicolas Devau ◽  
Daniel Elster ◽  
Denitza D. Voutchkova ◽  
Birgitte Hansen ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Statistical Approach ◽  
Background Level ◽  
Nonparametric Test ◽  
Average Concentration ◽  
Anthropogenic Pressure ◽  
Natural Background ◽  
Eu Member States ◽  
Water Point ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Dissolved Components

The Water Framework Directive (WFD) requires EU member states to assess the chemical status of groundwater bodies, a status defined according to threshold values for harmful elements and based on/the natural background level (NBL). The NBL is defined as the expected value of the concentration of elements naturally present in the environment. The aim of this study is to propose a methodology that will be broadly applicable to a wide range of conditions at the regional and national scale. Using a statistical approach, the methodology seeks to determine NBLs for SO4, As, Cd, Cr, Cu, Ni, Zn, and F based on the lithology of aquifers from which groundwater monitoring data were collected. The methodology was applied in six EU countries to demonstrate validity for a wide range of European regions. An average concentration was calculated for each parameter and chosen water point and linked to a lithology. Based on the dataset created, significant differences between lithologies and pressure categories (urban, agricultural, industrial, and mining) were tested using a nonparametric test. For each parameter, 90th percentiles were calculated to provide an estimation of the maximum natural concentrations possible for each lithology.

Estimation of natural background level of Cr(VI) in ultramafic rock related alluvial aquifers of central Greece: Comparison of results by statistical and deterministic preselection method approaches

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ariadne Argyraki ◽  
Konstantina Pyrgaki ◽  
Efstratios Kelepertzis ◽  
Fotini Botsou ◽  
Ifigeneia Megremi
Keyword(s):  
Statistical Approach ◽  
Ultramafic Rock ◽  
Anthropogenic Activities ◽  
Background Level ◽  
Anthropogenic Factors ◽  
Background Concentration ◽  
Natural Background ◽  
Central Greece ◽  
Alluvial Groundwater ◽  
Definition Of

<p>The definition of natural background concentration levels (NBLs) of geogenic trace metals in groundwater is a challenging issue, particularly in areas where anthropogenic activities are also present. The estimation of NBLs, in combination with environmental quality standards, in such areas is particularly important for the establishment of relevant groundwater threshold values. Over 100 groundwater samples were collected and analysed from four Cr(VI) impacted, alluvial groundwater bodies of central Greece during two consecutive hydrologic years. A common feature of the examined aquifers is the presence of weathered ultramafic rock material in the alluvial sediments. Most sampled boreholes (79 %) are used for irrigation, whereas 21 % of them are used for domestic drinking water supply. Hexavalent Cr concentrations in groundwater, ranging from below detection limit to 430 μg/L, have been attributed to both geogenic and anthropogenic factors. The scope of the present study is to estimate the NBL of Cr(VI) by using a classical statistical approach and a deterministic preselection method and test the comparability of results. In the statistical approach the distribution of samples versus Cr(VI) concentrations has been explored by using probability plots. In this way, the concentration variations within the examined groundwater bodies can be studied and the presence of sub-populations becomes evident by breaks in the slope. In the instance of the preselection method, the concentrations of a set of additional analyzed parameters in ground water, including major water ions and nitrate as well as dissolved oxygen, have been taken into account in order to categorize the samples into two groups of low and high anthropogenic influence, respectively. The comparability of the results derived by the two approaches are discussed in the context of EU Water Framework Directive.</p>

scholarly journals TOWARDS A NEW PROCEDURE TO SET UP GROUNDWATER THRESHOLD VALUES IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE PREVISIONS OF THE EC DIRECTIVE 2006/118: A CASE STUDY FROM ACHAIA AND CORINTHIA (GREECE)

2017 ◽  
Vol 43 (4) ◽  
pp. 1678 ◽  
Author(s):  
P. Christoforidou ◽  
A. Panagopoulos ◽  
K. Voudouris
Keyword(s):  
Human Health ◽  
Major Ions ◽  
Background Level ◽  
Threshold Values ◽  
Natural Background ◽  
Member States ◽  
Eu Member States ◽  
Environmental Objectives ◽  
The Status ◽  
Status Assessment

The EU Water Framework and Groundwater Directives stipulate that EU member states have to assess groundwater chemical status by the use of groundwater threshold values derived for the protection of dependent ecosystems and human health. In the EU’s 6th FP BRIDGE project ‘‘Background cRiteria for the IDentification of Groundwater thrEsholds’’, a methodology for the derivation of threshold values (TV) for groundwater bodies is proposed. Threshold values are quality standards for polluting substances in groundwater that need to be formulated by the Member States for the status assessment of groundwater bodies. These values represent the concentration of a pollutant that cannot be exceeded in order to protect both the environment and human health. The proposed method derives groundwater threshold values based on environmental objectives for groundwater ”itself” as a receptor, using relevant reference criteria such as natural background levels, drinking and irrigation water standards. This methodology is tested on seven districts in Greece (two of them are analyzed in this paper). Concentrations of major ions, ammonium and data of electrical conductivity were examined. After a pre-selection on databases with groundwater samples the natural background level is determined as the 90- and 97.7 percentile.

scholarly journals Responses to Ecopollutants and Pathogenization Risks of Saprotrophic Rhodococcus Species

Pathogens ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (8) ◽  
pp. 974
Author(s):  
Irina B. Ivshina ◽  
Maria S. Kuyukina ◽  
Anastasiia V. Krivoruchko ◽  
Elena A. Tyumina
Keyword(s):  
Survival Strategies ◽  
Complex Life Cycle ◽  
Anthropogenic Pressure ◽  
Resting Cells ◽  
Organic Substrates ◽  
Negative Effects ◽  
Anthropogenic Pollutants ◽  
Rhodococcus Species ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Rigid Cell Wall

Under conditions of increasing environmental pollution, true saprophytes are capable of changing their survival strategies and demonstrating certain pathogenicity factors. Actinobacteria of the genus Rhodococcus, typical soil and aquatic biotope inhabitants, are characterized by high ecological plasticity and a wide range of oxidized organic substrates, including hydrocarbons and their derivatives. Their cell adaptations, such as the ability of adhering and colonizing surfaces, a complex life cycle, formation of resting cells and capsule-like structures, diauxotrophy, and a rigid cell wall, developed against the negative effects of anthropogenic pollutants are discussed and the risks of possible pathogenization of free-living saprotrophic Rhodococcus species are proposed. Due to universal adaptation features, Rhodococcus species are among the candidates, if further anthropogenic pressure increases, to move into the group of potentially pathogenic organisms with “unprofessional” parasitism, and to join an expanding list of infectious agents as facultative or occasional parasites.

A flow-dependent estimation of constriction size distribution in gap-graded soils: an integrated statistical approach

2022 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-25
Author(s):  
S.M. Dassanayake ◽  
A. Mousa
Keyword(s):  
Fluid Dynamics ◽  
Size Distribution ◽  
Statistical Approach ◽  
One Dimensional ◽  
Loading Pattern ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Hydraulic Gradients ◽  
Computational Fluid Dynamics Simulations ◽  
Dynamics Simulations ◽  
Estimate Flow

The clogging-unclogging process in gap-graded soils is a result of the migration of seepage-driven fines, which subsequently induces measurable changes in the local hydraulic gradients. This process can be temporally observed in the variations of Darcy's hydraulic conductivity (K). The current study proposes an integrated statistical Monte Carlo approach combining the discrete element method and 2D computational fluid dynamics simulations to estimate the flow-dependent constriction size distribution (CSD) for a gap-graded soil. The computational inferences were supported with experimental results using an internally stable soil, which was subjected to one-dimensional flow stimulating desired hydraulic loadings: a hydraulic gradient lower than the critical gradient applied as a multi-staged loading pattern. The 35th percentile size of the flow-dependent CSD (Dc35) for both internally stable and unstable gap-graded soils becomes approximately equal to Dc35 at steady-state. However, a greater variation of larger constrictions persists for the unstable soils. This pilot study has shown the applicability of the proposed method to estimate flow-dependent CSD for a wide range of experimentally observed K values.

2. Federalism and European Integration

2018 ◽  
pp. 27-42
Author(s):  
R. Daniel Kelemen
Keyword(s):  
European Integration ◽  
Comparative Politics ◽  
Political System ◽  
Eurozone Crisis ◽  
Member States ◽  
Eu Member States ◽  
Specific Policy ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Shed Light ◽  
The Eu

Theories of federalism can provide a set of assumptions, concepts, and arguments that shed light on many aspects of European integration. Applying the federalism perspective opens up EU scholars to a range of relevant comparative cases that provide analytic leverage and insight on the EU. This perspective also enables EU scholars to draw on and contribute to a well-established literature in comparative politics, thus connecting their findings about the EU to broader academic debates. EU scholars have applied theories of federalism to help explain a wide range of questions about European integration, from general questions about why and how the EU came together as a political system to narrow questions about very specific policy areas, to the causes and consequences of the EU’s recent crises. This chapter discusses the main assumptions, concepts, and methodologies in federalism theories of the EU, and explores how this perspective can shed light on the eurozone crisis and the crisis of democratic backsliding among EU member states.

Influence of Contact Mechanics in the Prediction of the Effective Thermal Conductivity of Spheroid Packed Beds

2003 ◽  
Author(s):  
G. Buonanno ◽  
A. Carotenuto ◽  
G. Giovinco ◽  
L. Vanoli
Keyword(s):  
Thermal Conductivity ◽  
Effective Thermal Conductivity ◽  
Statistical Approach ◽  
Thermal Contact ◽  
Peak Height ◽  
Thermal Contact Conductance ◽  
Curvature Radius ◽  
Packed Beds ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Thermal Phenomena

Thermal contact conductance is an important parameter in a wide range of thermal phenomena, and consequently a large number of experimental, numerical and statistical investigations have been carried out in literature. In the present paper an analysis of thermal contact resistance is carried out to predict heat transfer between spherical rough surfaces in contact, by means of a statistical approach. The micro-geometry of the surface is described through a probabilistic model based on the peak height variability and invariant asperity curvature radius. The numerical model has been applied to evaluate the effective thermal conductivity of packed beds of steel spheroids and validated through the comparison with the experimental data obtained by means of an apparatus designed and build up for this purpose.

Concentrate Questions and Answers EU Law

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nigel Foster
Keyword(s):  
Sex Discrimination ◽  
Eu Law ◽  
Community Law ◽  
Eu Member States ◽  
Court Of Justice ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Questions And Answers ◽  
Free Movement Of Goods ◽  
Legislative Processes ◽  
The Eu

The Concentrate Questions and Answers series offer the best preparation for tackling exam questions. Each book includes typical questions, bullet-pointed answer plans and suggested answers, author commentary, and illustrative diagrams and flowcharts. Concentrate Q&A EU Law looks at a wide range of up-to-date issues relating to EU law, starting with the origins, institutions, and development of the EU communities and, the legislative processes. Chapters then look at the sources and forms of Community law, supremacy of EU law, and the reception of the law in the EU Member States. The chapter on Supremacy will also consider Brexit, but the extent to which that will be covered will be determined by just how far the exit negotiations have themselves progressed. The Court of Justice has a chapter devoted to it. Next the book looks at the free movement of goods and persons. Finally, the text turns to competition and merger law, and sex discrimination, and equality law.

scholarly journals A Process Oriented MCDM Approach to Construct a Circular Economy Composite Index

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (2) ◽  
pp. 618 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ana Garcia-Bernabeu ◽  
Adolfo Hilario-Caballero ◽  
David Pla-Santamaria ◽  
Francisco Salas-Molina
Keyword(s):  
Circular Economy ◽  
Action Plan ◽  
National Level ◽  
Composite Index ◽  
Composite Indicator ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Member States ◽  
Eu Member States ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Monitoring Framework

The purpose of this contribution is to develop a Circular Economy Composite indicator to benchmark EU countries performance. Europe is at the forefront of the global transition towards a sustainable and circular economy. To this end, the European Commission has launched in 2015 a Circular Economy Action Plan including a monitoring framework to measure progress and to assess the effectiveness of initiatives towards the circular economy in the European Union (EU) and Member States. Still, this monitoring framework lacks a composite indicator at the national level to aggregate the circular economy dimensions into a single summary indicator. Although there is a wide range of sustainability composite indicators, no aggregate circular economy index exits to this date. We use a multi-criteria approach to construct a circular economy composite index based on TOPSIS (Technique for Order Preferences by Similarity to Ideal Solutions) methodology. In addition, we introduce a novel aggregation methodology for building a composite indicator where different levels of compensability for the distances to the ideal and anti-ideal (or negative-ideal) values of each indicator are considered. In order to illustrate the advantages of this proposal, we have applied it to evaluate the Circular Economy performance of EU Member States for the year 2016. This proposal can be a valuable tool for identifying areas in which the countries need to concentrate their efforts to boost their circular economy performance.

scholarly journals The sharks and rays of the Solomon Islands: a synthesis of their biological diversity, values and conservation status

2017 ◽  
Vol 23 (4) ◽  
pp. 324 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. Hylton ◽  
W. T. White ◽  
A. Chin
Keyword(s):  
Biological Diversity ◽  
Solomon Islands ◽  
Conservation Status ◽  
Iucn Red List ◽  
Anthropogenic Pressure ◽  
Limited Information ◽  
Cultural Significance ◽  
Island States ◽  
The Pacific ◽  
Wide Range

Sharks and rays are facing increasing anthropogenic pressure globally, including in the Pacific. However, data on their status and biodiversity are lacking for many Pacific Large Ocean Island States. This study aimed to construct a species checklist for the sharks and rays occurring in the Solomon Islands, review the human interactions with these species, and present a synthesis of their conservation status. Given the paucity of available data, a wide range of data sources were used including fisheries data, citizen science, and ethnobiological studies. Results were validated through a review process involving expert informants. Fifty sharks and rays were identified from the Solomon Islands, of which 20 are assessed as Vulnerable or Endangered on the IUCN Red List, 10 in the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species, and 11 in the Convention for Migratory Species. The checklist also presents an eastwards range extension for the Endangered dwarf sawfish Pristis clavata. Fishing appears to be the main impact, though impacts from habitat loss and degradation are possible. This study provides a systematic synthesis and review of the biological diversity, uses, and cultural significance of Solomon Islands sharks and rays, and describes a process for assembling species checklists and reviews in data-poor contexts. However, this synthesis is based on limited information and a complete assessment of shark and ray status in the Solomon Islands will require primary fieldwork.

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