Multivariate Analysis Applied to Aquifer Hydrogeochemical Evaluation: A Case Study in the Coastal Significant Subterranean Water Body between “Cecina River and San Vincenzo”, Tuscany (Italy)

The hydrogeochemical characteristics of the significant subterranean water body between “Cecina River and San Vincenzo” (Italy) was evaluated using multivariate statistical analysis methods, like principal component analysis and self-organizing maps (SOMs), with the objective to study the spatiotemporal relationships of the aquifer. The dataset used consisted of the chemical composition of groundwater samples collected between 2010 and 2018 at 16 wells distributed across the whole aquifer. For these wells, all major ions were determined. A self-organizing map of 4 × 8 was constructed to evaluate spatiotemporal changes in the water body. After SOM clustering, we obtained three clusters that successfully grouped all data with similar chemical characteristics. These clusters can be viewed to reflect the presence of three water types: (i) Cluster 1: low salinity/mixed waters; (ii) Cluster 2: high salinity waters; and (iii) Cluster 3: low salinity/fresh waters. Results showed that the major ions had the greater influence over the groundwater chemistry, and the difference in their concentrations allowed the definition of three clusters among the obtained SOM. Temporal changes in cluster assignment were only observed in two wells, located in areas more susceptible to changes in the water table levels, and therefore, hydrodynamic conditions. The result of the SOM clustering was also displayed using the classical hydrochemical approach of the Piper plot. It was observed that these changes were not as easily identified when the raw data were used. The spatial display of the clustering results, allowed the evaluation in a hydrogeological context in a quick and cost-effective way. Thus, our approach can be used to quickly analyze large datasets, suggest recharge areas, and recognize spatiotemporal patterns.

Grouting below Subterranean Water: Erosional Stability Test

The article is focused on the medium-term negative effect of groundwater on the underground grout elements. This is the physical–mechanical effect of groundwater, which is known as erosion. We conduct a laboratory verification of the erosional resistance of grout mixtures. A new test apparatus was designed and developed, since there is no standardized method for testing at present. An erosion stability test of grout mixtures and the technical solutions of the apparatus for the test’s implementation are described. This apparatus was subsequently used for the experimental evaluation of the erosional stability of silicate grout mixtures. Grout mixtures with activated and non-activated bentonite are tested. The stabilizing effect of cellulose relative to erosion stability has been also investigated. The specimens of grout mixtures are exposed to flowing water stress for a certain period of time. The erosional stabilities of the grout mixtures are assessed on the basis of weight loss (WL) as a percentage of initial specimen weight. The lower the grout mixture weight loss, the higher its erosional stability and vice versa.

Annelids in Extreme Aquatic Environments: Diversity, Adaptations and Evolution

We review the variety of morphological, physiological and behavioral modifications that annelids have acquired to cope with environments either unsuitable for, or on the limits of, survival for most animals. We focus on polychaetes (excluding sipunculans and echiurans) and clitellates (oligochaetes and leeches) and source information mostly from the primary literature. We identified many modifications common to both polychaetes and clitellates, and others that are specific to one or the other group. For example, certain land-adapted polychaetes show reduction in nuchal organs, epidermal ciliation and receptor cells, and other coastal polychaetes use adhesive glands and glue-reinforced tubes to maintain position in surf zones, while oligochaetes, with their simple body plans, appear to be ‘pre-adapted’ to life underground. Modifications common to both groups include the ability to construct protective cocoons, make cryoprotective substances such as antifreeze and heat shock proteins, develop gills, transform their bodies into a home for symbiotic chemoautotrophic bacteria, metabolize contaminants, and display avoidance behaviors. Convergent evolution in both directions has enabled annelids to transition from salt water to freshwater, sea to land via beaches, freshwater to soil, and surface water to subterranean water. A superficially simple worm-like body and a mostly benthic/burrowing lifestyle has facilitated radiation into every conceivable environment, making annelids among the most common and diverse animal groups on the planet.

The fate of groundwater: a lawyer’s point of view

The study of the provisions of various branches of Russian law and practice of law enforcement (judicial), which in different ways express the complex legal status of subterranean water bodies. During the study process of the considered question the following general and private methods of scientific cognition of the real and objective reality were applied: dialectical, logical and legal, statistical, system analysis, specific sociological, and professional methods of research. The peculiarity of the authors’ methodology is the use of data of natural science, as well as data of economic or technical properties, based on which legal ideas are developed. The comparative legal method of research is applied. The authors have analyzed, summarized, and synthesized the main approaches to the legal regulation of relations concerning groundwaters. The main provisions and proposals are compared with the domestic legislation and European Union law, its individual members (for example, Croatia). The example of the law of the state of Texas USA is given. Step by step, the legal status for the use and protection of subterranean water bodies has evolved into a qualitatively new phenomenon that absorbs all previous legal approaches and principles.

Use of two green algae Ulva lactuca and Ulva intestinalis as bio-fertilizers

In recent years, development have been witnessed in the market expansion of agricultural inputs and products including substances and materials that improve the functioning of soil, plants and the interactions between soil and plant. This is a very broad category of products and substances that often bring innovative solutions in the field of fertilization and crop protection.The objective of this study is to improve the production of market garden where tomato plants in nurseries from powders of two green algae Ulva lactuca and Ulva intestinalis, harvested as bio-fertilizers in the west coast of Mostaganem province. They have minimal effects on the environment, including soil, subterranean water, River and Estuary ecosystems such as Cheliff River, biodiversity and global warming.The experimental part was carried out following the method of extraction of algae and used as a bio-fertilizer on tomato to its simplicity and accuracy, which is the subject of the study of the germination, growth and the development of young plants.The results of this study showed that algal powder of Ulva lactuca and Ulva intestinalis exhibit a remarkable stimulatory effect on the cultivation of tomato, which aims to improve their production, and evident when compared to controls setup. Keywords: seaweed, Mostaganem, River Ecosystem, eco-agriculture, smart agriculture, bio-fertilizers, tomato.

Groundwater Quality in Two Semi-Arid Areas of Algeria: Impact of Water Pollution on Biodiversity

The biodiversity and quality of subterranean waters were comparatively studied in the Tarf plain near Oum-El-Bouaghi and in the Ksar S’bahi in Oum-El-Bouaghi, in North-eastern Algeria. For this purpose, physicochemical and faunistic analyses were carried out on the water of ten stations located in the area of Tarf, and thirteen in the area of S’bahi. In the wells of Tarf, the average stygobiologic diversity was relatively high in the wells located upstream the dumping site from the city where the groundwater presented low contents of nitrates and orthophosphates. In contrast, the wells located in the spreading zone of Tarf wastewaters were characterized by the scarcity or the absence of stygobic species; in these latter wells, the water was highly polluted. It was rich in nitrates, nitrites, ammonium, and the conductivity was rather high. In the area of S’bahi, the faunistic inventory recorded ten species, some of which were living in hot springs. The subterranean water was highly mineralized. In the two studied areas, biodiversity decreased when well water was locally polluted.

Lead Mining, Conservation and Heritage: Shaping a Mountain in Northeast Wales

This article discusses the shaping of Halkyn Mountain, an upland common in the county of Flintshire in northeast Wales. Extractive industry has had a dramatic impact on the area, and it was one of Britain’s major lead mining regions in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. This extractive history is essential for understanding its contemporary character and is a key element of community identity and local heritage production. The mountain is a multilayered landscape that has been made and transformed by geomorphological and human action, by subterranean water flow, digging, burrowing and extraction, by internal rupture and the upheaval and movement of earth and rock, and by grazing, burning, clearing and churning up the surface. It continues to be shaped by management and conservation, by the lifeworlds of plants and animals, and by perspectives on what constitutes a landscape. Drawing from current anthropological research in Flintshire on the making and shaping of place, the article explores how Halkyn Mountain exemplifies the contested nature—and the contradictions and provocations—of landscape and the difficulties inherent in using, living on, defining and managing a place that has been reshaped by industry, but one that is continually coming into being. It does so through a consideration of the area as a landscape shaped and given form by lead mining, by multispecies encounters, by land management and conservation initiatives, and by how notions of heritage inform local identity and regional preservation.