Environmental Management
O. Panukhnyk; N. Popadynets; Y. Fedotova
Abstract
The present study investigates the socio-economic nature of the issue of food provision in the consumer market of Ukraine. It is entity content and main macroeconomic functions oriented at production, sales, and consumption of food, undertaken by the state to maintain the ongoing process of social reproduction ...
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The present study investigates the socio-economic nature of the issue of food provision in the consumer market of Ukraine. It is entity content and main macroeconomic functions oriented at production, sales, and consumption of food, undertaken by the state to maintain the ongoing process of social reproduction and security guaranteeing in the country. It is hypothesized that the change in income of the population, Consumer Price Index, total expenditures of households on food and agricultural production per capita have the largest influence on food provision of the consumer market in the country. Based on the system approach the authors suggest their understanding of the factor determinants grouped by certain features, which influence the condition of food provision of the consumer market in the country. Application of factor grouping method contributed to the identification of parameters that show the links of economic factors and the condition of food provision. Correlation-regression analysis allowed revealing and assessing the dependence of the level of main food products’ consumption in the country on the major groups of factor determinants. The assessment of standardized regression coefficients contributed to determining the input of each suggested factor in the condition of food provision of the consumer market. The strong interrelation between socio-economic factors and the volumes of consumption of main food groups by the Ukrainian population, in particular, vegetable and animal products, is found. The results of the conducted analysis confirm that the condition of food provision at consumer market depends on how efficient the mechanisms of macro- and microeconomic regulation of trade and food policy of Ukraine are.
Environmental Management
H. Danylchuk; N. Chebanova; N. Reznik; Y. Vitkovskyi
Abstract
The current study focuses on the problem of determining investment attrаctiveness of countries by means of monitoring regional stock markets. The method of using the permutation entropy as a model of investment attractiveness estimation is suggested. We have calculated the permutation entropy for the ...
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The current study focuses on the problem of determining investment attrаctiveness of countries by means of monitoring regional stock markets. The method of using the permutation entropy as a model of investment attractiveness estimation is suggested. We have calculated the permutation entropy for the time series of stock markets of countries for the period from 2005 to 2018. The countries with high, middle or low income in Europe, Central Asia, East Asia, the Pacific, and North America were selected for the study. The article presents the results of modeling and analysis of dynamic properties of regional stock markets using the permutation entropy. The behavior of the permutation entropy and stock markets is analyzed and conclusions about the possibility of rapid monitoring of the investment attractiveness of countries by classifying the states of the stock markets of these countries are drawn. Particular attention is paid to crisis periods. It has been shown that the permutation entropy rapidly decreases in a universal way in the pre-crisis period, which can serve as an indicator of the precursor for crisis phenomena. Determining the pre-crisis, actual crisis and post-crisis periods will allow the investor to make the right decision on time. The advantages of using the permutation entropy method as a tool for high-frequency monitoring of stock markets and modeling the investment attractiveness of countries are pointed out. The results of determining investment attractiveness in terms of the permutation entropy and ratings of the world countries, compiled by the world-wide rating agencies and literature, are compared.
Environmental Management
B.A.M. Talisay; G.R. Puno; R.A.L. Amper
Abstract
Flooding is one of the most occurring natural hazards every year risking the lives and properties of the affected communities, especially in Philippine context. To visualize the extent and mitigate the impacts of flood hazard in Malingon River in Valencia City, Bukidnon, this paper presents the combination ...
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Flooding is one of the most occurring natural hazards every year risking the lives and properties of the affected communities, especially in Philippine context. To visualize the extent and mitigate the impacts of flood hazard in Malingon River in Valencia City, Bukidnon, this paper presents the combination of Geographic Information System, high-resolution Digital Elevation Model, land cover, soil, observed hydro-meteorological data; and the combined Hydrologic Engineering Center-Hydrologic Modeling System and River Analysis System models. The hydrologic model determines the precipitation-runoff relationships of the watershed and the hydraulic model calculates the flood depth and flow pattern in the floodplain area. The overall performance of hydrologic model during calibration was “very good fit” based on the criterion of Nash-Sutcliffe Coefficient of Model Efficiency, Percentage Bias and Root Mean Square Error – Observations Standard Deviation Ratio with the values of 0.87, -8.62 and 0.46, respectively. On the other hand, the performance of hydraulic model during error computation was “intermediate fit” using F measure analysis with a value of 0.56, using confusion matrix with 80.5% accuracy and the Root Mean Square Error of 0.47 meters. Flood hazard maps in 2, 5, 10, 25, 50 and 100-year return periods were generated as well as the number of flooded buildings in each flood hazard level and in different return periods were determined. The output of the study served as an important basis for a more informed decision and science-based recommendations in formulating local and regional policies for more effective and cost-efficient strategies relative to flood hazards.
Environmental Management
M.A. Salam; S.C. Paul; S.N.B.M. Noor; S.A. Siddiqua; T.D. Aka; R. Wahab; E.R. Aweng
Abstract
Rapid industrialization along with advanced agricultural activities led to the contamination in aquatic environment with heavy metals. Heavy metals ultimately pass into human body through having aquatic animals like fish, prawn and crab. In this study, accumulation of heavy metals (zinc, copper, iron, ...
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Rapid industrialization along with advanced agricultural activities led to the contamination in aquatic environment with heavy metals. Heavy metals ultimately pass into human body through having aquatic animals like fish, prawn and crab. In this study, accumulation of heavy metals (zinc, copper, iron, cadmium and lead) in various organs of four commonly consumed fish (Euthynnus affinis, Pampus argenteus, Descapterus macrosoma, and Leiognathus daura), prawn (Fenneropenaeus indicus) and crab (Portunus pelagicus) of Tok Bali Port, Kelantan, Malaysia were determined. Health risk was assessed using estimated daily intake and target hazard quotients. Although the concentrations of all the heavy metals in all fish, prawn and crab species were lower as per Malaysian Food Act, but the concentrations showed remarkable differences among the species and organs. The concentration of heavy metals in the gill was the highest of all fish species followed by in the liver and flesh. The total accumulation of heavy metals was maximum in Euthynnus affinis followed by Leiognathus daura, Descapterus macrosoma and Pampus argenteus of the fish species. However, the highest concentrations (µg/g) was for Zn (72.97±2.75), followed by Fe (4.309±0.68), Cd (1.189±0.78), Cu (1±0.87) and Pb (0.41±0.19) among all the heavy metal contents of fish. No significant variation (P<0.05) of the heavy metal concentration in prawn and crab species was observed. The investigation indicated that the fish, prawn and crab species of this port were safe for human consumption but the safe disposal of various wastes should be practiced to control the heavy metal accumulation in future.
Environmental Management
M.B.T. Alivio; G.R. Puno; B.A.M. Talisay
Abstract
Increasing frequency and severity of flooding demands identification of flood hazard zones in Kalilangan, Bukidnon in response to the echoing need of better disaster preparedness via enhancing the understanding and awareness of the public on flood characteristics by integrating the use of two-dimensional ...
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Increasing frequency and severity of flooding demands identification of flood hazard zones in Kalilangan, Bukidnon in response to the echoing need of better disaster preparedness via enhancing the understanding and awareness of the public on flood characteristics by integrating the use of two-dimensional hydrodynamic modeling and remote sensing. Flood simulation was carried out in a two-dimensional hydrodynamic model using hydrologic engineering center-river analysis system to derive the flood inundation area and flood depth of Kalilangan, Bukidnon. Thus, it was preceded by pre-processing of the model using software packages of hydrologic engineering center-hydrologic modeling system and ArcGIS along with interferometric synthetic aperture radar–digital elevation model, Manning’s roughness coefficient and precipitation data. Five different rain return flooding scenarios were simulated using rainfall intensity duration frequency data. Three zones of flood hazard were then set as low, medium and high. The result shows that most areas of Kalilangan are within the zones of medium to high hazard with residential buildings as the most flooded type of built-up structures. Flood hazard zone areas could be mapped at an accuracy of 79.51%. Thus, harnessing this potential approach offers cost-effective way of flood preparedness viewing hazard-prone areas with special attention and utmost importance.
Environmental Management
J.L. Ogania; G.R. Puno; M.B.T. Alivio; J.M.G. Taylaran
Abstract
Flooding is one of the most devastating natural disasters occurring annually in the Philippines. A call for a solution for this malady is very challenging as well as crucial to be addressed. Mapping flood hazard is an effective tool in determining the extent and depth of floods associated with hazard ...
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Flooding is one of the most devastating natural disasters occurring annually in the Philippines. A call for a solution for this malady is very challenging as well as crucial to be addressed. Mapping flood hazard is an effective tool in determining the extent and depth of floods associated with hazard level in specified areas that need to be prioritized during flood occurrences. Precedent to the production of maps is the utilization of reliable and accurate topographic data. In the present study, the performance of 3 digital elevation models having different resolution was evaluated with the aid of flood modeling software such as hydrologic engineering centre-hydrologic modeling system and hydrologic engineering centre-river analysis system. The two-dimensional models were processed using three different digital elevation models, captured through light detection and ranging, interferometric synthetic aperture radar, and synthetic aperture radar technologies, to simulate and compare the flood inundation of 5-, 25- 100-year return periods. The accuracy of the generated flood maps was carried out using statistical analysis tools - Overall accuracy, F-measure and root-mean-square-error. Results reveal that using light detection and ranging–digital elevation model, the overall accuracy of the flood map is 82.5% with a fitness of 0.5333 to ground-truth data and an error of 0.32 meter in simulating flood depth which implies a promising performance of the model compared to other data sources. Thus, higher resolution digital elevation model generates more accurate flood hazard maps while coarser resolution over-predicts the flood extent.
Environmental Management
C.E. Akumu; J. Henry; T. Gala; S. Dennis; C. Reddy; F. Tegegne; S. Haile; R.S. Archer
Abstract
The understanding of inland wetlands’ distribution and their level of vulnerability is important to enhance management and conservation efforts. The aim of the study was to map inland wetlands and assess their distribution pattern and vulnerability to natural and human disturbances such as climate ...
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The understanding of inland wetlands’ distribution and their level of vulnerability is important to enhance management and conservation efforts. The aim of the study was to map inland wetlands and assess their distribution pattern and vulnerability to natural and human disturbances such as climate change (temperature increase) and human activities by the year 2080. Inland wetland types i.e. forested/shrub, emergent and open water bodies were classified and mapped using maximum likelihood standard algorithm. The spatial distribution pattern of inland wetlands was examined using average nearest neighbor analysis. A weighted geospatial vulnerability analysis was developed using variables such as roads, land cover/ land use (developed and agricultural areas) and climate data (temperature) to predict potentially vulnerable inland wetland types. Inland wetlands were successfully classified and mapped with overall accuracy of about 73 percent. Clustered spatial distribution pattern was found among all inland wetland types with varied degree of clustering. The study found about 13 percent of open water bodies, 11 percent of forested/shrub and 7 percent of emergent wetlands potentially most vulnerable to human and natural stressors. This information could be used to improve wetland planning and management by wetland managers and other stakeholders.
Environmental Management
S. Nayek; S. Gupta; K.K. Pobi
Abstract
The current study deals with the physicochemical characterization, temporal variability and trophic state evaluation of a post glacial mountain lake in eastern Himalaya during the period of 2014-2016. Notable seasonal variations are recorded for physicochemical parameters of lake water. The values for ...
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The current study deals with the physicochemical characterization, temporal variability and trophic state evaluation of a post glacial mountain lake in eastern Himalaya during the period of 2014-2016. Notable seasonal variations are recorded for physicochemical parameters of lake water. The values for electrical conductivity, total suspended solids, total dissolved solids, total alkalinity and Chloride are higher during the rainy season. Concentrations of total phosphorous (136.78±29.14 µg/L), total nitrogen (7177.78±1346.70 µg/L) and Chlorophyll-a (38.54±21.67 µg/L) in lake water are distinctly higher than the recommended standards for eutrophic condition of lake/surface water. Application of multivariate tools such as cluster analysis and principal component analysis reveals that ionic constituents of lake water are majorly associated to the geogenic and exogenic factors, with minor seasonal influences. Trophic state indices based on water transparency (3.15±1.57), total phosphorous (74.72±3.39), total nitrogen (82.64±2.83) exhibit hypertrophic nature of lake water; while trophic state index for chlorophyll-a indicate eutrophic condition. Deviations between Trophic state indices (TSICHLa-TSISD: -14±7.88, TSICHLa-TSITP: -9.17±3.33, and TSICHLa-TSITN: -17.56±5.29) infer that the nutrients (phosphorus and nitrogen) are not limiting factors for the algal biomass, and non-algal components such as suspended solids soil/sediment particles affects the light attenuation in the monitored lake. The observations reveal that trophic condition of monitored lake is in alarming stage. Therefore, measures should be taken on urgent basis in order to intercept the increasing trend in eutrophication, and for the restoration of water quality and integrated lake ecosystem.
Environmental Management
S.D. Kumar; A. Dash
Abstract
Different methods have been designed to calculate the air quality index in form of mathematical formula. But the formula designed by Central Pollution Control Board in 2014 is more robust to find out the air quality category. The index has been calculated based upon four parameters like particulate matters ...
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Different methods have been designed to calculate the air quality index in form of mathematical formula. But the formula designed by Central Pollution Control Board in 2014 is more robust to find out the air quality category. The index has been calculated based upon four parameters like particulate matters (PM10, PM2.5), sulfur oxide and nitrogen oxide. The study area has affected by different sources like point, line and volume. Presence of different industries and mining activities polluting the natural environment of nearby areas more, although the industries taking mitigative measures proactively. In the present research, monitoring of ambient air quality has been carried out for a period from March 2013 to February 2016 for three years. It has been revealed from the study that the air quality status of the area has been declining from 2013 to 2016 i.e. 78.9 to 157.8 in summer, 49.4 to 84.3 in monsoon and 86.9 to 183.9 in winter season. It has also been found that, PM10 and PM2.5 were responsible for maximum sub-index as well as air quality index. During the study period 2015-16, out of the eight stations most comes under moderately polluted category especially in winter season followed by summer season. Statistical and Duncan’s multiple range test has been applied to the results with two-way and one-way analysis of variance based on different seasons and stations. In two-way analysis of variance, F-value was computed to be 30.105 based on seasons and stations and one-way analysis of variance test shows the F-values as 186.07 and 18.97 based on seasons and stations respectively which is found to be significant (P<0.01).The present research is important to assess the environmental quality of a mining- industrial complex area and can be a reference for similar study in other areas.
Environmental Management
M. Gul; A.F. Guneri; M. Baskan
Abstract
As wind energy is one of the most important renewable energy sources over the globe, need for increasing safety for this type of energy is gaining importance. Although this sector is not suffering an excessive amount of fatal injury accidents, there are many aspects open for improvements in occupational ...
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As wind energy is one of the most important renewable energy sources over the globe, need for increasing safety for this type of energy is gaining importance. Although this sector is not suffering an excessive amount of fatal injury accidents, there are many aspects open for improvements in occupational health and safety management. The construction and operation processes of wind turbines include several hazards that must be reduced. This study aims to present a risk assessment for the construction and operation period of wind tribunes using a new fuzzy based method. Fuzzy analytical hierarchy process, a common used multi criteria decision making method, is applied to assign weights to the parameters of Fine-Kinney risk analysis method. Then, fuzzy VIKOR method is used to prioritize hazards. A case study is carried out for an onshore wind turbine in Turkey by using occupational health and safety experts in weighting risk parameters and evaluating compromised rankings of the hazards. Results reveal the most important hazards both for construction and operation period of the wind tribune. On conclusion of the current study, control measures for those risks and possible corrective-preventive actions for improvement are also provided.
Environmental Management
R. Teimouri; T. Yigitcanlar
Abstract
In the best practices, planning of urban green spaces is managed in such a way that it follows the key principles such as meeting per capita standards and providing accessible and balanced distribution of these spaces all across the city. In the context of emerging economy, these principles are unfortunately ...
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In the best practices, planning of urban green spaces is managed in such a way that it follows the key principles such as meeting per capita standards and providing accessible and balanced distribution of these spaces all across the city. In the context of emerging economy, these principles are unfortunately not followed strictly all times. In this study, it is attempted to investigate Tabriz city of Iran is in terms of ecological planning to quantitatively analyse its green space characteristics. The used methodology includes determining the relevant urban green space development indicators (e.g. accessibility, per capita supply, balanced distribution, and continuous development of urban green spaces) from the literature and using the secondary data collected from variety of sources to analyse the study area. The study seeks to provide a comprehensive view on status of green spaces in Tabriz in the light of ecological principles and indicators and GIS-based spatial analysis. Results indicate that: a) Green space per capita provision in Tabriz is much lower than the national and international standards (some districts offer only 0-1 sq.m. per capita green space); b) Districts of Tabriz do not have a balanced distribution of green spaces and access to green spaces on foot (only 18% of the population can access green spaces within a 5 minute walk); c) Except for the provided street side green spaces, all other passive or active types of green spaces in Tabriz are not continuously linked (no continuity to form a green corridor or linear greenways). This study also comes up with some recommendations for Tabriz and other cities with similar characteristics.
Environmental Management
E. Igun; M. Williams
Abstract
The rapid growth in urban population is seen to create a need for the development of more urban infrastructures. In order to meet this need, natural surfaces such as vegetation are been replaced with non-vegetated surfaces such as asphalt and bricks which has the ability to absorb heat and release it ...
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The rapid growth in urban population is seen to create a need for the development of more urban infrastructures. In order to meet this need, natural surfaces such as vegetation are been replaced with non-vegetated surfaces such as asphalt and bricks which has the ability to absorb heat and release it later. This change in land cover is seen to increase the land surface temperature. Previous studies have tried to explain the impact of land cover changes on the land surface temperature. However, there is a growing need to spatially quantify the extent to which temperature has increased so as to identify areas where immediate mitigation measures can be introduced. In view of this, this study has incorporated remotely sensed Landsat data with remote sensing techniques in order to effectively quantify the spatial extent of urban growth and its impact on the land surface temperature in Lagos, Nigeria. The result shows that there have been changes in the land cover which has increased the land surface temperature between 2002 and 2013. Overall, there was an increase in the highly dense areas, moderately dense areas and less dense areas by 3.35% (2200.77 ha), 27.87% (13681.35 ha), 6.20% (3284.01 ha) and a corresponding increase in the mean land surface temperature of these urban areas by 3.8 oC, 4.2 oC and 2.2 oC. Hence, it was recommended that in order to reduce the land surface temperature of urban areas, sustainable urban planning strategies that include increasing the vegetated areas and embracing other green initiatives such as urban forestry should be adopted.
Environmental Management
S.M. Hatefi
Abstract
Today, urban transportation has attracted urban planners’ and researchers' attention because of air and noise pollution problems associated with it. In Shahrkord city in Iran, no plans have been made for sustainable transportation, and the available poor transportation infrastructure is not responsive ...
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Today, urban transportation has attracted urban planners’ and researchers' attention because of air and noise pollution problems associated with it. In Shahrkord city in Iran, no plans have been made for sustainable transportation, and the available poor transportation infrastructure is not responsive to the growing population of the city. This issue has inflicted the city with serious problems, including environmental pollution, traffic jams, and car accidents. Therefore, it is necessary for urban managers and planners to conduct necessary planning and analysis for the development of urban transportation system through a strategic perspective. In this study, the strengths and weaknesses as well as the opportunities and threats of Shahrkord transportation system are identified using strength, weakness, opportunity, threat (SWOT) analysis. Status of the city's transportation system is determined through evaluation of internal and external factors. The results of SWOT analysis and the matrix of internal and external factors indicate that the internal and external evaluation factors are equal to 2.330 and 3.367, respectively, which means that Shahrekord transportation system holds a conservative situation. Considering the identified status, several strategies are proposed to improve the status quo. Finally, the proposed strategies are evaluated based on sustainable development indices, namely economic, environmental, and social indices, by using the fuzzy complex proportional assessment (COPRAS) method. The results show that the best proposed strategy is attraction of private investors to set up pedestrian bridges equipped with escalators and the concession of using them for the establishment of environmental advertisement.
Environmental Management
D. Tomacheski; M. Pittol; D.N. Simões; V.F. Ribeiro; R.M.C. Santana
Abstract
There is a growing consumer market for products that proclaim to decrease microorganism counts to prevent infections. Most of these products are loaded with silver in its ionic or nanoparticle form. Through use or during production, these particles can find their way into the soil and cause an impact ...
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There is a growing consumer market for products that proclaim to decrease microorganism counts to prevent infections. Most of these products are loaded with silver in its ionic or nanoparticle form. Through use or during production, these particles can find their way into the soil and cause an impact in microbial and plant communities. This study aims to evaluate the impact of silver based particles in Avena byzantina (oat), Lactuca sativa (lettuce) and Raphanus sativus (radish) development and in the soil microorganism abundance. Oat, lettuce and radish plants were cultivated in soil contaminated with particles of bentonite organomodified with silver (Ag+_bentonite), silver phosphate glass (Ag+_phosphate) and silver nanoparticles adsorbed on fumed silica (AgNp_silica). Plant development and microorganisms’ abundance were evaluated. To some degree, Ag+_bentonite impacted plants development and AgNp_silica causes an adverse effect on microbial abundance. The impact on plants and microorganisms was contradictory and varied according to soil and particles physicochemical characteristics.
Environmental Management
S. Ali; S. Patnaik; O. Madguni
Abstract
Urbanization brings biophysical changes in the composition of the landscape. Such change has an impact on the thermal environment locally. The urban mosaic of land use and land cover is thus characteristically composed of local climate zones. The spatial variation in the land surface temperature across ...
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Urbanization brings biophysical changes in the composition of the landscape. Such change has an impact on the thermal environment locally. The urban mosaic of land use and land cover is thus characteristically composed of local climate zones. The spatial variation in the land surface temperature across specific zone is studied for Bhopal city. The objective of the study was to understand how the surface temperature varies with the spatial characteristics of the landscape. The green spaces had the lowest surface temperature that reaches to about 30.5 °C in parks with dense tree cover and highest mean normalized difference vegetation index value of about 0.5. The surface temperature was 36.1 °C for built up/barren areas. The study documents the correlation that exists between surface vegetation and surface temperature across the landscape of Bhopal city. The extent of tree cover and land surface temperature exhibited a strong negative correlation. A decrease in vegetation cover and successive increase in urban built up area were found to be related with high surface temperature. This implies that land surface temperature is an effective tool and may help city planners to make appropriate strategies for improving the tree resources of the urban landscape.
Environmental Management
Z. Abdollahi; A. Kavian; S.H.R. Sadeghi
Abstract
Quality of river varies widely depending on the land use in the catchment and environmental factors. Many rivers in developing countries are unhealthy because they contain harmful physical, chemical and biological agents. Zanjanrud River, located in Zanjan Province, Iran, where recently faced human intervention ...
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Quality of river varies widely depending on the land use in the catchment and environmental factors. Many rivers in developing countries are unhealthy because they contain harmful physical, chemical and biological agents. Zanjanrud River, located in Zanjan Province, Iran, where recently faced human intervention needs a regular monitoring from upstream to downstream for sustainable management. Hence, the current study aimed to assess spatial and temporal variations of pollutant in Zanjanrud River in different stations from headstream to tail of the river. To achieve this goal, semi-monthly samples were collected from October 2015 to Jun 2016 at 5 stations along the river. The physicochemical variables were monitored and analysed using two-way analysis of variance. The results showed the highest values of suspended and dissolved solids and total solids (220.13±5.57, 641.6±39.63 and 793.6±34.5mg/L respectively) were at the tail site in low-flow period. Nitrate-nitrogen and nitrate were also highest (5.39±02.44 and 23.90±10.85 mg/L) at the middle of the river where was vicinity to farm lands. The values of pH and dissolved oxygen ranged from 6 to 8.15 and 0.5 to 4mg/L respectively with the highest values in high-flow period at most of the study sites. The maximum and minimum values of electrical conductivity (1439 and 256µs/cm) were recorded at tail site and headstream site respectively. Hardness had an increasing trend from upstream to downstream (189.60±53.53 to 515.83±64.77mg/L). Phosphorus was also lowest (0.09±0.04mg/L) at upstream. Results illustrated the high degree of pollutant in studied river. So, an effective management of erosion, domestic waste and agricultural activities in watershed is highly recommended.
Environmental Management
E. Atuanya; W. Aborisade
Abstract
Management of cocoa plantation field relied on the use of pesticides over the years; hence, the fate of such chemicals is one of the most debated issues among the stakeholders. Young and old cocoa plantation fields from 4 major cocoa producing States in Nigeria were selected as the study area. Eight ...
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Management of cocoa plantation field relied on the use of pesticides over the years; hence, the fate of such chemicals is one of the most debated issues among the stakeholders. Young and old cocoa plantation fields from 4 major cocoa producing States in Nigeria were selected as the study area. Eight composites soil samples collected from 3 portions of 6 transect measured area (100 x 50m) of the field were transported to the laboratory in sterile glass jar for analysis. A total of 19 organochlorine pesticides residues; (aldrin, α-hexachlorohexane, β-hexachlorohexane, γ-hexachlorohexane, δ-hexachlorohexane, α-chlordane, γ-chlordane, p,p’-dichlorodiphenyldichloroethane, p,p’-dichlorodiphenyldichloroethylene, p,p’-dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane, dieldrin, endosulfan I, endosulfan-II, endosulfan sulfate, endrin, endrin aldehydes, heptachlor, heptachlor epoxide and metoxychlor) were analyzed with gas chromatography equipped with electron capture detector. The results revealed the variation in the number of residues detected among the study fields. Endosulfan-I had the highest value g organochlorine pesticides residue detected. Most of the residue concentrations were within the European Union regulatory standard of Czech Republic. Other-cyclodine group had the highest concentration value among the evaluated organochlorine pesticides groups. The significant (P < 0.05) higher concentration of total organochlorine pesticides were observed in old fields. Composition quotients values indicate that most of the observed organochlorine pesticides residues were products of historical usage. There were strong correlations among the total organic carbon contents of soils and the total organochlorine pesticides compounds. Government regulatory agencies are encouraged to vigorously embark in further monitoring and ensuring the safety compliance of farmers towards the use of pesticides in Nigeria farms.
Environmental Management
R. Mirzaei; M.R. Hemami; A. Esmaili Sari; H.R. Rezaei; A.T. Peterson
Abstract
Understanding distributions of wildlife species is a key step towards identifying biodiversity hotspots and designing effective conservation strategies. In this paper, the spatial pattern of diversity of birds in Golestan Province, Iran was estimated. Ecological niche modeling was used to determine distributions ...
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Understanding distributions of wildlife species is a key step towards identifying biodiversity hotspots and designing effective conservation strategies. In this paper, the spatial pattern of diversity of birds in Golestan Province, Iran was estimated. Ecological niche modeling was used to determine distributions of 144 bird species across the province using a maximum entropy algorithm. Richness maps across all birds, and separately for rare and threatened species, were prepared as approximations to hotspots. Results showed close similarity between hotspots for all birds and those for rare birds; hotspots were concentrated in the southern and especially the southwestern parts of the province. Hotspots for threatened birds tended more to the central and especially the western parts of the province, which include coastal habitats. Based on three criteria, it is clear that the western part is the most important area of the province in terms of bird Faunas. Despite some shortcomings, hotspot analysis for birds could be applied to guide conservation efforts and provide useful tool towards efficient conservation action.
Environmental Management
V. Pelitli; Ö. Doğan; H.J. Köroğlu
Abstract
In accordance with waste strategy for Turkey, the study was carried out to analyses waste engine crankcase oils and waste gearbox oils generated from vehicle maintenance services in order to determine their suitability for recycling, recovery or final disposal based on regulation published by Turkish ...
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In accordance with waste strategy for Turkey, the study was carried out to analyses waste engine crankcase oils and waste gearbox oils generated from vehicle maintenance services in order to determine their suitability for recycling, recovery or final disposal based on regulation published by Turkish Ministry of Environment and Forestry on 21 January 2004. The regulation requires all waste oil neither abandoned nor released into the environment and all batches must be analyzed for arsenic, cadmium, chromium, lead, chlorine, total halogens, polychlorinated biphenyls, and flash points. The content analysis showed that the heavy metal concentrations in waste engine crankcase oils were varied considerably, between the metals analyzed, lead the highest is followed by chromium, arsenic and cadmium. In addition, higher amount of chlorine and total halogens, were detected in some samples, while polychlorinated biphenyls concentrations remained below regulatory limits for all samples. The analyses revealed that waste engine crankcase oils from fifteen to thirty five years old vehicles contained chromium, lead, chlorine and total halogens levels above legal limits set by Ministry of Environment and Forestry for recycling. Conversely, in comparison to the findings from the analyzed series of old vehicles, the waste engine crankcase oils samples from new vehicles and all waste gearbox oils are eligible for recycling.
Environmental Management
O. Daramola; O. Odunsi
Abstract
Environmental hazards caused by living conditions and human behaviour in residential areas are types of manmade hazards which have rarely been studied and documented in literature. Available studies that had considered theconventional residential environment had proved that residents’ perception ...
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Environmental hazards caused by living conditions and human behaviour in residential areas are types of manmade hazards which have rarely been studied and documented in literature. Available studies that had considered theconventional residential environment had proved that residents’ perception were influenced by human and environmental factors. With focus on educational institutions, this paper assessed the determinants of students’ perception of environmental hazards and risks on campus environment. Using probability sampling technique, data were obtained through administration of questionnaire on 367 students of university, polytechnic and college of education in Oyo State. The data collected were analysed using inferential statistics. Findings revealed three broad factors which are socioeconomic background, sanitation behaviour and availability of environmental amenities. It was concluded that environmental amenities influenced students’ perception of environmental hazards and risks the most with a regression coefficient (β) of -0.373 compared with sanitation behaviour (β = 0.311) and socioeconomic background (β = 0.123). The appropriate authorities could therefore improve on maintenance of existing environmental amenities and/or provision of new ones in the educational institutions.
Environmental Management
S. Rezaian; S.A. Jozi; N. Zaredar
Abstract
The present study was conducted to assess the possible risks induced by construction of Gavi Dam in Ilam Province; western part of Iran, using MIKE-11 model and technique for order of preference by similarity to ideal solution. For this purpose, vulnerable zone of the dam site against the flooding risk ...
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The present study was conducted to assess the possible risks induced by construction of Gavi Dam in Ilam Province; western part of Iran, using MIKE-11 model and technique for order of preference by similarity to ideal solution. For this purpose, vulnerable zone of the dam site against the flooding risk of Gavi River was calculated for different return periods. The flooding zones were stimulated by MIKE-11 model. In order to check whether or not the dam construction could affect the quality of the Gavi River, the physicochemical quality of the river water was also tested. Afterwards, a questionnaire was prepared containing an inventory of possible risks supposed to be induced by construction of Gavi Dam. The questionnaires were placed at disposal of experts to score the items based on their importance. The questionnaires were then analyzed using SPSS Software, version 16. According to which, a total number of 12 risk factors were identified. The dam construction risks were qualitatively assessed by preliminary hazard analysis. Based on the results, 3 of 12 identified risks were recognized unacceptable. The shortlisted risks were prioritized at final step using technique for order of preference by similarity to ideal solution. "Habitat fragmentation" with a weight of 0.3002, "water pollution" with a weight of 0.295, and "impacts on aquatics" with a weight of 0.293 were identified as three top priority flooding risks. Among the most important corrective measures for mitigation of the risks at construction phase can be pointed to "restoration of the land cover", “conservation of areas surrounding the dam as a new wildlife habitat", “prevention of water contamination”, and "conservation of fish spawning sites".
Environmental Management
M. Akbari; M. Ownegh; H.R. Asgari; A. Sadoddin; H. Khosravi
Abstract
Risk assessment provides the possibility of planning and management to prevent and reduce the risk of desertification. The present study is aimed to assess the hazard and risk of desertification and to develop management programs in the semi-arid western regions of Golestan Province in Iran. Desertification ...
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Risk assessment provides the possibility of planning and management to prevent and reduce the risk of desertification. The present study is aimed to assess the hazard and risk of desertification and to develop management programs in the semi-arid western regions of Golestan Province in Iran. Desertification rate was obtained using the Iranian model of desertification potential assessment. Since the rating system was considered for the indicators, data analyses were carried out according to the Mann-Whitney test. The risk of desertification was calculated based on hazard, elements at risk and vulnerability assessment maps. The intensity of desertification was estimated to be medium. Among the factors affecting desertification, agriculture by the weighted average of 3.22 had the highest effect, followed by soil, vegetation, water and wind erosion criteria by weighted averages of 2.45, 2.32, 2.15 and 1.6 respectively. Desertification risk assessment results also showed that about 78% of central and northern parts of the region, with the largest population and residential centers, surface and underground water resources, agriculture and horticulture, is confronted with a high to very high degree of risk. Management plans and control measures, based on risk values were presented in four activities (with two management priorities under critical and non-critical conditions). For the management program with the largest area. Control measures and strategies such as the establishment of halophytic and xerophytic plants, drainage networks, resilient facilities and infrastructure were proposed. Reducing the risk of desertification, could play a crucial role in the sustainable development of drylands and desert ecosystems.
Environmental Management
P.C. Emenike; D.O. Omole; B.U. Ngene; I.T. Tenebe
Abstract
The expensive nature of metal ions detoxification from wastewater have restricted the use of conventional treatment technologies. Cheap, alternative measures have been adopted to eliminate metal contamination, and adsorptions using agricultural adsorbents seem to be the way forward. The use of agricultural ...
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The expensive nature of metal ions detoxification from wastewater have restricted the use of conventional treatment technologies. Cheap, alternative measures have been adopted to eliminate metal contamination, and adsorptions using agricultural adsorbents seem to be the way forward. The use of agricultural adsorbents for cadmium (II), copper (II) and lead (II) ion removal has gained more interest in literature due to the level of contamination in water bodies. This review shed lights on the removal proficiency of various low–cost agricultural adsorbent for the elimination of cadmium (II), copper (II) and lead (II) ions, considering performance, surface modification, equilibrium adsorptive studies, kinetic characteristics, coefficient of correlation (R2) and reuse. Furthermore, these agricultural adsorbents have displayed better performance when rivaled with commercial/conventional adsorbent. Observations from different adsorptive capacities presented owe their performance to surface area improvement/modification, pH of the adsorbent, ionic potential of the solution, initial concentration and elemental component of the adsorbent. However, gaps have been identified to improve applicability, sorption performance, economic viability, optimization, and commercialization of suitable agricultural adsorbents.
Environmental Management
U.G. Abhijna
Abstract
Multivariate statistical techniques such as cluster analysis, multidimensional scaling and principal component analysis were applied to evaluate the temporal and spatial variations in water quality data set generated for two years (2008-2010) from six monitoring stations of Veli-Akkulam Lake and compared ...
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Multivariate statistical techniques such as cluster analysis, multidimensional scaling and principal component analysis were applied to evaluate the temporal and spatial variations in water quality data set generated for two years (2008-2010) from six monitoring stations of Veli-Akkulam Lake and compared with a regional reference lake Vellayani of south India. Seasonal variations of 14 different physicochemical parameters analyzed were as follows: pH (6.42-7.48), water temperature (26.0-31.28°C), salinity (0.50-26.81 ppt), electrical conductivity (47-20656.31 µs/cm), dissolved oxygen (0.078-7.65 mg/L), free carbon-dioxide (3.8-51.8 mg/L), total hardness (27.20-2166.6 mg/L), total dissolved solids (84.66-4195 mg/L), biochemical oxygen demand (1.57-25.78 mg/L), chemical oxygen demand (5.35-71.14 mg/L), nitrate (0.012-0.321 µg/ml), nitrite (0.24-0.79 µg/ml), phosphate (0.04-5.88 mg/L), and sulfate (0.27-27.8 mg/L). Cluster analysis showed four clusters based on the similarity of water quality characteristics among sampling stations during three different seasons (pre-monsoon, monsoon and post-monsoon). Multidimensional scaling in conjunction with cluster analysis identified four distinct groups of sites with varied water quality conditions such as upstream, transitional and downstream conditions in Veli-Akkulam Lake and a reference condition at Vellayani Lake. Principal Component Analysis showed that Veli-Akkulam Lake was seriously deteriorated in water quality while acceptable water quality conditions were observed at reference lake Vellayani. Thus the present study could estimate the effectiveness of multivariate statistical approaches for assessing water quality conditions in lakes.
Environmental Management
T. Salem; Sh.S. Ahmed; M. Hamed; G.H. Abd ElAziz
Abstract
A risk assessment study was conducted to predict the expected hazardous influence on the ecosystem resulted from urbanization and industrialization activities at Helwan area, Egypt. To achieve these goals, soils, plants and water samples were collected from Helwan area, and their total concentrations ...
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A risk assessment study was conducted to predict the expected hazardous influence on the ecosystem resulted from urbanization and industrialization activities at Helwan area, Egypt. To achieve these goals, soils, plants and water samples were collected from Helwan area, and their total concentrations of inorganic contaminants (Cd, Cr, Co, Cu, Fe, Mn, Ni, Pb, and Zn) and organic pollutants; such as Phenol and hydrocarbons were measured. The obtained results showed that, the concentrations of organic contaminants in water streams and surrounding soils recorded high concentration values than the permissible limits, while inorganic elements were within the safe limits for irrigation. In addition, soils irrigated with the effluents of industrial units recorded high values of inorganic and organic contaminants. Consequently, the levels of these contaminants were high in plant tissues grown thereon; especially the edible parts. Risk assessment based on available Predicted No Effect Concentration values for the aquatic and terrestrial environment was performed. Inorganic elements were expected to cause serious hazard problems for both aquatic organisms and soil microorganisms. The impact of these pollutants on human health was calculated using daily metals intake of inorganic metals via consumption of edible plants. Hazard index values proved that concentrations of Cr may cause serious hazard problems for humans in this area; especially, children.
