Variation of organic carbon and nitrate with river flow within an oceanic regime in a rural area and potential impacts for drinking water production

International audienceOver the last two decades, climate change has become a major environmental and public health concern due to the increase of the mean temperature on the Earth and its consequences on extreme meteorological events such as floods and droughts. These events induce very low or very high river flows that may impair surface water quality, and therefore result in potential health impacts when used for drinking water production. The present study aims at assessing the impact of hydrologic regime on surface water quality with a particular emphasis on total organic carbon (TOC) and nitrate. Water quality data from three French rivers acquired over a 27 years period, from January 1983 to December 2009, show the influence of extreme flows. Variation in TOC and nitrate concentrations showed opposite patterns for the whole range of flow rate (from less than 10% up to more than 100% of the mean flow). Regarding fluxes, TOC increased continuously with flow rate while nitrate was stable for very high discharges. The C/N ratio expressed from TOC and nitrate concentrations showed high values for extreme flows and particularly for very low flow rates, generally in summer, where nitrate is assimilated by biomass. Considering TOC and nitrate fluxes, it is confirmed that the worst situations were encountered for very high flow rates, namely for TOC exportation during surface runoff which was related to heavy rains or floods. These findings are of great importance with regard to the adaptation for drinking water treatment in facing extreme hydrological conditions, of which the frequency is increasing with climate change

Water safety plans and climate change mitigation

[Excerpt] Definition Quality water at affordable prices for all is a key condition for the promotion of public health, environmental sustainability, and quality and safety of life. In a context of growing external uncertainties arising from changes in the climate and the environment, ensuring these conditions is an upward concern and is of utmost relevance to increase scientific research on the impacts of climate change on water quality modification and in minimization/mitigation strategies

Analytical issues in monitoring drinking-water contamination related to short-term, heavy rainfall events

International audienceHeavy rainfall events, increasing in frequency and intensity with climate change, impact on the quality of the water resource used for drinking-water production. Small-scale water suppliers are particularly sensitive because of their management and the related difficulties of adapting treatment to variations. Decision-support systems, based on monitoring and analytical tools, need to be developed to improve crisis-management procedures related to such events. After presenting the issues related to heavy rainfall events, the article summarizes the tools currently used for quality control of drinking water within this framework, the need for developments and other requirements

Il crimine dei crimini. Stermini di massa nel Novecento

Il volume intende offrire, attraverso un approccio multidisciplinare assente in molti testi che trattano le stesse tematiche, una riflessione sui tragici e molteplici episodi di stermini di massa che hanno insanguinato il XX secolo, nella convinzione che solo una analisi capace di utilizzare un ampio spettro di strumenti di ricerca possa dar conto della complessit\ue0 dei fenomeni indagati. Muovendo da prospettive che attraversano la storia del pensiero politico e delle ideologie politiche, la ricostruzione storica, l\u2019analisi sociologica, il diritto internazionale e comparato, il diritto penale internazionale, si sono in particolare voluti evidenziare i punti di analogia e di differenza che contraddistinguono gli episodi presi in esame: il genocidio degli armeni da parte del partito dei Giovani Turchi; il genocidio del popolo ebraico e lo sterminio dei rom e dei sinti per opera dei nazisti; lo sterminio di classe operato dai regimi comunisti; la pulizia etnica in Bosnia compiuta dallo Stato nazionalcomunista serbo; il genocidio dei tutsi ad opera degli hutu in Rwanda