Monitoring the coastal zone using earth observation::application of linear spectral unmixing to coastal dune systems in Wales

Coastal sand dune systems across temperate Europe are presently characterized by a high level of ecological stabilization and a subsequent loss of biological diversity. The use of continuous monitoring within these systems is vital to the preservation of species richness, particularly with regard to the persistence of early stage pioneer species dependent on a strong sediment supply. Linear spectral unmixing was applied to archived Landsat data (1975?2014) and historical aerial photography (1941?1962) for monitoring bare sand (BS) cover dynamics as a proxy for ecological dune stabilization. Using this approach, a time series of change was calculated for Kenfig Burrows, a 6-km2 stabilized dune system in South Wales, during 1941?2014. The time series indicated that a rapid level of stabilization had occurred within the study area over a period of 75 years. Accuracy assessment of the data indicated the suitability of medium-resolution imagery with an RMSE of <10% across all images and a difference of <3% between observed and predicted BS area. Temporal resolution was found to be a significant factor in the representation of BS cover with fluctuations occurring on a sub-decadal scale, outside of the margin of error introduced through the use of medium-resolution Landsat imagery. This study demonstrates a tractable approach for mapping and monitoring ecologically sensitive regions at a subLandsat pixel levelpublishersversionPeer reviewe

Climate change and human health in the Eastern Mediterranean and middle east: Literature review, research priorities and policy suggestions

Human health is linked to climatic factors in complex ways, and climate change can have profound direct and indirect impacts on the health status of any given region. Susceptibility to climate change is modulated by biological, ecological and socio-political factors such as age, gender, geographic location, socio-economic status, occupation, health status and housing conditions, among other. In the Eastern Mediterranean and Middle East (EMME), climatic factors known to affect human health include extreme heat, water shortages and air pollution. Furthermore, the epidemiology of vector-borne diseases (VBDs) and the health consequences of population displacement are also influenced by climate change in this region. To inform future policies for adaptation and mitigation measures, and based on an extensive review of the available knowledge, we recommend several research priorities for the region. These include the generation of more empirical evidence on exposure-response functions involving climate change and specific health outcomes, the development of appropriate methodologies to evaluate the physical and psychological effects of climate change on vulnerable populations, determining how climate change alters the ecological determinants of human health, improving our understanding of the effects of long-term exposure to heat stress and air pollution, and evaluating the interactions between adaptation and mitigation strategies. Because national boundaries do not limit most climate-related factors expected to impact human health, we propose that adaptation/mitigation policies must have a regional scope, and therefore require collaborative efforts among EMME nations. Policy suggestions include a decisive region-wide decarbonisation, the integration of environmentally driven morbidity and mortality data throughout the region, advancing the development and widespread use of affordable technologies for the production and management of drinking water by non-traditional means, the development of comprehensive strategies to improve the health status of displaced populations, and fostering regional networks for monitoring and controlling the spread of infectious diseases and disease vectors.This project received funding from the Cyprus Institute's Core funds and from the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No. 856612 and the Cyprus Government. All authors are members of the Task Force on Health of the Eastern Mediterranean and Middle East Climate Change Initiative (EMME-CCI).Peer reviewe

Characteristics of mineral dust impacting the Persian Gulf

It is generally assumed that severe dust events in western Iran could be responsible for elevated levels of toxic and radioactive elements in the region. Over a period of 5 months, from January 2013 to May 2013, dust particles in the size range PM10 (i.e. &lt;10 µm) were collected at Abadan, a site beside the Persian Gulf. The research aim was to compare chemical compositions of dust and aerosol samples collected during the non-dusty periods and during two severe dust events. Results of ICP-MS analysis of components indicate that during dust events the concentrations of major elements such as Ca, Mg, Al and K increase relative to ambient conditions when Fe and trace elements such as Cu, Cr, Ni, Pb and Zn are in higher proportions. Toxic trace elements that are generally ascribed to human activities including industrial and urban pollution are thus proportionately more abundant in the dust under calm conditions than during dust events, when their concentration is diluted by more abundant mineral particles of quartz, calcite and clay. The variability of chemical species during two dust events, noted by tracking the dust plumes in satellite images, was also assessed and the results relate to two different source areas, namely northern Iraq and northwestern Syria.</p

Lake Urmia Salt lake's sedimentation and water dynamics impacts on past environmental reconstruction

International audienceIn recent decades, an overall decrease in surface water resources, even saline, especially in semi-arid and arid regions of the world, can be both a precursor to a decrease in groundwater recharge. This decrease comes either from the impact of climate change moving towards a different distribution of precipitation and evapotranspiration indices, and/or from the increasing footprint of anthropogenic activities both through inappropriate water use, extensive pumping, or even population increases in areas already under pressure for freshwater resources (e.g., Wurtsbaugh et al., 2017; Wang et al., 2018). This is particularly pregnant in salt lake basins for which water resources are vital to hydro-ecosystems and the population. But these basins are not easy to study other than by modeling, due to their very complicated structures as well as the processes they undergo (saltwater intrusion, pollution, etc.), and considering the lacustrine sedimentary deposits (degradation) to which they may or may not be connected. Here we present ongoing research on the Urmia Lake Basin (northern Iran) which is facing a drastic decrease of more than 8 m in its water level over the last 20 years, leading to soil salinization, increase in dust storms, decline in ecosystem services with the effect of losses in agricultural production and massive emigration of rural communities. In order to understand the hydrogeological behavior of the lake under anthropogenic pressures (excessive pumping) and climate change, sedimentary sequences were recovered from the recently drained western part of Urmia Salt Lake, as well as surface and groundwater samples and geological samples from the entire Shahr Chay River Basin