Implementació d'un sistema de mesura ambiental portàtil alimentat amb energia solar

[cat] El present document mostra el procés realitzat en el projecte de fi de carrera que ha consistit en el disseny i fabricació d'un sistema de mesura ambiental incorporat en una motxilla. El sistema està dividit en dos mòduls: alimentació i mesura. El mòdul d'alimentació adapta l'energia procedent de la radiadó solar a les necessitats del sistema per garantir el seu funcionament. L'energia requerida també pot provenir d'una connexió a la xarxa elèctrica. A més, el sistema carrega unes bateries recarregables que també serveixen com a font d'entrada d'energia. El mòdul de mesura capta la informació de diferents paràmetres meteorològics a través de sensors i guarda aquestes dades en una memòria externa extraïble. En aquesta memòria es crea un fitxer amb les dades que és accessible a través d'un ordinador, amb el qual es podran visualitzar els resultats. A més, el sistema té implementada una interfície per connectar-hi un módul GPS

Extreme precipitation events induce high fluxes of groundwater and associated nutrients to the coastal ocean

Current Submarine Groundwater Discharge (SGD) studies are commonly conducted under aquifer baseflow conditions, neglecting the influence of episodic events that can significantly increase the supply of nutrients and water. This limits our understanding of the social, biogeochemical, and ecological impacts of SGD. In this study, we evaluated the influence of an extreme precipitation event (EPE) on the magnitude of both the terrestrial and marine components of SGD. To do so, three seawater sampling campaigns were performed at a Mediterranean ephemeral stream-dominated basin after an extreme precipitation event (~90 mm in few hours) and in baseflow conditions. Results indicate that the groundwater flows of terrestrial and marine SGD after the extreme precipitation event were 1 order of magnitude higher than those in baseflow conditions. SGD induced by extreme precipitation events, which only take place a few days per year, represented up to one third of the annual discharge of groundwater and associated nutrients at the study site. This work accentuates the need to account for episodic increases in the supply of water and nutrients when aiming at providing reliable annual SGD estimates, particularly in the current context of climate change, since the occurrence of such events is expected to increase worldwide.This work was partly funded by the projects PID2019-110212RB- C22, CGL2016-77122-C2-1-R/2-R and PID2019-110311RB-C21 of the Spanish Government and the project TerraMar ACA210/18/00007 of the Catalan Water Agency. The authors want to express their thanks for the support of the Generalitat de Catalunya for MERS (2017 SGR-1588) and GHS (2017 SGR 1485) for additional funding. The authors would like to thank Maravillas Abad from ICM-CSIC for the analysis of nutrients. M. Diego-Feliu acknowledges the economic support from the FI-2017 fellowships of the Generalitat de Catalunya autonomous government (2017FI_B_00365). V. Rodellas acknowledges financial support from the Beatriu de Pinós postdoctoral program of the Generalitat de Catalunya autonomous government (2019-BP-00241). A. Alorda-Kleinglass acknowledges financial support from ICTA “Unit of Excellence” (MinECo, MDM2015‐440 0552‐17‐1) and PhD fellowship, BES‐2017‐080740. Albert Folch is a Serra Hunter Fellow. We would like to thank all colleagues from the Grup de Recerca en Radioactivitat Ambiental de Barcelona - GRAB (Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona). We would like to thank SIMMAR (Serveis Integrals de Manteniment del Maresme) and the Consell Comarcal del Maresme for the construction of the research site.Peer ReviewedPostprint (published version

The social implications of Submarine Groundwater Discharge from an Ecosystem Services perspective: A systematic review

Altres ajuts: Acord transformatiu CRUE-CSICUnidad de excelencia María de Maeztu CEX2019-000940-MSubmarine Groundwater Discharge (SGD) is recognized as a fundamental hydrological process that supports many coastal biogeochemical cycles and social-ecological systems. However, very little has been investigated about how SGD affects society and, specifically, human well-being. This study systematically examines the published scientific literature on the social implications of SGD by using an Ecosystem Service (ES) perspective. Coastal services provided by ecosystems dependent on SGD are analyzed and clustered in the four main categories of Ecosystem Services (i.e., Provisioning, Supporting, Regulating and Cultural), which are in turn divided into subcategories defined as outcomes. This allows identifying and discussing both benefits and threats to coastal societies resulting from SGD outcomes. From the 1532 articles initially reviewed, the most frequently mentioned category was the supporting services (835) due to the mainstream trend in scientific literature to focus on the role of SGD as a process influencing coastal biogeochemical cycles. Conversely, cultural ES were mentioned in only 49 cases, which should not necessarily be interpreted as a lack of research or interest in this topic, but that this type of references are often not found in the scientific literature but in the grey literature. A detailed publication review was additionally conducted, identifying 114 case studies from 96 different locations worldwide that reported cases in which SGD had social implications on the well-being. Our review also shows how the different types of Ecosystem Services can have multiple synergies and trade-offs between them, resulting in unequal impacts among stakeholder groups. Overall, this study identifies research gaps related to Ecosystem Services provided by SGD as well as opportunities for further studies, while developing an analytical framework that relies on the Ecosystem Services approach to guide future research on the social implications of SGD

Groundwater discharge as a driver of methane emissions from Arctic lakes

Lateral CH4 inputs to Arctic lakes through groundwater discharge could be substantial and constitute an important pathway that links CH4 production in thawing permafrost to atmospheric emissions via lakes. Yet, groundwater CH4 inputs and associated drivers are hitherto poorly constrained because their dynamics and spatial variability are largely unknown. Here, we unravel the important role and drivers of groundwater discharge for CH4 emissions from Arctic lakes. Spatial patterns across lakes suggest groundwater inflows are primarily related to lake depth and wetland cover. Groundwater CH4 inputs to lakes are higher in summer than in autumn and are influenced by hydrological (groundwater recharge) and biological drivers (CH4 production). This information on the spatial and temporal patterns on groundwater discharge at high northern latitudes is critical for predicting lake CH4 emissions in the warming Arctic, as rising temperatures, increasing precipitation, and permafrost thawing may further exacerbate groundwater CH4 inputs to lakes

High spatial heterogeneity and low connectivity of bacterial communities along a Mediterranean subterranean estuary

Unidad de excelencia María de Maeztu CEX2019-000940-MSubterranean estuaries are biogeochemically active coastal sites resulting from the underground mixing of fresh aquifer groundwater and seawater. In these systems, microbial activity can largely transform the chemical elements that may reach the sea through submarine groundwater discharge (SGD), but little is known about the microorganisms thriving in these land-sea transition zones. We present the first spatially-resolved characterization of the bacterial assemblages along a coastal aquifer in the NW Mediterranean, considering the entire subsurface salinity gradient. Combining bulk heterotrophic activity measurements, flow cytometry, microscopy and 16S rRNA gene sequencing we find large variations in prokaryotic abundances, cell size, activity and diversity at both the horizontal and vertical scales that reflect the pronounced physicochemical gradients. The parts of the transect most influenced by freshwater were characterized by smaller cells and lower prokaryotic abundances and heterotrophic production, but some activity hotspots were found at deep low-oxygen saline groundwater sites enriched in nitrite and ammonium. Diverse, heterogeneous and highly endemic communities dominated by Proteobacteria, Patescibacteria, Desulfobacterota and Bacteroidota were observed throughout the aquifer, pointing to clearly differentiated prokaryotic niches across these transition zones and little microbial connectivity between groundwater and Mediterranean seawater habitats. Finally, experimental manipulations unveiled large increases in community heterotrophic activity driven by fast growth of some rare and site-specific groundwater Proteobacteria. Our results indicate that prokaryotic communities within subterranean estuaries are highly heterogeneous in terms of biomass, activity and diversity, suggesting that their role in transforming nutrients will also vary spatially within these terrestrial-marine transition zones

Ecogeomorfologia i drons com a eines de gestió dinàmica postincendi. El cas de la comarca del Pariatge, Mallorca

Ecogeomorphology and drones as dynamic tools for post-fire management. The experience in the Pariatge County, Mallorca Wildfires are one of the most significant driving factors in desertification processes. Furthermore, insular territories such Mallorca are more affected by human impacts due to their intrinsic socioecological fragility. The increase of burned surface area since 2011 in Balearic Islands involves a challenge in which forest management and research through interdisciplinary and technological advances should be joined. Ecogeomorphology is an emergent discipline which allows investigating the role of geomorphic processes in the vegetation recovery. Additionally, the introduction of unmanned aerial vehicles as remotesensing tools offers new and exciting opportunities for monitoring environmental processes. This paper pretends to elucidate the potential of ecogeomorphology and drones to implement more effective and dynamic post-fire management integrating both the resilience capacity of ecosystems with sediment connectivity for landscape restoration.Els incendis forestals són considerats un dels factors causals més importants en els processos de desertificació. Els territoris insulars com Mallorca són particularment sensibles als impactes antròpics, per la seva major fragilitat socioecològica. L?increment de superfície cremada a Mallorca d?ençà el 2011 esperoneja a vincular gestió forestal i recerca amb interdisciplinarietat i avenços tecnològics. L?ecogeomorfologia permet investigar el paper dels processos geomorfològics en la recuperació de la vegetació. Endemés, la introducció dels vehicles aeris no tripulats com a instruments de teledetecció presenta noves oportunitats en el monitoratge de processos ambientals. Aquest article pretén dilucidar el potencial de l?ecogeomorfologia i els drons per aplicar una gestió postincendi més efectiva i dinàmica, integrant la capacitat de resiliència dels ecosistemes amb la connectivitat dels sediments per restaurar el paisatge.Ecogeomorfología y drones como instrumentos de gestión dinámica post-incendio. El caso de la comarca del Pariatge, Mallorca Los incendios forestales son uno de los factores causales más importantes en los procesos de desertificación. Los territorios insulares como Mallorca son particularmente sensibles a los impactos antrópicos, a causa de su mayor fragilidad socioecológica. El incremento de superficie quemada en Mallorca desde el año 2011 incita vincular gestión forestal e investigación a través de interdisciplinariedad y avances tecnológicos. La ecogeomorfología permite investigar el papel de los procesos geomorfológicos en la recuperación de la vegetación. Además, la introducción de vehículos aéreos no tripulados como instrumentos de teledetección presenta nuevas oportunidades en la monitorización de procesos ambientales. Este artículo pretende dilucidar el potencial de la ecogeomorfología y de los drones para aplicar una gestión post-incendio más efectiva y dinámica, integrando la capacidad de resiliencia de los ecosistemas con la conectividad de los sedimentos para restaurar el paisaje

Radium isotopes as submarine groundwater discharge (SGD) tracers: review and recommendations

© The Author(s), 2021. This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License. The definitive version was published in Garcia-Orellana, J., Rodellas, V., Tamborski, J., Diego-Feliu, M., van Beek, P., Weinstein, Y., Charette, M., Alorda-Kleinglass, A., Michael, H. A., Stieglitz, T., & Scholten, J. Radium isotopes as submarine groundwater discharge (SGD) tracers: review and recommendations. Earth-Science Reviews, 220, (2021): 103681, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.earscirev.2021.103681.Submarine groundwater discharge (SGD) is now recognized as an important process of the hydrological cycle worldwide and plays a major role as a conveyor of dissolved compounds to the ocean. Naturally occurring radium isotopes (223Ra, 224Ra, 226Ra and 228Ra) are widely employed geochemical tracers in marine environments. Whilst Ra isotopes were initially predominantly applied to study open ocean processes and fluxes across the continental margins, their most common application in the marine environment has undoubtedly become the identification and quantification of SGD. This review focuses on the application of Ra isotopes as tracers of SGD and associated inputs of water and solutes to the coastal ocean. In addition, we review i) the processes controlling Ra enrichment and depletion in coastal groundwater and seawater; ii) the systematics applied to estimate SGD using Ra isotopes and iii) we summarize additional applications of Ra isotopes in groundwater and marine studies. We also provide some considerations that will help refine SGD estimates and identify the critical knowledge gaps and research needs related to the current use of Ra isotopes as SGD tracers.J.Garcia-Orellana acknowledges the financial support of the Spanish Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities, through the “Maria de Maeztu” programme for Units of Excellence (CEX2019-000940-M), the Generalitat de Catalunya (MERS; 2017 SGR – 1588) and the project OPAL (PID2019-110311RB-C21). V. Rodellas acknowledges financial support from the Beatriu de Pinós postdoctoral program of the Generalitat de Catalunya (2017-BP-00334 and 2019-BP-00241). M. Charette received support from the U.S. National Science Foundation (OCE-1736277). J. Scholten acknowledges the support through the SEAMOUNT BONUS project (art. 185), which is funded jointly by the EU and the Federal Ministry of Education and Research of Germany (BMBF, grant no. 03F0771B). P. van Beek and T. Stieglitz acknowledge support from the French ANR project MED-SGD (ANR-15-01CE-0004) and chair @RAction MED-LOC (ANR-14-ACHN-0007-01). A. Alorda-Kleinglass acknowledges financial support from ICTA “Unit of Excellence” (MinECo, MDM2015-0552-17-1) and PhD fellowship, BES-2017-080740. H. Michael acknowledges support from the U.S. National Science Foundation (EAR-1759879). M. Diego-Feliu acknowledges the financial support from the FI-2017 fellowships of the Generalitat de Catalunya (2017-FIB-00365). Fig. 3, Fig. 4, Fig. 7, Fig. 12 were designed by Gemma Solà (www.gemmasola.com)

Biological basis of extensive pleiotropy between blood traits and cancer risk

Background: The immune system has a central role in preventing carcinogenesis. Alteration of systemic immune cell levels may increase cancer risk. However, the extent to which common genetic variation influences blood traits and cancer risk remains largely undetermined. Here, we identify pleiotropic variants and predict their underlying molecular and cellular alterations. Methods: Multivariate Cox regression was used to evaluate associations between blood traits and cancer diagnosis in cases in the UK Biobank. Shared genetic variants were identified from the summary statistics of the genome-wide association studies of 27 blood traits and 27 cancer types and subtypes, applying the conditional/conjunctional false-discovery rate approach. Analysis of genomic positions, expression quantitative trait loci, enhancers, regulatory marks, functionally defined gene sets, and bulk- and single-cell expression profiles predicted the biological impact of pleiotropic variants. Plasma small RNAs were sequenced to assess association with cancer diagnosis. Results: The study identified 4093 common genetic variants, involving 1248 gene loci, that contributed to blood-cancer pleiotropism. Genomic hotspots of pleiotropism include chromosomal regions 5p15-TERT and 6p21-HLA. Genes whose products are involved in regulating telomere length are found to be enriched in pleiotropic variants. Pleiotropic gene candidates are frequently linked to transcriptional programs that regulate hematopoiesis and define progenitor cell states of immune system development. Perturbation of the myeloid lineage is indicated by pleiotropic associations with defined master regulators and cell alterations. Eosinophil count is inversely associated with cancer risk. A high frequency of pleiotropic associations is also centered on the regulation of small noncoding Y-RNAs. Predicted pleiotropic Y-RNAs show specific regulatory marks and are overabundant in the normal tissue and blood of cancer patients. Analysis of plasma small RNAs in women who developed breast cancer indicates there is an overabundance of Y-RNA preceding neoplasm diagnosis. Conclusions: This study reveals extensive pleiotropism between blood traits and cancer risk. Pleiotropism is linked to factors and processes involved in hematopoietic development and immune system function, including components of the major histocompatibility complexes, and regulators of telomere length and myeloid lineage. Deregulation of Y-RNAs is also associated with pleiotropism. Overexpression of these elements might indicate increased cancer risk

The connection between Submarine Groundwater Discharge and seawater quality : The threat of treated wastewater injected into coastal aquifers

Altres ajuts: acords transformatius de la UABUnidad de excelencia María de Maeztu CEX2019-000940-MSubmarine Groundwater Discharge (SGD) delivers nutrients to the coastal sea triggering phytoplankton blooms, eutrophication, and can also serve as a pathway for contaminants. Wastewater treatment plants (WWTP) including injection wells in coastal areas influence coastal aquifers and might impact the composition and magnitude of SGD fluxes. In tourist areas, wastewater treatment may be less efficient and larger in volume during high seasons, potentially impacting nutrient fluxes from SGD and exacerbating environmental impacts. This study analyzes the nutrient transfer from treated wastewater injection in karstic aquifers to the coastal sea via SGD, considering the impacts of tourism seasonality. This study is conducted in Cala Deià, a small cove in the Balearic Islands, a Mediterranean tourist destination. The findings suggest that the seasonality of tourism, leading to variations in the volume of wastewater treated in the WWTP, influences the dynamics of the coastal aquifer. This leads to increased SGD water and nutrient fluxes to the sea in summer, i.e. the peak tourist season. The measured DIN, DIP, and DSi inventories in the cove are much larger in August than in April (3, 10, and 1.5 times higher, respectively) due to higher input of nutrients in summer due to SGD impacted by the WWTP. These elevated nutrient flows can support algal blooms in the cove, compromising water quality for local swimmers and tourists. Indeed, in August, shoreline stations exhibited eutrophic Chl-a concentrations, with peaks reaching approximately 4 mg Chl-a L. These elevated levels suggest the presence of an algal bloom during the survey. The anthropogenic origin of SGD-driven nutrients is traced in seawater and seagrass meadows, as evidenced by high ∂N signatures indicative of polluted areas. Thus, the high pressure exerted on coastal areas by tourism activities increased the magnitude of SGD nutrient fluxes, thereby threatening coastal ecosystems and the services they provide