GROUNDWATER GEOCHEMISTRY OF RROGOZHINA AQUIFER (WESTERN ALBANIA)

This paper aims to make a geochemical characterization of the groundwater of Rrogozhina aquifer which extends over the Albanian pre-Adriatic depression covering a surface of 2100 km2. It is a multilayered aquifer consisting of intercalations between water-bearing Pliocene sandstone and conglomerate with impermeable clay layers. This aquifer occurs under typically artesian conditions because of its impermeable clay basement and semi-impermeable Quaternary cover. The groundwater shows variable geochemical composition due to different mineralogical composition of its medium and vast extension of the aquifer. However, the mainly magmatic - carbonatic mineralogical composition of the water - bearing sandstones and conglomerates has determined a geochemical composition of groundwater consisting mostly of HCO3-Mg-Ca hydrochemical groundwater type. Dissolution of minerals seems to be the major geochemical processes in the formation of the groundwater composition. The above mainly magmatic composition of sandstones and conglomerates is also responsable for the high content of iron in the grounwater of this aquifer. Iron content is higher in sandstone related groundwater where the silt fraction is mainly composed by ironbearing minerals such as magnetite, epidote, granate, sphene, amphibole and pyroxene. The general mineralization and general hardness of groundwater range from 500 to 800 mg/l and from 11 to 25ºdH, respectively

Rules and regulations for the safeguard of water resources: examples from European, Italian and Albanian experiences

Water is a vital and precious resource for people and for ecosystems. We should make each possible effort to protect water resources and increase people’s access to clean and sufficient water. To pursue these purposes many efforts have been realised in terms of technical rules and national laws. This contribution describes the approach of the European Union, Italy and Albania, considering also some local government initiatives concerning the protection of water resources, in terms of availability and quality, and of ecosystems. Attention is given also to the effect of the whole water cycle management in terms of environmental protection and reduction of water-related natural disaster

Traffic noise in urban and regional roads and impact on the administrative facility P+30 in Prishtina

Many current problems are related to noise, which in many cases may be undesirable factorfor the daily activities and work conditions. This is especially evident in urban areas, where isa rapid growth of traffic including the number of vehicles, especially in peak time.Orientations and knowledge bases for the noise will take an important place in this paper,with the right understanding of this phenomenon.Till now in our country that is not taken into account in road and urban analyses. In this paperwe will orient the potential impact of noise in the administrative building in Pristina with P+30 floors, which is very close to the roundabout as a major source of noise. Such an outputdata, based on present measurements of the number of vehicles, made in a different specifiedperiod of time according to standards, and those elements will be interlinked with othergeometric and material parameters. All the analyses will show a result of the intensity of thenoise in dB. To analyze these parameters, intensity of the noise will be taken as the workloadof analyzed building. Also the result of unwanted intensity will be the factor for the designeddimensions and the calculation of the sound barriers in the roundabout, taking into accountthe incorporation in the environment and the urban planning of that part.The result will be presented as a 3D animation for this urban part and the impact of noise asan important factor, since we are dealing with a large concentration of administration in thisbuilding

Ecosystem processes: litter breakdown patterns in Mediterranean and Black Sea transitional waters

1 - Leaf litter decomposition rates, in aquatic ecosystems, are known to be related to many different abiotic and biotic factors. 2 - Here, we focus on the influence of abiotic factors, searching for patterns of reed litter decay rates on gradient of physiographic, hydrological and physico-chemical components of transitional water ecosystems. 3 - Field experiments were carried out in 16 water ecosystems in the Eastern Mediterranean and Black Sea in spring 2005. 4 - Significant differences of leaf litter decomposition were observed among ecosystems along univariate gradient of tidal range, index of sinuosity, water temperature and salinity. At least 71% of variance in the litter breakdown rate was explained by the considered abiotic factors. 5 - It is concluded that, at the macro-ecological scale of study, some key abiotic factors, such as tidal range and salinity, are suggested to play a major role as drivers of plant detritus decomposition processes. 6 - The relevance of the described abiotic drivers as descriptor of the most commonly used classification schemes for transitional water ecosystems (i.e., Confinement and Venice System classifications), is a further support to their role as environmental forcing factors

Effects of Natural and Anthropogenic Stressors on Fucalean Brown Seaweeds Across Different Spatial Scales in the Mediterranean Sea

Algal habitat-forming forests composed of fucalean brown seaweeds (Cystoseira, Ericaria, and Gongolaria) have severely declined along the Mediterranean coasts, endangering the maintenance of essential ecosystem services. Numerous factors determine the loss of these assemblages and operate at different spatial scales, which must be identified to plan conservation and restoration actions. To explore the critical stressors (natural and anthropogenic) that may cause habitat degradation, we investigated (a) the patterns of variability of fucalean forests in percentage cover (abundance) at three spatial scales (location, forest, transect) by visual estimates and or photographic sampling to identify relevant spatial scales of variation, (b) the correlation between semi-quantitative anthropogenic stressors, individually or cumulatively (MA-LUSI index), including natural stressors (confinement, sea urchin grazing), and percentage cover of functional groups (perennial, semi-perennial) at forest spatial scale. The results showed that impacts from mariculture and urbanization seem to be the main stressors affecting habitat-forming species. In particular, while mariculture, urbanization, and cumulative anthropogenic stress negatively correlated with the percentage cover of perennial fucalean species, the same stressors were positively correlated with the percentage cover of the semi-perennial Cystoseira compressa and C. compressa subsp. pustulata. Our results indicate that human impacts can determine spatial patterns in these fragmented and heterogeneous marine habitats, thus stressing the need of carefully considering scale-dependent ecological processes to support conservation and restoration

Rules and regulations for the safeguard of water resources: examples from European, Italian and Albanian experiences

Water is a vital and precious resource for people and for ecosystems. We should make each possible effort to protect water resources and increase people’s access to clean and sufficient water. To pursue these purposes many efforts have been realised in terms of technical rules and national laws. This contribution describes the approach of the European Union, Italy and Albania, considering also some local government initiatives concerning the protection of water resources, in terms of availability and quality, and of ecosystems. Attention is given also to the effect of the whole water cycle management in terms of environmental protection and reduction of water-related natural disaster.PublishedScutari (Albania)1.5. TTC - Sorveglianza dell'attività eruttiva dei vulcaniope