MICROPLASTICS ASSESSMENT IN THE KRKA RIVER ESTUARY SURFACE WATER

Microplastics (MPs), commonly defined as particles less than 5 mm, are a persistent ubiquitous anthropogenic contaminant that can be found in every environment, making it a global environmental, health, and socioeconomic problem. Due to their high surface area, MPs adsorb toxic pollutants that become bioavailable to organisms upon ingestion as they are often mistaken for food leading to biomagnification (Bule et al., 2020). The sampling area represents the lower part of the Krka River Estuary and is under direct anthropogenic influence from the city of Šibenik runoff waters, nautical and communal ports, city harbor, tourism, mariculture, and fishing. Estuaries and harbors have been recognized as hotspots and transfer pathways for MPs primarily because of the vicinity of the urban environment that emits contaminants from various sources (Miller et al., 2021). The main focus of this research was to determine MPs size, shape, color, surface area, and abundance in surface water using volume-reduced samples collected by a net. Laboratory protocol included sieving, wet peroxidation (H2O2), density separation (saturated NaCl solution), sonication, and filtration. Filter papers were then visually inspected for MPs. Image processing and measurements were carried out with ImageJ/Fiji open-source software

Pojava stranog invazivnog školjkaša Arcuatula senhousia u nakupinama stranog invazivnog mnogočetinaša Ficopomatus enigmaticus u delti rijeke Neretve na istočnoj obali Jadranskog mora

Non-indigenous invasive bivalve Arcuatula senhousia was recorded in the area of the eastern Adriatic Sea in Neretva River Delta, in 2010, among tubes of well established aggregations of non-indigenous species of sedentary polychaete Ficopomatus enigmaticus at depths from 0.5 to 1 m. It was very abundant, with the maximal abundance of 102 N/400 cm2, only in very thick fouling aggregations, but any traces of colonization of this species on soft sediments were not observed. Community that inhabits aggregations of invasive polychaete was described in the paper. Occurrence of Arcuatula senhousia in wider area of very important port for international maritime transport suggests that the ballast waters could be possible vector of introduction of this species. The analysis of the sediment revealed that the species was introduced recently. In contrary, Ficopomatus enigmaticus was introduced in the area earlier.Strana invazivna vrsta školjkaša Arcuatula senhousia je zabilježena 2010. godine na području istočnog Jadrana u delti rijeke Neretve, između cjevčica dobro razvijenih nakupina strane vrste sedentarnog mnogočetinaša Ficopomatus enigmaticus na dubinama od 0,5 do 1 m. Bila je vrlo brojna, s najvećom abundancijom od 102 N/400 cm2, samo u vrlo debelim nakupinama u obraštaju. Tragovi kolonizacije ove vrste na sedimentnom dnu nisu opaženi. U radu je opisana i zajednica koja naseljava nakupine ovog invazivnog mnogočetinaša. Pojava vrste A. senhousia na širem području vrlo važne luke za međunarodni pomorski promet ukazuje da balastne vode mogu biti vektor unosa ove vrste. Analiza sedimenta je pokazala da je vrsta nedavno unesena. Za razliku od nje, vrsta F. enigmaticus je, na ovo područje, unesena ranije

Prostorna raspodjela 40K i 232Th u recentnim sedimentima estuarija rijeke Krke

Spatial radionuclides distribution was studied in recent estuarine sediments in the Krka River Estuary. Sediment samples were analyzed for 40K and 232Th by gamma-spectrometry. Activities of 40K were found in the range of 18–457 Bq kg–1 and activities of 232Th in range of 1.9–29.4 Bq kg–1. Distribution of 232Th activities follows that of 40K, with correlation coefficients higher than 0.97 in all analyzed samples from the Krka River estuary. Spatial distribution of natural radionuclides (40K and 232Th) in recent estuarine and marine sedimentation area can be a useful tool for recognizing the possible input of terrigenous material, as well as for fast locating of the area where such material is predominantly settled.U radu je proučavana prostorna raspodjela radionuklida u recentnim sedimentima estuarija rijeke Krke. Uzorci sedimenta analizirani su tijekom protekle dvije godine i aktivnost 40K i 232Th određena je gamaspektrometrijski. Izmjerene aktivnosti za 40K bile su između 18–457 Bq kg–1, a za 232Th izme|u 1.9–29.4 Bq kg–1. Raspodjela aktivnosti 232Th prati raspodjelu aktivnosti 40K, i njihov korelacijski faktor vi{i je od 0,97 u svim analiziranim uzorcima. Prostorna raspodjela prirodnih radionuklida (40K i 232Th) u recentnim estuarijskim i morskim sedimentima pod značajnim je utjecajem unosa terigenog materijala i može biti koristan ključ za prepoznavanje mogućeg izvora materijala kao i boljeg određivanja mjesta najvećeg taloženja tog materijala

Contribution to the implementation of “Green Port” concept in Croatian seaports

The port systems have been identified as major energy consumers. They represent the systems that have difficulty in the adaption of innovative solutions with regard to energy savings and energy efficiency. The most of port systems are using the outdated technology for the measurement of energy consumption and because of the mentioned facts they do not contribute to energy efficiency, environmental protection and sustainable development. On the contrary, seaports are one of the main drivers of the pressure on the environment, especially because of the fact that most of the seaports and terminals are located close to the urban areas (city areas). This paper presents the proposals relevant for the transformation of seaports into environmental friendly ports, based on the “GREEN PORT” DEVELOPMENT project proposal, which is submitted by the Intermodal Transport Cluster (Croatia), on Adriatic-Ionian Programme INTERREG V-B Transnational 2014-2020. Some proposals require advanced technology and resources, while others, such as, thimplementation of the so called model of “Green Port” development do not require any special skills. These proposals represent a small contribution to the great effort to energy efficiency, environment protection and sustainable development

Conceptual model of the ferry que management system in ferry ports in the Republic of Croatia

This paper proposes a model for optimizing the ferry traffic and the traffic demand at the macroscopic level by using information technology (IT) and the existing tourist amenities as a key element for achieving harmonization of supply and demand, i.e. optimization of the assessed system. Proposed approach differs from the other/present models because it includes the application of the macroscopic, instead of the microscopic (local) approach, i.e. harmonization of the ferry infrastructure demand from the place of its origin (road border crossings) to the place of its operation, i.e. the ferry infrastructure, and not solely in particular segments of the ferry infrastructure

The ability to articulate interest as a prerequisite for the democratic rule: a socio-legal analysis

Cilj magistrske naloge je prikaz manifestacije družbene moči skozi pravo, specifično v demokratičnih procesihdemokracija je temelj razvitih družb ter točka, iz katere naj bi dandanes izviralo vso pravo, zato sem se osredotočila nanjo kot na izvor razlikovanja posameznikov na podlagi sposobnosti (abstraktne) artikulacije interesa v volilnih procesih. Obstajajo namreč določene skupine bitij, ki niso sposobne artikulirati svojega interesa abstraktno, na način, ki je značilen za današnje institucionalizirane volilne procese, zato so iz njih izključene. V tej nalogi sem se osredotočila na primere otrok, mentalno manj sposobnih posameznikov in nekaterih drugih subjektov, katerih interes se ne upošteva na enaki ravni kot interes drugih. Demokracija kot vladavina ljudstva se po mojem mnenju dandanes sprevrača v vladavino tistih, ki imajo golo fizično ter mentalno sposobnost oditi na volišče, brati, pisati, in abstrahirano, torej ne konkretno, izraziti svoj interesne gre torej za vladavino, utemeljeno na ideji temeljne enakosti oziroma neizpodbojno jasnih ter enakovrednih interesov, temveč za vladavino tistih, ki so sposobni artikulirano ter dejavno delovati v družbi, ter zahtevati uveljavitev svojih interesov. Gre torej za neke vrste procesno, ne materialno enakost, zaradi katere tisti, ki niso sposobni artikulacije interesov v družbi, postanejo objekti prava. Ogledala sem si različne poglede na demokracijo, predpise, ki urejajo položaje omenjenih skupin, ter vprašanje (objektivnega ter subjektivnega) interesa, ki je ključno za mojo tezo, saj idejo obstoja diskriminacije utemeljujem na podlagi konkretnega interesa napram abstraktnemu. Poudarjam pa, da gre za pravno-sociološko, ne za primarno filozofsko delo, ki skuša torej zgolj naslikati dejanskost družbe in prava, ne pa ju tudi predpisovati.The goal of this paper is to showcase the manifestation of power within a society, specifically in democratic processesdemocracy is the foundation of developed societies and the supposed source of all of today’s law, which is why I focused on it as the source of discrimination of individuals based on their ability to abstractly articulate their interest in voting processes. There are certain groups of people who are incapable of abstractly articulating their interest, in a way which is typical of today’s institutionalised voting processes, which is why they are excluded from themI have focused on children and mentally handicapped individuals, who’s interest isn’t taken into account as much as other people’s is. Democracy as the rule of the people is in my opinion now turning into the rule of those who have the mere physical and mental capacity to go to a voting booth, write and read, and abstractly (as opposed to concretely), formulate their interestit is therefore not a rule based on an idea of fundamental equality or clear and equal interests, but a rule of those who are capable of functioning in a society in an articulate and active way, and demand that their interests are enforced. It is therefore a procedural, not a material equality, because those who aren’t capable of (abstractly) articulating their interests in this society become an object of the law. I have examined different views of democracy, regulation which deals with the status of the before mentioned groups, and the question of interest, which is crucial for my thesis, because I base my idea of the existence of discrimination on concrete interest versus the abstract one. I would like to point out that this is a legally-sociological, not a philosophical work, which therefore primarily tries only to paint the reality of society and law, not to prescribe them

Tragovi metala u vodenom stupcu Urinjske špilje

Urinjska špilja je prvi anhijalini speleološki objekt u kojem su određene koncentracije ekotoksičnih metala (kadmij, olovo, bakar i cink) u trosloju jezera. Iako se radi o preliminarnom rezultatu, mjerenju na temelju svega jednog uzorkovanja, provedeno istraživanje je značajno jer je otvorilo jednu novu stranicu u istraživanju i razumijevanju tragova ekotoksičnih metala u prirodi na svjetskoj razini