An integrated coastal map for the Maltese Islands

The Maltese coastal area, comprising its associated resources and services, is of substantial importance to the Maltese economy. An innovative web interface has been developed to combine information from different sources, including coastal properties, physical features, resources and amenities, into an innovative comprehensive interactive map of the Maltese coastline. It serves as a general informative tool for users in the public domain, bringing different layers of data together, and targeting a delivery over smart media like mobile phones and tablets.peer-reviewe

A spatial prioritisation exercise for marine spatial planning implementation within the North-East MPA of the Maltese Islands

The cumulative pressure/risk posed to both Posidonia oceanica seagrass meadows and maerl beds by ongoing maritime activities as well as the cumulative user-user conflict within the NE MPA were quantified and mapped to serve as a decision-support tool for MPA managers implementing MSP provisions in the area.peer-reviewe

Gap filling of the CALYPSO HF radar sea surface current data through past measurements and satellite wind observations

High frequency (HF) radar installations are becoming essential components of operational real-time marine monitoring systems. The underlying technology is being further enhanced to fully exploit the potential of mapping sea surface currents and wave fields over wide areas with high spatial and temporal resolution, even in adverse meteo-marine conditions. Data applications are opening to many different sectors, reaching out beyond research and monitoring, targeting downstream services in support to key national and regional stakeholders. In the CALYPSO project, the HF radar system composed of CODAR SeaSonde stations installed in the Malta Channel is specifically serving to assist in the response against marine oil spills and to support search and rescue at sea. One key drawback concerns the sporadic inconsistency in the spatial coverage of radar data which is dictated by the sea state as well as by interference from unknown sources that may be competing with transmissions in the same frequency band. This work investigates the use of Machine Learning techniques to fill in missing data in a high resolution grid. Past radar data and wind vectors obtained from satellites are used to predict missing information and provide a more consistent dataset.peer-reviewe

International ocean institute - kids : targeting awareness on the sea with the younger generations

The Internet revolution has led to the proliferation of accessible web-based educational resources. The International Ocean Institute (IOI), initiated through its operational center at the University of Malta, has funded the IOI-KIDS project, the institute’s flagship educational activity targeting awareness and knowledge- sharing about the sea with younger generations. The IOI was founded in 1972 and is an International NGO, with centers in 25 different countries and special consultative status within the United Nations. Some of the key missions of the IOI are to disseminate information, share and transfer knowledge and experience, and instill, within the younger generations, a greater interest in the sea. To further spread the legacy of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), IOI organizes the Pacem in Maribus (PIM) conferences. At the 32nd PIM conference in Malta in November 2007, the emerging Malta Declaration called for youth to help protect the marine environment, to move beyond the narrow circles of ocean professionals and stakeholders to broader audiences, whose knowledge and understanding are key to the support of sound ocean policy, and to change perceptions and heighten appreciation for the oceans and its importance to our lives and future, especially among the young (Drago 2008a).peer-reviewe

The impact of significant input of fine sediment on benthic fauna at tributary junctions: a case study of the Bermejo-Paraguay River confluence, Argentina

This study examines the morphological features, suspended sediment inputs and hydraulic conditions within a large river in association with ecological patterns before and after a tributary confluence. In order to examine these effects, the macroinvertebrate distributions from three reaches of the Paraguay and Bermejo Rivers (Paraguay-Argentina) are investigated. The Bermejo River is a tributary that supplies significant quantities of fine sediment to the Paraguay River, primarily in suspension. Two reaches were examined on the Paraguay River, upstream and downstream of the Bermejo River junction, with the third study reach located on the Bermejo River, upstream of the confluence with the Paraguay River. The results provide clear evidence that a significantly increased loading of fine sediment at a river confluence has effects on the distribution and potential movement of benthic invertebrates in the lotic environment by representing physical barriers at affected sites. These effects may be important at both local and regional scales, and such increases in suspended sediment (especially associated with anthropogenic change) may thus pose a major threat to ecosystem integrity that has been historically underestimated

Nothing more than feelings? De la compasión individual a la compasión sistémica en las organizaciones modernas

Suffering and compassion in modern organizations have increasingly developed into a relevant topic in management literature. This approach considers compassion as a personal attitude that prompts a reaction to the suffering of other persons. We argue that this assumption entails epistemological obstacles that prevent a better understanding of the relationship between suffering and compassion. From the perspective of the theory of self-referential social systems we unfold the obstacles and discuss how to overcome them. We call our model systemic compassion and sustain that compassion in modern organizations is not only a personal feeling, but also a communicatively developed structure of expectations that must precede every concrete episode of personal suffering to successfully deal with it.El sufrimiento y la compasión en organizaciones modernas se han transformado en un tópico de creciente interés para la literatura de management. El supuesto central tras este enfoque considera la compasión como una actitud personal que provoca una reacción al sufrimiento de otros. Sostenemos que este supuesto se asienta sobre algunos obstáculos epistemológicos que impiden una mejor comprensión de la relación entre sufrimiento y compasión. Desde la perspectiva de la teoría de sistemas sociales autorreferenciales desplegamos esos obstáculos y discutimos cómo superarlos. Denominamos a nuestro modelo compasión sistémica y argumentamos que la compasión en las organizaciones modernas no es solo un sentimiento personal, sino una estructura de expectativas comunicativamente desarrollada que debe preceder a cada episodio concreto de sufrimiento personal para enfrentarlo con éxito

Invasion process of Limnoperna fortunei (Bivalvia: Mytilidae): the case of Uruguay river and emissaries of the Esteros del Iberá Wetland, Argentina

Limnoperna fortunei (Dunker, 1857), during its invasion process in South America, has caused severe impacts both on natural environments altering native biodiversity, ecosystem structure and function-, and on man-made structures causing economic looses. Twenty-one samples were taken from the right bank of the Uruguay River, from tributaries of the Uruguay and Paraná Rivers, the drainage of the Esteros del Ibera Wetland. Based on this fieldwork, the presence of larvae and adults of L. fortunei was determined. Also, through the comparison of environmental characteristic with the known tolerance limits for the species, the possibility of its establishment in environments not yet invaded was determined. Most of the sampling stations have features that allow the development of stable populations L. fortunei, including the rivers that drain the Esteros del Ibera, allowing access of this invasive species to this important wetland.Facultad de Ciencias Naturales y Muse

Invasion process of Limnoperna fortunei (Bivalvia: Mytilidae): the case of Uruguay river and emissaries of the Esteros del Iberá Wetland, Argentina

Limnoperna fortunei (Dunker, 1857), during its invasion process in South America, has caused severe impacts both on natural environments altering native biodiversity, ecosystem structure and function-, and on man-made structures causing economic looses. Twenty-one samples were taken from the right bank of the Uruguay River, from tributaries of the Uruguay and Paraná Rivers, the drainage of the Esteros del Ibera Wetland. Based on this fieldwork, the presence of larvae and adults of L. fortunei was determined. Also, through the comparison of environmental characteristic with the known tolerance limits for the species, the possibility of its establishment in environments not yet invaded was determined. Most of the sampling stations have features that allow the development of stable populations L. fortunei, including the rivers that drain the Esteros del Ibera, allowing access of this invasive species to this important wetland.Facultad de Ciencias Naturales y Muse

Oil spill risk assessment on the Maltese coastal areas

A significant percentage of the global oil transport goes through the Mediterranean sea. Most of the maritime traffic carrying oil and other dangerous liquid substances travels across the Malta Channel. The risk of marine spillages within the stretch of sea between Malta and Sicily is very high and beaching on the Maltese shores can cause irreversible environmental damage at the detriment of important economic resources. The aim of this work is to determine the probability and volume percentage of oil that would reach the coast in case of an accident in the proximity of the Maltese Islands. Various spill scenarios are considered to get a realistic estimate as much as possible.peer-reviewe

Hydrodynamic and morphologic effects on the benthic invertebrate ecology along a meander bend of a large river (Paraguay River, Argentina-Paraguay)

A detailed hydro-ecological study to identify the effects of bed flow and morphodynamic processes on the distribution (and composition) of benthic invertebrates in a large river is presented herein. A crossing-pool sequence in a meander bend of the Paraguay River (Paraguay-Argentina) was examined. According to the results, there is a link between the benthic fauna, hydraulic and bed sediment size along the bend. The meander pool, with a deep scour hole and the largest bed shear stresses, would be a hostile area for benthic invertebrates, since lower densities were found there. A transversal analysis revealed two different invertebrate assemblages at each of the sampled cross sections: one across the mobile bottom with higher densities but lower diversity, richness and evenness than the other one found close to the banks. On the other hand, a comparison between both Paraguay and Paraná rivers revealed that the first one would seem to have optimal hydraulic conditions for the invertebrate's development, because the hydraulic energy of the Paraná River was too intense for the favorable settlement of benthic organisms at some specific habitats. The overall conclusion of this paper, that morpho-hydraulic features and biotopes are related, is an important step forward in river ecohydrology. With further development of this concept, river management techniques can improve and river rehabilitation projects can be designed with greater confidence.Fil: Blettler, Martin Cesar Maria. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Santa Fe. Instituto Nacional de Limnología. Universidad Nacional del Litoral. Instituto Nacional de Limnología; ArgentinaFil: Amsler, Mario Luis. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Santa Fe. Instituto Nacional de Limnología. Universidad Nacional del Litoral. Instituto Nacional de Limnología; ArgentinaFil: Ezcurra de Drago, Inés. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Santa Fe. Instituto Nacional de Limnología. Universidad Nacional del Litoral. Instituto Nacional de Limnología; ArgentinaFil: Drago, Edmundo Carlos E.. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Santa Fe. Instituto Nacional de Limnología. Universidad Nacional del Litoral. Instituto Nacional de Limnología; ArgentinaFil: Paira, Aldo Raul. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Santa Fe. Instituto Nacional de Limnología. Universidad Nacional del Litoral. Instituto Nacional de Limnología; ArgentinaFil: Espínola, Luis Alberto. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Santa Fe. Instituto Nacional de Limnología. Universidad Nacional del Litoral. Instituto Nacional de Limnología; Argentin