Lagrangian transport in a microtidal coastal area: the Bay of Palma, island of Mallorca, Spain

Coastal transport in the Bay of Palma, a small region in the island of Mallorca, Spain, is characterized in terms of Lagrangian descriptors. The data sets used for this study are the output for two months (one in autumn and one in summer) of a high resolution numerical model, ROMS, forced atmospherically and with a spatial resolution of 300 m. The two months were selected because its different wind regime, which is the main driver of the sea dynamics in this area. Finite-size Lyapunov Exponents (FSLEs) were used to locate semi-persistent Lagrangian coherent structures (LCS) and to understand the different flow regimes in the Bay. The different wind directions and regularity in the two months have a clear impact on the surface Bay dynamics, whereas only topographic features appear clearly in the bottom structures. The fluid interchange between the Bay and the open ocean was tudied by computing particle trajectories and Residence Times (RT) maps. The escape rate of particles out of the Bay is qualitatively different, with a 32$$ more of escape rate of particles to the ocean in October than in July, owing to the different geometric characteristics of the flow. We show that LCSs separate regions with different transport properties by displaying spatial distributions of residence times on synoptic Lagrangian maps together with the location of the LCSs. Correlations between the time-dependent behavior of FSLE and RT are also investigated, showing a negative dependence when the stirring characterized by FSLE values moves particles in the direction of escape

The reduction of plankton biomass induced by mesoscale stirring: a modeling study in the Benguela upwelling

Recent studies, both based on remote sensed data and coupled models, showed a reduction of biological productivity due to vigorous horizontal stirring in upwelling areas. In order to better understand this phenomenon, we consider a system of oceanic flow from the Benguela area coupled with a simple biogeochemical model of Nutrient-Phyto-Zooplankton (NPZ) type. For the flow three different surface velocity fields are considered: one derived from satellite altimetry data, and the other two from a regional numerical model at two different spatial resolutions. We compute horizontal particle dispersion in terms of Lyapunov Exponents, and analyzed their correlations with phytoplankton concentrations. Our modelling approach confirms that in the south Benguela there is a reduction of biological activity when stirring is increased. Two-dimensional offshore advection and latitudinal difference in Primary Production, also mediated by the flow, seem to be the dominant processes involved. We estimate that mesoscale processes are responsible for 30 to 50% of the offshore fluxes of biological tracers. In the northern area, other factors not taken into account in our simulation are influencing the ecosystem. We suggest explanations for these results in the context of studies performed in other eastern boundary upwelling areas

Milk, from medicine to food in Mediterranean Europe: Catalonia, 19th-20th centuries.

The spread of milk consumption was a significant change in the diet of Europeans, however it is one that has not been greatly studied with regard to the populations of Mediterranean Europe. In this article we shall analyse the main circumstances that conditioned that process in Catalonia between the middle of the 19th century and 1936. In our study we shall argue that the consumption of milk in this area was only relevant in the 19th century in situations of illness or old age, and that it subsequently increased and acquired a new significance as a result of various factors. In particular, we shall emphasise: (a) the scientific advances in microbiology and nutrition, (b) the activities carried out by doctors and various public institutions to promote the consumption of fresh milk, and (c) the technological innovations in the milk producing sector. In Appendix 1 we show two maps representing the main territorial references that we shall mention.

Aislamiento e identificación de cepas de azospirillum, y evaluación de su capacidad para suplir las necesidades de nitrógeno en plantas de oryza sativa (arroz)

Proyecto de Graduación (Bachillerato en Ingeniería en Biotecnología). Instituto Tecnológico de Costa Rica, Escuela de Biología, 2003.El arroz es un cultivo básico en la agricultura costarricense, por lo que la búsqueda de opciones de fertilización nitrogenada de bajo costo y amigables con el ambiente no deja de ser importante. Una de estas opciones es el uso de biofertilizantes, para los cuales se puede utilizar la bacteria fijadora de nitrógeno Azospirillum sp. El objetivo de este trabajo fue el de aislar e identificar diferentes cepas de Azospirillum sp., y evaluar su capacidad para suplir las necesidades de nitrógeno en un cultivo de arroz en invernadero. Las cepas se aislaron a partir de raíces de arroz, utilizando para ello un medio semisólido libre de nitrógeno, y luego se identificaron mediante estudios morfológicos y bioquímicos. Posteriormente las cepas aisladas fueron inoculadas en el suelo donde crecían las plantas de arroz, siguiendo un diseño experimental completamente aleatorizado. Se aislaron y purificaron cinco cepas de bacterias fijadoras de nitrógeno, de las cuales tres se identificaron como Azospirillum lipoferum, una como Pseudomonas floridana y otra no pudo ser identificada. La inoculación del arroz con estas cepas no produjo aumentos significativos en los pesos fresco y seco de las plantas, y además se observó una alta variabilidad en cuanto su tamaño. A pesar de que la alta variabilidad de los datos enmascaró el efecto de la inoculación, una de las cepas de A. lipoferum mostró tendencia a suplir una parte del nitrógeno requerido por las plantas.Laboratorio de Microbiología Agrícola Centro de Investigaciones Agronómicas Universidad de Costa Ric

Cities and milk consumption in Europe, 1890-1936: the emergence of a new market in Spain

One of the main features of the European nutritional transition involved the wide-spread increase in milk consumption, a singular process as it involved the emergence of new consumption preferences. This transformation will be examined here using Spain as a case study. Even up until the 1890s milk was not considered a valuable dietary component in Spain, and was normally consumed only by those who were on liquid diets for medical reasons. By the 1930s, however, milk was regarded as a basic foodstuff, especially for children. Our main hypothesis is that cities played a central role in this change in preferences. Large population centres provided an avenue to spread new knowledge of nutrition and food hygiene, while cities allowed social economies of scale that made it easier to implement new public hygiene measures and to publicize or distribute new products. We also show that the spreading of milk consumption in cities progressed slowly in Spain, because until well into the twentieth century supply could only rely on short-range distribution networks.La difusión del consumo de leche fue una de las principales características de la transición nutricional europea. Este proceso fue además muy singular, porque exigió la formación de nuevas preferencias de consumo. En este artículo examinaremos esta cuestión tomando como referencia España. En este caso, todavía en los años 1890 la leche era un alimento muy poco valorado por la sociedad y normalmente solo la consumían aquellos colectivos que precisaban ingerir dietas líquidas. En los años 1930, en cambio, la leche era considerada un alimento de primera necesidad, especialmente para los menores de edad. Nuestra principal hipótesis es que las ciudades ocuparon un lugar destacado en este proceso, porque fue en estos núcleos de población donde antes se difundieron los nuevos conocimientos en nutrición e higiene de los alimentos, y donde las economías sociales de escala hacían más fácil impulsar nuevas políticas de higiene pública y la difusión de nuevos productos. También mostraremos que la difusión del consumo de leche avanzó muy lentamente en España, porque el abastecimiento debió ser de proximidad hasta muy entrado el siglo xx

El Consumo de leche fresca en Cataluña entre mediados del siglo XIX y 1936 : la difusión de un nuevo alimento

La difusión del consumo de leche fresca fue un cambio significativo en la dieta de los europeos, pero que ha sido poco estudiado con respecto a las poblaciones de la Europa Mediterránea. En este artículo analizaremos las principales circunstancias que condicionaron aquel proceso en Cataluña entre mediados del siglo XIX y 1936. En nuestra exposición argumentaremos que el consumo de leche en aquella zona sólo era relevante en el siglo XIX en situaciones de enfermedad o vejez, y que después aumentó y adquirió un nuevo significado como resultado de varios factores. En especial destacaremos: (a) los progresos científicos en microbiología y nutrición, (b) las actividades que realizaron los médicos y diversas instituciones públicas para fomentar el consumo de leche fresca, y (c) las innovaciones tecnológicas en el sector lechero

Milk, from medicine to food Mediterranean Europe : Catalonia, 19th-20th centuries

The spread of milk consumption was a significant change in the diet of Europeans, however it is one that has not been greatly studied with regard to the populations of Mediterranean Europe. In this article we shall analyse the ain circumstances that conditioned that process in Catalonia between the middle of the 19th century and 1936. In our study we shall argue that the consumption of milk in this area was only relevant in the 19th century in situations of illness or old age, and that it subsequently increased and acquired a new significance as a result of various factors. In particular, we shall emphasise: (a) the scientific advances in microbiology and nutrition, (b) the activities carried out by doctors and various public institutions to promote the consumption of fresh milk, and (c) the technological innovations in the milk producing sector. In Appendix 1 we show two maps representing the main territorial references that we shall mention

Milk, social acceptance of a new food in Europe : Catalonia, 19th-20th centuries

In this article we analyse the time course of the consumption of fresh milk in different regions of Europe between the 1870s and 1930s. Working from the case of Catalonia, we affirm that the increasing consumption of milk in that period must be especially linked to the spreading of new scientific knowledge in microbiology and nutrition that followed Pasteur's discoveries. We particularly highlight the information dissemination activities in this direction carried out by health sector professionals (medical doctors and pharmacists), governing local institutions and the milk industry. The initiatives developed by these groups changed people's preferences -fresh milk became accepted as a necessary food-stuff, and demand for it increased. However, the evolution of consumption was not the same in all regions of Europe due to their different environmental and agronomic conditions