147 research outputs found
Seagrass soils sequester up to half the metal emissions of one of the world\u27s largest smelters
One of the world\u27s largest smelters has been operating in South Australia since 1889, affecting environment and human health. Here we quantified the magnitude of Pb, Zn and Cd emissions from the smelter sequestered in the soil of an adjacent 110 km2 Posidonia australis seagrass meadows. Seagrass core records show that the smelter contaminated the entire area with decreasing sequestration with increasing distance from contamination points. The soil accumulated ~1300 t of Pb, ~3450 t of Zn, and ~ 90 t of Cd since 1889, and sequestered the equivalent of ~20 % of Pb, and ~50 % of Zn and Cd cumulative smelter emissions since 1999, showing that seagrass can be significant, long-term sinks of metal pollution in highly contaminated environments. Conservation efforts should prioritize these seagrass meadows to avoid the potential release of pollutants from their soils following habitat loss, which could turn seagrasses from a sink to a source of pollution
Global dataset on seagrass meadow structure, biomass and production
Seagrass meadows provide valuable socio-ecological ecosystem services, including a key role in climate change mitigation and adaption. Understanding the natural history of seagrass meadows across environmental gradients is crucial to deciphering the role of seagrasses in the global ocean. In this data collation, spatial and temporal patterns in seagrass meadow structure, biomass and production data are presented as a function of biotic and abiotic habitat characteristics. The biological traits compiled include measures of meadow structure (e.g. percent cover and shoot density), biomass (e.g. above-ground biomass) and production (e.g. shoot production). Categorical factors include bioregion, geotype (coastal or estuarine), genera and year of sampling. This dataset contains data extracted from peer-reviewed publications published between 1975 and 2020 based on a Web of Science search and includes 11 data variables across 12 seagrass genera. The dataset excludes data from mesocosm and field experiments, contains 14271 data points extracted from 390 publications and is publicly available on the PANGAEA® data repository (10.1594/PANGAEA.929968; Strydom et al., 2021). The top five most studied genera are Zostera, Thalassia, Cymodocea, Halodule and Halophila (84 % of data), and the least studied genera are Phyllospadix, Amphibolis and Thalassodendron (2.3 % of data). The data hotspot bioregion is the Tropical Indo-Pacific (25 % of data) followed by the Tropical Atlantic (21 %), whereas data for the other four bioregions are evenly spread (ranging between 13 and 15 % of total data within each bioregion). From the data compiled, 57 % related to seagrass biomass and 33 % to seagrass structure, while the least number of data were related to seagrass production (11 % of data). This data collation can inform several research fields beyond seagrass ecology, such as the development of nature-based solutions for climate change mitigation, which include readership interested in blue carbon, engineering, fisheries, global change, conservation and policy
Casi e materiali di diritto commerciale
Il volume raccoglie i casi trattati nelle esercitazioni di Diritto
Commerciale I e II nel corso dell’A.A. 2012/2013. Esso vuole costituire,
prima di tutto, per gli studenti che frequentano i corsi di Diritto
commerciale uno strumento di approfondimento e conoscenza nel concreto
dell’applicazione giurisprudenziale delle principali tematiche affrontate
a lezione e una guida per la partecipazione alle esercitazioni;
ma ancor più serve agli studenti che, per scelta o per necessità, non
frequentano i corsi, in quanto li mette di fronte ad una diversa prospettiva
di analisi delle norme e li aiuta a comprendere ragioni
e metodi dello studio del Diritto Commerciale, più di quanto potrebbe
fare la semplice lettura non guidata dei testi didattici e delle norme. Ciascun caso viene presentato secondo uno schema standard:
1) il provvedimento e gli eventuali atti, sfrondati delle parti non
strettamente necessarie agli scopi didattici;
2) i titoletti (che servono a classificare la pronuncia secondo partizioni
prefissate, consentendo al lettore di individuare immediatamente
l’argomento cui attiene e il principio di diritto affermato);
3) i richiami normativi, che individuano le norme la cui lettura e
comprensione è indispensabile allo studio del caso;
4) la massima, che enuncia analiticamente il principio di diritto
contenuto nel provvedimento;
5) il commento, che guida il lettore attraverso il ragionamento
condotto dal giudice, indicandogli il percorso logico/giuridico e le regole
di diritto positivo utilizzate per la soluzione del caso;
6) le indicazioni bibliografiche, volutamente non troppo ampie,
giacché si limitano a rimandare ad alcune fonti ulteriori che rappresentano
punti di partenza basilari per avviare uno studio analitico di ciascuna
tematica.
Talvolta al centro dell’approfondimento non è una pronuncia giurisprudenziale,
ma un documento, parimenti idoneo ad illuminare
aspetti problematici o particolarmente interessanti nella prospettiva
dello studio del Diritto commerciale. In questo caso, al documento seguono
immediatamente il commento/guida alla lettura e le indicazioni
bibliografiche. I temi ruotano intorno ai nuclei fondamentali del diritto commerciale.
L’impresa, innanzitutto, nelle sue articolate qualificazioni di impresa
commerciale, agricola e artigiana, nonché negli aspetti concorrenziali.
Il diritto societario, nella “summa divisio” fra società personali
e società di capitali, senza trascurare i problemi che l’approvvigionamento
dei mezzi finanziari sul mercato solleva a carico dei risparmiatori.
E le procedure concorsuali, declinate soprattutto nel fallimento,
che – nonostante la travagliata e sempre incompiuta riforma –
resta al centro del sistema concorsuale
Factors Determining Seagrass Blue Carbon Across Bioregions and Geomorphologies
Este artículo contiene 15 páginas, 6 figuras, 1 tabla.Seagrass meadows rank among the most significant organic carbon (Corg) sinks on earth.
We examined the variability in seagrass soil Corg stocks and composition across Australia and identified
the main drivers of variability, applying a spatially hierarchical approach that incorporates bioregions and
geomorphic settings. Top 30 cm soil Corg stocks were similar across bioregions and geomorphic settings
(min-max: 20–26 Mg Corg ha−1), but meadows formed by large species (i.e., Amphibolis spp. and Posidonia
spp.) showed higher stocks (24–29 Mg Corg ha−1) than those formed by smaller species (e.g., Halodule,
Halophila, Ruppia, Zostera, Cymodocea, and Syringodium; 12–21 Mg Corg ha−1). In temperate coastal
meadows dominated by large species, soil Corg stocks mainly derived from seagrass Corg (72 ± 2%), while
allochthonous Corg dominated soil Corg stocks in meadows formed by small species in temperate and
tropical estuarine meadows (64 ± 5%). In temperate coastal meadows, soil Corg stocks were enhanced by
low hydrodynamic exposure associated with high mud and seagrass Corg contents. In temperate estuarine
meadows, soil Corg stocks were enhanced by high contributions of seagrass Corg, low to moderate solar
radiation, and low human pressure. In tropical estuarine meadows formed by small species, large soil Corg
stocks were mainly associated with low hydrodynamic energy, low rainfall, and high solar radiation. These
results showcase that bioregion and geomorphic setting are not necessarily good predictors of soil Corg
stocks and that site-specific estimates based on local environmental factors are needed for Blue Carbon
projects and greenhouse gases accounting purposes.This study was delivered as part of the Pilot Projects program of the
Land Restoration Fund, supported by the Queensland Government,
Deakin University, The University of Queensland, James Cook
University, CSIRO, HSBC, Qantas, Australian Government
Department of Industry, Science, Energy and Resources, NQ Dry
Tropics, Great Barrier Reef Foundation and Greencollar. We are
thankful for the funding provided by Deakin University (to PIM
and MDPC), Qantas (to PIM and MDPC) and HSBC (to PIM and
MDPC). MR, PY, PIM were supported through ARC Linkage grant
LP160100492, and PIM and CEL were supported through ARC
Linkage grant LP160100242. NJW is funded through Australian
Government National Environment Science Program (Tropical Water
Quality Hub). MFA was funded through an Advance Queensland
Industry Research Fellowship, Queensland Government. CS was
funded by ECU Higher Degree by Research ScholarshipPeer reviewe
A novel planar optical sensor for simultaneous monitoring of oxygen, carbon dioxide, pH and temperature
The first quadruple luminescent sensor is presented which enables simultaneous detection of three chemical parameters and temperature. A multi-layer material is realized and combines two spectrally independent dually sensing systems. The first layer employs ethylcellulose containing the carbon dioxide sensing chemistry (fluorescent pH indicator 8-hydroxy-pyrene-1,3,6-trisulfonate (HPTS) and a lipophilic tetraalkylammonium base). The cross-linked polymeric beads stained with a phosphorescent iridium(III) complex are also dispersed in ethylcellulose and serve both for oxygen sensing and as a reference for HPTS. The second (pH/temperature) dually sensing system relies on the use of a pH-sensitive lipophilic seminaphthorhodafluor derivative and luminescent chromium(III)-activated yttrium aluminum borate particles (simultaneously acting as a temperature probe and as a reference for the pH indicator) which are embedded in polyurethane hydrogel layer. A silicone layer is used to spatially separate both dually sensing systems and to insure permeation selectivity for the CO2/O2 layer. The CO2/O2 and the pH/temperature layers are excitable with a blue and a red LED, respectively, and the emissions are isolated with help of optical filters. The measurements are performed at two modulation frequencies for each sensing system and the modified Dual Lifetime Referencing method is used to access the analytical information. The feasibility of the simultaneous four-parameter sensing is demonstrated. However, the practical applicability of the material may be compromised by its high complexity and by the performance of individual indicators
Australian vegetated coastal ecosystems as global hotspots for climate change mitigation
Policies aiming to preserve vegetated coastal ecosystems (VCE; tidal marshes, mangroves and seagrasses) to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions require national assessments of blue carbon resources. Here, we present organic carbon (C) storage in VCE across Australian climate regions and estimate potential annual CO2 emission benefits of VCE conservation and restoration. Australia contributes 5–11% of the C stored in VCE globally (70–185 Tg C in aboveground biomass, and 1,055–1,540 Tg C in the upper 1 m of soils). Potential CO2 emissions from current VCE losses are estimated at 2.1–3.1 Tg CO2-e yr-1, increasing annual CO2 emissions from land use change in Australia by 12–21%. This assessment, the most comprehensive for any nation to-date, demonstrates the potential of conservation and restoration of VCE to underpin national policy development for reducing greenhouse gas emissions
Global dataset of soil organic carbon in tidal marshes
Tidal marshes store large amounts of organic carbon in their soils. Field data quantifying soil organic carbon (SOC) stocks provide an important resource for researchers, natural resource managers, and policy-makers working towards the protection, restoration, and valuation of these ecosystems. We collated a global dataset of tidal marsh soil organic carbon (MarSOC) from 99 studies that includes location, soil depth, site name, dry bulk density, SOC, and/or soil organic matter (SOM). The MarSOC dataset includes 17,454 data points from 2,329 unique locations, and 29 countries. We generated a general transfer function for the conversion of SOM to SOC. Using this data we estimated a median (± median absolute deviation) value of 79.2 ± 38.1 Mg SOC ha−1 in the top 30 cm and 231 ± 134 Mg SOC ha−1 in the top 1 m of tidal marsh soils globally. This data can serve as a basis for future work, and may contribute to incorporation of tidal marsh ecosystems into climate change mitigation and adaptation strategies and policies
Australian vegetated coastal ecosystems as global hotspots for climate change mitigation
© 2019, The Author(s). Policies aiming to preserve vegetated coastal ecosystems (VCE; tidal marshes, mangroves and seagrasses) to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions require national assessments of blue carbon resources. Here, we present organic carbon (C) storage in VCE across Australian climate regions and estimate potential annual CO2 emission benefits of VCE conservation and restoration. Australia contributes 5–11% of the C stored in VCE globally (70–185 Tg C in aboveground biomass, and 1,055–1,540 Tg C in the upper 1 m of soils). Potential CO2 emissions from current VCE losses are estimated at 2.1–3.1 Tg CO2-e yr-1, increasing annual CO2 emissions from land use change in Australia by 12–21%. This assessment, the most comprehensive for any nation to-date, demonstrates the potential of conservation and restoration of VCE to underpin national policy development for reducing greenhouse gas emissions
Australian vegetated coastal ecosystems as global hotspots for climate change mitigation
Unidad de excelencia María de Maeztu MdM-2015-0552Policies aiming to preserve vegetated coastal ecosystems (VCE; tidal marshes, mangroves and seagrasses) to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions require national assessments of blue carbon resources. Here, we present organic carbon (C) storage in VCE across Australian climate regions and estimate potential annual CO emission benefits of VCE conservation and restoration. Australia contributes 5-11% of the C stored in VCE globally (70-185 Tg C in aboveground biomass, and 1,055-1,540 Tg C in the upper 1 m of soils). Potential CO emissions from current VCE losses are estimated at 2.1-3.1 Tg CO-e yr, increasing annual CO emissions from land use change in Australia by 12-21%. This assessment, the most comprehensive for any nation to-date, demonstrates the potential of conservation and restoration of VCE to underpin national policy development for reducing greenhouse gas emissions
Global dataset of soil organic carbon in tidal marshes.
Tidal marshes store large amounts of organic carbon in their soils. Field data quantifying soil organic carbon (SOC) stocks provide an important resource for researchers, natural resource managers, and policy-makers working towards the protection, restoration, and valuation of these ecosystems. We collated a global dataset of tidal marsh soil organic carbon (MarSOC) from 99 studies that includes location, soil depth, site name, dry bulk density, SOC, and/or soil organic matter (SOM). The MarSOC dataset includes 17,454 data points from 2,329 unique locations, and 29 countries. We generated a general transfer function for the conversion of SOM to SOC. Using this data we estimated a median (± median absolute deviation) value of 79.2 ± 38.1 Mg SOC ha-1 in the top 30 cm and 231 ± 134 Mg SOC ha-1 in the top 1 m of tidal marsh soils globally. This data can serve as a basis for future work, and may contribute to incorporation of tidal marsh ecosystems into climate change mitigation and adaptation strategies and policies
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