Assessing agriculture pollution in the Beja aquifer using nitrogen isotopes, South Portugal

This paper intent to give scientific support for political decisions, considering the sustainable development of rural regions under semiarid conditions exploiting shallow aquifers, and promote appropriate use of nitrogen fertilizers, based on EC Water Framework Directive and EC Groundwater Framework Directive in the context of vulnerable aquifers. Stable nitrogen isotopes (15N/14N ratios) can offer a direct way to identify the pollutant sources in groundwater systems. In the research area two major sources of nitrate were identified, fertilizer and manure, which present different isotopic d15N signatures. The relative contributions of these two sources to groundwater or surface water can be estimated by mass balance. The analysis of nitrate d18O together with d15N improves the ability to trace nitrate sources and cycling. According field practice in the rural area of Beja, major cause of pollution comes from fertilizers. Isotope results are not conclusive about the possibility that major source of nitrate-N in groundwater comes from agriculture as expected. Further work is required regarding seasonality sampling and laboratory techniques with sufficient precision accuracy

Utilização de isótopos de azoto na avaliação e caracterização do impacte da agricultura na qualidade da água subterrânea : resultados preliminares do Sistema Aquífero dos Gabros de Beja

Apresentam-se os resultados preliminares da utilização de isótopos de azoto na avaliação e caracterização do impacte da agricultura na qualidade da água subterrânea no âmbito das preocupações com a extensão da contaminação difusa no Sistema Aquífero dos Gabros de Beja e recente publicação da Zona Vulnerável de Beja (Portaria 1100/2004 de 3 Setembro). Os trabalhos de investigação são financiados pela Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia (POCTI/AGG/47223/2002) e decorrem na região de Beja (2004-2007). Os isótopos estáveis de azoto (ratio 15N/14N) podem ser usados na identificação das origens da contaminação difusa das águas subterrâneas, dado que nas áreas agrícolas as duas principais causas de nitrato na água subterrânea são a fertilização e a pecuária, que apresentam diferente assinatura isotópica de d15N. A contribuição relativa das duas principais origens de poluição das águas subterrâneas e superficiais podem ser medidas por balanço de massa. A análise conjunta dos isótopos d18O e d15N do ião nitrato constitui um processo válido na identificação das fontes da poluição. Os resultados preliminares obtidos não são conclusivos relativamente à origem agrícola do N-NO3 na água subterrânea. Será necessário realizar trabalhos adicionais em situação de ano hidrológico normal. Pretende-se com o projecto adquirir conhecimentos científicos inovadores no sentido de apoiar as decisões políticas relacionadas com o desenvolvimento sustentável e a preservação dos recursos hídricos em regiões afectadas por contaminação agrícola difusa e contribuir para a aplicação da legislação nacional e directivas comunitárias no domínio das Zonas Vulneráveis e da Directiva Quadro da Água

Using Geochemical and Isotope Investigations for Groundwater Management Strategies Under Semi-Arid Area: Case of the Wadi Ouazzi Basin (Morocco)

The characteristics of Essaouira basin water resources are a semi-arid climate, which is severely impacted by the climate (quantity and quality). Considering the importance of the Essaouira aquifer in the groundwater supply of the region, a study was conducted in order to comprehend this aquifer groundwater evolution. The Essaouira aquifer is a coastal aquifers located on the Atlantic coastline, southern (Morocco), corresponding to a sedimentary basin with an area of near 200 km2.A water sampling from twenty wells, drillings and sources belonging to the Plio-quaternary and Tu-ronian aquifers was realized (what was realized). Samples examined from the ground for electric conductivity and temperature, determined waters belonging to the Plio-quaternary and Turonian aquifers present very variable electric conductivities from 900 µs/cm to 3880 µs/cm. In spite of this variability, they form the same family and are characterized by sodium-chloride facies. There exists, however, a good correlation between the electric conductivity and chloride and sodium contents. Therefore the lower electric conductivities are situated in the North quarter immediately in the south of the Wadi Ouazzi. Keywords: Management, Wadi Ouazzi, Drought, Strategies, Semi-arid, Turonian, Plio-Quaternary

Differential Prox-1 and CD 31 expression in mucousae, cutaneous and soft tissue vascular lesions and tumors

The study of lymphatic vessels and lymphatic tumors has been hampered with difficulty due to the overlapping morphological features between blood and lymphatic endothelial cells, as well as to the lack of specific lymphatic endothelial markers. Over the last few years, lymphatic vessels and lymphangiogenesis have received great attention owing to their putative implications in terms of metastatic dissemination and the promise of targets for lymphangiogenic therapy. Prox-1 is a nuclear transcription factor that plays a major role during embryonic lymphangiogenesis and is deemed to be a useful marker for differentiating lymphatic endothelial cells from the other blood vessels endothelial cells. Here, we describe a double-immunostaining strategy for formalin-fixed, paraffinembedded tissues that aims at evaluating the distribution of Prox-1 and CD 31 – a cytoplasmic pan-endothelial marker -in a series of 28 mucousae, cutaneous and soft tissue vascular lesions and tumors, including hemangiomas, lymphangiomas, lymphangiectasia, and Kaposi’s sarcomas. Our results showed that in non-lesional mucousae and skin, Prox-1 decorated exclusively the nuclei of endothelial cells in lymphatic vessels. Prox-1 stained almost all the benign lymphatic vascular lesions/tumors (91%) and was absent or only focally positive in 75% of blood vascular tumors. CD 31 stained endothelial cells of blood vessels of superficial and deep dermal plexuses, lymphatics, and all blood vascular lesions/tumors. Kaposi’s sarcomas were all positive for both CD 31 and Prox-1 markers. In conclusion, although Prox-1 expression in vascular lesions/tumors was not entirely restricted to tumors with known lymphatic differentiation, CD 31/Prox-1 double-immunolabeling can be used as an adjunct marker to identify lymphatic vessels in routinely processed formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded samples

HERA - Environmental Risk Assessment of a contaminated estuarine environment: a case study

Sado River estuary is located in the west coast of Portugal. Previous environmental studies identified industrial contamination, non-point anthropogenic sources and contamination coming from the river, all promoting accumulation of polluted sediments with known impacts on the ecological system. Surrounding human populations have intense economic fishery activities. Together with agriculture, estuary fishing products are available to local residents. Food usage previously characterized through ethnographic studies suggests exposure to estuarine products, farming products, and water in daily activities, as potential routes of contamination. It is well established that long term exposure to heavy metals are associated with renal and neurological diseases, most heavy metals are classified as carcinogenic and teratogenic.Instituição Financiadora: FCT; Instituições participantes: IMAR -Instituto do Mar (coord.)e PRÓ-INSA, Associação para a Promoção da Investigação em Saúde, Instituto Nacional de Saúde Doutor Ricardo Jorg

OBSERVATORIO TERRITORIAL Y AMBIENTAL ALENTEJO, EXTREMADURA, CENTRO (OTALEX C): DE GIS A IDE.

In the scope of the Spain-Portugal INTERREG projects and FEDER funded POCTEP program, OTALEX C (Territorial and Environmental Monitoring Alentejo Extremadura Center) project aims at studying of various territorial, socioeconomic and environmental indicators. It is the fundamental objective of this project, to develop a geo-portal accessible via internet, for anyone, so that the information will be useful in making decisions related to land use and therefore sustainable development of the environment. Under this general framework over the past fifteen years, we have developed different projects that have set the standardization of data between Portugal and Spain, also was designed GIS systems, and developed regional models and indicator systems, culminating in the current Spatial Data Infrastructure SDI-OTALEX C