Projected effects of temperature changes on the Italian Western Tauri glaciers (Eastern Alps)

ABSTRACTA linear model was used to investigate the behaviour of the Italian Western Tauri glaciers as a result of temperature changes projected for the 21st century. The model estimates the temperature variations once the glacier snout length variations are known and vice versa: it estimates the glacier snout length variations once the air temperature variations are known or predicted. The 46 glaciers of the Italian Western Tauri, 35 (76%) of which have areas smaller than 0.5 km2 and only 7 (15%) larger than 1 km2, are mostly mountain type glaciers and only three are presently valley glaciers. The model has been forced by the air temperature projections of the A1B emission scenario, which indicates an increase in temperature of 2.7°C from 2015 to 2100. The results show a shortening of more than 35% for mountain glaciers by 2100 with a surface loss of more than 60% and smaller reductions for valley glaciers. The consequent fragmentation into smaller units would lead to the extinction of 95% of the existing glaciers by the end of the century, possibly leaving only the valley glaciers surviving

Utilizing benthic foraminifera to explore the environmental condition of the Laizhou Bay (Bohai Sea, China)

Through the analysis of benthic foraminifera in the soft bottom sediments of the Laizhou Bay & ndash; Yellow River Delta system, this study characterized the foraminiferal biotopes and explored the possibility of obtaining an index of ecological quality comparable with other estuarine and coastal environments of the world. Five foraminiferal biotopes have been identified and their distribution patterns highlight the ecological stress from the marine-fluvial water mixing and pollution. The foraminiferal species were analyzed as a function of organic carbon gradients, and the main species were assigned to four ecological groups based on their sensitivity/ tolerance towards an increasing stress gradient. Finally, the relative proportions of the species assigned to the four different ecological groups were used for the definition of a marine biotic index based on foraminifera, i.e. the Foram-AMBI, and thus the assessment of the ecological quality status of marine soft-bottom habitats

Note illustrative della Carta Geologica d’Italia alla scala 1: 50.000: Foglio 128 Venezia

Published6A. Monitoraggio ambientale, sicurezza e territorioope

Glacial retreat in the 1980s in the Breonie, Aurine and Pusteresi groups (eastern Alps, Italy) in

Abstract In the Italian Alps, the majority of glaciers are small (less than 1 km 2), but cover a significant glaciated surface area, despite the fact that ground surveys have only dealt with the major glaciers. Analysis of some Landsat TM images taken at the end of the ablation season highlighted retreat modes in the 1980s on all glaciers in the Breonie, Aurine and Pusteresi groups (eastern Alps)—an area in which, in the early 1980s, large glaciers were advancing and small ones receding. A fuzzy set procedure used to identify glacier surfaces was based on integrated use of Landsat TM images and topographic data in a multisource decision making scheme (applied to bands 1, 3 and 5) to combine information derived from elevation, exposure and morphological aspects. Between 1985 and 1987, the loss of glaciated surface was almost 4 km (total area 33.04 km 2), the greatest retreat being found for the largest glaciers (>1 km 2). Between 1987 and 1989, the loss was less than 1 km 2 and mostly involved small glaciers (0.5-0.05 km 2). Quantitative assessment of glacial evolution on large areas shows inside opposite trends which generally escape ground observation on selected glaciers and which may lead to improved estimation o

Molecular versus morphologic variability in Ammonia SPP. Foraminifera, Protozoa) from the Lagoon of Venice, Italy

The genus Ammonia is one of the most common benthic foraminifer of considerable biogeographic importance. The taxonomic status of most of the described species of Ammonia, however, is yet unsettled. In the present study, we used the partial large subunit ribosomal DNA (LSU rDNA) sequences as an alternative approach to distinguish different specimens of Ammonia living in the Lagoon of Venice. We have obtained DNA sequences from 20 living specimens whose tests were examined previously by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Sequence analysis revealed the presence of two groups, which differ by more than 10.5%. Within each group, the sequence divergence ranges from 0.2 % to 6.9 %. The two groups that can be separated genetically, are called Ammonia sp. 1 and Ammonia sp. 2. Their morphological distinction, however, is problematic. The tests of Ammonia sp. 1 are generally characterized by a more lobate periphery, more elevated dorsal sutures and larger perforations compared to those of Ammonia sp. 2, but none of these characters can be used with certainty for the morphological distinction of both groups

Su un anomalo fenomeno di dissoluzione del guscio dei foraminiferi bentonici provenienti dalla Laguna e dal Golfo di Venezia

SIGLEITItal

Analisi preliminare delle biocenosi a foraminiferi nel Bacino centrale della Laguna di Venezia

Lavoro svolto nell'ambito del progetto "Sistema Lagunare Veneziano". Linea di ricerca 2.6Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche (CNR). Biblioteca Centrale / CNR - Consiglio Nazionale delle RichercheSIGLEITItal