A century of oil and gas exploration in Albania: assessment of Naturally Occurring Radioactive Materials (NORMs)

Because potential Naturally Occurring Radioactive Materials (NORMs) generated from oil and gas extractions in Albania have been disposed without regulatory criteria in many decades, an extensive survey in one of the most productive regions (Vlora-Elbasan) has been performed. Among 52 gamma-ray spectrometry measurements of soil, oil-sand, sludge, produced water and crude oil samples, we discover that relatively low activity concentrations of 226Ra, 228Ra, 228Th and 40K, which are 23 +/- 2 Bq/kg, 23 +/- 2 Bq/kg, 24 +/- 3 Bq/kg and 549 +/- 12 Bq/kg, respectively, come from oil-sand produced by hydrocarbon extraction from molasses formations. The mineralogical characterization together with the 228Ra/40K and 226Ra/40K ratios of these Neogene deposits confirm the geological and geodynamic model that predicts a dismantling of Mesozoic source rocks. The average activity concentrations (+/- standard deviations) of the radium isotopes (226Ra, 228Ra) and of the 228Th and 40K radionuclides in soil samples are determined to be 20 +/- 5 Bq/kg, 25 +/- 10 Bq/kg, 25 +/- 9 Bq/kg and 326 +/- 83 Bq/kg, respectively. Based on these arguments, the future radiological assessment of other fields in the region can be strategically planned focusing on the oil-sands from molasses sediments. No disequilibrium in the 228Ra decay segment has been observed in soil, sludge and oil-sand samples within the standard uncertainties. After a detailed radiological characterization of the four main oilfields, we can conclude that the outdoor absorbed dose rate never exceeds the worldwide population weighted average absorbed dose rate in outdoor air from terrestrial gamma radiation.Comment: 21 pages, 5 figures, 2 tables, Chemosphere 201

The STRINGS queries to identify documents related to the SDGs

This document explains the methodology used to create the downloadable search queries to identify documents related to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 1-16. First, we use text- mining techniques to extract relevant terms from text included in documents that provide descriptions of each SDG (e.g., policy reports, scientific publications and web content). Next, we manually cleaned the extracted terms together with STRINGS team members and other experts. After validating our queries internally, we compare them with other queries to evaluate and improve our approach. These SDG-related terms may be used to label abstracts, keywords and titles of scientific publications related to the SDGs. We recommend using these (and other) queries on clusters of publications (or research areas), rather than single publications

Future STI priorities: stakeholders’ views on how science, technology and innovation can help achieve the SDGs

• This chapter presents the results of a global survey of stakeholders. • Survey respondents proposed the STI areas and activities that they believe could help to achieve the SDGs by 2030. • Their responses highlighted a range of STI areas, including policy-oriented, social and grassroots innovations, which are often overlooked in the existing STI system. • Several STI areas were identified as potentially having a positive influence on the achievement of multiple SDGs. • The survey results also highlighted that some STI activities may support one particular SDG target at the same time as impeding progress towards another

Proximal Gamma Ray Spectroscopy for monitoring Soil Water Content in vineyards

Soil Water Content (SWC) is a key information in precision agriculture for obtaining high levels of efficiency and health of crops, while reducing water consumption. In particular, for the case of vineyards, due to the recent extreme temperature fluctuations, the knowledge of the SWC of the entire field becomes crucial to allow a timely intervention with emergency irrigation to preserve plant health and yield. Unlike electromagnetic SWC measurements, that are punctual and gravimetric measurements, that are punctual and also time-consuming, the Proximal Gamma Ray Spectroscopy (PGRS) technique can provide field-scale, non-invasive, and real-time measurements of SWC. This is achievable through an in-situ NaI detector, continuously recording photons resulting from the radioactive decay of 40K in the soil, which are attenuated proportionally based on the amount of stored water. Given the inverse proportionality between soil moisture and photons detected by the gamma ray sensor, the SWC value can be easily obtained. In this study we investigate the performance of PGRS applied to the case of study of a vineyard at the farm “Il Poggione” located in Montalcino (Siena, Italy). The effectiveness of the results obtained is supported by different tests: first the validation allowed to compare the PGRS measurement (5.8 ± 1.5)% with a gravimetric measurement (9.0 ± 2.5)%, highlighting a 1-σ agreement; then by the rainfall recognition capability indeed, in correspondence to the most significant rainfall event (18 mm) the SWC value before and after the rain increased of 7.8%. Moreover, the integration of the in-situ system with an agrometeorological station resulted in a Web App, allowing for real time data storage and thus facilitating data management, spectrum analysis, and display for both gamma ray sensor and agrometeorological station results, enabling comprehensive studies of environmental parameters (e.g., temperature, air humidity). This research underlines the potential of PGRS as a precise, real-time, and field scale SWC monitoring tool not only in vineyards but for cultivated fields in general. Further refinements concerning the gamma ray spectra analysis and broader applications in environmental monitoring are envisaged for improved agricultural practices. This study was supported by the project STELLA (Sistema inTEgrato per Lo studio del contenuto d'acqua in agricoLturA) (CUP: D94E20002180009) funded by the Tuscany region under the program POR FESR 2014/2020

First characterisation of natural radioactivity in building materials manufactured in Albania

This study focuses on the radiological characterisation of building materials manufactured in Albania by using a high-resolution gamma-ray spectrometer. The average activity concentrations of (40)K, (226)Ra and (232)Th were, respectively, 644.1±64.2, 33.4 ± 6.4 and 42.2 ± 7.6 Bq kg(-1) in the clay brick samples and 179.7 ± 48.9, 55.0 ± 5.8 and 17.0 ± 3.3 Bq kg(-1) in the cement samples. The calculated activity concentration index (ACI), varied from 0.48±0.02 to 0.63±0.04 in the clay brick samples and from 0.29±0.03 to 0.37±0.02 in the cement samples. Based on the ACI, all of the clay brick and cement samples were categorised as A1 materials. The authors can exclude (at 3σ level) any restriction of their use as bulk materials

Potential shallow aquifers characterization through an integrated geophysical method: multivariate approach by means of k-means algorithms

The need to obtain a detailed hydrogeological characterization of the subsurface and its interpretation for the groundwater resources management, often requires to apply several and complementary geophysical methods. The goal of the approach in this paper is to provide a unique model of the aquifer by synthesizing and optimizing the information provided by several geophysical methods. This approach greatly reduces the degree of uncertainty and subjectivity of the interpretation by exploiting the different physical and mechanic characteristics of the aquifer. The studied area, into the municipality of Laterina (Arezzo, Italy), is a shallow basin filled by lacustrine and alluvial deposits (Pleistocene and Olocene epochs, Quaternary period), with alternated silt, sand with variable content of gravel and clay where the bottom is represented by arenaceous-pelitic rocks (Mt. Cervarola Unit, Tuscan Domain, Miocene epoch). This shallow basin constitutes the unconfined superficial aquifer to be exploited in the nearly future. To improve the geological model obtained from a detailed geological survey we performed electrical resistivity and P wave refraction tomographies along the same line in order to obtain different, independent and integrable data sets. For the seismic data also the reflected events have been processed, a remarkable contribution to draw the geologic setting. Through the k-means algorithm, we perform a cluster analysis for the bivariate data set to individuate relationships between the two sets of variables. This algorithm allows to individuate clusters with the aim of minimizing the dissimilarity within each cluster and maximizing it among different clusters of the bivariate data set. The optimal number of clusters "K", corresponding to the individuated geophysical facies, depends to the multivariate data set distribution and in this work is estimated with the Silhouettes. The result is an integrated tomography that shows a finite number of homogeneous geophysical facies, which therefore permits to distinguish and interpret the porous aquifer in a quantitative and objective way

Changing Directions: Steering science, technology and innovation towards the Sustainable Development Goals

Science, technology and innovation are failing to address the world’s most urgent sustainability challenges, according to a major new report from the STRINGS project. ‘Changing Directions: Steering science, technology and innovation towards the Sustainable Development Goals’ is the final report of an in-depth study involving collaborators from across the globe. It highlights a glaring mismatch between the priorities of the world’s scientific communities and the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals, which were set up to drive change across all areas of social justice and environmental issues

Il Radgyro: un autogiro dedicato ad acquisizioni airborne multiparametriche

This study summarizes the main characteristic of the Radgyro, an auotgyro dedicated to multiparametric airborne acquisitions. This aircraft was imagined, designed and realized to host two cameras, an infrared camera, a thermographic camera, five gamma-ray spectrometers as well as a GPS antenna network, a inertial navigation system, a radar altimeter and the electronic system necessary to the automatic, simultaneous and independent use of the entire instrumentation. Thanks to a carrying capacity of 130 kg, 4 hours of flight autonomy and a low overhead, the Radgyro is the ideal vehicle for multiparametric surveys of wide areas, where the use of drones is limited by the carrying capacity and by the flight autonomy. Finally the results of preliminary photogrammetric surveys and the possible future applications of the aircraft are presented