Development of an integrated methodology for the sustainableenvironmental and socio-economic management of river ecosystems

The development of theWater Framework Directive aimed to establish an integrated framework of water management at European level. This framework revolves around inland surface waters, transitional waters, coastal waters and groundwaters. In the process of achieving the environment and ecological objectives set fromthe Directive, the role of economics is put in the core of thewatermanagement. An important feature of the Directive is the recovery of total economic cost of water services by all users. The total cost of water services can be disaggregated into environmental, financial and resource costs. Another important aspect of the directive is the identification of major drivers and pressures in each River Basin District.We describe a methodology that is aiming to achieve sustainable and environmental and socioeconomic management of freshwater ecosystem services. The EcosystemServices Approach is in the core of the suggested methodology for the implementation of a more sustainable and efficientwater management. This approach consists of the following three steps: (i) socio-economic characterization of the River Basin area, (ii) assessment of the current recovery of water use cost, and (iii) identification and suggestion of appropriate programs of measures for sustainablewatermanagement over space and time. Thismethodology is consistent with a) the economic principles adopted explicitly by theWater Framework Directive (WFD), b) the three-step WFD implementation approach adopted in the WATECO document, c) the Ecosystem Services Approach to valuing freshwater goods and services to humans. Furthermore, we analyze how the effects ofmultiple stressors and socio-economic development can be quantified in the context of freshwater resources management.We also attempt to estimate the value of four ecosystemservices using the benefit transfer approach for the Anglian River Basin, which showed the significance of such services

Association of environmental and sociodemographic factors with life satisfaction in 27 European countries

Background Life satisfaction is a cognitive and evaluative judgement of one’s outlook on life and an integral component of subjective wellbeing. There is a strong association between life satisfaction and mental and physical health, but it is currently unclear how environmental factors may influence life satisfaction. Our aim was to investigate the association between environmental factors and life satisfaction and to gain a better understanding of general life satisfaction statistics in the EU. Methods We used a three-level mixed effects logistic regression model to examine the effects of sociodemographic, macroeconomic and environmental factors on life satisfaction using a large sample size from Eurobarometer surveys (n = 268,696) representative of 27 EU countries. Data were collected through face-to-face interviews between May 2014 and June 2015. Results We found wide variation between countries, as well as between regions within the same country with regards to levels of life satisfaction. Having adjusted for individual sociodemographic factors, our analysis did not indicate statistically significant associations of mean temperature and precipitation with life satisfaction. However, there was a statistically significant association between environmental degradation and lower life satisfaction (OR = 0.98; 95% CI: 0.97–1.00). Consistent with existing literature, our results show statistically significant effects of sociodemographic factors such as sex, financial situation and employment on life satisfaction. Conclusions Future research should extend analyses to a wider range of sociodemographic, macroeconomic and geographical variables to gain insight on all possible factors affecting life satisfaction to inform policy makers and ensure higher quality of life, and in turn better mental and physical health

A methematical model for the morphological evolution of a volcano on an island

The present paper attempts a mathematical description, in two dimensions, of the morphological evolution of a volcano, as a result of erosional processes and volcanic activity. The whole morphological evolution is represented by a partial differential equation, in which erosion and volcanic activity are represented by the erosion coefficient K and a (mass) transfer function Trsf, respectively. The transfer function expresses the deposition rate of lava and pyroclastic material at the slopes of the volcano. The boundary conditions of the differential equation express a volcano which crowns an island area with length L and a time constant sea level. The solutions of the differential equation represent the morphological evolution of the volcano through time, under different initial states and geological conditions. It is concluded that the altitude of a dead volcano tends to zero with time. On the other hand, an active volcano with a time constant transfer function tends to a steady state of dynamic equilibrium. The dimensions of the profile at the steady state depend on the mass transfer rate and the erosion coefficient. The time at which the volcano comes to the steady state is proportional to the square length L2 and inversely proportional to the erosion coefficient. The results and conclusions of this paper may be useful in understanding, in quantitative terms, how the relief of a volcano may evolve in time and which factors control the whole process. © 2005 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved