“¿No te das cuenta que t’han mirao mal?”. Pràctiques d’empoderament entre les dones gitanes de La Mina. Bruixeria i apropiació de l’espai públic com a elements d’agència femenina

Treballs Finals de Grau Antropologia Social i Cultural, Facultat de Geografia i Història, Universitat de Barcelona, Curs: 2014-2015, Tutor: Alberto López BargadosAquest treball constitueix una aproximació a les dones de la comunitat gitana de la Mina, per tal d’analitzar quines son les estratègies utilitzades pel seu empoderament1 (Lagarde 1999: 86) mitjançant dos àmbits diferenciats: les pràctiques de bruixeria i la seva eficàcia simbòlica, i la apropiació de l’espai públic2. Intentaré analitzar com aquestes estratègies reforcen la seva posició dins la família i la comunitat i com reforcen els llaços de parentiu entre diferents clans familiars. Arreu de l’observació de les seves pràctiques socials en l’àmbit urbà i de les diferents entrevistes mantingudes amb dones de diferents edats he pogut observar com es transmet el conjunt de pràctiques “maleïdes”, tractant d’establir així un nexe que vertebri les pràctiques de bruixeria amb la vessant domèstica i familiar i com aquest esdevé significatiu pel seu empoderament com a gitanes, dones i mares, tot i partir d’una situació de subordinació. També queda palès com el marc urbà (La Mina) on es desenvolupen les seves pràctiques socials i domèstiques i la seva ocupació esdevé un agent més i una força local no institucional que condiciona les mateixes.This work forms an approach to the women of the gypsy community of “La Mina”, a Barcelona’s suburban neighborhood, Spain, in order to analyze her strategies of empowerment using two differentiated scopes: the symbolic efficiency of her witchcraft practices and the appropriation of public space. Of how these strategies reinforce its position in the family and by extension within the community while became a key in her everyday life, and strengthen her kinship ties between different family clans. Based on the observation of social practices in urban areas and the different interviews carried out with women of different ages I have been able to observe how is been transferred the set of “cursed” practices trying to establish a link so that vertebrae witchcraft practices with the domestic and familiar side as it becomes significant for their empowerment as a gypsy, women and mothers, even from a position of subordination. It is also evident that the urban context (“La Mina”) where they develop their practices and their social and domestic use becomes also an agent and a non institutional local force that conditions them

Quantifying surface water, porewater, and groundwater interactions using tracers: tracer fluxes, water fluxes, and end‐member concentrations

Tracer approaches to estimate both porewater exchange (the cycling of water between surface water and sediments, with zero net water flux) and groundwater inflow (the net flow of terrestrially derived groundwater into surface water) are commonly based on solute mass balances. However, this requires appropriate characterization of tracer end‐member concentrations in exchanging or discharging water. Where either porewater exchange or groundwater inflow to surface water occur in isolation, then the water flux is easily estimated from the net tracer flux if the end‐member is appropriately chosen. However, in most natural systems porewater exchange and groundwater inflow will occur concurrently. Our analysis shows that if groundwater inflow (Qg) and porewater exchange (Qp) mix completely before discharging to surface water, then the combined water flux (Qg + Qp) can be approximated by dividing the combined tracer flux by the difference between the porewater and surface water concentrations, (cp – c). If Qg and Qp do not mix prior to discharge, then (Qg + Qp) can only be constrained by minimum and maximum values. The minimum value is obtained by dividing the net tracer flux by the groundwater concentration, and the maximum is obtained by dividing by (cp – c). Dividing by the groundwater concentration gives a maximum value for Qg. If porewater exchange and groundwater outflow occur concurrently, then dividing the net tracer flux by (cp – c) will provide a minimum value for Qp. Use of multiple tracers, and spatial and temporal replication should provide a more complete picture of exchange processes and the extent of subsurface mixing

The microbial dimension of submarine groundwater discharge : current challenges and future directions

Despite the relevance of submarine groundwater discharge (SGD) for ocean biogeochemistry, the microbial dimension of SGD remains poorly understood. SGD can influence marine microbial communities through supplying chemical compounds and microorganisms, and in turn, microbes at the land-ocean transition zone determine the chemistry of the groundwater reaching the ocean. However, compared with inland groundwater, little is known about microbial communities in coastal aquifers. Here, we review the state of the art of the microbial dimension of SGD, with emphasis on prokaryotes, and identify current challenges and future directions. Main challenges include improving the diversity description of groundwater microbiota, characterized by ultrasmall, inactive and novel taxa, and by high ratios of sediment-attached versus free-living cells. Studies should explore microbial dynamics and their role in chemical cycles in coastal aquifers, the bidirectional dispersal of groundwater and seawater microorganisms, and marine bacterioplankton responses to SGD. This will require not only combining sequencing methods, visualization and linking taxonomy to activity but also considering the entire groundwater-marine continuum. Interactions between traditionally independent disciplines (e.g. hydrogeology, microbial ecology) are needed to frame the study of terrestrial and aquatic microorganisms beyond the limits of their presumed habitats, and to foster our understanding of SGD processes and their influence in coastal biogeochemical cycles. The authors review the available literature on the microbial aspects of submarine groundwater discharge, from the freshwater aquifers to the coastal ocean, and identify current challenges and future directions to foster knowledge on microbial ecology at the land-ocean interface

Distribució de radionúclids naturals en una marjal càrstica del Mediterrani occidental : la marjal de Peníscola

L'objectiu principal d'aquest estudi es determinar les concentracions de Rn i dels quatre isòtops de Ra al llarg de la Marjal de Peníscola, per tal de determinar els processos geoquímics principals responsables de les altes concentracions observades

Enhanced growth rates of the Mediterranean mussel in a coastal lagoon driven by groundwater inflow

Groundwater discharge is today recognized as an important pathway for freshwater, nutrients and other dissolved chemical substances to coastal systems. While its effect on supporting primary production in coastal ecosystems is increasingly recognized, its impact on growth of animals at higher trophic level (primary and secondary consumers) is less well documented. Here, we investigate the impact of groundwater discharge on the growth of the Mediterranean mussel (Mytilus galloprovincialis) in a coastal lagoon. Growth rates and condition index (tissue weight/shell weight) of mussels growing at groundwater-exposed sites and at a control site in Salses-Leucate lagoon (France) were measured. The mussels in this lagoon produce circadian (daily rhythm) growth increments in their shell, as opposed to semi-diurnal increments in tidally influenced systems. Mussels from groundwater-influenced sites have higher growth rate and condition index compared to those from a control site. Importantly, growth rates from groundwater-influenced sites are amongst the highest rates reported for the Mediterranean region (41 ± 9 μm d⁻¹). The higher growth rates at groundwater-influenced sites are likely a consequence of both the higher winter temperatures of lagoon water as a result of groundwater discharging with relatively constant temperatures, and the groundwater-driven nutrient supply that increase the food availability to support mussel growth. Overall, this study demonstrates that groundwater discharge to Mediterranean lagoons provides favorable environmental conditions for fast growth of mussels of high commercial-quality

Intertidal percolation through beach sands as a source of 224,223 Ra to Long Island Sound, New York, and Connecticut, United States

Along tidal coasts, seawater circulated through the intertidal beach contributes to submarine groundwater discharge (SGD) and its associated geochemical signature. The short-lived radium isotopes, 223Ra (half-life = 11.4 d) and 224Ra (half-life = 3.66 d), were used to quantify this component of SGD in a large estuary, Long Island Sound (LIS), New York, United States. The tide is semidiurnal with a range of approximately 2 m. Concentrations in beach pore waters ranged from 97 to 678 disintegrations per minute (dpm) 224Ra 100 L–1, whereas concentrations in open coastal waters ranged from approximately 12 to 69 dpm 224Ra 100 L–1. A simple model based on ingrowth of 224Ra in the pore water of the beach sands was used to determine residence times of 0.6 to 2.5 d for water in the intertidal beach. Both 223Ra and 224Ra showed decreasing gradients and concentration in an offshore transect away from the beach face in Smithtown Bay, whereas the long-lived radium isotopes, 228Ra (half-life = 5.75 y) and 226Ra (half-life = 1,600 y), showed no significant gradients. Based on the 224Ra gradient, the flux across the LIS shoreline was estimated to be 1.79 × 108 dpm m–1 y–1. The 224Ra inventories in two zones, 0–50 m and 0–100 m offshore, were used to estimate total SGD fluxes of 3.1 × 1010 to 6.6 × 1010 m3 y–1 of intertidal seawater to the nearshore of LIS. Comparison of this estimate with hydrodynamic models of fresh groundwater flow in the adjacent coastal aquifer suggests that less than 1% of the SGD is freshwater

Evaluation of 224Ra as a tracer for submarine groundwater discharge in Long Island Sound (NY)

Altres ajuts: the government of Spain and the Fulbright Commission for a post-doctoral fellowship to J.G-O. (ref 2007-0516)The approach to quantify submarine groundwater discharge using Ra isotopes generally involves developing a Ra mass balance in an estuary, bay or lagoon. In this work we present a 224Ra mass balance used to evaluate the importance of the submarine groundwater discharge (SGD) in Long Island Sound (NY, US), the third most important estuary in US, located between Long Island and Connecticut that is usually affected by summertime hypoxia in the western basin. Three surveys were conducted between April 2009 and August 2010 where 25 water stations were sampled for Ra isotopes, oxygen and Mn. Stations were oriented along 4 transects: one axial extending from the western to the eastern Sound and three longitudinal transects in the western, central and eastern Sound. The inventory of 224Ra in the water column in summer was circa 2 times greater than in winter, suggesting an increased 224Ra flux to the Sound in summer. A mass balance for 224Ra was constructed considering tidal exchange, inputs from rivers, desorption from resuspended particles, diffusive fluxes (including bioirrigation) from bottom sediments and radioactive decay in the water column. Fluxes of 224Ra from bottom sediments were measured by incubating cores under oxic conditions in a continuous flow mode such that the overlying water was circulated through a Mn-oxide fiber to maintain a constant activity of 224Ra. Fluxes from muddy sediments (comprising ~67% of the Sound bottom) ranged from 127 to 312dpmm-2d-1 and were ~60dpmm-2d-1 in sandy sediments (33% of the Sound). Incubations under hypoxic conditions showed variable fluxes depending on reduction and mobilization of Mn. The 224Ra mass balance shows a net input of Ra to the Sound of 106±50×1012dpmy-1 in spring and 244±112×1012dpmy-1 in the summer that is attributed to SGD. Elevated 224Ra values were observed near shore and in the pore fluids of the coarse beach sands along the Long Island and Connecticut coasts, suggesting that SGD driven by tidal recirculation through the beach face is a major source of 224Ra to the Sound. Seasonal variation in this source seems unlikely, and the calculated 224Ra SGD fluxes for spring and summer overlap within the uncertainties. Nevertheless we conclude that variations in the 224Ra water column inventories could be produced by seasonal changes in bioirrigation and/or redox cycling of Mn as well as sediment resuspension and desorption of 224Ra from resuspended particles, and that our mass balance underestimates these terms, particularly in the summer. 224Ra fluxes from sediments in estuaries, especially those with significant areas of muddy sediments and seasonal hypoxia, are important and should be well constrained in future uses of this isotope as a tracer for SGD

Groundwater and nutrient discharge through karstic coastal springs (Castelló, Spain)

Altres ajuts: Support from the Fulbright Commission for a post-doctoral fellowship to J.G-O. (ref 2007-0516) is gratefully acknowledged. Support for the research of PM was received through the prize ICREA Academia, funded by the Generalitat de Catalunya.Discharge of groundwater and associated chemical compounds into coastal karstic regions, which are abundant in the Mediterranean basin, is envisaged to be significant. In this study, we evaluate the groundwater discharge and its nutrient load to the open karstic site of Badum (Castelló, East Spain). Salinity profiles evidenced that groundwater discharge from coastal brackish springs causes a buoyant fresher layer, as identified with thermal infrared images. Chemical tracers (radium isotopes, dissolved inorganic silicate and seawater major elements) have been used to determine a brackish groundwater proportion in coastal waters of 36% in October 2006 and 44% in June 2007. Based on a radium-derived residence time of 2.7 days in October 2006 and 2.0 days in June 2007, total SGD fluxes have been estimated in 71 500 and 187 000m³ d⁻¹, respectively, with fresh-SGD contributions representing 71% and 85%. The calculated SGD-associated nutrient fluxes, most likely of natural origin, were 1500 and 8300 μmolm⁻² d⁻¹ of DIN and 19 and 40 μmolm⁻² d⁻¹ of DIP in October 2006 and June 2007, respectively. These inputs may actually lead to or enhance P limitation, thereby altering the structure of biological communities in the area