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Topic Review
Bacteriophages as Fecal Pollution Indicators
Bacteriophages are promising tools for the detection of fecal pollution in different environments, and particularly for viral pathogen risk assessment. Having similar morphological and biological characteristics, bacteriophages mimic the fate and transport of enteric viruses. For this reason, enteric bacteriophages, especially phages infecting Escherichia coli (coliphages), have been proposed as alternatives or complements to fecal indicator bacteria.
  • 870
  • 25 Jun 2021
Topic Review
Coastal Morphodynamics
The shape of the coast and the processes that mold it change together as a complex system. There is constant feedback among the multiple components of the system, and when climate changes, all facets of the system change. Abrupt shifts to different states can also take place when certain tipping points are crossed. The coupling of rapid warming in the Arctic with melting sea ice is one example of positive feedback. Climate changes, particularly rising sea temperatures, are causing an increasing frequency of tropical storms and “compound events” such as storm surges combined with torrential rains. These events are superimposed on progressive rises in relative sea level and are anticipated to push many coastal morphodynamic systems to tipping points beyond which return to preexisting conditions is unlikely. 
  • 870
  • 02 Nov 2023
Topic Review
Carbon Sequestration as a Climate Change Mitigation Strategy
Agriculture is the second-highest, after energy use, source of greenhouse gas emissions, which are released from soils and animal digestion processes and as a result of energy consumption at various stages of agricultural production. However, changes in the management of agricultural systems may mitigate the negative impact of this sector on the atmosphere and climate. Carbon farming, which focuses on carbon sequestration, is closely linked to soil quality. Carbon converted to organic form in the soil stimulates the activity of soil enzymes, promotes the growth of beneficial microorganisms and improves chemical and physicochemical properties, including pH, sorption capacity and water retention.
  • 869
  • 13 Jun 2023
Topic Review
Cr and Plants
Extensive industrial activities resulted in an increase in chromium (Cr) contamination in the environment. The toxicity of Cr severely affects plant growth and development. Cr is also recognized as a human carcinogen that enters the human body via inhalation or by consuming Cr-contaminated food products.
  • 867
  • 28 May 2021
Topic Review
Climate Audit
Climate Audit is a blog which was founded on 31 January 2005 by Steve McIntyre. In November 2009 journalist Andrew Revkin described it in The New York Times as "a popular skeptics’ blog" run by McIntyre, a retired Canadian mining consultant.
  • 867
  • 21 Nov 2022
Topic Review
Impacts of COVID-19 on the Aquatic Environment
The COVID-19 pandemic, caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), resulted in ecological changes of aquatic ecosystems, affected the aquatic food supply chain, and disrupted the socio-economy of global populations. Due to reduced human activities during the pandemic, the aquatic environment was reported to improve its water quality, wild fishery stocks, and biodiversity. However, the sudden surge of plastics and biomedical wastes during the COVID-19 pandemic masked the positive impacts and increased the risks of aquatic pollution, especially microplastics, pharmaceuticals, and disinfectants. 
  • 866
  • 03 Nov 2021
Topic Review
Solar Concentration for Wastewaters Remediation
As the effectiveness of conventional wastewater treatment processes is increasingly challenged by the growth of industrial activities, a demand for low-cost and low-impact treatments is emerging. A possible solution is represented by systems coupling solar concentration technology with advanced oxidation processes (AOP).
  • 864
  • 17 Jun 2021
Topic Review
Climate Across Cretaceous–Paleogene Boundary
The climate across the Cretaceous–Paleogene boundary (K–Pg or formerly the K–T boundary) is very important to geologic time as it marks a catastrophic global extinction event. Numerous theories have been proposed as to why this extinction event happened including an asteroid known as the Chicxulub asteroid, volcanism, or sea level changes. While the mass extinction is well documented, there is much debate about the immediate and long-term climatic and environmental changes caused by the event. The terrestrial climates at this time are poorly known, which limits the understanding of environmentally driven changes in biodiversity that occurred before the Chicxulub crater impact. Oxygen isotopes across the K–T boundary suggest that oceanic temperatures fluctuated in the Late Cretaceous and through the boundary itself. Carbon isotope measurements of benthic foramifinera at the K–T boundary suggest rapid, repeated fluctuations in oceanic productivity in the 3 million years before the final extinction, and that productivity and ocean circulation ended abruptly for at least tens of thousands of years just after the boundary, indicating devastation of terrestrial and marine ecosystems. Some researchers suggest that climate change is the main connection between the impact and the extinction. The impact perturbed the climate system with long-term effects that were much worse than the immediate, direct consequences of the impact.
  • 864
  • 25 Nov 2022
Topic Review
Wood-based pellets in Southeastern US
Effects of pellet production on selected Sustainability Development Goals (SDGs) are evaluated using industry information, available energy consumption data, and published research findings. Challenges associated with identifying relevant SDG goals and targets for this particular bioenergy supply chain and potential deleterious impacts are discussed. We find that production of woody pellets in the SE US and shipments to displace coal for energy in Europe generate positive effects on affordable and clean energy (SDG 7), decent work and economic growth (SDG 8), industry innovation and infrastructure (SDG 9), responsible consumption and production (SDG 12), and life on land (SDG 15). Primary strengths of the pellet supply chain in the SE US are the provisioning of employment in depressed rural areas and the displacement of fossil fuels. Weaknesses are associated with potential impacts on air, water, and biodiversity that arise if the resource base and harvest activities are improperly managed. The SE US pellet supply chain provides an opportunity for transition to low-carbon industries and innovations while incentivizing better resource management.
  • 861
  • 31 Jan 2021
Topic Review
Constructed Technosols
Constructed Technosols means the creation of soils designed to mimic natural soil and suitable for vegetation growth.
  • 861
  • 19 May 2021
Topic Review
Nitrogen, Phosphorus, and Invasive Alien Plants
Plant invasion is significantly affected by environmental factors in the recipient habitats and affects the stability and sustainable development of society. The invasiveness of alien plants may be increased by anthropogenic-mediated disturbances, such as fluctuations in nutrients caused by excessive emissions of nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P). 
  • 861
  • 07 Feb 2022
Topic Review
Small-Scale Urban Green Infrastructure
Urban green infrastructure (UGI) such as green roofs, green facades, public parks, urban forests, urban wetlands, and unmanaged green sites, provide nature-based solutions (NBS) that offer a promising avenue for climate change adaptation in cities to reduce the negative environmental impacts of urbanization, such as the urban heat island effect and altered precipitation patterns. UGI supports a wide range of ES at different spatial levels including but not limited to provisioning (e.g., food, and freshwater), regulating (e.g., urban temperature regulations, noise reduction, air purification, pollination, runoff mitigation, and waste treatment), socio-cultural (tourism, recreation, cognitive development, social cohesion), and supporting (e.g., habitat for biodiversity diversity), with fewer documented health benefits (e.g., good health, mortality). 
  • 860
  • 19 Sep 2022
Topic Review
Environmental Monitoring of Pesticide Residues
Pesticide residues are a threat to the health of the global population, not only to farmers, applicators, and other pesticide professionals. Humans are exposed through various routes such as food, skin, and inhalation. Indirect approaches, also called “external exposure approaches”, estimate the exposure of a population through the measurements of pesticide residue levels in food and the environment. Environmental sampling involves water resources, soils, sediments, and air particles. Recent studies have also included indoor and road dust. In addition, indirect assessment models also include food, as fruits, vegetables, and cereals treated with pesticides have also been proven to be significant sources of pesticides. Furthermore, the pesticide residues in abiotic environmental samples also bioaccumulate in biota. Dietary intake of animal products, including meat and subproducts from farm animals, fish, and seafood, is considered an important route of exposure for population.
  • 858
  • 19 Jul 2021
Topic Review
Wetland Resources in South Africa
Wetlands are important ecosystems with physical and socioeconomic benefits. A wetland is defined as an area of soil covered with water or has water close to its surface all year or at some periods of the year. They are necessary for people’s livelihoods but not usually considered important.
  • 857
  • 13 Jun 2022
Topic Review
Phosphorus Recovery from Sewage Sludge Ash
Phosphorus is an essential and limited element that cannot be replaced by any other. Phosphorus deposits in the world are rapidly depleting, so methods of recovering phosphorus from alternative sources and using it as a fertilizer in agriculture are becoming increasingly popular. Struvite from sewage sludge ash contains phosphorus, and also a significant amount of nitrogen and magnesium. It is considered an effective slow-release fertilizer that can be successfully applied to agricultural, vegetable, and ornamental crops. The slower leaching of nutrients and high fertilizer quality, and high phosphorus content can make struvite an environmentally friendly fertilizer. However, its production is not yet sustainable. The cradle-to-cradle (C2C) concept has made it possible to highlight the so-called critical points in the production of such fertilizer. Limitations are environmental  (concerns about heavy metals content in sewage sludge ash), legal (standard testing, product certification, quality control), economic (cost of energy, supply-chain), legal aspects (still not implemented as a mineral fertilizer under general EU regulations) and looses during P fertilizer production. 
  • 854
  • 18 Apr 2022
Topic Review
Hospital Wastewater Treatment Processes
Hospital wastewater contains a considerably higher concentration of drug residues (antibiotics, β-receptor blockers, analgesics, etc.) than municipal wastewater. Each hospital wastewater treatment process has its own merits, but combinatory processes frequently achieve higher levels of treatment effectiveness.
  • 854
  • 14 Feb 2023
Topic Review
Disinfection Byproducts
Disinfection byproducts (DBPs) are formed by the action of oxidant-disinfectant chemicals, mainly chlorine derivatives (chlorine, hypochlorous acid, chloramines, etc.), that react with natural organic matter (NOM), mainly humic substances. DBPs are usually refractory to oxidation, mainly due to the presence of halogen compounds so that advanced oxidation processes (AOPs) are a recommended option to deal with their removal.
  • 849
  • 23 Jun 2021
Topic Review
Quality and Historical Marks of National Interest
Trademarks are distinctive signs designed to promote and enhance the products/services of companies. In Italy have been created historical brands to promote their strategic importance and enhance the temporal continuity of the marks.
  • 848
  • 27 Apr 2022
Topic Review
Zooplankton for Monitoring and Assessing Lake Ecosystem Health
For the sustainable use of lake ecosystem services—water resources, aquatic habitats for biodiversity conservation, and aesthetic values as waterfront space—ecosystem health assessments using biota are implemented as important national environmental monitoring projects. Zooplankton play a key role as an important linkage in the material circulation as secondary producers in lake ecosystems. At the same time, they influence the composition and biomass of other communities through biological interactions.
  • 848
  • 27 Jul 2023
Topic Review
Release of Microplastics from Masks
The global panic caused by COVID-19 has continued to increase people’s demand for masks. Due to inadequate management and disposal practice, these masks have entered the environment and release a large amount of microplastics (MPs), posing a serious threat to the environment and human health. 
  • 848
  • 29 Aug 2022
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