Topic Review
Blue Carbon in Seychelles
Blue carbon has been proposed as a nature-based solution for climate change mitigation through the reduction in greenhouse gases through carbon sequestration. This proposal entails the protection, restoration, and conservation of blue carbon ecosystems such that these systems can optimally provide valuable ecosystem services. Challenges remain in funding the conservation and protection efforts blue carbon systems require to function optimally. The ecosystem services blue carbon systems provide can be capitalised upon through various “payment for ecosystem services” schemes, but these have their own unique challenges to resolve.
  • 89
  • 11 Mar 2024
Topic Review
Drone Photogrammetry for Underwater Cutural Heritage Documentation
Underwater cultural heritage (UCH) is an irreplaceable resource with intrinsic value that requires preservation, documentation, and safeguarding. Documentation is fundamental to increasing UCH resilience, providing a basis for monitoring, conservation, and management. Advanced UCH documentation and virtualization technologies are increasingly important for dissemination and visualization purposes, domain expert study, replica reproduction, degradation monitoring, and all other outcomes after a metric survey of cultural heritage (CH). Among the different metric documentation techniques, underwater photogrammetry is the most widely used for UCH documentation. It is a non-destructive and relatively inexpensive method that can produce high-resolution 3D models and 2D orthomosaics of underwater sites and artifacts. However, underwater photogrammetry is challenged by the different optical properties of water, light penetration, visibility and suspension, radiometric issues, and environmental drawbacks that make underwater documentation difficult. 
  • 58
  • 11 Mar 2024
Topic Review
Plastic Pollution
Plastic is a word that initially meant “material that can be easily shaped, formed, molded by providing heat and pressure”. It only recently became a name for a category of materials called synthetic polymers. The polymer means “of many parts” and is a long chain of repeating smaller or larger molecules (monomers) bonded in subunits. Generally, natural polymers and synthetic polymers are used for making plastics. Synthetic polymers differ from natural polymers (such as silk, cellulose, muscle fiber, rubber, hair, and DNA). They are manufactured using raw materials such as oil, coal, and natural gas. There are two other types of plastics that do not fall into the above category of materials (natural or synthetic) and are known as biodegradable plastics and bioplastic materials. Biodegradable plastic is made from petroleum- or biomass-based resources. Bioplastic products are manufactured using biomass-based materials only. Both plastic materials are substitutes for synthetic plastic. 
  • 59
  • 11 Mar 2024
Topic Review
Landscape Value Perception in Rural Development
Rural Spaces are becoming increasingly multifunctional, which requires a spatial approach that combines the natural features of the landscape with the socio-economic and cultural factors that drive its change. The understanding and evaluation of local landscapes by local populations should be considered an important benchmark for the management and conservation of these landscapes.
  • 101
  • 11 Mar 2024
Topic Review
Current Trends in the Development of Fungal-Containing Consortia
There is growing interest in the creation of artificial microbial consortia, especially in the field of developing and applying various bioremediation processes. Heavy metals, dyes, synthetic polymers (microplastics), pesticides, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and pharmaceutical agents are among the pollutants that have been mainly targeted by bioremediation based on various consortia containing fungi and yeasts. Such consortia can be designed both for the treatment of soil and water. 
  • 65
  • 08 Mar 2024
Topic Review
Coastal Assessment and MAM of Sea Level Rise
Sea level rise (SLR) is one of the most pressing challenges of climate change and has drawn noticeable research interest. Factors induced by global climate change, such as temperature increase, have resulted in both direct and indirect changes in sea levels at different spatial scales. Various climatic and non-climatic events contribute to sea level changes, posing risks to coastal and low-lying areas. Nevertheless, changes in sea level are not uniformly distributed globally due to several regional factors such as wave actions, storm surge frequencies, and tectonic land movement. The high exposure to those factors increases the vulnerability of subjected areas to SLR impacts. The impacts of events induced by climate change and SLR are reflected in biophysical, socioeconomic, and environmental aspects. Different indicator-based and model-based approaches are used to assess coastal areas’ vulnerabilities, response to impacts, and implementation of adaptation and mitigation measures. Various studies have been conducted to project future SLR impacts and evaluate implemented protection and adaptation approaches, aiding policymakers in planning effective adaptation and mitigation measures to reduce damage.
  • 96
  • 07 Mar 2024
Topic Review
The Brazilian Cement Sector
The worldwide cement industry plays an important role in addressing the climate change challenge. Brazil’s cement industry currently has 91 cement plants with an installed production capacity of 94 million tons per year and has started to calculate the net CO2 emissions to achieve a carbon-neutral cement sector by 2050. Accordingly, the carbon dioxide uptake due to mortar and concrete carbonation is subtracted from the carbon dioxide emitted by the chemical reaction for the calcination of lime, i.e., the calcination process performed during clinker production.
  • 231
  • 07 Mar 2024
Topic Review
DL-SLICER
A novel artificial intelligence (AI)-driven city classification method which provides a homogeneous and unbiased result, employing visual and publicly accessible data focusing on factual circumstances and complex visual causalities. It offers a new perspective in the research domain by developing a deep learning (DL) tool that analyzes visual information from city satellite image patches.
  • 92
  • 05 Mar 2024
Topic Review
Biochemical Mechanisms of Bioremediation Processes with Filamentous Fungi
The industrial sector plays a significant role in global economic growth. However, it also produces polluting effluents that must be treated to prevent environmental damage and ensure the quality of life for future generations is not compromised. Various physical, chemical, and biological methods have been employed to treat industrial effluents. Filamentous fungi, in particular, have garnered attention as effective bioremediation agents due to their ability to produce enzymes capable of degrading recalcitrant compounds, and adsorb different pollutant molecules.
  • 151
  • 05 Mar 2024
Topic Review
Tomato and Pepper Seeds in Phytopathogenic Bacteria Dissemination
The seed industry plays a crucial role in global food production but it faces a persistent challenge in ensuring the health and quality of seeds, particularly those of tomato and pepper seeds, which represent key seed commodities on the global market. Seeds can serve as potential pathways for the introduction and dissemination of seed-borne bacteria, which may have devastating effects on crop yield, farmers’ remunerability, and food security. Therefore, fungicides and other antimicrobial compounds are extensively used to disinfect the seeds, thus increasing the input of chemicals in the agri-environment. 
  • 69
  • 05 Mar 2024
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