Summary

Environmental science emerged from the fields of natural history and medicine during the Enlightenment. Today, it provides an integrated, quantitative, and interdisciplinary approach to the study of environmental systems. Environmental studies are incorporating more of the social sciences in order to understand human relationships, perceptions and policies towards the environment. This entry collection features information about design and technology for improving environmental quality in every aspect.

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Topic Review
Controlling Factors of California Precipitation
Using observational data covering 1948–2020, the environmental factors controlling the winter precipitation in California were investigated. Empirical orthogonal function (EOF) analysis was applied to identify the dominant climate regimes contributing to the precipitation. The first EOF mode described a consistent change, with 70.1% variance contribution, and the second modeexhibited a south–east dipole change, with 11.7% contribution. For EOF1, the relationship was positive between PC1(principal component) and SST (sea surface temperature) in the central Pacific Ocean, while it was negative with SST in the southeast Indian Ocean. The Pacific–North America mode, induced by the positive SST and precipitation in the central Pacific Ocean, leads to Californiabeing occupied by southwesterlies, which would transport warm and wet flow from the ocean, beneficial for precipitation. As for the negative relationship, California is controlled by biotrophically high pressure, representing part of the Rossby wave train induced by the positive SST in the Indian ocean, which is unfavorable for the precipitation. For EOF2, California is controlled by positivevorticity at the upper level, whereas at the lower level, there is positive vorticity to the south and negative vorticity to the north, the combination of which leads to the dipole mode change in the precipitation.
  • 1.0K
  • 20 Aug 2021
Topic Review
EU Road Transport Carbon Emissions
To accomplish the 1.5 °C and 2 °C climate change targets, the European Union (EU) has set up several policy initiatives. Within the EU, the carbon emissions of the road transport sector from the consumption of diesel and gasoline are constantly rising. (1) Background: due to road transport policies, diesel and gasoline use within the EU is increasing the amount of carbon in the atmosphere and adding to climate risks. (2) Methods: sustainability analysis used was based on the method recommended by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. (3) Results: to meet its road transport requirements, the EU produces an estimated 0.237–0.245 billion tonnes of carbon per year from its total consumption of diesel and gasoline. (4) Conclusion: if there is no significant reduction in diesel and gasoline carbon emissions, there is a real risk that the EU’s carbon budget commitment could lapse and that climate change targets will not be met. Sustainability analysis of energy consumption in road transport sector shows the optimum solution is the direct electrification of road transport. 
  • 1.9K
  • 20 Aug 2021
Topic Review
Polyelectrolyte Multilayers
Polyelectrolyte multilayers are thin organic films obtained by self-assembly of PEs with other charged/uncharged (macro)molecules using an LbL method. The physical and chemical architecture of PEMs can be determined from the nanoscopic level to the macroscopic level. Both weak and strong PEs can participate in the formation of multilayers together with other low molecular or macromolecular compounds (charged or uncharged), the properties of the obtained materials being dependent on the nature and characteristics of the partners involved in the deposition process.
  • 1.1K
  • 19 Aug 2021
Topic Review
Resistive Gas Sensor
With a series of widespread applications, resistive gas sensors are considered to be promising candidates for gas detection, benefiting from their small size, ease-of-fabrication, low power consumption and outstanding maintenance properties. One-dimensional (1-D) nanomaterials, which have large specific surface areas, abundant exposed active sites and high length-to-diameter ratios, enable fast charge transfers and gas-sensitive reactions. They can also significantly enhance the sensitivity and response speed of resistive gas sensors.
  • 4.8K
  • 17 Aug 2021
Topic Review
Anabaenopeptins
Anabaenopeptins (APs) are structurally diverse peptides widely distributed in distinct ecosystems among cyanobacteria. Some structural features of these molecules are shared with other cyanotoxins, such as the presence of modified residues, exocyclic amino acids, circular structure, and amino acids in D-configuration. However, among the cyanopeptides, the ureido linkage is exclusively found in APs. Thus, these cyclic peptides demonstrate toxicity and structural diversity which will be explored in this topic, including biotechnological and ecological relevance, and their distribution.
  • 2.0K
  • 16 Aug 2021
Topic Review
Air during New Year’s Eve
Mosses are one of the best bioindicators in the assessment of atmospheric aerosol pollution by heavy metals. Studies using mosses allow both short- and long-term air quality monitoring. The increasing contamination of the environment (including air) is causing a search for new, cheap and effective methods of monitoring its condition. Once such method is the use of mosses in active biomonitoring. The aim of the entry was to assess the atmospheric aerosol pollution with selected heavy metals (Ni, Cu, Zn, Cd, Hg and Pb) from the smoke of fireworks used during New Year’s Eve in the years 2019/2020 and 2020/2021.
  • 1.5K
  • 16 Aug 2021
Topic Review
Melissa officinalis subsp. officinalis
The investigation aimed to study the in vitro and in silico antioxidant properties of Melissa officinalis subsp. officinalis essential oil (MOEO). The chemical composition of MOEO was determined using GC–MS analysis. Among 36 compounds identified in MOEO, the main were beta-cubebene (27.66%), beta-caryophyllene (27.41%), alpha-cadinene (4.72%), caryophyllene oxide (4.09%), and alpha-cadinol (4.07%), respectively. In vitro antioxidant properties of MOEO have been studied in 2,2’-azino-bis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) (ABTS) and 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) free-radical scavenging, and inhibition of β-carotene bleaching assays. The half-maximal inhibitory concentration (IC50) for the radical scavenging abilities of ABTS and DPPH were 1.225 ± 0.011 μg/mL and 14.015 ± 0.027 μg/mL, respectively, demonstrating good antioxidant activity. Moreover, MOEO exhibited a strong inhibitory effect (94.031 ± 0.082%) in the β-carotene bleaching assay by neutralizing hydroperoxides, responsible for the oxidation of highly unsaturated β-carotene. Furthermore, molecular docking showed that the MOEO components could exert an in vitro antioxidant activity through xanthine oxidoreductase inhibition. The most active structures are minor MOEO components (approximately 6%), among which the highest affinity for the target protein belongs to carvacrol.
  • 1.1K
  • 12 Aug 2021
Topic Review
Biodegradable Polymer-Supported Titanium Dioxide Photocatalysts
During the past two decades, immobilization of titanium dioxide (TiO2), a well-known photocatalyst, on several polymeric substrates has extensively gained ground since it limits the need of post-treatment separation stages. Taking into account the numerous substrates tested for supporting TiO2 photocatalysts, the use of biodegradable polymer seems a hopeful option owing to its considerable merits, including the flexible nature, low price, chemical inertness, mechanical stability and wide feasibility. 
  • 1.8K
  • 12 Aug 2021
Topic Review
Mediterranean Drought: Regional Exceptional Datasets
To define such drought events and their characteristics, separate analyses based on three drought indices were performed at 12-month timescale: the Standardized Precipitation Index (SPI), the Standardized Precipitation Evapotranspiration Index (SPEI), and the Reconnaissance Drought Index (RDI). A multivariate combined drought index (DXI) was developed by merging the previous three indices for more understanding of droughts’ features at the country and subregional levels. Principal component analysis (PCA) was used to identify five different drought subregions based on DXI-12 values for 312 Mediterranean stations and a new special score was defined to classify the multi-subregional exceptional drought events across the Mediterranean Basin (MED). The results indicated that extensive drought events occurred more frequently since the late 1990s, showing several drought hotspots in the last decades in the southeastern Mediterranean and northwest Africa. In addition, the results showed that the most severe events were more detected when more than single drought index was used. 
  • 1.2K
  • 11 Aug 2021
Topic Review
Târnave Vineyard
Located at the intersection of the geographical coordinates of 46°–47° Northern latitude and 23°–24° Eastern longitude, Târnave vineyards are part of the viticultural zone 1 of Romania. They are situated on the Transylvanian Plateau. The most significant viticultural area of Transylvania, the prestigious Târnave vineyard, named so because most of the vineyards are located on the slopes that delineate the valleys of the rivers Târnava Mare and Târnava Mică, is known and appreciated for its quality wines with a specific flavor and a good sugar/acidity balance.
  • 1.8K
  • 11 Aug 2021
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