The interannual variability of tropical lower stratosphere ozone and its connections to sea surface temperatures in the equatorial Pacific are examined using a combination of chemistry climate model ...simulations, satellite observations, and reanalyses. The model simulations and observations show large differences in the magnitude of interannual variability in ozone between northern tropic (NT; EQ‐18° N) and southern tropic (EQ‐18° S) during boreal summer but small differences in winter. The interannual variability during boreal summer is highly correlated with summer sea surface temperatures in the eastern and central Pacific Ocean and El Niño–Southern Oscillation (ENSO) events. Larger variability in NT ozone is primarily due to meridional advection, connected to the changes in the onset date and strength of the Asian summer monsoon anticyclone. The Asian summer monsoon anticyclone forms earlier in a season and tends to be stronger during cold (La Niña) events leading to more isentropic transport of ozone from the extratropics into the NT, with the reverse for warm (El Niño) events.
Key Points
Interannual variability in the lower stratospheric ozone is larger in the northern tropic than in the southern tropic during boreal summer
Ozone interannual variability during boreal summer is highly correlated with boreal summer ENSO events
Boreal summer ENSO modifies meridional advection of ozone through changes in the strength of the Asian summer monsoon anticyclone
The stratospheric circulation has been recently proposed to play an important role in transmitting the ENSO signal to the Euro-Atlantic region. In this context, the influence of ENSO on the boreal ...stratospheric modes of variability in winter is studied. A Principal Component Analysis of the geopotential height at 20 hPa is performed partitioning the data into El Niño and La Niña winters (1957/58-2001/02 period). It is found that the stratospheric annular mode retains almost a 10% more variance of the field for cold-La Niña than for warm-El Niño winters. On the other hand, zonal-wave-number-one modes accumulate more variability for warm-El Niño winters. Our results support the presence of more stratospheric wave-like anomalies coming from the troposphere during warm-El Niño conditions. Statistical linear correlation between ozone and stratospheric variability is restricted to the annular mode, being the signal stronger for warm- ENSO winters. PUBLICATION ABSTRACT
•A meta-analysis of N2O EFs in Mediterranean cropping systems was conducted.•Mediterranean EFs (average of 0.5%) were lower than the IPCC default value (1%).•Annual rainfall, water management and ...crop type highly affected EFs.•Drip irrigation (EF=0.51%) is a promising measure to mitigate N2O emissions.•The use of new EFs would reduce the estimation of Spanish N2O emissions 2-fold.
Many recent reviews and meta-analyses of N2O emissions do not include data from Mediterranean studies. In this paper we present a meta-analysis of the N2O emissions from Mediterranean cropping systems, and propose a more robust and reliable regional emission factor (EF) for N2O, distinguishing the effects of water management, crop type, and fertilizer management. The average overall EF for Mediterranean agriculture (EFMed) was 0.5%, which is substantially lower than the IPCC default value of 1%. Soil properties had no significant effect on EFs for N2O. Increasing the N fertilizer rate led to higher EFs; when N was applied at rates greater than 400kgNha−1, the EF did not significantly differ from the 1% default value (EF: 0.82%). Liquid slurries led to emissions that did not significantly differ from 1%; the other fertilizer types were lower but did not significantly differ from each other. Rain-fed crops in Mediterranean regions have lower EFs (EF: 0.27%) than irrigated crops (EF: 0.63%). Drip irrigation systems (EF: 0.51%) had 44% lower EF than sprinkler irrigation methods (EF: 0.91%). Extensive crops, such as winter cereals (wheat, oat and barley), had lower EFs (EF: 0.26%) than intensive crops such as maize (EF: 0.83%). For flooded rice, anaerobic conditions likely led to complete denitrification and low EFs (EF: 0.19%). Our results indicate that N2O emissions from Mediterranean agriculture are overestimated in current national greenhouse gas inventories and that, with the new EF determined from this study, the effect of mitigation strategies such as drip irrigation or the use of nitrification inhibitors, even if highly significant, may be smaller in absolute terms.
Clothes may contain a large range of chemical additives and other toxic substances, which may eventually pose a significant risk to human health. Since they are associated with pigments, ...polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) may be especially relevant. On the other hand, infants are very sensitive to chemical exposure and they may wear some contact and colored textiles for a prolonged time. Consequently, a specific human health risk assessment is required. This preliminary study was aimed at analyzing the concentrations of PCBs in ten bodysuits purchased in on-line stores and local retailers. The concentrations of 12 dioxin-like and 8 non-dioxin-like PCB congeners were determined by gas chromatography coupled to high resolution mass spectrometry, with detection limits ranging between 0.01 and 0.13 pg/g. The dermal absorption to PCBs of children at different ages (6 months, 1 year and 3 years old) was estimated, and the non-cancer and cancer risks were evaluated. Total levels of PCBs ranged from 74.2 to 412 pg/g, with a mean TEQ concentration of 13.4 pg WHO-TEQ/kg. Bodysuits made of organic cotton presented a total mean PCB concentration substantially lower than clothes made of regular cotton (11.0 vs. 15.8 pg WHO-TEQ/kg). The dermal absorption to PCBs for infants was calculated in around 3·10−5 pg WHO-TEQ/kg·day, regardless the age. This value is > 10,000-fold lower than the dietary intake of PCBs, either through breastfeeding or food consumption. Furthermore, this exposure value would not pose any health risks for the infants wearing those bodysuits. Anyhow, as it is a very preliminary study, this should be confirmed by analyzing larger sets of textile samples. Further investigations should be also focused on the co-occurrence of PCBs and other toxic chemicals (i.e., formaldehyde, bisphenols and aromatic amines) in infant clothes.
Display omitted
•Children's bodysuits may contain traces of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs).•Organic cotton clothes showed lower levels of PCBs than items made of regular cotton.•Dermal absorption of PCBs through clothing is much lower than their dietary intake.
The potential of microplastics (MPLs) in marine ecosystems to adsorb and transport other micropollutants to biota, contributing to their entry in the food chain, is a primary cause of concern. ...However, these interactions remain poorly understood. Here, we have evaluated the adsorption/desorption behaviour of marker polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), onto MPL surfaces of three widely used polymers—polystyrene (PS), polyethylene (PE), and polyethylene terephthalate (PET). The range of MPL sizes ranged from 1 to 600 μm. The adsorption/desorption was evaluated in sediment/water systems in marine microcosms emulating realistic environmental conditions for 21 days. The adsorption percentages ranged from 20 to 60%. PCBs with a lower degree of chlorination showed higher adsorption percentages because of conformational impediments of PCBs with high-degree chlorination, and also by their affinity to be adsorbed in sediments. Glassy plastic polymers as PET and PS showed a superior affinity for PCBs than rubbery polymers, such as PE. The polymers that can bond PCBs by π-π interactions, rather than van der Waals forces showed better adsorption percentages, as expected. Finally, the adsorption/desorption behaviour of selected PCBs onto MPLs was fitted to a Freundlich isotherm model, with correlations higher than 0.8 in most of the cases.
•Microplastics (MPLs) are ubiquitous in the Mediterranean Sea•Particularly high levels of MPLs were reported in the eastern area•MPLs research shortcomings are the lack of analytical methods and ...standardization
The so-called marine litter, and in particular microplastics (MPs) and nanoplastics (NPs), are ubiquitously distributed and recognised as an emerging risk for the environment and human health. It is known that marine environments are one of the most impacted areas and among them; coastal zones are the most contaminated ones. They are subjected to population pressure, tourism, harbours, desalination plants, marine traffic and fish farms.
This review is focused on the Mediterranean Sea, currently considered one hot spot of microplastics pollution in the world, as a consequence of the high number of plastic marine litter generating activities and its characteristic morphology of semi-enclosed sea. MPs and NPs have been detected not only in surface water and water columns but also in sediments, deep seafloor, and biota including fish and seafood for human consumption. Because of this, different European legislation initiatives have been launched during the last years in order to prevent MPs and NPs contamination and to face derived problems. Finally, this review summarises the main problems and shortcomings associated to MPs and NPs analyses such as their identification and quantification or the necessity of standardised protocols.
Fish samples of different species (i.e. rainbow trout (Onchorhynchus mykiss), barbel (Barbus barbus) and European chub (Squalius cephalus)) were collected from the Sava River Basin for a preliminary ...investigation of the levels of PCDD/Fs, PCBs, PBDEs and PFAS as a whole. Concentrations of PCDD/Fs, in terms of pg WHO-TEQ/g ww, were below the maximum limit established at the Commission Regulation (EU) No 1259/2011. On the contrary, when DL-PCBs were also included, levels increase up to 11.7 pg WHO-TEQPCDD/Fs+DL-PCBs/g ww in a particular case, with two samples out of a total of ten exceeding the maximum set at this EU Regulation and the EQS established at the European Directive regarding priority substances in the field of water policy (0.0065 ng WHO-TEQPCDD/Fs+DL-PCBs/g ww). A similar trend was also observed for NDL-PCBs, whit the same two samples, from the lower stretch of the river basin, exceeding the maximum limit allowed at the EU Regulation (125 ng/g ww). For PBDEs, levels found in all the samples exceeded the EQS (0.0085 ng/g ww) up to more than a thousand times and 40% of the samples presented PFOS values above the EQS. Data from this study were compared to values reported at the literature for fish from other geographical areas.
Display omitted
•Fish samples from the lower stretch of the river showed PCDD/F+DL-PCB levels above the EQS.•PCDD/Fs+DL-PCBs and NDL-PCBs exceeded the maximum levels for fish (as food product) in 20% of the samples.•PBDE concentrations exceed the EQS up to more than a thousand times.•Data suggest that anthropogenic impact is observed in the Sava River Basin.
The advancements in human-centered artificial intelligence (HCAI) systems for Industry 5.0 is a new phase of industrialization that places the worker at the center of the production process and uses ...new technologies to increase prosperity beyond jobs and growth. HCAI presents new objectives that were unreachable by either humans or machines alone, but this also comes with a new set of challenges. Our proposed method accomplishes this through the knowlEdge architecture, which enables human operators to implement AI solutions using a zero-touch framework. It relies on containerized AI model training and execution, supported by a robust data pipeline and rounded off with human feedback and evaluation interfaces. The result is a platform built from a number of components, spanning all major areas of the AI lifecycle. We outline both the architectural concepts and implementation guidelines and explain how they advance HCAI systems and Industry 5.0. In this article, we address the problems we encountered while implementing the ideas within the edge-to-cloud continuum. Further improvements to our approach may enhance the use of AI in Industry 5.0 and strengthen trust in AI systems.
Organic anion-transporting polypeptides (OATPs) are involved in the liver uptake of many endogenous and xenobiotic compounds, such as bile acids and drugs, respectively. Using Xenopus laevis oocytes ...and Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells expressing rat Oatp1a1, human OATP1B1, or OATP1B3, the sensitivity of these transporters to extracellular/intracellular pH (pHo/pHi) and changes in plasma membrane potential (ΔΨ) was investigated. In X. laevis oocytes, nonspecific plasma membrane permeability increased only at pHo below 4.5. Above this value, both using oocytes and CHO cells, extracellular acidification affected differently the specific transport of taurocholic acid (TCA) and estradiol 17β-d-glucuronide (E(2)17βG) by Oatp1a1 (stimulation), OATP1B1 (inhibition), and OATP1B3 (stimulation). Changes in substrate uptake in the presence of valinomycin (K(+)-ionophore), carbonyl cyanide 3-chlorophenylhydrazone and nigericin (protonophores), and amiloride (Na(+)/H(+)-inhibitor) and cation replacement in the medium were studied with fluorescent probes for measuring substrate uptake (cholylglycyl amidofluorescein) and changes in pHi (SNARF-4F) and ΔΨ DilC(1)(5). The results suggest that activity of these three carriers is sodium/potassium-independent and affected differently by changes in pHo and ΔΨ: Oatp1a1 was confirmed to be an electroneutral anion exchanger, whereas the function of both OATP1B1 and OATP1B3 was markedly affected by the magnitude of ΔΨ. Moreover, electrophysiological measurements revealed the existence of a net anion influx associated to OATP1B1/OATP1B3-mediated transport of TCA, E(2)17βG, and estrone-3-sulfate. Furthermore, a leakage of Na(+) through OATP1B1 and OATP1B3, which is not coupled to substrate transport, was found. In conclusion, these results suggest that OATP1B1 and OATP1B3 are electrogenic transporters whose activity may be strongly affected under circumstances of displacement of local pH.
PDF
