Polluted soils can present a significant health risk especially in an urban environment. Most current legislation and health risk frameworks are based on pseudototal metal content. However, only a ...fraction of these concentrations is available for plant and human uptake. The aim of this work was to study the diffuse metal contamination in the soils of a municipality in Northern Italy in terms of: (i) metal availability, and (ii) metal accessibility to the human body and its relationship to soil properties, considering lead, copper, zinc, nickel, and chromium. Soil metal content was measured simulating availability conditions. Human bioaccessibility was derived from a modified physiologically-based extraction test. The human bioaccessible content was then estimated taking into account the relationships between pseudototal content and selected soil parameters. For the case study, the prediction of human bioaccessibility based on pseudototal content, organic matter and soil texture produced statistically significant models, with
r
2
=
0.60 for Cu,
r
2
=
0.53 for Pb and
r
2
=
0.42 for Zn.
The human uptake of metals from urban soils was assessed using in vitro digestions and pedotransfer functions.
Terraced vineyards are cultural landscapes with a special value. The increase in costs and the lack of professional workers make viticulture on terraces difficult to be maintained. Thus, in the face ...of climate change and production challenges, we aimed to study the impact of slope-wise cultivation on wine quality. The quality of Merlot wines from terraced and slightly lower non-terraced vineyards within a small area characterised by similar mesoclimatic features was compared in the seasons 2019 and 2020. The non-terraced and terraced vineyards differed in both soil profile and morphology. The number of buds, number of clusters, and leaf area were standardised, and the stem water potential (SWP) was measured during wine-growing seasons. Upon reaching maturity, grapes were hand-picked on the same day in all vineyards and microvinified. The wines were analysed chemically and sensorially. In both years, the SWP showed higher water stress in the vines from terraces. The yield, berry weight, and leaf area were lower on terraced than on non-terraced vineyards in both years, and the skin- and seed-to-flesh ratios were higher. The darker seed colour pointed to the advanced ripening on terraces, where the wines had a higher alcohol concentration and a higher total dry extract. The wines from terraces had higher concentrations of total polyphenols, anthocyanins, and proanthocyanidins (PAs) than the wines from non-terraced vineyards in both years, and the PAs in the wines from terraces in 2019 had fewer prodelphinidins and were more galloylated. Higher concentrations of higher alcohols and lower concentrations of esters and methoxypyrazines were found in the wines from terraces. The sensory analysis revealed a preference for wines from terraces with better colour intensity, fruitiness, astringency, midpalate, and overall quality. Under experimental conditions (the same harvest date, standardised viticultural variables), the wines from terraces had both better phenolic potential and better sensory quality than the wines from non-terraced vineyards.
Voluntary soil protection measures are not sufficient to achieve sustainable soil management at a global scale. Additionally, binding soil protection legislation at national and international levels ...has also proved to be insufficient for the effective protection of this almost non-renewable natural resource. The European Soil Partnership (ESP) and its sub-regional partnerships (Eurasian Sub-Regional Soil Partnership, Alpine Soil Partnership) were established in the context of FAO's Global Soil Partnership (GSP) with the mission to facilitate and contribute to the exchange of knowledge and technologies related to soils, to develop dialogue and to raise awareness for the need to establish a binding global agreement for sustainable soil management. The ESP has taken a role of an umbrella network covering countries in Europe and Central Asia. It aims to improve the dialogue in the whole region and has encouraged establishing goals that would promote sustainable soil management, taking into account various national and local approaches and priorities, as well as cultural specificities. The ESP first regional implementation plan for the 2017–2020 period was adopted and implemented along the five GSP pillars of action. Building on the experience of the last four years, this study demonstrates that establishing sub-regional and national partnerships is an additional step in a concrete sustainable soil management implementation process. It also suggests that a complementary approach between legal instruments and voluntary initiatives linked to the development of efficient communication and strong commitment is the key to success.
•Sustainable soil management can be best achieved through enhanced global and regional cooperation.•The ESP defines a regional strategy that contributes to the SDGs achievement in Europe and Central Asia.•The ESP promotes the cooperation and facilitates the exchange of data and knowledge between the countries.•Through their voluntary and wide-Europe actions, the ESP complement the effectiveness and efficiency of SSM in Europe.•Coordination, cooperation and communication skills will be required to accelerate the achievements of multiple soil-related SDGs.
Pesticide residues and heavy metal concentrations were determined in two depths (0–20 and 20–40 cm) of Chromic Cambisol in 69 vineyards in the Slovenian winegrowing region of the Karst. Similarly, ...pesticide residues and heavy metal concentrations were also determined in two depths of Calcaric Cambisol in 11 vineyards in the other Slovenian and Croatian winegrowing regions of Istria. The topsoil (0–20 cm) was analysed for the presence of 176 different pesticidal active substances using two multiresidue analytical methods: (a) gas chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry (GC/MS) and (b) liquid chromatography coupled with tandem mass spectrometry (LC/MS/MS). Seven active substances (five fungicides and two insecticides) were detected in the soil samples. Their concentrations were compared with the maximum concentrations observed in the vineyards of the winegrowing regions of France, Italy, and Spain. In addition to pesticides, the soil samples were analysed for the presence of nine heavy metals commonly detected in vineyard soils. The concentrations of arsenic, cadmium, cobalt, chromium, copper, molybdenum, nickel, lead, and zinc were below the critical thresholds set by Slovenian legislation, with the exception of one soil sample in which the Cu concentration exceeded the critical threshold. Compared with the maximum concentrations measured in other vineyard soils in Spain, Italy, and France, the heavy metal concentrations in the vineyard soils of Karst and Istria were lower. Both the heavy metal concentrations and the residual concentrations of pesticidal active substances in the vineyard soils of the Karst and Istria regions were significantly lower than the concentrations that are occasionally discussed in the literature.
Skrb za natančno in bogato izrazoslovje, tako poljudno in predvsem strokovno, je nujen in pomemben prispevek k razvoju in pestrosti materinega jezika. Pri rabi strokovnih izrazov se pogosto soočamo z ...različnimi interpretacijami in nepotrebno pestrostjo izrazov. To praviloma ne prispeva h kakovosti jezika in prej kaže na premalo skrbno izrazoslovje, na pomanjkljive oz. strokovno neustrezne opredelitve in/ali spregledan izvorni pomen posameznih izrazov. Strokovni izrazi morajo biti nedvoumni in ne smejo dovoljevati različne interpretacije, pomena. Raba in uvajanje poljudnih izrazov v strokovno izrazoslovje je prisotno tudi v izobraževanju. Primer takih zadreg v pedologiji je tudi raba besed 'tla' in 'prst'. Na prvi pogled sicer obrobna tematika ima širšo in pomembnejšo dimenzijo. Zmeda v strokovnem jeziku se namreč pojavlja tudi v prevodih evropske zakonodaje. Tako slovenske verzije nekaterih EU dokumentov mestoma zaradi neustreznih in pomensko dvoumnih oz. zgrešenih prevodov ne odražajo pravega pomena izvornih besedil. To predstavlja zadrego, ki jo je potrebno urediti. Prispevek predstavlja terminološke nedoslednosti v pedološkem izrazoslovju, pojasnjuje in utemeljuje razloge za rabo osnovnih izrazov s področja tal, osvetljuje ljudski pomen besed 'prst' in 'zemlja', primerja s stanjem v drugih jezikih ter nakazuje ustrezno rabo nekaterih ključnih izrazov v strokovnih/znanstvenih besedilih, za potrebe prevajanja in pedagoškega procesa.
Renewable energies and ecosystem service impacts Hastik, Richard; Basso, Stefano; Geitner, Clemens ...
Renewable & sustainable energy reviews,
August 2015, 2015-08-00, Letnik:
48
Journal Article
Recenzirano
Expansion of renewable energies (=RE) is a key measure in climate change mitigation. For this expansion mountainous areas are regarded as specifically suitable because of their high-energy potential. ...However, mountains also are biodiversity hot-spots and provide scenic landscapes and therefore offer high natural and cultural value. Preserving this natural and cultural value whilst intensifying RE, is expected to increase land use conflicts. This is of great concern in particular for vulnerable areas such as the Alps. Reconciling RE expansion with the preservation of natural and cultural values and thus minimizing environmental impacts represents one of the most important challenges now. For this a systematic assessment of the wide range of impacts is needed. This literature review scrutinizes RE resources which are relevant in the Alpine region and their effects on the environment by applying the Ecosystem Service approach. Thereby, we identified possible environmental constraints when exploiting Alpine RE potentials and generated recommendations for future strategies on expanding RE. The outcomes highlight the strong need for interdisciplinary research on RE and environmental conflicts. Interdisciplinary approaches such as the concept of Ecosystem Services can help to cover the wide range of aspects associated with these particular human–environment interrelations.
As soils are facing considerable changes in climate, land use, land consumption, and degradation, it is vital to understand the characteristics of soils and their distribution, especially for soil ...management issues. In mountainous regions like the Alps, soils require specific attention as they provide a large variety of ecological functions, but also because of their vulnerability. However, pedological research and the collection of soil data in the Alps are still limited. On the one hand, there are specific methodological problems linked to the surveying, interpretation, and classification of Alpine soils due to their high variability over short spatial ranges and the peculiarities of the Alpine environment in general. On the other hand, the process of collecting soil data and mapping soils, as well as the soil classification systems used, significantly differs among the Alpine countries. The Alpine Convention therefore requires data harmonization as a basis for national and cross-country collaborations, soil monitoring, and sustainable management.
This paper is an initial national expert-based review, which deals with the status of soil classification and soil mapping and related problems in the Alpine region. In the first part we highlight the current state of soil databases and soil maps in the Alpine area, as well as efforts toward soil data harmonization. We summarize the national soil mapping and soil inventory programs, monitoring activities (e.g., Soil Quality Monitoring, Soil Management Survey, Forest Monitoring), and soil information systems available in the main Alpine countries Austria, France, Germany, Italy, Slovenia and Switzerland. Second, we present the soil classification systems which are in use in the Alpine area. It is discussed to what extent these systems can reflect the characteristics of Alpine soils. In this context, we also examine the relevance of organic matter and humus forms. We then outline problems of comparability between the classification systems as well as challenges to classifying Alpine soils in general. In the third part – as soil classification and soil mapping are two different matters from a methodical point of view – we highlight basic challenges to soil surveys in the Alpine environment.
We conclude that Alpine-wide shared soil site mapping and soil classification standards covering the specifics of Alpine soils are lacking. Thus, the main aim for the international management of Alpine soil resources should be to develop a framework for the basic soil information that is to be gathered by means of cross-border collection in the entire Alpine space, and to harmonize the already existing data. The former should include an upgrade of an existing international soil classification, e.g., the World Reference Base WRB (IUSS, 2014).
•We describe the characteristics of Alpine soils and demands for soil information.•We highlight the current state of soil databases and soil maps in the Alpine area.•We highlight soil classification systems in the main Alpine countries.•We discuss to what extent these systems can reflect the characteristics of Alpine soils.•We outline challenges to classifying and mapping Alpine soils.
Soil represents a complex medium, which makes it difficult to evaluate its quality. In the past, soil quality evaluation was biased towards agricultural production rather than for purposes related to ...the broad range of functions and services that it performs. Soil function and soil quality in the urban environment differ due to the different needs and roles of soil within the diversity of urban land uses. The quality of urban soil should be evaluated to support public services for good environmental quality management. Planners should also adjust their decisions towards more sustainable urban design. Simple and applicable soil quality evaluation methods accompanied by an operations toolkit that could be used by laypeople are needed.
This paper discusses soil functions, soil quality indicators, pedotransfer functions, and urban soil quality. It presents an urban soil quality evaluation method for different land uses within one particular evaluation system. The calculation of three one-value measures of soil quality are introduced: index of soil quality (expresses soil quality/suitability for a particular land use), soil environmental quality index (environmental value of soil) in terms of performing the crucial ecological functions of soil, and land use change index (land use planning impact assessment on soil resources). The use of the method is described in two procedures: urban soil quality control and soil evaluation for urban planning.
The need to develop approaches for risk-based management of soil contamination, as well as the integration of the assessment of the human health risk (HHR) due to the soil contamination in the urban ...planning procedures has been the subject of recent attention of scientific literature and policy makers. The spatial analysis of environmental data offers multiple advantages for studying soil contamination and HHR assessment, facilitating the decision making process. The aim of this study was to explore the possibilities and benefits of spatial implementation of a quantitative HHR assessment methodology for a planning case in a typical urban environment where the soil is contaminated. The study area is located in the city of Grugliasco a part of the Turin (Italy) metropolitan area.
The soils data were derived from a site specific soil survey and the land-use data from secondary sources. In the first step the soil contamination data were geo-statistically analysed and a spatial soil contamination data risk modelling procedure designed. In order to spatially assess the HHR computer routines were developed using GIS raster tools. The risk was evaluated for several different land uses for the planned naturalistic park area.
The HHR assessment indicated that the contamination of soils with heavy metals in the area is not sufficient to induce considerable health problems due to typical human behaviour within the variety of urban land uses. An exception is the possibility of direct ingestion of contaminated soil which commonly occurs in playgrounds.
The HHR evaluation in a planning case in the Grugliasco Municipality confirms the suitability of the selected planning option. The construction of the naturalistic park presents one solution for reducing the impacts of soil contamination on the health of citizens. The spatial HHR evaluation using GIS techniques is a diagnostic procedure for assessing the impacts of urban soil contamination, with which one can verify planning options, and provides an important step in the integration of human health protection within urban planning procedures.
Correct and rich professional and scientific terminology is an important contribution to the development and richness of the national languages. Within the scientific and professional terminology we ...can often find incorrect, missed or misinterpreted use of professional terms. In general, such ‘diversity’ of terms does not contribute to the quality and the development of the professional terminology. On the contrary, it demonstrates the lack of precision in scientific terminology, presence of definitions without scientific background and/or overlooked original etymology of individual terms. We are witnessing the attempts of replacement of terms and changes in professional terminology without scientifically sound arguments. Moreover, even at the university level the inappropriate use of technical / professional terms can be detected. An example of such embarrassments in Slovenian language is the use of the words' tla' and 'prst' in professional language. Terminological dispute can be considered as peripheral theme, even unnecessary, however it has a much broader and more important dimension. Namely, confusion in the technical language is also appearing in translations of the European legislation. The Slovenian versions of some EU legal documents are semantically ambiguous and inadequate and, thus do not reflect the correct meaning of source texts due to missed translations. The latter can evolve in a problem and has to be adjusted. The paper presents the soil science terminological inconsistencies, explains and arguments the reasons for use of selected basic soil science terms in Slovenian language. Additionally, it recalls the etymology of the popular terms ‘prst’ and ‘zemlja’, compares the situation in number of European languages and, most importantly, suggests the appropriate use of terms in professional/scientific language, in education and for translation purposes.
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