Evaporation of droplets of three pure liquids (water, 1-butanol, and ethanol) and four binary solutions (5 wt % 1-butanol–water-based solution and 5, 25, and 50 wt % ethanol–water-based solutions) ...deposited on hydrophobic silicon was investigated. A drop shape analyzer was used to measure the contact angle, diameter, and volume of the droplets. An infrared camera was used for infrared thermal mapping of the droplet’s surface. An acoustic high-frequency echography technique was, for the first time, applied to track the alcohol concentration in a binary-solution droplet. Evaporation of pure alcohol droplets was executed at different values of relative humidity (RH), among which the behavior of pure ethanol evaporation was notably influenced by the ambient humidity as a result of high hygrometry. Evaporation of droplets of water and binary solutions was performed at a temperature of 22 °C and a mean humidity of approximately 50%. The exhaustion times of alcohol in the droplets estimated by the acoustic method and the visual method were similar for the water–1-butanol mixture; however, the time estimated by the acoustic method was longer when compared with that estimated by the visual method for the water–ethanol mixture due to the residual ethanol at the bottom of the droplet.
European Greenway developments typically ‘upcycle’ disused transport corridors for multi-use, non-motorised public infrastructure. The linear and relatively undisturbed nature of these disused ...infrastructures means many currently function as high quality ecological corridors. Corridors providing connectivity among habitat patches can mitigate the effects of fragmentation on biodiversity, allowing species dispersal throughout the landscape matrix. The sustainable integration of Greenway infrastructure and ecological corridor functions requires consideration during design, development and maintenance stages, taking into account surrounding landscape composition and connectivity. This paper presents a method to characterise a proposed Greenway corridor landscape, focusing on habitat composition and ecosystems connectivity. Morphological Spatial Pattern Analysis (MSPA) was used to comprehensively describe the structural connectivity of linear and spatial habitats occurring within the study area. A subsequent multivariate classification of structural connectivity and habitat data determined six distinctive landscape characters. Interpretation of these landscape characters highlights the principal habitat compositions and connectivity conditions in terms of habitat core, links and potential linkages. For example one landscape was intensified, yet retained high woodland connectivity, while another diverse habitat landscape supported little connectivity for woodland and grasslands. The results of this study suggest significant opportunities exist to enhance European landscape connectivity through informed Greenway development. Crucial habitat linkages can be optimised along Greenway infrastructure, contributing towards the realisation of European Greenways as Green Infrastructure and true sustainable projects.
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•European Greenways can provide Green Infrastructure and ecosystems connectivity.•A proposed Greenway corridor is assessed for ecosystem connectivity.•This paper presents a methodology for landscape connectivity characterisation.•Six landscape characters are determined based on habitats and their connectivity.•Landscape connectivity characterisation can help Greenways reduce fragmentation.
In this article, we report on numerical simulations of laminar Rayleigh–Bénard convection of air in cuboids. We provide numerical evidence of the existence of multiple steady states when the aspect ...ratio of the cuboid is sufficiently large. In our simulations, the Rayleigh number is fixed at Ra=1.7×104. The gas in the cube is initially at rest but subject to random small-amplitude velocity perturbations and an adverse temperature gradient. When the flow domain is a cube, i.e., the aspect ratio is equal to unity, there is only one steady state. This state is characterized by the development of a single convective roll and by a symmetric normalized temperature profile with respect to the mid-height. On the contrary, when the aspect ratio is equal to 2, there are five different steady states. Only one of them exhibits a symmetric temperature profile and flow structure. The other four steady states are characterized by two-roll configurations and asymmetric temperature profiles.
The effective conservation of high nature value farmland (HNV) will be crucial for the conservation of European and Irish biodiversity, and to meet the growing demand for a wide range of private and ...public goods and services from farmland. Here, we describe the evolution of policy and management of HNV farmland in the Republic of Ireland over the last 25 years and describe the emerging locally adapted, results-based payment approach that is valorizing a broad range of ecosystem services from these areas, which helps to underpin the future social, ecological, and financial viability of HNV farmland. HNV farmland in the Republic of Ireland covers approximately 33% of the agricultural land, and 50% of these areas coincide with Natura 2000 land. A broad diversity of landscape types dominated by seminatural vegetation from upland areas to lowland areas is a key challenge when designing policy support for HNV farmland areas. To date, action-based agri-environment schemes have struggled to adapt to these conditions, and to provide sufficient incentive and flexibility to deliver the desired environmental outcomes. In response, several projects and programs have implemented results-based payments, which we illustrate using three case studies from the Burren Programme, the Results Based Agri-environment Pilot Scheme (RBAPS), and European Innovation Partnership Operational Groups: The Hen Harrier and Pearl Mussel Projects. We highlight choices in the design and implementation of these case studies that aimed to better achieve the environmental objectives. We conclude with general lessons from the Irish experience with results-based approaches, and how they may be scaled up for wider implementation.
Across Europe, Greenways upcycle disused railway infrastructure into non-motorised public infrastructure, often with limited consideration to potential ecological synergies. Pre-development, disused ...transport corridors become relatively undisturbed and potentially host diverse semi-natural habitats. The study objectives were 1) to produce a highly detailed and accurate dataset using remote sensing with rapid assessment techniques for ground truthing and 2) subsequently examine habitat diversity existing along a proposed Greenway. A 7000 ha study corridor was based on a disused railway proposed as a transfrontier Greenway connecting the Republic of Ireland and the United Kingdom. The study applied a rapid-assessment virtual validation techniquealongside remote sensing and accuracy assessment. Inter-relationship between seminatural habitat diversity and land-use intensification was examined. Remote sensing accuracies of 89% and 99% for a real and linear habitat classification were obtained. Degrees of land-use intensification were observed throughout the corridor, highlighting the importance of maintaining and enhancing remaining semi-natural habitat that exists along the proposed Greenway route. Through understanding the landscape matrix composition and semi-natural habitat diversity, European Greenwayscan achieve multi-functionality for ecosystem conservation, forming integral components of Green Infrastructure.
Fragmentation of ecosystems is continuing worldwide, posing increasing pressures to and loss of biodiversity. Disused transport corridors such as old railways and tramways often return to ...semi-naturalness, and are increasingly upcycled into multi-use, non-motorised public Greenway infrastructure. This study examines bat activity within a proposed rural Greenway corridor in Ireland. Development scenarios are simulated to predict impacts to woodland ecosystem functional connectivity using Probability of Connectivity (PC) index. Generalised Linear Modelling predicts associations of species activity to Greenway corridor habitat and habitat structure. Spatially explicit connectivity models indicate significant impacts to ecosystem connectivity can arise from Greenway development scenarios, such as decreasing connectivity in half, or increasing connectivity four-fold. Species activity modelling identified habitat conditions along the Greenway route that suggest on-going corridor effects and associations to particular habitats and structure, emphasising the importance to consider a sensitive approach to developing disused infrastructure into Greenways.
Potential significant increases in woodland ecosystem reachability for bats are achievable by conserving canopy cover over Greenway corridors. Species-specific habitat modelling results presented are directly applicable to guide woodland enhancement for the sensitive conservation of Greenway woodland habitat, maximising their multi-functional use and connectivity potential. Opportunities therefore exist for European Greenways to conserve and enhance ecosystem connectivity, providing landscape-scale solutions to the problem of increasing ecosystem fragmentation.
Over the past decades, Western European hedgerows have been declining as a result of land use change. Disused infrastructure corridors such as railways and tramways can host a range of existing and ...returning semi-natural habitats, including extensive hedgerow networks. However, long term corridor abandonment can result in network deterioration to gappy hedgerows, lines of trees and eventually individual scrub features. The loss of hedgerows results in the loss of many ecosystem services, habitat for species and landscape connectivity. This highlights an increasing need to find innovative solutions to recognise and appropriately maintain these hedgerow networks. European Greenways typically ‘upcycle’ disused infrastructure transport corridors for multi-use, non-motorised recreational public infrastructure. The potential for European greenways to maintain and restore hedgerows is of interest as a novel planning mechanism for enhancing green infrastructure in general. The aim of this study is to inform Greenway design and management through the evaluation of hedgerow significance (historical, ecological and landscape), condition and composition within a rural European Greenway landscape context. 81 hedgerows were sampled along a 70 km proposed Greenway route traversing a range of extensive and intensive landscapes. Hedgerows were surveyed using a rapid field score sheet which enabled significance and condition scoring. A hedgerow typology was subsequently developed based on species composition assemblages. Hedgerows were found to be highly ecologically significant and species rich throughout the route. On-going land use intensification was evident as significant sections of the former railway corridor were subsumed into intensive agriculture and afforestation. Management recommendations need to be adapted to the particular hedgerow group and surrounding landscape context, and take into account the varied requirements of different taxonomic groups. The study findings show Greenways have the potential to act as multi-functional green infrastructure (accomplishing both ecological and recreational objectives) through informed design to reinforce their nature conservation role and recognising hedgerows as integral landscape feature of Greenway corridor, at local level and as part of a wider European network.
•Disused infrastructure corridors can support species-rich hedgerows.•Disused infrastructures supporting significant hedgerows require targeted management.•European Greenways have the potential to preserve significant hedgerow networks.•Uniform Greenway corridor hedgerow management may not be suitable.•Hedgerow composition groups can help determine appropriate management.
Nanofluids are an innovative technology that can be used to improve the efficiency of heat transfer in systems such as coolers. Thermal system design requires access to all the physical properties of ...the nanofluids among which viscosity, thermal conductivity, and so on. Viscosity is an important flow property of fluids. Literally, viscosity analysis is quite essential for determining the thermofluidic behavior of heat transfer fluids. Therefore, we developed a new micromechanical model using the finite element method to calculate the dynamic viscosity of different types of nanofluids with different volume concentrations. The finite element method (FEM) model, using FreeFem + + software, is compared to an analytical creep function that provides a way to extract the viscosity when constant shear stress on the 2DKelvin-Voigt medium is applied. The model results showed a very good agreement compared to the experimental data from the literature. Also, this model was compared to some viscosity correlations such as Einstein, Brinkman, Batchelor, Corcione, and Rudyak.
Nanostructure wetting is a key problem when developing superhydrophobic surfaces. Conventional methods do not allow us to draw conclusions about the partial or complete wetting of structures on the ...nanoscale. Moreover, advanced techniques are not always compatible with an in situ, real time, multiscale (from macro to nanoscale) characterization. A high-frequency (1 GHz) acoustic method is used for the first time to characterize locally partial wetting and the wetting transition between nanostructures according to the surface tension of liquids (the variation is obtained by ethanol concentration modification). We can see that this method is extremely sensitive both to the level of liquid imbibition and to the impalement dynamic. We thus demonstrate the possibility to evaluate the critical surface tension of a liquid for which total wetting occurs according to the aspect ratio of the nanostructures. We also manage to identify intermediate states according to the height of the nanotexturation. Finally, our measurements revealed that the drop impalement depending on the surface tension of the liquid also depends on the aspect ratio of the nanostructures. We do believe that our method may lead to new insights into nanoscale wetting characterization by accessing the dynamic mapping of the liquid imbibition under the droplet.
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