Shallow-water carbonates are invaluable archives of past global change. They hold the record of how neritic biologic communities reacted to palaeoenvironmental changes. However, attempts to decipher ...these geological archives are often severely hampered by the low stratigraphic resolution attained by biostratigraphy. This is particularly the case for the Upper Cretaceous carbonate platforms of the central Tethyan realm: their biostratigraphy suffers from very low resolution and poor correlation with the standard biochronologic scales based on ammonites, planktic foraminifers and calcareous nannoplankton.
In this paper we show how this problem can be tackled by integrating biostratigraphy with isotope stratigraphy. We present a detailed record of the benthic foraminiferal biostratigraphy and carbon and strontium isotope stratigraphy of three upper Cenomanian-middle Campanian sections belonging to the Apennine Carbonate Platform of southern Italy. For the upper Cenomanian-Turonian interval, the carbon isotope curves of the studied sections are easily correlated to the reference curve of the English Chalk. The correlation is facilitated by the matching of the prominent positive excursion corresponding to the Oceanic Anoxic Event 2. For the Coniacian-middle Campanian interval, the correlation is mainly based on strontium isotope stratigraphy. We use the 87Sr/86Sr ratios of the low-Mg calcite of well preserved rudist shells to obtain accurate chronostratigraphic ages for many levels of the three studied sections. The ages obtained by Sr isotope stratigraphy are then used to better constrain the matching of the carbon isotope curves.
From the high-resolution chronostratigraphic age-model stablished by isotope stratigraphy, we derive the chronostratigraphic calibration of benthic foraminiferal biostratigraphic events. For the first time the benthic foraminiferal biozones of the Apennine Carbonate Platform can be accurately correlated to the standard ammonite biozonation. This result is of great relevance because the biostratigraphic schemes of other carbonate platforms in the central and southern Tethyan realm are largely based on the same biostratigraphic events.
•We present a detailed C- and Sr-isotope stratigraphy of S-Italy Carbonate Platform.•Chronostratigraphic calibration of foraminiferal biozones by isotope stratigraphy.•Four new sub-zones are proposed.•Range of some key species is synchronous across different Tethyan platforms.
Researcher to Researcher GOODWILL, JOSEPH E.
Journal - American Water Works Association,
02/2017, Volume:
109, Issue:
2
Journal Article
Peer reviewed
Research efforts must engage in fundamental work, attempting to increase our scientific understanding of natural and engineered environmental systems. In our water research endeavors, it is important ...to remember that the impact of sustainable and resilient water systems on a society are more important than the impact factor of any particular publication or person.
Objectives Numerous environmental contaminants have been linked to adverse reproductive health outcomes. However, the complex correlation structure of exposures and multiple testing issues limit the ...interpretation of existing evidence. Our objective was to identify, from a large set of contaminant exposures, exposure profiles associated with biomarkers of male reproductive function. Methods In this cross-sectional study (n=602), male partners of pregnant women were enrolled between 2002 and 2004 during antenatal care visits in Greenland, Poland and Ukraine. Fifteen contaminants were detected in more than 70% of blood samples, including metabolites of di(2-ethylhexyl) and diisononyl phthalates (DEHP, DiNP), perfluoroalkyi acids, metals and organochlorines. Twenty-two reproductive biomarkers were assessed, including serum levels of reproductive hormones, markers of semen quality, sperm chromatin integrity, epididymal and accessory sex gland function, and Y:X chromosome ratio. We evaluated multipollutant models with sparse partial least squares (sPLS) regression, a simultaneous dimension reduction and variable selection approach which accommodates joint modelling of correlated exposures. Results Of the over 300 exposure–outcome associations tested in sPLS models, we detected 10 associations encompassing 8 outcomes. Several associations were notably consistent in direction across the three study populations: positive associations between mercury and inhibin B, and between cadmium and testosterone; and inverse associations between DiNP metabolites and testosterone, between polychlorinated biphenyl-153 and progressive sperm motility, and between a DEHP metabolite and neutral α-glucosidase, a marker of epididymal function. Conclusions This global assessment of a mixture of environmental contaminants provides further indications that some organochlorines and phthalates adversely affect some parameters of male reproductive health.
This paper considers a recently developed consumption-based carbon emissions database from which emissions calculations are made based on the domestic use of fossil fuels plus the embodied emissions ...from imports minus exports, to test directly for the importance of trade in national emissions. Comparing such consumption-based emissions data to conventionally-measured territory-based emissions data produces several useful conclusions. For example, most countries are net importers of carbon emissions—their consumption-based emissions are higher than their territory-based emissions. Also, while low and high income countries tend to have the largest ratios (of consumption-based emissions to territory-based emissions), the majority of middle-income countries have ratios greater than one as well. Furthermore, China alone is responsible for over half the global outflows of carbon via trade. The econometric estimations—which were robust across income levels—determined that: (i) trade was significant for consumption-based emissions but not for territory-based emissions; (ii) exports and imports offset each other so that exports lower consumption-based emissions, whereas imports increase them; and (iii) the fossil fuel content of a country's energy mix is more important (likely significantly so) for territory-based emissions than for consumption-based emissions; and (iv) domestic fossil fuel prices (oil, gasoline) had a negative impact on territory-based emissions but were insignificant for consumption-based emissions. Hence, there is a wedge between (i) the emissions a country is responsible for—consumption-based emissions—and (ii) the emissions that a country's domestic policies affect—territory-based emissions. So, countries should have both an interest and a responsibility to help lower the carbon intensity of energy in countries that are particularly important for global carbon transfers—China and India.
•Regressions using consumption-based and territory-based CO2 emissions are compared.•Most countries are net importers of carbon emissions.•Trade is significant for consumption-based but not for territory-based emissions.•Exports lower consumption-based emission; whereas, imports increase them.•Fossil fuel's share of energy is much more important for territory-based emissions.
In this study, we evaluate the application of a Random Forest (RF) classifier as a tool for understanding and predicting the complex hierarchical relationships between soil parent material and ...topography using a digital elevation model (DEM) and conventional soil survey maps. Single-component soil polygons from conventional soil survey maps of the Langley–Vancouver Map Area, British Columbia (Canada), were used to generate randomized training points for 9 parent material classes. Each point was intersected with values from 27 topographic indices derived from a 100m DEM. RF's mtry parameter was optimized using multiple replicates of 5-fold cross validation and parent material predictions were made for the region. Predictive parent material maps were validated through comparisons with legacy soil survey maps and 307 field points. Results show that predictions made by a non-optimized RF resulted in a kappa index of 89.6% when validated with legacy soil survey data from single-component polygons and a kappa index of 79.5% when validated with field data. Variable reduction and mtry optimization resulted in minimal improvements in RF predictions. Our results demonstrate the effectiveness of RF as a machine learning and data mining approach; however, the need for reliable training data was highlighted by less reliable results for polygon disaggregation in portions of the map where fewer training data points could be established.
•Soil parent material was mapped over a large spatial extent.•Topographic indices and soil survey data were used to predict parent material.•Optimization of mtry and variable reduction was examined.•Predictive parent material mapping was assessed using soil survey and point data.
Background An association between occurrence of wildfires and mortality in the exposed population has been observed in several studies with controversial results for cause-specific mortality. In the ...Mediterranean area, forest fires usually occur during spring-summer, they overlap with Saharan outbreaks, are associated with increased temperature and their health effects are probably due to an increase in particulate matter. Aim and methods We analysed the effects of wildfires and particulate matter (PM₁₀) on mortality in 10 southern European cities in Spain, France, Italy and Greece (2003-2010), using satellite data for exposure assessment and Poisson regression models, simulating a case-crossover approach. Results We found that smoky days were associated with increased cardiovascular mortality (lag 0-5, 6.29%, 95% CIs 1.00 to 11.85). When the effect of PM₁₀ (per 10 µg/m³) was evaluated, there was an increase in natural mortality (0.49%), cardiovascular mortality (0.65%) and respiratory mortality (2.13%) on smoke-free days, but PM₁₀-related mortality was higher on smoky days (natural mortality up to 1.10% and respiratory mortality up to 3.90%) with a suggestion of effect modification for cardiovascular mortality (3.42%, p value for effect modification 0.055), controlling for Saharan dust advections. Conclusions Smoke is associated with increased cardiovascular mortality in urban residents, and PM₁₀ on smoky days has a larger effect on cardiovascular and respiratory mortality than on other days.
This study investigates whether the presence of green space can attenuate negative health impacts of stressful life events. Individual-level data on health and socio-demographic characteristics were ...drawn from a representative two-stage sample of 4529 Dutch respondents to the second Dutch National Survey of General Practice (DNSGP-2), conducted in 2000–2002. Health measures included: (1) the number of health complaints in the last 14 days; (2) perceived mental health (measured by the GHQ-12); and (3) a single item measure of perceived general health ranging from ‘excellent’ to ‘poor’. Percentages of green space in a 1-km and 3-km radius around the home were derived from the 2001 National Land cover Classification database (LGN4). Data were analysed using multilevel regression analysis, with GP practices as the group-level units. All analyses were controlled for age, gender, income, education level, and level of urbanity. The results show that the relationships of stressful life events with number of health complaints and perceived general health were significantly moderated by amount of green space in a 3-km radius. Respondents with a high amount of green space in a 3-km radius were less affected by experiencing a stressful life event than respondents with a low amount of green space in this radius. The same pattern was observed for perceived mental health, although it was marginally significant. The moderating effects of green space were found only for green space within 3 km, and not for green space within 1 km of residents' homes, presumably because the 3-km indicator is more affected by the presence of larger areas of green space, that are supposed to sustain deeper forms of restoration. These results support the notion that green space can provide a buffer against the negative health impact of stressful life events.
Objective To compare short-term effects of fine particles (PM2.5; aerodynamic diameter PM₂.₅; aerodynamic diameter <2.5 μm) from different sources on the blood levels of markers of systemic ...inflammation. Methods We followed a panel of 52 ischaemic heart disease patients from 15 November 2005 to 21 April 2006 with clinic visits in every second week in the city of Kotka, Finland, and determined nine inflammatory markers from blood samples. In addition, we monitored outdoor air pollution at a fixed site during the study period and conducted a source apportionment of PM₂.₅ using the Environmental Protection Agency's model EPA PMF 3.0. We then analysed associations between levels of source-specific PM₂.₅ and markers of systemic inflammation using linear mixed models. Results We identified five source categories: regional and long-range transport (LRT), traffic, biomass combustion, sea salt, and pulp industry. We found most evidence for the relation of air pollution and inflammation in LRT, traffic and biomass combustion; the most relevant inflammation markers were C-reactive protein, interleukin-12 and myeloperoxidase. Sea salt was not positively associated with any of the inflammatory markers. Conclusions Results suggest that PM₂.₅ from several sources, such as biomass combustion and traffic, are promoters of systemic inflammation, a risk factor for cardiovascular diseases.
•Analyzed nexus between Governance and CO2 emissions in BRICS countries.•Robust panel data estimation methods are applied.•Governance lower CO2 emissions and improve quality of the ...environment.•Governance help to form the Environmental Kuznets Curve hypothesis.
The linkage between economic growth and carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions has been quantified from both a theoretical perspective and an empirical perspective. However, these studies did not address the role of governance in environmental quality explicitly. Therefore, the current study examines the behavior of governance in CO2 emissions within the framework of the Environmental Kuznets Curve hypothesis for panel data from 1996 to 2017 for BRICS countries. The study employs Westerlund panel cointegration for investigation of cointegration among study’s variables. The long-run panel data estimation methods those eliminate dependencies across countries, heteroscedasticity, and spatial and serial dependency issues are used. To summarize the finding, governance has negative and statistically significant effects on CO2 emissions, help to form the Environmental Kuznets Curve hypothesis and reduces CO2 emissions in the BRICS countries. The newly developed results recommend the importance of governance in the clean environment and suggestions are directed accordingly
High-frequency depositional cycles are often used for long-distance correlations within sedimentary basins and constructing high-resolution chronostratigraphic scales calibrated to the orbital clock. ...Such an approach has been used for the tropical, epicontinental Muschelkalk Sea covering most of Europe in the Middle Triassic. This paper aims at establishing the spatial extent and internal architecture of shallow-marine Muschelkalk cycles within a small (120 by 50 km) area of the Germanic Basin, to identify their local vs. regional distribution and cycle-forming mechanisms. Three groups of cycles are distinguished: 1) peritidal cycles representing a tidal flat-lagoon system which experienced longer periods of emersion; 2) shallow subtidal cycles formed around the fair-weather wave base; and 3) deep subtidal cycles developed around the storm wave base. The three cycle types differ markedly in the composition, facies homogeneity, sedimentary trends, hierarchical organization, continuity, and degree of lateral changeability and complexity, which collectively translates into the ease of cycle recognition. Despite the differences, the defined cycles do not extend laterally beyond the studied area and have laterally variable facies heterogeneities, sedimentary trends, and thicknesses. This variability resulted from more or less mosaic infilling of accommodation space, reflecting local bathymetry, physicochemical conditions, and carbonate production and accumulation rates on the platform. Accommodation space evolved by the interplay of eustatic sea-level fluctuations regional subsidence, and synsedimentary tectonic-block movements, but the contribution of these factors changed over time and was to varying degrees masked for each of the three cycle types by intrinsic sedimentary processes. The study shows that Middle Triassic cycles of the Germanic Basin have a local to sub-regional distribution and thereby are inappropriate for basin-wide correlations and chronostratigraphic inferences. It also strengthens the opinion of several workers that correlation of idealized cycles is unrealistic without checking the horizontal continuity of facies and key surfaces directly in the field.
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