Engineering geological mapping of heterogeneous rock masses in the Northern Apennines: an example from the Parma Valley (Italy)

Most of the geological formations in the Northern Apennines are made up of flysch and tectonic mélanges. A general characterization of the most common rock masses cropping out in the Val Parma is presented in this paper, using the Marinos–Hoek classification based on the Hoek–Brown criterion. Three groups were identified: heterogeneous rock masses essentially controlled by single discontinuities with strengths much lower than the main rock mass (HH); truly heterogeneous rock masses with approximately equal alternations of hard and weak horizons which fail through the weaker materials (TH) and a rock mass in which the majority of the material is weak, tending to soil-like behaviour (WH). A general engineering geological map of the study area is presented, highlighting the spatial distribution of the three different groups.     

The role of alpine valley fill deposits for groundwater storage (Dolomites,Italy)

Grundwasser - In the Dolomites mountain range, the most productive aquifers are found in porous valley-fill deposits, such as alluvial, glacial and other heterogeneous types of clastic sediments....     

水动力——穆里尼谷重建策略

项目地点:意大利阿马尔菲及斯科拉开工日期:2009年项目简述:该项目的目的是恢复该地区的景观以及因年久失修濒临倒塌的工业革命前的水车系统。项目用水作为中心主题,历史性地保护一批传统建筑物,在现存建筑和新建筑之间保持美学的平衡。该项目获2006年豪瑞可持续建筑全球大奖赛银奖。     

Greenways planning in Italy: the Lambro River Valley Greenways System

The greenways movement in Europe developed differently to its counterpart in the USA, influenced by geographical, economic and cultural differences as well as differences in social and urban development.Europe has seen a discontinuous and fragmented process, diversified in the various countries. The explosion of the greenway concept in Europe is a very recent phenomenon: the European Greenways Association and the Italian Greenways Association both date back only as far as 1998. Clearly, before this date the European countries did see a degree of activity both cultural and operational, but it is equally clear that there was a lack of commonality. Specifically, greenway planning in Italy while on the one hand work has been underway on green trails for many years, on the other there is a clear lack of methodology that allows for the planning of a broader network.This paper has two objectives; firstly to define a methodology useful for greenways planning in Italy at regional level, and secondly, to demonstrate the application of this methodology to a case study.The methodology adopted derives from an approach to planning inspired principally by the work of Ian McHarg and Julius Fabos and already applied by the authors to protected areas in Italy. The methodology is structured in four phases: analysis of the landscape resources, the existing green trail and historical route networks; assessment of each element; composite assessment; and definition of the Greenways Plan.A case study for the Lambro River Valley Park is used to illustrate the methodology proposed. The park comprises the municipalities situated along the Lambro River to the north of Milan. This is densely inhabited land and features multiple human activities located within a context conserving residual elements of naturalistic, landscape and historical–cultural interest. The application of the methodology to the Lambro River Valley Park allowed the development of a greenways network incorporating the existing network of green trails: 80% of the network is, in fact, already in place. The methodology also proved to be useful in the definition of a network dedicated to non-motorized traffic capable of connecting the numerous urban centres with the many resources present in the area.     

Half a century of urbanization in southern European lowlands: a study on the Po Valley (Northern Italy)

This work analyses urban growth, in terms of quality and quantity, in one of the vastest lowlands in southern Europe, the Po Valley (PV). Research on the PV is part of a wider project dealing with the whole of Italy and, to allow a comparison with the other national geographic realities, it was carried out using municipal data. The main objective is to analyse the dynamics of the phenomenon of land uptake from the post-war period to the noughties, highlighting some territorial and environmental effects, and to prepare a future risk scenario for this area which is the cornerstone of the European economy. In this geographical district, urban conversion of land is a territorial ‘disease’ resulting from complex economic dynamism and ongoing population growth. These scenarios may seem justified by the fact that the PV is the most productive territory in the country, but the PV is one of the most heavily polluted areas in Europe with a highly deteriorated environmental matrix. The PV extends over five Italian regions with different settlement histories and different urbanization models, models which are evaluated and compared even with some European cases in the study. They are, however, always urban forms that are spread sparingly over the territory. This is why, in its conclusions, the research proposes criteria of compacting and reducing sprinkling, and improving the quality of the environmental matrix.     

Valley landscape management: the context of a 'river contract' in the Semois valley, Belgium

A trans-boundary and multi-disciplinary approach to the river contract project for the Semois valley in Wallonia (Belgium) is described that provided the opportunity for a landscape-scale focus during actions to restore the watercourses and the associated valley area. A trans-boundary landscape survey was carried out under the context of the Interreg III European programme. This resulted in the rediscovery of lost views and viewpoints within the landscape and in the implementation of actions leading to the opening up of the valley, which provided opportunities to re-establish lost landscape features, such as hay meadows. The gathering of many partners in the negotiation process of this project can be seen as an example of 'landscape democratization' or participative management of landscapes in a trans-boundary and trans-disciplinary context and as such this project is a concrete realization of the aims of the European Landscape Convention (ELC).     

A model approach to assess the long-term trends of indirect photochemistry in lake water. The case of Lake Maggiore (NW Italy)

A model-based approach is here developed and applied to predict the long-term trends of indirect photochemical processes in the surface layer (5 m water depth) of Lake Maggiore, NW Italy. For this lake, time series of the main parameters of photochemical importance that cover almost two decades are available. As a way to assess the relevant photochemical reactions, the modelled steady-state concentrations of important photogenerated transients (^•OH, ³CDOM* and CO₃^-•) were taken into account. A multivariate analysis approach was adopted to have an overview of the system, to emphasise relationships among chemical, photochemical and seasonal variables, and to highlight annual and long-term trends. Over the considered time period, because of the decrease of the dissolved organic carbon (DOC) content of water and of the increase of alkalinity, a significant increase is predicted for the steady-state concentrations of the radicals ^•OH and CO₃^−•. Therefore, the photochemical degradation processes that involve the two radical species would be enhanced. Another issue of potential photochemical importance is related to the winter maxima of nitrate (a photochemical ^•OH source) and the summer maxima of DOC (^•OH sink and ³CDOM* source) in the lake water under consideration. From the combination of sunlight irradiance and chemical composition data, one predicts that the processes involving ^•OH and CO₃^−• would be most important in spring, while the reactions involving ³CDOM* would be most important in summer.     

Collaboration objectives and the location of the university partner: Evidence from the Piedmont region in Italy

This study examines firms' decisions to collaborate with universities in their region as opposed to non‐regional universities, focusing on the role of collaboration objectives. Through a survey of a representative sample of manufacturing firms in the Piedmont region (Italy), we find that firms seeking business advice are more likely to collaborate with regional universities while firms seeking R&D support and testing and analysis services are more likely to collaborate with both regional and non‐regional universities. The partner university's location is endogenous to the level of investment in the collaboration; and the collaboration objectives provide good instruments. Some implications for regional policy are discussed.     

Source apportionment of PM10 and PM2.5 in Milan (Italy) using receptor modelling

In this paper a source apportionment of particulate matter pollution in the urban area of Milan (Italy) is given. Results of PM10 and PM2.5 mass and elemental concentrations from a 1-year monitoring campaign are presented. Mean annual and daily PM10 levels are compared with the limits of the EU Air Quality Directive EC/30/1999 and the results show that the limit values established would not be met in the urban area of Milan or the large surrounding area. Moreover, high levels of PM2.5 are registered and this fraction constitutes a high portion of the PM10 mass. In Milan the winter period is characterised by a high degree of air pollution due to a greater contribution of emissions and to adverse meteorological and thermodynamic conditions of the atmosphere. The application of multivariate techniques and receptor modelling (PCFA, APCFA) to the whole data-set led to the identification of the main emitting sources and to the source apportionment of PM10 and PM2.5 in Milan. The most important sources were identified as 'soil dust', 'traffic', 'industry' and 'secondary compounds' for PM10 and as 'soil dust', 'anthropogenic' and 'secondary compounds' for PM2.5, explaining the greatest part of the total variance (91% and 75%, respectively).     

Simulation modelling for logistics re-engineering in the construction company

Much attention is being paid to the significant role of logistics in the construction industry, with reference both to the total supply chain and to its individual links, called the ‘internal logistic system’. Rationalization of activity in the logistics sphere leads to lowered production costs and increased quality. However, rationalization of logistic processes often involves re-engineering, i.e. reconstruction or making changes, for instance in the structure of supply chains, in the organization of physical and information flows, in ways of taking up decisions, etc. This paper describes the effectiveness of a simulation modelling approach in improving logistic systems in construction, by applying information collected from Polish construction practice. Graphical and analytical models of company logistic systems are the basis for making simulators using GPSS World?. Two models of different structures from the point of view of physical and information flow were chosen, several different strategies for controlling these flows were worked out, values of particular parameters of the model were defined and the optimum solution was sought. The assumed optimization criterion is minimizing logistics costs. An analysis of the research results can be used to indicate re-engineering needs for the internal models of the logistic systems investigated.     

Seismic response across the Tronto Valley (at Acquasanta Terme,AP, Marche) based on the geophysical monitoring of the 2016 Central Italy seismic sequence

Since August 2016, Central Italy has been struck by three strong earthquakes (Mw 6.0 Amatrice, Mw 5.9 Visso and Mw 6.5 Norcia). This seismic sequence resulted in ground failure, infrastructural damages and destruction of several villages. This work aims to analyze the site effects on the ground shaking along the valley of the Tronto River across the Acquasanta Terme municipality, where some historical sites were located. These suffered heavy and differentiated damage during the seismic sequence. Following the Amatrice earthquake of August 24, authors managed the deployment and acquisition of seismic stations located in an array along the valley of the Tronto River approximately 25 km from the epicenter. By recording the two stronger earthquakes (i.e., Mw 5.9 Visso and Mw 6.5 Norcia) and 30 aftershocks with varying magnitudes and also ambient vibration, the site effects were preliminarily studied using the horizontal-to-vertical spectral ratio (HVSR). Furthermore, the amplification effects on the ground motion were also evaluated with reference to the earthquakes in terms of the standard spectral ratio (SSR) and the normalized energy content, in both cases using the bottom of the valley where the seismic bedrock outcrops as a reference. The comparison between the spectral accelerations due to the two strong earthquakes and those provided by ground motion prediction equations displayed values that were usually inadequately precautionary for periods lower than 0.35 s. High spectral accelerations were detected in period ranges corresponding to those predominant for masonry structures that are available in the literature. According to the current knowledge about surface geology, the local site effects seem to have significantly influenced ground shaking along the slopes of the valley, thus producing a larger seismic effect on ancient structures with more than two floors. The results can provide useful information for undertaking a possible future microzonation study that would be able to support urban planning and seismic designs in the rebuilding phase.

     

The geographic distribution of fluoride in surface and groundwater in Ethiopia with an emphasis on the Rift Valley

This paper analyzes the most extensive database on fluoride distribution in Ethiopia. Of the total 1438 water samples tested, 24.2% had fluoride concentrations above the 1.5 mg/l recommended optimum concentration recommended by WHO. Regionally, by far the highest fluoride levels were recorded in the Rift Valley, where 41.2% of all samples exceeded the 1.5 mg/l level. Only 1.0% of the samples from the central and northwestern highlands and 10.0% in the southeastern highlands exceeded 1.5 mg/l. Larger proportions of deep wells (50.0%) and hot springs (90.0%) than shallow wells (27.2%) and cold springs (12.6%) exceeded the 1.5 mg/l level. The highest fluoride concentrations were recorded for Rift Valley lakes Shala (264.0 mg/l) and Abijata (202.4 mg/l) and the lowest in Lake Tana, and rivers, wells and springs in the highlands. The fluoride concentrations of the Awash River, which originates in the highlands and flows through the Rift Valley, increase downstream, giving concern over the current diversion of high-fluoride water from Lake Beseka. Of the various flourosis prevention methods tried in Ethiopia, the treatment of surface water has been shown to be the most feasible and effective for towns and large commercial farms in the Rift Valley, although defluoridation methods should be considered for smaller rural communities.     

文化景观视角下乡村遗产保护与可持续发展协同研究——意大利皮埃蒙特遗产地的启示

目前中国许多村镇规划中有关乡村景观遗产认知的内容存在不足或较为片面,缺乏有效的价值转化引导和协同发展策略.文化景观研究以人地关系为核心,解读乡村景观遗产价值及其要素的内在联系,并以此为依据制定规划策略促进乡村可持续发展.梳理意大利皮埃蒙特遗产地近10年的保护管理成果,从认知理念、规划策略、管理机制3个层面归纳文化景观视...     

How groundwater seepage and transport modelling software can be useful for studying gaseous transport in an unsaturated soil

The aim of this paper is to show how standard hydrogeologic software, usually used to model contaminant transport in groundwater under unsaturated conditions, can also be used to model gas transport in unsaturated porous media. Physical processes involved in the interaction between the atmosphere and the unsaturated soils are considered: transport by diffusion through the air and the groundwater, exchange between the liquid and gas phases and consumption. These physical processes are incorporated into the governing equations of a groundwater numerical code; by considering air, contained in the unsaturated soil, as water in the seepage numerical model, the air effectively becomes fluid within the numerical code. Then, the investigated gas is defined as the contaminant in the transport model, which is transported by -the air for the modeller-, and -water for the numerical code-. The over-riding assumption is that the air profiles and, therefore, water profiles of volume contents remain constant. The approach is illustrated using two examples, which consider the transport of oxygen. The first deals with oxygen distribution through a laboratory-cell diffusion containing reactive mining tailings. The second deals with the oxygen fluxes through the vadose zone, between the atmosphere and an unconfined aquifer's water table. Both examples consider different cases of oxygen consumption.     

我国消防安全形势、差距和对策研究

1　概　述火灾是人类社会常发性灾害中发生频率较高且危害性较大的一种灾害。据不完全统计 ,全球每年约发生火灾 6 0 0万至 70 0万起。这些火灾大多数是人为因素造成的 ,另外 ,地震、干旱、雷击、大风等自然灾害也会引起很严重的火灾。建国以来 ,随着经济和社会的发展 ,我国的火灾形势呈现出与西方发达国家类似的严重化趋势。建国初期 ,我国刚刚从战争时期转为经济恢复期 ,此间火灾损失相对较小 ,2 0世纪 5 0年代的火灾直接财产损失平均每年不到 6 0 0 0万元。可是随着经济的恢复与发展 ,火灾形势也逐渐严重起来 ,2 0世纪 6 0年代年均直接财…     

Long-term continuous monitoring of the dissolved CO2 performed by using a new device in groundwater of the Mt. Etna (southern Italy)

We present a new device for continuous monitoring of the concentration of CO₂ dissolved in water. The device consists of a tube made of a polymeric semi-permeable membrane connected to an infrared gas analyser (IRGA) and a pump. Several laboratory experiments were performed to set the best operating condition and test the accuracy of measurements. We used the device for performing 20 months of continuous monitoring of dissolved CO₂ concentration (DCC) in groundwater within a drainage gallery at Mt. Etna. The monitored groundwater intercepts the Pernicana Fault, along which degassing is observed related to volcano-tectonic activity. The acquired data were compared with continuous and discrete data obtained using existing methods. The measurements of DCC resulted in some period of the year well correlated with air temperature. We also found that long-term trends, as well as short-term variations, are probably linked to the dynamics of volcanic activity and/or perturbations in the local or regional stress fields.     

Fecal bacteria in the rivers of the Seine drainage network (France): sources, fate and modelling

The Seine river watershed (France) is a deeply anthropogenically impacted area, due to the high population density, intense industrial activities and intensive agriculture. The water quality and ecological functioning of the different rivers of the Seine drainage network have been extensively studied during the last fifteen years within the framework of a large French multidisciplinary scientific program (PIREN Seine program). This paper presents a synthesis of the main data gained in the scope of this program concerning the microbiological water contamination of the rivers of the Seine drainage network. The more common indicator of fecal contamination (fecal coliforms) was mainly used; some complementary works used E. coli and intestinal enterococci as alternative fecal indicators. Point sources (outfall of wastewater treatment plants) and non point sources (surface runoff and soil leaching) of fecal pollution to the rivers of the watershed were quantified. Results showed that, at the scale of a large urbanised watershed as the Seine basin, the input of fecal micro-organisms by non-point sources is much lower than the inputs by point sources. However, the local impact of diffuse non-human sources (especially surface runoff of pastured fields) can be of major importance on the microbiological quality of small headwater rivers. Fecal contamination of the main rivers of the Seine watershed (Seine, Marne, Oise rivers) was studied showing high level of microbiological pollution when compared to European guidelines for bathing waters. The strong negative impact of treated wastewater effluents outfall on the microbiological quality of receiving rivers was observed in different areas of the watershed. Once released in rivers, culturable fecal bacteria disappeared relatively rapidly due to mortality (protozoan grazing, lysis) or loss of culturability induced by stress conditions (sunlight effect, nutrient concentration, temperature). Mortality rates of E. coli were studied in different types of rivers within the watershed showing, in summer conditions, no major difference in the mortality rates in small and large rivers. As a result of these studies, a module describing the dynamics of fecal bacteria has been developed and embedded within a hydro-ecological model describing the functioning of the rivers of the whole watershed (the SENEQUE model). Once validated, such a model can be used for testing predictive scenarios and thus can be a very useful tool for the management of microbiological water quality at the scale of the whole basin.     

深化产学研结合背景下实验室安全应急管理对策研究与探讨

本文主要针对产学研结合实验室人员构成复杂多样、研发实验过程和结果具有不确定性等安全风险特征,围绕各方安全责任划分与落实以及干系人管理进行分析,提出了产学研结合实验室如何落实主体责任,加强人、机、物安全应急管理的对策。     

Landsliding in seismic areas: the case of the Acquara-Vadoncello landslide (southern Italy)

On 29 December 1993, a slump-earthflow was activated in the outskirts of Senerchia (southern Italy) in a locality named "Vadoncello". Mass movement has been active until the time of writing, at a variable rate. Maximum velocity was reached during 1995, when a seismic sequence of low magnitude (maximum 3.6) was recorded. The landslide evolution was studied considering both the characteristics of seismic activity and slope stability conditions. The results of the analyses showed that the role of seismic action in triggering mass movement is uncertain, although it cannot be excluded. Slope behaviour is more likely to have been controlled by morphological and hydrogeological factors and their modifications, which could also have been responsible for the vulnerability of the slope. In conclusion, the mass movement observed in 1995, triggered by the possible contribution of low magnitude shocks repeated at short intervals, determined new and more stable equilibrium conditions in the slope.