Environmental impact assessment of energy crops cultivation in the Mediterranean Europe

Dissertação apresentada na Faculdade de Ciências e Tecnologia da Universidade Nova de Lisboa Para a obtenção do Grau de Mestre em Energia e Bioenergia

Milk, from medicine to food Mediterranean Europe: Catalonia, 19th-20th centuries

The spread of milk consumption was a significant change in the diet of Europeans, however it is one that has not been greatly studied with regard to the populations of Mediterranean Europe. In this article we shall analyse the ain circumstances that conditioned that process in Catalonia between the middle of the 19th century and 1936. In our study we shall argue that the consumption of milk in this area was only relevant in the 19th century in situations of illness or old age, and that it subsequently increased and acquired a new significance as a result of various factors. In particular, we shall emphasise: (a) the scientific advances in microbiology and nutrition, (b) the activities carried out by doctors and various public institutions to promote the consumption of fresh milk, and (c) the technological innovations in the milk producing sector. In Appendix 1 we show two maps representing the main territorial references that we shall mention.

Investigating hydrological regimes and processes in a set of catchments with temporary waters in Mediterranean Europe

Seven catchments of diverse size in Mediterranean Europe were investigated in order to understand the main aspects of their hydrological functioning. The methods included the analysis of daily and monthly precipitation, monthly potential evapotranspiration rates, flow duration curves, rainfall runoff relationships and catchment internal data for the smaller and more instrumented catchments. The results showed that the catchments were less dry than initially considered. Only one of them was really semi-arid throughout the year. All the remaining catchments showed wet seasons when precipitation exceeded potential evapotrans-piration, allowing aquifer recharge, wet runoff generation mechanisms and relevant baseflow contribution. Nevertheless, local infiltration excess (Hortonian) overland flow was inferred during summer storms in some catchments and urban overland flow in some others. The roles of karstic groundwater, human disturbance and low winter temperatures were identified as having an important impact on the hydrological regime in some of the catchments.

Non perennial Mediterranean Rivers in Europe: Status, pressurs, and challanges for research and management

Non-perennial rivers and streams (NPRS) cover >50% of the global river network. They are particularly predominant in Mediterranean Europe as a result of dry climate conditions, climate change and land use development. Historically, both scientists and policy makers underestimated the importance of NRPS for nature and humans alike, mainly because they have been considered as systems of low ecological and economic value. During the past decades, diminishing water resources have increased the spatial and temporal extent of artificial NPRS as well as their exposure to multiple stressors, which threatening their ecological integrity, biodiversity and ecosystem services. In this paper, we provide a comprehensive overview of the structural and functional characteristics of NPRS in the European Mediterranean, and discuss gaps and problems in their management, concerning their typology, ecological assessment, legislative and policy protection, and incorporation in River Basin Management Plans. Because NPRS comprise highly unstable ecosystems, with strong and often unpredictable temporal and spatial variability - at least as far as it is possible to assess - we outline the future research needs required to better understand, manage and conserve them as highly valuable and sensitive ecosystems. Efficient collaborative activities among multidisciplinary research groups aiming to create innovative knowledge, water managers and policy makers are urgently needed in order to establish an appropriate methodological and legislative background. The incorporation of NPRS in EU-Med River Basin Management Plans in combination with the application of ecological flows is a first step towards enhancing NPRS management and conservation in order to effectively safeguard these highly valuable albeit threatened ecosystems

Towards a database on societal impact of Mediterranean floods in the framework of the HYMEX project

The NW Mediterranean region experiences every year heavy rainfall and flash floods that occasionally produce catastrophic damages. Less frequent are floods that affect large regions. Although a large number of databases devoted exclusively to floods or considering all kind of natural hazards do exist, usually they only record catastrophic flood events. This paper deals with the new flood database that is being developed within the framework of HYMEX project. Results are focused on four regions representative of the NW sector of Mediterranean Europe: Catalonia, Spain; the Balearic Islands, Spain; Calabria, Italy; and Languedoc-Roussillon, Midi-Pyrenées and PACA, France. The common available 30-yr period starts in 1981 and ends in 2010. The paper shows the database structure and criteria, the comparison with other flood databases, some statistics on spatial and temporal distribution, and an identification of the most important events. The paper also provides a table that includes the date and affected region of all the catastrophic events identified in the regions of study, in order to make this information available for all audiences.

Catchment phosphorous losses: an export coefficient modelling approach with scenario analysis for water management

This paper presents the development of an export coefficient model to characterise the rates and sources of P export from land to water in four reservoir systems located in a semi-arid rural region in southern of Portugal. The model was developed to enable effective management of these important water resource systems under the EU Water Framework Directive. This is the first time such an approach has been fully adapted for the semi-arid systems typical of Mediterranean Europe. The sources of P loading delivered to each reservoir from its catchment were determined and scenario analysis was undertaken to predict the likely impact of catchment management strategies on the scale of rate of P loading delivered to each water body from its catchment. The results indicate the importance of farming and sewage treatment works/collective septic tanks discharges as the main contributors to the total diffuse and point source P loading delivered to the reservoirs, respectively. A reduction in the total P loading for all study areas would require control of farming practices and more efficient removal of P from human wastes prior to discharge to surface waters. The scenario analysis indicates a strategy based solely on reducing the agricultural P surplus may result in only a slow improvement in water quality, which would be unlikely to support the generation of good ecological status in reservoirs. The model application indicates that a reduction of P-inputs to the reservoirs should first focus on reducing P loading from sewage effluent discharges through the introduction of tertiary treatment (P-stripping) in all major residential areas. The fully calibrated export coefficient modelling approach transferred well to semi-arid regions, with the only significant limitation being the availability of suitable input data to drive the model. Further studies using this approach in semi-arid catchments are now needed to increase the knowledge of nutrient export behaviours in semi-arid regions.

The role of public opinions on recent Spanish emigration

[ES]Presentación de un informe sobre el debate social reflejado en los medios de comunicación españoles sobre el nuevo fenómeno de la emigración de jóvenes españoles al extranjero y su relación con la crisis económica internacional.

The precipitous decline of the ortolan bunting Emberiza hortulana: time to build on scientific evidence to inform conservation management

In recent decades there has been a marked decline in most ortolan bunting Emberiza hortulana populations in temperate Europe, with many regional populations now extinct or on the brink of extinction. In contrast, Mediterranean and, as far as we know, eastern European popula-tions seem to have remained relatively stable. The causes of decline remain unclear but include: habitat loss and degradation, and related reduction in prey availability; climate change on the breeding grounds; altered population dynamics; illegal captures during migration; and environmental change in wintering areas. We review the current knowledge of the biology of the ortolan bunting and discuss the proposed causes of decline in relation to the different population trends in temperate and Mediterranean Europe. We suggest new avenues of research to identify the factors limiting ortolan bunting populations. The main evidence-based conservation measure that is likely to enhance habitat quality is the creation of patches of bare ground to produce sparsely vegetated foraging grounds in invertebrate-rich grassy habitats close to breeding areas.

Diseño de un modelo de riesgo integral de incendios forestales mediante técnicas multicriterio y su automatización en sistemas de información geográfica : una aplicación en la Comunidad Valenciana

Los incendios forestales son la principal causa de mortalidad de árboles en la Europa mediterránea y constituyen la amenaza más seria para los ecosistemas forestales españoles. En la Comunidad Valenciana, diariamente se despliega cerca de un centenar de vehículos de vigilancia, cuya distribución se apoya, fundamentalmente, en un índice de riesgo de incendios calculado en función de las condiciones meteorológicas. La tesis se centra en el diseño y validación de un nuevo índice de riesgo integrado de incendios, especialmente adaptado a la región mediterránea y que facilite el proceso de toma de decisiones en la distribución diaria de los medios de vigilancia contra incendios forestales. El índice adopta el enfoque de riesgo integrado introducido en la última década y que incluye dos componentes de riesgo: el peligro de ignición y la vulnerabilidad. El primero representa la probabilidad de que se inicie un fuego y el peligro potencial para que se propague, mientras que la vulnerabilidad tiene en cuenta las características del territorio y los efectos potenciales del fuego sobre el mismo. Para el cálculo del peligro potencial se han identificado indicadores relativos a los agentes naturales y humanos causantes de incendios, la ocurrencia histórica y el estado de los combustibles, extremo muy relacionado con la meteorología y las especies. En cuanto a la vulnerabilidad se han empleado indicadores representativos de los efectos potenciales del incendio (comportamiento del fuego, infraestructuras de defensa), como de las características del terreno (valor, capacidad de regeneración…). Todos estos indicadores constituyen una estructura jerárquica en la que, siguiendo las recomendaciones de la Comisión europea para índices de riesgo de incendios, se han incluido indicadores representativos del riesgo a corto plazo y a largo plazo. El cálculo del valor final del índice se ha llevado a cabo mediante la progresiva agregación de los componentes que forman cada uno de los niveles de la estructura jerárquica del índice y su integración final. Puesto que las técnicas de decisión multicriterio están especialmente orientadas a tratar con problemas basados en estructuras jerárquicas, se ha aplicado el método TOPSIS para obtener la integración final del modelo. Se ha introducido en el modelo la opinión de los expertos, mediante la ponderación de cada uno de los componentes del índice. Se ha utilizado el método AHP, para obtener las ponderaciones de cada experto y su integración en un único peso por cada indicador. Para la validación del índice se han empleado los modelos de Ecuaciones de Estimación Generalizadas, que tienen en cuenta posibles respuestas correlacionadas. Para llevarla a cabo se emplearon los datos de oficiales de incendios ocurridos durante el período 1994 al 2003, referenciados a una cuadrícula de 10x10 km empleando la ocurrencia de incendios y su superficie, como variables dependientes. Los resultados de la validación muestran un buen funcionamiento del subíndice de peligro de ocurrencia con un alto grado de correlación entre el subíndice y la ocurrencia, un buen ajuste del modelo logístico y un buen poder discriminante. Por su parte, el subíndice de vulnerabilidad no ha presentado una correlación significativa entre sus valores y la superficie de los incendios, lo que no descarta su validez, ya que algunos de sus componentes tienen un carácter subjetivo, independiente de la superficie incendiada. En general el índice presenta un buen funcionamiento para la distribución de los medios de vigilancia en función del peligro de inicio. No obstante, se identifican y discuten nuevas líneas de investigación que podrían conducir a una mejora del ajuste global del índice. En concreto se plantea la necesidad de estudiar más profundamente la aparente correlación que existe en la provincia de Valencia entre la superficie forestal que ocupa cada cuadrícula de 10 km del territorio y su riesgo de incendios y que parece que a menor superficie forestal, mayor riesgo de incendio. Otros aspectos a investigar son la sensibilidad de los pesos de cada componente o la introducción de factores relativos a los medios potenciales de extinción en el subíndice de vulnerabilidad. Summary Forest fires are the main cause of tree mortality in Mediterranean Europe and the most serious threat to the Spanisf forest. In the Spanish autonomous region of Valencia, forest administration deploys a mobile fleet of 100 surveillance vehicles in forest land whose allocation is based on meteorological index of wildlandfire risk. This thesis is focused on the design and validation of a new Integrated Wildland Fire Risk Index proposed to efficient allocation of vehicles and specially adapted to the Mediterranean conditions. Following the approaches of integrated risk developed last decade, the index includes two risk components: Wildland Fire Danger and Vulnerability. The former represents the probability a fire ignites and the potential hazard of fire propagation or spread danger, while vulnerability accounts for characteristics of the land and potential effects of fire. To calculate the Wildland Fire Danger, indicators of ignition and spread danger have been identified, including human and natural occurrence agents, fuel conditions, historical occurrence and spread rate. Regarding vulnerability se han empleado indicadores representativos de los efectos potenciales del incendio (comportamiento del fuego, infraestructurasd de defensa), como de las características del terreno (valor, capacidad de regeneración…). These indicators make up the hierarchical structure for the index, which, following the criteria of the European Commission both short and long-term indicators have been included. Integration consists of the progressive aggregation of the components that make up every level in risk the index and, after that, the integration of these levels to obtain a unique value for the index. As Munticriteria methods are oriented to deal with hierarchically structured problems and with situations in which conflicting goals prevail, TOPSIS method is used in the integration of components. Multicriteria methods were also used to incorporate expert opinion in weighting of indicators and to carry out the aggregation process into the final index. The Analytic Hierarchy Process method was used to aggregate experts' opinions on each component into a single value. Generalized Estimation Equations, which account for possible correlated responses, were used to validate the index. Historical records of daily occurrence for the period from 1994 to 2003, referred to a 10x10-km-grid cell, as well as the extent of the fires were the dependant variables. The results of validation showed good Wildland Fire Danger component performance, with high correlation degree between Danger and occurrence, a good fit of the logistic model used and a good discrimination power. The vulnerability component has not showed a significant correlation between their values and surface fires, which does not mean the index is not valid, because of the subjective character of some of its components, independent of the surface of the fires. Overall, the index could be used to optimize the preventing resources allocation. Nevertheless, new researching lines are identified and discussed to improve the overall performance of the index. More specifically the need of study the inverse relationship between the value of the wildfire Fire Danger component and the forested surface of each 10 - km cell is set out. Other points to be researched are the sensitivity of the index component´s weight and the possibility of taking into account indicators related to fire fighting resources to make up the vulnerability component.

Effects of landscape spatial heterogeneity on dryland restoration success. The combined role of site conditions and reforestation techniques in southeastern Spain

In occidental Europe, Spain is one of countries the most severely affected by desertification (Arnalds & Arsher 2000). Particularly, South-eastern Spain is considered as one of the most threatened areas by desertification in Mediterranean Europe (Vallejo 1997). In 2003, the Valencia Regional Forest Service implemented a restoration demonstration project in this area. The project site is a small catchment (25 ha) located in the Albatera municipality. The catchment is highly heterogeneous, with terraced slopes, south-facing slopes and north-facing slopes. The restoration strategy was based on planting evergreen trees and shrubs which can grow quickly after disturbances, and on field treatments aimed at maximizing water collection (micro-catchments, planting furrows), organic amendment (compost), and conservation (tree shelters, mulching). On south landscape unit, the whole category of restoration treatments was applied: water micro-catchment + Tubex tree shelters + mulching & compost, while on north landscape unit: netting tree shelters + mulching & compost only were applied, while in terrace landscape unit: furrows + netting tree shelters + mulching & compost were applied. Survival and growth of the planted seedlings were used as metrics of restoration success. To assess the effects of the treatments applied for soil conservation, soil loss rates (from 2005 to 2009) were evaluated using the erosion pin method. We conclude that, despite the limiting conditions prevailing on the south unit, this landscape unit showed the highest survival and growth plant rates in the area. The best seedling performances on the south landscape unit were probably due to the highest technical efforts applied, consisting in the water micro-catchment installation and the Tubex plant shelters addition. In addition, soil loss rates followed decreasing trends throughout the assessment period. Soil loss rates were highest on south landscape unit in comparison with the other landscape units, due to the more accentuated relief. North landscape unit and terrace unit showed a net soil mass gain, probably reflecting the trapping of sediments produced by plantation works.

El clima intuido en el Madrid medieval a través de sus documentos y del Libro de la Montería (siglos XIV-XVI)

El presente trabajo pretende analizar cuáles eran las características climáticas que se sucedían en Madrid y su Tierra a lo largo del año, fundamentalmente entre los siglos XIV y XVI. Se intentará comprobar, dentro de las limitaciones que impone la documentación de la época, si en aquel tiempo se daba también un clima mediterráneo, o no, y si este ha variado mucho desde entonces. Igualmente se podrá comprobar algo que tal vez podría, aunque no debería, sorprendernos: el hombre medieval tenía muy claros muchos conceptos meteorológicos y climatológicos, aunque siempre aprehendidos con una finalidad práctica, para aplicarlos en su vida cotidiana tan cercana y dependiente de la naturaleza.

Ecological responses of Western Palearctic avian species to late Quaternary climate oscillations

This PhD thesis explores the ecological responses of bird species to glacial-interglacial transitions during the late Quaternary in the Western Palearctic, using multiple approaches and at different scales, enhancing the importance of the bird fossil record and quantitative methods to elucidate biotic trends in relation to long-term climate changes. The taxonomic and taphonomic analyses of the avian fossil assemblages from four Italian Middle and Upper Pleistocene sedimentary successions (Grotta del Cavallo, Grotta di Fumane, Grotta di Castelcivita, and Grotta di Uluzzo C) allowed us to reconstruct local-scale patterns in birds’ response to climate changes. These bird assemblages are characterized by the presence of temperate species and by the occasional presence of cold-dwelling species during glacials, related to range shifts. These local patterns are supported by those identified at the continental scale. In this respect, I mapped the present-day and LGM climatic envelopes of species with different climatic requirements. The results show a substantial stability in the range of temperate species and pronounced changes in the range of cold-dwelling species, supported by their fossil records. Therefore, the responses to climate oscillations are highly related to the thermal niches of investigated species. I also clarified the dynamics of the presence of boreal and arctic bird species in Mediterranean Europe, due to southern range shifts, during the glacial phases. After a reassessment of the reliability of the existing fossil evidence, I show that this phenomenon is not as common as previously thought, with important implications for the paleoclimatic and paleoenvironmental significance of the targeted species. I have also been able to explore the potential of multivariate and rarefaction methods in the analyses of avian fossils from Grotta del Cavallo. These approaches helped to delineate the main drivers of taphonomic damages and the dynamics of species diversity in relation to climate-driven paleoenvironmental changes.

Two Boats in the Mediterranean and their Unfortunate Encounters with Europe’s Policies towards People on the Move. CEPS Liberty and Security in Europe No. 48, 20 July 2012

Two stark reminders of the difficulties that people on the move encounter in the Mediterranean have been grabbing headlines recently: the so-called ‘left-to-die’ boat report and the ground-breaking Hirsi judgment. These two instances present the worst of both worlds: the first concerns a migrant boat that was ignored altogether, resulting in many deaths, whereas the second concerns a migrant boat being intercepted but subsequently dealt with in a way that contradicts Europe’s human rights standards. These two cases are neither isolated nor incidental. Instead they are of wider concern to the EU and reminders of structural deficiencies in Europe’s approach to people on the move in the Mediterranean. This paper identifies those cross-cutting deficiencies and proposes recommendations to correct them.

Cold cloud climatology over Europe and the Mediterranean during the warm season from Meteosat IR imagery

Thermal infrared (IR, 10.5 – 12.5 m) images from the Meteosat Visible and Infrared Imager (MVIRI) of cold cloud episodes (cloud top brightness temperature < 241 K) are used as a proxy of precipitating clouds to derive a warm season (May-August) climatology of their coherency, duration, span, and speed over Europe and the Mediterranean. The analysis focuses over the 30°-54°N, 15°W-40°E domain in May-August 1996-2005. Harmonic analysis using discrete Fourier transforms is applied together with a statistical analysis and an investigation of the diurnal cycle. This study has the objective to make available a set of results on the propagation dynamics of the cloud systems with the aim of assist numerical modellers in improving summer convection parameterization. The zonal propagation of cold cloud systems is accompanied by a weak meridional component confined to narrow latitude belts. The persistence of cold clouds over the area evidences the role of orography, the Pyrenees, the Alps, the Balkans and Anatolia. A diurnal oscillation is found with a maximum marking the initiation of convection in the lee of the mountains and shifting from about 1400 UTC at 40°E to 1800 UTC at 0°. A moderate eastward propagation of the frequency maximum from all mountain chains across the domain exists and the diurnal maxima are completely suppressed west of 5°W. The mean power spectrum of the cold cloud frequency distribution evidences a period of one day all over Europe disappearing over the ocean (west of 10°W). Other maxima are found in correspondence of 6 to 10 days in the longitudes from 15° W to 0° and indicate the activity of the westerlies with frontal passage over the continent. Longer periods activities (from 15 up to 30 days) were stronger around 10° W and from 5° W to 15° E and are likely related to the Madden Julian Oscillation influence. The maxima of the diurnal signal are in phase with the presence of elevated terrain and with land masses. A median zonal phase speed of 16.1 ms-1 is found for all events ≥ 1000 km and ≥ 20 h and a full set of results divided by years and recurrence categories is also presented.