Present and Future Land Suitability Analysis for Almond and Pistachio Crops in the Beira Baixa Region Using Spatial Multicriteria Decision Systems

The objective of this study is to determine the suitability for the cultivation of emerging fruit crops in the Beira Baixa region. The suitability was examined for the present time and in the face of two future emission scenarios (RCP 4.5 and 8.5). For this purpose, the biophysical criteria determining the cultivation of pistachio tree and almond tree were processed using a G. The analysis was performed by the AHP. After dividing the problem into hierarchical levels of decision making, a pairwise comparison of criteria was performed to evaluate the weights of these criteria, based on a scale of importance. In the present conditions, about 16.4% of the study area is classified as highly suitable for almond tree and 15.9% to pistachio tree. For the future scenarios, the area with high suitability will increase both for almond tree and pistachio tree. The AHP was adequate in the evaluation of the emerging fruit tree species suitability, since it allowed the integration of the several criteria studied, being a useful tool, which allows the decision making and the resolution of problems.

A yearly maximum sea level simulator and its applications: A Stockholm case study

A yearly maximum sea level simulator for Stockholm is presented. The simulator combines extreme sea level estimates and mean sea level rise projections into a joint probabilistic framework. The framework can be used, for example, to assess the risk that new structures placed at the current minimum allowed height above the sea level can become flooded in the future. Such assessments can be used to underpin future building free levels, which would be a great improvement over the much more arbitrary criteria in use today. Another strong point of the framework is that it can be used to quantify the influence of uncertainties in mean sea level projections, estimates of sea level extremes and future emission scenarios on the risk of flooding. For Stockholm mean sea level uncertainty is found to be much more important than extreme sea level uncertainty. The framework is also set-up to test adaptation measures. It is found that protections that are built once the mean sea level has risen above some given threshold can be very efficient. Lastly, the framework is embedded into a simple decision problem that can be used to calculate risk/reward ratios for land development as a function of height above today’s mean sea level.

Determining the Role of Acidity, Fate and Formation of IEPOX-Derived SOA in CMAQ

Formation of aerosol from biogenic hydrocarbons relies heavily on anthropogenic emissions since they control the availability of species such as sulfate and nitrate, and through them, aerosol acidity (pH). To elucidate the role that acidity and emissions play in regulating Secondary Organic Aerosol (SOA), we utilize the 2013 Southern Oxidant and Aerosol Study (SOAS) dataset to enhance the extensive mechanism of isoprene epoxydiol (IEPOX)-mediated SOA formation implemented in the Community Multiscale Air Quality (CMAQ) model (Pye et al., 2013), which was then used to investigate the impact of potential future emission controls on IEPOX OA. We found that the Henry’s law coefficient for IEPOX was the most impactful parameter that controls aqueous isoprene OA products, and a value of 1.9 × 107 M atm−1 provides the best agreement with measurements. Non-volatile cations (NVCs) were found in higher-than-expected quantities in CMAQ and exerted a significant influence on IEPOX OA by reducing its production by as much as 30% when present. Consistent with previous literature, a strong correlation of isoprene OA with sulfate, and little correlation with acidity or liquid water content, was found. Future reductions in SO2 emissions are found to not affect this correlation and generally act to increase the sensitivity of IEPOX OA to sulfate, even in extreme cases.

Assessment of the Contribution of Different Particulate Matter Sources on Pollution in Sofia City

The habitants of Sofia, the capital city of Bulgaria, are unfortunately exposed to high levels of particulate matter (PM), despite a lot of efforts made by the government and the municipality in recent decades. A high resolution model using the Atmospheric Dispersion Modeling System (ADMS)-Urban was carried out for one year (2014) with elevated levels of PM concentration for the Sofia region measured during the winter. Four main emission sources (point industrial, domestic heating, roads, and unorganized transport) were taken into account for this study. This works intends to evaluate the impacts of different sources on the air pollution and quality of life in Sofia city. Although this type of modeling only accounts for the local sources, and has some deficiency, it can be a very useful tool for estimating the contribution of each source type to the concentration field, and it allows simulating different scenarios for future emission reduction that can help authorities with decision making.

Boiler Combustion Optimization of Vegetal Crop Residues from Greenhouses

This work presents an alternative for adding value to greenhouse crop residues, used for (1) heating and (2) as a CO2 source. Both options are focused on greenhouse agricultural production, but could be applied to other applications. The influence of factors, such as the air/fuel rate and turbulence inside the combustion chamber, is studied. Our results show that for pine pellets, olive pits, tomato-crop residues, and a blend of the latter mixed with almond prunings (75–25%), the thermal losses ranged from 19.5–53.1, 20.5–58.9, 39.9–95%, and 29.4–75.5%, respectively, while the NOX emissions were 30–247, 411–1792, and 361–2333 mg/Nm3, respectively. The above-mentioned blend was identified as the best set-up. The thermal losses were 39.2%, and the CO, NOX, and SO2 concentrations were 11,690, 906, and 1134 mg/Nm3, respectively (the gas concentration values were recalculated for 0% O2). Currently, no other work exists in the literature include a similar analysis performed using a boiler with a comparable thermal output (160.46 kW). The optimal configurations comply with the relevant local legislation. This optimization is important for future emission control strategies relating to using crop residues as a CO2 source. The work also highlights the importance of ensuring a proper boiler set-up for each case considered.

Progress and future challenges in passive NO adsorption over Pd/zeolite catalysts

Future emission standards are becoming increasingly stringent. Around 50% of targeted tailpipe emissions are emitted during the cold-start period, mainly due to the ineffectiveness of catalytic converters in the after-treatment...