Coastal Areas Of Nigeria Research Articles

Impact of stratospheric air and surface emissions on tropospheric nitrous oxide during ATom

Abstract. We measured the global distribution of tropospheric N2O mixing ratios during the NASA airborne Atmospheric Tomography (ATom) mission. ATom measured concentrations of ∼ 300 gas species and aerosol properties in 647 vertical profiles spanning the Pacific, Atlantic, Arctic, and much of the Southern Ocean basins, nearly from pole to pole, over four seasons (2016–2018). We measured N2O concentrations at 1 Hz using a quantum cascade laser spectrometer (QCLS). We introduced a new spectral retrieval method to account for the pressure and temperature sensitivity of the instrument when deployed on aircraft. This retrieval strategy improved the precision of our ATom QCLS N2O measurements by a factor of three (based on the standard deviation of calibration measurements). Our measurements show that most of the variance of N2O mixing ratios in the troposphere is driven by the influence of N2O-depleted stratospheric air, especially at mid- and high latitudes. We observe the downward propagation of lower N2O mixing ratios (compared to surface stations) that tracks the influence of stratosphere–troposphere exchange through the tropospheric column down to the surface. The highest N2O mixing ratios occur close to the Equator, extending through the boundary layer and free troposphere. We observed influences from a complex and diverse mixture of N2O sources, with emission source types identified using the rich suite of chemical species measured on ATom and the geographical origin calculated using an atmospheric transport model. Although ATom flights were mostly over the oceans, the most prominent N2O enhancements were associated with anthropogenic emissions, including from industry (e.g., oil and gas), urban sources, and biomass burning, especially in the tropical Atlantic outflow from Africa. Enhanced N2O mixing ratios are mostly associated with pollution-related tracers arriving from the coastal area of Nigeria. Peaks of N2O are often associated with indicators of photochemical processing, suggesting possible unexpected source processes. In most cases, the results show how difficult it is to separate the mixture of different sources in the atmosphere, which may contribute to uncertainties in the N2O global budget. The extensive data set from ATom will help improve the understanding of N2O emission processes and their representation in global models.

Land use/land cover change detection along the coastline of Nigeria and its probable causes

The Nigerian coastline has been subjected to studies on land use/land cover changes, using satellite images, for three decades. This paper is borne out of the need to understand the dynamics of coastal management. The study aims at assessing land use-land cover changes along coastline in Nigeria from 1986 to 2016 using multi-day satellite imageries. The satellite data were used to extract land use/cover changes and to map the physical extent of the coastal areas of Nigeria for the three-time series during the same season. Urban/built up areas, water and vegetation are the three land use/cover classes of interest along the Nigerian coastline. The urban/built up area class increased from 8.9% in 1986 to 13.7% in 2000, and then 23% in 2016. On the other hand, vegetation decreased from 55% in 1986 to 49% in 2000 and then 43% in 2016. In contrast, water class increased from 36% in 1986 to 37% in 2000, and then decreased to 32.7% in 2016. Considering observations made from this study, it is therefore recommended that the appropriate government agencies, coastal managers and urban planners should promote afforestation along with other mitigation measures, to reduce the adverse effects of human develop-ment on the ecosystem.

Application of Fuzzy Logic in the Selection of a Suitable Sanitary Landfill Site for Solid Waste Disposal and Management in Coastal Area of Nigeria

Solid waste management has been identified as one of the most challenging environmental problems facing cities in most developing countries because of the risks to human health and the general environment. Different methods are available for solid waste disposal and they include; ocean dumping open burning and sanitary landfill. Of these available methods, sanitary landfill remains the most effective and hygienic method of solid waste disposal. Inspite of its effectiveness, the method of waste disposal using sanitary landfill is challenged by the availability of suitable land. To select a suitable site for landfill application numerous factors must be considered, ranging from; flood extent, stream, rivers, swampy areas, ground water, built-up areas, roads, slopes, airport, palaces and point of interests (POIs). In this study, fuzzy logic technique of data analysis was employed to analyze the various factors in order to select the most suitable site for landfill application in the study area. The basic steps involved in the application of fuzzy logic in the modeling and prediction of suitable site for landfill application are as follows; definition of input and output variables, conversion of crisp variables into fuzzy sets, definition of membership functions for each inputs and output variables, creation of fuzzy rules and simulation. Result of the fuzzy simulation revealed that; for river buffer distance of 0.9909km, ground water elevation of 7.13m, road buffer distance of 0.7727km, land slope of 2.673 0 and built-up area buffer distance of 1.37km, suitability ranking is 2 which mean “least suitable. For river buffer distance of 1.355km, ground water elevation of 9.537m, road buffer distance of 1.645km, land slope of 3.655 0 and built-up area buffer distance of 1.778km, suitability ranking is 3 which means “moderately suitable” and for river buffer distance of 2.5km, ground water elevation of 15m, road buffer distance of 2.5km, land slope of 6 0 and built-up area buffer distance of 2.5km, suitability ranking is 4 which means “highly suitable” Keywords: Sanitary landfill, Fuzzy logic, Membership functions, Fuzzy rules and Suitability rating DOI : 10.7176/JEES/10-1-07 Publication date: January 31 st 2020

Application of Fuzzy Logic in the Selection of a Suitable Sanitary Landfill Site for Solid Waste Disposal and Management in Coastal Area of Nigeria

Application of Fuzzy Logic in the Selection of a Suitable Sanitary Landfill Site for Solid Waste Disposal and Management in Coastal Area of Nigeria

Biofilm and Biosurfactant Mediated Aromatic Hydrocarbons Degradation by Marine Bacteria Isolated from Contaminated Marine Environments of Niger Delta

Aims: To examine the effects of biofilm and biosurfactant associated cells of marine bacteria isolated from contaminated marine environments of Niger Delta on aromatic hydrocarbon degradation.
 Study Design: Nine treatments and the controls designs were set up in triplicates containing 100 mL of sterile modified mineral basal medium in 250 mL conical flasks supplemented with 50, 100, 200 and 300 ppm of xylene, anthracene and pyrene each and nine marine hydrocarbon degraders; incubated at 24°C for 5 - 7 days. The nine treatments and control set ups designated as ANT1, XYL2, PYR3, ANT4, PYR5, ANT6, XYL7, XYL8, PYR9 and CTRL (without hydrocarbons) were used to examine the effects of biofilm and biosurfactant produced by the marine bacteria on aromatic hydrocarbon degradability.
 Place and Duration of Study: Department of Microbiology, Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu University, Uli Nigeria between September, 2014 and August, 2017.
 Methodology: A laboratory scale study was carried on six composite samples of the sediment and water samples from the three studied areas using enrichment, selection, morphological, biochemical, growth effect, emulsification, surface tension, bacterial adherence to hydrocarbon (BATH), salt aggregation (SAT) and microtitre plate biofilm formation tests.
 Results: The findings revealed that the three sampling sites harbour a lot of efficient aromatic degrading bacterial strains belonging to the genera: Providencia, Alcaligenes, Brevundimonas, Myroides, Serratia, and Bacillus able to significantly (P = .05) degrade the aromatic hydrocarbons. Significant positive correlation between biofilm formation and emulsification activity (r = 0.670; P = .05), was observed while surface tension (r = 0.134; P > .05), BATH (r = 0.142; P > .05) and SAT (r = 0.227; P > .05) had no significant positive correlation with biofilm formation.
 Conclusion: Thus, the metabolic traits potentials of these strains could be exploited for in situ bioremediation intervention in the coastal areas of Nigeria.

Impact of produced water discharge on the gross alpha and gross beta activity concentrations and radiological health risk on drinking water sources in coastal areas of Nigeria

ABSTRACT Gross alpha and gross beta activity concentrations in drinking water samples from coastal areas of Nigeria has been investigated using an MPC-2000-DP model proportional counter. A total of 60 drinking water representative samples (four each from communities’ drinking water sources) were collected from the study area. The mean gross alpha activity concentrations values obtained ranged from 0.02 ± 0.00 Bq l–1 to 1.37 ± 0.01 Bq l–1 with an average value of 0.38 ± 0.03 Bq l–1 while the mean gross beta activity concentrations values ranged from 0.41 ± 0.04 Bq l–1 to 7.32 ± 0.33 Bq l–1 with an average value of 2.96 ± 0.41 Bq l–1. These revealed that the gross alpha and gross beta activity levels obtained in the drinking water were above the recommended permissible limit of 0.1 and 1.0 Bq l–1, respectively, and that of the control values. The annual effective dose equivalent, annual gonadal equivalent dose, excess lifetime cancer risk and committee effective dose due to drinking of these drinking water sources by infants, children and adults from gross alpha activity concentration when compared with their world average standards, were found to be higher than the world allowable average values. These high values obtained were attributed to anthropogenic activities (oil and gas activities) in the study area. This anthropogenic activities of discharging produced water into water bodies of these 15 communities studied has contaminated the drinking water radiologically, which might pose significant radiation health threat to both human system and the environment. Further study on the specific activity to identify the radionuclide of concern was recommended.

Economic Effect of Malaria on Artisanal Fish Production in a Coastal Area of Nigeria

Abstract This study investigated the economic effect of malaria on artisanal fish production in Lagos State, Nigeria. A total of 120 fisher folks households were sampled through a multi-stage random sampling procedure. Primary data which were obtained through administration of structured questionnaire was used for this study. The data were analysed using descriptive statistics, Cost of Illness (COI) approach and ordinary least square (OLS) regression analysis. The study found that 1.67% of the sampled respondent used only mosquito coil as preventive measure while 41.67% of the respondents used a combination of mosquito coil, insecticide and immunization as preventive measures to avert the possible occurrence of malaria among their household members. The mean COI among the fisher folks’ households was ₦109, 995.85 per year, out of which 31.6% was spent on drugs and herbs, 15.5% on hospital consultancy fees while the time cost of illness of both the sick person and the caretaker were 28.4% and 13.1%, respectively. The regression analysis result revealed that aged and experienced fisher folks were more susceptible to malaria attack while number of days absent from work, number of malaria episodes and cost of treatment had adverse effect on fish production in the study area. The study concluded that the incidence of malaria in the households impact negatively on fish catch level. It is therefore recommended, among others, that health care services in the fishing communities be improved while fishers should make proper use of preventive measures so as to reduce cost and number of days lost to illness.

GIS Based Assessment of Flood Risk and Vulnerability of Communities in the Benue Floodplains, Adamawa State, Nigeria

The focus of this study is to assess the 2012 floods incidence that swept the communities along the coastal areas of Nigeria as well as those along the valleys of the major rivers in the country. It was observed in the study that the floods at the valleys and downstream of River Benue were seriously devastating following the release of water from the Lagdo dam that was located at the upstream of River Benue in the Republic of Cameroon. The method of data collection employed in this study is the application of Geo-information techniques which involves the use of Global Positioning System (GPS) to capture the coordinates of 120 communities which cut across the seven LGAs located along the valleys of River Benue in Adamawa State. These communities were linked to a generated digital map of River Benue valley using ArcGIS software to assess each of the communities for flood vulnerability. Vulnerability was classified into four: highly vulnerable, vulnerable, marginally vulnerable and not vulnerable. The major findings revealed that all the 120 communities in the area were described as vulnerable to flood, that is, they are either highly vulnerable, vulnerable or marginally vulnerable. 29 communities representing 32.5% were located on highly vulnerable areas, 35 communities (representing 29.17%) were found to be located within the Benue Basin but outside the buffer zones which are classified as vulnerable areas, while the remaining 46 communities (38.33%) were located on the plains which are classified as marginally vulnerable areas. Escape routes and good sites for refugee camps during floods were also identified while database creation and analysis for flood vulnerability were also developed. It is therefore, recommended that all the settlements that were highly vulnerable be relocated to higher grounds to prevent future occurrence, while the communities that are located within the Benue Basin but outside the buffer zones should employ the use of GIS tool for effective planning and proper early warning systems.

English

Climatic changes have made flooding a major environmental hazard in the coastal areas of Nigeria. This study assessed the impacts and households’ adaptation mechanisms in Epe Division of Lagos State. Data obtained from some fishing folks were subjected to descriptive, Probit regression and Tobit regressions analytical methods. The results show that the adverse impacts of flooding reduce with ability to migrate, monthly income and possession of other secondary occupations. The females, educated and rich among the fishing folks are willing to pay significantly higher amounts on insurance against flooding. The study recommended that efforts to address flooding should include alternative skill development, migration, offering of assistances, provision of affordable and quality health services for the treatment of malaria, cholera and dysentery and proper development of early warning signal, among other.    Key words: Flooding, climate change, impact, vulnerability, fishing folks.

Regional evidence of climate change in Nigeria

Most available data on climate change are mainly global whereas the effects are more at regional levels. It is on this premise that this study investigated the regional evidences of climate change using Nigeria as a case study. Mean annual air temperature from 30 synoptic stations between 1901 and 2005 were collected from the Nigerian Meteorological Agency, Lagos and Meteorological Department in some Airports. The data were divided into three climatic periods namely 1901-1935, 1936-1970 and 1971-2005 for the purpose of comparison. Time series, correlation, least square range test, ANOVA and isotherm maps were some statistical tools used to analyze the data. The results show that air temperature is steadily increasing especially from the 1970s. Between 1901 - 1935 and 1936 - 1970 climatic periods, temperature anomalies were below the 1970 - 2005 normal, but 22 years (63%) out of the 35 years were above the normal between 1971 and 2005. The temperature anomalies shows that climate change signal is stronger as from the 1970s.The rate of temperature increase is higher in the semi-arid region than the coastal areas of Nigeria. The current available pieces of evidence show that Nigeria, like most parts of the world, is experiencing the basic features of climate change. Key words: Climate change, global warming, Nigeria, climate change signal, temperature.

Species Composition and Role of Anopheles Mosquitoes in Malaria Transmission Along Badagry Axis of Lagos Lagoon, Lagos, Nigeria

Three communities along Badagry axis of the Lagos lagoon were sampled for indoor resting Anopheles mosquitoes in order to determine their species composition, relative abundance, density and contribution to malaria transmission in the coastal ecosystem. A total of 1938 adult female Anopheles mosquitoes collected from 2005 to 2007 constituted three species viz Anopheles gambiae, An melas and An. nili. The Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR)–-based tests indicated that more than three-fourth of the An. gambiae s.l (75.8%) population belongs to An. gambiae s.s the remaining were An. melas. Further analysis showed that all the An. gambiae s.s was the M form. ELISA-based analyses indicated that An. gambiae s.s and An. melas were the main vectors of malaria in this area with an overall P. falciparum sporozoite infection rate of 4.8% and 6.5% respectively. Both species also maintained relatively high EIR indicating their prominent roles in malaria transmission in the study area. All the An. nili tested were negative for P. falciparum sporozoite infection. This study provides baseline information for planning vector control programme relevant to reduction of malaria transmission in the coastal areas of Nigeria.

Computer modeling of dosimetric pattern in aquatic environment of the oil producing coastal areas of Nigeria

The dose distribution functions for the three sources of radiation in the environment have been reviewed. The model representing the geometry of aquatic organisms have been employed in computationally solving the dose rates to aquatic organisms with emphasis on the coastal areas of Nigeria where oil exploration activities involve the use of radioactive materials. Solution of the dose function representing the baseline have been modeled the result of which can be employed in assessing future contamination in the area. Nigerian Journal of Physics Vol. 16(2) 2004: 6-18

The late onset of the rains in the coastal area of Nigeria

The late onset of the rains in the coastal area of Nigeria

N soil exploration and foundations in the recent coastal areas of Nigeria

The sub-environnements in the coastal region of Nigeria consisting of meander belt, fresh water and backswamp deposits, mangrove swamps, beach ridge bars and estuaries are underlain by a complex stratigraphical succession of soft silty clay, sand and gravels. The unpredictable stratigraphical succession is complicated by the prevalence of soft and thinly bedded strata which are hardly detected during soil exploration. These thin soft beds introduce inaccuracies on settlement computation and create difficulty in foundation design which frequently lead to unsatisfactory performance. Although some heavy structures can be founded within the sandy formation, occurring on the top layers the stresses induced by such structures can result in indesirable and large total consolidation settlement of the underlying compressible layers. Sensitive structures need therefore be founded on piles, driven to lepths where either sufficient shaft or end-point resistance can be mobilized to ensure satisfactory performance. Strip or raft foundations can easily support structures like bungalows and one storey buildings within the coastal plain sand-and-beach-ridge sub-environments. Ground improvement is generally required in mangrove swamp, meander belt and within the Sombreiro-Warri-deltaic sediments, even for simple structures.