Current Environmental Conditions Research Articles

Designing of the software for atmospheric environment condition monitoring

In current article a process of development of an application for ecological data analysis was researched, particularly pollutants concentration measurements using wavelet transform apparat. To improve the ecological situation and preventing harmful ecological event it is needed to monitor the condition of environment. Ecological monitoring contains a complex system of observations of current environment conditions, observations’ results processing and analysis, creating ecological prognosis including natural and anthropogenic factors. Monitoring data serves as a main source of information for making ecologically significant decisions. Ecological data is stochastic and are extremely random, are known by extraordinary dissipation, directly or indirectly depend on numerous parameters. This data is hard to analyze with methods of classical mathematic, sometimes, when the randomness of the data is high, it could be even impossible. Pollutant’s concentration measurements data makes a time series. In current paper for the analysis of the time series wavelet transform tools were used, either the discrete version or the continuous one, based on those a mathematical model of the process was created. Object-oriented modelling of project’s architecture was created based on provided mathematical model, particularly, classes, components and activity diagrams were built. The application was developed as a cross-platform stand-alone app. After the analysis it was proved to be reasonable to write the application in Python programming language using libraries for mathematical and statistical functions, particularly NumPy, Math, Statistics, and additionally PyWv for wavelet usage assistance. Current application allows to process ongoing and historical data from multiple sources to analyze tendencies of changes in atmosphere condition

Environmental flow assessment, evaluation, and suggestions for dying riverine ecosystem of the transboundary Amudarya River, Central Asia

The Amudarya River (ADR) is the largest source of freshwater in Central Asia providing livelihood to millions of people by extracting water for agriculture. However, the over-exploitation has created some critical environmental issues. For example, almost no water for the delta and the Aral Sea, which was once the 4th largest lake in the world. The present study focused on the assessment of environmental flow requirements (E-flows) in the basin. However, the main challenges in the accomplishment were the unavailability of natural streamflow, which is necessary for E-flow assessment, and sparse and limited hydroclimatic data. A hydrologic model was configured to simulate naturalized streamflow using the meteorological data from the Climate Research Unit. Four hydrological methods (i.e., Tennant, low flow index (7Q10), flow duration curve analysis (Q90, and Q95), and flow duration curve shifting (FDCS)) and all-method mean were applied to estimate E-flows at 34 sites on all tributaries of the ADR. According to FDCS, 7Q10, Q90, and Q95, E-flows should be 46%, 37%, 30%, and 25% of naturalized mean annual flow (NMAF), respectively, and on average, it should be 35% of NMAF, assessed by the all-methods mean. For low-flow (October–March) and high-flow (April–September) months, E-flows were determined to be 20–30% and 40–98% of NMAF, respectively. E-flow evaluation with the current environmental conditions showed very serious concerns because no sites met the environmental flow requirements below Kerki. This study will be guidelines to improve the riverine ecosystem and for future sustainable development in the region.

Prediction of ctenophore Beroe ovata Bruguiere, 1789 habitat expansion and control of invading Mnemiopsis leidyi Agassiz, 1865 in the Ponto-Caspian basin associated with climate change

The seas of Ponto-Caspian basin (Black, Azov and Caspian) are exposed to species invasions, including harmful ctenophore Mnemiopsis leidyi A. Agassiz, 1865 and its predator Beroe ovata Bruguière, 1789. Current environmental conditions of invasive ctenophores M. leidyi and B. ovata occurrence, development and variability in the Ponto-Caspian basin have been compiled, based on own field observations and published data. Analysis of climatological data on basic environmental parameters (water temperature, salinity, chlorophyll concentration) and modeling approach were used to predict favourable for both ctenophores conditions, and changes of those conditions, associated with the climate variations. The role of B. ovata as a bio-controller of M. leidyi population has been assessed. Several climate change scenarios have been considered in this study i.e., uniform increase/decrease of SST throughout the year by 2 °C and only spring temperatures increase/decrease by 2 °C. The most sensitive to increase in SST in terms of M. leidyi reproduction duration are the western coast of the Black Sea and the Southern and Middle Caspian. On the other hand, B. ovata reproduction duration is expected to increase in several areas, including the northern coast of the Black Sea and the Southern and Middle Caspian. The coastal areas of the Black Sea and the transitional regions between the Southern and Middle Caspian are exposed to an earlier start of M. leidyi reproduction during warmer springs. Regarding B. ovata, the whole Black Sea is vulnerable to spring SST changes, but in the Caspian Sea B. ovata extends its reproduction duration only in the Middle Caspian during warmer springs. Since B. ovata consumes mostly M. leidyi, it is an important biocontrolling agent of M. leidyi, harmless for the ecosystem.

Combining the resurrection approach with transplant experiments to investigate adaptation of plant populations to environmental change

Recent climatic changes, such as more frequent droughts and heatwaves, can lead to rapid evolutionary adaptations in plant populations. Such rapid evolution can be investigated using the resurrection approach by comparing plants raised from stored ancestral and contemporary seeds from the same population. This approach has so far only been used in common garden experiments, allowing to reveal genetic differentiation but not adaptation. In this study, we performed a novel approach by testing for evolutionary adaptation in natural plant populations using a resurrection study in combination with in situ transplantations. We cultivated seedlings from ancestors (23–26 years old) and contemporary descendants of three perennial species (Melica ciliata, Leontodon hispidus and Clinopodium vulgare) from calcareous grasslands in the greenhouse and transplanted them back to their collection sites. In addition, we sowed seeds of ancestors and descendants of two species (L. hispidus and C. vulgare) to the collection sites in order to investigate germination rates. In transplanted M. ciliata seedlings, we observed lower mortality and larger plant size in descendants compared to ancestors. This indicates that descendants are better adapted than ancestors to the current environmental conditions, which proved to be exceptionally hot and dry during the study period. Descendants of C. vulgare seedlings tended to be smaller and descendants of L. hispidus seedlings produced fewer leaves compared to their ancestors in their contemporary environmental conditions. In C. vulgare and L. hispidus, we found evolution towards faster germination, and especially descendant seeds of C. vulgare were better adapted to the unfavourable conditions during the experimental period. Concluding, we demonstrate that our novel approach to combine resurrection ecology with transplant experiments is a promising avenue to rigorously test for evolutionary adaptations in changing environments.

Development ofmarine biodiversity database (BISMaL) to enable estimations past habitat conditions formarine life inthe northwestern Pacific.

Global activities involving the collection of marine biodiversity information have provided a large amount of biological observation records that cover various spatiotemporal areas. To predict biological responses or distribution changes in response to environmental changes by using these observation records, it is essential to analyze not only the current marine physicochemical environmental conditions but also the past conditions when the organisms were observed. We developed a new function to estimate the past marine environmental conditions for the observation records in our marine biodiversity database (Biological Information System for Marine Life: BISMaL) and examine whether the database can reliably estimate thermal habitats for both benthic and planktonic marine organisms. For the benthic squat lobster Shinkaia crosnieri, the estimated and observed in situ temperatures were similar to each other. For the planktonic chaetognaths Krohnitta pacifica and K. subtilis, the estimated temperatures showed clear seasonal changes specific to their distribution areas. These results indicated that BISMaL can reliably provide past habitat conditions regardless of planktonic or benthic lifestyles. BISMaL, which provides both biological observations and estimated past environmental conditions through web services, could lower the barrier to data access and use and make data-driven science available not only for data scientists but also for various marine scientists, such as taxonomists, ecologists and field scientists. Database URL: https://www.godac.jamstec.go.jp/bismal/e/.

Spatial and seasonal variation in thermal sensitivity within North American bird species.

Responses of wildlife to climate change are typically quantified at the species level, but physiological evidence suggests significant intraspecific variation in thermal sensitivity given adaptation to local environments and plasticity required to adjust to seasonal environments. Spatial and temporal variation in thermal responses may carry important implications for climate change vulnerability; for instance, sensitivity to extreme weather may increase in specific regions or seasons. Here, we leverage high-resolution observational data from eBird to understand regional and seasonal variation in thermal sensitivity for 21 bird species. Across their ranges, most birds demonstrated regional and seasonal variation in both thermal peak and range, or the temperature and range of temperatures when observations peaked. Some birds demonstrated constant thermal peaks or ranges across their geographical distributions, while others varied according to local and current environmental conditions. Across species, birds typically demonstrated either geographical or seasonal adaptation to climate. Local adaptation and phenotypic plasticity are likely important but neglected aspects of organismal responses to climate change.

Distribution of leaflet traits across different habitats: a phylogenetically controlled test using Neotropical palms

ABSTRACT Background Traits associated with resource acquisition and use are related to current or past environmental conditions. Consequently, similar environments are occupied by closely related lineages or by different lineages that have converged to occupy them. Understanding how functional traits vary in relation to environmental gradients facilitates a more predictive ecology of the Anthropocene. Aims: We investigated whether leaflet traits of palm species are phylogenetically conserved and how this influences their distribution in the Neotropics. Methods We measured specific leaflet area (SLA) and leaf thickness in 79 Neotropical palm species. We then assessed the relationship between these variables and their distribution at different habitat type scales using phylogenetically controlled linear mixed models. Results Phylogenetically close species showed greater similarities in SLA and lower similarities in leaflet thickness than expected from their phylogenetic relationships. Species from open habitats and forest canopy species had thick leaves and low SLA, while the opposite was found for understorey species. Conclusions Phylogenetic conservatism in SLA combined with phylogenetic divergence in leaflet thickness reveals leaflet trade-off strategies in palms and is related to their distribution in the Neotropics. Anthropogenic impacts may threaten understorey species in particular, which in the long-term may cause homogenisation of palm communities and loss of functional diversity.

The Image of the New Johar Market – Aloon-Aloon District, Semarang

Revitalization efforts showed a “new image”, namely as a resilient economic area, able to withstand environmental changes, safe and comfortable, which was part of sustainable development in urban areas. Semarang has been a trading city since the colonial era. One of the famous trading areas in Semarang is the Johar market district. The district has historical value. Up to now, this area is the largest traditional market in Semarang city. The Johar market building is one of the cultural heritage buildings in Semarang. There was such a big open space called Aloon-Aloon, near the Johar market. A big mosque, Kauman Grand Mosque, lies near the open space. The open space and the mosque have historical value in Semarang’s socio-cultural life. In May 2015, a big fire destroyed the buildings of Johar and Yaik markets. The building was reconstructed and renovated becoming a new Johar Market. In accordance with Aloon-Aloon’s concept, the former Yaik Market site was returned to be a public open space adapting to the current environmental and social conditions of society. In early 2022, the new market and the new public open space have been operated. This paper aims to describe images of the new Johar and Aloon-Aloon district. The paper implements a qualitative descriptive method for describing the current condition and using the theory of place related to the image of the district. The analysis utilizes pictures, and diagrams and is supported by the interview with the stakeholders. The results are a description of the new Johar – Aloon-Aloon district.

Factors shaping a lizard community structure in a semiarid region of north-eastern Brazil

We assessed the roles of historical and recent factors on the structure of a Neotropical lizard community from Serra da Capivara, in the semiarid Caatinga of north-eastern Brazil. We found no phylogenetic structure in community composition. Spatial niche overlap was high for most species pairwise comparisons. Null model analyses indicated that mean spatial and trophic niche overlaps did not differ, while mean morphological niche overlap was significantly lower than expected by chance, indicating a community structured along the morphological niche axis but not along the trophic nor spatial niche axes. We suggest that the lack of spatial niche segregation and species association may be related to current environmental conditions, such as habitat homogeneity and climatic variables. Morphological and dietary niches were influenced by historical factors, with phylogeny accounting for most of the variation in our data. Most of the variation is accounted for by the divergence of basal lineages (Gekkota/Scincomorpha/Iguania). These segregations influence behaviour and foraging modes of the given clades. Finally, these results are quite like those found for lizard communities in Seasonal Tropical Dry Forests (STDFs) and Cerrado savannahs, which can be a starting point to discuss the relationship between these formations to Caatinga domain.

Acclimatizing laboratory-reared hatchling cod (Gadus morhua) to salinity conditions in the Baltic Sea

Decades of overfishing and unsustainable management, together with habitat degradation and eutrophication, depleted the cod (Gadus morhua) stocks in the Baltic Sea. Accompanying severe oxygen deficiency and decreased salinity in their spawning grounds restricted successful spawning today to the Bornholm basin, resulting in decreased recruitment. In order for the species to recover, several different measures are required and proposed, among others restocking. We therefore investigated the possibility of producing laboratory-reared cod larvae acclimatized to the current environment in the Baltic Sea. For this, cod were reared from newly fertilized eggs to non-feeding yolk-sac larvae, testing the effect of different salinity reduction treatments during early development on mortality, hatching success, and neutral buoyancy. The results show that a sudden ambient salinity decrease after hatching has no strong effect on survival or hatching (around 60% and 95%, respectively), while it decreased neutral buoyancy of larvae from 18 to minimum 12.5 psu. Lowest buoyancy was reached in treatments with a salinity change in the early egg stage. Gradual salinity decrease starting early in the egg stage yielded to significantly increased mortality and reduced hatching success, but also lowest buoyancy of 12 psu. We showed that a decrease of ambient salinity enables the production of yolk-sac cod larvae with reduced buoyancy, which are potentially better acclimatized to survive in current environmental conditions in the Baltic Sea.

Mid- and End-of-the-Century Estimation of Agricultural Suitability of California’s Specialty Crops

Specialty crops with long economic life cycles have lower adaptability and flexibility to climate change, making long-term planning crucial. This study examines the impact of climate change on almond, citrus, pistachio, and walnut production in California, using a machine learning approach to estimate crop suitability under current and future environmental conditions. We used recent satellite-observed cropland data to generate an occurrence dataset for these crops. Ecological data including bioclimatic variables derived from global circulation models developed under the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project Phase 6 (CMIP6) and surface variables were used to model suitability. The bioclimatic variables relating to temperature and precipitation had the largest effect on each crop’s suitability estimation. The results indicate that suitable areas for almonds, citrus, and walnuts will change significantly within 20 years due to climatic change, and the change will be even greater by the end of the century, indicating a potential loss of 94% of the current suitable area. The results for pistachios indicate change in the spatial distribution of suitable area but the total area is predicted to remain near the current suitable area. Policymakers, researchers, and farmers must work together to develop proactive adaptation strategies to mitigate the negative effects of climate change on specialty crop production. The application of a species distribution model for agriculture suitability provides critical information for future work on adaptation to climate change, identifying areas to target for further analysis.

Numerical assessment of non-uniform terrain and inhomogeneous wave–current loading effects on the dynamic response of a submerged floating tunnel

The submerged floating tunnel (SFT) has broad application prospects in straits and bays with deep water levels. However, few studies have focused on the impact of non-uniform terrain and inhomogeneous wave–current loads on an SFT. Therefore, this study establishes an inhomogeneous wave and current environment along the Qiongzhou strait through a numerical hydrodynamic model which is validated using measured data from the published literature. Based on the simulated wave–current environmental conditions, the effect of inhomogeneous loading on the SFT is considered under five working conditions through finite element (FE) analyses. In addition, this paper adopts a new sampling approach to reduce the chance of random events. The results show that the dynamic response of the SFT is significantly correlated with water depth and that an inhomogeneous wave–current condition will result in the smaller horizontal response of the SFT compared to the homogeneous wave–current condition. Furthermore, this study also discusses the changes in mooring cable force on the wave-ward and leeward sides. The oblique cable force on the leeward side is less than that on the wave-ward side, but the fluctuation of the oblique cable force on the leeward side is greater than that on the wave-ward side.

Lizard richness in mainland China is more strongly correlated with energy and climatic stability than with diversification rates

AbstractAimContemporary environmental, historical and evolutionary factors are increasingly used to decipher the drivers of spatial patterns of species richness. Evidence of such correlations for Chinese reptiles is scarce and poorly understood. We therefore explored the validity of the environmental capacity, historical climatic stability and diversification rates hypotheses on Chinese lizard richness.LocationMainland China.TaxonSquamata: Sauria.MethodsWe mapped the distribution ranges of all 237 lizards in mainland China using a combination of different datasets. We used current environmental conditions (ambient energy, environmental productivity, and habitat heterogeneity), historical climate stability indices (long term: since ~3.3 Ma and short term: since the last glacial maximum) and mean tip diversification rates, to test whether current environmental conditions, historical climate change and diversification rates drive contemporary richness patterns of lizards in China. We applied piecewise structural equation models (pSEM) to jointly evaluate our hypotheses, considering direct and indirect effects.ResultsChinese lizards showed strong latitudinal diversity gradients. We found consistent support for contemporary climatic and environmental factors relationships with richness. Richness was also positively correlated with short‐term climatic stability, but less so with long‐term stability. Diversification rates were seldom found to be positively correlated with lizard richness.Main ConclusionsOur results support the environmental capacity and historical climate hypotheses, which link high richness to highly productive warm and stable regions (and low richness to cold and unstable regions). We conclude that post‐speciation dispersal and short‐term climatic oscillations quickly swamp the long‐term signal of diversification rates and climatic fluctuations, creating strong current climate–richness associations.

POLICIES FOR SUPPORTING GREEN ENTREPRENEURIAL BUSINESSES

The current environmental conditions that have arisen as a result of the global health and economic crisis have caused major changes in the work of all companies. Today's global world is facing a number of challenges of a social, economic and environmental nature that affect living conditions and the lives of today's generations. Because the challenges faced by the population have a long-term character, their impact will also be felt on the future generations. Solving modern challenges consists in finding an answer to questions related to sustainable businesses and the introduction of so-called green innovations.The majority of enterprises are facing pronounced problems in their work, caused by the increase in the prices of raw materials and energy on the supply of the global market which generates increased operating costs and reduced revenues. Therefore, a greater number of entrepreneurs are focusing on finding and putting into operation renewable energy sources and implementing “green businesses”.Green businesses or green entrepreneurship is a special form of entrepreneurship that expresses the company's activities to encourage eco-businesses, use of renewable energy sources and responsibility towards the environment. Green entrepreneurship is associated with "green" enterprises, i.e. "green" businesses whose main goal is to increase energy efficiency. The advancement of work and utilization of opportunities from renewable energy sources is a challenge for entrepreneurs but also a real need. Therefore, the need to introduce the green, eco activities that are aimed at environmental responsibility and a sustainable concept of operation.The concept of green entrepreneurship has great importance in today's working conditions. The importance is increasing because this concept provides new jobs, an opportunity for economic growth with the simultaneous application of tools and mechanisms to reduce the harmful impact on the environment. The implementation of the concept of the green entrepreneurial business represents a very important element in the work of enterprises but also for the national economy. Therefore, the policies of support the iimplementation of this concept by the banks and finance institution and the state are of great importance.The long-term positioning of enterprises in the market depends on the representation and application of the concept of sustainable business. Therefore, the object of research of this paper is aimed at analyzing the characteristics of the “green entrepreneurial businesses” and the policies to support and implement this type of entrepreneurial businesses. As a result of the conducted analysis, in the conclusion of the paper, will be given recommendations and measures for the promotion of policies to support of the "green" enterprises.

Study of the Ecological and Reclamation Condition of Abandoned Saline Lands and Their Development for Sustainable Development Goals

To provide the population with food, it is very important to re-cultivate “abandoned lands” that have been retired from agricultural use. The conversion of arable land into agricultural abandoned lands in the south of Kazakhstan is, first of all, primarily associated with salinity. For the purposes of sustainable development, there is a need to develop proposals for re-mastering by studying their current state and reviewing world studies on the reclamation of salt-affected soils. Therefore, this study is devoted to the study of the current environmental and reclamation conditions of the abandoned areas of the Otyrar region in southern Kazakhstan. The proposed directions of changes in their development were also presented. In the course of the research, the historical method is used in the study of the emergence and formation of abandoned lands; the method of geographical analysis during the territorial analysis of the research object; the statistical and comparison methods in showing the complexity and intensity of the problems; the cartographic, geo-informational and field research (reconnaissance) methods in the study of the condition of the abandoned lands in the research object and methods of grouping and analysis were used in the work with scientific data on the topic of research. Using Sentinel-2 images, the GIS program created phenological dynamics of crops based on NDVI vegetation indices during the vegetation period of the irrigated range. By classifying them, abandoned lands due to salinization were separated from fields. By deciphering space images with the help of geoinformation technologies, it was revealed that the area of abandoned lands in the research object is 13,688.9 ha, including the area of non-saline soils—83.9 ha, weakly saline soils—984.4 ha, medium saline soils—2398.3 ha, and highly saline soils—10,222.1 ha. A review of the methods and technologies proposed by scientists for the development and amelioration of salt-affected lands was made. Taking into account the ecological and reclamation state of the object of research along with the material and technical capabilities of farms, two methods of developing abandoned lands (organic and agro-innovative) in the research object are proposed and the need for their use in case of soil salinization has been scientifically justified.

Implications for the conservation of deep-water corals in the face of multiple stressors: A case study from the New Zealand region

The waters around New Zealand are a global hotspot of biodiversity for deep-water corals; approximately one sixth of the known deep-water coral species of the world have been recorded in the region. Deep-water corals are vulnerable to climate-related stressors and from the damaging effects of commercial fisheries. Current protection measures do not account for the vulnerability of deep-water corals to future climatic conditions, which are predicted to alter the distribution of suitable habitat for them. Using recently developed habitat suitability models for 12 taxa of deep-water corals fitted to current and future seafloor environmental conditions (under different future climatic conditions: SSP2 – 4.5 and SSP3 – 7.0) we explore possible levels of spatial protection using the decision-support tool Zonation. Specifically, we assess the impact of bottom trawling on predictions of current distributions of deep-water corals, and then assess the effectiveness of possible protection for deep-water corals, while accounting for habitat refugia under future climatic conditions. The cumulative impact of bottom trawling was predicted to impact all taxa, but particularly the reef-forming corals. Core areas of suitable habitat were predicted to decrease under future climatic conditions for many taxa. We found that designing protection using current day predictions alone, having accounted for the impacts of historic fishing impacts, was unlikely to provide adequate conservation for deep water-corals under future climate change. Accounting for future distributions in spatial planning identified areas which may provide climate refugia whilst still providing efficient protection for current distributions. These gains in conservation value may be particularly important given the predicted reduction in suitable habitat for deep-water corals due to bottom fishing and climate change. Finally, the possible impact that protection measures may have on deep-water fisheries was assessed using a measure of current fishing value (kg km−2 fish) and future fishing value (predicted under future climate change scenarios).

Identification of Non-Impact Livelihoods on Mangrove Resources in Can Gio, Vietnam

There are several negative impacts on mangrove resources related to 11 existing livelihoods in Can Gio district, where socio-economic development has created many changes in livelihood conditions and ecological environment of the mangrove forests [1]. As a result, the study focuses on identifying and selecting livelihood types that have no impacts on mangrove resources based on primary data collected from 537 structured questionnaires and 45 in-depth interviews with experts, forest keepers and local households about understanding of the activities of 11 current livelihoods and environmental conditions of the study areas in the past 10 years.Qualitative data analysis, non-impact livelihood scale and AHP analysis allow the analysis and identification of 6 livelihood types appropriate for the goal of avoiding mangrove resource degradation to conserve, maintain, and sustainably develop mangrove ecosystems for Can Gio Mangrove Biosphere Reserve.

Effects of UV and Calcium Perchlorates on Uracil Deposited on Strontium Fluoride Substrates at Mars Pressure and Temperature.

Organic matter is actively searched on Mars with current and future space missions as it is a key to detecting potential biosignatures. Given the current harsh environmental conditions at the surface of Mars, many organic compounds might not be preserved over a long period as they are exposed to energetic radiation such as ultraviolet light, which is not filtered above 190 nm by the martian atmosphere. Moreover, the presence of strong oxidizing species in the regolith, such as perchlorate salts, might enhance the photodegradation of organic compounds of astrobiological interest. Because current space instruments analyze samples collected in the upper surface layer, it is necessary to investigate the stability of organic matter at the surface of Mars. Previous experimental studies have shown that uracil, a molecule relevant to astrobiology, is quickly photolyzed when exposed to UV radiation under the temperature and pressure conditions of the martian surface with an experimental quantum efficiency of photodecomposition (φexp) of 0.30 ± 0.26 molecule·photon-1. Moreover, the photolysis of uracil leads to the formation of more stable photoproducts that were identified as uracil dimers. The present work aims to characterize the additional effect of calcium perchlorate detected on Mars on the degradation of uracil. Results show that the presence of calcium perchlorate enhances the photodecomposition of uracil with φexp = 12.3 ± 8.3 molecule·photon-1. Although some of the photoproducts formed during these experiments are common to those formed from pure uracil only, the Fourier transformation infrared (FTIR) detection of previously unseen chemical functions such as alkyne C ≡ C or nitrile C ≡ N has shown that additional chemical species are formed in the presence of calcium perchlorate in the irradiated sample. This implies that the effect of calcium perchlorate on the photolysis of uracil is not only kinetic but also related to the nature of the photoproducts formed.

Modern conditions and recent environmental evolution of the industrialized inner Ría of Ferrol (Galicia, NW Spain)

Galician rías provide several ecosystem services of great ecological and economic significance in the northwestern Iberian margin, requiring a good environmental quality for sustainable harnessing. More paleoenvironmental reconstructions extending to their preindustrial state are needed to predict their evolution under natural and human-induced perturbations, such as ongoing anthropogenic global warming. This study's aim is twofold: first, characterize the current environmental conditions governing the inner Ría of Ferrol (Galicia, NW Spain) and address its recent natural and anthropogenic evolution. Therefore, a multiproxy approach (benthic foraminifera, grain size, pollen content, trace metals, Al, total organic and inorganic carbon contents, total nitrogen content, δ13C, magnetic susceptibility, 210Pb and 137Cs radiotracers, and microplastics) has been applied to intertidal surface and sediment core samples. The benthic foraminiferal results exhibit typical inner ría assemblages, primarily driven by natural ría-estuarine dynamics, with a higher dominance of brackish species (H. germanica, A. morphogroup tepida), fewer living individuals and marine allochthonous taxa toward the continental end-member. The foraminiferal standing crops and surface trace metal concentrations do not reflect strong anthropogenic impacts, although areas with elevated magnetic susceptibility have been detected, probably associated with nearby industrial activities. The recent sedimentary deposits reveal anthropogenic impacts at local and regional scales, with different environmental shifts. Local impacts were triggered by physical interventions in the inner ría, with the construction of the As Pías Bridge in 1968 and the great urban-industrial development of Ferrol city and surrounding localities experienced since the late 19th century. Land-use changes have driven regional scale changes, corresponding to reforestation plans with the introduction of anthropogenic plant species for industrial purposes initiated in the 1940s. The stratigraphic analysis of sediment cores has unveiled high levels of contaminants (Zn and microplastics) in the innermost sector as the primary environmental concerns. In this sediment-infilling and restricted area, potential dredging activities could release them leading to their possible bioavailability. Although past adverse environmental conditions cannot be discarded, sedimentary intervals with negligible presence of microfauna in the innermost area have mostly been attributed to taphonomic processes involving calcareous dissolution and disaggregation of agglutinated tests, likely caused by carbonate-undersaturated conditions and organic matter metabolization by microbial activity respectively.

Does being different from others increase extremeness and volatility in restaurant firm performance?

Considering the sensitivity of the restaurant industry – its volatility to economic changes and its competitive environment – it is imperative for restaurant operators to manage business risk. Based on a risk management perspective, this paper seeks to draw performance implications from firms’ strategic disconformity, which can help explain the inherent nature of uncertainty and volatility. The results of the study indicate that restaurant firms’ strategic disconformity is positively associated with performance extremeness and performance volatility. Moreover, the relationship between a restaurant firm’s strategic disconformity and extremeness and volatility of firm performance is negatively moderated by environmental complexity. The findings of this study enrich the restaurant literature by incorporating this important aspect of the risky nature of strategic disconformity in understanding a firm’s performance extremeness and volatility. This study also implies that restaurant operators need to engage in strategic disconformity with care, depending on their current environmental conditions.