Mediterranean Coastal City Research Articles

Drainage System and Detailed Urban Topography: Towards Operational 1D-2D Modelling for Stormwater Management

Flash floods are increasingly occurring due to climate change and the dramatic increase of population over areas characterized by aging and undersized drainage systems. Many studies are dealing with the topic of urban pluvial flooding, but few of them thoroughly consider interactions between surface runoff and pipe flow. In addition, to get a better knowledge of the processes leading to flash floods in urban areas, the specificities of urban topography features have to be taken into account while modelling dual drainage, such as streets, sidewalks, road curbs, bridges, etc. This paper aims to present a detailed modelling approach at a district scale as a first step, in order to determine impacts of detailed and simplified topography implementation on intense runoff modelling. The second step aims to set up an optimized city scale runoff modelling and management. The coastal Mediterranean city (Nice, France) characterized by steep and low slopes areas suffered from an intense rainfall event in October 2015. This study-case enables to investigate on such problematic as a high-resolution (0.2m) photo-interpreted topographic dataset is available. Investigation based on Geographic Information System (GIS) is followed by 1D and 2D modelling. Results are presented by confronting outcomes given by GIS analysis and hydrodynamic modelling. It is shown that high-resolution data should be used carefully while dealing with urban hydrology and hydraulics. The reflection is driven towards a set of guidelines for modellers interested in helping stormwater operational management.

Assessing the Correlation between Land Cover Conversion and Temporal Climate Change—A Pilot Study in Coastal Mediterranean City, Fethiye, Turkey

The rapid growth and expansion of urbanized landscapes in cities has resulted in an increase in air temperature and has lowered the bioclimatic comfort levels in urban landscapes. Recent studies to estimate the climatic response of urban landscape conversion have mostly examined the relationship between land use/land cover (LULC) change and land surface temperature (LST) data collected using advanced remote sensing (RS) techniques instead of atmospheric temperature. In this respect, four decadal Landsat images from the 1980s were used to investigate the impact of landscape transformation on atmospheric temperature. The mean and average minimum and maximum monthly air temperature datasets were used in the analysis. The CORINE (Coordination of Information on Environment) index was used to determine LULC diversity in an urban development boundary and urban periphery. Consequently, clustered LULC change values for the last three decades were integrated with decadal air temperature anomalies. The findings revealed an important relationship between monthly mean air temperature and land changes over recent decades, which resulted in an increase in urban fabric land use, deforestation land cover changes and conversion of permanent crop fields to artificial green houses for earlier vegetable production; the R-sqr values for these regressions were 97.7%, 88.5% and 90.6% respectively. On the other hand, the most important increasing temperature trends were obtained for the average monthly minimum air temperature, which supports the global warming concerns of the IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change) and related studies, which have concluded that an increased nighttime temperature results in urban heat islands (UHIs). The results should be used to support better urban landscape plans and architectural designs to improve human thermal comfort for sustainable urban life in Mediterranean cities. Street geometry and orientation to wind breeze, the Height/Width H/W ratio of buildings, and sizes of open and green spaces should be examined carefully in urban planning and design for climate adaptation.

Behavior of ambient concentrations of natural radionuclides (7)Be, (210)Pb, (40)K in the Mediterranean coastal city of Málaga (Spain).

During a 4-year period (January 2009-December 2012), the (7)Be, (210)Pb, and (40)K activity concentrations in airborne particulate matter were weekly determined at the Málaga (Spain) located in the southern Iberian Peninsula. Totally 209 polypropylene filters were analyzed in the mentioned period. In 100% of the filters, (7)Be and (40)K activity concentrations were detected while (210)Pb activity concentration was detected in 96% of the filters. The results from individual measurements of (7)Be, (210)Pb, and (40)K concentrations were analyzed to derive the statistical estimates characterizing the distributions. Principal components analysis (PCA) was applied to the datasets and the results of the study reveal that aerosol behavior is represented by two principal components which explain 73.2% of total variance. Components PC1 and PC2 respectively explain 46.0 and 27.2% of total variance. PC1 was related positively to dust content, (7)Be and (40)K concentrations and negatively to sunspot numbers. In contrast, PC2 was related positively to temperature and (210)Pb activity and negatively to precipitation and relative humidity. The (7)Be levels showed a significant correlation with sunspot numbers due to the cosmogenic origin. (40)K activities showed a good correlation with dust deposition in filters mainly because it was transported to the air as resuspended particle from the soil. An inverse relationship was observed between the (210)Pb concentrations and monthly rainfall, indicating washout of atmospheric aerosols carrying these radionuclides and a pronounced positive correlation with the average monthly temperature of air.

La Manga case study: Consequences from short-term urban planning in a tourism mass destiny of the Spanish Mediterranean coast

Urban planning is a lengthy and settled process, the results of which usually emerge after several years or even decades. That is why it is necessary for a proper urban design of cities to use parameters that are able to predict and gauge the potential long-term behaviour of urban development.In the tourist towns of the Mediterranean coast, the long-term design is often at odds with the generation of business profits in the short term. This paper presents the results of this phenomenon for an interesting case of a Spanish Mediterranean coastal city created from scratch in the 1960s and turned into a tourist destination today hypertrophied.La Manga del Mar Menor in the Murcia region every year reaches a population of more than 250,000 people during the summer, which is reduced to just a few dozen in winter. This crowded environment with an asymmetric behaviour submits annual progressive impoverishment in its economic return. This questionable profitability is the result of a misguided urban development; its results are analyzed through the evolution of the land market and the resulting urbanization in the last fifty years, with a GIS methodology.

Operationalizing sustainability in urban coastal systems: A system dynamics analysis

We propose a system dynamics approach for Ecologically Sustainable Development (ESD) in urban coastal systems. A systematic analysis based on theoretical considerations, policy analysis and experts' knowledge is followed in order to define the concept of ESD. The principles underlying ESD feed the development of a System Dynamics Model (SDM) that connects the pollutant loads produced by urban systems' socioeconomic activities with the ecological condition of the coastal ecosystem that it is delineated in operational terms through key biological elements defined by the EU Water Framework Directive. The receiving waters of the Athens Metropolitan area, which bears the elements of typical high population density Mediterranean coastal city but which currently has also new dynamics induced by the ongoing financial crisis, are used as an experimental system for testing a system dynamics approach to apply the concept of ESD. Systems' thinking is employed to represent the complex relationships among the components of the system. Interconnections and dependencies that determine the potentials for achieving ESD are revealed. The proposed system dynamics analysis can facilitate decision makers to define paths of development that comply with the principles of ESD.

Pollen aero allergens and the climate in mediterranean region and allergen sensitivity in allergic rhinoconjunctivitis and allergic asthma patients

BackgroundWe evaluated the profiles of allergic rhino-conjunctivitis and asthma patients annually in Antalya, a Mediterranean coastal city in Turkey.Material/MethodsWe evaluated patients’ allergic clinical status, and recorded the climate and pollens in the city center air, investigating any correlation between pollination, climatic conditions and allergic disorders. The meteorological conditions and the pollen count/cm2 during every month of the year and the concordance of this with the patient’s clinical status were evaluated.ResultsSPT positivity for plantago lanceolata, aspergillus fumigatus and d. pteronyssinus was significant in patients younger than 40 years old. Pollination levels are consistent from March 2010 to February 2011. In Antalya, high levels occur mostly from April to June, thus we performed skin prick tests mostly in May/June (~30%). During these months meteorological conditions of the city were windy with low humidity, without rain, and lukewarm temperatures, all of which contribute to high-risk conditions for seasonal allergies.ConclusionsThe major allergen between April and June was derived from Graminea; between February and March was Cupressus spp; and between March and June was Pinus spp. These results suggest that the pollination is correlated with allergic conditions and thus SPT might be best performed according to the pollen count.

Study of the urban heat island in a coastal Mediterranean City: The case study of Thessaloniki, Greece

The urban heat island in the coastal city of Thessaloniki, Greece, is investigated using near-surface temperature data measured at 7 sites in the greater Thessaloniki area for the 1-year period from March 2008 to February 2009. The urban heat island in Thessaloniki is stronger in the nighttime than in the daytime and decreases with increasing wind speed, while there are indications that it is more pronounced during the warm half of the year. Observations of the maximum urban heat island intensity range from 2°C to 4°C and from 1°C to 3°C during the warm and the cold part of the year, respectively, showing a smaller variability during the summer moths than in the winter. Greatest values are more usually observed following sunset, whereas minimum values are detected during solar peak hours. A regression analysis is carried out to investigate the impact of moisture availability and wind speed on the development of the urban heat island in Thessaloniki. It is found that the nocturnal heat island results to increased nighttime water vapor pressure in the urban areas, whereas during the day the heat island intensity and urban/semi-rural water vapor pressure differences are found to be anti-correlated. Furthermore, the intensity of Thessaloniki's heat island appears to decrease significantly when wind speed exceeds 4m/s. The impact of the urban heat island on human thermal comfort in Thessaloniki is also investigated, computing hourly values of the discomfort index and the approximated wet bulb globe temperature. The center of the city is found to exhibit the highest discomfort index and approximated wet bulb globe temperature values. In addition, the urban heat island is found to have a negative impact on thermal comfort on most of the observed occasions. In particular, a 1.5°C increase in the urban heat island intensity appears to result to an average 1°C increase in discomfort index and 1.4°C increase in approximated wet bulb globe temperature of the urban area on about 50% and 75% of the cases, respectively.

Biomass burning contributions to urban aerosols in a coastal Mediterranean City

Mean annual biomass burning contributions to the bulk particulate matter (PMX) load were quantified in a southern-European urban environment (Barcelona, Spain) with special attention to typical Mediterranean winter and summer conditions. In spite of the complexity of the local air pollution cocktail and the expected low contribution of biomass burning emissions to PM levels in Southern Europe, the impact of these emissions was detected at an urban background site by means of tracers such as levoglucosan, K+ and organic carbon (OC). The significant correlation between levoglucosan and OC (r2=0.77) and K+ (r2=0.65), as well as a marked day/night variability of the levoglucosan levels and levoglucosan/OC ratios was indicative of the contribution from regional scale biomass burning emissions during night-time transported by land breezes. In addition, on specific days (21–22 March), the contribution from long-range transported biomass burning aerosols was detected.Quantification of the contribution of biomass burning aerosols to PM levels on an annual basis was possible by means of the Multilinear Engine (ME). Biomass burning emissions accounted for 3% of PM10 and PM2.5 (annual mean), while this percentage increased up to 5% of PM1. During the winter period, regional-scale biomass burning emissions (agricultural waste burning) were estimated to contribute with 7±4% of PM2.5 aerosols during night-time (period when emissions were clearly detected). Long-range transported biomass burning aerosols (possibly from forest fires and/or agricultural waste burning) accounted for 5±2% of PM2.5 during specific episodes. Annually, biomass burning emissions accounted for 19%–21% of OC levels in PM10, PM2.5 and PM1. The contribution of this source to K+ ranged between 48% for PM10 and 97% for PM1 (annual mean). Results for K+ from biomass burning evidenced that this tracer is mostly emitted in the fine fraction, and thus coarse K+ could not be taken as an appropriate tracer of biomass burning.

Maximum urban heat island intensity in a medium-sized coastal Mediterranean city

This paper studies the maximum intensity of the urban heat island (UHI) that develops in Volos urban area, a medium-sized coastal city in central Greece. The maximum temperature difference between the city center and a suburb is 3.4°C and 3.1°C during winter and summer, respectively, while during both seasons the average maximum UHI intensity is 2.0°C. The UHI usually starts developing after sunset during both seasons. It could be attributed to the different nocturnal radiative cooling rate and to the different anthropogenic heat emission rate that are observed at the city center and at the suburb, as well as to meteorological conditions. The analysis reveals that during both seasons the daily maximum hourly (DMH) UHI intensity is positively correlated with solar radiation and with previous day’s maximum hourly UHI intensity and negatively correlated with wind speed. It is also negatively correlated with relative humidity during winter but positively correlated with it during summer. This difference could be attributed to the different mechanisms that mainly drive humidity levels (i.e., evaporation in winter and sea breeze (SB) in summer). Moreover, it is found that SB development triggers a delay in UHI formation in summer. The impact of atmospheric pollution on maximum UHI intensity is also examined. An increase in PM10 concentration is associated with an increase in maximum UHI intensity during winter and with a decrease during summer. The impact of PM10 on UHI is caused by the attenuation of the incoming and the outgoing radiation. Additionally, this study shows that the weekly cycle of the city activities induces a weekly variation in maximum UHI intensity levels. The weekly range of DMH UHI intensity is not very large, being more pronounced during winter (0.4°C). Moreover, a first attempt is made to predict the DMH UHI intensity by applying regression models, whose success is rather promising.

Landscape approach to the conservation of floral diversity in Mediterranean urban coastal landscapes: Beirut seafront

Floral diversity in Mediterranean coastal cities is in decline, the result of a rapidly urbanizing coastline. This study proposes a landscape approach for the assessment of urban floral diversity, arguing that it combines scientific and socio‐cultural dimensions and so offers comprehensive assessment and practical solutions in conservation planning. The paper describes a landscape approach applied to a segment of the Beirut coastline to characterize the state of urban floral diversity and as a first step towards nature conservation. The survey findings indicate that even though only 7% of floral species surveyed in the 1930s were identified, landscapes with spontaneous vegetation continue to dominate the urbanized coastline. The study team noted that there was a marked reduction in floral diversity and composition as well as altered patterns of floral distribution. The paper discusses the reduction in floral diversity and proposes guidelines for conservation.

The “Soft” Power of Hollywood Militainment: The Case of The West Wing's Attack on Antalya, Turkey1

This essay examines the intermingling character of the “hard” powers of Washington, DC, and the “soft” powers of Hollywood militainment during the “war on terrorism” in the case of a fictitious terror attack in the Mediterranean coastal city of Antalya, Turkey. This case remains unnoticed by observers, perhaps because the scene occurred very quickly. Through an analysis of the political circumstances of the drama, its script, and the real-world scene of the said attack, this essay elaborates the content and harmful dimensions of the DC-LA connection. Further, to counter Antalya's instrumentalization as a site of death and destruction and as casus belli for the invasion of another county in the region, a researched counter-narrative of the city's historical identity is offered, one that demonstrates the flaws of the militainer's gaze by, in Walter Mignolo's terms, denying the denial of Antalya's coevality. The analysis here, therefore, illuminates and challenges the patterned American usage of “Muslim” spaces, fictitious and real, for the coercive purposes of American power.

Comparative assessment of ambient air quality in two typical Mediterranean coastal cities in Greece

Air quality data (O 3, NO 2, NO, CO and SO 2) of two Greek coastal cities, Patras and Volos, were analyzed and compared to evaluate: (a) the exceedances of air quality EU threshold values, (b) the diurnal patterns of air pollutants and (c) the “weekend effect” on ozone levels. High ozone levels, close to the thresholds for human health and clearly above the threshold for the protection of plants and ecosystems, were observed in Volos. O 3 levels in Volos were higher than those in Patras. NO x levels in Patras were significantly higher than the limits for human health and plants’ protection. Both, NO x and SO 2 levels were higher in Patras than in Volos. The Patras’ harbor high traffic seems to drive the diurnal pattern of SO 2 in that city. The examination of the rate of ozone accumulation, during the high O 3 period (Apr.–Sep.), revealed the occurrence of two phases, a fast and a slow one, with different durations in each city. We suggest that the occurrence of such two phases’ patterns should be considered in relevant ozone studies. In both towns, the O 3 levels were higher during weekends in comparison to midweek days, although NO levels were lower. Our results support the hypothesis that the weekend O 3 effect is due to a combination of VOC sensitivity of the studied areas and the reduced NO x emissions during weekends. Based on the comparison of the weekend effect in the two cities, we suggest the occurrence of a feedback mechanism between peri-urban natural ecosystems (forests) and the polluting anthropogenic ones (cities).

Aerosol optical characteristics from a summer campaign in an urban coastal Mediterranean area

The authors present a preliminary study of some optical properties of atmospheric aerosols over the area of Valencia, Spain, a coastal Mediterranean city. Measurements of spectral direct irradiance in the 300-1100 nm range were taken simultaneously at three sites: rural-continental, rural-coastal, and urban-coastal, all located within a 50 km radius of the city of Valencia. The irradiance measurements were obtained using three Li-cor 1800 spectroradiometers provided with radiance limiting tubes with field of views (FOVs) of 4.7/spl deg/. The measurements were made under clear sky conditions during a field campaign carried out in the summer of 1998. In order to avoid the uncertainties associated with the determination of the water vapor content and the other atmospheric constituents, the analysis of the spectral aerosol optical thickness (AOT) values was limited to the 400-670 mm spectral band. From the values of the spectral AOT, both the Angstrom coefficients and the aerosol size distributions were obtained. The results show the great dependence of the optical aerosol characteristic on the direction of the prevailing winds (maritime or continental) in this area.

95/01974 Differences in lipid and organic salt constituents of aerosols from eastern and western mediterranean coastal cities

Environmental exposure to silica or particles is very common in natural, agricultural and industrial activities. Chronic silica exposure can lead to silicosis, which remains one of the most serious interstitial lung diseases all through the world, while viable therapeutic choices are restricted. Triiodothyronine (T3) has been shown to exert a defensive role in many pulmonary diseases, however, rare data are available regarding the role of T3 on silica-induced injury. We constructed an experimental silicosis mouse model and T3 was intraperitoneally administrated after instillation of silica to observe the effect of T3 on silica-induced lung inflammation and fibrosis. Our results showed that the silicosis mouse model was accompanied by changes in thyroid morphology and function, and T3 supplement reduced silica-induced lung damage, inflammation and collagen deposition. The protective properties of T3 on silica-induced lung injury could be partially mediated through thyroid hormone receptors. And the mechanism by which T3 treatment ameliorated silica-induced fibrosis appeared to be via the reduction of glycolysis. Also, T3 could sufficiently postpone the progression of pulmonary fibrosis in established silicosis. Our findings reveal that administration of T3 could down-regulate the inflammatory response, pulmonary fibrosis and other lung damage caused by silica. The reduction of glycolysis may be one of the mechanisms.

Differences in lipid and organic salt constituents of aerosols from eastern and western mediterranean coastal cities

Abstract Aliphatic and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and carboxylic acid salts have been determined in aerosols collected in two urban locations from the eastern and western Mediterranean, Heraclion and Barcelona, respectively. The samples analysed in both cities exhibit a similar composition, with predominant anthropogenic inputs related with vehicular traffic and coal combustion in the hydrocarbon fractions and marine biogenic inputs in the fatty acid salts. In terms of anthropogenic hydrocarbons, the major differences between the aerosols collected in the two cities concern the significant higher concentrations in Barcelona and the higher relative content of uncombusted fossil fuel compounds in Heraclion. In terms of fatty acid salts, the Heraclion samples contain a large proportion of ω-oxo- and a , ω -dicarboxylic acids and a lack of unsaturated fatty acids, whereas these latter are important constituents in Barcelona samples, which in turn contain ω-oxo- and a , ω -dicarboxylic acids in low concentrations. These differences support the photochemically mediated precursor/end product association that has been proposed for these two types of carboxylic acids.

A Modular Sewage Water Treatment System for Mediterranean Coastal Cities

A Modular Sewage Water Treatment System for Mediterranean Coastal Cities