Mediterranean Seashore Research Articles

First report of Sarcocystis falcatula in naturally infected Razorbill auks (Alca torda) collected in Tunisian Mediterranean Sea shores.

Sarcocystis spp. are apicomplexan cyst-forming parasites that can infect numerous vertebrates, including birds. Sarcosporidiosis infection was investigated in three muscles (breast, right and left thigh muscle) and one organ (heart) of four Razorbill auks (Alca torda) stranded between November and December 2022 on the shores of the Mediterranean Sea in Nabeul and Bizerte governorates, Northern Tunisia. Two of the four tested A. torda were PCR positive for 18S rRNA Sarcocystis spp. gene. Among the examined 16 muscles/organs, only one breast and one right thigh were Sarcocystis spp. PCR-positive (12.5% ± 8.3, 2/16). Our results showed a relatively high molecular prevalence of Sarcocystis spp. in Razorbill auks (A. torda). Sarcocystis spp. sequence described in the present study (GenBank number: OR516818) showed 99.56-100% identity to Sarcocystis falcatula. In conclusion, our results confirmed the infection of Razorbill auks (A. torda) by S. falcatula. Further research is needed on different migratory seabirds' species in order to identify other Sarcocystis species.

MONITORING LAND SUBSIDENCE IN EGYPT’S NORTHERN WEST COAST USING INTERFEROMETRIC SYNTHETIC APERTURE RADAR

Abstract. The northern west coast of Egypt has experienced significant development and urbanization in response to its growing population. This has resulted in the construction of many new cities along the Mediterranean Sea shore, making the region a major attraction for both economic and recreational purposes. However, this rapid growth has also created a need for continuous monitoring to ensure environmental and economic sustainability and to identify potential hazards. Remote sensing techniques, such as satellite imagery and interferometric synthetic aperture radar (InSAR), have proven to be effective tools for monitoring remote regions. However, InSAR has some limitations, such as susceptibility to tropospheric and ionospheric delays as well as baseline errors. To address these limitations, this study utilized a differential technique that uses the phase difference between two nearby pixels to reduce the spatially correlated atmospheric and baseline errors. In this study, Sentinel-1 SAR images were used to create a single master InSAR stack covering the study region from 2018 to 2023. The estimated land surface velocities showed a subsidence motion of 10 to 15 mm/year in the region of Marsa Matruh city, which is consistent with existing urbanization and agricultural activities. The findings of this study highlight the importance of continuous monitoring and the potential of remote sensing techniques for identifying potential hazards and ensuring sustainable development.

Soundscape of a Mediterranean seashore during loggerhead sea turtle (Caretta caretta) spawning season

The soundscape is an intrinsic property of an ecosystem and influences the species that live in it. Here, we examined for the first time the soundscape of a beach, one of the most dynamic ecosystems on Earth, where every year the loggerhead sea turtle Caretta caretta lays eggs. The aim of this work was to analyze the acoustic components (biophony, anthropophony and geophony) to which turtles embryos were exposed throughout the development and the post-hatching period. The acoustic monitoring was carried out on the volcanic island of Linosa (central Mediterranean Sea, Strait of Sicily), during the months of July and August 2022, close to two turtle nests. Results revealed that all the acoustic levels (octave bands from 4 Hz to 16 kHz, and total 1–24,000 Hz band) showed lower values in July, and during the night. Furthermore, above 1 kHz the levels decreased and had very little variability. Anthropogenic noise was the main component of the soundscape and consisted of marine and land traffic, that affected sound levels directly or via seismic tremors. When the beach was exposed to the breaking waves, the latters were the first contributor to the noise up to 1 kHz. The only recognized biophony was represented by the shearwater choruses in July (at the frequency band 700–1500 Hz), but they had a negligible weight on the soundscape. Finally, human speech contributed to the soundscape at higher frequencies (1–8 kHz). These outcomes show that the embryos and the post-hatching turtles are exposed to a high anthropogenic noise level, which the effects of are still unknown.

Human remains from Arma di Nasino (Liguria) provide novel insights into the paleoecology of early Holocene foragers in northwestern Italy

We report the discovery and analysis of new Mesolithic human remains—dated to ca. 10,200–9000 cal. BP—from Arma di Nasino in Liguria, northwestern Italy, an area rich in Upper Paleolithic and Neolithic attestations, but for which little information on Early Holocene occupation was available. The multi-proxy isotopic profile of the two individuals reveals that—despite the proximity of the site to the Mediterranean seashore and the use of shellfish as decorative elements in burials—the ecology of these foragers was based on the exploitation of high-altitude resources, presumably in the nearby western Alps. This constitutes the first direct evidence in northwestern Italy of a significant ecological shift towards higher altitudes following deglaciation, especially when compared to isotopic data of the Late Pleistocene hunter-gatherers from the nearby site of Arene Candide Cave, who exploited terrestrial resources nearer to the coast and at lower altitudes. While the biochemistry of Nasino’s skeletal assemblage revealed new details on Early Holocene lifeways in the area, the osteobiography of one individual offers glimpses into the life experience of a specific female forager, depicting a scenario of early skeletal trauma, developmental disturbances, long-term impairments, and resilience amongst the last European hunter-gatherers.

Assessment of heavy metals contamination and ecological risks in coastal sediments of the Mediterranean seashore

Seawater pollution from sewage is associated with many environmental risks, which pose threat to marine organisms and human life. Nine heavy metals were determined at 22 georeferenced stations along the Mediterranean seashore, Egypt, including four major cities (Ras El-Bar, New Damietta, Gamasa, and New Mansoura), that are characterized by high anthropogenic activities. The results demonstrated high heavy metals levels in Gammasa, followed by Ras El-Bar and New Damietta cities. The heavy metals’ abundance was found in sequence of Fe > Mn > Cr > Zn > Co > Pb > Cu > Ni > Cd. Zinc concentrations showed lower levels than threshold effect level (TEL), while Pb, Ni, Cu, Cr and showed lower values. Also, Zn concentration was lower than LEL, while Pb, Ni, Cu, Cr, and Cd showed lower values. The concentrations of Pb and Zn were lower than effects range low (ERL), while Ni, Cu, Cr, and Cd showed values. Regarding Cd, 18.18% of samples were higher than effects range median (ERM) that reflect adverse effects on organisms at these sites. The order of EF was Cd > Co > Pb > Cr > Zn > Cu > Mn > Ni. The geo-accumulation index (Igeo) was Cr > Ni > Pb > Zn > Mn > Cu suggesting that sediments are not polluted by these metals, while Igeo of Cd is -0.84 reflecting moderate contamination with Cd. According to contamination factor (Cf) and degree of contamination (Dc) data, Gamasa city was the most contaminated, followed by Ras El-Bar, New Damietta, and New Mansoura cities. This can be attributed to various anthropogenic activities and industrial effluents that are discharged into different drains before pouring into seawater. Policymakers must take into account strict laws and regulations to limit unmanaged industrial activities, especially those causing pollution from sewage and industrial wastewater.

Spinal Fractures during Touristic Motorboat Sea Cruises: An Underestimated and Avoidable Phenomenon

Each summer, many vacationers enjoy the Mediterranean Sea shores. Among the recreational nautical activities, motorboat cruise is a popular choice that leads to a significant number of thoracolumbar spine fractures at our clinic. This phenomenon seems to be underreported, and its injury mechanism remains unclear. Here, we aim to describe the fracture pattern and propose a possible mechanism of injury. We retrospectively reviewed the clinical, radiological, and contextual parameters of all motorboat-related spinal fracture cases during a 14-year period (2006-2020) in three French neurosurgical level I centers bordering the Mediterranean Sea. Fractures were classified according to the AOSpine thoracolumbar classification system. A total of 79 patients presented 90 fractures altogether. Women presented more commonly than men (61/18). Most of the lesions occurred at the thoracolumbar transition region between T10 and L2 (88.9% of the levels fractured). Compression A type fractures were seen in all cases (100%). Only one case of posterior spinal element injury was observed. The occurrence of neurological deficit was rare (7.6%). The most commonly encountered context was a patient sitting at the boat's bow, without anticipating the trauma, when the ship's bow suddenly elevated while crossing another wave, resulting in a "deck-slap" mechanism hitting and propelling the patient in the air. Thoracolumbar compression fractures are a frequent finding in nautical tourism. Passengers seated at the boat's bow are the typical victims. Some specific biomechanical patterns are involved with the boat's deck suddenly elevating across the waves. More data with biomechanical studies are necessary to understand the phenomenon. Prevention and safety recommendations should be given before motorboat use to fight against these avoidable fractures.

The Syro-Anatolian City-States: An Iron Age Culture

The Syro-Anatolian City-States: An Iron Age Culture

Technical and economic feasibility of the first wind farm on the coast of Mediterranean Sea

The deployment of the use of inshore wind farms is an important for the preservation of the environmental aspects of the Mediterranean Sea zone, and seeks to achieve this goal all major industrialized countries bordering it. To assess the wind profile and its economic feasibility for the coastal area in Sidi Barrani province, a meteorological station with mast of 10 m was constructed near the Mediterranean Sea shore in Egypt. The density of wind power was assessed at the level of 100 m monthly and seasonally after taking into account the correction of air density. On the annual basis, the station is rated with high potential 441 kW/m 2 . This is an ideal location for large-scale wind turbine to generate sustainable electricity. A performance assessment was executed using three commercialized wind generators having capacity of 2000 kW from different manufacturers and were also equal in height and rotor diameter, for choosing the best unit suitable for the target area. The economic analysis of a 200 MW coastal wind farm in the studied area was done using the advanced method of present value costs. The findings prove that the proposed project could produce approximately 988 GWh per year of electrical energy with an economic price of 1.7 US cents per kWh .

On the Potential of Improving WRF Model Forecasts by Assimilation of High-Resolution GPS-Derived Water-Vapor Maps Augmented with METEOSAT-11 Data

Improving the accuracy of numerical weather predictions remains a challenging task. The absence of sufficiently detailed temporal and spatial real-time in-situ measurements poses a critical gap regarding the proper representation of atmospheric moisture fields, such as water vapor distribution, which are highly imperative for improving weather predictions accuracy. The estimated amount of the total vertically integrated water vapor (IWV), which can be derived from the attenuation of global positioning systems (GPS) signals, can support various atmospheric models at global, regional, and local scales. Currently, several existing atmospheric numerical models can estimate the IWV amount. However, they do not provide accurate results compared with in-situ measurements such as radiosondes. Here, we present a new strategy for assimilating 2D IWV regional maps estimations, derived from combined GPS and METEOSAT satellite imagery data, to improve Weather Research and Forecast (WRF) model predictions accuracy in Israel and surrounding areas. As opposed to previous studies, which used point measurements of IWV in the assimilation procedure, in the current study, we assimilate quasi-continuous 2D GPS IWV maps, combined with METEOSAT-11 data. Using the suggested methodology, our results indicate an improvement of more than 30% in the root mean square error (RMSE) of WRF forecasts after assimilation relative standalone WRF, when both are compared to the radiosonde measured data near the Mediterranean coast. Moreover, significant improvements along the Jordan Rift Valley and Dead Sea Valley areas are obtained when compared to 2D IWV regional maps estimations. Improvements in these areas suggest the impact of the assimilated high resolution IWV maps, with initialization times which coincide with the Mediterranean Sea Breeze propagation from the coastline to highland stations, as the distance to the Mediterranean Sea shore, along with other features, dictates its arrival times.

The diurnal variability of precipitable water vapor derived from GPS tropospheric path delays over the Eastern Mediterranean

The study of the diurnal variations of the total water vapor amount in an atmospheric column, also known as Precipitable Water Vapor (PWV) or Integrated Water Vapor (IWV), is highly significant in meteorology and climatology studies, yet very limited due to insufficient spatial and temporal in situ measurements. Nowadays, Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) ground receivers are used along with retrieval techniques in order to conduct high sample rate PWV estimations. Here, we present the annual and seasonal PWV diurnal cycles extracted from the Survey Of Israel Active Permanent Network (SOI-APN) GNSS receivers in the Eastern Mediterranean region. The data period spans from 5 to 21 years, ensuring its suitability for studying the PWV annual and seasonal mean diurnal variations. We particularly focus on the summer months (JJA), where the Mediterranean Sea Breeze (MSB) plays a dominant role in transporting humidity inland. For most stations, the diurnal amplitude in summer is the highest compared to the seasonal mean (4%–21%), followed by spring, autumn and winter (2%–4%). The PWV in the coastal stations peaks at 6–7 UTC while the northernmost highland station peaks at 8 UTC and the southernmost at 14 UTC indicating frontal MSB propagation from the coastline eastward inland combined with northern winds enhancement due to Coriolis force. Moreover, for most stations, the PWV peak hour is correlated with the distance from the Mediterranean Sea shore, substantiating the MSB's role as a key driver of the PWV diurnal variability during summer months. The PWV minimum values in the coastal stations occurs between 14 UTC and 19 UTC while in the highland stations it varies from 17 to 00 UTC. The coastal stations' PWV amplitude, compared to the daily mean, is around 1 mm while the highland stations amplitude is 2–3 mm. In addition, a strong correlation between the PWV diurnal cycle and the atmospheric Mixing Layer Height (MLH) diurnal variations is found using ceilometer data, suggesting that the MLH modulates the PWV, however this conclusion requires further research. Finally, using harmonic analysis with the PWV diurnal variations in summer, reveals that the diurnal and the semidiurnal modes account for ~95% of the sub-daily variance in 19 out of 21 GNSS stations

Ex situ and in situ conservation gap analysis of crop wild relative diversity in the Fertile Crescent of the Middle East

Crop wild relatives (CWRs) are important reservoirs of adaptive traits for crop breeding programmes. Both ex situ and in situ conservation approaches should be deployed to ensure CWR availability for use. This paper aims to (a) create a regional database of occurrence records for the 441 priority CWRs in the Fertile Crescent, (b) identify CWR-rich areas in the Fertile Crescent, (c) recommend locations to implement genetic reserves intended for CWRs active in situ conservation and (d) undertake ex situ and in situ conservation gap analyses. The study area comprises Jordan, Syria, Palestine/Israel, Lebanon, Turkey and Iraq. Occurrence records of the 441 priority CWR within the Fertile Crescent were gathered from herbaria, gene banks and online databases. Gaps in the current ex situ and in situ conservation were identified. Hotspots of CWR diversity were identified, and complementary analysis was carried out to identify areas for in situ conservation using DIVA-GIS. Then proposed genetic reserves were compared with the existing protected areas to establish genetic reserve areas whether within or outside the protected areas. A total of 23,878 occurrence records were collated for 441 CWR priorities. The first priority grid square is located in Syria near Tal Kalakh City, close to the Lebanese border from the north. The second priority site is located in Turkey’s Izmir Province near Kemal Atatürk Mahallesi. The third priority site is located in Turkey’s Sahinbey/Gaziantep Province. The ex situ gap analysis revealed that of the 441 taxa, 134 (30%) CWRs are totally absent from the current gene banks collections. Only 307 (70%) CWRs are represented in gene banks, and, of these taxa, 252 (57%) of them have less than 10 accessions in gene banks. A total of 353 taxa were categorised as a high priority for collection and conservation; 23 taxa were categorised as a medium priority and 41 taxa as a low priority. However, 24 taxa were identified that did not require urgent collection (see Supplementary Table 7). The most important areas for a further collection of ex situ conservation are located in the west and south of Turkey across the Mediterranean seashore, north of Lebanon and west of Syria (in Lattakia and Tartus Governorate), across the border between Turkey and Syria and northern Iraq. Ten genetic reserves are recommended in the Fertile Crescent for CWR conservation. The results and methods used will help meet the conservation targets of CWR in the Fertile Crescent; they will also help achieve global food security.

Seasonal Functional Partitioning of Carbohydrates and Proline among Plant Parts of the Sand Daffodil

The sand daffodil (Pancratium maritimum) is a perennial geophyte, widely distributed and grown in a wild stage along the Mediterranean seashores. The aboveground tissues of this geophyte are exposed to harsh, ambient conditions and its large inflorescences of remarkable beauty and fragrance expand during the drought season and carry particular ornamental worth. The ecophysiological principles underlining metabolic processes of this geophyte are poorly understood. The seasonal variation of soluble sugars, starch, and proline was investigated in individuals collected from patches of P. maritimum, therefore, monthly measurements were performed in bulbs, leaves, scapes, and petals during a year. It was found that (a) sugar content showed similar seasonal trends between bulbs and leaves, as well as between petals and scapes, (b) bulbs contained enhanced starch concentrations irrespective of season, (c) proline accumulation exhibited substantial seasonal fluctuations among the considered tissues and pronounced differences were detected between maxima in petals and leaves. A substantial increase in both sugar and proline content was evident in petals during the drought season. In leaves, the accumulation of proline and, to a lesser extent, sugars was negatively correlated to the precipitation of the Mediterranean study site. It seems likely that the astonishing flowering of P. maritimum is supported by large leaf and bulb reserves.

Coinage of the Cilician Cities as a Mirror of Historical and Cultural Changes (V c. BCE – III c. CE)

In antiquity Cilicia was a small but important area. The geographical setting, between the Taurus Mountains, the Mediterranean Sea and Anatolia, and the fact that territory of Cilicia was crossed by several routes connecting Anatolia with the Mediterranean sea shore and Syria determined its strategic significance. The geography of the area held importance for its cultural development as well. The northern part of Cilicia, Cilicia Aspera, was mountainous, sparsely populated and poorly urbanized; cities were few and located mainly on the seashore. The southern part, Cilicia Pedias, was much more prosperous and intensively urbanized. Its location made it a bridge for various cultural and religious influences coming from neighboring countries, but also an object of their expansion. Both parts of Cilicia experienced governance of many powers: Achaemenid Persia, local rulers, Hellenistic kings, and the Romans. Each of them left own political and cultural imprint on the area. Effects of this cultural mixture are clearly visible in archaeological excavations and in many types of artefacts. Another type of evidence which reflects the complicated past of Cilicia is also available: numismatic evidence. There are a few Cilician cities in which coins were minted from the Achaemenid times to the Roman Empire. This paper attempts to look into the iconography of their coinage and analyze political and religious symbols and their subjects of depiction. The aim is to find out how specific powers ruling over cities influenced local traditions, what were the remnants of those, and how they eventually evolved over time.

Chemotaxonomic study of the most abundant Egyptian sea-cucumbers using ultra-performance liquid chromatography (UPLC) coupled to high-resolution mass spectrometry (HRMS)

Actinopyga mauritiana, Bohadschia marmorata, Holothuria leucospilota, H. edulis, H. atra and H. polii are the abundant sea-cucumbers inhabiting either Red or Mediterranean Sea shore in Egypt. The aim of this study was to elucidate the metabolic content in the tegument of the selected sea-cucumbers using ultra-performance liquid chromatography coupled to high-resolution mass spectrometry (UPLC/HRMS). The identified metabolites included sulfated saponins such as holothurin B1 and 24-dehydroechinoside A and non-sulfated saponins such as bivittoside C and D. Our results showed that B. marmorata is substantially different from all the other species and occupies alone one taxon. Consequently, it can be suggested to reclassify the family Holothuriidae into three subfamilies. The first suggested comprising the genera, Holothuria and Actinopyga, the second includes only genus Bohadschia, whereas the third includes only genus Pearsonothuria. Lipidomic analysis of sea-cucumbers showed high variation in saturated and unsaturated fatty acids (USFAs) between the collected species. H. edulis and B. marmorata showed the highest amount of all identified SFAs. Among the USFAs, palmitoleic, docosatrienoic and linoleic acid were detected in varied amount in most species.

On the shore of Mediterranean sea. The end of the palaeolithic on the coast of Málaga (South of Spain)

The coast of Málaga constitutes a key territory for documenting the end of Palaeolithic times in the westernmost corner of the European continent. We present an overview of the economic, cultural and symbolic models documented in settlements from this region. Along with it, some of the main questions that will help to frame the research in this area are set out. Lastly, the use of the coastal fringe is discussed from the standpoint of mobility and economic strategies from southern Iberia, taking into account the hinterland and Guadalquivir basin territories.

POPULATION AND WATER AS DEVELOPMENT FACTORS: THE ISRAELI AND MACEDONIAN CASE

The State of Israel is located in Middle East (Western Asia) on the southeastern coastline of the Mediterranean Sea and northern shore of Red Sea, with total area of 21,640 sq km². The landscape is mixture of coastal lowland, central hillside area, Jordan Valley and Negev Desert, which occupies one-half of the total land. Taking into account the population (which at the moment of the creation of the Israeli state is 806,000 habitants), as well as, the large area of desert land, the Israelis faced two challenges: to increase the population (with aim to increase labor force and territorial settlement) and find a sustainable method to use and recycle water (as a key element for agricultural development). To accomplish the first goal, on July 5, 1950, the Israeli Assembly approved the Law of Return, which gives Jews the right to come and live in Israel, while for realization of the second goal, the largest contribution comes from the innovations of agricultural communities, known as kibbutz. The first part of the paper identifies Israel's immigration policies and Kibbutz water innovations that contributed to the development of the state. In order to find out whether population and water are factors for development in the Macedonian reality, the second part of the paper presents the situation of the population and the phenomenon of emigration, as well as the real state of the water resource and its use in agriculture. The research has demonstrated a completely different situation in the Macedonian case. While Israel is pursuing a liberal immigration policy to unite all Jews in its country, the Macedonian state faces constant emigration of its citizens to other countries. Low salaries and lack of a concrete strategy to motivate young people to stay in their country are the cause of increased emigration. Regarding the second factor, although there are good conditions for development of agriculture (such as climate, fertile soil and water) this sector is not a leader in contributing to the economy of the country and the state is ranked between the first countries to irrational use of water. The purpose of this paper is to examine how population factor and water factor-related to innovations and their use in the agricultural sector, have contributed to the development of the Israeli economy and whether Israeli experience can be applied to macedonian case.

Potential of Sentinel-2 satellite images to monitor vine fields grown at a territorial scale

Aim: The aim of this short note is to provide first insights into the ability of Sentinel-2 images to monitor vine growth across a whole season. It focuses on verifying the practical temporal resolution that can be reached with Sentinel-2 images, the main stages of Mediterranean vineyard development as well as potential relevant agronomic information that can be seen on the temporal vegetation curves arising from Sentinel-2 images.Methods and results: The study was carried out in 2017 in a production vineyard located in southern France, 2 km from the Mediterranean seashore. Sentinel-2 images acquired during the whole vine growing cycle were considered, i.e. between the 3rd of March 2017 and the 10th of October 2017. The images were used to compute the classical normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI). Time series of NDVI values were analyzed on four blocks chosen for exhibiting different features, e.g. age, missing plants, weeding practices. The practical time lag between two usable images was closer to 16 days than to the 10 theoretical days (with only one satellite available at the date of the experiment), i.e. near 60% of the theoretical one. Results show that it might be possible to identify i) the main steps of vine development (e.g. budburst, growth, trimming, growth stop and senescence), ii) weed management and inter-row management practices, and iii) possible reasons for significant inter-block differences in vegetative expression (e.g. young vines that have recently been planted, low-productive blocks affected by many missing vines).Conclusions: Although this experiment was conducted at a time when Sentinel-2b was not fully operational, results showed that a sufficient number of usable images was available to monitor vine development. The availability of two Sentinel satellites (2a and 2b) in upcoming seasons should increase the number of usable images and the temporal resolution of the time series. This study also showed the limitations of the Sentinel-2 images’ resolution to provide within-block information in the case of small blocks or blocks with complex borders or both.Significance and impact of the study: This technical note demonstrated the potential of Sentinel-2 images to characterize vineyard blocks’ vigor and to monitor winegrowers’ practices at a territorial (regional) scale. The impact of management operations such as weeding and trimming, along with their incidence on canopy size, were observed on the NDVI time series. Some relevant parameters (slope, maximum values) may be derived from the NDVI time series, providing new insights into the monitoring of vineyards at a large scale. These results provided areas for further investigation, especially regarding the development of new indicators to characterize block-climate relationships.

Big Aggregations of the Ladybird Beetles at the Mediterranean Sea Shore, Baltim, Kafr El-Sheikh, Egypt

The phenomenon of ladybird beetle (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae) aggregation was noticed during April, May and June, 2013 at the Mediterranean sea shore of Baltim city, Kafr El-Sheikh Governorate, Northern Delta, Egypt. The occurring coccinellid species were surveyed. The survey included the sandy sea shore and the adjacent vegetations; wheat, clover and weeds. Massive aggregations of the coccinellids were found along the sea coast for about 110 km, extending from Baltim city (Kafr El-Sheikh Governorate) up to Rasheed city (Beheira Governorate). Ten coccinellid species were recorded; Coccinella undecimpunctata L., C. novemnotata Herbst., C. septempunctata L.,Cydonia vicina isis Mul.,Hippodamia convergens Guerin- Meneville, H. tredecimpunctata L., H. variegata (Goeze), Hippodamia sp., Rodalia cardinalis Mul., and Scymnus spp. The phenomenon didn’t occur in year 2014 but re-occurred in year 2015 and again disappeared in 2016. The most dominant species was C. undecimpunctata (90.55 and 86.84%), followed by C. novemnotata (6.30 and 12.39%) in 2013 and 2015, respectively. All other coccinellid species were collected in little numbers. In 2013, the majority of coccinellids (46.30and 18.74%) were recorded by late April and3rd week of May, respectively. In the same year, the wheat plantations harbored 75.15%. C. septempunctata, followed by C. undecimpunctata (17.52%) and H. tredecimpunctata (6.53%). In clover, the most dominant species was C. undecimpunctata (51.71%), followed by H. tredecimpunctata (17.11%), and then Hippodamia spp. (12.63%). In weeds, C. undecimpunctata was the most occurring (42.73%), followed by Scymnus spp. (29%). In 2015, C. undecimpunctata was the most dominant in wheat, clover and weeds, with values of 90.49, 80.71 and 49.92%, respectively. C. vicina isis and Scymnus spp.were detected only in weeds

Corrosion at low moisture content in both carbonated and chloride polluted concrete – Villa E-1027, a case study

Corrosion in reinforced concrete is generally attributed to either carbonation or chloride presence in the vicinity of the bars. But in the field of cultural heritage, especially for the most ancient monuments, it is not rare to encounter both carbonated and chloride polluted concrete, inducing heavy corrosion, as was the case in the Villa E-1027 in Roquebrune-Cap-Martin, on the French Mediterranean seashore. The villa was designed by Eileen Gray and Jean Badovici between 1926 and 1929. Due to aggressive environmental conditions and a period of dereliction, the concrete of the villa was quite heavily decayed and a deep restoration was led between 2000 and 2006. But after a little more than 10 years, and despite active maintenance, the villa is again facing corrosion induced decay. Prior to the definition of a new restoration protocol, to better evaluate the corrosion activity, in 2017 a permanent monitoring of moisture and temperature both in the air and in the concrete was installed. In the meantime, a series of instant electrochemical measurements was performed from 2017 to 2018. A first analysis of the results of the monitoring and the non-destructive tests clearly evidences that probably due to the conjunction of the carbonation of the concrete and external active chloride pollution, corrosion can happen at quite low moisture content.

Posidonia oceanica leaves for processing of PMDI composite boards

Posidonia oceanica leaves (seagrass) are collected almost in all the Mediterranean seashores as spoils and disturbing material with additional cost for removal from the coastline. Seagrass, however, is known for its interesting properties, such as decay, fire and moisture resistance as well as insulation. Research for using this material in composing boards was initiated. This study looks into the possibility of using these waste marine plants for the production of alternative building material in the form of pressed panels. The paper describes the pretreatment of seagrass leaves before their processing for composite boards and the examination of its final product. The residence time for salts desorption was also determined. The main processes analyzed were the binder spraying and panel forming. Mechanical properties were evaluated by the standardized flexural tests. In addition, swelling properties were investigated. Results obtained from testing and observation of boards indicated that seagrass leaves are propitious for the application in construction and furniture industry.