South Plains Research Articles

Developing a long-term high-resolution winter fog climatology over south Asia using satellite observations from 2002 to 2020

The vast Indo-Gangetic Plains (IGP) south of the Himalaya are subject to dense fog every year during winter months (December–January), severely disrupting rail, air and public transport of millions of people living in northern India, Pakistan, Nepal and Bangladesh. Air pollution combined with high moisture availability in the shallow boundary layer, are important factors affecting the persistence and widespread nature of fog over the IGP. Despite the environmental significance and impacts on the public at-large, an in depth understanding of the long-term spatial-temporal distribution of the south Asian fog, is presently not available in the literature. We utilize infrared remote sensing techniques to develop a high-resolution (≈1 km × 1 km) fog/low-stratus detection climatology over the past two decades (2002−2020), using Aqua/MODIS satellite observations. A dynamic brightness temperature difference threshold (involving 3.96 μm and 11.03 μm bands) for nighttime fog/low-stratus detection is constructed based on systematic radiative transfer simulations involving cloud effective radius, cloud top height, liquid water path and satellite viewing geometry. Our satellite-based fog/low-stratus detection is consistent with theoretical simulations of fog characterization and is also found to be well-correlated with near-surface visibility observations of dense fog (r = 0.89, p-value << 0.01). We also provide satellite-derived nighttime estimates of fog/low-cloud effective radius that are comparable to the operational daytime MODIS cloud data product and limited in situ observations. In terms of fog/low-stratus frequency, the IGP is relatively uniformly covered by widespread fog/low-stratus occurrences with the largest frequency found in the low-lying Terai region, bordering India and Nepal, which is also consistently observed in our daytime fog/low-stratus detection results over the last two decades. Additionally, the interannual variations in fog/low-stratus occurrences track closely with that of relative humidity in the IGP, which is associated with shallow boundary layer conditions during winter-time favoring the formation and persistence of fog. Overall, these long-term satellite-derived results present new high-resolution data and insights into the dense and often intense winter fog occurrences which routinely engulf the entire stretch of the Indo-Gangetic Plains and cause significant degradation to ground visibility in one of the world's most densely populated regions.

Seeking the Sertoli cell complement inhibitory signature to prolong transplant survival

Abstract Clinical transplantation can treat various illnesses, although without the use of toxic immunosuppressants transplanted tissue is rejected by the immune system. Complement, an enzymatic cascade that leads to cytolysis by insertion of the membrane attack complex (MAC), is a significant component in transplant rejection. Interestingly, Sertoli cells (SC) survive long-term after transplantation across immune barriers without immunosuppression. This study used allotransplant (between same species) and xenotransplant (between different species) models to investigate the role of complement inhibition in SC extended survival. Since SC were resistant to in vitro complement killing, mouse or pig SC were transplanted into mice or rats, respectively. Grafts were collected and analyzed for MAC. MAC was not detected on SC transplants, indicating that SC inhibit complement before MAC deposition, possibly through expression of complement inhibitory proteins (CIP). Bioinformatic analyses of mouse or pig SC identified expression of 13 CIP. After expression of two key CIP, CD46 and CD55, were knocked down, SC were killed by complement in vitro. Taken together, these data indicate that the SC complement inhibitory signature is critical for SC graft survival. Understanding SC complement inhibition is important as it could lead to improved transplant survival with a decreased requirement of harsh immunosuppressants, making this procedure more attainable for patients. Supported by grants from the CH foundation, the South Plains Foundation, and the Mary Lou Clements-Mann Scholarship

Assessment of maize (Zea mays L.) productivity using CERES-maize model in South Alluvial Plain Zone of Bihar, India

Assessment of maize (Zea mays L.) productivity using CERES-maize model in South Alluvial Plain Zone of Bihar, India

The Volchia Griva mineral oasis as unique locus for research of the mammoth fauna and the late Pleistocene environment in Northern Eurasia

AbstractThis paper describes the results of research at Volchia Griva, the largest site in Asia containing mammoth fauna in situ. It is situated in the south of the West Siberian Plain in the Baraba forest-steppe zone, and occupies an area of several hectares. Analysis of sediments and taphonomy of the site allows us to suggest that thousands of megafaunal remains were buried here in mud pits and erosional depressions. The favorable geochemical landscape of Volchia Griva attracted animals during periods of mineral starvation. This is reflected in the high mortality in two intervals, ca. 20–18 14C ka BP and ca. 17–11 14C ka BP. The results of palynological analysis of samples from the upper part of the Volchia Griva section made it possible to reconstruct the history of landscape changes of the Baraba Lowland during the MIS 2. Forb-mesophytic meadows were common at the beginning of this period, with taiga type forests. At ca. 20 14C ka BP, an abrupt and significant aridization of the climate occurred, which led to the degradation of forests. The mammoth steppe was widely developed, dominated by forb-grass association and with areas of alkali meadows and soils. Such conditions existed probably until the mid-Holocene.

Neutral and outlier single nucleotide polymorphisms disentangle the evolutionary history of a coastal Solanaceae species.

Speciation begins with the isolation of some individuals or subpopulations due to drivers promoting a diverging genetic distribution. Such isolation may occur, followed by different processes and pressures. Isolation-by-distance (IBD), isolation-by-adaptation (IBA), and isolation-by-colonization (IBC) have been recognized as the main divergence patterns. Still, it is not easy to distinguish which one is the main pattern as each one may act at different points in time or even simultaneously. Using an extensive genome coverage from a Petunia species complex with coastal and inland distribution and multiple analytical approaches on population genomics and phylogeography, we showed a complex interplay between neutral and selective forces acting on the divergence process. We found 18,887 SNPs potentially neutral and 924 potentially under selection (outlier) loci. All analyses pointed that each subspecies displays its own genetic component and evolutionary history. We suggested plausible ecological drivers for such divergence in a southernmost South Atlantic coastal plain in Brazil and Uruguay and identified a connection between adaptation and environment heterogeneity.

Mitochondrial sequence based characterization and morphometric assessment of Diara buffalo population

ObjectiveThe present study is aimed at phenotypic characterization and mitochondrial d-loop analysis of indigenous “Diara” buffalo population, which are mostly confined to the villages on the South and North Gangetic marshy plains in the Bihar state of India. These buffaloes are well adapted and are best suited for ploughing and puddling the wet fields meant for paddy cultivation.MethodsBiometric data on 172 buffaloes were collected using a standard flexible tape measure. Animals are medium in size; the typical morphometric features are long head with a broad forehead and moderately long and erect ears. Genomic DNA was isolated from unrelated animals. The mtDNA d-loop 358-bp sequence data was generated and compared with 338 sequences belonging to riverine and swamp buffaloes.ResultsBased on the mitochondrial d-loop analysis the Diara buffaloes were grouped along with the haplotypes reported for riverine buffalo. Sequence analysis revealed the presence of 7 mitochondrial D loop haplotypes with haplotype diversity of 0.9643. Five of the haplotypes were shared with established swamp breeds and with Buffalo population of Orissa in India.ConclusionMorphometric analyses clearly shows distinguishing features like long and broad forehead which may be useful in identification. The germplasm of Diara buffalo is much adapted to the marshy banks of river Ganga and its tributaries. It constitutes a valuable genetic resource which needs to be conserved on priority basis.

Henry C. “Hank” Smith and the Cross B Ranch: The First Stock Operation on the South Plains by M. Scott Sosebee

Henry C. “Hank” Smith and the Cross B Ranch: The First Stock Operation on the South Plains by M. Scott Sosebee

Estimating potential yield and change in water budget for wheat and maize across Huang-Huai-Hai Plain in the future

Climate change impacts crop productivity as atmospheric conditions and water supply change, particularly in intensive cropping areas. This study used the validated AquaCrop Model, which was run with downscaled daily climate data produced by SDSM and CanESM2. The changes in the potential grain yield of winter wheat and summer maize and water budget during the cropping seasons were estimated for the Huang-Huai-Hai Plain (3H Plain) under RCP4.5 and RCP8.5 scenarios. The results show that the potential yield of winter wheat is increasing with similar spatial patterns in the 2030s, 2050s, and 2080s, with much of the increase is distributed in Shandong and northeastern parts of Henan. During the winter wheat growth period, the water budget deficit will likely improve from −210 mm in the 2030s to −202 mm in 2080s under RCP4.5 and from −206 mm in the 2030s to −191 mm in 2080s under RCP8.5 across the 3H Plain. The water budget during the winter wheat period will continue to be in deficit in the north 3H Plain and improvements are estimated mostly in the lower southern areas of the Plain. The summer maize potential yield is estimated to increase from the baseline period, but yields will decrease by 0.81%, 1.19%, and 2.10% in the 2030s, 2050s, and 2080s, respectively, under RCP8.5 compared to RCP4.5. During the summer maize growth period, the water budget is also estimated to improve from 109 mm in 2030s to 126 mm in 2080s under RCP4.5 and 107 mm in the 2030s to 163 mm in 2080s under RCP8.5. This increase is mainly estimated in the central and south of the 3H Plain. The estimated ETc of winter wheat shows no significant decrease, while the reduction of 6 mm and 13 mm for summer maize is observed under RCP4.5 and RCP8.5, respectively. The study provides scientific evidence to devise adaptation and mitigation climate change strategies for agricultural productivity and water resource management.

Contrasting developments of the cultural complexes south and north of Hangzhou Bay, eastern China, controlled by coastal environmental changes

The Hangzhou Bay region was home to the Shangshan complex (10,800–8600 cal BP), one of the oldest Neolithic cultures in the world, and a centre of early agriculture based on intensive wet rice cultivation. The current study focuses on environmental factors that possibly influenced the developments of Neolithic cultures south and north of Hangzhou Bay and the origin of rice-based agriculture. Although the beginning of sedentary occupation of the Ningshao Plain south of Hangzhou Bay (ca. 10,800 cal BP) predates that of the Taihu Plain north of Hangzhou Bay (ca. 7200 cal BP) by ca. 3000 years, occupation on the Ningshao Plain gradually declined to a cultural periphery after ca. 6000 cal BP. Unstable hydrological conditions on the Ningshao Plain in response to a higher exposure to marine influence were probably the reason behind this decline. By contrast, Majiabang, Songze, and Liangzhu culture (ca. 7200–4000 cal BP) populations on the Taihu Plain were increasingly protected from marine influence by progradation of the Yangzi Delta after stabilisation of the sea level around ca. 7000 cal BP. Since then, the development of wet rice-based agriculture accelerated in the context of stable wetland environments and an abundant supply of freshwater, leading to the development of the key domestication traits in rice. This contrast highlights the importance of the mid-to late Holocene Yangzi Delta evolution in shaping the development of early agriculture in the Hangzhou Bay region.

Insects and molluscs of the Late Pleistocene at the Gornovo site (Southern Ural foreland, Russia): New data on palaeoenvironment reconstructions

The paper presents new data on the subfossil insects and molluscs, as well a new radiocarbon date for the Gornovo site in the Southern Fore-Urals. As a result, the stratigraphic interpretation of the sediments of the lower part of the first above floodplain terrace of the Belaya River is corrected and they are assigned to the Tabulda Horizon (MIS 3) of the Upper Pleistocene in the regional scheme of the Fore-Urals Quaternary. The malacofauna of the locality is represented by 27 species of terrestrial and freshwater molluscs. The composition of molluscs in the deposits of MIS 3 indicates the succession of deposit accumulation in the river valley from the stage of reservoirs that periodically connecting with the river to the stage of the overgrown oxbow lake. Single occurrence of mollusc shells in the loams of MIS 2 is a result of sharp climate change. New insect material includes 136 species of Coleoptera from 17 families, as well as Heteroptera and Hymenoptera representatives. 29 species of beetles (Carabidae, Histeridae, Scarabaeidae, Elateridae, Tenebrionidae, Chrysomelidae, Brentidae and Curculionidae) are recorded for the Pleistocene for the first time. The insect assemblages from Gornovo site are assigned to periglacial and humid boreal faunal types. The entomofauna of the periglacial type has no analogues in the recent fauna; it corresponds to the deposits assigned to the middle of MIS 3. This entomofauna is characteristic to the MIS 2 and MIS 3 insect assemblages from the south of West Siberian Plain. Based on entomological data, the climate of the middle of MIS 3 of the Southern Fore-Urals is reconstructed as dry and cold, extracontinental, with mean July temperature not exceeding +15 °C. Steppe landscapes likely prevailed in open areas and coniferous forests were restricted to river valleys. Beetles from deposits dated to end of MIS 3 are assigned to the fauna of the boreal humid type. These insect assemblages are significantly poorer in diversity than periglacial type assemblages and are represented mainly by near water and forest Coleoptera. Based on these species, meadow and forest landscapes were reconstructed. The reconstructed mean air temperature of July ranged from +16 to +19 °C. This suggests a trend towards more mild conditions in the region connected to the climate warming at the end of MIS 3. It is likely that humidification during this period was regional, determined by the proximity of the site to the Southern Urals Mountains.

Assessing the Locomotor and Object Control Skill Levels of Basic Pupils in Ghana: The Role of Physical Education

The study employed a quasi- experimental design of a single group pre-test post-test. The purpose of the study was to assess the locomotor and object control skill development levels of 6-8-year-old basic school pupils in Kwahu Afram Plains South district of Ghana The target population for the study comprised all 6-8 years old primary school pupils in Tease in Kwahu Afram Plains in the Eastern Region of Ghana. Convenient and stratified sampling techniques were used to select 57 pupils made up of thirty-seven (37) boys and twenty (20) girls. The instrument used for this study was Test of Gross Motor development (TGMD-2). Descriptive frequencies were used to analyse the data. The study revealed that pupils demonstrated high level of perfection with reference to their locomotor skills in the various physical activities with most responses on their skill execution mostly ranked between often and always. The study also indicated that pupils were able to perform locomotor skill activities well. The study also concluded that pupils were not really equipped with motor skill and were not able to execute motor skill activities correctly during physical activities with responses on motor skill mostly ranked between rarely and often. It is recommended that lower and upper primary school teachers in Kwahu Afram Plains South district should be equipped with the prerequisite skills to enable them to teach motor skills development effectively. It is also recommended that more qualified physical education personnel should be sent to the basic level in Kwahu Afram Plains South district to teach physical education since motor development and skill acquisition develop the habit of the active lifestyle of individuals.

English

This study examined the barriers to open defecation (OD) free in Kwahu Afram Plains South District, Ghana. A combination of diverse tools was used to collect the data (in-depth interviews, Focus Group Discussions (FGDs) and observation), different means was adopted in selecting the participants. Much of the time in the early stages of the field work was spent having interactions with various groups within the community. Notable groups include the community care coalition, savings groups, mother to mother support groups and community child protection committee (CPCC), the fishmongers as they waited for fish at the beach, and the fishermen who had either returned from fishing or did not go for fishing and were relaxing under their shed. A questionnaire was administered to 169 households randomly selected from 6 communities in the Tease Area Council and 5 communities in the Samanhyia Area Council. The findings revealed that, 69% indicated their responsiveness to continue OD if subsidy is not introduced. 64% alluded that, every household should own a sanitary toilet facility however in terms of measures to ensure sanity at the toilet facility. 110 respondents representing 65% were not able to articulate a measure to the usage of sanitary toilet facility. 74% were not able to articulate a measure to ensure cleanliness at the toilet facility. The findings of the research conclude that, the inability of households to construct toilet facility highly influenced the state of open defecation in communities and this is translated into the limited toilet facilities in communities. &nbsp; Key words: Finance mechanisms, open defecation free, Ghana, families, households.

Evaluation of the Groundwater Safety and Analysis of the Spatial-Temporal Evolution in the Lower Plain of the Liaohe River, Northeast China based on the Improved DRASTIC Model

The deterioration of the groundwater safety may lead to a series of ecological and social problems. In this study, we select relevant hydrogeological and anthropogenic parameters to construct the groundwater safety evaluation method for the lower plain of the Liaohe River based on the improved DRASTIC model. By spatially weighted overlay and Getis-Ord Gi* analysis of groundwater safety distribution maps, the main governance regions and main factors causing groundwater deterioration were identified. On this basis, the evolution trend of the groundwater key management area was quantitatively analyzed using the standard deviation ellipse (SDE) method. The results show that groundwater safety in the north and south of the lower plain of the Liaohe River are continuing to deteriorate. The correlation test between the groundwater safety index and the measured nitrogen concentration verified the scientific accuracy of the proposed groundwater safety evaluation method.

Re-examining climate-driven Malthusian collapse in Kashmir: New palaeoenvironmental context for the archaeological record

Previous syntheses of palaeoclimate and archaeological data from the Kashmir Valley have proposed that climate changes drove prehistoric settlement of the valley, based on the adaptation of West Asian winter crops to mid-Holocene warm-humid conditions ca. 5000 BP. It has been argued that these conditions enabled population growth that became unsustainable following the onset of a cold-arid phase ca. 3000 BP, with these cycles of growth and collapse again repeating ca. 2000 and 1000 BP. Here we present multi-proxy palynomorph, charcoal and sediment data indicating that from ca. 4500-1500 BP the environment of the valley was characterised by drier conditions, comparable to other regional records indicating weakening Westerly precipitation over Central Asia. Considering recent archaeobotanical data indicating the presence of both West Asian winter crops and East Asian summer millets in the valley as early as 4500 BP, we argue that rather than Malthusian cycles of growth and collapse in Kashmir, early populations likely drew on a broad range of available domesticates and varied ecotopes across the valley to allow a Boserupian response to changing Holocene climate conditions. These adaptations were likely more oriented towards flexible systems of agro-pastoralism practiced throughout the Inner Asian mountains, rather than towards developing large urban settlements as was the case in the river basins and plains south of Kashmir.

Abundance and Species of Thrips1 in Cotton on the South Plains of Texas

Thrips (Thysanoptera: Thripidae) are the major insect pest of seedling cotton, Gossypium hirsutum L., on the Texas South Plains. The western flower thrips, Frankliniella occidentalis Pergande (Thysanoptera: Thripidae), has historically been the most abundant thrips species in cotton in the region. A field survey during the 2017 and 2018 growing seasons collected thrips from small-plot insecticide seed treatment research experiments at multiple locations across the Texas South Plains. Species composition of adult thrips from cotyledon to four true-leaf stages cotton was determined by morphological identification with the aid of a microscope. Of the species collected during 2 years of study, 64% were onion thrips, Thrips tabaci Lindeman, followed by F. occidentalis (23%), Frankliniella exigua Hood (10%), and tobacco thrips, Frankliniella fusca Hinds (1%). Relative abundance of species varied significantly across growing seasons. In 2017, T. tabaci was the most abundant species in cotyledon to four true-leaf stages of cotton. In 2018, F. occidentalis was more prevalent than other thrips species. The percentage of adults was significantly greater than that of immatures at the cotyledon stage while immature thrips were significantly more abundant during one to four true-leaf stages of cotton. The study indicated T. tabaci and F. occidentalis were the most prevalent thrips species on seedling cotton on the South Plains of Texas.

Characteristics and Sources of PM2.5 Pollution in Typical Cities of the Central Plains Urban Agglomeration in Autumn and Winter

To study the characteristics of PM2.5 pollution and the potential sources of its main components in the central plain urban agglomeration in autumn and winter, PM2.5 samples were collected continually in the four typical cities of Zhengzhou, Luoyang, Anyang, and Xinxiang from October 2018 to January 2019. X-ray fluorescence spectrometry, carbon analysis methods, and ion chromatography were used to determine 18 kinds of inorganic elements, organic carbon (OC)/elemental carbon (EC), and 9 kinds of water-soluble inorganic ions. According to the daily PM2.5 concentration, three pollution levels were divided, and the comparative analysis for the spatial and temporal variation of PM2.5 and its main components, i.e., NO3-, OC, and 18 kinds of inorganic elements, were studied via the calculation of the nitrogen oxidation rate (NOR), secondary organic carbon (SOC), and enrichment factor. The emission sources and their contribution rates of PM2.5 pollution level in the four cities were calculated by a chemical mass balance (CMB) model; the potential pollution sources of PM2.5 and its main components, NO3- and OC, in the four cities were analyzed by a backward trajectory model (HYSPLIT) and potential source contribution factor method (PSCF). The results showed that the means of PM2.5 in Zhengzhou, Luoyang, Anyang, and Xinxiang were (82.1±45.5), (84.7±39.8), (96.8±46.1), and (81.1±36.6) μg·m-3, respectively, during the sampling period, and the maximum daily mean values were 3.3, 2.6, 3.0, and 2.3 times, respectively, of the Chinese national secondary standard; the main components of PM2.5 in the four cities were NO3- and SOC, and the concentration of NO3-, the ratio of NO3-/EC, and NOR all increased significantly with the rising of pollution levels, generally showing that the mean values of NO3-/EC and NOR of Zhengzhou and Luoyang were a little higher than those of Anyang and Xinxiang; the concentration of SOC, the proportion of SOC in OC, and the ratio of SOC/EC all increased with the rising of pollution levels. From the concentration and enrichment degree of inorganic elements, As was the highest in Zhengzhou; Mn and Fe were the highest in Luoyang; Zn, Ni, and Cr were the highest in Anyang; and Cu and Pb were the highest in Xinxiang. Secondary nitrate, secondary sulfate, organic matter, coal combustion, motor vehicle, dust, biomass burning, and industrial processes were the main PM2.5 pollution sources in the four cities, with the highest contribution rate of secondary nitrate in Zhengzhou (37.7%), the highest contribution rate of vehicle sources in Xinxiang (14.1%), and a relatively high contribution rate of industrial process source in Luoyang (7.0%) and Anyang (6.8%). The northwest direction of airflow contributed 51.6%, 49.2%, 49.6%, and 46.3% of the total airflow in Zhengzhou, Luoyang, Anyang, and Xinxiang, respectively. From the potential pollution area of each city, the Zhengzhou area was mainly concentrated in Henan province, the Luoyang area was mainly concentrated in the south of Henan province and Fen-wei plain, and the Anyang and Xinxiang areas were mainly concentrated in Henan province and the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei transport belt. The pollution levels of OC in Anyang and Xinxiang were also affected by the northwest Anhui, southwest Shandong, southeast Shanxi, and north Shaanxi.

Long-term (1975–2016) variations of aerosol optical depth in South Central Hebei Plain, China, and its correlations with East Asian monsoon and economic activities

Understanding the effects of aerosol on the regional climate change and environment requires long-term and high-resolution aerosol optical properties. An indirect method is employed to acquire aerosol optical depths (AODs) based on the atmospheric horizontal visibility and vapor pressure at 62 stations in South Central Hebei Plain (SCHP) from 1975 to 2016. Mann–Kendall tests are also applied to investigate the spatio-temporal variation of AODs in SCHP and their correlations with East Asian monsoon and secondary industry. Results indicate that large AOD values are concentrated in the southwest banding area centered in Shijiazhuang, Xingtai, and Handan, while low values in northeastern SCHP centered in Langfang and Cangzhou. Statistical analysis shows that the AODs significantly increased in summer and autumn over most regions of SCHP, except for some metropolises. Compared with the East Asian monsoon indexes (EAMI), the change in secondary industry output (SIO) is significantly correlated with variations of annual and seasonal mean AODs in SCHP from 1975 to 2016, with the highest correlation coefficient value at 0.63. The spatial distributions of correlations between EAMI/SIO and AODs indicate that AODs in winter are significantly correlated to the East Asian winter monsoon (EAWMI) over the eastern SCHP, while significant correlations between SIO and the mean AODs in summer, autumn, and year are all detected in the central–western SCHP. This research may help increase the accuracy of long-term aerosol prediction and improve air pollution control in the SCHP.

Evaluation of SMAP/Sentinel 1 High-Resolution Soil Moisture Data to Detect Irrigation Over Agricultural Domain

Irrigation is not well represented in land surface, hydrological, and climate models. One way to account for irrigation is by assimilating satellite soil moisture data that contains irrigation signal with land surface models. In this study, the irrigation detection ability of SMAP enhanced 9 km and SMAP-Sentinel 1 (SMAP-S1), 3 km and 1 km soil moisture products are evaluated using the first moment (mean) and the second moment (variability) of soil moisture data. The SMAP enhanced 9 km soil moisture product lacks irrigation signals in an irrigated plain south of Urmia Lake, whereas SMAP-S1 products record irrigation signal in soil moisture variability. Despite observing higher variability over irrigated areas, there are only small and inconsistent wet biases observed over irrigated pixels relative to nearby nonirrigated pixels during the irrigation season. This is partly attributable to the climatology vegetation water content used in the SMAP-S1 soil moisture retrieval algorithm that is not accounting for crop rotation and land management. Thus, in the second part of this study, we updated the retrieval algorithm to use dynamic vegetation water content. The update increased vegetation water content up to 1 kg/m2 which corresponds with a 0.05 cm3/cm3 increase in soil moisture during irrigation season. The update does not notably change soil moisture retrievals off season. This study shows that irrigation signals are present in both the first and second moment of soil moisture time series, and employing dynamic vegetation water content in the SMAP-S1 algorithm can enhance the irrigation signal over agricultural regions.

Epidemic of Legionella Pneumophila Pneumonia South of Brescia (Italy)

In September 2018, a serious epidemic of Legionella Pneumophila serotypes 1-2-14, diagnosed by the Istituto Superiore Sanita (ISS), occurred in the low plain south of Brescia. This resulted in a considerable number of hospitalizations in the hospitals of the ATS of Brescia and Valpadana (Mantua) with high mortality rate. It was an anomalous situation both for the spread and for the Legionella serotypes which alarmed the Istituto Superiore Sanita and the local health structures. This epidemic is an expressions of the malaise of the geographical area in question caused by the impact of various environmental degradations. Some environmental criticalities: 1-the low water flow of the Chiese river in the summer of 2018 due to the exploitation of water by intensive agriculture and the presence of 22 hydroelectric power plants along its course. 2-the presence of numerous industrial cooling towers with a lack of mapping of the same towers by the political bodies (Region and Municipalities). 3-the abnormal disposal of sludge on the countryside surrounding the agricultural area adjacent to the river bed of the Chiese river as a consequence of the enormous production of livestock waste by pig, cattle and chicken farms in the same area. 4-In the lower Brescia plain there are numerous disposal companies that receive sewage sludge from 15 regions of Italy and also from abroad. 5-different and numerous types of landfills in the municipalities of Montichiari, Rezzato, Ghedi, Calcinato and Bedizzole filled with 12 million cubic meters of toxic-harmful waste. 6- the Lombardy region allows an excessive number of CERs (Catalog European Waste). It concludes by emphasizing how everyone, citizens and institutions, have a great responsibility in the management of the territory and a change of direction is hoped for an economy that has reached limits that it can no longer tolerate. This calls the various responsibilities of Politics, Public Health, the industrial and agricultural world in the management of a territory that continues to send signs of suffering and which is reflected on the health of men, animals and the plant world.

Palaeoecological reconstructions in the Tobol-Ishim interfluve: combination of on-site pollen data from cultural layers and off-site peatland records

The study, based on uniformed criteria, summarizes a large series of palynological data and is aimed at re-construction of the vegetation history of the second half of the Holocene based on pollen data from peatlands. The main objective of this work is to compare the results of palynological studies from cultural layers of 30 Neo-lithic-Medieval archaeological sites (on-site data) and five natural archives (off-site records) in the sub-taiga and forest-steppe areas of Tobol River region and on the territory of the Ishim Plain (south of Western Siberia). The main analytical and correlation tools were the calculated indicators of pollen indices and biomes. Baseline pa-laeoecological changes have been analysed by the pollen index of openness/forestness (the ratio of wood vs grass pollen), the aridity index (the ratio of the summed amount of wormwood and chenopod pollen to that of ce-reals) and the dynamics of forest and steppe biome of peatlands; similar pollen indices have been calculated for the cultural layers. All indicators have been synchronized by age and fixed on a single timeline for comparison. The increasing role of forest vegetation in the forest-steppe has been considered as an indicator of increased effective hydration, forest degradation has been associated with the lack of it. The aridity index has been used as an indirect argument, reflecting the condition of grass communities outside the forest, it increases with the syn-chronous aridization and warming, but is also subject to strong distortion under the influence of human activity. Six stages of vegetation change have been identified: 6.0–4.2 ka — increase in proportion of forests in the northern forest steppe; 4.2–3.3 ka — minimal forestation of the territory; 3.3–2.5 ka — gradual regeneration of forest areas; 2.5–1.9 ka — reduction of the proportion of forests; 1.9–0.7 ka — the most pronounced forestation of the territory; 0.7–0 ka — reduction of the proportion of forests. In general, the outlined stages correspond with the overall scheme of development of landscape and climatic conditions in the southern regions of Western Siberia, though have regional specifics. Comparison of palynological data from natural archives (peatlands) and cultural layers by pollen indices demonstrates, that the anthropogenic disturbance of the composition of grass vegetation near the sites in most cases prevents objective assessment of natural conditions, but characterizes the appearance of the settlement landscape near the sites during its functioning and is associated with economic activity.