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Uddin MG, Diganta MTM, Sajib AM, Rahman A, Nash S, Dabrowski T, Ahmadian R, Hartnett M, Olbert AI. Assessing the impact of COVID-19 lockdown on surface water quality in Ireland using advanced Irish water quality index (IEWQI) model. ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION (BARKING, ESSEX : 1987) 2023; 336:122456. [PMID: 37673321 DOI: 10.1016/j.envpol.2023.122456] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/02/2023] [Revised: 07/23/2023] [Accepted: 08/23/2023] [Indexed: 09/08/2023]
Abstract
The COVID-19 pandemic has significantly impacted various aspects of life, including environmental conditions. Surface water quality (WQ) is one area affected by lockdowns imposed to control the virus's spread. Numerous recent studies have revealed the considerable impact of COVID-19 lockdowns on surface WQ. In response, this research aimed to assess the impact of COVID-19 lockdowns on surface water quality in Ireland using an advanced WQ model. To achieve this goal, six years of water quality monitoring data from 2017 to 2022 were collected for nine water quality indicators in Cork Harbour, Ireland, before, during, and after the lockdowns. These indicators include pH, water temperature (TEMP), salinity (SAL), biological oxygen demand (BOD5), dissolved oxygen (DOX), transparency (TRAN), and three nutrient enrichment indicators-dissolved inorganic nitrogen (DIN), molybdate reactive phosphorus (MRP), and total oxidized nitrogen (TON). The results showed that the lockdown had a significant impact on various WQ indicators, particularly pH, TEMP, TON, and BOD5. Over the study period, most indicators were within the permissible limit except for MRP, with the exception of during COVID-19. During the pandemic, TON and DIN decreased, while water transparency significantly improved. In contrast, after COVID-19, WQ at 7% of monitoring sites significantly deteriorated. Overall, WQ in Cork Harbour was categorized as "good," "fair," and "marginal" classes over the study period. Compared to temporal variation, WQ improved at 17% of monitoring sites during the lockdown period in Cork Harbour. However, no significant trend in WQ was observed. Furthermore, the study analyzed the advanced model's performance in assessing the impact of COVID-19 on WQ. The results indicate that the advanced WQ model could be an effective tool for monitoring and evaluating lockdowns' impact on surface water quality. The model can provide valuable information for decision-making and planning to protect aquatic ecosystems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Md Galal Uddin
- School of Engineering, University of Galway, Ireland; Ryan Institute, University of Galway, Ireland; MaREI Research Centre, University of Galway, Ireland; Eco-HydroInformatics Research Group (EHIRG), Civil Engineering, University of Galway, Ireland.
| | - Mir Talas Mahammad Diganta
- School of Engineering, University of Galway, Ireland; Ryan Institute, University of Galway, Ireland; MaREI Research Centre, University of Galway, Ireland; Eco-HydroInformatics Research Group (EHIRG), Civil Engineering, University of Galway, Ireland
| | - Abdul Majed Sajib
- School of Engineering, University of Galway, Ireland; Ryan Institute, University of Galway, Ireland; MaREI Research Centre, University of Galway, Ireland; Eco-HydroInformatics Research Group (EHIRG), Civil Engineering, University of Galway, Ireland
| | - Azizur Rahman
- School of Computing, Mathematics and Engineering, Charles Sturt University, Wagga Wagga, Australia; The Gulbali Institute of Agriculture, Water and Environment, Charles Sturt University, Wagga Wagga, Australia
| | - Stephen Nash
- School of Engineering, University of Galway, Ireland; Ryan Institute, University of Galway, Ireland; MaREI Research Centre, University of Galway, Ireland
| | | | - Reza Ahmadian
- School of Engineering, Cardiff University, The Parade, Cardiff, CF24 3AQ, UK
| | - Michael Hartnett
- School of Engineering, University of Galway, Ireland; Ryan Institute, University of Galway, Ireland
| | - Agnieszka I Olbert
- School of Engineering, University of Galway, Ireland; Ryan Institute, University of Galway, Ireland; MaREI Research Centre, University of Galway, Ireland; Eco-HydroInformatics Research Group (EHIRG), Civil Engineering, University of Galway, Ireland
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Sahoo TP, Vasavdutta S, Chanchpara A, Sahu N, Thiyagarajan I, Ray S, Chatterjee S, Thorat RB, Haldar S, Madhava AK. Pre-to-post COVID-19 lockdown and their environmental impacts on Ghoghla beach and Somnath beach, India. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND POLLUTION RESEARCH INTERNATIONAL 2022; 29:82140-82155. [PMID: 35750909 PMCID: PMC9244305 DOI: 10.1007/s11356-022-21586-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/22/2022] [Accepted: 06/16/2022] [Indexed: 05/22/2023]
Abstract
Environmental impact of COVID-19 imposed lockdown (2020) and the new normal condition (2021) on two different beaches of India (Ghoghla beach, Diu and Somnath beach, Veraval) were compared with the pre-lockdown era, 2013. The lockdown phase favored the natural restoration of the beaches and showed infinitesimal values of the parameters tested when compared with the pre-lockdown regime. However, the new normal situation in 2021 opened up the accessibility of these beaches to the tourists and pilgrims resulting in significant changes of water quality. The release of diluted sewage mixed with freshwater from the Somnath town to the sea has led to the drastic change in beach water quality. The mean cadmium concentration increased drastically in beach waters (Ghoghla: 1.35, 0.28 and 7.09 μg/L; Somnath: 0.45, 0.28 and 0.58 μg/L) during pre-to-post lockdown, respectively. However, post-lockdown resulted in the rise of toxic heavy metals in the sediments of Somnath beach but Ghoghla beach remained to be pristine which may be due to the Blue Flagship status. The total number of marine bacteria was higher during 2013 and 2021 when compared during lockdown describing greater human interventions. For instance, Vibrio spp. count in Ghoghla beach water during pre-lockdown phase was 7733 CFU/mL and this value reduced to 70 and 5 CFU/mL in the lockdown and post-lockdown phases. Interestingly, the diversity of planktonic and benthic components showed a different trend from pre-to-post lockdown due to significant change in the inorganic nutrients and metal bioaccumulation. To our knowledge, this will be the first comprehensive assessment to report the environmental and ecological health of Ghoghla beach and Somnath beach during the pre-to-post lockdown.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tarini Prasad Sahoo
- Analytical and Environmental Science Division & Centralized Instrument Facility, CSIR-Central Salt & Marine Chemicals Research Institute, Bhavnagar, Gujarat, 364 002, India
- Academy of Scientific and Innovative Research, Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh, 201 002, India
| | - Sonpal Vasavdutta
- Analytical and Environmental Science Division & Centralized Instrument Facility, CSIR-Central Salt & Marine Chemicals Research Institute, Bhavnagar, Gujarat, 364 002, India
| | - Amit Chanchpara
- Analytical and Environmental Science Division & Centralized Instrument Facility, CSIR-Central Salt & Marine Chemicals Research Institute, Bhavnagar, Gujarat, 364 002, India
- Academy of Scientific and Innovative Research, Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh, 201 002, India
| | - Nosad Sahu
- Analytical and Environmental Science Division & Centralized Instrument Facility, CSIR-Central Salt & Marine Chemicals Research Institute, Bhavnagar, Gujarat, 364 002, India
| | - Indirapriyatharsini Thiyagarajan
- Analytical and Environmental Science Division & Centralized Instrument Facility, CSIR-Central Salt & Marine Chemicals Research Institute, Bhavnagar, Gujarat, 364 002, India
| | - Sanak Ray
- Analytical and Environmental Science Division & Centralized Instrument Facility, CSIR-Central Salt & Marine Chemicals Research Institute, Bhavnagar, Gujarat, 364 002, India
- Academy of Scientific and Innovative Research, Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh, 201 002, India
| | - Shruti Chatterjee
- Applied Phycology and Biotechnology, CSIR-Central Salt & Marine Chemicals Research Institute, Bhavnagar, Gujarat, 364 002, India
| | - Ravikumar Bhagawan Thorat
- Analytical and Environmental Science Division & Centralized Instrument Facility, CSIR-Central Salt & Marine Chemicals Research Institute, Bhavnagar, Gujarat, 364 002, India
- Academy of Scientific and Innovative Research, Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh, 201 002, India
| | - Soumya Haldar
- Analytical and Environmental Science Division & Centralized Instrument Facility, CSIR-Central Salt & Marine Chemicals Research Institute, Bhavnagar, Gujarat, 364 002, India
- Academy of Scientific and Innovative Research, Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh, 201 002, India
| | - Anil Kumar Madhava
- Analytical and Environmental Science Division & Centralized Instrument Facility, CSIR-Central Salt & Marine Chemicals Research Institute, Bhavnagar, Gujarat, 364 002, India.
- Academy of Scientific and Innovative Research, Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh, 201 002, India.
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The Education Pipeline of Biomimetics and Its Challenges. Biomimetics (Basel) 2022; 7:biomimetics7030093. [PMID: 35892363 PMCID: PMC9326522 DOI: 10.3390/biomimetics7030093] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/28/2022] [Revised: 06/28/2022] [Accepted: 06/29/2022] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Biomimetics must be taught to the next generation of designers in the interest of delivering solutions for current problems. Teaching biomimetics involves teachers and students from and in various disciplines at different stages of the educational system. There is no common understanding of how and what to teach in the different phases of the educational pipeline. This manuscript describes different perspectives, expectations, needs, and challenges of users from various backgrounds. It focuses on how biomimetics is taught at the various stages of education and career: from K-12 to higher education to continuing education. By constructing the biomimetics education pipeline, we find that some industry challenges are addressed and provide opportunities to transfer the lessons to application. We also identify existing gaps in the biomimetics education pipeline that could further advance industry application if a curriculum is developed.
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Panja AK, Vasavdutta S, Sahoo TP, Shinde AH, Thorat RB, Chatterjee S, Ray S, Madhava AK, Haldar S. Impact of 2nd wave of COVID-19-related lockdown on coastal water quality at Diu, western coast of India and role of total alkalinity on bacterial loads. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND POLLUTION RESEARCH INTERNATIONAL 2022; 29:45971-45980. [PMID: 35156166 PMCID: PMC8852930 DOI: 10.1007/s11356-022-19168-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/11/2021] [Accepted: 02/07/2022] [Indexed: 05/30/2023]
Abstract
A detailed coastal water monitoring near Diu coast, western part of India was performed from October, 2020 to May, 2021 covering the 2nd lockdown time. Average monthly fluctuation from 7 different sampling stations of total 9 physico-chemical parameters such as pH, salinity, turbidity, nitrite (NO2), nitrate (NO3), ammonia (NH3), phosphate (PO4), total alkalinity and silicate were recorded. Initially, Mann-Kendall trend test for all the 9 parameters showed non-zero trend, which may be either linear or non-linear. During 2nd lockdown period, there was a fluctuation of value for parameters like pH, salinity, nitrate, nitrite and phosphate. Average total bacterial count and differential bacterial count also gradually decreased from March, 2021 sampling. Principal component analysis (PCA) plot covering all the physico-chemical parameters as well as the differential bacterial count showed a distinct cluster of all bacterial count with total alkalinity value. Subsequently, mathematical equation was formulated between total alkalinity value and all differential bacterial count. Upto our knowledge, this is the first report where mathematical equation was formulated to obtain value of different bacterial load based on the derived total alkalinity value of the coastal water samples near Diu, India.
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Affiliation(s)
- Atanu Kumar Panja
- Analytical and Environmental Science Division & Centralized Instrument Facility, CSIR-Central Salt & Marine Chemicals Research Institute, Bhavnagar, 364 002, Gujarat, India
| | - Sonpal Vasavdutta
- Analytical and Environmental Science Division & Centralized Instrument Facility, CSIR-Central Salt & Marine Chemicals Research Institute, Bhavnagar, 364 002, Gujarat, India
| | - Tarini Prasad Sahoo
- Analytical and Environmental Science Division & Centralized Instrument Facility, CSIR-Central Salt & Marine Chemicals Research Institute, Bhavnagar, 364 002, Gujarat, India
| | - Ambika H Shinde
- Analytical and Environmental Science Division & Centralized Instrument Facility, CSIR-Central Salt & Marine Chemicals Research Institute, Bhavnagar, 364 002, Gujarat, India
- Academy of Scientific and Innovative Research (AcSIR), Ghaziabad, 201002, India
| | - Ravikumar Bhagawan Thorat
- Analytical and Environmental Science Division & Centralized Instrument Facility, CSIR-Central Salt & Marine Chemicals Research Institute, Bhavnagar, 364 002, Gujarat, India
- Academy of Scientific and Innovative Research (AcSIR), Ghaziabad, 201002, India
| | - Shruti Chatterjee
- Applied Phycology and Biotechnology Division, CSIR-Central Salt & Marine Chemicals Research Institute, Bhavnagar, 364 002, Gujarat, India
| | - Sanak Ray
- Analytical and Environmental Science Division & Centralized Instrument Facility, CSIR-Central Salt & Marine Chemicals Research Institute, Bhavnagar, 364 002, Gujarat, India
- Academy of Scientific and Innovative Research (AcSIR), Ghaziabad, 201002, India
| | - Anil Kumar Madhava
- Analytical and Environmental Science Division & Centralized Instrument Facility, CSIR-Central Salt & Marine Chemicals Research Institute, Bhavnagar, 364 002, Gujarat, India
- Academy of Scientific and Innovative Research (AcSIR), Ghaziabad, 201002, India
| | - Soumya Haldar
- Analytical and Environmental Science Division & Centralized Instrument Facility, CSIR-Central Salt & Marine Chemicals Research Institute, Bhavnagar, 364 002, Gujarat, India.
- Academy of Scientific and Innovative Research (AcSIR), Ghaziabad, 201002, India.
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Lenart-Boroń AM, Boroń PM, Prajsnar JA, Guzik MW, Żelazny MS, Pufelska MD, Chmiel MJ. COVID-19 lockdown shows how much natural mountain regions are affected by heavy tourism. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2022; 806:151355. [PMID: 34740648 PMCID: PMC9755070 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.151355] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/15/2021] [Revised: 10/27/2021] [Accepted: 10/27/2021] [Indexed: 05/02/2023]
Abstract
Mountain areas in Poland are among the most frequented tourist destinations and such intensive tourism negatively affects the natural environment. The COVID-19 pandemic and the resulting lockdown restricted travel for a few months in 2020, providing a unique opportunity to observe the studied mountain environment without the impact of typical tourist traffic. This study is based on the determination of antibiotic content, hydrochemical parameters, enumeration of culturable bacterial water quality indicators, antimicrobial susceptibility tests together with extended spectrum beta-lactamase (ESBL) gene detection in waterborne E. coli and NGS-based bacterial community composition at six sites along the Białka river valley (one of the most popular touristic regions in Poland) in three periods: in summer and winter tourist seasons and during the COVID-19 lockdown. The results of individual measurements showed decreased numbers of bacterial indicators of water contamination (e.g. numbers of E. coli dropped from 99 × 104 CFU/100 ml to 12 CFU/100 ml at the most contaminated site) and the share of antimicrobial resistant E. coli (total resistance dropped from 21% in summer to 9% during lockdown, share of multidrug resistant strains from 100 to 44%, and ESBL from 20% in summer to none during lockdown). Antibiotic concentrations were the highest during lockdown. The use of multivariate analysis (principal component analysis - PCA and heatmaps) revealed a clear pattern of tourism-related anthropogenic pressure on the water environment and positive impact of COVID-19 lockdown on water quality. PCA distinguished three major factors determining water quality: F1 shows strong effect of anthropogenic pressure; F2 describes the lockdown-related quality restoration processes; F3 is semi-natural and describes the differences between the most pristine and most anthropogenically-impacted waters.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anna M Lenart-Boroń
- Department of Microbiology and Biomonitoring, Faculty of Agriculture and Economics, University of Agriculture in Kraków, Adam Mickiewicz Ave. 24/28, 30-059 Kraków, Poland.
| | - Piotr M Boroń
- Department of Forest Ecosystems Protection, Faculty of Forestry, University of Agriculture in Kraków, 29 Listopada Ave. 46, 31-425 Kraków, Poland
| | - Justyna A Prajsnar
- Jerzy Haber Institute of Catalysis and Surface Chemistry, Polish Academy of Sciences, Niezapominajek Str. 8, 30-239, Kraków, Poland
| | - Maciej W Guzik
- Jerzy Haber Institute of Catalysis and Surface Chemistry, Polish Academy of Sciences, Niezapominajek Str. 8, 30-239, Kraków, Poland
| | - Mirosław S Żelazny
- Department of Hydrology, Institute of Geography and Spatial Management, Jagiellonian University in Kraków, Gronostajowa Str. 7, 30-387, Kraków, Poland
| | - Marta D Pufelska
- Department of Hydrology, Institute of Geography and Spatial Management, Jagiellonian University in Kraków, Gronostajowa Str. 7, 30-387, Kraków, Poland
| | - Maria J Chmiel
- Department of Microbiology and Biomonitoring, Faculty of Agriculture and Economics, University of Agriculture in Kraków, Adam Mickiewicz Ave. 24/28, 30-059 Kraków, Poland
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Kahambing JGS. Metonymies, metaphors and/or language reconsiderations for sustainability during COVID-19. J Public Health (Oxf) 2021; 43:e753-e755. [PMID: 33942883 PMCID: PMC8135768 DOI: 10.1093/pubmed/fdab141] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/15/2021] [Revised: 03/26/2021] [Accepted: 04/03/2021] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Pandemic discussions employ language metaphors and metonymies to make sense of the coronavirus disease 2019 crisis. From commenting and proposing to revise terms such as social distancing, the war against the virus, to viewing mother nature as a killer, there are language reconsiderations to be made to avoid some disturbing mental imageries to picture a sustainable future. The Anthropocene geologic time and the improved environmental quality situate this backdrop. Language interventions make up as a vanishing mediation that will prompt a deeper understanding of the environment and nature as a whole.
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Lacsa JEM. Earth friendly solutions: filipinos cycling their way through the pandemic. J Public Health (Oxf) 2021; 44:e302. [PMID: 34131765 DOI: 10.1093/pubmed/fdab218] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/02/2021] [Revised: 06/02/2021] [Accepted: 06/04/2021] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Jose Eric M Lacsa
- Theology and Religious Education Department, De La Salle University, 2401 Taft Avenue, Manila, Philippines
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