Assessing Vegetation Decline Due to Pollution from Solid Waste Management by a Multitemporal Remote Sensing Approach

Intelligent technologies powering clean incineration of municipal solid waste: A system review

Cleanliness has been paramount for municipal solid waste incineration (MSWI) systems. In recent years, the rapid advancement of intelligent technologies has fostered unprecedented opportunities for enhancing the cleanliness of MSWI systems. This paper offers a review and analysis of cutting-edge intelligent technologies in MSWI, which include process monitoring, intelligent algorithms, combustion control, flue gas treatment, and particulate control. The objective is to summarize current applications of these techniques and to forecast future directions. Regarding process monitoring, intelligent image analysis has facilitated real-time tracking of combustion conditions. For intelligent algorithms, machine learning models have shown advantages in accurately forecasting key process parameters and pollutant concentrations. In terms of combustion control, intelligent systems have achieved consistent prediction and regulation of temperature, oxygen content, and other parameters. Intelligent monitoring and forecasting of carbon monoxide and dioxins for flue gas treatment have exhibited satisfactory performance. Concerning particulate control, multi-objective optimization facilitates the sustainable utilization of fly ash. Despite remarkable progress, challenges remain in improving process stability and monitoring instrumentation of intelligent MSWI technologies. By systematically summarizing current applications, this timely review offers valuable insights into the future upgrade of intelligent MSWI systems.

Uncovering NDVI time trends in Spanish high mountain biosphere reserves: A detailed study

Global warming is increasing the vulnerability of ecosystems, especially in peninsular Spain. Biosphere Reserves are internationally protected areas that seek to protect biodiversity and, at the same time, promote sustainable development. Evaluating these protected areas is essential to verify environmental changes and establish priorities in their management. In this work, we have studied the time trends of NDVI in the high mountain Biosphere Reserves of Spain from 2001 to 2016 to check if the trend patterns are associated with some environmental variables. Significant differences were found between NDVI trends and high mountain Biosphere Reserves. Firstly, significant positive trends in NDVI were observed when analysing both reserves together. However, significant differences were found between the two reserves. The Ordesa-Viñamala Reserve shows higher positive NDVI trends and lower negative trends, while this pattern is reversed in Sierra Nevada. We observed how the fluctuations in temperature and drought due to climate change have already negatively affected the Mediterranean reserve (Sierra Nevada). In contrast, the alpine reserve (Ordesa-Viñamala) maintains positive NDVI trends. This study helps to close the gap in information related to Biosphere Reserves, which gives value to the work that is being carried out by the local communities that make up them, generating statistically significant results that Biosphere Reserves are protected areas that help us understand how to manage and govern socioecological systems sustainably.

Spatiotemporal variations of internal dust events in urban environments of Iran, Southwest Asia

This article investigates the Dust Storm Index (DSI) and its trend using the Mann-Kendall test, across urban areas of Iran on the monthly, seasonally, and annually scales from 2000 to 2018. The results showed that cities located in the humid region, especially Khoram Abad and Avaj, had the lowest DSI values, and the cities located in arid regions, particularly Zabol, Sarakhs, and Zahedan, had the highest DSI values during the study period. On a monthly basis, the positive trends were observed in most cities of Iran in March, October, and August, while the negative trends were mainly observed in Feb, May, and June. Birjand, Torbat Heydariyeh, Saveh, Shiraz, and Kerman showed an increasing trend of DSI in most months of the study period. On a seasonal scale, the autumn and summer DSI changes showed significant positive trends in 18% of the urban environments in Iran. A similar trend was observed for 17% and 15% of study urban areas in the spring and winter, respectively. On an annual scale, the significant upward trends in DSI were observed in 13% while its negative changes were found in 10% of study cities. These results can be useful for decision-makers and managers to take appropriate measures to reduce and control dust events in urban areas that have suffered from the increasing trend of dust events in the past years.