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Search results for: AIR POLLUTION
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Numerical Analysis of an Impact of Planned Location of Sewage Discharge on Natura 2000 Areas – The Dead Vistula Region Case Study
PublicationThis article presents results of an analysis of impact of a designed discharge of contaminated water into the Dead Vistula (Wisła Martwa) in the region of the Isthmus (Przesmyk) with the aim of determination of a possible effect of the pollution onto protected areas of Natura 2000 (bird habitats and sites, especially the Bird Paradise – Ptasi Raj) nature reserve. The analysis was conducted on the basis of the two-dimensional modelling...
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Warunki hydrogeochemiczne i podatność na zanieczyszczenie wód podziemnych w zlewni górnej Raduni
PublicationThe paper presents results of long-term studies in the Kashubian Lake district that have been completed with data gathered over the last five years. The purpose of this research was to assess a temporal variability of groundwater chemical composition and to analyze risk of pollutant migration to subsurface water. Investigation indicates local, however, significant anthropogenic influence on a shallow aquifers.The assessment of...
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Birds' feathers – Suitable samples for determination of environmental pollutants
PublicationThe intensive development of industry and human population results in large amounts of different xenobiotic emitted into individual ecosystem components. As a consequence, monitoring of the level of pollution of particular elements of the environment by exotoxins has become a common interest. The determination of environmental changes by different types of biological indicators is called bioindication, which is used as one of the...
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Historical records of organic pollutants in sediment cores
PublicationAnalyses of sediment core samples are primary sources of historical pollution trends in aquatic systems. Determining organic compounds, such as POPs, in the dated sediments enables the estimation of their temporal concentration changes and the identification of the contaminant origin in local regions. Wars, large-scale fires, economical transitions, and bans on certain chemicals are reflected in the sediment organic compound concentrations....
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Assessment of Citizens’ Actions against Light Pollution with Guidelines for Future Initiatives
PublicationDue to the wide reach of media reports about scientific research and technological tools such as the world wide web (WWW), the Internet, and web browsers, citizens today have access to factual information about the negative impact of artificial light at night (ALAN) on their dark skies, and their health and well-being. This means they can now make educated decisions and take the necessary steps to help protect themselves and their...
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ANALYSIS OF THE IMPACT OF THE PLANNED SEWAGE DISCHARGE FROM THE ‘NORTH’ POWER PLANT ON THE VISTULA WATER QUALITY
PublicationThe paper presents results of analysis of the industrial sewage discharge impact from the ‘North’ Power Plant on the Vistula water quality around 45+330 of the river kilometer. For the analysis, the two-dimensional models of flow, impurities and temperature transport were used. Hydrological conditions of the analyzed section of the river, characteristic flows and bathymetry of the riverbed in the first instance were defined....
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Reducing nighttime light exposure in the urban environment to benefit human health and society
PublicationNocturnal light pollution can have profound effects on humans and other organisms. Recent research indicates that nighttime outdoor lighting is increasing rapidly. Evidence from controlled laboratory studies demonstrates that nocturnal light exposure can strain the visual system, disrupt circadian physiology, suppress melatonin secretion, and impair sleep. There is a growing body of work pointing to adverse effects of outdoor lighting...
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A standard analytical method as the common good and pollution abatement measure
PublicationA standard method can be considered as a common-good “resource,” and the solution to “the commons” problems usually lies in societal self-organization. The multi-criteria decision analysis (MCDA) was applied to model complex phenomena, such as the standard selection for imidacloprid determination. In this process, the standard was self-selected by the analytical chemistry society. The results show that analytical chemistry is a...
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Mushroom Toxins
PublicationToxins and Other Harmful Compounds in Foods provides information on the contents, distribution, chemical properties, and biological activity of toxins and other harmful compounds in foods that are natural components of the raw materials, accumulated due to microbial actions and environmental pollution, or are generated due to processing.
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Sources and Fate of PAHs and PCBs in the Marine Environment
PublicationThe assessment of a hazard resulting from the pollution of the environment by chemical compounds is in principle limited to the determination of their concentrations in its various compartments. But for solving many problems in this context, knowledge of the emission sources, transport pathways, and sites of deposition is of great benefit. By far the largest amounts of pollutants, regardless of where they were discharged, end up...
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Design and implementation of an illumination system to mimic skyglow at ecosystem level in a large‐scale lake enclosure facility
PublicationLight pollution is an environmental stressor of global extent that is growing exponentially in area and intensity. Artificial skyglow, a form of light pollution with large range, is hypothesized to have environmental impact at ecosystem level. However, testing the impact of skyglow at large scales and in a controlled fashion under in situ conditions has remained elusive so far. Here we present the first experimental setup to mimic...
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Arctic catchment as a sensitive indicator of the environmental changes: distribution and migration of metals (Svalbard)
PublicationArctic regions experience metal pollution, despite their remote location, and the distribution and migration of those metals determine their potential impact on the local environment. Here, a High-Arctic catchment (Revelva, Svalbard) located remotely from human-induced pollution sources is studied with respect to the distribution and migration of chosen trace elements (Ag, Al, As, B, Ba, Bi, Ca, Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Cs, Mo, Ni, Pb,...
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LIGHT POLLUTION IN THE CONTEXT OF THREATS TO THE WILDLIFE CORRIDORS
PublicationAccess to remote sensing night-time imagery allows for modeling of light pollution Increasingly, data on the propagation of artificial light are a source of interesting information for different fields of science and affect the planning of economic development. The article presents the problem of light pollution in the context of threats to the wildlife corridors in Poland. Wildlife corridors are areas that allow safe migration...
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Reducing Monitoring Costs in Industrially Contaminated Rivers: Cluster and Regression Analysis Approach
PublicationMonitoring contamination in river water is an expensive procedure, particularly for developing countries where pollution is a significant problem. This study was conducted to provide a pollution monitoring strategy that reduces the cost of laboratory analysis. The new monitoring strategy was designed as a result of cluster and regression analysis on field data collected from an industrially influenced river. Pollution sources in...
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Assessing groundwater vulnerability to pollution in the Puck region (denudation moraine upland) using vertical seepage method
PublicationDegradation of groundwater quality can cause a serious water supply and environmental problems. The identify of potential groundwater pollution can be determined by assessment of groundwater vulnerability method. The assessment of groundwater vulnerability to pollution was based on estimation of migration time of potential conservative contamination through the vadose zone. Area of investigation is a type of denudation moraine...
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Honey bees and their products - bioindicators of environmental contamination
PublicationHuman activities produce contaminants, the amounts and toxicity of which often exceed the environment’s homeostatic capacity to cleanse itself. Hence, the systematic analysis and monitoring of the environment is increasingly a matter of urgency. Honey bees, thanks to their morphological features, and also bee products are regarded as good indicators of environmental pollution by toxic substances, be these heavy metals, radioactive...
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POLLUTANTS PRESENT IN DIFFERENT COMPONENTS OF THE SVALBARD ARCHIPELAGO ENVIRONMENT
PublicationDuring last years an interest in the processes of transport and fate of pollutants to the polar regions located distantly from industrial centers, has significantly increased. The current analytical techniques enabling conducting studies prove that the Arctic regions (in the past considered as a pollution free area) have become an area of highly intensive anthropopresion. Svalbard archipelago stands out from the other polar regions...
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Mathematical Modeling of the Impact Range of Sewage Discharge on the Vistula Water Quality in the Region of Włocławek
PublicationThe paper presents results of analysis of the industrial sewage discharge influence at km 688 + 250 of the Vistula River on water quality. During the analysis, two-dimensional models of flow, impurities and temperature transport were used. Hydrological conditions of the analyzed section of the river, characteristic flows and bathymetry of the riverbed in the first instance were defined. Calculations of velocity distribution at...
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Examination of fresh water chemistry in maritime Antarctica during austral summer 2017
PublicationDue to the fact that Antarctica is one of the least polluted places on Earth, it is a perfect place to observe the spread of global pollution. Therefore, research conducted on this continent is important due to the possibility of investigating the type of pollution and their way of transport. This work considers presence of organic contaminants in Maritime Antarctica in unexplored until now, Lions Rump headland. Qualitative and...
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Environmental Risk Assessment of WWII Shipwreck pollution
PublicationThe pollution of the sea is a global problem that has arisen as a consequence of the industrialization of the world and the intense transportation of crude oil and the products of its refinement. As sailing vessels were replaced by motor propelled ships towards the end of the 19th century, a new source of sea water pollution came into being. Every emergency involving a tanker carrying crude oil and its products is a potential source...
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New technologies using Trace Metals of Concern
PublicationThis chapter discusses the occurrence, material flows, technical applications of and pollution by platinum, palladium, thallium, rare earth elements, gold , silver, and antimony, all of which are essential for global economic growth. Modern technology relies on theses chemicals for the production of various industrial goods. however, their use releases pollutants into the environment, thus posing a threat to human health.
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Organic Compounds: Halogenated
PublicationThe entry focuses on halogenated organic compounds, mainly short-chain chlorinated aliphatic organic compounds. It describes their occurrence in the different compartments of the environment and their environmental fate, presents the basic toxicological mechanisms, and discusses the different approaches to remediation processes as applied to soil and water pollution. Finally, basic analytical solutions for the determination of...
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Chemical composition of water from roof in Gdańsk, Poland
PublicationThis study deals with the assessment of roof runoff waters from the region of Gdansk collected during the winter season (2007/2008). The chemical analysis includes 16 chemical variables: major ions, PAHs and PCBs measured at 3 sampling sites for 6-14 rain events. Although the data set is of limited volume the statistical data treatment using self-organizing maps (SOM) reveals the main factors controlling roof runoff water quality...
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Trace Metal Contamination of Bottom Sediments: A Review of Assessment Measures and Geochemical Background Determination Methods
PublicationThis paper provides an overview of different methods of assessing the trace metal (TM) contamination status of sediments affected by anthropogenic interference. The geochemical background determination methods are also described. A total of 25 papers covering rivers, lakes, and retention tanks sediments in areas subjected to anthropogenic pressure from the last three years (2019, 2020, and 2021) were analysed to support our examination...
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Speciation of heavy metals in bottom sediments of drinking water reservoir for Gdansk, Poland – changes over the 14 years
PublicationThere was conducted a comparative study of the concentrations of heavy metals (Zn, Cu, Pb, and Cd) in the surface layer of sediments collected in two investigation periods: 1999–2000 and 2013. Theresults demonstrated that the degree of metals pollution decreased over time. The contamina-tion factors (Cf) calculated for Zn, Cu, Pb, and Cd were respectively 3.63, 3.86, 3.23, and 3.25 in the first period of research and 1.35, 3.42,...
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Determination of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and other organic pollutants in freshwaters on the western shore of Admiralty Bay (King George Island, Maritime Antarctica).
PublicationOrganic contamination in freshwater samples has never been investigated at the western shore of Admiralty Bay. Therefore, the presence of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in five different sites distributed along a shore running from the Arctowski Station to the Baranowski Glacier was studied. Moreover, organic compounds such as n-alkanes, toluene and ethylbenzene were also noted. Increased ΣPAHs in late Austral summer 2016...
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Surface water quality assessment by the use of combination of multivariate statistical classification and expert information
PublicationThe present study deals with the assessment of surface water quality from an industrial-urban region located in northern Poland near to the city of Gdansk. Concentrations of thirteen chemicals includingtotal polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), halogenated volatile organic compounds (HVOCs) and major ions in the samples collected at five sampling points during six campaigns were used as variablesthroughout the study. The originality...
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Speciation of heavy metals in bottom sediments of a drinking water reservoir for Gdańsk, Poland – changes over the 14 years
PublicationThere was conducted a comparative study of the concentrations of heavy metals (Zn, Cu, Pb, andCd) in the surface layer of sediments collected in two investigation periods: 1999–2000 and 2013.The results demonstrated that the degree of metals pollution decreased over time. The contaminationfactors (Cf) calculated for Zn, Cu, Pb, and Cd were respectively 3.63, 3.86, 3.23, and 3.25 in thefirst period of...
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Recent Advancements in Cyclodextrin-Based Adsorbents for the Removal of Hazardous Pollutants from Waters
PublicationWater is an essential substance for the survival on Earth of all living organisms. However, population growth has disturbed the natural phenomenon of living, due to industrial growth to meet ever expanding demands, and, hence, an exponential increase in environmental pollution has been reported in the last few decades. Moreover, water pollution has drawn major attention for its adverse effects on human health and the ecosystem....
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LEGAL ASPECTS OF ELECTRIC ENERGY GENERATION IN A FLOATING POWER PLANT
PublicationThis paper discusses the characteristics of pollution and legal regulations governing investment projects affecting the environment. It describes a combined system of a compression ignition engine and a steam turbine, whose aim, when placed on a floating platform, is to produce electric energy in a so-called distributed generation system. Such a system involves a reciprocating internal combustion engine and a connected steam turbine...
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Urban city lights. Light pollution as one of the effects of incorrectly designed external illumination. How can a successful lighting masterplan diminish its impact?
PublicationIn the modern world, artificial lighting brings many tangible benefits such as the ability to extend working hours and so increase production, recreational use of the city after dark, or the possibility to travel regardless of the time of day. However, this flexibility comes at a price and negatively impacts on the environment. One such negative phenomenon is Light Pollution ‐ a term used to describe excessive nighttime artificial...
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Mercury contamination, a potential threat to the globally endangered aquatic warbler Acrocephalus paludicola
PublicationMercury (Hg) contamination is considered a global concern for humans and wildlife, and although the number of studies dealing with that issue continues to increase, some taxonomic groups such as small passerine birds are largely understudied. In this paper, concentration of mercury in the aquatic warbler (Acrocephalus paludicola) feathers, a globally threatened passerine species, was examined. The concentration differences between...
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A New Approach for Investigating the Impact of Pesticides and Nutrient Flux from Agricultural Holdings and Land-Use Structures on Baltic Sea Coastal Waters
PublicationKnowledge related to land-use management impacts on the Baltic Sea ecosystem is limited. The constant release of pollutants into water bodies has resulted in water quality degradation. Therefore, only the innovative approaches integrated with research will provide accurate solutions and methods for proper environment management and will enable understanding and prediction of the impacts of land-use in the Baltic Sea region. Modelling...
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Microbial and chemical quality assessment of the small rivers entering the South Baltic. Part II: Case study on the watercourses in the Puck Bay catchment area
PublicationDue to its location, Puck Bay is an area particularly vulnerable to pollution of anthropogenic origin. The aim of the study was to assess the water quality of small watercourses entering the inner part of Puck Bay. The paper presents the results of chemical and microbiological analyses of 10 rivers and canals at their estuaries located on the western shore of the internal Puck Bay. The following environmental parameters were analyzed:...
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Evaluation of antimicrobial activities of powdered cuttlebone against Klebsiella oxytoca, Staphylococcus aureus, and Aspergillus flavus
PublicationBackground: The presence of medicines in the environment is considered as a serious threat to the human health. The entrance of these substances into the water sources causes soil pollution, which eventually leads to the environmental pollution and it creates some problems for the public health. Also, increasing antibiotic resistant bacteria has attracted the attention of researchers to the use of natural resources such as marine...
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Multi-source-supplied parallel hybrid propulsion of the inland passenger ship STA.H. Research work on energy efficiency of a hybrid propulsion system operating in the electric motor drive mode
PublicationIn the Faculty of Ocean Engineering and Ship Technology, Gdansk University of Technology, design has recently been developed of a small inland ship with hybrid propulsion and supply system. The ship will be propelled by a specially designed so called parallel hybrid propulsion system. The work was aimed at carrying out the energy efficiency analysis of a hybrid propulsion system operating in the electric motor drive mode and at...
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Global Approaches to Reduce Light Pollution from Media Architecture and Non-Static, Self-Luminous LED Displays for Mixed-Use Urban Developments
PublicationUrban environments have become significantly brighter and more illuminated, and cities now consider media architecture and non-static, self-luminous LED displays an essential element of their strategy to attract residents, visitors, and tourists in the hours after dark. Unfortunately, most often, they are not designed with care, consideration, and awareness, nor do they support the visual wellbeing and circadian rhythms of humans....
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Spatial Differences in the Chemical Composition of Surface Water in the Hornsund Fjord Area: A Statistical Analysis with A Focus on Local Pollution Sources
PublicationSurface catchments in Svalbard are sensitive to external pollution, and yet what is frequently considered external contamination may originate from local sources and natural processes. In this work, we analyze the chemical composition of surface waters in the catchments surrounding the Polish Polar Station in Svalbard, Hornsund fjord area. We have pooled unpublished and already published data describing surface water composition...
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Lead In drinking water: Adsorption method and role of zeolitic imidazolate frameworks for its remediation: A review
PublicationDue to various characteristics properties lead(II) metal is utilized in many applications like lead ion batteries, water pipes, ammunition and paints. For this reason, concentration of lead(II) ions in water is increasing days by days which is alarming for water pollution. Water pollution is a major problem worldwide which affects biosphere badly, and causes continuous reduction of accessible sources of fresh water and ground water, available...
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Functionalized nanodiamonds as a perspective green carbo-catalyst for removal of emerging organic pollutants
PublicationRapid industrial and urban development jointly with rising global population strongly affect the large-scale issues with drinking, groundwater, and surface water pollution. Concerns are not limited to environmental issues but also human health impact becoming serious global aspect. Organic pollution becomes a primarily serious hazard, therefore, the novel sophisticated approaches to treat them are thoroughly investigated. Among...
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Pollutants in Airport Runoff Waters
PublicationRunoff waters from airport areas constitute a serious environmentalproblem. It is essential to monitor levels of pollutants emitted intothe environment and measure their toxicity on a continuous basis.The authors' aim was to critically review data on pollution fromaviation fuel combustion, aviation fuel spillage, the washing andcleaning of aircraft and airport service equipment, and the useof de-/anti-icing agents published in...
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Calculation methods of interaction of electromagnetic waves with objects of complex geometries
PublicationModeling of the electromagnetic interaction with different homogeneous or inhomo-geneous objects is a fundamental and important problem. It is relatively easy to solve Maxwellequations analytically when the scattering object is spherical or cylindrical, for example. How-ever, when it loses these properties all that is left for us is to useapproximation models, to ac-quire the solution we need. Modeling of complex, non-spherical,...
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Analysis of the Usefulness of Cheap Audio Recorders for Spectral Measurement of Environmental Noise
PublicationEnvironmental noise pollution is nowadays one of the most serious health threats. The impact of noise on the human body depends not only on the sound level but also on its spectral distribution. Reliable measurements of the environmental noise spectrum are often hampered by the very high price of top quality measuring devices. This paper explores the possibility of using much cheaper audio recorders for the frequency analysis....
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Seasonal and spatial differences in metal and metalloid concentrations in the snow cover of Hansbreen, Svalbard
PublicationMetals and metalloids in snow on glaciers, depending on the season of deposition, may come from various sources: local rock dust (erosion of the geological substratum), marine aerosol, local human activity (e.g. fuel combustion, waste incineration) and long-range atmospheric transport. Hansbreen glacier, located close to the Polish Polar Station in Svalbard, is a perfect site to study metals and metalloids: it has complex geological...
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Healthier and Environmentally Responsible Sustainable Cities and Communities. A New Design Framework and Planning Approach for Urban Illumination
PublicationAlthough sustainability and sustainable development are both considered necessary practices in various fields today, a recent analysis showed that the Sustainable Development Goal SDG11: Sustainable Cities and Communities established by the United Nations does not address urban illumination and its impact. This oversight is of concern because research carried out in the last 20+ years indicates artificial light at night (ALAN)...
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LLA : A New Anypath Routing Scheme Providing Long Path Lifetime in VANETs
PublicationVehicular ad-hoc networks (VANETs) are a promising solution to improve the road traffic safety, reduce the environmental pollution, or simply provide the on-board infotainment services. However, these actions are often not possible due to high mobility of vehicles causing frequent failures of VANET links. In this paper, we focus on anypath routing to improve the reliability of multihop VANET communications. In particular, the paper...
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Smart heating system for home extending utilization of renewable energy sources
PublicationIn the paper a modern approach to smart home heating is presented. Proposed solution utilizes at least two low-polluting energy source technologies. The main idea is to connect well known ecological energy sources in a way that they can support each other and minimize risks of failure when using single system or even both of them but managed in separate way. Considered energy technologies, used separatelly, have disadvan-tages,...
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Mercury in Living Organisms: Sources and Forms of Occurrence, Bioaccumulation, and Determination Methods
PublicationMercury (Hg) is a heavy metal with well-known and broadly tested toxicity. Since Hg pollution and its impacts on human health are of global concern, it has become necessary to develop analytical methodologies that will provide tools to obtain reliable analytical information about the levels of Hg in samples, which very often have a complex matrix composition. This chapter summarizes key information on Hg and its chemical forms,...
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4D Reconstruction and Visualisation of Krakow Fortress
PublicationThe specific aim of the European project named "Cultural Heritage Through Time" (CHT2) and reported in this paper is to fully integrate the fourth dimension (4D) into Cultural Heritage studies for analysing structures and landscapes over time. Krakow-the Fortress City (Poland) is the one of four case studies of the CHT2, which are used for the time varying reconstruction, analysis, visualization, and preservation. The goal of...
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Runoff Water
PublicationThis entry summarizes the current state of knowledge on the role of atmospheric pollutants' transport to the surface and transformations of wet deposition on contact with various surfaces. Runoff waters are one of the forms in which precipitation reaches the groundwater and surface water. They are formed when rain or melting snow washes the surfaces of roofs, highways, agricultural areas, or tree canopies. Pollutants present in...