Abstract Rising threats, such as climate change, have thus far resulted in disruptions to ecosystems. Therefore, ecological resilience (eco-resilience) to absorb such distractions and maintain the capacity of ecosystems has been the focal point of numerous studies. In most cases, the characteristics of ecosystems are considered as indicators shaping this type of resilience. In this study, an alternative approach was adopted to examine the performance and outcomes of an ecosystem instead of reflecting on affective factors. Therefore, the resilience index (RI) of an urban forest park was assessed using eco-functional indicators, such as eco-volume (Veco), eco-height (Heco), bio-volume (Vbio), and eco-volume (Veco). At first, the forest park zoning was done. Then, each of the introduced indicators was calculated based on its specific parameters. Finally, the RI of the urban forest park was premeditated. The results showed that each zone with more effective Veco, Heco, and Veco gained a higher score in terms of resilience. The obtained score for RI was thus the function of the current ecological state of each zone. The study conclusions also confirmed that the outputs of the applied framework could embody the main indicators of resilience assessments (viz. thresholds, adaptive capacity, and self-organization). The application of this model on a larger scale required further studies.

Comparative analysis of microbiological indicators (heterotrophic and hydrocarbon-oxidizing bacteria) in bottom sediments and biochemical parameters (level of oxidized proteins (OP) and lipid peroxidation (LPO), superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST) and alanine aminotransferase (ALT) activities) in hepatopancreas of mussel Mytilus galloprovincialis (Lam.) from three Sevastopol bays - Laspi, Kazach’ya, Streletskaya (the Black Sea) was carried out. The results obtained allowed to identify certain differences between the studied areas and characterize their ecological state. The maximum abundance of heterotrophic and hydrocarbon-oxidizing bacteria was found in the most polluted Streletskaya Bay (95,000 and 250 cells/g respectively), the minimum - in the conventionally pure Laspi Bay (2,500 and 1.5 cells/g respectively). Parameters of prooxidant-antioxidant system (level of OP and LPO, SOD and CAT activities), as well as ALT activity in the hepatopancreas of mussels from Streletskaya Bay were found higher as compared to those in other tested areas. Most significant differences (more than twofold) in SOD activity, LPO content and basic ketone forms of OP levels were found between Laspi and Streletskaya bays. The results obtained indicate the severe pollution and less favorable living conditions for aquatic organisms in Streletskaya Bay, as well as demonstrate the high level of biochemical adaptation of mussels to complex environmental pollution. The studied parameters can be applied in the ecological monitoring of the coastal sea water areas.

Solar disinfection is becoming increasingly popular around the world for eliminating pathogens present in wastewater. The goals of this study were to identify the significant variables and to maximize the log reduction values (LRV) of total coliforms present in treated urban wastewater using solar disinfection. To achieve the goals, a 23 full factorial design of experiments and response surface methodology were used. Solar disinfection was carried out in an open-air batch reactor and in a solar batch reactor. The three variables considered were solar irradiation, volume of sample and exposure time at two markedly different levels: solar irradiation (1100 Wh/m2 and 1700 Wh/m2), volume of sample (0.2 L and 2L), and exposure time (0.5 h and 3 h). When compared to other variables, exposure time was the most significant factor in the analysis of variance (ANOVA) study for both the reactor conditions. The regression equation developed for a solar reactor does not adequately explain the variability of the experimental data when compared to the regression equation developed for an open-air reactor. According to the response optimizer, the optimum values of the factors for solar disinfection using a solar reactor to achieve an LRV of 2 for 0.25 L of sample volume are 1700 Wh/m2 solar irradiation and 2.97 hours of exposure time. With an open-air reactor, 0.2 L of sample must be exposed to 1700 Wh/m2 of solar irradiation for 3 hours to achieve LRV of 2.

The effect of ceramic filter composition on improving the quality of produced water by reducing total dissolved solids (TDS), barium, and phenol for reverse osmosis (RO) treatment was investigated in the present work. The ceramic filters were fabricated using a residue catalytic cracking (RCC) unit spent catalyst with and without activation, clay, and Dioscorea hispida starch (DHS), at various compositions.  The result showed that the optimum removal of TDS, barium, and phenol in produced water was achieved at a flow rate of sample 7 L/min and an operating time of 90 min. Ceramic filter with the composition of 60% spent catalyst without activation: 37.5% clay: 2.5% DHS reduced 34.84% TDS, 27.97% barium, and 71.11% phenol. While, the ceramic filter with a composition of 37.5% activated spent catalyst: 60% clay: 2.5% DHS was removed 51.44% TDS, 27.93% barium, and 85.29% phenol from produced water. The next steps of treatment of filtrates of the ceramic filter using reverse osmosis (RO) membrane showed that the permeate met the Indonesian standard for oil and gas wastewater. In addition, adsorption of TDS, barium, and phenol from produced water was dominated by clay composition in the ceramic filter.

In recent times, the brick kiln contributes to air pollution is one of the most emerging issues worldwide. In this research work, the Peshawar city, ambient air quality was measured, using a fixed air monitoring station to evaluate the impact of gaseous emission from brick kilns on ground level. In this study, the portable gas analyzer (PG-250) was used to quantify brick-based emitting carbon monoxide (CO), sulfur dioxide (SO2) and nitrogen oxide (NOx) from 3 brick kilns in the city of Peshawar. It was noticed that the average concentration of SO2 and NOx exceeds the National Environmental Quality Standards (NEQS) of Pakistan specifically, in terms of air quality. The brick kilns in District Peshawar have shown negative effects on the environment. It is necessary to take various measures to monitor the brick kiln embosom regularly before it becomes a significant risk for individuals. In conclusion, the impact of air pollution on physical activity and sedentary behavior at a specific time may be different.

A pot experiment was carried out in the green house of Bangladesh Jute Research Institute (BJRI), Dhaka to study the response of jute (Corchorus capsularies and Corchorus olitorius) to the accumulation of As from soil to plants when various rates of As were applied. In the experiment, four treatments of arsenic (control, 10, 20 and 40 mg/kg) were applied. The salt sodium meta-arsenite (NaAsO2) was used as a source of As. Three jute varieties of CVL-1, 0-9897 and OM-1 were used.  CVL-1 variety is As sensitive whereas the 0-9897 and OM-1 varieties appeared to be As tolerant and OM-1 takes up the highest amount of As. Arsenic will be ingested into the body exceeding the maximum allowable daily limit (0.22mg/kg per day) through the consumption of 100g of jute leaves of these three varieties per day. Accumulation of As at 10 and 40 mg/kg treatment, the maximum was observed at 52 days harvest for CVL-1 while for the other two treatments, the maximum was observed at 42 days of growth. In the case of 0-9897 and OM-1 varieties, overall the maximum accumulation of As was observed at 42 days of growth at 40 mg/kg treatment.

The impact of atrazine and nitrate, the most used pesticide and fertilizer, on the health of Sclerophrys regularis was investigated in this study. We exposed the tadpole of Sclerophrys regularis to atrazine and nitrates to assess abnormalities and genotoxicity as biomarkers for environmental impacts. The proportional malformed toads were shown to be high when treated with nitrate alone (17%) or in combination (13%) or even treated with atrazine alone (the minimal, 5%), limbs and tail deformities are the most observed. Also, abnormal activity and movement were detected at all treated groups. In addition, Genotoxicity was measured by micronucleus test (MN) in detection of nuclear abnormalities in given species. The results indicate that individuals exposed to atrazine or nitrate or that exposed to both, exhibited a significantly higher degree (p < 0.01) of nuclear lesions. These results constitute key assessment of developing abnormalities and MN test in this species in Egypt and suggest that developing abnormalities and /or MN test and the degree of nuclear lesions of RBCs can be a useful indicator of the degree of environmental stress and ecosystem disrupting experienced by amphibian populations.

This study derives an analytical solution of a one-dimensional (1-D) Advection-Dispersion Equation (ADE) for solute transport with two contaminant sources incorporating the source term. Groundwater velocity is considered as a linear function of space while the dispersion as a nth power of velocity and analytical solutions are obtained for , and . The solution is derived using the Generalized Integral Transform Technique (GITT) with a new regular Sturm-Liouville Problem (SLP). Analytical solutions are compared with numerical solutions obtained in MATLAB pedpe solver and are found to be in good agreement. The obtained solutions are illustrated for linear combination of exponential input distribution and its particular cases. The dispersion coefficient and temporal variation of the source term on the solute distribution are demonstrated graphically for the set of input data based on similar data available in the literature. As an illustration, model predictions are used to estimate the time histories of the radiological doses of uranium at different distances from the sources boundary in order to understand the potential radiological impact on the general public for such problem.

This study aimed at quantifying the heavy metal levels in soils and vegetables sampled from five suburban regions of Nairobi, Kenya. Using inductively coupled plasma- mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) the metals were quantified from the samples. The assayed heavy metals including Cd, Cr, Co. Cu, Fe, Hg, Mn, Ni, Pb, Zn and the metalloid arsenic were elevated beyond the reference values in both soils and vegetables. High pollutant levels in soils were affiliated to use of industrial and domestic wastewater for irrigation, application of heavy metal containing agrochemicals and geogenic sources of the pollutants. In collard leaves, the uptake of contaminated water via the roots and subsequent accumulation in the leaves was attributable to the observed results. The total hazard quotient (THQ) and hazard index (HI) as a result of arsenic and Hg was >1 in all sampled sites and >10, respectively for both indices and heavy metals. Similarly, the cancer risk (CR) and target cancer risk (TCR) from consumption of collard was greater than the recommended levels of 10-6 and 10-4, respectively with exception of Pb. The indices were indicative of negative non-carcinogenic and carcinogenic effects of consuming the vegetables to the community of the study area. The results of the study, though preliminary, suggest the need to safeguard the health of communities in the study area to ensure that they do not consume heavy metal contaminated vegetables due to the established health effects of such pollutants.

Aquatic environments, including wetlands, are one of the most threatened ecosystems worldwide. Considering their ecological importance, wetlands are rightly appraised as ‘natural kidneys’. In this current study, the city wetlands of Guwahati were viewed for the first time through the angle of lesser-explored bottom dwellers. Guwahati, a rapidly expanding metropolis, is the gateway to northeast India, part of an Indian biodiversity hot-spot region. This case study comprised the bridge between abiotic and biotic factors, thus directing the pave for characterization of wetlands through benthos analysis. The study, covering seasons, viz. winter, premonsoon and monsoon, revealed 15 definite taxa belonging to 10 orders. The dominance of Chironomidae and Culicidae in certain wetlands indicated high tolerance of Dipterans in a wide range of aquatic environments, including polluted water bodies. Similarly, the presence of Trichopterans, only in the wetland located distant from the mainland city, marked that with less anthropogenic impacts. The Shannon indices for benthos were in the range from 0.17 to 0.97. Density was found to have a significant positive correlation with dissolved oxygen (r = 0.567) and a negative correlation with free carbon dioxide (r = -0.377). In contrast to significant site- wise variation in density, there was no significant difference in benthic diversity across the sites and no significant seasonal variation of benthic density and diversity from the statistical point of view.