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Capítulos en libros This paper assesses the scalability and replicability of smart grid projects, by means of the identification of limitations and barriers faced by these projects. Factors have been identified that impact a project s scalability and replicability by means of a review of demonstration projects. The factors are of technical, economic, regulatory and social acceptance nature, and they describe requirements for scalability and replicability. Data was collected from ongoing European smart grid demonstration projects through the use of an elaborated questionnaire on the identified factors. Which allowed to quantify the status quo to what extent projects have taken these factors into account. Dew to their nature the derived factors can be categorized in technical, economic and regulatory & stakeholder related factor areas The obtained results allowed the identification of barriers, i.e. limitations regarding the scalability and replicability of smart grid projects. In particular projects face barriers regarding the absence of standards, the physical limits of the existing infrastructure, the absence of cost-benefit analyses, the neglect of varying macro-economic factors, stakeholder involvement and from the dependency of projects on regional or national regulatory frameworks and market designs. info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion

The extensive abandonment of agricultural lands in the Mediterranean basin has led to large landscapes being dominated by early-successional species, characterized by high flammability and an increasing fire risk. This fact promotes fire occurrence and places ecosystems in a state of arrested succession. In this work, we assessed the effectiveness of several restoration actions in redirecting these ecosystems toward more resilient communities dominated by resprouting species. These actions included the mechanical clearing of early-successional species, the plantation of resprouting species, and the combination of both treatments. For 13 years, we assessed shifts in the successional trajectory and ecosystem flammability by changes in: species composition, species richness, ecosystem evenness, the natural colonization of resprouting species, total biomass and proportion of dead biomass. We observed that the plantation and clearing combination was a suitable strategy to promote resilience. Species richness increased as well as the presence of the resprouting species introduced by planting. The natural colonization of the resprouting species was also enhanced. These changes in the successional trajectory were accompanied by a possible reduction of fire risk by reducing dead fuel proportion. These findings are relevant for the management of Mediterranean basin areas, but also suggest new tools for redirecting systems in fire-prone areas worldwide.

AbstractEscalating pressures caused by the combined effects of population growth, demographic shifts, economic development and global climate change pose unprecedented threats to sandy beach ecosystems worldwide. Conservation of beaches as functional ecosystems and protection of their unique biodiversity requires management interventions that not only mitigate threats to physical properties of sandy shores, but also include ecological dimensions. Yet, beach management remains overwhelmingly focused on engineering interventions. Here we summarise the key outcomes of several workshops, held during the 2006 Sandy Beach Ecology Symposium in Vigo, Spain, that addressed issues of climate change, beach management and sampling methodology. Because efficient communication between managers and ecologists is critical, we summarise the salient features of sandy beaches as functional ecosystems in 50 ‘key statements’; these provide a succinct synopsis of the main structural and functional characteristics of these highly dynamic systems. Key outcomes of the workshops include a set of recommendations on designs and methods for sampling the benthic infaunal communities of beaches, the identification of the main ecological effects caused by direct and indirect human interventions, the predicted consequence of climate change for beach ecosystems, and priority areas for future research.

AbstractClimate change will affect semiarid ecosystems through severe droughts that increase the competition for resources in plant and microbial communities. In these habitats, adaptations to climate change may consist of thinning—that reduces competition for resources through a decrease in tree density and the promotion of plant survival. We deciphered the functional and phylogenetic responses of the microbial community to 60 years of drought induced by rainfall exclusion and how forest management affects its resistance to drought, in a semiarid forest ecosystem dominated byPinus halepensisMill. A multiOMICapproach was applied to reveal novel, community‐based strategies in the face of climate change. The diversity and the composition of the total and active soil microbiome were evaluated by 16SrRNAgene (bacteria) andITS(fungal) sequencing, and by metaproteomics. The microbial biomass was analyzed by phospholipid fatty acids (PLFAs), and the microbially mediated ecosystem multifunctionality was studied by the integration of soil enzyme activities related to the cycles of C, N, and P. The microbial biomass and ecosystem multifunctionality decreased in drought‐plots, as a consequence of the lower soil moisture and poorer plant development, but this decrease was more notable in unthinned plots. The structure and diversity of the total bacterial community was unaffected by drought at phylum and order level, but did so at genus level, and was influenced by seasonality. However, the total fungal community and the active microbial community were more sensitive to drought and were related to ecosystem multifunctionality. Thinning in plots without drought increased the active diversity while the total diversity was not affected. Thinning promoted the resistance of ecosystem multifunctionality to drought through changes in the active microbial community. The integration of total and active microbiome analyses avoids misinterpretations of the links between the soil microbial community and climate change.

Abstract The voltammetric response of microparticulate deposits resulting from solvent evaporation of ethanolic extracts of mangrove sediments in contact with aqueous acetate buffer is hereby described. Dated sediment cores sampled from the Peruvian mangrove system (“Manglares de Tumbes” National Sanctuary) presented voltammetric responses dominated by oxidative signals of organic components that exhibit significant variations depending on the depth. Voltammetric data allowed for the definition of electrochemical indexes representative of the electrochemically oxidable organic matter fraction. These electrochemical indexes were fEAOM (for the total amount of organic matter being electrochemically active), fEROM (for the fraction of organic matter electrochemically oxidizable in reversible form), fRDOX (for the proportion between the fractions of electrochemically active organic matter which is in an oxidized state and in a reduced state) and fROS (capability for reaction with reactive oxygen species), while the spectroscopic index A1650/A3400 (as a proxy analogous to fRDOX) was also applied. The mangrove forest presents a higher oxidized fraction of the electrochemically active organic matter, as confirmed by additional data obtained from infrared spectroscopy. These results indicate that the described electrochemical indexes may provide insights on organic matter degradation by oxidative processes in addition to chemical analyses of coastal vegetated systems that are currently used, such as mangrove wetlands.

Agroforestry is considered a sustainable form of land management that optimizes the use of natural resources (nutrients, radiation, water). Agroforestry is defined as the deliberate integration of woody vegetation with agricultural activities in the lower story. It provides a higher biomass production per unit of land, while providing more ecosystem services than woody-less agricultural lands, such as the reduction of soil erosion and nitrogen leaching, and increase carbon sequestration and landscape biodiversity. The objective of this paper is to evaluate the past and current European Union Common Agricultural policies aiming at promoting the afforestation or reforestation of lands, as the introduction of trees can be seen as a first step to carry out agroforestry practices in former agricultural or forest lands. Agroforestry was a traditional land use system in Europe before modern times. However, before the sixties land intensification and consolidation destroyed millions of trees all over Europe. On the contrary, some good examples of agroforestry promotion are found in Eastern European countries in order to reduce the effect of extreme events such as winds, flooding at the beginning and mid of the last century. In Western European countries, the introduction of trees in the land has been promoted by agroforestry, afforestation and reforestation at the end of the last century. Afforestation of agricultural lands have been the most successful CAP measure (over 1 million hectares) while agroforestry measures were not extensively adopted which may be explained by the funds associated to afforestation measure which compensated the losses of income 15 or 20 years in afforested lands. Agroforestry was poorly adopted in the CAP 2007-2013, having a better success in the CAP 2014-2020 due to the recognition of woody vegetation and the compensation of 5 years given for maintenance once agroforestry is established. However, policy rules ensuring Pillar I payment when agroforestry measure is adopted such as a management plans ensuring that maximum tree density (100 trees per hectare) is not reached, should be pursued.

Materials on the built environment are exposed to several agents that promote alteration processes resulting in features that might be considered detrimental of its value. Here we review the main issues related to the struggle against these alteration processes, from the consideration of the intervention criteria, including the non-intervention option, to strategic considerations on the organisation of the intervention that must consider the temporal and spatial features of the alteration processes, as well as possible interventions on the surroundings of the materials, e.g. atmosphere, terrain and structure, and in relation to treatments of materials, including its replacement. It is highlighted the problem of testing using small clean specimens aggravated by comparative studies based on one specimen by case. Assessment of short-term an effects is discussed in relation to intrinsic aspects of the interventions. The long-term effectiveness is linked with the global strategy namely in relation to the conditions that promote the alteration processes. Some sustainability questions related to the intervention operations are also considered such the use of toxic substances and the consumption of resources The Centre of Geological Research, Management and Valorisation of Resources (CIG-R) is supported by the Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia (Portugal) Portuguese funds (PEst-OE/CTE/UI0697/2011). The collaboration between the authors in this subjected has benefited from Portuguese-Spanish collaboration Project “Ação Integrada E-141/10” (Fundação das Universidades Portuguesas)/“Acción Integrada PT2009-0077” (Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación). info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion Postprint: versão dos autores

Abstract Arundo donax L. has been recognized as a promising biomass crop for bioenergy and biobased applications. Previous nitrogen fertilization studies of this crop were based on conventional fertilizer application (broadcast). Fertigation is considered an efficient strategy to reduce nutrient loss in irrigated crops. The objective of this study was to investigate the effect of nitrogen fertigation on A.donax grown in low fertility soil, under a continental Mediterranean climate. Three levels of nitrogen supply (N) were studied: 0 N (0 kg ha−1 year−1), 60 N (60 kg ha−1 year−1); and 120 N (120 kg ha−1 year−1). Biometric parameters, leaf chlorophyll content, leaf weight percentage, biomass production and biomass quality as well as soil macronutrient concentration were evaluated. Nitrogen use efficiency and energy yield increase due to fertilization were also determined. Compared with unfertilized plants, fertigation increased plant height, basal diameter of stem, chlorophyll content, biomass production and fiber composition. However, the increase in N rate from 60 to 120 kg ha−1 year−1did not affect biomass yield. Energy increase due to N fertigation and nitrogen use efficiency led to the recommendation of using a fertigation N rate of 60 kg ha−1 for the A.donax cultivation in these experimental conditions.