Jueves, 29 de Noviembre de 2007
100% of people carry at least one type of pesticide from the air, water or food in their bodies
A study carried out by researchers from the Department of Radiology and Physical Medicine of the University of Granada, in collaboration with the Escuela Andaluza de Salud Pública, found that 100% of Spaniards analyzed had at least one kind of persistent organic compound (POC´s), substances internationally classified as potentially harmful to one’s health, in their bodies. These substances enter the body trough food, water or even air. All of them tend to ...
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Natural Resources and Environment
Jueves, 18 de Octubre de 2007
Scientists of the University of Granada prove that rivers do not act as barriers for groundwater flow
The research team from the Geodynamics Department at the University of Granada and the Spanish Institute of Geology and Mining (which is part of the Spanish Ministry of Education and Science) has studied the hydrogeology of the karst aquifers in the Mediterranean climate. It has been found that, contrary to popular belief, rivers do not act as insurmountable barriers for groundwater flow.
This pioneering study was carried out by Antonio Gonzá...
This pioneering study was carried out by Antonio Gonzá...
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Natural Resources and Environment
Lunes, 01 de Octubre de 2007
Researchers of Granada University (Spain) have studied the influence of linear Alkylbenzene Sulfonate (LAS) on the bacterial diversity of an agricultural soil
A study carried out by Mª del Mar Sánchez Peinado, Ph.D. and conducted by Mª Victoria Martínez-Toledo, Mª Belén Rodelas González and Clementina Pozo Llorente, researchers of the Institute of Water Research and the Department of Microbiology (University of Granada, Spain), has focused on the effect of this compound on the microbial composition and biological activity (enzymatic activities) of soil samples. They used soil microcosms artificially polluted with ...
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Natural Resources and Environment
Viernes, 27 de Julio de 2007
Seawater intrusion is the first cause of contamination of coastal aquifers
Seawater intrusion is often the consequence of freshwater aquifers overexploitation. This is a very common and serious phenomenon all over the Mediterranean basin, as well as in other areas with similar weather conditions and population.
In Spain, the most severely affected areas by seawater intrusion are the Mediterranean and South-Atlantic coastlines. Given that Spain is located on a peninsula, seawater intrusion is currently one of the main causes of groundwater pollution. In fact, “about 60% of Spanish coastal aquifers are contaminated by seawater intrusion, a generalised phenomenon in 20% of cases”, points out Prof. José Benavente Herrera, a researcher from ...
In Spain, the most severely affected areas by seawater intrusion are the Mediterranean and South-Atlantic coastlines. Given that Spain is located on a peninsula, seawater intrusion is currently one of the main causes of groundwater pollution. In fact, “about 60% of Spanish coastal aquifers are contaminated by seawater intrusion, a generalised phenomenon in 20% of cases”, points out Prof. José Benavente Herrera, a researcher from ...
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Natural Resources and Environment
Martes, 19 de Junio de 2007
A study warns about the serious environmental risk of building in the only open space left in Marbella
A study carried out by researchers of the Institute for Regional Development of the University of Granada states that no building should be constructed in the last open space on the western Costa del Sol, where the Department of Urban Planning of the Costa del Sol and the PGOU of Marbella (the latter has not yet approved the plan) prepare an ambitious project.
The said area is the fertile lowland of the Guadaiza River, 200 hectares of land located between the towns of San Pedro de Alcántara and Nueva Andalucía, within the municipality of Marbella. The area ...
The said area is the fertile lowland of the Guadaiza River, 200 hectares of land located between the towns of San Pedro de Alcántara and Nueva Andalucía, within the municipality of Marbella. The area ...
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Natural Resources and Environment
Martes, 20 de Marzo de 2007
A new physics model will analyse microscopic mechanisms responsible for traffic jams and natural phenomena such as sand dunes
Strange as it may seem, Theoretical Physics can not give a solid explanation for natural phenomena as common as atmospheric flux, cloud strips or desert dunes, or for other phenomena such as traffic jams, even though what causes them is the same. Statistical Mechanics looks for the explanation behind these phenomena. This discipline tries to find the rules that link the microscopic world –that works on an atom scale– and the macroscopic world –the world where everything can be seen and touched.
This is the context for "Instability, nucleation and critical behaviour of fluids whose dragging is far ...
This is the context for "Instability, nucleation and critical behaviour of fluids whose dragging is far ...
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Natural Resources and Environment
Lunes, 12 de Marzo de 2007
The UGR Water Institute is coordinating the creation of a catalogue that will include the 300 most important fountains and springs in Andalusia
A group of researchers from the Water Institute at the University of Granada have almost completed the first catalogue of fountains and springs in Andalusia. The project was conducted by Antonio Castillo Martín, professor at UGR and scientist at The Institute for Scientific Research. It is the result of an agreement signed in 2005 between the Andalusian Water Agency “Search for and investigation of Andalusian fountains and springs.”
Castillo Martín explained: “All the information that we have now will form the basis of a book about fountains and springs in ...
Castillo Martín explained: “All the information that we have now will form the basis of a book about fountains and springs in ...
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Natural Resources and Environment
Domingo, 25 de Febrero de 2007
Spanish scientists point at climate changes as the cause of the Neanderthal extinction in the Iberian Peninsula
Climate – and not modern humans – was the cause of the Neanderthal extinction in the Iberian Peninsula. Such is the conclusion of the University of Granada research group RNM 179 - Mineralogy and Geochemistry of sedimentary and metamorphic environments, headed by professor Miguel Ortega Huertas and whose members Francisco José Jiménez Espejo, Francisca Martínez Ruiz and David Gallego Torres work jointly at the department of Mineralogy and Petrology of the University of Granada (Universidad de Granada) and the Andalusian Regional Institute of Earth Sciences (CSIC-UGR).
Together with other scientists from the ...
Together with other scientists from the ...
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Natural Resources and Environment
Martes, 23 de Enero de 2007
A new project will try to recover flora and fauna in one of the very few dunes located on the Mediterranean coast
The University of Granada, in association with the Valle del Genal study group and the Archaeological Museum of Estepona, will protect one of the few natural oases still left on the Spanish coastline which nowadays is full of building work. Researchers from the Institute for the Regional Development and Herbarium will study “El Saladillo-Matas Verdes” (Estepona, Málaga). By analysing this coastal area, they will try to prevent it from degrading or disappearing.
The project is conducted by José Gómez Zotano, a professor from the department of Regional Geographical Analysis and Physical Geography, and a member of ...
The project is conducted by José Gómez Zotano, a professor from the department of Regional Geographical Analysis and Physical Geography, and a member of ...
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Natural Resources and Environment
Martes, 09 de Enero de 2007
Experts in urban development warn of a lack of planning in the use of resources
In the short term, the current town planning boom in Spain will be extremely damaging for the management of natural resources such as water and energy. This is shown in a PhD thesis written by Juan Manuel Santiago Zaragoza, a researcher at the Andalusian Environment Institute and a professor at the Department of Graphic and Architectural Expression of the University of Granada. This PhD analyzes for the first time the potential economic and environmental consequences of a lack of planning when carrying out town planning.
The research made by Manuel Santiago ...
The research made by Manuel Santiago ...
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Natural Resources and Environment