Enivironmental pollution

Integrated geotechnical and geophysical investigation of a wetland dumpsite in Epe, Lagos State, Nigeria, was carried out with a view to determining the hydraulic properties of the underlying formation for possible leachate transmission and subsequent subsoil pollution. Eleven boreholes were drilled, lithologically logged, sampled and analysed for hydraulic/hydrogeological parameters. Geophysical investigation involved 1-D Vertical Electrical Soundings (VES) (8 Nos.) and 2-D Dipole-Dipole profiling along five traverses. The survey area is underlain by fine-medium grained sands with coefficient of uniformity values of < 6. The fresh water saturated sandy formation is characterized by relatively high layer resistivity values (5681-9889 Ωm). The mean bulk-3-4-4 density is 1.89±0.162 g/cm ; porosity: 37.84±8.42%; and permeability: 3.0 x 10 ± 1.1 x 10 cm/sec. The 2D images identify leachate impacted zone beneath the waste dump site and its periphery characterized by relatively low resistivity values (4 to 165 Ωm). The study concluded that the sandy nature of the subsoil and its moderate permeability aided subsoil and groundwater pollution by leachate to depths in excess of 15 m.

This study examines how information and communication technology (ICT) could be employed to dampen the potentially damaging effects of environmental degradation in order to promote inclusive human development in a panel of 44 Sub-Saharan African countries. ICT is captured with internet and mobile phone penetration rates whereas environmental degradation is measured in terms of CO2 emissions per capita and CO2 intensity. The empirical evidence is based on Fixed Effects and Tobit regressions using data from 2000-2012. In order to increase the policy relevance of this study, the dataset is decomposed into fundamental characteristics of inclusive development and environmental degradation based on income levels (Low income versus (vs.) Middle income); legal origins (English Common law vs. French Civil law); religious domination (Christianity vs. Islam); openness to sea (Landlocked vs. Coastal); resource-wealth (Oil-rich vs. Oil-poor) and political stability (Stable vs. Unstable).
Baseline findings broadly show that improvement in both of measures of ICT would  significantly  diminish the possibly harmful effect of CO2 emissions on inclusive human development. When the analysis is extended with the abovementioned fundamental characteristics, we observe that the moderating influence of both our ICT variables on CO2 emissions is higher in the group of English Common law, Middle income and Oil-wealthy countries than in the French Civil law, Low income countries and Oil-poor countries respectively. Theoretical and practical policy implications are discussed.

The GCC countries' unified economic agreement which has been signed on 1981 and activated in 2002 aimed for easing free trade and attract more FDI to enhance the level of economic growth. This agreement has also emphasized on reducing levels of pollution and achieving a sustainable economic growth. In reality, there is an increase in the level of emissions along with the level of rising of economic growth in GCC countries. Accordingly, in this study we will test the most significant variables pertaining to the increasing carbon dioxide emissions in GCC countries. The research objective is to determine how much the FDI inflows, economic growth, and commodity imports influenced the increasing level of emissions, and which variable has most effect? For this purpose, an empirical model is specified as a function of FDI inflows, per capita GDP growth rate, and commodity imports. However, we have built this model based on Environmental Kuznets Curve assumption (EKC), as well as Pollution Haven Hypothesis (PHH). It will be examined simultaneously a 66 balanced observation of the six GCC countries within the panel data technique using cross-section random effects.

Guppy has been introduced widely for mosquito control and little is known about its foraging behavior and efficacy in relation to the control of mosquito larvae. This study investigated the foraging behavior of guppy in relation to its use as a biological control method of mosquito larvae under varying conditions of prey types, the physicochemical condition of the habitat and also the social context in which they are foraging. Guppies were exposed to mosquito larvae of Culex and Anopheles under varying conditions which included foraging alone, female focal singly and male focal singly, alongside male and/or female conspecifics in laboratory and field water samples. The study showed that female guppy fed significantly more than the male guppy both in the presence and absence of companions, the guppies’ higher preference for Culex to Anopheles larvae was significant at p<0.05 and their foraging behavior was better in the laboratory water as compared to their habitat water. These results suggest that the preference and the foraging behavior of the guppies varied with social and environmental conditions which may be as a result of varying social conditions and the relative differences in the physicochemical quality of the media. It is apparent that the sex of the forager, the social environment, habitat quality and complexity are each capable of affecting foraging behavior and prey use, therefore these factors should be integrated when introducing guppies as biological agent for mosquito control.