If dihydrogen (H) becomes a major part of the energy mix, massive storage in underground gas storage (UGS), such as in deep aquifers, will be needed. The development of H requires a growing share of H in natural gas (and its current infrastructure), which is expected to reach approximately 2% in Europe. The impact of H in aquifers is uncertain, mainly because its behavior is site dependent.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFStarting in 2010, rapid fire salamander (Salamandra salamandra) population declines in northwestern Europe heralded the emergence of Batrachochytrium salamandrivorans (Bsal), a salamander-pathogenic chytrid fungus. Bsal poses an imminent threat to global salamander diversity owing to its wide host range, high pathogenicity, and long-term persistence in ecosystems. While there is a pressing need to develop further research and conservation actions, data limitations inherent to recent pathogen emergence obscure necessary insights into Bsal disease ecology.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe early detection and identification of pathogenic microorganisms is essential in order to deploy appropriate mitigation measures. Viruses in the Iridoviridae family, such as those in the genus, can infect amphibian species without resulting in mortality or clinical signs, and they can also infect other hosts than amphibian species. Diagnostic techniques allowing the detection of the pathogen outside the period of host die-off would thus be of particular use.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFEstimates of cumulative plastic inputs into the oceans are expressed in hundred million tons, whereas the total mass of microplastics afloat at sea is 3 orders of magnitude below this. This large gap is evidence of our ignorance about the fate of plastics, as well as transformations and sinks in the oceans. One of the current challenges consists of identifying and quantifying plastic particles at the microscale, the small microplastics (SMP, 25-1000 μm).
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