- What connects the volcanic rocks of Vesuvius with Polish metallurgical heaps? How lichens cope in extreme conditions
Lichens are unique symbiotic organisms, consisting of two components: fungal hyphae and algae / cyanosis cells. Thanks to the symbiosis, they have gained many unique properties not found in other organisms, which allow them to function in extremely unfavorable environmental conditions. The described species of lichens, incl. the barbed wireworm and the brown-black roller coaster occur in such extreme habitats as the volcanic rocks of Vesuvius or the smelting dumps heavily contaminated with heavy metals in Poland. Slag heaps related to the processing of zinc and lead ores are an excellent substitute habitat and can be a specific refugium (refuge) for rare lichen species. - Assessment of ancestral variability of Norway spruce from the Silesian Beskids
The subject of the work is the assessment of the ancestral variability of Norway spruce. The aim of the research was to investigate the phenotypic variability of morphological and incremental traits, as well as to determine its plasticity, i.e. its adaptation to climatic conditions. The study used empirical data from two research plots in Krynica and Wisła. 22-year-old spruces were examined on the conservation plots. The obtained measurements were compiled in an excel sheet in order to create a database necessary for calculations. Calculations of average height, DBH, survival and frost resistance were performed. On the basis of the obtained results, conclusions were drawn. The best offspring of the following families were assessed: 5210, 85, 5218, 5198 Zapowiedź, 2949 Malinka, and the biologically weakest 5208 and 5213. - COP-26 in Glasgow
The conference of the signatories of the Climate Convention in 2021 should clarify some provisions of the Paris Agreement of 2015, in particular its Articles 6 and 8. Some threatening "clarifications" were avoided, which would be particularly harmful to the climate, but - under the pressure of several signatories - provisions were introduced that hinder efforts to protect it. Above all, however, the Conference confirmed that the road to climate protection is still very long and that there are few countries that are ready to take seriously global threats. - Construction of the 3rd generation PV cell made of amorphous silicon (a-Si) in the TOPCon technology
Construction of the device These cells no longer have a classic pn junction, but a silicon heterojunction (thin-film technology). By diffusing phosphorus into the thin layer of the silicon wafer, a free electron was obtained on the valence coating of the silicon semiconductor (negative charge). By admixing the thin layer (nano-layer) of amorphous silicon with boron (B), an excess of holes was obtained on the valence coating of the silicon semiconductor (positive charge). Thin n (wafer) and p-silicon nano-layers (polycrystalline silicon doped with boron), superimposed on each other, form the pn junction. Thanks to the described process, a highly efficient tunnel solar cell was created. - Medicinal plants in the Western Rhodope Mountains
Even 30 years ago, in the Rhodope Mountains, located on the territory of Bulgaria, factory chimneys smoked and numerous iron, zinc, uranium, lead and other non-ferrous metals mines were in operation (eg in the villages of Rudozem or Madan). When the wind of history changed, the most important treasure of this region was nature with the wealth of herbs that the Bulgarians describe as healing gold. In the Western Rhodope Mountains, mountain meadow vegetation dominates, as well as beech and coniferous forests, with a predominance of pine and spruce, growing mostly on brown soils. About 2,000 species can be found in this huge area (15,000 km2), 90 of which are Balkan endemics. - The National Fund for Environmental Protection and Water Management financially supports the national waste management
In Poland, an average of 14.5 million tonnes of municipal waste is generated per year. For almost a decade, this amount has been systematically increasing by approx. 0.5 million tonnes per year. This makes rational waste management one of the most important priorities of the National Fund for Environmental Protection and Water Management. Local governments, enterprises and other entities may apply for co-financing of investments related to selective waste collection, construction of installations for their management and the use of waste fuels in the energy sector. Funds for support, depending on the type of projects, will come from national funds of the National Fund for Environmental Protection and Water Management or from the EU Modernization Fund. - I counted three icons - there are 59 national parks in the United States
Anyone who has time and wishes can visit them, without exception, for only $ 80. This is the cost of an annual pass for a family of four. Cheap as borscht. No wonder many Americans spend their weekends in naturally attractive places. A hundred years ago, Colin Fletcher wrote: “In them you can get closer to rock and sky, to light and shadow, to space and silence. You can also smell the scent of herbs and resin, dip your leg in a rushing stream and watch the wild animal ”. Americans realized early on that some virgin lands needed to be protected. - Maintenance plants - was it a good choice?
We know about 391 thousand. species of vascular plants, 30 thousand of plant species have edible parts, of which 7 thousand. plant species have been grown or harvested throughout history. Twenty species today make up 90% of the world's food, and three species (wheat, maize and rice) provide more than 50% of the food. We use foods offered by the plant world to a very limited extent, and those we eat do not always turn out to be the best choice. The list of plants waiting to be spread is long, they are often tastier, healthier, and give better yields. In various studies, including the latest catalog "State of the world's plants 2020", we will find many examples of plants that are used locally and could soon appear on our tables.
AURA Ochrona Środowiska (AURA Environmental Protection) - the whole list