Search publications of the members of the Royal Belgian institute of natural Sciences
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Ground Deformations Related to an Old Drainage Adit in The Abandoned Coal Concession Around Saint-Vaast (Wallonia, Belgium) Analysed Using PS-InSAR and Piezometric Wells Time Series
- The exploitations of the coal mines in Wallonia were ceased progressively till the end of the last century. Groundwater pumping’s were stopped inducing a groundwater rebound with different rates but still visible today with radar interferometry. To mitigate the threats to the environment during the post-mining period, flooding and outbreak risks, surface ground deformations and the stability of civil engineering infrastructures in the vicinity of those mined areas need to be monitored. The persistent scatterer radar interferometry technique (PS-InSAR) has revealed ground displacements during three decades in Saint-Vaast (Wallonia, Belgium). Under this residential area, an old drainage adit at a depth of approximately 30 m allows mine water discharge to the Haine river. A confined aquifer lies in this Wealdian sandy layer characterized by a weak mechanical resistance and frequent loose sandy pockets. The Saint-Vaast area has so far suffered twice from a clogging rupture in the drainage adit. The clog has induced an underground water pressure increase in the confined aquifer. This water outbreak resulted in a stream of mud, sand and water flowing out during a few days in 2009. This event has induced a displacement at the surface with cracks observed in the walls of several houses nearby. 236 interferograms were produced using images acquired by the ESA’s satellites (ERS1/2, ENVISAT and Sentinel-1A). A time serie of surface displacements from 1991 to 2022 is calculated. Land surface displacements trends before and after both events were recognized. During ERS1/2 (1992–2002) an uplift has a rate exceeding 3 mm/year. The saturation of the Wealdian aquifer sands reduces the effective intergranular stress leading to an uplift. Groundwater recharge slowed down after the uplift and turned to almost stability during ERS (2002-2006) and ENVISAT (2003–2010). The sudden water outbreak in 2009 has resulted in a localized land subsidence. Before and after the second outflow associated to a clog rupture in early 2018, a similar pattern of land surface deformations was observed. After 2018 (Sentinel-1A), the average LOS velocity values are -1.8 mm/year where the 2009 event occured. Piezometric wells drilled after the 2009 event are monitoring the groundwater levels in the Wealdian aquifer. Analysis of piezometric data combined with PS-InSAR allowed to compare the water table evolutions in the confined aquifer and the ground deformations observed at the surface.
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Ultraconserved elements-based phylogenomic systematics of the snake superfamily Elapoidea, with the description of a new Afro-Asian family
- The highly diverse snake superfamily Elapoidea is considered to be a classic example of ancient, rapid radiation. Such radiations are challenging to fully resolve phylogenetically, with the highly diverse Elapoidea a case in point. Previous attempts at inferring a phylogeny of elapoids produced highly incongruent estimates of their evolutionary relationships, often with very low statistical support. We sought to resolve this situation by sequencing over 4,500 ultraconserved element loci from multiple representatives of every elapoid family/subfamily level taxon and inferring their phylogenetic relationships with multiple methods. Concatenation and multispecies coalescent based species trees yielded largely congruent and well-supported topologies. Hypotheses of a hard polytomy were not retained for any deep branches. Our phylogenies recovered Cyclocoridae and Elapidae as diverging early within Elapoidea. The Afro-Malagasy radiation of elapoid snakes, classified as multiple subfamilies of an inclusive Lamprophiidae by some earlier authors, was found to be monophyletic in all analyses. The genus Micrelaps was consistently recovered as sister to Lamprophiidae. We establish a new family, Micrelapidae fam. nov., for Micrelaps and assign Brachyophis to this family based on cranial osteological synapomorphy. We estimate that Elapoidea originated in the early Eocene and rapidly diversified into all the major lineages during this epoch. Ecological opportunities presented by the post-Cretaceous-Paleogene mass extinction event may have promoted the explosive radiation of elapoid snakes.
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Ancient pigs reveal a near-complete genomic turnover following their introduction to Europe.
- Archaeological evidence indicates that pig domestication had begun by ∼10,500 y before the present (BP) in the Near East, and mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) suggests that pigs arrived in Europe alongside farmers ∼8,500 y BP. A few thousand years after the introduction of Near Eastern pigs into Europe, however, their characteristic mtDNA signature disappeared and was replaced by haplotypes associated with European wild boars. This turnover could be accounted for by substantial gene flow from local European wild boars, although it is also possible that European wild boars were domesticated independently without any genetic contribution from the Near East. To test these hypotheses, we obtained mtDNA sequences from 2,099 modern and ancient pig samples and 63 nuclear ancient genomes from Near Eastern and European pigs. Our analyses revealed that European domestic pigs dating from 7,100 to 6,000 y BP possessed both Near Eastern and European nuclear ancestry, while later pigs possessed no more than 4\% Near Eastern ancestry, indicating that gene flow from European wild boars resulted in a near-complete disappearance of Near East ancestry. In addition, we demonstrate that a variant at a locus encoding black coat color likely originated in the Near East and persisted in European pigs. Altogether, our results indicate that while pigs were not independently domesticated in Europe, the vast majority of human-mediated selection over the past 5,000 y focused on the genomic fraction derived from the European wild boars, and not on the fraction that was selected by early Neolithic farmers over the first 2,500 y of the domestication process.
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Compilation of presentations at BICEpS colloquium 2018. Annexe to BICEpS Annual report 2018 – Reinforcing Belgian ICES People.
- The International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES; French: Conseil International pour l'Exploration de la Mer, CIEM) is an intergovernmental marine science organization that brings together the efforts and knowledge of 20 Member States, bordering the North Atlantic and the Arctic Circumpolar Zone, on physical oceanography, marine ecosystems and fisheries management. Nowadays, more than 70 Belgian scientists are directly involved in the work of the 150 bodies and expert groups of ICES, which gather the expertise of more than 1500 scientists yearly, totalling up to 5000 scientists from over 700 marine institutes and organizations over the years. This important and often voluntary dedication of Belgian scientists to the work of ICES deserves more visibility among the Belgian scientific community itself and to policy makers.This is, among others, why the BICEpS initiative was launched. BICEpS general aim is to offer a platform to the Belgian ICES community to get to know each other, to improve collaboration and share information, and to promote ICES to the wider scientific community in Belgium. BICEpS Annual report 2018 presents the genesis and first year of activity of this initiative created to reinforce Belgian ICES people. The report targets marine scientists, marine managers and policy makers. It presents the demarche leading to the creation of the BICEpS community and activities conducted in 2018. The report contains the list of Belgian ICES members in 2018 with their membership to the different ICES working groups, and the results of the first BICEpS Colloquium organised on 14 November 2018 and hosted by RBINS in Brussels (outcome of a participatory discussion on the future of BICEpS, abstracts of communications presented and list of participants. The report is also published on ICES's website at http://ices.dk/community/groups/Documents/BICEPS/BICEPpS-Annual-Report-2018.pdf. The abstracts of the colloquium are supplemented by a separate annex published online which assembles the PowerPoint presentations of the colloquium accessible at http://ices.dk/community/groups/Documents/BICEPS/BICEpS-2018-Colloquium-Presentations.pdf
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Optimal timing of multiple investment decisions in a wood value chain: A real options approach
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Economic feasibility studies for Carbon Capture and Utilization technologies: a tutorial review
- Carbon Capture and Utilization (CCU) involves the capture and use of CO2 as a resource to create valuable products. The competitiveness of various CCU technologies has been investigated frequently resulting in a variety of economic feasibility studies and economic indicators. This study performs a tutorial review, in which practical guidance is given on the implementation of Techno-Economic Assessments (TEAs) for chemical CCU technologies. The tutorial review maps the differences in the methods and assumptions of economic feasibility studies for CCU technologies and advises how these studies can be improved in the future. A TEA framework, drafted by the CCU research community, is used as a benchmark in this review, to allow for objective comparisons between various economic feasibility studies. The four phases of an exhaustive TEA are (I) goal and scope, (II) data inventory, (III) calculation of indicators and (IV) interpretation. The tutorial review reveals that economic feasibility studies for chemical CCU technologies can and should be improved in various manners. Phases I and II are often skipped or incomplete. In Phase III, a very diverse indicator set is observed, which hampers comparability across CCU technologies. Phase IV, the interpretation of results, is often missing in the literature set or lacks thorough uncertainty and sensitivity analyses. The comparison with the TEA framework revealed the diversity in assumptions and methodological choices in the literature set. These findings suggest that future economic feasibility studies should be made in a more standardized way to improve both the quality and comparability of economic feasibility studies. Four improvements to the TEA framework are suggested: (i) focussing more on the impact of technical parameters in sensitivity analyses, (ii) adapting the assessment to the TRL of the technology, (iii) implementing ROA in the TEA and (iv) integrating an environmental assessment or LCA with the TEA. Further research is needed to investigate how Real Options Theory can be integrated into conventional TEA frameworks to analyse the investment decision in CCU technologies in a dynamic setting.
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Explaining Uncertainty Avoidance in Meciaprojects: Resource Constraints, Strategic Behaviour, or Institutions?
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Leasing out unused meeting room capacity to reduce future office space needs: A case study of The Hague, Netherlands
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The Role of Industrial and Market Symbiosis in Stimulating CO2 Emission Reductions
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Stepwise Investment in Circular Plastics Under the Presence of Policy Uncertainty
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Investment Decisions with Two-Factor Uncertainty
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Americardia lindamaesae spec. nov., a new cardiid from Ascension Island (Bivalvia, Cardiidae)
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The discovery of a new Fusitriton (Gastropoda, Cymatiidae) from deep waters of Tristan Da Cunha (southern Atlantic)
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A new species of Columbellidae (Mollusca: Gastropoda) from Saint Helena Island
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Shell chemistry of the Boreal Campanian bivalve Rastellum diluvianum (Linnaeus, 1767) reveals temperature seasonality, growth rates and life cycle of an extinct Cretaceous oyster
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Geopolitics and Marine Conservation: Synergies and Conflicts
- Transboundary conservation has an important, yet often undervalued, role in the international conservation regime. When applied to the legally ambiguous and interconnected marine environment this is magnified. The lack of clear guidance for transboundary marine conservation from the international conservation community exacerbates this problem, leaving individual initiatives to develop their own governance arrangements. Yet, well-managed transboundary marine protected areas (MPAs) have the potential to contribute significantly to global conservation aims. Conversely, in a period where there is increasing interest in marine resources and space from all sectors, the designation of MPAs can create or amplify a regional conflict. In some instances, states have used MPAs to extend rights over disputed marine resources, restrict the freedom of others and establish sovereignty over maritime space. Six case studies were taken from Europe, North Africa and the Middle East to illustrate how states have interpreted and utilized different legislative mechanisms to either come together or diverge over the governance of marine resources or maritime space. Each of the case studies illustrates how different actors have used the same legislative tools, but with different interpretations and applications, to justify their claims. It is clear that the role of science combined with a deeper engagement with stakeholders can play a critical role in tempering conflict between states. Where states are willing to cooperate, the absence of clear guidelines at the global level means that often ad hoc measures are put into place, with the international frameworks then playing catch up. Balancing different jurisdictional claims with the conservation of the marine environment, whilst considering the increasing special economic interests will become increasingly difficult. Developing a transboundary conservation tool, such as the simple conservation caveats found in the Barcelona Convention and Antarctic Convention, which allow for the establishment of intergovernmental cooperation without prejudicing any outstanding jurisdictional issue, would provide a framework for the development of individual transboundary MPAs.
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Working Group 5 Review Document of International Instruments for Conservation within the MarCons region
- The aim of this document is to provide as many sources of information in the available international instruments that may apply to marine conservation in the region. While this is not comprehensive it is extensive and provides an entry point for marine researchers to engage with legal instruments that may affect their work. This continues to be a work in progress and we would encourage researchers to add to this document as and when new instruments come into being. MarCons is an interdisciplinary action and we encourage researchers from all fields to contribute to the ongoing work of marine conservation the European and contiguous seas.
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New insights into Late Devonian vertebrates and associated fauna from the Cuche Formation (Floresta Massif, Colombia)
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Scheenstia bernissartensis (Actinopterygii: Ginglymodi) from the Early Cretaceous of Bernissart, Belgium, with an appraisal of the ginglymodians evolutionary history
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Understanding the influence of man-made structures on the ecosystem functions of the North Sea (UNDINE)
