This study assesses extreme climate conditions in Tripoli, Libya, by modeling return levels of temperature, relative humidity, and humidex using the Generalized Extreme Value (GEV) distribution. Motivated by limited research on combined heat and humidity extremes in the Mediterranean region, the analysis uses 52 years of hourly meteorological data recorded at Tripoli International Airport. Missing data were addressed through multiple imputation, followed by application of the block maxima method to extract annual maxima. Diagnostic plots confirmed the adequacy and robustness of GEV model fitting. Results indicate that monthly mean maximum temperatures increase from 28.9 °C (2-year return) to 33.8 °C (350-year return). Relative humidity extremes rise slightly from 78

Abstract Extreme value theory (EVT) is used as univariate extreme value analysis (EVA) in order to analyze and model the covariates temperature, relative humidity (RH) and the thermal comfort index (humidex) issued from a dataset of 38 years in Tunis. It is a South Mediterranean area known as a hotspot for climate change. The best approach is to reduce the data considerably by taking annual block maxima from mean monthly data. It will converge to a generalized extreme value distribution in order to estimate the return levels of the studied parameters. The stationarity of the series are checked by augmented Dickey‐Fuller test. The modeling of the three parameters shows a Weibull distribution pattern. The extreme/maximum monthly means temperature of 30.2°C and humidex of 39.4 have a common return level between 300 and 350 years. The highest mean monthly RH of 86.0% is expected to be exceeded every 50 years. For the next 38 years, the maxima monthly mean temperatures are expected to be stable, and the maxima monthly mean RH values, as well as the humidex monthly mean maxima are expected to decrease. The percentile air temperature hot day (TX90p) and night (TN90p) indices show globally linear upward trends and the ones of cold days (TX10p) and cold nights (TN10p) have a downward trend. The diurnal yearly temperature range shows an almost flat trend for its evolution through the years of study.

In order to identify the source apportionment of particulate matter PM10 and PM2.5 in the southern Mediterranean coast of Tunis (Tunisia), three different sites characterized respectively by traffic, industries and being an urban background area are studied. The chemical characterization included a gravimetric determination of atmospheric particles mass concentration, measurements of the major anions (SO42-, NO3-, Cl-) and cations (Ca2+, Mg2+, K+, NH4+) concentrations in the aerosol samples by ion chromatography and analysis of 18 elements by energy dispersion X-ray fluorescence. Aerosol ion balance of various PM10 constituents are used to identify possible sources of the particulate matters. Thanks to these analysis, the particulate masses were reconstructed from the main possible constituents: crustal matter, primary and secondary pollutants, marine aerosols and organic matter. Wherever PM10 and PM2.5 were studied, PM10 crustal elements and sea salt aerosols were mainly associated with the coarse fraction whereas primary and secondary anthropogenic pollutants as well as organic matter rather compose PM2.5 fraction. In all the sites, PM10 mass was mainly composed of crustal matter (41-50%) and poorly of sea salt (3-4%). And so aerosols chemical composition is heavily affected by dust winds from Sahara desert, with some contribution of local traffic and industries and only a slight direct impact of the nearby Mediterranean sea.

Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs), particularly the indicator polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), were first quantified in water and sediments of two wadis, Boujemaâ and Seybouse, as well as in the effluents from a fertilizer and phytosanitary production industrial plant (Fertial). Since these contaminated discharges end in Annaba Bay (Algeria) in the Mediterranean Sea, with a significant level of contamination, all the potential sources should be identified. In this work, this task is conducted by a multivariate analysis. Liquid–liquid extraction and gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC–MS) methods were applied to quantify seven PCB congeners, usually taken as indicators of contamination. The sum of the PCB concentrations in the sediments ranged from 1 to 6.4 μg/kg dw (dry weight) and up to 0.027 μg/L in waters. Principal component analysis (PCA) and hierarchical cluster analysis (HCA) were used for the multivariate analysis, indicating that the main sources of PCB emissions in the bay are urban/domestic and agricultural/industrial. The outfalls that mostly contribute to the pollution of the gulf are the Boujemaâ wadi, followed by the Seybouse wadi, and finally by the Fertial cluster and more precisely the annex basin of the plant. Although referring to a specific site of local importance, the work aims to present a procedure and a methodological analysis that can be potentially applicable to further case studies all over the world.

Abstract In order to trace the origin of the atmospheric Particulate Matter (PM10 and PM2.5) and their water-soluble ionic components, the airbone particles were first collected on PTFE filters than analyzed by ion chromatgoraphy at different sites in the southern Mediterranean city of Tunis (Tunisia) where very rare studies on air pollution are available. These analysis allowed the calculation of the matrix of correlation, the neutralization factors, the ions ratio values and the ionic temporal variation essentially during a sand storm for three different sites: Traffic, Industrial and Urban Background sites. The innovative cross-checking of the various calculations confirm the non-marine origin of K+, Ca2+ and SO42−: soil dust origin of K+ and Ca2+, and combustion origin of SO42−. The Na+ and Cl− have pure marine origin, whereas Mg2+ has mainly a marine and slightly a crustal origin. NO3− and NH4+ have an anthropogenic origin, either from combustion and/or industrial origin. The acidic ions were essentially neutralized by NH4+ and Ca2+.

Annaba gulf is a coastal area (southwestern Mediterranean Sea) that receives large diffuse inputs from Fertial plant, Seybouse wadi and Boujemaâ wadi, which are influenced by anthropogenic activities. Wastewaters and surface waters and sediments from these sites were analyzed for Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (16 PAHs) by using gas chromatography system operating with the flame ionizing detector (FID). Total PAHs ranged from 0.033 to 0.503 µg L–1 in water, and from 32.44 to 509.58 µg kg–1dw in sediments. In order to identify pollution emission sources of PAHs, three source identification techniques were used, including diagnostic ratios, Principal Component Analysis (PCA) and Hierarchical Cluster Analysis (HCA). The results show that the pollution originated mainly from pyrogenic inputs in water and sediments. Annaba Bay basin is contaminated mainly by heavy PAHs discards originated from domestic and industrial wastewaters and traffic emissions.

Wetlands are critically important for biodiversity and human wellbeing, but face a range of challenges. This is especially true in the Mediterranean region, where wetlands support endemic and threatened species and remain integral to human societies, but have been severely degraded in recent decades. Here, in order to raise awareness of future challenges and opportunities for Mediterranean wetlands, and to inform proactive research and management, we identified (a) 50 key issues that might affect Mediterranean wetlands between 2020 and 2050, and (b) 50 important research questions that, if answered, would have the greatest impact on the conservation of Mediterranean wetlands between 2020 and 2050. We gathered ideas through an online survey and review of recent literature. A diverse assessment panel prioritised ideas through an iterative, anonymised, Delphi-like process of scoring, voting and discussion. The prioritised issues included some that are already well known but likely to have a large impact on Mediterranean wetlands in the next 30 years (e.g. the accumulation of dams and reservoirs, plastic pollution and weak governance), and some that are currently overlooked in the context of Mediterranean wetlands (e.g. increasing desalination capacity and development of antimicrobial resistance). Questions largely focused on how best to carry out conservation interventions, or understanding the impacts of threats to inform conservation decision-making. This analysis will support research, policy and practice related to environmental conservation and sustainable development in the Mediterranean, and provides a model for similar analyses elsewhere in the world.

HAL is a multi-disciplinary open access archive for the deposit and dissemination of scientific research documents, whether they are published or not. The documents may come from teaching and research institutions in France or abroad, or from public or private research centers. L’archive ouverte pluridisciplinaire HAL, est destinée au dépôt et à la diffusion de documents scientifiques de niveau recherche, publiés ou non, émanant des établissements d’enseignement et de recherche français ou étrangers, des laboratoires publics ou privés. MedECC 2020 Summary for Policymakers Wolfgang Cramer, Joel Guiot, Katarzyna Marini, Brian Azzopardi, Mario V Balzan, Semia Cherif, Enrique Doblas-Miranda, Maria José Palma Lampreia Dos Santos, Philippe Drobinski, Marianela Fader, et al.

Annaba Bay is the ultimate receiver of innumerable chemical substances issued from various anthropogenic activities. These telluric releases could have biocidal properties. In order to preserve the quality of the coastal waters and to limit these flows that are dangerous for the marine environment, seasonal monitoring of water quality of the two main wadis has been carried out. The results show that Bouhamra wadi is mainly polluted by organochlorine and organophosphate insecticides, herbicides and fungicides. While the Seybouse wadi is affected mainly by organophosphate insecticides, herbicides and fungicides. The quality of the wadis is very poor with respect to organochlorine, organophosphate insecticides and herbicides. Acceptable quality is attributed to water with respect to fungicides.

La bronchopneumopathie chronique obstructive (BPCO) est une pathologie inflammatoire chronique, responsable d’une altération de la qualité de vie et de l’apparition de troubles psychologiques. La dépression a été rapportée chez 80 % des patients atteints de BPCO et les troubles anxieux peuvent atteindre plus de 90 % d’entre eux [1]. Le but de notre travail était de déterminer la prévalence des états anxiodépressifs chez les patients tunisiens atteints de BPCO et les facteurs prédictifs de leur apparition. Étude transversale menée aux services de pneumologie des CHU La Rabta et Mongi-Slim La Marsa à Tunis durant l’année 2016. Les troubles affectifs des patients BPCO ont été évalués par l’échelle hospitalière de mesure de l’anxiété et de la dépression (HAD). Les patients suivis en psychiatrie ou ayant d’autres affections pulmonaires ont été exclus. Cette échelle comporte 14 questions (7 concernant la dépression et 7 pour l’anxiété). Un score entre 13 et 19 correspond à un épisode dépressif mineur et ≥ 19 un épisode dépressif majeur. Les variables cliniques et fonctionnelles ont été analysées avec le logiciel SPSS 20.0. Quatre-vingt-un patients ont été colligés (âge moyen = 65 ans et IMC moyen = 23,66 kg/m2). Les facteurs de risque de la BPCO était le tabac (96 % des patients, tabagisme moyen = 52 PA), le tabac à priser (9,9 %), le narguilé (4,9 %) et la biomasse (6 %). Selon la classification GOLD : 11 % des patients étaient stade A, 15 % stade B, 2,5 % stade C et 71,5 % stade D. La CVF moyenne était de 2,38 litres (64 %), le VEMS moyen = 1,52 litres (48 %) et le score moyen au CAT = 19. Des troubles anxiodépressifs ont été détectés chez 56 % des patients : 23 % de troubles majeurs et 33 % de troubles mineurs. Ces troubles étaient corrélés de façon statistiquement significative à : l’IMC (r = −0,283 ; p = 0,01), la dyspnée mesurée par l’échelle mMRC (r = 0,291 ; p = 0,008), le nombre d’exacerbation au cours de l’année (r = 0,365 ; p = 0,001) et le score du CAT (r = 0,53 ; p < 0,001). Cependant, il n’existait aucune corrélation avec l’âge ou les paramètres de l’exploration fonctionnelle respiratoire (CVF, VEMS, SpO2, PaO2, PaCO2 et distance parcourue au test de marche de 6 mn). Nos résultats montrent qu’un patient sur deux suivis pour BPCO présente des troubles anxiodépressifs et que ces troubles sont d’autant plus marqués que la maladie est symptomatique.

The seasonal assessment of trace metallic elements in Seybouse wadi waters and sediments is performed by principal component analysis (PCA). This wadi is the second of Algeria considering its length and vast basin, and opens into the coastline of Annaba in the Mediterranean Sea. Monitoring mineral micropollutants showed that waters are primarily contaminated by aluminum Al, selenium Se, zinc Zn, copper Cu, chromium Cr, lead Pb, cadmium Cd and arsenic As, whereas sediments are essentially soiled by arsenic As, chromium Cr and nickel Ni. PCA shows a clear relation between the season and the type of metallic contamination, and it also helps in understanding its origins.

To overcome classical jar test limits of water treatment plants and offer substantial savings of time and money for operators, artificial neural network technique is applied in this study to large databases of three treatment plants with different processes in order to build models to predict the optimal dose of coagulant. Pre-modeling techniques, like data scaling and training database choice, are used to guarantee models with the lowest errors. Two models are then selected, with turbidity, conductivity, and pH as inputs for both raw and treated water. The first model, L45-MOD, is specific to raw water with less than 45.5 NTU turbidity, or else the second model ATP-MOD would be adopted. Compared to truly injected coagulant doses and to previous models, the selected models have good performances when tested on various databases: a correlation coefficient higher than 0.8, a mean absolute error of 5.47 g/m3 for the first model and 5.69 g/m3 for the second model. The strength of this study is the ability of the models to be extrapolated and easily adopted by other treatment plants whatever the process used.

In order to reduce the number of operations for the assessment of potable water treatment, principal component analysis and hierarchical clustering are applied to large databases of raw and treated water of three treatment plants with various processes. It appears that the measurements can be divided into three clear groups, with a correlation higher than 0.8. The first contains salinity, conductivity, water hardness, calcium, magnesium and chlorides. The second includes turbidity and organic matter. The third includes pH and alkalinity. Despite the disparities in water quality and in all the cases, three parameters were sufficient to represent all the routine measurements: conductivity, turbidity and pH, which can represent the three principal components of the data. It can reduce by two-thirds of the measurement and analysis, dropping from 6,960 to 2,088 analysis annually. The analysis on the principal axes of the individuals, represented by raw and treated water from the three treatment plants, reveals that the quality of the raw water seems more important than the type of treatment process, in the resulting quality of treated water. These results could be generalized and easily adopted by other treatment plants whatever the process. They could offer substantial savings of time, chemicals, electricity and longevity of the devices.

Water is considered a major social and political issue. This article stands out by its quantification of the impact of socio-political disturbances on social behavior regarding the consumption of drinking water. It also allows the monitoring of fluctuation of the economic pattern through the main economic sectors during these disturbances by the study of a revolution impact-case of the revolution in Tunisia in January 2011, on the spatial, temporal and sectorial variation of the drinking water consumption. Six water users covering the whole consumption are considered in this study: connected and non connected household users, tourism, industries, collective and various other users. Among the results, in this coastal country, the relation between drinking water consumption by tourism, the touristic activities and the national economy are clearly established. All these components are similarly affected by the socio political disturbances but longer lasting fallouts hit only the most vulnerable regions of the country. Industrial activities that used drinking water seemed to be affected only when the socio political disturbance is at its paroxysm due to strikes, sit-ins of unemployed people, job seekers protests and companies closure. The revolution impacts such as weakening of the State's authority when facing inappropriate and illegitimate social desires, anarchy, people displacement and refugees are the major causes of non-connected household drinking water waste or over-consumption (up to 89 %) and an alarming increase of the induced breakages (+445 % in 2012 compared to 2010).

Combining bioassays and analytical chemistry screenings is a powerful approach to assess emerging organic micropollutants which are the main contributors to toxic potentials in complex mixtures of water matrices. The aim of this study was to assess the cytotoxic effect of the occurrence of emerging organic micropollutants discharged into river water through industrial wastewater and treated effluents. The cytotoxic effects of surface water, treated effluents, and industrial wastewater were assessed using 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyl-2H-tetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay. Then, organic micropollutants of various chemical groups were identified using a detailed non-target screening based on gas chromatography coupled with a mass spectrometry detector (GC/MS). A significant cytotoxic effect on human intestinal epithelial Caco-2 cells was observed for all the samples. Caco-2 cell viability decreased by 17.99, 33.77, and 24.54 % for surface water, treated wastewater, and industrial water, respectively. The organic chemical compounds responsible for this toxic potential were identified using non-target chemical screening. Statistical correlation between cytotoxicity and the presence of emerging contaminants revealed that the cytotoxic effect was mainly due (r ≥ 0.42) to the occurrence of cyclopentasiloxane, decamethyl and cyclohexasiloxane, dodecamethyl, d-limonene, and ergoline-8-methanol, 8,9-didehydro-6-methyl while cytotoxicity was highly negatively correlated (r ≤ −0.42) to 2-ethylhexyl salicylate, 3-isopropoxy-1,1,1,7,7,7-hexamethyl-3,5,5-tris(trimethyl siloxy)tetrasiloxane, 6-acetyl-1,1,2,4,4,7-hexamethyltetralin, and (3-aminopropyltriethoxysilane. Seventy-six other compounds detected by GC/MS showed no correlation to cytotoxicity.