Session 30 - Environmental data analysis and modelling

In recent years a major scientific effort has been focused on the protection of marine mammals. Gulf of Corinth is part of the Natura 2000 network (GR2530007) since 2016, with Special Areas of Conservation and constitutes an important habitat for striped dolphin (Stenella coeruleoalba), bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus) and short-beaked common dolphin (Delphinus delphis).

This research is co-financed by Greece and the European Union (European Social Fund- ESF) through the Operational Program «Human Resources Development, Education and Lifelong Learning 2014-2020» in the context of the project “Biomonitoring of marine mammals in Eastern Mediterranean” (MIS 5005612).

Session: 30, Room: F, at Fri, 09/06/2019 - 12:45 to 13:00
Oral presentation in Environmental data analysis and modelling

The presented study considers the numerical modelling of a thermal bridge distribution, based on conjugated heat transfer and Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) model of approximated external concrete wall. The thermal bridge distribution is cross-analyzed relative to the indoor and outdoor air parameters, under the corresponding structure’s thermal properties. The main analyzed parameters in the study are the surface temperature on the exterior wall, outdoor air temperature and wall thermal conductivity. The integrated modeling results show the complex environmental impact over the generic conditions for the thermal bridge existence. The further analyses will include the relative humidity and dew point temperature impact over the thermal bridge distribution. These additional parameters may be used for moisture accumulation indicator, in the developed numerical model.

Session: 30, Room: F, at Fri, 09/06/2019 - 12:30 to 12:45
Oral presentation in Environmental data analysis and modelling

One of the most challenging tasks in potable water production is the cost-efficient and consistent operation of water treatment plants (WTPs) that treat raw water of variable quality and quantity. To increase process stability and optimize the usage of resources, two data-driven models simulated coagulation in two WTPs. The data-driven models were successfully trained on monitoring data collected from the two WTPs (mean errors of effluent turbidity were below 0.5 NTU in both case studies) and were subsequently employed in the optimization of two historical periods of the WTPs. During this model-based backtesting of the WTPs, multiple operating scenarios were investigated on a daily time step in search of chemical doses that deliver a quality threshold for treated water at the minimum usage of chemicals. Results from the application of this model-based approach for WTP optimization indicated that a reduction of chemical costs equal to 6 % and 8 % would be probable for the two case studies respectively, without hampering the efficiency of raw water treatment. This work underscores that the large quantity of passive data that are amassed daily during the operation of WTPs can be turned into actionable intelligence that supports decision-making and enhances adaptive planning for water utility operators.

Session: 30, Room: F, at Fri, 09/06/2019 - 12:00 to 12:15
Oral presentation in Environmental data analysis and modelling

Computational budget is a severe limitation on the automatic calibration of expensive hydrodynamic and water quality models. To tackle this limitation, the present work formulated a metamodeling-based approach for parameter estimation of such models and assessed the computational gains of this approach compared to a benchmark alternative (a derivative-free optimization method). A response surface proxy of the original model was designed to emulate the behavior of the underlying system, employing Latin hypercube sampling as a strategy for the design of computer experiments and kriging as the technique for the analysis of computer experiments. The response surface proxy of the original model was employed in the automatic fine-tuning of model parameters and, finally, the computational gain over the benchmark alternative was estimated. The metamodeling-based approach was tested in the calibration of the hydrodynamic and water quality models of two water reservoirs. The benchmark alternative analysis indicated that the metamodeling-based approach required 20% to 38% less function evaluations to reach a solution with the same quality compared to the benchmark alternative.

Session: 30, Room: F, at Fri, 09/06/2019 - 12:15 to 12:30
Oral presentation in Environmental data analysis and modelling

The present paper focuses on the development of a methodology that simulates micrometeorological thermal conditions in an urban context based on weather station data. The micrometeorological conditions at Syntagma square, the central square of Athens, Greece were simulated by ENVI-met software in order to evaluate the thermal conditions experienced by its users. Located in the heart of city’s commercial activity, the square attracts many visitors, especially during summer months, when extreme thermal conditions could be encountered. ENVI-met can simulate the necessary factors for the estimation of thermal sensation through thermal indices, i.e. air temperature, mean radiant temperature, relative humidity, and wind speed. The meteorological data needed as input were obtained from the nearest weather station. In-situ micrometeorological measurements recorded at the height of 1.1m, were used to validate the simulated results. ENVI-met simulations were performed at a high spatial and temporal resolution. The appropriate adjustments were made to the modeling procedure to achieve a successful and resource-effective simulation.

Session: 30, Room: F, at Fri, 09/06/2019 - 13:06 to 13:09
Flash presentation in Environmental data analysis and modelling

Environmental innovation is considered one of the key drivers of sustainable development and economic growth. However, we still know very little about the organizational factors underling the development of this category of innovations and their relative competitive effect. In this paper, we focus on regions and we look at the specific effect of environment-related technologies and collaborative environmental inventions on the competitiveness of European regions. In fact, the complex and multidisciplinary nature of environmental innovation is expected to further strengthen the competitive advantage of regions and the strategic significance of geographical proximity. A longitudinal study of 232 European regions over the period 2000-2013 was organized using data from the RegPat, Cambridge Econometrics and Eurostat databases. Our main results confirm the positive effect of environment-related technologies and local collaborative networks on regional competitiveness with significant implications in terms of policy making.

Session: 30, Room: F, at Fri, 09/06/2019 - 13:09 to 13:12
Flash presentation in Environmental data analysis and modelling

In the last years, exploitation of the wind power has been constantly increasing together with the size of the turbines. Furthermore, by 2030 wind energy is expected to supply around 30% of EU’s power demand. Offshore wind represents a significant future opportunity, since resources are abundant and more stable. In the North and Baltic seas more experience is gained on bottom fixed turbines, but also many initiatives emerge to accelerate the development of floating devices, such as the projects in the Mediterranean and Atlantic. From this perspective, the objective of this work is to analyze the expected dynamics of the of the wind conditions in the European coastal environment of the Mediterranean Sea. The study is focused on estimating the average and extreme wind speeds for the 30-year time interval 2021-2050. In parallel, an analysis of the historical wind data for the 30-year period 1976-2005 is also performed. The climatic wind fields provided by the Global Change Assessment Model are considered in the analysis under the Representative Concentration Pathway scenario 4.5. This is the most probable scenario and assumes that the CO2 emissions will increase until 2040 and then decline.

Session: 30, Room: F, at Fri, 09/06/2019 - 13:00 to 13:03
Flash presentation in Environmental data analysis and modelling

Currently, the priority in the EU countries is the subject of unemployment, due to the economic and social situation in many countries and young people unemployment. Although unemployment in some other counties has dropped, it is still quite high. The new economic models based on heterodox economics point to some new and innovative solutions in this area, among others - creating new green jobs. Green employment is the beginning of new solutions that accept the principles of sustainable development, and the green economy, which creates new companies. New professions, as well as new jobs, are created by green organizations which, after brown organizations, are the next stage in the development of human consciousness in the context of sustainable development. The article presents the idea of green jobs as solution of unemployment problem and development of an economic sector that is vital for Europe's transition towards a circular and efficient low-carbon economy.

Session: 30, Room: F, at Fri, 09/06/2019 - 13:03 to 13:06
Flash presentation in Environmental data analysis and modelling