Margherita Bruscolini (she/her)

Protecting and enhancing forest carbon sinks is considered a natural solution for mitigating climate change. However, the increasing frequency, intensity, and duration of droughts due to climate change can threaten the stability and growth of existing forest carbon sinks. Extreme droughts weaken plant hydraulic systems, can lead to tree mortality events, and may reduce forest diversity, making forests more vulnerable to subsequent forest disturbances, such as forest fires or pest infestations… Show more

Protecting and enhancing forest carbon sinks is considered a natural solution for mitigating climate change. However, the increasing frequency, intensity, and duration of droughts due to climate change can threaten the stability and growth of existing forest carbon sinks. Extreme droughts weaken plant hydraulic systems, can lead to tree mortality events, and may reduce forest diversity, making forests more vulnerable to subsequent forest disturbances, such as forest fires or pest infestations. Although early warning metrics (EWMs) derived using satellite remote sensing data are now being tested for predicting post-drought plant physiological stress and mortality, applications of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) are yet to be explored extensively. Herein, we provide twenty-four prospective approaches classified into five categories: (i) physiological complexities, (ii) site-specific and confounding (abiotic) factors, (iii) interactions with biotic agents, (iv) forest carbon monitoring and optimization, and (v) technological and infrastructural developments, for adoption, future operationalization, and upscaling of UAV-based frameworks for EWM applications. These UAV considerations are paramount as they hold the potential to bridge the gap between field inventory and satellite remote sensing for assessing forest characteristics and their responses to drought conditions, identifying and prioritizing conservation needs of vulnerable and/or high-carbon-efficient tree species for efficient allocation of resources, and optimizing forest carbon management with climate change adaptation and mitigation practices in a timely and cost-effective manner. Show less

The Niger River and floodplain landscape is experiencing a constant change as a result of natural and human processes thereby contributing to the yearly occurrence of flooding. The increasing flood frequency and intensity causes loss of life, destruction of assets and disrupts the livelihood of a large proportion of the population. Due to the current data challenges and lack of hydrological information we are developing a 2-D flood inundation model showing the spatially distributed dynamics of… Show more

The Niger River and floodplain landscape is experiencing a constant change as a result of natural and human processes thereby contributing to the yearly occurrence of flooding. The increasing flood frequency and intensity causes loss of life, destruction of assets and disrupts the livelihood of a large proportion of the population. Due to the current data challenges and lack of hydrological information we are developing a 2-D flood inundation model showing the spatially distributed dynamics of water surface elevation and future flood extent of Niger river and its surroundings. We considered the following parameters such as floodplain topography, river channel widths, banks heights, model parameters, and hydrology information to develop our final output which is an interactive web visualization map showing the inundated extent. Our developed 2D flood prediction model can be extended to other parts of the Niger River Basin which will contribute to a positive regional economic and environmental impact. It will also help the relevant ministries, emergency institutions, local partners and national government of Niger to build safe and resilient communities through effective risk communication and contribute to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 11 and 13. Show less

The effect of superplasticiser, borax and the water-to-cement ratio on BYF hydration and mechanical strengths has been studied. Two laboratory-scale BYF cements—st-BYF (with β-C2S and orthorhombic C4A3) and borax-activated B-BYF (with α’H-C2S and pseudo-cubic C4A3S)—have been used, and both show similar particle size distribution. The addition of superplasticiser and externally added borax to BYF pastes has been optimised through rheological measurements. Optimised superplasticiser contents… Show more

The effect of superplasticiser, borax and the water-to-cement ratio on BYF hydration and mechanical strengths has been studied. Two laboratory-scale BYF cements—st-BYF (with β-C2S and orthorhombic C4A3) and borax-activated B-BYF (with α’H-C2S and pseudo-cubic C4A3S)—have been used, and both show similar particle size distribution. The addition of superplasticiser and externally added borax to BYF pastes has been optimised through rheological measurements. Optimised superplasticiser contents (0.3, 0.4 and 0.1 wt % for st-BYF, B-BYF and st-BYF with externally added 0.25 wt % B2O3, respectively) result in low viscosities yielding homogeneous mortars. The calorimetric study revealed that st-BYF is more reactive than B-BYF, as the values of heat released are 300–370 J/g and 190–210 J/g, respectively, after 7 days of hydration; this fact is independent of the water-to-cement ratio. These findings agree with the higher degree of hydration at 28 days of β-C2S in st-BYF (from 45 to 60%) than α’H-C2S in B-BYF (~20 to 30%). The phase assemblage evolution has been determined by LXRPD coupled with the Rietveld method and MAS-NMR. The formation of stratlingite is favoured by increasing the w/c ratio in both systems. Finally, the optimisation of fresh BYF pastes jointly with the reduction of water-to-cement ratio to 0.40 have allowed the achieving of mortars with compressive strengths over 40 MPa at 7 days in all systems. Moreover, the st-BYF mortar, where borax was externally added, achieved more than 70 MPa after 28 days. The main conclusion of this work does not support Lafarge’s approach of adding boron/borax to the raw meal of BYF cements. This procedure stabilises the alpha belite polymorph, but its reactivity, in these systems, is lower and the associated mechanical strengths poorer. Show less

Achieving an efficient management of agricultural fields is crucial for farmers, considering the challenges
posed by water resources sustainability. Monitoring tools allow winemakers to keep their vineyards under control and improve the plants’ health with targeted actions, such as irrigations scheduling or specific treatments. Knowing the actual number of plants may not be evident, particularly in old plantation, where vines might have been removed or added to the initial planting scheme… Show more

Achieving an efficient management of agricultural fields is crucial for farmers, considering the challenges
posed by water resources sustainability. Monitoring tools allow winemakers to keep their vineyards under control and improve the plants’ health with targeted actions, such as irrigations scheduling or specific treatments. Knowing the actual number of plants may not be evident, particularly in old plantation, where vines might have been removed or added to the initial planting scheme, or even they have never been counted. However, the knowledge of the number and position of the plants is important to be able to adapt the irrigation network and properly adjust the irrigation schedule. The aim of this project is to build a drone service for precision monitoring of vineyards. Here, an algorithm to detect the position and number of plants in vineyards using drone RGB imagery is presented. First results show a plant detection accuracy of 87%. Show less