An understanding of the reactivity of hydrophobic organic micropollutants (HOMs) is of paramount importance to water quality managers because of their toxicity, persistence, and liability to bioaccumulate. In this study, the role played by the main estuarine variables (organic matter, suspended particulate matter [SPM], particle type and salinity) on HOM behaviour was investigated by employing samples from estuaries with different geochemical signatures (Chupa, Russia, and the Dart, Plym, Beaulieu and Carnon, U K ) . A laboratory-based technique was developed for the determination of the solubility and sorptive behaviour of HOMs using 14C-labelled, beta-emitting organic compounds (2,2\5,5'-tetrachlorobiphenyl (2,2’5,5'-TCB), bis(2-ethylhexyl)phthalate ester (DEHP), and benzo[a]pyrene (BaP)) coupled with liquid scintillation counting. The results indicate that relative solubility is mainly dependent upon the type of dissolved organic carbon (DOC) present, not its concentration, and is reduced with increasing salinity. The uptake of 2,2’5,5'-TCB and BaP by particles is time dependent with a system response time (the time required to achieve 63% of the new equilibrium) of about 0.37 hours for 2,2',5,5’-TCB and 0.02 hours for BaP. The adsorption, expressed as particle-water partition coefficients, KDS, is to a varying extent dependent on DOC, salinity and particle characteristics (iron/manganese hydroxides, particulate carbon and specific surface area). Adsorption is best defined by a linear isotherm and is enhanced in sea water compared with river water owing to a reduction in charge on particle surfaces at high ionic strengths. This effect has been quantified using an adsorption salting constant, Gp, whose values are typically in the range 0.4-2 L mol-2 The inverse relationship between KD and SPM concentration, an effect well documented in the literature, has been defined by a simple power law (KD = a SPM-b where a and b are site and compound-specific constants). Typical values for a and b are approximately 4x10^ and 0.6 for 2,2',5,5'- TCB, 50x105 and 1.0 for DEHP, and 2x105 and 0.5 for BaP, respectively. Empirical parameterisation of these effects are extremely useful for encoding into numerical transport and distribution models, and their application is demonstrated in this thesis by calculating the retention of HOMs by estuaries.

Th. 3e cycle--Géogr.--Tours, 1992. / Bibliogr. p. 325-345. Bibliogr. en arabe p. 347-349. Résumé en arabe.

Les villes arabes connaissent une dynamique d’urbanisation importante et des transformations considérables touchant les formes urbaines et les caractéristiques de l’habitat. Ainsi, les centres anciens et l’habitat traditionnel subissent des dégradations importantes. La situation des villes en Syrie n’échappe pas à cette dynamique d’ensemble. Les enjeux posés par la compréhension des processus en cours sont considérables : décrire le mouvement de recomposition de la ville syrienne actuelle et saisir les logiques du remodelage de l’espace habité. Notre intention est de s’interroger sur le devenir de la médina et de l’habitat traditionnel face à une modernisation accélérée à travers l’exemple de la troisième ville de Syrie, Homs. Notre approche vise à montrer que la forme architecturale est le lieu de déploiement de pratiques sociales, de valeurs symboliques et de schémas de représentation. Les transformations qui touchent l’espace habité du centre ancien de Homs sont-elles de même nature que celles qui affectent les appartements modernes ou les maisons néo-traditionnelles ? L’habitant qui apporte des modifications à sa maison traditionnelle exprime-t-il une identité spécifique et une modernité de l’habiter aujourd’hui en Syrie ? Notre recherche propose un diagnostic, une analyse des causes de l’évolution en cours et une démarche de sortie de crise par la redynamisation des centres anciens. Quelle patrimonialisation spécifique de l’espace domestique à Homs peut-t-on envisager ? Des orientations sont avancées pour la sauvegarde de l’espace habité traditionnel et l’élaboration d’une nouvelle pensée qui redéfinit autrement le contenu et le sens des nouveaux programmes d’habitat. / Arab cities are experiencing dramatic urbanization along with major transformations impacting on urban structures and patterns, as well as on the nature of housing and its charactéristics. So ancient city centres and traditional housing are deteriorating considerably. The situation in Syrian towns and cities is no exception to this overall trend. Understanding such ongoing processes raises important issues : describe the current re-restructuring of Syrian towns and grasp the forces that are reshaping their neighbourhoods and the living space within them. We reflect on the evolution of the medina and of traditional housing areas in the face of accelerated modernization through the third largest city in Syria, Homs. Our approach seeks toshow that architectural forms constitute a matrix where social practices, symbolic values and representation patterns are deployed. Are the modifications impacting the dwellings of the ancient centre of Homs of the same nature as those affecting modern flats or neo-traditional houses ? Does the inhabitant who modifies his traditional house express a specific identity and a new modern way of life in Syria today ? Our research offers a diagnosis an analysis of ongoing changes and an approach to find a way out of the current crisis by revitalising ancient centres. What specific heritage enhancement can be considered in the domestic sphere of the city of Homs ? Several guidelines are suggested to protect traditional living spaces and initiate a new way of defining the content as well as the meaning of urban habitat programs.

Berechnung, Auslegung, Konstruktion und Wirtschaftlichkeitsbetrachtungen zu einem Kies-Luft-Speicher. Verbesserung der Raumklimatisierung eines 100m² großen Gebäudes in Syrien.

Chemnitz, Techn. Univ., Diplomarb., 2007. / Tw. u.d.T.: Projektstudie zum Einsatz von Kies-Luft-Speichern in Gebieten mit aridem Klima.

Berechnung, Auslegung, Konstruktion und Wirtschaftlichkeitsbetrachtungen zu einem Kies-Luft-Speicher. Verbesserung der Raumklimatisierung eines 100m² großen Gebäudes in Syrien.

The built environment in the old city of Homs has been brutally destroyed by the conflict in Syria. The research gap in post-conflict planning and architectural design in the old city of Homs is alarming as it indicates that there are no clear roadmaps on how to deal with post-conflict housing units in such a historic area. This study aims to investigate the possible design basis of housing typologies and plans for the housing units in the old city after the conflict. This study is primarily based on a literature review and extensive discussions with a specialist architect from the city of Homs, who helped to gain a deeper understanding of how to approach such a topic. The literature review deals with the historical Arab cities’ components and the elements of courtyard houses both in general and in the old city of Homs in particular. Likewise, it looks at the city’s urban plans and building code and their shortcomings and highlights the current conditions there. It also highlights proposed strategies for post-conflict construction and discusses them. The findings of the study propose a design ideology for reconstruction strategies and translate these ideologies and findings from the literature into a practical design of typologies placed on a proposed plot of land in the old city, along with a proposal of what the plans of these houses might look like.