School of Biological Sciences
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Item The charcoal footprint of greater Accra on the Afram Plains: Urban energy consumption and forest degradation in Ghana(Trees, Forests and People, 2024) Arko, T.; Mensah, A.; Obani, P.; Adomako, J.; Denton, F.Rapid urbanisation in sub-Saharan Africa is leading to increased energy consumption and a growing reliance on charcoal as a fuel source, with significant environmental implications. This study examines the impact of charcoal consumption in Greater Accra, Ghana, on the Afram Plains ecosystem. Employing a mixed-methods approach, including geographical analysis, quantitative data collection, and sustainability assessment, we evaluate the charcoal footprint of Greater Accra. Our findings reveal that charcoal remains the dominant cooking fuel in Greater Accra despite increased access to electricity, resulting in an estimated loss of 354,479 trees annually in the Afram Plains. This demand creates an ecological deficit of 18,850 hectares/yr, significantly exceeding the ecosystem’s regenerative capacity. We observe complex dynamics between urban energy needs and rural resource sustainability, highlighting socio-economic factors driving persistent charcoal use. The study proposes a conceptual framework integrating urban demand, rural supply, ecological impact, and natural regeneration. Our research contributes to urban sustainability literature, offering insights for policymakers to develop more sustainable energy strategies, including quota systems for harvesting, promoting alternative cooking fuels, community-based forest management, and improved charcoal production technologies. This case study provides valuable lessons for other rapidly urbanizing regions facing similar sustainability challenges in sub-Saharan Africa.Item Co-infections of SARS-CoV-2 with respiratory syncytial virus and human influenza A in patients with symptoms of COVID-19 in Ghana: A retrospective study(New Microbes and New Infections, 2024-08-19) Duedu, O.K.; Gyamfi, J.; Ayivor-Djanie, R.; Afenya, G.; Agbuglah, B.I.; Agbogli, K.H.; Essandoh, P.; Kugbemanya, S.; Adiku, K.T.Background: During the COVID-19 pandemic the aetiology of respiratory illnesses were narrowed to SARS-CoV-2. This prevented diagnosis of other pathogens and patients were not notified of the accurate diagnosis of their illnesses when SARS-CoV-2 was absent. It is therefore important to look back and determine what else was present but was missed. Objective: This retrospective study sought to gain insights into prevalence of respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) and influenza A alongside SARS-CoV-2 in patients who reported with clinical symptoms of respiratory illnesses. Methods: Samples from patients who had reported of respiratory symptoms were selected at random from a pool. RNA was extracted and RT-PCR was performed for SARS-CoV-2, RSV and Influenza A in parallel. Data on the clinical symptoms was extracted from case-base forms and analysed. Results: Of the 400 symptomatic samples tested, prevalence of SARS-CoV-2, influenza A and RSV was 20.3 %, 2.0 % and 0.5 % respectively. Only one sample tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 and influenza A. About 77 % of the symptomatic cases did not test positive for any of the three agents. Cough (79 %) was the most common symptom followed by fever and chills, headache, sore throat and runny nose. Conclusion: The large proportion of symptomatic cases that tested negative for all three respiratory viruses raises a flag and a need for more investigations into the actual burden of respiratory aetiologic agents during the pandemic. With the low levels of co-infections, parallel testing may not be needed however, a strong case for multiplex tests for respiratory agents exists.Item Assessment of bacterial diversity in western Accra, Ghana, drinking water samples(Journal of Water, Sanitation and Hygiene for Development, 2019) Ecklu-Mensah, G.; Sackey, S.T.; Morrison, H.G.; et.alThe design and performance characteristics of municipal drinking water systems can profoundly influence public health. To assess the operational attributes of an Accra, Ghana drinking water distribution system, high-throughput 454 pyrosequencing was employed to characterize its bacterial community composition. Samples from the waterworks and four household sources (one household tap and three polytank storage units) were analyzed within one of Accra’s distribution networks over 4 months. Samples provided between 9,059 and 20,076 reads (average ¼ 13,056) that represented a broad range of bacterial diversity, including rare genera. Minimum Entropy Decomposition (MED) analysis showed that the sequences described four major assemblages. Assemblages 1 and 2 dominated the waterworks and household tap samples while polytank storage unit samples, with one exception, contained assemblages 3 or 4. The considerable bacterial taxonomic difference between different sources suggests that contamination and/or selective growth shapes bacterial community structures after treatment at the waterworks. Of particular interest are the major differences between the poly tank samples following storage and the tap/waterworks samples, suggesting that water storage (stagnation) can select for unique microbial populationsItem Assessing Children’s Autonomic Nervous System Activity During Structured Tasks: A Feasibility and Reliability Study in Ghana(Developmental Psychobiology, 2024) Bentil, H. J.; Daang, E.M.; Guyer, A. E.; Adu-Afarwuah, S.The significance of physiological regulation in relation to behavioral and emotional regulation is well documented, but primarily in economically advantaged contexts. Few studies have been conducted in low- and middle-income countries. We investigated the feasibility and reliability of measuring autonomic nervous system (ANS) activity and behavior during challenge tasks in 30 children aged 8–10 years in Ghana during two visits, 1 week apart. Completeness of ANS data ranged from 80% to 100% across all tasks. There was low-to-moderate test–retest reliability of video mood induction (VMI) emotion ratings and balloon analog risk task (BART) pumps (r = 0.34–0.52). VMI elicited higher targeted emotion ratings in Visit 2 than Visit 1. Respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA) was higher, and pre-ejection period (PEP) was longer at Visit 2 than Visit 1 for baseline and both tasks. RSA was higher at baseline than during the VMI anger scene at Visit 1, whereas PEP was shorter at baseline than during all VMI emotion scenes at Visit 2. RSA was higher at baseline than during BART at both visits. In conclusion, ANS data collection within evocative and arousing challenge tasks was feasible in Ghana, and the tasks were generally reliable and effective in eliciting target emotions and risk-taking behavior in this sample.Item Seasonal Variability of Sea Surface Salinity in the NW Gulf of Guinea from SMAP Satellite(Remote Sensing in Earth Systems Sciences, 2022) Nyadjro, E.S.; Foli, B.A.K.; Agyekum, K.A.; et al.The advent of satellite-derived sea surface salinity (SSS) measurements has boosted scientific study in less-sampled ocean regions such as the northwestern Gulf of Guinea (NWGoG). In this study, we examine the seasonal variability of SSS in the NWGoG from the Soil Moisture Active Passive (SMAP) satellite and show that it is well-suited for such regional studies as it is able to reproduce the observed SSS features in the study region. SMAP SSS bias, relative to in-situ data comparisons reflects the differences between skin layer measurements and bulk-surface measurements that have been reported by previous studies. The study results reveal three broad anomalous SSS features: a basin-wide salinification during boreal summer, a basin-wide freshening during winter and a meridionally-oriented frontal system during other seasons. A salt budget estimation suggests that seasonal SSS variability is dominated by changes in freshwater flux, zonal circulation and upwelling. Freshwater flux, primarily driven by the seasonally varying Intertropical Convergence Zone is a dominant contributor to salt budget in all seasons except during fall. Regionally, SSS is most variable off southwestern Nigeria and controlled primarily by westward extensions of the Niger River. Anomalous salty SSS off the coasts of Cote d’Ivoire and Ghana, especially during the summer, is driven mainly by coastal upwelling and horizontal advection.Item A record of change in oyster environment through high-resolution geochemical analysis of Late-Holocene sediments from Coastal Ghana(The Holocen, 2024) Mahu,, E.; Leng, M.J.; Andrews,L.; Englong,A.; Marchant, R.The near-coast environments where oysters occur are among the most impacted by humans globally, especially during the Late-Holocene. Yet, in West Africa, there is no documented historical record of change in these environments. We provide insight into the changing geochemical conditions of two oyster environments through high-resolution analysis of total organic carbon (C), total nitrogen (N), carbon and nitrogen isotope ratios (δ13C, δ15N), and trace elements, in two cores retrieved from the Densu estuary and the Anyanui (Keta) Creek in Ghana. Drastic shifts in sedimentation rate occurred in the Keta and Densu cores around 1996 CE and 960 CE respectively. At these times, comparatively, low levels of C and N were found in the Densu core. Increasing C and N levels and decreasing δ13C upcore aligned with the observed shift in sedimentation rate in the Keta core. The C/N ratios in the Keta core suggest allochthonous organic matter (OM) dominance in the creek. The Densu core showed periodic changes in C/N ratios from very high values (>20) between 1918 BCE and 1321 BCE, to values between 20 and 11 between 1321 BCE and 1977 CE and below 10 from the late 1970s CE to the present day, suggesting a varying degree of transformation in the catchment basin. Extremely high Sulfur (S) and moderate to significant Iron (Fe) increases suggest reducing conditions in the Keta sediments. Moderate Calcium (Ca), Zinc (Zn), and Strontium (Sr) concentrations in the upper part of the Densu core suggest a stronger influence of marine processes in the Densu in recent times. The findings reflect the impacts of catchment basin modification on the health of the two coastal environments, likely to impact the growth, productivity, and sustainability of the fishery of the West African mangrove Oyster.Item Impact of the citizen science project Collect on ocean literacy and well-being within a north/west African and south-east Asian context(Frontiers in Psychology, 2023) Severin, M.I.; Mahu, E.; Akpetou, L.K.; et al.Plastic pollution is both a societal and environmental problem and citizen science has proven to be a useful tool to engage both the public and professionals in addressing it. However, knowledge on the educational and behavioral impacts of citizen science projects focusing on marine litter remains limited. Our preregistered study investigates the impact of the citizen science project Citizen Observation of Local Litter in coastal ECosysTems (COLLECT) on the participants’ ocean literacy, pro-environmental intentions and attitudes, well-being, and nature connectedness, using a pretest-posttest design. A total of 410 secondary school students from seven countries in Africa (Benin, Cabo Verde, Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana, Morocco, Nigeria, and Asia (Malaysia) were trained to sample plastics on sandy beaches and to analyze their collection in the classroom. Non-parametric statistical tests (n = 239 matched participants) demonstrate that the COLLECT project positively impacted ocean literacy (i.e., awareness and knowledge of marine litter, self-reported litter-reducing behaviors, attitudes towards beach litter removal). The COLLECT project also led to higher pro-environmental behavioral intentions for students in Benin and Ghana (implying a positive spillover effect) and higher well-being and nature connectedness for students in Benin. Results are interpreted in consideration of a high baseline in awareness and attitudes towards marine litter, a low internal consistency of pro-environmental attitudes, the cultural context of the participating countries, and the unique settings of the project’s implementation. Our study highlights the benefits and challenges of understanding how citizen science impacts perceptions and behaviors towards marine litter in youth from the respective regions.Item COVID-19, nutrition, and gender: An evidence-informed approach to gender-responsive policies and programs(Social Science & Medicine, 2022) Kalbarczyk, A.; Lartey, A.; Aberman, N.; et al.In addition to the direct health impacts of COVID-19, government and household mitigation measures have triggered negative indirect economic, educational, and food and health system impacts, hitting low- and middle-income countries the hardest and disproportionately affecting women and girls. We conducted a gender focused analysis on five critical and interwoven crises that have emerged because of the COVID-19 crisis and exacerbated malnutrition and food insecurity. These include restricted mobility and isolation; reduced income; food insecurity; reduced access to essential health and nutrition services; and school closures. Our approach included a theoretical gender analysis, targeted review of the literature, and a visual mapping of evidence-informed impact pathways. As data was identified to support the visualization of pathways, additions were made to codify the complex interrelations between the COVID-19-related crises and underlying gender relations. Our analysis and resultant evidence map illustrate how underlying inequitable norms, such as gendered unprotected jobs, reduced access to economic resources, decreased decision-making power, and unequal gendered division of labor, were exacerbated by the pandemic’s secondary containment efforts. Health and nutrition policies and interventions targeted to women and children fail to recognize and account for understanding and documentation of underlying gender norms, roles, and relations, which may deter successful outcomes. Analyzing the indirect effects of COVID-19 on women and girls offers a useful illustration of how underlying gender inequities can exacerbate health and nutrition outcomes in a crisis. This evidence-informed approach can be used to identify and advocate for more comprehensive upstream policies and programs that address underlying gender inequities.Item A WAVEWATCH III® model approach to investigating ocean wave source terms for West Africa: Non-linear wave-wave interaction source terms(Applied Ocean Research, 2022) Foli, B.A.K.; Ansong, J.K.; Addo, K.A.; Wiafe, G.Ocean wave forecasting for West Africa has mostly relied on global parameterization schemes and data outputs. Investigating non-linear ocean wave-wave interaction source terms (Snl) for the region that forms part of the wave model parameterization schemes, is a contribution of this study towards developing a regional wave modelling scheme for West Africa. The study evaluates five non-linear source-term configurations with the WAVEWATCH III® (WW3) numerical ocean wave model version 5.16; (i) No source term applied (NL0); (ii) Discrete Interaction Approximation (DIA): NL1, (iii) Exact Interaction Approximation: NL2, (iv) Generalized Multiple DIA (NL3) and (v) Two-Scale Approximation (NL4) in order to determine best-performing Snl for projecting significant wave heights and directions for the region. The wave simulations were run on three separate grids comprising a low-resolution West Africa grid (latitudes 10° S–30° N; longitudes 35° W–15° E), high-resolution south-eastern (latitudes 2o S – 8o N; longitudes 10o W – 10o E) and north-western (latitudes 10o N) – 25o N; longitudes 30o W – 10o W) sub-grids. Simulations for the entire West Africa grid produced higher accuracy for the wave parameters compared to the higher-resolution sub-grids. NL0 best estimates are significant wave height, whereas NL3 best estimates wave directions for the West Africa grid. For combined stations of the south-eastern sub-grid, while NL1 best estimates wave heights, NL3 best estimates the wave directions with possible alternation with NL1 due to insignificant differences. Similarly, for the north-western sub-grid, while NL1 best estimates significant wave heights; NL0 best estimates wave directions with similar ability to alternate with NL2 in projecting wave directions. Generally, insignificant differences exist between the source terms in projecting wave directions, especially for the north-western sub-region, implying that any of the source terms may be used in projecting wave directions without significantly compromising on accuracy. Thus, NL1, which best estimates significant wave heights for both the south-eastern and north-western sub-regions can also be used in estimating the wave directions. Similarly, NL0 would be appropriate for the entire West African regionItem Eco-innovation, sustainable business performance and market turbulence moderation in emerging economies(Technology in Society, 2022) Larbi-Siaw, O.; Owusu, E.; Xuhua, H.; et al.The study purports to empirically draw out the prominence of eco-innovation in achieving sustainability in business performances, which is further tested by the moderation of turbulent market conditions on the rela tionship. In contrast to previous eco-innovation research, a nascent methodology involving a dual-stage hybrid analysis and an emerging Artificial Intelligence (AI) technique, deep learning was used to analyze 683 viable responses from Ghanaian manufacturing firms. Some intriguing conclusions were discovered where the dimensions of sustainable business performance are achievable vis-a-vis ` the implementation of product, process, and organizational eco-innovation. Notably, a manufacturing firm’s environmental performance can be considerably improved by implementing the triumvi rate of product, process, and organizational eco-innovation. Subsequently, a firm can improve its social per formance by R&D investment in eco-innovations, novel green management practices and staff sensitization on eco-innovation. Lastly, market turbulence (technology and environmental turbulence) in the form of techno logical advancements, intense market competition, changing household demand and taste amplifies the positive effect of product and organizational eco-innovation on the economic dimension of sustainable performance. Theoretically, a newly integrated theoretical framework, which incorporates eco-innovation, contingency and RBV theory, could aid in determining the relative importance of specific determinants, thereby providing sig nificant contributions to eco-innovations on the sustainability of business performance.