Earth and Environmental Sciences

Sedimentary basins are suitable to different degrees for CO2 geological sequestration as a result of various intrinsic and extrinsic characteristics, of which the geothermal regime is one of the most important. Warm basins are less favorable for CO2 sequestration than cold basins because of reduced capacity in terms of CO2 mass, and because of higher CO2 buoyancy, which drives the upward CO2 migration. A set of 15 criteria, with several classes each, has been developed for the assessment and ranking of sedimentary basins in terms of their suitability for CO2 sequestration. Using a parametric normalization procedure, a basin's individual scores are summed to a total score using weights that express the relative importance of different criteria. The total score is ranked to determine the most suitable basin or region thereof for the geological sequestration of CO2. The method is extremely flexible in that it allows changes in the functions that express the importance of various classes for any given criterion, and in the weights that express the relative importance of various criteria. Examples of application are given for Canada's case and for the Alberta basin in Canada.

 Contaminative mine drainage waters have become one of the major hydrogeological and geochemical problems arising from mankind's intrusion into the geosphere. Mine drainage waters in Scandinavia and the United Kingdom are of three main types: (1) saline formation waters; (2) acidic, heavy-metal-containing, sulphate waters derived from pyrite oxidation, and (3) alkaline, hydrogen-sulphide-containing, heavy-metal-poor waters resulting from buffering reactions and/or sulphate reduction. Mine waters are not merely to be perceived as problems, they can be regarded as industrial or drinking water sources and have been used for sewage treatment, tanning and industrial metals extraction. Mine-water problems may be addressed by isolating the contaminant source, by suppressing the reactions releasing contaminants, or by active or passive water treatment. Innovative treatment techniques such as galvanic suppression, application of bactericides, neutralising or reducing agents (pulverised fly ash-based grouts, cattle manure, whey, brewers' yeast) require further research.

Google Scholar (GS), a commonly used web-based academic search engine, catalogues
between 2 and 100 million records of both academic and grey literature (articles not formally
published by commercial academic publishers). Google Scholar collates results from
across the internet and is free to use. As a result it has received considerable attention as
a method for searching for literature, particularly in searches for grey literature, as required
by systematic reviews. The reliance on GS as a standalone resource has been greatly
debated, however, and its efficacy in grey literature searching has not yet been investigated.
Using systematic review case studies from environmental science, we investigated the utility
of GS in systematic reviews and in searches for grey literature. Our findings show that
GS results contain moderate amounts of grey literature, with the majority found on average
at page 80. We also found that, when searched for specifically, the majority of literature
identified using Web of Science was also found using GS. However, our findings showed
moderate/poor overlap in results when similar search strings were used in Web of Science
and GS (10–67%), and that GS missed some important literature in five of six case studies.
Furthermore, a general GS search failed to find any grey literature from a case study that
involved manual searching of organisations’ websites. If used in systematic reviews for grey
literature, we recommend that searches of article titles focus on the first 200 to 300 results.
We conclude that whilst Google Scholar can find much grey literature and specific, known
studies, it should not be used alone for systematic review searches. Rather, it forms a powerful
addition to other traditional search methods. In addition, we advocate the use of tools
to transparently document and catalogue GS search results to maintain high levels of transparency
and the ability to be updated, critical to systematic reviews.

This paper summarizes findings of landslide hazard analysis on Penang Island, Malaysia, using frequency ratio, logistic regression, and artificial neural network models with the aid of GIS tools and remote sensing data. Landslide locations were identified and an inventory map was constructed by trained geomorphologists using photo-interpretation from archived aerial photographs supported by field surveys. A SPOT 5 satellite pan sharpened image acquired in January 2005 was used for land-cover classification supported by a topographic map. The above digitally processed images were subsequently combined in a GIS with ancillary data, for example topographical (slope, aspect, curvature, drainage), geological (litho types and lineaments), soil types, and normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) data, and used to construct a spatial database using GIS and image processing. Three landslide hazard maps were constructed on the basis of landslide inventories and thematic layers, using frequency ratio, logistic regression, and artificial neural network models. Further, each thematic layer’s weight was determined by the back-propagation training method and landslide hazard indices were calculated using the trained back-propagation weights. The results of the analysis were verified and compared using the landslide location data and the accuracy observed was 86.41, 89.59, and 83.55% for frequency ratio, logistic regression, and artificial neural network models, respectively. On the basis of the higher percentages of landslide bodies predicted in very highly hazardous and highly hazardous zones, the results obtained by use of the logistic regression model were slightly more accurate than those from the other models used for landslide hazard analysis. The results from the neural network model suggest the effect of topographic slope is the highest and most important factor with weightage value (1.0), which is more than twice that of the other factors, followed by the NDVI (0.52), and then precipitation (0.42). Further, the results revealed that distance from lineament has the lowest weightage, with a value of 0. This shows that in the study area, fault lines and structural features do not contribute much to landslide triggering.

The term "background" is discussed and a definition is suggested to put an end to the currently unsatisfying (non-)definition of geochemical or natural background. Based on the requirements stated in the definition, several simple and robust statistical methods are applied to different data sets (n 1 50) from the atmosphere, pedosphere, and biosphere in order to explore their potential for the evaluation of a useful and robust background. Compared with the original data set both the calculated distribution, based upon the lower 50% of the values, as well as a 2s-approximation of the normalised data set lead to promising and realistic results. Both methods seem appropriate for a fast and reliable evaluation of likely upper limits of background values. Nevertheless, even this robust method is not able to present absolute and doubtlessly correct background values. True quantification of any natural or geochemical background still requires a thorough investigation and is impossible without costly expert knowledge.

The ability of abundantly available heartwood of Areca catechu to adsorb cadmium(II) ions from aqueous solution has been investigated through batch experiments at room temperature. Various sorption parameters such as contact time, initial concentration of cadmium(II) ion, solution pH and amount of the biomass on the adsorption capacity, were studied. The adsorbent was found to be effective for quantitative removal of cadmium(II) ions in acidic conditions and equilibrium has been achieved in 30 min at pH 6.0. The equilibrium adsorption data were fitted to Langmuir, Freundlich and Dubinin-Radushkevich adsorption isotherm models and the model parameters were evaluated. The kinetic study showed that the pseudo-second-order rate equation better described the biosorption process. The FT-IR spectrum analysis revealed that hydroxyl, carboxyl, amide and amine groups were major cadmium(II) binding groups.

Intensive urbanisation of the Croatian capital of Zagreb has led to a situation where very good agricultural soils, developed mostly on Pleistocene eolian sediments and alluvial and proluvian Holocene sediments are entrapped within urban and suburban areas. Therefore the influence of urban and industrialised environments on the accumulation of metals in agricultural topsoils has been investigated. On an area of 860 km2 of the wider Zagreb region, 331 samples were taken according to a regular 1×1 km square mesh. Samples were dissolved in aqua regia and analysed for Cd, Cu, Fe, Mn, Ni, Pb and Zn with flame atomic aqua regia absorption spectroscopy. The following concentration ranges have been determined: Cd 0.25–3.85 mg kg–1 (average 0.66 mg kg–1), Cu 4.30–183 mg kg–1 (average 20.8 mg kg–1), Fe 5.8–51.8 g kg–1 (average 27 g kg–1), Mn 79.2–1282 mg kg–1 (average 613 mg kg–1), Ni 0.70–282 mg kg–1 (average 49.5 mg kg–1), Pb 1.50–139 mg kg–1 (average 25.9 mg kg–1), and Zn 15.2–277 mg kg–1 (average 77.9 mg kg–1). Visualisation of the spatial data is made by the aid of GIS, and selected maps of the heavy metal concentrations in topsoils are displayed. Statistical multivariate analysis was carried out for quantitative study and data were processed by means of R-mode factor analysis, applying the varimax-raw rotational technique. F1, which grouped Cd, Pb, Cu, Zn and partially Ni, is characterized as a factor with strongly scattered anthropogenic influence. The elements in F2, Fe, Mn and partially Ni are mainly of geogenic, i.e. pedogenic, origin. The variations in concentrations of the investigated elements are thus of both natural and anthropogenic origins. The variations in the main soil constituents, particularly Fe and Mn, are determined primarily by the composition of different regolithic substrates of the fluvial origin in recent pedogenesis. High concentrations of nickel are also related to morphogenetic characteristics of the wider region, primarily basic and ultrabasic magmatic rocks of the surrounding mountain range. It is, however, assumed that the anomalous nickel concentrations in the vicinity of the highway and the airport are of anthropogenic origin, i.e. caused by fuel combustion. Copper is characterized by strongly scattered anthropogenic influence, which is related particularly to uncontrolled solid waste disposals or discharges of liquid waste from households or agricultural enterprises. With Zn, Pb and Cd, there are two possible ways of diffuse pollution. The Sava River, which drains the area and feeds the abundant Quaternary aquifer spreading below the major part of the investigated agricultural areas, has been exposed to intensive pollution by mining, industry and cities in the recent history. The part of the area with the highest determined concentrations of Zn, Pb and Cd was repeatedly flooded as recently as the previous decade; therefore, the recent sedimentation of the river deposits exposed to pollution is a very probable cause of the accumulation of metals in this until recently inundation area. The other way is atmospheric deposition of particles from urban sources (industrial emission, traffic, waste disposals, heating plants, etc.). In addition to agricultural enterprises, several economically important, but ecologically risky, facilities are situated in the vicinity of the water-protection area. The area is intersected by a very busy ring road, while a marshalling yard, the city dump, pharmaceutical and chemical industry, the district-heating plant and the airport are all located in close proximity. The geochemical maps show a clear relationship between human activities and metal concentration gradients.

Regional landslide susceptibility assessments pose complex problems. To solve these problems, numerous approaches, such as statistical analysis, geotechnical engineering approach, geomorphologic approach and fuzzy logic, have been employed. However, all the available methods for regional landslide susceptibility assessments have some uncertainties due to a lack of knowledge and variability. Minimizing these uncertainties provides realistic approaches. Use of the fuzzy logic approach to produce a landslide susceptibility map of a landslide-prone area in NW Turkey is the main purpose of the present study. For this purpose, the study includes five main stages, these being the preparation of a landslide inventory of the study area, the application of factor analysis, the extraction of fuzzy if-then rules, the use of a geographical information system, and the control of the reliability of the resulting landslide susceptibility map. Slope angle, slope aspect, land use, weathering depth, water conditions and topographical elevation were considered as landslide conditioning factors for the study area. A total of 23 if-then rules was extracted from the field data. Employing these rules, fuzzified index maps representing each parameter were obtained. Finally, combining these maps, the landslide susceptibility map of the area was prepared. When compared with the landslide susceptibility map, the landslides identified in the area were found to be located in the very high-and high-susceptibility zones. As far as the performance of the fuzzy approach for processing is concerned, the images appear to be quite satisfactory, the zones determined on the map being zones of relative susceptibility.

Arsenic toxicity in groundwater in the Ganges delta and some low-lying areas in the Bengal basin is confined to middle Holocene sediments. Dissected terraces and highlands of Pleistocene and early Holocene deposits are free of such problems. Arsenic-rich pyrite or other arsenic minerals are rare or absent in the affected sediments. Arsenic appears to occur adsorbed on iron hydroxide-coated sand grains and clay minerals and is transported in soluble form and co-precipitated with, or is scavenged by, Fe(III) and Mn(IV) in the sediments. It became preferentially entrapped in fine-grained and organic-rich sediments during mid-Holocene sea-level rises in deltaic and some low-lying areas of the Bengal basin. It was liberated subsequently under reducing conditions and mediated further by microbial action. Intensive extraction of groundwater for irrigation and application of phosphate fertilizer possibly triggered the recent release of arsenic to groundwater. This practice has induced groundwater flow, mobilizing phosphate derived from fertilizer, as well as from decayed organic matter, which has promoted the growth of sediment biota and aided the further release of arsenic. However, the environment is not sufficiently reducing to mobilize iron and arsenic in groundwater in the Ganges floodplains upstream of Rajmahal. Thus, arsenic toxicity in the groundwater of the Bengal basin is caused by its natural setting, but also appears to be triggered by recent anthropogenic activities.

In this paper we describe the OpenGeoSys (OGS) project, which is a scientific open-source initiative for numerical simulation of thermo-hydro-mechanicalchemical processes in porous media. The basic concept is to provide a flexible numerical framework (using primarily the Finite Element Method (FEM)) for solving multifield problems in porous and fractured media for applications in geoscience and hydrology. To this purpose OGS is based on an object-oriented FEM concept including a broad spectrum of interfaces for pre-and postprocessing. The OGS idea has been in development since the mid-eighties. We provide a short historical note about the continuous process of concept and software development having evolved through Fortran, C, and C?? implementations. The idea behind OGS is to provide an open platform to the community, outfitted with professional software-engineering tools such as platform-independent compiling and automated benchmarking. A comprehensive benchmarking book has been prepared for publication. Benchmarking has been proven to be a valuable tool for cooperation between different developer teams, for example, for code comparison and validation purposes (DEVOVALEX and CO 2 BENCH projects). On one hand, object-orientation (OO) provides a suitable framework for distributed code development; however, the parallelization of OO codes still lacks efficiency. High-performance-computing efficiency of OO codes is subject to future research.

The concentrations and speciation of heavy metals (As, Cd, Cr, Cu, Hg, Ni, Pb and Zn) in the sediments of the nearshore area, river channel and coastal zones of the Yangtze estuary, China, were systematically investigated in this study. The concentrations of all heavy metals except Ni in the sediments of the nearshore area were higher than those of the river channel and coastal zones. In the nearshore area, the concentrations of most heavy metals except Hg in the sediments of the southern branch were higher than those of the northern branch because of the import of pollutants from the urban and industrial activities around. When compared with the threshold effect level (TEL) and geochemical background levels, Cr, Ni and As accumulated and posed potential adverse biological effects. The speciation analysis suggested that Cd, Pb and Zn in the sediments of the three zones showed higher bioavailability than the other heavy metals, and thus posed ecological risk. Significant correlations were observed among Cr, Cu, Ni and Zn (r [ 0.77) in the nearshore area, Ni, Cu, Zn and Pb (r [ 0.85) in the river channel and Ni, Cu, Cr, Pb and Zn (r [ 0.75) in the coastal zone. Principal component analysis (PCA) indicated that the discharge of unban and industrial sewage, shipping pollution and the properties of the sediments (contents of Fe, Mn, Al, TOC, clay and silt) dominated the distribution of heavy metal in the nearshore area, river channel and coastal zones of the Yangtze estuary.

Injection of CO2 into saline aquifers is described by mass conservation equations for the three components water, salt (NaCl), and CO2. The equations are discretized using an integral finite difference method, and are solved using methods developed in geothermal and petroleum reservoir engineering. Phase change processes are treated through switching of primary thermodynamic variables. A realistic treatment of PVT (fluid) properties is given which includes salinity and fugacity effects for partitioning of CO2 between gaseous and aqueous phases. Chemical reactions and mechanical stress effects are neglected. Numerical simulations are presented for injection of CO2 into a brine aquifer, and for loss of CO2 from storage through discharge along a fault zone. It is found that simulated pressures are much more sensitive to space discretization effects than are phase saturations. CO2 discharge along a fault is a self-enhancing process whose flow rates can increase over time by more than an order of magnitude, suggesting that reliable containment of CO2 will require multiple barriers.

Flooding is one of the most destructive natural hazards that cause damage to both life and property every year, and therefore the development of flood model to determine inundation area in watersheds is important for decision makers. In recent years, data mining approaches such as artificial neural network (ANN) techniques are being increasingly used for flood modeling. Previously, this ANN method was frequently used for hydrological and flood modeling by taking rainfall as input and runoff data as output, usually without taking into consideration of other flood causative factors. The specific objective of this study is to develop a flood model using various flood causative factors using ANN techniques and geographic information system (GIS) to modeling and simulate flood-prone areas in the southern part of Peninsular Malaysia. The ANN model for this study was developed in MATLAB using seven flood causative factors. Relevant thematic layers (including rainfall, slope, elevation, flow accumulation, soil, land use, and geology) are generated using GIS, remote sensing data, and field surveys. In the context of objective weight assignments, the ANN is used to directly produce water levels and then the flood map is constructed in GIS. To measure the performance of the model, four criteria performances, including a coefficient of determination (R 2 ), the sum squared error, the mean square error, and the root mean square error are used. The verification results showed satisfactory agreement between the predicted and the real hydrological records. The results of this study could be used to help local and national government plan for the future and develop appropriate (to the local environmental conditions) new infrastructure to protect the lives and property of the people of Johor.

More than a hundred hydropower dams have already been built in the Amazon basin and numerous proposals for further dam constructions are under consideration. The accumulated negative environmental effects of existing dams and proposed dams, if constructed, will trigger massive hydrophysical and biotic disturbances that will affect the Amazon basin’s floodplains, estuary and sediment plume. We introduce a Dam Environmental Vulnerability Index to quantify the current and potential impacts of dams in the basin. The scale of foreseeable environmental degradation indicates the need for collective action among nations and states to avoid cumulative, far-reaching impacts. We suggest institutional innovations to assess and avoid the likely impoverishment of Amazon rivers.

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are ubiquitous organic pollutants in urban environments and are considered as the priority pollutants by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. The objective of this study was to determine the depth-wise distribution (0-15, 15-30, and 30-45 cm) of 16 PAHs compounds in four urban soils of different land uses (residential, public parks, public buildings, and commercial areas) in Miami, Florida, USA. The PAHs were analyzed using a Gas Chromatograph equipped with a Flame Ionization Detector. Results showed that across use soils, total PAHs were significantly greater at surface (1,869 µg/kg) than sub-surface (478-1,079 µg/kg). Among land uses at 0-15 cm, PAHs were significantly greater in commercial areas (2,364 µg/kg) than the residential and public parks (1,508-1,595 µg/kg), but not the public buildings (2,007 µg/kg). However, at lower depths, PAHs were greater in residential soils (15-30 cm: 1,454 µg/kg; 30-45 cm: 834 µg/kg) compared with other land uses (15-30 cm: 839-1,104 µg/kg; 30-45 cm: 251-456 µg/kg). The contents of high molecular weight PAHs (HMW PAHs ) were greater than the low molecular weight PAHs (LMW PAHs ) in all soils at all depths. For example, at 0-15 cm, HMW PAHs were twice as much (1,039-1,602 µg/kg) as LMW PAHs (467-762 µg/kg). All three source identification indices, including the predominance of HMW PAHs over the LMW PAHs , 0.42 to 0.50 ratio of fluoranthene to fluoranthene + pyrene, and 0.78 to 1.36 ratio of phenanthrene to anthracene, suggest that the dominant source of PAHs in the urban soils originated from the pyrogenic processes, particularly the burning of fossil fuel. These results can help set baseline concentrations and the exposure risk to terrestrial organisms of PAHs in the urbanized and rapidly urbanizing areas.

Fluoride-rich groundwater is well known in granite aquifers in India and the world. Although its presence is necessary, chances of health risk become high if the fluoride concentration is more than the permissible limit of 1.5 mg/l (World Health Organization, WHO) in drinking water. Fluoride mainly occurs in groundwater as a natural constituent. Results of a laboratory study on water-rock interaction at normal temperature, pressure and different chemical conditions indicate that the specific conductivity, pH, Ca and HCO3 are important chemical parameters for the dissolution of fluoride to groundwater from fluoride-rich minerals (e.g., fluorite). Experimental results indicate that an alkaline medium (pH=7.6 to 8.6), high HCO3 concentration (ranging from 350–450 mg/l), and moderate specific conductivity (ranging from 750–1,750 µS/cm) are favourable for fluoride dissolution. No significant correlation existed between fluoride and CaHCO3.

Rainfall, soil properties, and morphology are major factors controlling shallow landsliding. A series of meteorological events that triggered soil slips in northern Italy were studied to define rainfall thresholds and to evaluate a possible regionalization. Soil properties, triggering rainfall, and local lithological and morphometrical settings of different sites were used as input to an infiltration model. The approach allows the recognition of several triggering conditions in the Piedmont, Pre-Alpine and Alpine regions. This suggests the need for different rainfall thresholds with respect to those derived with other methods. Intensity versus rainfall duration relationships become particularly important when related to soil permeability and thickness, and demonstrate the role of antecedent precipitation. Events with exceptional water discharge from obstructed road culverts reveal the role played by anthropic structures in triggering such phenomena. Different approaches to slope stability analysis are shown, taking into account bedrock lithology, topography, seepage, and local saturation conditions.

Soil erosion is a growing problem in southern Greece and particularly in the island of Crete, the biggest Greek island with great agricultural activity. Soil erosion not only decreases agricultural productivity, but also reduces the water availability. In the current study, an effort to predict potential annual soil loss has been conducted. For the prediction, the Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation (RUSLE) has been adopted in a Geographical Information System framework. The RUSLE factors were calculated (in the form of raster layers) for the nine major watersheds which cover the northern part of the Chania Prefecture. The R-factor was calculated from monthly and annual precipitation data. The K-factor was estimated using soil maps available from the Soil Geographical Data Base of Europe at a scale of 1:1,000,000. The LS-factor was calculated from a 30-m digital elevation model. The C-factor was calculated using Remote Sensing techniques. The P-factor in absence of data was set to 1. The results show that an extended part of the area is undergoing severe erosion. The mean annual soil loss is predicted up to *200 (t/ha year -1 ) for some watersheds showing extended erosion and demanding the attention of local administrators.

A segment of natural gas pipeline was damaged due to landsliding near Hendek. Re-routing of the pipeline is planned, but it requires the preparation of a landslide susceptibility map. In this study, the statistical index (Wi) and weighting factor (Wf) methods have been used with GIS to prepare a landslide susceptibility map of the problematic segment of the pipeline. For this purpose, thematic layers including landslide inventory, lithology, slope, aspect, elevation, land use/land cover, distance to stream, and drainage density were used. In the study area, landslides occur in the unconsolidated to semi-consolidated clayey unit and regolith. The Wf method gives better results than the Wi method. Lithology is found to be the most important aspect in the study area. Based on the findings obtained in this study, the unconsolidated to semi-consolidated clayey unit and alluvium should be avoided during re-routing. Agricultural activities should not be allowed in the close vicinity of the pipeline.

Landslides are very common natural problems in the Black Sea Region of Turkey due to the steep topography, improper use of land cover and adverse climatic conditions for landslides. In the western part of region, many studies have been carried out especially in the last decade for landslide susceptibility mapping using different evaluation methods such as deterministic approach, landslide distribution, qualitative, statistical and distribution-free analyses. The purpose of this study is to produce landslide susceptibility maps of a landslide-prone area (Findikli district, Rize) located at the eastern part of the Black Sea Region of Turkey by likelihood frequency ratio (LRM) model and weighted linear combination (WLC) model and to compare the results obtained. For this purpose, landslide inventory map of the area were prepared for the years of 1983 and 1995 by detailed field surveys and aerial-photography studies. Slope angle, slope aspect, lithology, distance from drainage lines, distance from roads and the land-cover of the study area are considered as the landslide-conditioning parameters. The differences between the susceptibility maps derived by the LRM and the WLC models are relatively minor when broad-based classifications are taken into account. However, the WLC map showed more details but the other map produced by LRM model produced weak results. The reason for this result is considered to be the fact that the majority of pixels in the LRM map have high values than the WLC-derived susceptibility map. In order to validate the two susceptibility maps, both of them were compared with the landslide inventory map. Although the landslides do not exist in the very high susceptibility class of the both maps, 79% of the landslides fall into the high and very high susceptibility zones of the WLC map while this is 49% for the LRM map. This shows that the WLC model exhibited higher performance than the LRM model.

A methodology is presented for evaluating and mapping the degree of groundwater contamination by applying the contamination index C d. The applicability of the contamination index was tested in two distinctly different geological regions: the area between Uusikaupunki and Yläne in southwestern Finland and the Brezno area in central Slovakia. The index takes into account both the number of parameters that exceed the upper permissible concentrations of contaminants or potentially harmful elements and the part of the concentrations exceeding those values. The water-quality parameters reflect the effect of diverse natural (topographical, climatical, geological, biological) and anthropogenic (type of land use, local pollution) environmental factors on groundwater quality. In Finland, technical-aesthetic contamination was found over more than half the test area. These quality problems were most often related to acidity and high concentrations of organic carbon and Al and Fe in wells. Health-risk-based contamination, mainly caused by elevated concentrations of fluoride, radon, or nitrate, was found in only a few separate areas. In Slovakia, naturally contaminated and anthropogenically polluted groundwaters could be distinguished. The geogenic pollution is mainly derived from sulfide mineralizations. In both countries the strongest anthropogenic pollution was found in intensively cultivated areas.

Hydrological landslide-triggering thresholds separate combinations of daily and antecedent rainfall or of rainfall intensity and duration that triggered landslides from those that failed to trigger landslides. They are required for the development of landslide early warning systems. When a large data set on rainfall and landslide occurrence is available, hydrological triggering thresholds are determined in a statistical way. When the data on landslide occurrence is limited, deterministic models have to be used. For shallow landslides directly triggered by percolating rainfall, triggering thresholds can be established by means of one-dimensional hydrological models linked to the infinite slope model. In the case of relatively deep landslides located in topographic hollows and triggered by a slow accumulation of water at the soil-bedrock contact, simple correlations between landslide occurrence and rainfall can no longer be established. Therefore real-time failure probabilities have to be determined using hydrological catchment models in combination with the infinite slope model.

Flash floods are considered to be one of the worst weather-related natural disasters. They are dangerous because they are sudden and are highly unpredictable following brief spells of heavy rain. Several qualitative methods exist in the literature for the estimations of the risk level of flash flood hazard within a watershed. This paper presents the utilization of remote sensing data such as enhanced Thematic Mapper Plus (ETM?), Shuttle Radar Topography Mission (SRTM), coupled with geological, geomorphological, and field data in a GIS environment for the estimation of the flash flood risk along the Feiran-Katherine road, southern Sinai, Egypt. This road is a vital corridor for the tourists visiting here for religious purposes (St. Katherine monastery) and is subjected to frequent flash floods, causing heavy damage to man-made features. In this paper, morphometric analyses have been used to estimate the flash flood risk levels of sub-watersheds within the Wadi Feiran basin. First, drainage characteristics are captured by a set of parameters relevant to the flash flood risk. Further, comparison between the effectiveness of the sub-basins has been performed in order to understand the active ones. A detailed geomorphological map for the most hazardous sub-basins is presented. In addition, a map identifying sensitive sections is constructed for the Feiran-Katherine road. Finally, the most influenced factors for both flash flood hazard and critical sensitive zones have been discussed. The results of this study can initiate appropriate measures to mitigate the probable hazards in the area.

Geochemical study of groundwater from 58 selected fluoride-rich areas in different parts of India that includes eight states indicates that: 1. These groundwaters are alkaline in pH (7.4–8.8) and their electrical conductivity varies from 530–2,680 µS/cm and fluoride concentration from 1.7–6.1 mg/l. Presence of fluoride-bearing minerals in the host rocks and their interaction with water is considered to be the main cause for fluoride in groundwater. 2. The decomposition, dissociation and dissolution are the main chemical processes for the occurrence of fluoride in groundwater. During rock–water interaction, concentration of fluoride in rock, aqueous ionic species and residence time of interaction, etc. are also important parameters. 3. This study indicates that 85% groundwater samples have EC: 1,000–2,000 µS/cm, pH: 7.5–8.5, and HCO3/Ca (epm ratio): 0.8–2.3. 4. The Ca and HCO3 contents of groundwater samples have shown good correlation with fluoride.

Remote Sensing and Geographic Information System has become one of the leading tools in the field of hydrogeological science, which helps in assessing, monitoring and conserving groundwater resources. It allows manipulation and analysis of individual layer of spatial data. It is used for analysing and modelling the interrelationship between the layers. This paper mainly deals with the integrated approach of Remote Sensing and geographical information system (GIS) to delineate groundwater potential zones in hard rock terrain. The remotely sensed data at the scale of 1:50,000 and topographical information from available maps, have been used for the preparation of ground water prospective map by integrating geology, geomorphology, slope, drainage-density and lineaments map of the study area. Further, the data on yield of aquifer, as observed from existing bore wells in the area, has been used to validate the groundwater potential map. The final result depicts the favourable prospective zones in the study area and can be helpful in better planning and management of groundwater resources especially in hard rock terrains.

Herbivory is a fundamental process that controls primary producer abundance and regulates energy and nutrient flows to higher trophic levels. Despite the recent proliferation of small-scale studies on herbivore effects on aquatic plants, there remains limited understanding of the factors that control consumer regulation of vascular plants in aquatic ecosystems. Our current knowledge of the regulation of primary producers has hindered efforts to understand the structure and functioning of aquatic ecosystems, and to manage such ecosystems effectively. We conducted a global meta-analysis of the outcomes of plant–herbivore interactions using a data set comprised of 326 values from 163 studies, in order to test two mechanistic hypotheses: first, that greater negative changes in plant abundance would be associated with higher herbivore biomass densities; second, that the magnitude of changes in plant abundance would vary with herbivore taxonomic identity. We found evidence that plant abundance declined with increased herbivore density, with plants eliminated at high densities. Significant between-taxa differences in impact were detected, with insects associated with smaller reductions in plant abundance than all other taxa. Similarly, birds caused smaller reductions in plant abundance than echinoderms, fish, or molluscs. Furthermore, larger reductions in plant abundance were detected for fish relative to crustaceans. We found a positive relationship between herbivore species richness and change in plant abundance, with the strongest reductions in plant abundance reported for low herbivore species richness, suggesting that greater herbivore diversity may protect against large reductions in plant abundance. Finally, we found that herbivore–plant nativeness was a key factor affecting the magnitude of herbivore impacts on plant abundance across a wide range of species assemblages. Assemblages comprised of invasive herbivores and native plant assemblages were associated with greater reductions in plant abundance compared with invasive herbivores and invasive plants, native herbivores and invasive plants, native herbivores and mixed-nativeness plants, and native herbivores and native plants. By contrast, assemblages comprised of native herbivores and invasive plants were associated with lower reductions in plant abundance compared with both mixed-nativeness herbivores and native plants, and native herbivores and native plants. However, the effects of herbivore–plant nativeness on changes in plant abundance were reduced at high herbivore densities. Our mean reductions in aquatic plant abundance are greater than those reported in the literature for terrestrial plants, but lower than aquatic algae. Our findings highlight the need for a substantial shift in how biologists incorporate plant–herbivore interactions into theories of aquatic ecosystem structure and functioning. Currently, the failure to incorporate top-down effects continues to hinder our capacity to understand and manage the ecological dynamics of habitats that contain aquatic plants.

Approximately 300 kg/day of food-grade CO 2 was injected through a perforated pipe placed horizontally 2-2.3 m deep during July 9-August 7, 2008 at the MSU-ZERT field test to evaluate atmospheric and near-surface monitoring and detection techniques applicable to the subsurface storage and potential leakage of CO 2 . As part of this multidisciplinary research project, 80 samples of water were collected from 10 shallow monitoring wells (1.5 or 3.0 m deep) installed 1-6 m from the injection pipe, at the southwestern end of the slotted section (zone VI), and from two distant monitoring wells. The samples were collected before, during and following CO 2 injection. The main objective of study was to investigate changes in the concentrations of major, minor and trace inorganic and organic compounds during and following CO 2 injection. The ultimate goals were to better understand the potential of groundwater quality impacts related to CO 2 leakage from deep storage operations, (2) to develop geochemical tools that could provide early detection of CO 2 following four significant precipitation events. The DOC values obtained are 5±2 mg/L, and the variations do not correlate with CO 2 injection. CO 2 injection, however, is responsible for detection of BTEX (e.g. benzene, 0 to 0.8 ppb), mobilization of metals, the lowered pH values, and increases in the concentrations of other solutes in groundwater. The trace metal and BTEX concentrations are all significantly below the maximum contaminant levels (MCLs). Sequential leaching of core samples is being carried out to investigate the source of metals and other solutes.

Watershed development and management plans are more important for harnessing surface water and groundwater resources in arid and semiarid regions. To prepare a comprehensive watershed development plan, it becomes necessary to understand the topography, erosion status and drainage patterns of the region. This study was undertaken to determine the drainage characteristics of Pageru River basin using topographical maps on a scale of 1:50,000. The total area of the Pageru River basin is 480 km 2. It was divided into X sub-basins for analysis. The drainage patterns of the basin are dendritic and include a sixth order stream. The quantitative analysis of various aspects of a river basin drainage network characteristics reveals complex morphometric attributes. The streams of lower orders mostly dominate the basin. The development of stream segments in the basin area is more or less affected by rainfall. The elongated shape of the basin is mainly due to the guiding effect of thrusting and faulting. The erosional processes of fluvial origin have been predominately influenced by the subsurface lithology of the basin.

Concentrations of seven heavy metals: copper, cadmium, iron, chromium, manganese, lead and zinc have been evaluated in nine spring water and eight surface water sampling locations near the limestone mining area of Sirmour district of Himachal Pradesh, India, during pre-and post-monsoon seasons. The concentrations of heavy metals have been found to be below the permissible levels of drinking water quality standards. The data have been used for the calculation of heavy metal pollution index (HPI). The HPI of spring water and surface water has been found to be far below the index limit of 100, pointing to the fact that the spring water and surface water is not polluted with respect to heavy metals despite the proli®c growth of limestone mining in the region.

This contribution analyses the processes involved in the generation of sinkholes from the study of paleokarst features exposed in four Spanish Tertiary basins. Bedrock strata are subhorizontal evaporites, and in three of the basins they include halite and glauberite in the subsurface. Our studies suggest that formation of dolines in these areas results from a wider range of subsidence processes than those included in the most recently published sinkhole classifications; a new genetic classification of sinkholes applicable to both carbonate and evaporite karst areas is thus proposed. With the exception of solution dolines, it defines the main sinkhole types by use of two terms that refer to the material affected by downward gravitational movements (cover, bedrock or caprock) and the main type of process involved (collapse, suffosion or sagging). Sinkholes that result from the combination of several subsidence processes and affect more than one type of material are described by combinations of the different terms with the dominant material or process followed by the secondary one (e.g. bedrock sagging and collapse sinkhole). The mechanism of collapse includes any brittle gravitational deformation of cover and bedrock material, such as upward stoping of cavities by roof failure, development of well-defined failure planes and rock brecciation. Suffosion is the downward migration of cover deposits through dissolutional conduits accompanied with ductile settling. Sagging is the ductile flexure of sediments caused by differential corrosional lowering of the rockhead or interstratal karstification of the soluble bedrock. The paleokarsts we analysed suggest that the sagging mechanism (not included in previous genetic classifications) plays an important role in the generation of sinkholes in evaporites. Moreover, collapse processes are more significant in extent and rate in areas underlain by evaporites than in carbonate karst, primarily due to the greater solubility of the evaporites and the lower mechanical strength and ductile rheology of gypsum and salt rocks.

 The distribution of Si, Al, Fe, Mn, Cu, Zn, Ni and Cr in different grain-size fractions and geochemical association of Fe, Mn, Cu and Zn with <63-μm size fraction of bed sediments of Damodar River has been studied. In general, concentrations of heavy metals tend to increase as the size fractions get finer. However at two sites, near mining areas, the coarser particles show similar or even higher heavy metal concentrations than finer ones. The higher residence time and/or presence of coarser particles from mining wastes are possibly responsible for higher metal content in the coarser size fractions. The chemical fractionation study shows that lithogenic is the major chemical phase for heavy metals. Fe and Mn are the major elements of the lithogenic lattice, constituting 34–63% and 22–59%, respectively, of total concentrations. Fe-Mn oxide and organic bound fractions are significant phases in the non-lithogenic fraction. The carbonate fraction is less significant for heavy metal scavenging in the present environment and shows the following order of abundance Zn>Cu>Mn>Fe. The exchangeable fraction of the Damodar sediments contains very low amounts of heavy metals suggesting poor bioavailability of metals.

The area lies between Hugli river in the northwest and Bidyadhari river in the east and includes the East Kolkata Wetlands. The East Kolkata Wetlands is included in the List of Wetlands of International Importance (“Ramsar List”), as per the Convention on Wetlands signed in Ramsar, Iran, in 1971. This wetland has been declared as a Ramsar site on the 19th August 2002 (Ramsar site no. 1208) and therefore has acquired an international status. The area is a part of the lower deltaic plain of the Bhagirathi–Ganga river system and is generally flat in nature. The sub-surface geology of the area is completely blanketed by the Quaternary fluviatile sediments comprising a succession of clay, silty clay, sand and sand mixed with occasional gravel. The Quaternary aquifer is sandwiched between two clay sequences. The confined aquifer is made up of moderately well sorted sand and reflects fluviatile environment of deposition. The regional groundwater flow direction is from east to west. Detailed geochemical investigations of 40 groundwater samples along with statistical analysis (for example, correlation and principal component analysis) on these chemical data reveal: (i) four types of groundwater quality, for example, good, poor, very poor and water unsuitable for drinking purpose, (ii) four hydrochemical facies which may be assigned to three broad types such as “fresh”, “blended”, and “brackish” waters, (iii) the evolution of the “blended” water is possibly due to hydraulic mixing of “fresh” and “brackish” waters within the aquifer matrix and/or in well mixing, and (iv) absence of Na–Cl facies indicates continuous flushing of the aquifer.

The chemical characteristics of surface, groundwater and mine water of the upper catchment of the Damodar River basin were studied to evaluate the major ion chemistry, geochemical processes controlling water composition and suitability of water for domestic, industrial and irrigation uses. Water samples from ponds, lakes, rivers, reservoirs and groundwater were collected and analysed for pH, EC, TDS, F, Cl, HCO3, SO4, NO3, Ca, Mg, Na and K. In general, Ca, Na, Mg, HCO3 and Cl dominate, except in samples from mining areas which have higher concentration of SO4. Water chemistry of the area reflects continental weathering, aided by mining and other anthropogenic impacts. Limiting groundwater use for domestic purposes are contents of TDS, F, Cl, SO4, NO3 and TH that exceed the desirable limits in water collected from mining and urban areas. The calculated values of SAR, RSC and %Na indicate good to permissible use of water for irrigation. High salinity, %Na, Mg-hazard and RSC values at some sites limit use for agricultural purposes.

During the planning of an urban environment, usually only economic and social parameters are taken into account. As a result, urban areas are susceptible to natural disasters, which cause extensive damages in them, because the cities or towns have been repeatedly located in vulnerable areas. In this study, for the protection of human environment, is proposed a unique approach of urban planning and sustainable development. The study area is Trikala Prefecture (Western Thessaly, Central Greece). An integrated evaluation of the suitable areas for urban growth and light industry development is proposed by using mainly natural hazards as well as geological-geomorphological-geographical characteristics of the study area. The used parameters were correlated by using the analytical hierarchical process (AHP) method and incorporated into a geographic information system (GIS) in order to produce the corresponding suitability maps. The study area is classified in five categories of very high, high, moderate, low, and very low suitability for urban growth and industrial development. Moreover, the spatio-temporal changes of the urban limits are studied since 1885 for the three major towns (Trikala, Kalambaka and Pyli) of the study area. These changes sketch out the urban growth trend. The comparison between the urban growth trend with the potential suitability for urban growth and industrial development of these towns lead to discrepancies. These can be attributed mainly to the fact that in the majority of cases, only geographical, social, and economical factors were used for urban development, whereas in our study, natural hazards, geomorphological, and geographical parameters were quantified and taken into account.

While the concept of the Anthropocene reflects the past and present nature, scale and magnitude of human impacts on the Earth System, its true significance lies in how it can be used to guide attitudes, choices, policies and actions that influence the future. Yet, to date much of the research on the Anthropocene has focused on interpreting past and present changes, while saying little about the future. Likewise, many futures studies have been insufficiently rooted in an understanding of past changes, in particular the long-term co-evolution of bio-physical and human systems. The Anthropocene perspective is one that encapsulates a world of intertwined drivers, complex dynamic structures, emergent phenomena and unintended consequences, manifest across different scales and within interlinked biophysical constraints and social conditions. In this paper we discuss the changing role of science and the theoretical, methodological and analytical challenges in considering futures of the Anthropocene. We present three broad groups of research questions on: (1) societal goals for the future; (2) major trends and dynamics that might favor or hinder them; (3) and factors that might propel or impede transformations towards desirable futures. Tackling these questions requires the development of novel approaches integrating natural and social sciences as well as the humanities beyond what is current today. We present three examples, one from each group of questions, illustrating how science might contribute to the identification of desirable and plausible futures and pave the way for transformations towards them. We argue that it is time for debates on the sustainability of the Anthropocene to focus on opportunities for realizing desirable and plausible futures.

The aim of this study was to apply and to verify the use of fuzzy logic to landslide susceptibility mapping in the Gangneung area, Korea, using a geographic information system (GIS). For this aim, in the study, a data-derived model (frequency ratio) and a knowledge-derived model (fuzzy operator) were combined. Landslide locations were identified by changing the detection technique of KOMPSAT-1 images and checked by field studies. For landslide susceptibility mapping, maps of the topography, lineaments, soil, forest, and land cover were extracted from the spatial data sets, and the eight factors influencing landslide occurrence were obtained from the database. Using the factors and the identified landslide, the fuzzy membership values were calculated. Then fuzzy algebraic operators were applied to the fuzzy membership values for landslide susceptibility mapping. Finally, the produced map was verified by comparing with existing landslide locations for calculating prediction accuracy. Among the fuzzy operators, in the case in which the gamma operator (k = 0.975) showed the best accuracy (84.68%) while the case in which the fuzzy or operator was applied showed the worst accuracy (66.50%).

The originality of the REDD proposal is its incentives-based mechanism designed to reward the governments of developing countries for their performance in reducing deforestation as measured against a baseline. This mechanism is founded on the hypothesis that developing countries 'pay' an opportunity cost to conserve their forests and would prefer other choices and convert their wooden lands to other uses. The basic idea is, therefore, to pay rents to these countries to compensate for the anticipated foregone revenues. The reference to the theory of incentives (in its principal-agent version) is implicit but clear. In this REDD-related framework, the Government is taken as any economic agent who behaves rationally i.e. taking decisions after comparing the relative prices associated to various alternatives, then deciding to take action and implementing effective measures to tackle deforestation and shift the nation-wide development path. Such an approach ignores the political economy of the state, especially when dealing with "fragile" or even "failing" states facing severe but chronicle institutional crises, which are often ruled by "governments with private agendas" fuelling corruption. Two assumptions underlying the REDD proposal are particularly critical: (i) the idea that the government of such a state is in a position to make a decision to shift its development pathway on the basis of a cost-benefit analysis that anticipates financial rewards, and (ii) the idea that, once such a decision has been made, the "fragile" state is capable, thanks to the financial rewards, to implement and enforce the appropriate policies and measures which could translate into deforestation reduction. The first sections of the article discuss the pertinence of applying such a REDD version of the theory of incentives to Governments, and particularly to Governments in fragile states, with respect to the historical patterns and the practical way those states work. The last sections discuss the possibility of alternative architecture for REDD, focusing on policies and measures targeting the drivers of deforestation, and investments for intensifying agriculture, reforming land tenure and enhancing the functioning of the judicial system. We will show why incentive mechanisms should be used at another scale, for the benefits of local economic agents (companies, rural households, communities, etc.), and how a scaling down is likely to alleviate some of the constraints faced by incentives when dealing at Government level.

Landslide erosion has an established history in New Zealand. Some broad estimates of economic costs for short-term event damage, longterm landslide damage, and proactive measures are provided and compared on a national and international level. Frequency and magnitude analysis based on historical records of landslide-triggering rainstorms demonstrates that 1) landslides are a nationwide problem, 2) recognition and recording of these events is dependent on public awareness and therefore related to population distribution and extent of urbanized areas, and 3) deforestation increases the frequency of landslide events, but not necessarily the total magnitude of their impact. However, some regions such as Northland and Wellington in the North Island and Greymouth and North Otago in the South Island are more frequently and more strongly affected than others. Landslide occurrence in time and space, within representative study areas in Hawke's Bay, Wairarapa, and Wellington, is correlated with the climatic variable daily precipitation. Different regional hydrological thresholds for landslide triggering are established.

The electrical resistivity method is widely used in groundwater exploration studies. The method is particularly well suited to carry out groundwater studies in hard-rock terrains. The popular Schlumberger method of electrode configuration was applied in the study area. In all, 112 vertical electrical soundings (VESs) were carried out at different locations in the study area. VES interpretations were used to generate a top-layer contour map and a depth-to-basement map. Finally, a groundwater quality/potential map for the study area was generated using the depth-to-bedrock map, a water-level fluctuation map, and the second-layer thickness. Furthermore, this groundwater potential map was classified into three sectors, i.e. poor, moderate and good zones with respect to the prospects of finding groundwater in the study area. This map has a practical value, as it provides guidance to farmers in selecting favourable well sites, thereby avoiding unnecessary financial losses.

The purpose of this study is to assess the susceptibility of landslides around Yomra and Arsin towns near Trabzon, in northeast of Turkey, using a geographical information system (GIS). Landslide inventory of the area was made by detailed field surveys and the analyses of the topographical map. The landslide triggering factors are considered to be slope angle, slope aspect, distance from drainage, distance from roads and the weathered lithological units, which were called as “geotechnical units” in the study. Idrisi and ArcGIS packages manipulated all the collected data. Logistic regression (LR) and weighted linear combination (WLC) statistical methods were used to create a landslide susceptibility map for the study area. The results were assessed within the scope of two different points: (a) effectiveness of the methods used and (b) effectiveness of the environmental casual parameters influencing the landslides. The results showed that the WLC model is more suitable than the LR model. Regarding the casual parameters, geotechnical units and slopes were found to be the most important variables for estimating the landslide susceptibility in the study area.

1] Both rainfall intensity and duration take part in determining the hydrologic conditions favorable to the occurrence of shallow landslides. Hydrogeomorphic models of slope stability generally account for the dependence of landsliding on soil mechanical and topographic factors, while the role of rainfall duration is seldom considered within a process-based approach. To investigate the effect of different climate drivers on slope stability, we developed a modeling framework that accounts for the variability of extreme rainfall rate with the duration of rainfall events. The slope stability component includes the key characteristics of the soil mantle, i.e., angle of shearing resistance, void ratio, and specific gravity of solids. Hillslope hydrology is modeled by coupling the conservation of mass of soil water with the Darcy's law used to describe seepage flow. This yields a simple analytical model capable of describing combined effect of duration and intensity of a precipitation episode in triggering shallow landslides. Dimensionless variables are introduced to investigate model sensitivity. Finally, coupling this model with the simple scaling model for the frequency of storm precipitation can help in understanding the climate control on landscape evolution. This leads to predict the temporal scale of hillslope evolution associated with the occurrence of shallow landslides. Model application is shown for the Mettman Ridge study area in Oregon, United States.

 Mining of massive sulfide deposits in southwestern Spain extending back to the Copper and Bronze Ages has resulted in the pollution of the Rio Tinto fluvial-estuarine complex, the site of Columbus' departure for the New World in 1492. Additional sources of potential pollution include the large industrial complex at Huelva near the lower portion of the estuary. Extensive analysis of surface sediment samples and cores has established that there are no geographic trends in the distribution of the pollutants, which include Cu, Fe, Pb, Zn, Ti, Ba, Cr, V and Co. These data have, however, demonstrated that tidal flux within the estuary carries phosphorus and perhaps other elements from the industrial complex at Huelva to the tidal limit of the system, several kilometers upstream from the discharge site. Radiometric analysis of short cores shows that sedimentation rates over at least the past couple of centuries have been about 0.3 cm/year. These data and that from a single deep core demonstrate that the estuary was polluted from mining activity long before the large-scale operations began in the late nineteenth century.

An evaluation of morphometric parameters of two drainage networks derived from different sources was done to determine the influence of sub-basins to flooding on the main channel in the Havran River basin (Balıkesir-Turkey). Drainage networks for the sub-basins were derived from both topographic maps scaled 1:25.000 and a 10-m resolution digital elevation model (DEM) using geographic information systems (GIS). Blue lines, representing fluvial channels on the topographic maps were accepted as a drainage network, which does not depict all exterior links in the basin. The second drainage network was extracted from the DEM using minimum accumulation area threshold to include all exterior links. Morphometric parameters were applied to the two types of drainage networks at sub-basin levels. These parameters were used to assess the influence of the sub-basins on the main channel with respect to flooding. The results show that the drainage network of sub-basin 4-where a dam was constructed on its outlet to mitigate potential floods-has a lower influence morphometrically to produce probable floods on the main channel than that of sub-basins 1, 3, and 5. The construction of the dam will help reduce flooding on the main channel from sub-basin 4 but it will not prevent potential flooding from sub-basin 1, 3 and 5, which join the main channel downstream of sub-basin 4. Therefore, flood mitigation efforts should be considered in order to protect the settlement and agricultural lands on the floodplain downstream of the dam. In order to increase our understanding of flood hazards, and to determine appropriate mitigation solutions, drainage morphometry research should be included as an essential component to hydrologic studies.

 A need for rapid and inexpensive (proxy) methods of outlining areas exposed to increased pollution by atmospheric particulates of industrial origin caused scientists in various fields to use and validate different non-traditional (or non-chemical) techniques. Among them, soil magnetometry seems to be a suitable tool, at least in some cases. This method is based on the knowledge that ferrimagnetic particles, namely magnetite, are produced from pyrite during combustion of fossil fuel. Besides the combustion processes, magnetic particles can also originate from road traffic, for example, or can be included in various waste-water outlets. Magnetite, Fe3O4, ranks among the main ferrimagnetic minerals and its identification in various ecosystems can contribute to fast and simple outlining of areas and sites exposed to higher pollution impact. Here the method of magnetic mapping of anthropogenic pollution will be introduced using a review of our recent case studies on different ecosystems in the Czech Republic and Germany.

The Sibiciu Basin is located in Romania between the Buzău Mountains and the Buzau Subcarpathians (Curvature Carpathians and Subcarpathians). The geology of the basin consists of Paleogene flysch deposits represented by an alternation of sandstones, marls, clays and schists and Neogene deposits represented by marls, clays and sands. The area is affected by different types of landslides (shallow, medium-deep and deep-seated failures). In Romania, in the last decades, direct and indirect methods have been applied for landslide susceptibility assessment. The most utilized before 2000 were based on qualitative approaches. This study evaluates the landslide susceptibility in the Sibiciu Basin using a bivariate statistical analysis and an index of entropy. A landslide inventory map was prepared, and a susceptibility estimate was assessed based on the following parameters which influence the landslide occurrence: slope angle, slope aspect, curvature, lithology and land use. The landslide susceptibility map was divided into five classes showing very low to very high landslide susceptibility areas.