Journal of Environmental Geography最新文献

{"title":"Investigation of Abundance and Spatial Distribution of Marine Debris on Ghanaian Urban Coastal Beaches","authors":"Kofi Adu-Boahen","doi":"10.14232/jengeo-2024-44889","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.14232/jengeo-2024-44889","url":null,"abstract":"Marine debris has been identified as a form of pollution for more than half a century, and it is a major concern for the general public due to its detrimental effects on the environment and human health. The accumulation of marine debris not only affects the aesthetic appeal of our oceans but also poses a significant threat to safety. The impact of marine debris on the tourism industry, especially the eco-tourism sector, is a growing concern both locally and globally. The objective of this study was to conduct a comprehensive assessment of marine debris on three beaches of Ghana along the Gulf of Guinea. It sought to survey the spatiotemporal changes in the concentration of marine debris, quantify the perceptions of locals and beach users of marine debris, examine the citizen science perspectives on marine debris and finally analyse the effects of marine debris on coastal resources. The study employed a shoreline debris survey and citizen science approach to achieve this objective. Content analysis in NVivo was deployed to analyze transcriptions from the interviews. A standing stock beach survey was used to survey debris in 100 m2 quadrants for 30 occasions each for the three studied beaches at 12-day intervals, which spanned one year. Debris was classified and quantified according to the NOAA classification scheme for marine debris. The quantitative data generated were analyzed in SPSS 23.0 to establish debris abundance and spatiotemporal differences. Results revealed that plastics are the dominant debris type, accounting for 52% of the total debris surveyed, which was confirmed by the citizen science approach. Biriwa Beach had a minor debris abundance, statistically different from Abandze and Anomabo. The paper found significant seasonal differences in the concentration and spatial distribution of all debris types except for plastics and processed lumber. Respondents acknowledged the effects of marine debris on humans and the environment. The study recommends making adequate waste management infrastructure available in the area. NGOs and the Municipal Assembly should educate residents on effective mass participation in waste management practices to curb debris accumulation.","PeriodicalId":115431,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Environmental Geography","volume":"39 3","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-01-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"139446215","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Statistical Analysis of the Hydrological and Hydrometeorological Characteristics of the Upper Tisza Basin","authors":"Péter Czomba, Róbert Vass, Zoltán Túri","doi":"10.14232/jengeo-2023-44753","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.14232/jengeo-2023-44753","url":null,"abstract":"Tisza is the largest water base in the eastern part of Szabolcs-Szatmár-Bereg County, in north-eastern Hungary, and its indirect use is mainly associated with agriculture. Our work investigates the hypothesis that decrease in water levels and water discharges of the Upper Tisza in recent decades, together with the incision of the riverbed and the precipitation falling in the area, have an impact on the groundwater level of the Szatmár-Bereg Plain. In our study, data from three water gauges located between the settlements of Tiszaújlak and Vásárosnamény and data from groundwater level monitoring wells (MW) and Hydrometeorological (HMS) stations on the Szatmár-Bereg Plain were compared using statistical methods in Past 4.11 software. The aim of the current study was to identify the strategic steps that need to be taken by the organisations responsible for water management in the Upper Tisza basin in the light of the changes in hydrological, hydrometeorological, and meteorological factors. To ensure that the region has sufficient water supplies for the next decade, appropriate water management and agricultural strategies could be the solution.","PeriodicalId":115431,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Environmental Geography","volume":"115 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-09-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"128673478","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"The Effect of Molasses Application on Soil Biological Indicators and Maize Growth of Different Tillage Soil","authors":"P. A. Nugroho, Nándor Prettl, Zsolt Kotroczó, K. Juhos","doi":"10.14232/jengeo-2023-44670","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.14232/jengeo-2023-44670","url":null,"abstract":"Soil enzyme activity and labile carbon (LC) have long been used as soil health indicators. Soil health can be improved by molasses addition resulting in better plant growth and productivity. The effect of molasses on soil biological activity and plant growth under different tillage soil has not been discussed in many studies in Hungary. We assessed two soil types under different long-term tillage practices: conservation tillage (CT), which leaves 30% or more residue on the soil surface, and conventional-ploughing tillage (PT). A pot experiment with maize as the crop was carried out using the composite soil (0-20 cm) of CT and PT; a randomized block design with four replications was employed. Three levels of molasses concentration, 0 g L-1, 0.05 g L-1, and 0.2 g L-1 were applied. LC, dehydrogenase (DHA), β-glucosidase activity, plant height, and dry weight biomass were measured at the end of the experiment (after eight weeks). The results indicated that LC in CT increased by 7.61-21.23% over the increase in molasses concentration. LC concentration was significantly higher in the CT than in the PT soil. β-glucosidase activity increased along with the increase of molasses concentration by 11.42-30.43% in CT and 16.03-56.67% in PT; however, the significantly different appeared only in PT soil. The molasses application affected the DHA as well. The activity of dehydrogenase increases by 39.49-80.76% and 30.43-50.59%, respectively, in CT and PT. Nevertheless, no significance occurred in the tillage system or the molasses concentration. Our study also found that the different molasses concentrations did not affect the plant height and dry weight biomass in CT and PT. However, applying each molasses concentration in CT markedly escalated the plant height and dry weight biomass compared to PT. The enhancement of soil biological activity and plant growth by the molasses application allows a promising strategy for maintaining the soil health of agricultural land.","PeriodicalId":115431,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Environmental Geography","volume":"37 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-08-31","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"130975049","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Development of Suspended Sediment Monitoring of the Tisza Using an Indirect Measurement Method","authors":"Péter Tóth","doi":"10.14232/jengeo-2023-44863","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.14232/jengeo-2023-44863","url":null,"abstract":"The Tisza River experienced successive flood peaks between 1998 and 2010. The reasons of the increased flood height are various, one of them is overbank floodplain accumulation. The aim of the present study is to apply and test an alternative sediment measurement method to evaluate the sediment transport of the Tisza River, Hungary. The new method could help practitioners to better understand the fluvial processes. A significant problem with the current sediment measurement practice is that it does not consider or just to a limited extent, the hydrological conditions of a river. The data measured at the turbidity measuring station installed in the Middle Tisza at Szolnok are evaluated to determine whether or not this measurement procedure can be applied for the highly various sediment transport conditions of the Tisza. In measurement campaigns and based on continuous data from the turbidity measuring probe, a close relationship between near-bank turbidity and suspended sediment concentration was established. The suspended sediment concentrations calculated from the near-bank turbidity were compared with the results of suspended sediment yield from a few cross-section measurements. The results are encouraging; despite the limited number of measurements, the relationship between the parameters is close. In order to make the method more precise, additional series of measurements are needed, which also cover the high water range.","PeriodicalId":115431,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Environmental Geography","volume":"11 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-08-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"123975736","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Relationship Between Landscape Management, Land Use and Ecological Network in Nagykörű","authors":"Virág Kutnyánszky, Z. Szilvácsku","doi":"10.14232/jengeo-2023-44682","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.14232/jengeo-2023-44682","url":null,"abstract":"In the summer of 2022, we experienced an extreme water shortage in the Great Hungarian Plain and the consequences influenced and still influence our lives in several ways. The long-term solution to the problem of drought is sustainable landscape management, which builds on the natural characteristics of the area – climate, soil, topography, hydrographic conditions and opportunities. The ecological network can provide a suitable framework for this concept, since the original idea intended to create balance between intensive and extensive land use. Our goal was to define the focus areas where the current cultivation is in conflict with the features of the landscape, and we identified the areas where it is necessary to change the cultivation method and those where other water retention proposals can gain space, thus ensuring water even in drier periods. The resulting land use will be in line with the water cycle, thereby increasing the area's resilience against drought. In our research, we chose the municipality of Nagykörű and its surroundings along the Tisza River as our study area, which - like the rest of the Great Plain - was hit by an exceptionally severe drought in the summer of 2022. On the 90 km2 research area, after fieldwork, we performed various GIS analyses. Based on these we examined the possibilities and suitability of the cultivation methods in the given area and worded our proposals. In the course of our research, we consulted with water management experts and local farmers in order to get a more accurate picture of the area's features, problems, and the feasibility of our proposals. The landscape architecture master students of MATE also helped us in preparing the analyses. The results showed that currently a significant part of the area is not managed in accordance with the geographical conditions. The deeper fields in the middle of the area, which currently are under intensive farming, would belo9ng, under natural conditions to the floodplain of the river Tisza. Here the extensive cultivation methods, such as orchards, gardens, or meadows are recommended. At the same time, the flood-free parts of the sample area are suitable for agriculture. If water retention strategies are used in the suitable areas, these will be more protected against the effects of drought.","PeriodicalId":115431,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Environmental Geography","volume":"6 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-08-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"122379685","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"New Habitat Data of the Green-Winged Orchid (Anacamptis Morio L.) Located in the Surroundings of Eger, Hungary","authors":"T. Misik, Dóra Misik-Bartók","doi":"10.14232/jengeo-2023-44640","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.14232/jengeo-2023-44640","url":null,"abstract":"In 2022, we identified two new habitats of the protected green-winged orchid (Anacamptis morio L.) in the Bükk Mountains, in the surroundings of the city of Eger. One of the habitats is in the southwestern steppe meadow of the protected Nagy Eged Hill, while the other one is on a private plot near the village of Szarvaskő. A total of 18 blooming individuals were counted in the two sites. In the lower part of the steppe, at the foot of the protected Nagy-Eged Hill (47°97'56\"N and 20°34'51\"E), we found one well-developed green-winged orchid already in its flowering stage. It stood out with its smaller size and different flower colour from the lady orchids (Orchis purpurea HUDS.) widespread on the slopes of the mountain. Unfortunately, no other roots were found during our survey. The blooming flowers that make up the inflorescence were of the most common dark purple-red color. At the other site, further 17 individuals of the green-winged orchid were identified in a private garden (3,500 m2) in the outskirts of the village of Szarvaskő (47°92'02\"N and 20°40'58\"E). Most of the garden is covered by regularly mowed lawn. All of the detected orchids were in bloom and appeared scattered throughout the plot. Five larger plants grew at a great distance from one another, while 12 small ones (height: ≤10 cm) developed in a bunch. We had been aware of the presence of the protected orchid species on the plot since 2017, but before 2022 only a maximum of 3 flowering individuals appeared in one specific area of the plot each year. Floristic papers have not reported the occurrence of this species either in Nagy-Eged or in Szarvaskő so far.","PeriodicalId":115431,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Environmental Geography","volume":"14 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-08-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"133315539","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Characteristics and explanation of new artificial land uses on the example of Hungarian second-tier towns","authors":"Vera Iváncsics","doi":"10.14232/jengeo-2023-44672","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.14232/jengeo-2023-44672","url":null,"abstract":"The spatial growth of cities and the examination of the appearance of new artificial surfaces have been in the focus of several studies in the last decade. Attention was primarily focused on the metropolitan areas; however, the phenomenon can also be identified in smaller towns, which – at least, in Hungary – can hardly be explained by demographic trends. Urban growth, which is identified in the Carpathian Basin as well, is of concern from a sustainability point of view, so the monitoring and exploration of driving forces is of practical importance. Using the Corine Land Cover Database, the study analyses urban growth between 1990–2018 and looks for explanatory factors to understand the phenomenon. New artificial surfaces have appeared in the surroundings of cities or directly connected to morphological urban areas. Their morphological characteristics are presented on maps and in descriptive form. Those examples are interpreted for which the changes are not related to suburbanization trends or show unique characteristics in case studies. For example, in Sopron a large proportion of new residential areas are constantly appearing, thanks to its location on the border and the multi-centered metropolitan area of Vienna–Bratislava. The role of the ring road in the growth in Veszprém or the motorway construction in Nyíregyháza also determine spatial growth. Although the research approaches the issue of urban growth primarily from the point of view of morphology and land use, policy related conclusions can also be drawn from the results.","PeriodicalId":115431,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Environmental Geography","volume":"112 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-08-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"128107120","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Carbon Isotope Investigation of Freshwater Tufa Precipitation in Karst Streams of Bükk Mountains (Hungary)","authors":"Barbara Bódai, Balázs Áron Baráth, Gergely Virág, Dávid Sóvágó, M. Braun, I. Futó, S. Kele, M. Molnár","doi":"10.14232/jengeo-2023-44749","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.14232/jengeo-2023-44749","url":null,"abstract":"Recent freshwater tufa precipitation and its parent water were investigated at Szalajka valley, Sebesvíz and Dobrica Spring (Bükk Mts., Hungary). The aim of the study is to analyse the carbon isotope dynamics of freshwater tufa precipitated in karstic streams between the spring water and the first significant tufa barrage using field measurements, water chemistry, and carbon isotope analysis. A further aim was to examine the fossil tufa precipitations in recently active areas and their neighbourhood to determine their age using the 14C method. Based on the 3H content the water samples are relatively young (<10 y). To calibrate the calendar age of older tufas, dead carbon proportion (dcp) were determined in the recently formed freshwater tufas. The lowest dcp of the recent freshwater tufas was estimated at Sebesvíz (9.6±1.3%), the highest at Szalajka (16.4±2.4%) and a moderate value at Dobrica Spring (13.8±2.2%). Due to the rapid decrease in atmospheric 14C level we have to compensate the atmospheric 14C drop between the water infiltration time and the deposition time of fresh carbonates to compensate the bomb-effect. The oldest fossil tufa age (BC 6421-6096) was found at Sebesvíz located around 20 metres away from the riverbed, while the youngest fossil tufa ages (a few years/decades old) were found in the recently active area at all sites.","PeriodicalId":115431,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Environmental Geography","volume":"8 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-07-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"129901867","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Automatic Drought Tolerance Measurement of the Soil-Living Microarthropod, Folsomia Candida","authors":"László Sipőcz, A. Ittzés, M. Dombos","doi":"10.14232/jengeo-2023-44683","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.14232/jengeo-2023-44683","url":null,"abstract":"Soil is a complex habitat where microarthropods, such as mites (Acari) and springtails (Collembola) species occur in high number and species diversity. Microarthropods play an essential role in organic matter decomposition and provide an important ecosystem service in soil. The soil-dwelling microarthropods are sensitive to environmental changes; therefore, their ecological characteristics are used to evaluate soil conditions. In modern environmental ecology, several species are involved in assessing the ecological consequences of drought periods. The growth rate is a standard sublethal parameter by which the body size of individuals is measured. Extracting microarthropods from the soil is difficult and time-consuming, requiring a high amount of human resources. Only a few samples can be processed due to laboratory limitations and high costs. However, nowadays the rapidly developing artificial intelligence (AI) technologies promise new opportunities in many research areas.Data on soil-dwelling microarthropods could be collected quickly and automatically using our new digital soil extractor device, the Edapholog, equipped with image analysis based on AI. This device recognizes living individuals, classifies them, and measures their body length automatically. Using this system, the growth and reproductive success of various species in the same experimental culture could be rapidly and simultaneously monitored. In this study, we aimed to analyse the applicability of the Edapholog for measuring the body size of Collembola species and Folsomia candida through a set of drought tolerance tests with three soil moisture treatment levels. Moisture content was set based on the maximum water holding capacity (Wmax) of the soil applied. The three levels were set to Wmax:35%, 40%, and 50%. Furthermore, we aimed to test the reliability of the detection and recognition of the species and the accuracy and reliability of the automatic body size measurement of individuals.Significant correlation (r= 0.94) exists between the automatically and manually measured body sizes. Although the different soil moisture treatments did not show marked differences in the collembolan body sizes between the moisture treatments, we found a significant difference in the reproduction rates between W50 and the other two (W35 and W40) treated groups. The Edapholog can greatly contribute to quick and precise data extraction and can have vast applicability in environmental ecology.","PeriodicalId":115431,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Environmental Geography","volume":"246 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-07-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"133676015","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"The Importance of Protein Fingerprints in Bacterial Identification","authors":"Ali Haider, M. Ringer, Zsolt Kotroczó, C. Mohácsi-Farkas, T. Kocsis","doi":"10.14232/jengeo-2023-44716","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.14232/jengeo-2023-44716","url":null,"abstract":"The available literary sources suggest the general applicability and benefits of the Matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization (MALDI) time-of-flight (TOF) mass spectrometry (MS) in the field of microbiological identification including food quality and safety, and the clinical field. Due to its high reliability, MALDI-TOF might generally be the alternative to the sequence-based and serological-based methods. The essence of the technique is to map the unique protein pattern of microbes that contributes to characterizing a wide variety of microorganisms, including bacteria, fungi, and viruses. On the other hand, these applications only have reliable results under certain conditions (homogeneous infection, adequate cell count, appropriate separation technique). In this review, we focused on the application of MALDI-TOF MS for the environmental field where it has significant potential in the identification, differentiation, and categorization of environmental samples which includes (soil, water, and air), furthermore, some challenges, especially in case of the extreme conditions environment and summarize developments that have been enabled for routine application in the field of environment.","PeriodicalId":115431,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Environmental Geography","volume":"38 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-07-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"126916534","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}