European Journal of Environment and Earth Sciences

Interlocking Elements to Control Erosion in Natural and Urban Ecosystems

2024-08-26T21:48:05+02:00

Advancements in comprehending soil erosion alleviation, relevant to both natural terrains and urban settings, have experienced notable growth in knowledge and products. Nevertheless, the increasing influence of climate change-driven forces, extreme weather events, and human-caused actions have resulted in reduced attainment of the desired results in erosion mitigation efforts. This paper aims to investigate how interlocking elements contribute to the reduction of soil erosion in natural landscapes and urban green spaces. This will be achieved by analyzing published materials, patents, installation instructions, manuals, and reports from organizations. Furthermore, we delve into novel interlocking products and emerging strategies like soft solutions and ecologically engineered blocks designed to effectively address soil erosion within vegetated habitats while enhancing the system’s capacity to adapt and withstand shifts in climate, curbing soil loss, and diminishing the speed of water runoff, consequently mitigating the potential for erosion. Geotechnical engineering and other erosion control solutions like biobased interlocking components and interlocking permeable blocks offer promise in safeguarding natural landscapes and urban infrastructure from erosion-related impacts. The geotextiles market, for instance, which was valued at over $7 billion in 2022, is anticipated to experience an annual growth rate of 6.6% from 2023 to 2030. This growth can be attributed to increasing environmental concerns related to soil erosion and the rapid urbanization occurring in developing countries. However, continuous progress in the economic viability and sustainability of these techniques and products is crucial to effectively achieve erosion mitigation goals in the face of a shifting climate.

The Adoption and Applications of Earth Observations and Allied Geoinformation Systems for Environmental Management in Ghana

2024-08-17T02:23:38+02:00

Earth Observations (EOs) and allied technologies were initially adopted and applied to inform sustainable environmental resource management in Ghana. This paper examines the initial adoption of EOs in the early 1990s and subsequent applications. It highlights the transformative potentials of EO technologies in addressing critical environmental issues while also identifying barriers to their widespread adoption and options for optimal up-scaling. Literature review, in-depth interview, and personal experiences of the author were analyzed. The initial optimism bias generated may have masked the need for establishing the necessary sustainability arrangements. The adoption of EOs was driven by the need to generate data to inform natural and environmental resource management in the mid-1990s. Initially, EOs facilities were established in public organizations, including the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), Survey Department, and the University of Ghana. Since then, EOs have been applied in various sectors for research and environmental resource management. Granted, there have been successes. Yet, challenges undermine the optimization and scaling-up of actual benefits. These include the misconceived technocentric view of EOs, which is a restricted domain for the technically initiated and map-making tool. Others, such as unfavourable organizational processes, unsustainable funding, and limitations in research and applications, have adversely contributed to suboptimal outcomes. Suboptimal institutionalization of EOs into management decisions has constrained EOs infrastructure acquisition, maintenance and data procurement. To sustainably enhance EOs applications in resource management, research, and governance, a shift from present misconceptions for effective mainstreaming and a leveraging of EOs as integral parts of decision-making processes are prerequisites. Decision-makers and management personnel should be educated on the relevance of EOs’ functionalities to the core strategies of environmental management.

Hydrogeological Regions of Kolubarska Posavina (Central Serbia)

2024-08-13T17:41:47+02:00

The groundwater catchments of the Kolubarska Posavina are of significant importance because if some contamination affects the groundwater system, it is necessary to find a quality groundwater source for the water supply of Obrenovac Municipality. Reconstruction of sedimentary evolution plays a significant role in the investigation of groundwater catchment. In this study, the variation in sedimentary characteristics and sedimentary evolution/paleogeography were studied for Quaternary catchment identification in Kolubarska Posavina. The groundwater catchment of the Kolubarska Posavina can distinguished into two main parts. The western part of Kolubarska Posavina is identified as the Sava groundwater catchment, where the Sava alluvial plain and the (paleo) meanders of the Sava are located. The east part belongs to the Kolubara groundwater catchment, characterized by the remnants of the (macro) alluvial fan of Kolubara and the Kolubara floodplain. The Kolubara catchment is located eastwards from the older meander of the Sava River.

Mineralogy and Geotechnical Properties of Fine-Grained Sediments from Swali Community

2024-06-18T17:29:49+02:00

The mineralogical and geotechnical properties of fine grained deposits from Swali community, in Yenagoa local government area of Bayelsa State, Nigeria were analyzed using X-ray diffraction (XRD) for the qualitative analysis of the mineral composition and the Atterberg limit using ASTM D 4318 standard for the geotechnical properties. Four representative samples that were analyzed using XRD show the deposit is composed of quartz, albite, orthoclase and muscovite with average values of 59.25%, 16.45%, 13.25% and 11% respectively. No typical clay mineral was observed in the analysis. The mineral suite indicates an acid igneous rock source and long distance and time of travel. Ten samples were analyzed for the geotechnical properties, and the Atterberg limits derived are: Liquid limit ranging from 29.7% – 50.4%, Plastic limit ranging from 22.9% – 36.1% and the Plastic Index ranging from 11.4 – 26.1. Four of the samples were non plastic and only six show a measure of plasticity. The deposits are classified as inorganic lean clay in locations SW6 and SW10 designated as CL as they fall above the A – Line and have Plasticity Index > 7, and those from SW2, SW3, SW4 and SW8 are classified as silty clay with designation ML because they fall below the A – Line on the plot of Liquid limit versus Plastic Index but have Plasticity Index > 4. All the deposits have low plasticity because they fall below the Liquid limit separator line of 50% with only one on the borderline. Therefore, the deposit range from inorganic lean clay to silty clay with low plasticity derived from an acid igneous rock with long distance and time of travel.

Petrography and Geochemistry of the Farchana-Hadjerhadid Granitoids (Ouaddaï Massif, Eastern Chad)

2024-06-04T06:41:20+02:00

Work in the Farchana-Hadjerhadid sector is focused on petrography, with the main aim of mapping the geological formations of the eastern Ouaddaï Massif in order to identify petrographic types and gain an understanding of the geodynamic history of this area. The fieldwork showed that the Farchana-Hadjerhadid granitoids consist mainly of granites and diorites and are intersected by numerous pegmatite veins. Microscopic observation shows that the diorite is made up of plagioclase, amphibole, biotite, and quartz. The granite is composed of alkali feldspar, quartz, amphibole, plagioclase, and biotite. The granitoids in the study area are moderately differentiated (SiO2 = 55.62% to 71.67%) and belong to the medium to highly potassic calc-alkaline series. They are ferriferous type I metaluminous granitoids (A/CNK < 1.1). The parent magma was derived from the partial melting of the metabasalts, and the petrographic types evolved by assimilation and fractional crystallization.