Rivers are one of the most valuable sources of water for drinking, agricultural, and industrial use. In the presented study, water samples collected from different rivers of HablehRood from October Within 23, 2009, to the end of September 2014, were analyzed to assess qualitative analysis and suitability for domestic and irrigation usage. The electrical conductivity (EC) of the river water was within

This study investigated the large-scale El Niño–Southern Oscillation and Pacific Decadal Oscillation indices teleconnections with the spring chemographs and δ18O time series in the Sarabkalan Spring, Zagros Mountains, Iran. It was intended to document a karst system by identifying synchrony and coupling between climate indices and its precipitation, spring discharge, chemographs, and isotopes. Here

Volcanic activity is one of the primary sources of arsenic in nature, and chemical forms of arsenic discharged by volcanic activity are inorganic. Kagoshima Bay has active submarine volcano located in the 200 m deep basin of its northern part. Since dissolved inorganic arsenic is more toxic than organic arsenic it is important to understand the dispersion of discharged arsenic in seawater. To estimate

Hydrogeologically, the aquifers of the Dhaka district are located in the B, H and J zones of a total of 15 BWDB-UNDP (1982) groundwater development zones and were considered to have a high groundwater potential. Unplanned and excess groundwater extraction is causing a decline of groundwater potentiometric heads in the area. Groundwater level data from nineteen (19) years of the two aquifers of the

The current study is related to the slope stability assessment along a part of pilgrimage route (NH-154A) connecting a holy shrines of Bharmour and Manimahesh. This road section also connects with hydroelectric dams and power stations through a tunnel. The recognition of the soil slopes has been done along the road corridor, thereafter, topographical and geotechnical based investigations were carried

Soil erosion is one of the major environmental hazards causing severe land degradation in the sub-tropical monsoon dominated Mayurakshi river basin (MRB) of Eastern India. Hence, this study aims to delineate the areas with severe soil erosion probability (SEP) using logistic regression (LR), decision tree (DT), and Random forest (RF). A soil erosion inventory map was prepared using 150 rill and gully

Previous investigations using time domain reflectometry (TDR) to detect ionic contaminants has mainly focused on saturated coarse-grained soils and conventional probes (e.g., coaxial, two- or three-rod probe). To explore the applicability of using the TDR penetrometer for the site investigation of ionically contaminated land, a theoretical framework was proposed to estimate the pore water electrical

Ground improvement by the biological method is considered to be one of the most preferred sustainable methods for improving engineering properties of soil in comparison to the physical, mechanical and chemical methods. One of such biological method, ureolytic microbial-induced calcite precipitation (UMICP), utilizes urease active bacteria to precipitate calcium carbonate to act as a binding material

Earthquake is among the most disastrous natural hazards existing in the global economy. Large-scale earthquakes exhibit threats and challenges to the modern society, causing casualties and deaths, impeding socio-economic activities and causing massive economic losses throughout the world. Thus there is a need for an earthquake early warning, detection, and rescue system which can save lives of human

Water pollution is a primary environmental concern in Pakistan due to its serious health effects. Over more than 1.25 million people in the Swat district rely on surface and groundwater sources for drinking, agricultural purposes. Hence, the need to ascertain the drinking water quality and associated human health risks were considered highly significant. In this study, eighty water samples (40 for

In the present study, an analytical solution is obtained for two-dimensional advection–dispersion equation with variable coefficients in a semi-infinite heterogeneous porous medium. Dispersion coefficient and groundwater velocity are assumed to vary temporally as well as spatially while the retardation factor varies spatially only. The first-order decay and zero-order production terms are also considered

Lake Victoria is the second largest freshwater lake and the largest tropical lake in the world. The transboundary lake has the fastest growing population in its catchment, which can impact the water and sediment quality. To determine the extent of anthropogenic effects on sediment quality in the Ugandan part of Lake Victoria, the contents and binding behaviour of trace elements were analysed, as well

Choosing appropriate multivariate calibration and preprocessing transformation techniques is important in the determination of soil organic carbon (SOC) content based on visible and near-infrared (Vis–NIR) spectroscopy. The performance levels of partial least-squares regression (PLSR), support vector machine regression (SVMR), and wavelet neural network (WNN) calibration methods coupled with different

Considering the slope units as our reference mapping units, three statistical models [frequency ratio (FR), index of entropy (IOE), and evidential belief function (EBF)] are used in combination by two methods [normalized spatial-correlated scale index (NSCI) and weighted calibrated landslide potential model (WCLPM)]. For this aim, ten conditioning factors correlated with landslide namely, altitude

Secure potable water is indispensable to life. The presence of salinity in potable water has become a serious problem worldwide and it is essential to ensure secure potable water, particularly in the coastal areas of Bangladesh. In this work, 48 (forty-eight) harvested rainwater samples were assessed from Upazila (sub-district) of Mongla and Sarankhola, Bagerhat district, Bangladesh during the monsoon

In the context of circular high steep slopes within a 500-m aperture spherical radio telescope (FAST) site in Pingtang, Guizhou Province in southwest China, a pertinent small-area karst landslide risk assessment is carried out based on geographic information system and fuzzy analytical hierarchy process. Results show the following: (a) The AUC value of hazard assessment is 0.826, which means a good

Stability analysis of salt caverns is a very complicated subject due to the coupled time-dependent thermo-mechanical behavior of salt during leaching and operational phase of the gas storage subjected to the cyclic loading. Because of purely plastic behavior of salt and the relevant convergence during injection and withdrawal, investigation of the salt cavern stability becomes more challenging. The

In the Isly basin, an arid region in Morocco, access to water resources is a key factor in its socio-economic development. The purpose of the present study is to contribute to the search for areas suitable for the establishment of productive water wells by mapping areas that have the potential to provide a suitable water supply. The mapping process used a conceptual model of the factors that are controlling

Maps of the vulnerability of groundwater to seawater intrusion were developed for the multi-layered coastal aquifer of Ouled Taoui—Ouled Boujemaa in Algeria. Groundwater in this area is threatened by the risk of salinization due to excessive groundwater use. To protect this aquifer, mapping the vulnerability to potential saline intrusion was carried out using a modified GALDIT index mapping model that

To accurately visualize the spatial distribution of heavy metal pollution and provide information that assists in remediating farmland soil, this study employed GIS technology and collected 0–20 cm-depth surface soil and shallow groundwater samples from farmland in Jianxin Village, Xiba Town, Wutongqiao City, Sichuan Province, China. The soil samples were decomposed using a high-temperature closed

The present editorial 2020 continues the series of status reports in Environmental Earth Sciences (EES) in previous years 2017 and 2019 (Kolditz et al. in Environ Earth Sci 77: 8, 2018, Kolditz et al. in Environ Earth Sci 79: 11, 2020). The year 2020 coming to an end was heavily influenced by the COVID-19 pandemic affecting all areas of life including research work and, therefore, scientific publishing

The city of Azazga is facing extensive and damaging landslide hazard. The aim of this study was to investigate the inventory mapping, the deformation characteristics, the controlling factors and the failure mechanisms of the landslides in the urban area of Azazga based on field surveys, aerial photographs/satellite images interpretation and the exploitation of available data including rainfall database

The most populous city of the world’s largest watershed (Manaus, Amazon Basin, Brazil) is experiencing an extensive urban expansion since the early 1970s, with an attendant cost in environmental degradation. The upland area of the Manaus municipality is characterized by several streams. In this work, we aim to gradually measure the anthropogenic effect on water quality: we monitored three streams flowing

Unsaturated bentonite–sand mixtures (BSMs) are accepted generally as ideal buffer/backfill materials in geologic repositories because of its excellent performance. Water retention characteristics are the important factor that affect the engineering properties of BSMs, but little attention has been devoted to that of Gaomiaozi (GMZ) BSMs under controlled-temperature in high suction range. This study

To explore the differences in mechanical and energy evolution characteristics of coal–rock composite samples with different coal–rock height ratios, uniaxial compression tests of coal–rock composite samples with height ratios ranging from 4:1 to 1:4 were conducted by PFC software. A total of 7 PFC models were built and calculated. Results show that the smaller coal–rock height ratios lead to the higher

The Sundarbans, a UNESCO world heritage site, is of immense importance for its ecological and economic utilities. This paper attempts to identify, assess and classify the degree of vulnerability along the 269 km coastal stretches of Indian Sundarbans using GIS-based composite index. This study implies five physical and one social variable (geomorphology, regional elevation, absolute sea level rise

The large amount of end-of-life (EoL) reverse osmosis (RO) membrane modules needed in desalination processes represents an important opportunity for material valorization. Alternative waste management routes are being developed worldwide to give them a second life within the Circular Economy (CE) principles. The aim of this study is the potential location identification for an EoL-RO direct recycling

The urban heat island (UHI) effect is an important issue in urban planning. In this study, the framework of the land surface temperature (LST) and UHIindex for urban development land (UDL) based on urban planning in China was proposed to examine the spatiotemporal evolution of the LST and the UHIindex for the whole city as well as the LST and the UHIindex of UDL at four node stages (1995, 2003, 2014

One of the most challenging tasks faced by many cities in implementing a solid waste management program is the selection of new landfills. Ideal landfill sites should have minimal impact on the environment and economy. This study presents an alternative method, in which the modified Analytical Hierarchy Process was applied with Geographic Information Systems to determine the most suitable landfill

The present research assesses the chemical fractionation of cadmium (Cd), chromium (Cr), and lead (Pb) detected in saline soil samples of Hyderabad Pakistan. Based on the reagents used in the BCR three-step conventional sequential extraction (CSE) for partitioning Cd, Cr, and Pb in saline soil samples, a Microwave induced single-step extraction (MSE) method was developed. The validity of the method

The crosslinked biopolymer structure constructed by blending different biopolymers or adding crosslink agent to biopolymers was studied. The rate of crosslink reaction was estimated with rheological measurements, such as elasticity and viscosity, glass transition temperature, crosslinking density, and gelation. Intermolecular and intramolecular association among polymer chains resulted in the formation

Seawater intrusion is a worldwide phenomenon resulting in groundwater quality challenges in coastal aquifers, which has prompted many investigations into its occurrence, sources, and age. To identify the origin of saline groundwater in the coastal communities of Central Region, Ghana, a combination of ten (10) different major ionic ratios—viz. Na/Cl, Mg/Cl, Ca/Mg, K/Cl, SO4/Cl, Ca/ (HCO3 + SO4), (Ca + Mg)/Cl

The aim of this work is to provide a complete data set of direct shear tests and to propose a corresponding simulation approach. Tests have been conducted on crystalline rock samples applying constant normal load (CNL) and constant normal stiffness (CNS) boundary conditions. A physical consistent algorithm which explicitly calculates the forces acting on the fracture surface (FFS) has been developed

Hydrochemistry of the rift margin environments in the Albertine Graben (Uganda) was used to understand the influence of both geology (Albertine Rift, Karuma, and Bunyoro Groups) and potential chemical contaminants derived from petroleum development on groundwater resources. Petroleum development is taking place in a highly populated region where groundwater is the main source of domestic water supply

Sedimentological connectivity is associated with the degree of linkage between sediment sources and downslope areas. In this study, a connectivity index is proposed to estimate the contribution of different parts of a basin as sources of sediments and to assess the pathway of sediment flux. A small granitic basin located on the eastern slope of the Comechingones Ranges (Córdoba Province, Argentina)

The article presents the first data on the study of a wide range of chemical elements in the water and sediments of small lakes located in the Arctic Zone of Russia. Among the selected objects are two lakes located in the urbanized areas. As a result, the sediments of all lakes were classified by the ratio of the main elements and the total content of organic matter. The concentration coefficients

Agricultural lands around city centers are exposed to trace metal pollution through urbanization especially and industrialization-related human activities. This study investigates potential sources of trace metals (Cd, Cr, Cu, Ni and Pb) in agricultural lands surrounding Çanakkale city center (NW Turkey) and estimates their environmental impacts with the sequential extraction procedure. Soil samples

This study investigates the hydrochemistry of the Mandi Baha-Ud-Din district, which is an important part of the Jhelum Basin. The study area is highly populated with low facilities in the provision of clean drinking water. A Geographic Information System (GIS) was used to map the spatial variability of different physicochemical parameters. A total of 59 analysed groundwater samples indicated that the

To monitor sediment variations in the Chilika Lake, the Landsat-8 OLI data was used to calibrate suspended sediment concentration (SSC) model. The relationship between remote sensing reflectance of OLI bands and in-situ measured SSC were used to develop new site-specific algorithms. Four different models were calibrated in this study for retrieval of SSC using in-situ observation and remote sensing

Many high earth rockfill dams are currently being constructed in the alpine region of Southwest China. Since the effective working time is reduced by the cold climate, it is necessary to solve the problem of intermittent filling of the core wall at low temperature. However, freeze–thaw (FT) cycles in the filling process will change the deformation behavior of gravelly soil. For 300 m-high earth core

The present study attempts to demarcate the areas susceptible to gully erosion in Phuentsholing, Bhutan, using Deep Learning CNN (convolution neural network) and artificial neuron network (ANN), Support Vector Machine (SVM) and maximum entropy, three basic machine learning techniques in the GIS setting. Application of deep learning technique is new in the field of gully erosion. Considering the 240

In this work, aeroradioactivity (airborne radiometric) data was used to characterize the lithology of Ijebu Ife, Southwest Nigeria. Measurements were made using Sodium Iodide [NaI (Tl)] detector mounted on a fixed-wing aircraft by Nigerian Geological Survey. Geochemical information on potassium (40K), thorium (232Th) and uranium (238U) concentrations were extracted from the raw data after correction

This paper assesses the effect of galena emitted with dust from an electrostatic precipitator at Miasteczko Śląskie Zinc Smelting Plant (Poland) onto a soil and water environment. The Eh–pH diagrams plotted in the temperature range of − 3 to 25 °C serve to determine the conditions of PbS stability and conditions under which its decomposition may occur, resulting in the release of ionic forms of lead

A study involving soil radon monitoring using RAD-7 instrument was carried out near Balakot-Bagh (B-B) Fault line hit by a 7.6 magnitude earthquake in October 2005. The study aimed to determine the spatial distribution of soil radon gas levels and the relationship between the soil radon gas and fracture density. Eleven soil samples were collected near the fault line, and 56 more samples (fourteen each

Heavy metal pollution in mining area soil and its impact on human health have been becoming one of the most important global environmental problems. This study investigated the heavy metals in the soil around the tungsten-molybdenum mining area in southwestern Luoyang, Henan Province, assessed the level of heavy metal pollution in the soil around the tungsten-molybdenum mining area, and quantified

Soil temperature and moisture are important factors affecting vegetation growth and drought in desert steppe environments. These factors also strongly influence grassland ecosystems. This study interpreted long-term (2009–2019) ground observation data on soil temperature, soil moisture, and meteorological factors from a study area in Inner Mongolia. The monitoring station collected soil moisture, soil

Critical slope stability analysis has proven to be a reliable technique which could be used in gully erosion risk assessments. The integration of experimental and stability modelling has assisted extensively in the analysis of natural slopes. In the current paper, several geotechnical properties and slope parameters were studied in an attempt to characterize gullying processes and risk in southern

The study explored and discussed the water management strategy of Istanbul with more than 16 million inhabitants. Istanbul has quite limited local fresh water resources with an ultimate storage capacity of 868.7 million m3 and supplies daily approximately 2.8 million m3 of water at a magnitude of 180 L/ca. 36% of the water demand is supplied from a water source 190 km away from the city. In this study

In the present investigation, hydrogeochemistry and multivariate statistical analysis of groundwater quality were assessed from hard rock aquifers of the Deccan trap basalt in the Jalna district of Maharashtra. Groundwater samples (n = 105) were collected from the study area in a systematic grid pattern to avoid biasing in sampling. Water quality parameters of all these groundwater samples were analyzed

The state of Rajasthan of India is predominantly classified as a dry state and therefore its freshwater and agricultural resources are the prime concern for the people and the state agencies. This article presents the analytical study of physicochemical parameters of Mansagar lake Jaipur, India. Our prime objective was to find the quantity and effects of effluents mixing with the water of Jalmahal

Landslides have attracted widespread attention because of their tremendous ability to harm human lives and property. Many studies have focused on specific landslides to determine the relationships among the occurrence of well-known landslides and topographic, morphological and lithological conditions. Further studies need to examine the common growth rules of landslides at regional scales. For example

Increased demand for power generation coupled with changing seasonal water uncertainty has caused a worldwide increase in the construction of large hydrologic engineering structures. That said, the soon-to-be-completed Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) will impound the Blue Nile River in Western Ethiopia and its reservoir will encompass ~ 1763 km2 and store ~ 67 Gt (km3) of surface water. The

To explore spatial and temporal variability of Arsenic (As) pollution and its stability of the soil in the Juzhang River basin, the data of 255 surface soil samples are analyzed in the study area. The analysis methods include Moran’s I, the semi-variant function, the inverse distance interpolation method and the superposition analysis. The results showed that: (1) in 2006 and 2016, the average content

This study was carried out primarily to understand the hydrogeochemical processes controlling the 226Ra anomalies in Ramsar area. Analyses revealed two types of water: (1) non-thermal Ca–HCO3 type and (2) thermal Na–Cl type, mainly of meteoric and hydrothermal origin, respectively. Non-thermal springs have higher concentrations of U due to silicate weathering. Thermal springs are characterized by high

The expansive clay soils, which cover most of the new urbanized areas in Egypt, create major damages in most of the engineering structures and infrastructures such as buildings, roads, bridges, pipelines and others due to bad human activities, e.g. lack of maintenance for sewage and drinking lines, and flood irrigation of golf areas which causes fluctuation of water content through the foundation clay

The DRASTIC index used to assess the vulnerability of aquifers to contamination, has been subject to various adjustments to improve its reliability. These adjustments include adding and/or eliminating certain aquifer factors and modifying the factor weights. Nonetheless, there is no consensus about which factors, or their respective weights, are most important for assessing aquifer vulnerability. In

Radiometric survey has been used extensively in quite a lot of fields of science, majorly for geological mapping and mineral exploration. It is used to quantify the proportion of potassium, uranium and thorium in rock and soil. Radiogenic heat production was found to be associated with the radioactive emission from the three primordial radioelements: uranium, thorium and potassium. In this study, the

Freeze–thaw circulation under different moisture contents is the main influencing factor of the soil strength characteristics at a dumping site. The fine-grained sand materials of an internal dumping site in the Yuanbaoshan open-pit mine of China were selected as the research object; the changes of soil strength and deformation characteristics of 5 types of freeze–thaw (F–T) cycles were studied under

Secondary alteration minerals like clays accompanied by volcanic activity can provide an important information on eruption cycle. Representative volcanic tuffs and seabed sediments were collected from the Dokdo volcanic island in East Sea, South Korea, to interpret eruption cycle based on clay mineral characteristics and other geochemical proxies (sulfur isotope composition, Si/Al, K/Al, among others)

Soil leakage loss is a special form of soil and water loss in karst areas and has been raising the research interest in the recent years. Owing to the invisibility and distinctiveness of soil leakage loss, how to effectively monitor it has become a tough problem. Through analyzing the existing methods, this study aims to assess their contributions to and deficiencies in understanding the law of soil