Geographical studies and environment protection research
Volume X | Issue 1
Land Use Change in the Bucharest Metropolitan Area and its Impacts on the Quality of the Environment in Residential Developments
Abstract: The Bucharest Metropolitan Area (BMA) is undergoing a major and alert phase of reorganisation as a response to changes in the political, institutional, administrative, economic and social environment. Over the last 20 years land use has profoundly changed in the area under study, mainly by means of agricultural land conversion and the subsequent formation of residential and commercial areas. These two kinds of land uses were also expanded over industrial spaces in the Bucharest Metropolitan Area. Residential areas are showing a large quantitative increase and extremely non-concentrated dispersion, as well as complex and diverse typology. The present study analyses the possible direct and indirect consequences of land use change regarding the quality of the environment in the residential areas of the Bucharest Metropolitan Area (focusing on new residential districts). The results show that agricultural and forested areas are decreasing in surface and suffer from fragmentation, while residential areas are expanding in a chaotic manner, thus indicating the possible areas of conflict regarding the quality of the environment. The lack of coordination in the numerous institutional or private projects in real estate is the main cause of this situation. Public authorities administered the real estate projects between 1947 and 1990 (Communist Era) as the majority of the land and the constructed property were state-owned by law. After 1990, in the era of private property, in absence of legislation and convenient decision-making, the consequences of the privatization were difficult to manage (spreading of residential districts, overused and insufficient infrastructure in many areas, poor accessibility and waste management problems).
Volume X | Issue 1
Quantifying Forest Ecosystems Fragmentation in the Subcarpathians between the Râmnicu Sărat and the Buzău Valleys, Romania, Using Landscape Metrics
Abstract: The Romanian Subcarpathian space has been the subject of continuous transformation during the last 2 centuries under the double impact of human activities and disruptive natural factors. Time and spatial dynamics of land use and coverage determined a major impact on the structure and functionality of the Subcarpathian landscape. In the Subcarpathians between the Râmnicu Sărat and the Buzău, the main tendencies in land use changes are highlighted by the decrease of forestry areas and increase of agricultural terrains, especially pastures and orchards, a consequence of the deforestation undertaken to answer local human needs. The fragmentation and the pronounced decrease of forestry ecosystems has been quantified by calculating and analysing landscape metrics, using land use and coverage maps derived from the Corine Land Cover 1990 and 2006 database. In the Subcarpathians between the Râmnicu Sărat and the Buzău, there has been registered a deforestation rate of 10.09% in the analysed period, but also an increase in landscape fragmentation. Thus, the number of forest patches increased by 10.96% and their average size decreased by 13.73%, while the shape remained unchanged. Landscape patches became more isolated, as the value of the average proximity index decreased by 42.07%. The study underlines the necessity of elaborating a strategy of protection and preservation for these ecosystems, aimed at increasing the reforestation rate and decreasing the fragmentation degree. A sustainable planning system of land use must be enforced in order to increase forest productivity and the uniformity degree of the Subcarpathian landscape.
Volume X | Issue 1
Ecological Status Assessment of the Water Bodies Located in the Lower Sectors of the Jiu and the Motru Rivers (Oltenia, Romania)
Abstract: By means of the Water Framework Directive methodology, the present study identifies the valid indicators used for evaluating the ecological status of two natural water bodies (the first located on the Jiu river between Bratovoieşti and the Danube confluence, and the second on the Motru river between the Jirov and the Jiu confluence): hydromorphological indicators, physico-chemical indicators and biological indicators. The quality parameters deviated from the norm are: Shannon-Wiener Diversity Index – 2.87 for the Motru WB and Functional groups index – 0.68 for the Jiu WB (biological Indicators); modified water-cross section coefficient (depth) (1.22) – the Motru WB, impoundment coefficient (0.91) – the Motru WB and Coefficient of major streambed reduction (1.24) – the Jiu WB (hydromorphological indicators). The quality parameters (physico-chemical indicators) of the water drainage systems deviated from the norm are: Biochemical Oxygen demand BOD5 (40.78 mg/l) and Ammonium Nitrogen N-NH4 + (6.96 mg N/l) for Strehaia settlement; Biochemical Oxygen demand BOD5 (33.70 mg/l), Ammonium Nitrogen N-NH4 + (19.66 mg N/l) and Total Phosphorus PT (8.96 mg/l) for Craiova settlement. The target is to validate the ecological status for the two water bodies, respectively „moderate status” for the lower Jiu and „good status” for the lower Motru, related to the Class II and Class III of the European process of intercalibration, ensuring thus the compatibility at European level. The relevance of the paper consists in the assessment of the ecological status of two natural water bodies located downstream with respect to a major punctiform polluting source (two major settlements, Craiova on the Jiu, respectively Strehaia on the Motru), impacting heavily the achievement of environmental objectives set by the Water Frame Directive.
Volume X | Issue 1
Types and Sources of Underground Water Table Pollution in Sânmihaiu German Settlement (Timiş County) – Preliminary Analysis
Abstract: The drinking water of German Sânmihaiu, located at about 15 km South-Western from Timişoara city, is polluted. There are some small farms in the settlement, which pollute the underground water with sulphates, nitrites and ammonia. Waste thermal waters resulted as open discharges from the local swimming pool are added. 22 water samples constituted the basis of this study, accompanied by questionnaires. The chemical analysis of the test was performed in the laboratory. The study also uses digital cartography methods, which outlined the spatial disparities regarding the pollution of each underground water table. The concentration of ammonia and nitrites has considerably decreased as compared to the last two decades, when intensive agriculture at CAP level was based on chemical fertilizers. Yet, the pollution from unmonitored sources continues to represent a problem.
Volume IX | Issue 9
Particulate Matter and Nitrogen Dioxide in the Brussels Ambient Air. To What Extent Local Emission Reductions Need to Be Drastic to Enable Compliance with the EU Limit Values
Abstract: Over the past 40 years ambient air quality in Brussels improved significantly. This was especially true for sulfur dioxide, lead, nitrogen monoxide, carbon monoxide, benzene and Benzo a pyrene. With respect to the air quality objectives imposed by the most recent European directive on air quality, 2008/50/EC, two major problems remain: nitrogen dioxide (NO2) and particulates (PM10 and PM2.5). Although the air quality objectives are met at several measuring sites in Brussels, a thorough analysis of data shows that it will be impossible to become fully compliant, in due time, in all of the different urban environments. A comparison of the average concentration levels in the Brussels Capital Region with those in the surrounding regions, the interpretation of the average daily and weekly concentration profiles and some special observations (e.g. car free Sundays) make clear that drastic emission reductions will be needed if compliance is to be assured solely by measures on the local scale.