- Biogeography (19)
- Climatology (36)
- Environment (76)
- Geomorphology (58)
- GIS and Remote Sensing (19)
- Human and economic geography (63)
- Hydrology (56)
- Regional geography (45)
- Tourism (42)
- Various (37)
Abstract: This bibliometric analysis systematically examines the evolution of scientific research on forced migration between 1974 and 2025. Using data extracted from the Scopus database and processed through the Bibliometrix package in R, the study investigates publication trajectories, international collaboration patterns, and thematic developments across five decades. The analysis aims to identify major research areas, influential authors and institutions, and emerging conceptual directions within this geographically diverse field. Results indicate a steady and substantial growth in scholarly output, with an annual growth rate of 9.41% and an average of 15.56 citations per document, reflecting the increasing global relevance of displacement as a social, political, and humanitarian challenge. Collaboration networks show strong academic linkages among Europe, North America, and parts of Asia, although notable regional disparities persist, particularly in areas heavily affected by displacement but underrepresented in academic production. Thematic clustering and Multiple Correspondence Analysis (MCA) reveal three dominant research fields, including determinants and governance of migration, humanitarian responses and conflict induced displacement, and typologies and trajectories of forced migration. These findings clarify the field’s conceptual landscape and emphasize the need for broader international engagement and increased research contributions from understudied regions. The analysis offers a structured foundation for future investigations and supports the development of more informed and context sensitive approaches to understanding contemporary displacement dynamics.
Abstract: This paper quantifies settlement-level exposure to centennial flood across the Moldavian Plateau (NE Romania) using a reproducible GIS workflow. Official flood-hazard bands were intersected with built-up limits and building footprints; rural housing was completed by manual digitization, while urban fabric relied on OpenStreetMap layer. Exposed population was estimated from household counts using the national average of 2.6 persons/household, with additional rules for apartment blocks. Results are reported at multiple scales—by river basins (Siret, Jijia including Buhai–Miletin–Bahlui–Bahlueț, Bârlad and Prut/Chineja) and urban case studies (Iași, Bacău, Vaslui). The Siret basin concentrates the highest systemic exposure, Prut highlights transport-corridor vulnerability (DN/DJ roads and railway segments), while Bârlad exhibits dense, localized hot-spots. City-level estimates indicate approximately 68,750 exposed inhabitants in Iași, 36,756 in Bacău, and 2,550 in Vaslui under centennial flood scenario, together with clusters of socio-economic assets and critical infrastructure near the hazard band. Key limitations include potential under or over counts in recent developments, block-stairwell granularity, and reliance on census-based household averages. The findings support differentiated risk-reduction priorities: structural measures across Siret sub-basins, transport protection and redundancy along Prut, and targeted local actions in Bârlad. Periodic updates of hazard mapping using LiDAR and hydraulic modeling are recommended to refine exposure estimates and planning decisions.
Abstract: The novelty of this study consists in the spatio-temporal analysis of the annual, seasonal, daily and hourly concentration values of the chemical pollutant NO2 , in the 8 counties of the Moldova – Romania Region (24 stations), over a period of 14 years (2009 – 2022), in close connection with its emission sources and with the geographical factors that can amplify or diminish it. The study is representative through the temporal consistency of the data series, through their number, and by the fact that it integrates three different sub-intervals that influenced the levels of NO2: two without restrictions, in which human activity was carried out normally (2009 – 2020 and 2021 – 2022) and one pandemic (centered on 2020) in which the population’s activity was restricted. The average annual concentrations of the pollutant NO2 exceeded the limit values only at the IS-1 station (41.5 μg/m3), due to the intense road traffic on the Red Bridge, the railway traffic and the high degree of urbanization of the indicated perimeter. The effective monthly, daily and hourly average values of NO2 emissions fell within the specific quality indices of excellent, very good and good throughout the studied interval. The maximum values of the concentration of this gas (127 μg/m3 – IS-1 / 17.02.2017) were recorded in winter, due to the intensification of road traffic and the production of thermal energy for heating houses. The specific meteorological conditions (thermal inversions, fog, calm atmosphere) and the local configuration of the relief (the Bahlui valley with a depressional corridor appearance), favored the accumulation and stagnation of the pollutant, without it exceeding the limit values according to Law no. 104/15 June 2011 and without endangering the health of the population. The study provides both an overview and a detailed picture of the atmospheric distribution of NO2 in the eight counties of Moldova and can represent a reporting support for other studies to be carried out in the field of air chemistry at the base of the atmosphere.
Abstract: This study contributes to the inventory and understanding of the heritage value of four geomorphosites (two caves, a pit and a partially karstified plateau with anthropic relief of a military tactical device) located in the central part of the Bran – Dragoslavele Corridor, an important tourist axis in the Romanian Carpathians. The main purpose of the research is to propose to the Scientific Council of the Piatra Craiului National Park and the National Agency for Protected Natural Areas the declaration of the four geomorphosites as nature reserves, as they are at risk of being affected by negative anthropogenic actions. The inclusion of these geomorphosites in the PNPC/ROSCI 0194 Piatra Craiului Management Plan could lead to their subsequent declaration as protected natural areas. At the same time, the underground cavities could be declared habitats of national/community interest in the category “Caves closed to public access”. A secondary objective of this study is to promote the concept of geotourism within the geographical area subject to geomorphological analysis. For this reason, it could also be useful to local legal and administrative authorities in the villages of Rucăr, Podu Dâmboviței, Dâmbovicioara and Fundata. Their decisions, in conjunction with those at national level, could lead to the implementation of the concept and the development of geotourism in the region, through the creation of geotourism circuits promoted appropriately, precisely because of the high potential offered by the numerous geological and geomorphological tourist resources existing in the administrative territories of the aforementioned localities. The geomorphosite files inventoried in the central area of this transcarpathian corridor could serve as a basis for information for the promotion and establishment of a large protected natural area that would include (conserve, protect and/or sustainably exploit) the geotourism objectives in the region (other than those included in the “The Gorges of Dâmbovița – Dâmbovicioara – Brusturet Karst Area” Geological and Geomorphological Reserve) and which would bear the proposed name: “Moieciu – Fundata – Dâmbovicioara – Rucăr Geological and Geomorphological Complex” Nature Reserve.
Abstract: Mapping and monitoring land use and land cover (LULC) in the Himalayan region are essential for sustainable development planning, ecological assessment and resource management. This study analyses the current (2023) LULC patterns of the Goriganga watershed in the Central Himalayas using field surveys, Google Earth imagery, ALOS PALSAR (12.5 m) elevation data and GIS-based manual classification. The watershed covers 2244 km² and exhibits substantial altitudinal variability (559–7383 m), resulting in distinct ecological and land cover zones. Ten major LULC categories were identified: snow and glacier, barren rocky land, alpine meadows (Bugyals), grassland, forest (dense, moderately dense and scattered), agriculture, built-up land and water bodies. Forests constitute the largest class (34.78%), followed by alpine meadows (27.01%) and snow and glaciers (17.94%). Built-up areas cover only 0.43% of the basin indicating limited human settlement at high elevations. Altitudinal zonation strongly influences spatial distribution, with snow and glacier cover dominating above 4500 m, alpine meadows between 3000–4500 m and agricultural land concentrated below 3000 m. The findings indicate the ecological significance of high-altitude Bugyals and the pronounced vertical stratification of land cover in the Central Himalaya. The updated LULC dataset provides a baseline for future land-use change assessments, environmental monitoring, and sustainable development planning in this climatically sensitive region.
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