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More than thirty percent of deaths from stroke, lung cancer, and heart disease are due to air pollution. Due to the current economic global situation where half of the world has no access to clean energy, furthermore, it seems highly unlikely that IC engines will go out of business anytime soon, we face the reality that our engines will continue to pump out harmful emissions. The main pollutants are particulate matter, a mix of solid and liquid droplets arising mainly from fuel combustion and road traffic. Thus, w...

Economic activities in the Black Sea basin are various and multiple. Seaborne trade between countries from Asia, Africa, and Europe together with exploiting continental shelf hydrocarbon resources involve an intense maritime transport activity. Harmful gas emissions from ships unavoidably accompany these activities. The latest reports indicate that ships' emissions are the primary air pollutant with a destructive impact on climate change and human health. In this respect, the most sensitive area is the coastal one...

Taking into account the increase of maritime activities in the port of Constanta, the largest port of Romania and also one of the most important of the European Union (EU), the air quality evaluation is necessary. Moreover, the port is located very close to the city with the same name and this favouring the risk to affect a very large number of inhabitants of the city with the exhaust gases resulting from the port activities. The goal of this study is to evaluate the influence of maritime activities on air quality...

Study aims to detect the hazardous elements in the ambient air at inside university environment. Air pollution was evaluated using moss and lichen bag technique. One lichen (Hypogymnia physodes) and one moss (Dicrannum scoparium) taxa were used for research purposes. Research was conducted in four room types (laboratory, hall, office and pc rooms) and two different moisture treatments (without intervention, regularly moistened) were conducted. Relative accumulation factor (RAF) was used in order to assess each ris...

The production of particulate matter from different sources is a problem in the cities. An important role in air pollution is played by industry and road transport. Traffic volume continues to grow and road transport has the greatest impact on the atmosphere in the vicinity of the urban roads. Due to the dominant use of combustion engines, exhaust gases contain large amounts of gaseous pollutants as well as particulate matter. They particularly include a large amount of the finest PM fractions, which can remain in...

This paper analyses the structure made from fair faced concrete compared to a conventional concrete sandwich structure with a surface finish in terms of bound CO2 emissions. This article also takes into account the length of service life of the individual constructions. For each of these structures, an analysis for high-performance concrete (HPC) and conventional iron-reinforced concrete (sometime called normal strength concrete NSC) is provided. Due to the current tendency of construction from colored fair-face c...

The further development and existence of civilisation is significantly dependent on ecological awareness and the related actions undertaken by individual countries. The rapid and unprecedented economic growth of the 19th and 20th centuries has resulted in a significant imbalance of the natural environment. One of the more important consequences of this growth is the emission of large amounts of greenhouse gases and other pollutants. This leads to soil, water, and air contamination, thereby negatively affecting the...

The frequency of extreme meteorological and climatic phenomena in Bulgaria has increased in recent years. Especially since the mid-1990s, a series of disaster meteorological situations have caused serious material damages and human casualties in many regions of Bulgaria. Annual precipitation amounts have increased during the last 10-15 years, mainly due to the contribution of heavy rainfall events. The main objective of present study is seasonal analysis and synoptic classification of extreme precipitation events ...

Air pollution has a negative impact on human health and the ecosystem as a whole. It causes a variety of diseases, such as asthma, various lung diseases, cardiovascular diseases, which particularly affect children and the elderly. The aim of the study is to determine how the preparation of melted snow samples for analysis influences concentrations of lead (Pb), zinc (Zn), nickel (Ni), vanadium (V), copper (Cu), manganese (Mn) in snow samples. For snow samples analysis ICP-OES spectrometer "iCAP 7000" is used. In s...

with increasing frequency, the study of the variation of the terrestrial geomagnetic field is a current topic for geoscience specialists. The article presents the results obtained for the variation of the geomagnetic field for a period of 5 years on the European territory using data obtained from the national ground-based geomagnetic observatories integrated in the International Real-time Magnetic Observatory Network (INTERMAGNET) and data provided by the international Enhanced Magnetic Model (EMM), a model that i...

Climate extremes affect directly social and ecological systems. Therefore, extreme climatic indices based on daily precipitation as well as maximum and minimum air temperatures have been derived. A detailed analysis of extreme precipitation patterns is essential for the development of monitoring and mitigation strategies. The analysis of eight precipitation-related extreme climatic indices (annual total precipitation (PRCPTOT), heavy precipitation days (R10), very heavy precipitation days (R20), very wet days (R95...

This article is devoted to assessment of presurface ozone concentration (PCO) dynamics, relevant meteorological factors and their role as risk factors for increasing PCO. During all the year of 2017 PCO daily average values in atmospheric air were essentially higher than externally the permissible level; season dynamics was characterized by two maximums in spring and summer periods. To achieve this goal, the following parameters were compared: -time series of average daily, maximum, minimum PCO (?g/m3) -average da...

The article deals with the evaluation of the extent and causes of damage of three selected buildings in Spolana Neratovice a.s. The buildings were affected by the flood in June 2013. Specifically, it is a reservoir, a base under the production line and an ammonium sulphate storage. The reservoir is used to catch any drips and chemical containers. The ground dimension of the reservoir is approx. 26 x 40 m. Due to the flood, the reinforced layer of the coating was damaged and thus the leakage was lost, which depreci...

In addition to adverse impacts on ecosystem services, climate change will very likely result in the increased occurrence, duration and intensity of heat waves threatening human health and comfort, in cities in particular. This is especially due to the replacement of natural surfaces with high thermal capacity urban constructions leading to the so-called urban heat island (UHI) effect. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the UHI effect under current conditions and conditions affected by climate change over ...

The Best Available Techniques (BAT) concept first emerged in the 1960s. It primarily serves as a tool for preventing industrial pollution and setting conditions for Integrated Environmental Permits for larger industrial installations. BAT include technological, technical and managerial solutions aimed to prevent or control pollution and provide for high resource and energy efficiency (EE) of production processes and minimisation of waste. Lessons learnt by various countries prove that the BAT concept has potential...

On 18/19 June 2016, the manifestation of two severe supercell thunderstorms in the northern half of Moldavia caused unexpected losses exceeding 14 mil. EUR. Radar estimated hail sizes over 10 cm were recorded over large areas. On the ground level there was recorded hailstones with a diameter greater than 5 cm in some areas. This day?s situation was exceptional due to the synoptic context. There was a strong link between the low-pressure area centered over Southeastern Europe and the formation of a trough (a fusion...

Cut-off low altitude cyclones (COLs) are characterized by the presence of small cold air masses detached from the polar vortex as a consequence of Rossby waves development. Their displacement at a lower latitude is capable to induce higher atmospheric instability and they have a great influence on the amount of precipitation over Romania between April and September. This paper is based on the analysis from a synoptic point of view of the days when the precipitation amount was greater than 10 mm between 1961 and 20...

In the current landscape of climate change, characterized by a positive trend in temperature, there is a growing problem of adapting crops to the conditions that may arise. Through this study we try to aim for apple orchards, based on a series of climatic data (1961-2013), to make a set of predictions regarding phenophases periods or even the fact that some of these changes may expose the apple trees to a spring frost risk. Preliminary results show that increased temperatures occurs during the spring season which ...

We performed petromagnetic, elemental composition and mineralogical investigations of samples from lake Bolshoe Miassovo, Chelyabinsk region, Russia (55°9?59.89?N 60°20?51.82?E). Based on seismoacoustic investigation 5 long (up to 5.3 m) cores were collected by special hydraulical core extractor constructed in institute. For core sampling were choosen places with continuous sedimentation and absence of gas diffusion. Samples for laboratory investigations were selected layer by layer in intervals of 2 cm. The princ...

The paper is submitted for considering the relationship of geological changes and global economic processes. The authors have confirmed that hazardous geological events are a significant factor in influencing world economic processes. The argument is based on the results of consideration of historical and contemporary facts of world socio-economic development. The historical context of the problem is considered on the basis of a generalization of the historical facts of catastrophic events of geological origin, wh...

Particulate matter are microscopic matter suspended in the atmosphere originating from natural and man-made sources, ranging from wildfires to a variety of industrial activities, including transportation. In our research we looked at the impact of particulate matter on the environment and on human health with the focus on contribution to production and spreading of particulate matter by aviation activities. In the first step current state of research was examined. Available data was summarized on the occurrence an...

The emergence and development of the automotive market for electric vehicles to the detriment of motor vehicles with internal combustion engines has generated a series of controversies regarding the environmental pollution. In response to the development of the electric vehicle and the increasingly restrictive pollution standards, manufacturers of classic cars have designed cars with increasingly lower emissions of toxic gases. The electric vehicle emerged from the need to minimize air pollution in major cities an...

The transportation infrastructure belongs among the factors, which significantly affect the development of economy and living standard in the country. The development of the highway network, therefore, belongs to priorities. Slovakia has a programme of completion of highway network with length 660 kilometres with the priority of connection to the international multimodal corridors. The preparation and construction of highways sections are gradually shifting from flat territory of Slovakia to the hilly and mountain...

Fine and ultra-fine particles are produced during biomass combustion. The concentration of particles varies based on individual phases of the combustion process. This may poses a significant threat to human health since ultra-fine particles (<100 nm) are able to penetrate and deposit deep in the human body through various pathways. The paper presents results obtained through measurements in small combustion plants (used for household heating) with selected biomass types (for example pellets, sawdust, etc.). The ma...

The paper is focused on the issue of the economic evaluation of biotope impacts and changes, caused by the revitalization of brownfields, in types of abandoned minning areas. The biotope changes evaluation is often the primary and most valubale benefit of revitalization of this type of brownfield. One way to evaluate the value of biotope changes is using some of known methodologies of biotope evaluation. One of them is called Methodology of biotope revitalization by nature and landscape protection agency, which is...

The risk analysis as a part of risk assessment by RM/RA CRAMM method is a critical step in order to calculate final risk values for all the subjects assessed. Step-by-step risk analysis includes major natural and industrial hazards such as flood, land-slide, forest fire and chemical leakage. Both, the air-pollution and respiration ways irritation are part of the risk assessed. The risk assessment scoreboards are used repeatedly for each type of hazard source. The method takes into account a previous risk identific...

In the plain area of Timis County, compar()ed to other regions of Romania, the phenomena specific to the cold season of the year do not have a special intensity, because the submediterranean influences make the snow layer shorter, the thickness of the layer is shorter, the periods of frost have a shorter duration and the phenomenon of blizzard is present especially on the mountain ridges. In this paper we want to highlight the abundant episodes recorded in Banat in the last ten years and the deviations of the ther...

The current paper focuses on ways in which we can reduce pollution cause by thermosetting polymeric materials. The past years, the industry of polymeric materials has gone through a tremendous increase because of the many advantages they present. However, if these materials are not recyclable nor recycled, they can cause serious harm to our environment. Questions arise in the case of epoxy materials because currently we are not aware of any methods of recycling pieces made from epoxy or composite materials based o...

The article considers the automobilization of the population as one of the urbanization consequences. The dynamics of changes in the number of motor vehicles at the territory under consideration is shown. Estimated increase in vehicles emissions. The structure of motor vehicles emissions is considered, priority pollutants are identified, the contribution of motor vehicles emissions to total emissions in the urban territory are assessed. The features of motor vehicles emissions (height, distribution over the territ...

Seismoacoustic studies are used to solve a wide range of different tasks, such as studying the bottom of water bodies and bottom sediments, detecting sunken objects, designing various structures (pipelines, port facilities, etc.), estimating the thickness of sapropel deposits, calculating their reserves, etc. In terms of paleoclimatic studies, the importance of such studies is increasing. The study of sediments of continental water bodies allows to get preliminary information about climate changes in the region wi...

The agriculture is a sector where the impact of climate change leads to high risk and vulnerability in farmers' activities. The negative consequences are reflected in the direction of changes in agricultural land, decrease in productivity, soil erosion, salinization, deterioration of the conditions for raising animals and others. Tackling such problems is a challenge for farmers trying to balance the need to produce enough food for the population and, on the other, to mitigate the negative effects of climate chang...

Traffic management systems are used usually to try to reduce congestion and improve road safety. The main sources of pollution at European level are cars. In the present paper, it presents the effect of these traffic management systems on vehicles emissions and pollutions. It presented the most frequently types used by traffic management systems and assessment of their possible effects on vehicle emissions and consumption of fuel. In 1990, the number of local public transport journeys was 2.5 billion, of which 52%...

In August 2018 an expedition was organized to Lake Sevan (Armenia), where seismoacoustic studies and the selection of short cores of bottom sediments for laboratory investigations were carried out. Five seismoacoustic sections revealed a bedding pattern of bottom sediments. The thickness of sediments reaches ~ 14 m. Laboratory studies included: radiocarbon dating, measuring magnetic susceptibility, measuring coercive parameters, obtaining thermomagnetic diagrams, determining the elemental composition of sediments,...

The paper aims to highlight the economic efficiency of the intensive farming system for winter wheat and corn for the period 2014-2018 under the influence of different bio-pedo-climatic conditions. In order to practice a modern, intensive, high-precision and efficient agriculture, advanced technology is needed to make profit. Modern agriculture, and especially intensive agriculture, puts a price on the quality and quantity of the crops. At the same time, within this intensive farming system, the calculation of eco...

The continuous development of data acquisition and processing techniques in planetary geomagnetic observatories and satellite data, allows at this time to extract as complete information about the morphology and evolution over time of the terrestrial geomagnetic field. The Sun, the source of all energy on Earth, heat the planet and drive the motions of atmosphere. The brightness of the Sun with 11-years solar cycles with 0.1% variation may be explaining the major driving changes in weather patterns on Earth. At th...

Nowadays the tackling climate change is the greatest sustainability and environmental challenge for the world. The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) as the political forum, particularly Paris meeting held in 2015, agreed that international and national actions on climate change are necessary. Climate change has already become significant in Europe, with the mean temperature increasing, and extreme weather events becoming more frequent. Europe (i.e., Latvia) is warming faster than many ...

One of the most negative effects of the development of our civilization is global warming. The results of many studies and analyzes clearly confirm that it is human activity that is the main cause of changes that occur in the natural environment, which in turn also leads to climate change. Increasing emissions of greenhouse gases and other harmful gaseous, liquid and solid substances cause very intense destruction of our ecosystem. This, in turn, results in irreversible changes in the natural environment, which ca...

The glacial lake Kucherla is located in the Altai Mountains at an altitude of 1790 meters above sea level. We use the 112 cm core obtained in March 2018 from the deepest part of the lake (45 m) for the study. In the process of coring, special attention was paid to the preservation of the upper layers of the bottom sediment (water - sediment boundary). Bottom sediments of the lake contain visual layers with a thickness of 1-3 mm. We count the layers using photographs of the optical sections. Counting the layers and...

Microbial processes are of crucial importance for life on Earth. Microorganisms are capable of unique transformations on a global scale that all contribute to the harmonious functioning of the biosphere. Some microbial processes and their final products can influence atmospheric composition and climatic conditions on a planetary scale. Climate change, easy to see in recent decades, can alter the functioning of microbial communities and trigger positive or negative feedbacks. Microbial activities, such as organic m...

Bacteria, molds and even algae are commonly found in the environment. Under certain conditions, bacteria, yeasts, molds, algae grow on the facades of prefabricated panel apartment buildings. The article deals with the comparison of two different locations in Ostrava with respect to the occurrence of microbial attacks on the facades of residential prefabricated panel buildings. The first of the locations is adjacent to a high-frequency automobile traffic route and also close to the industrial zone in the lower Vitk...

Due to pressures to conserve energy, many buildings have in recent times been retrofitted with additional insulation. This has resulted in the appearance of microorganisms on the surfaces of building facades more frequently than before. This does not mean, however, that these microorganisms are not also found on uninsulated buildings. In earlier years, the facades of the apartment buildings were not aesthetically distinctive, often using colors such as gray, beige, and the like. Microorganisms may not have been as...

As a participant of the UI Green Metric World University Ranking Network, the RUDN-University realized a complex of projects on sustainability and environment protection. Currently the university is on the 41th position in the ranking and is a national coordinator of this program in Russia. Among the main directions of the activities are the development of education on sustainability and environmental protection, resource and energy saving projects, research projects of different environmental and sustainability t...

In general, analogues are examples that demonstrate one or more key aspects of some concept or technology that is being developed. By studying such analogues, we can improve our understanding of both the technical concept and its application - in this case, large-scale geological CO2 storage involving one or more Mt of CO2. Two main types of CO2 occurrence are found in nature: ?Accumulations that have remained in place for thousands to millions of years with noevidence of leakage (Ciocaia site); and ?Accumulations...

Snow cover is an important climatic factor and its changes have a strong influence on water resources and water balance in Bulgaria, as well as on the development of agriculture, tourism, transport and others. The main objective of this study is to analyze the long-term time series of snow cover depth and snow or mixed precipitation types, as well as to summarize the results for each administrative district in Bulgaria. Data from 246 weather stations of the meteorological network of the National Institute of Meteo...

The purpose of the paper has been presenting the evolution of concentrations for four main air pollutants in Craiova, so as to show the situation of air quality in this major city in Southern Romania, also finding the best statistical model to fit the recorded data for particulate matter with diameter of less than 10 microns transported by the wind within the urban area. In order to accomplish this purpose, experimental data have been gathered during the entire year 2018 in the above-mentioned town, by two air qua...

Aerosol particles, despite their small size, have a great influence on climate change and on human health. Aerosol optical depth (AOD) is one of the main parameters characterizing the scattering and absorbing effects of solar radiation in the atmosphere, therefore creating a methodology for researching the AOD variability is a very current task. Nowadays, the AERONET solar photometer database for the Black Sea is represented by 2 functioning stations: Galata_Platform (Bulgaria) and Gloria (Romania), which is not e...

Spatial distribution and temporal variations of snow cover and snow precipitations carry important information about available water resources, snow load estimations, the plant vegetation period, habitat change and etc., which is crucial for many environmental, ecological, hydrological and technical issues. This study is focused on the tendencies in the regime of the snowfalls and the snow cover in Strandzha region during the period 1961-2017. The monthly values about number of days with snow cover and snow precip...

This paper addresses the problem of atmospheric pollution due to the scrapping of motor vehicles. Most of the materials used in the automotive industry are non-renewable, so the decommissioning of cars is a global problem. The environmental impact of this type of pollution is irreversible. In Romania, this problem is amplified by the purchase of second-hand cars that have a low life expectancy and are much earlier in the situation of being scrapped. Recovery of scrapped materials must be done selectively because a...

Volatile organic compounds produced by industrial activities are harmful to human health and environment, playing an important role in environment quality, but especially in air quality. The main issues raised by presence of volatile organic compounds in the environment are ozone depletion, ozone photochemical formation at ground level, increased global greenhouse effect, carcinogenic effects, toxic and other health problems. The paper presents a case study conducted at an economic operator dealing with treatment ...

The chemical hazard for Pezinok District is analysed. Risk identification of the objects with high amounts of chemicals includes both industrial and the common civil objects and facilities. The highest possible number of people under the risk in case of chemical leakage as a result of terrorist attack is taken into account as well as the health consequences according the certain concentration of the chemical matter. The air pollution period and environmental impact on the fauna and flora, including soil contaminat...