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The COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic has negatively affected all sectors of the economy around the world. At the same time, tourism was one of the most affected business sectors. The history of tourism shows that the industry is exposed to crisis phenomena earlier than any other sphere of economic activity, but it adapts to new conditions much faster and more flexibly. The crisis of 2020-2021 is usually compared with other crises that the tourism industry experienced in the 2000s in Russia. In this paper the characte...

A Geopark is a demarcated area with particularly interesting geologic heritage. Since the physical landscape is intimately related to both cultural and ecological characteristics, knowledge about geological sites can be essential for management of the resources in these settings. In this context, we suggest the term “Landscape Geopark” in order to stress the regional system perspective. Therefore, various stakeholders need to be included in Geopark planning, including researchers, tourists, seasonal and permanent ...

The main objective of the study was to estimate the level of shallow well water pollution and the impact of natural and anthropogenic factors on it and to use the research results for the prognosis of the pollution level and the reduction of pollution. The subject research is water of shallow wells. Analysis of the shallow well water quality has been carried out in Lithuania, Kaunas region, in 83 shallow wells. Wells situated in Pypliai village were chosen for a more detailed examination. Shallow wells are usually...

In 2019, a new, modern Strategy of the Environmental Policy of the Slovak Republic until 2030 (the Envirostrategy 2030) was approved. The previous one has been in force since 1993, so it was only a matter of time before implementing a strategy to address current environmental challenges and problems. Along with industry and energy, transport is one of the main producers of greenhouse gas emissions. According to the statistics of the Ministry of the Environment of the Slovak Republic, the amount of greenhouse gas e...

When building new or upgrading existing control centers, ergonomists and designers strive to design solutions that improve operators' working conditions, including work comfort, and reduce their psychological burden stemming from the complexity of their activities and the high responsibilities they bear. However, meeting the needs of operators, while adapting to space constraints or specific technical requirements for the control system, is very difficult. Coping with this difficult task, therefore, requires a res...

The growing importance of a cultivated environment with a high population density was an incentive for the authors to find and compile a new, more sensitive sophisticated approach to the valuation of immovable cultural monument. Primarily, objects with significant historical and architectural value were examined, for which there was a high possibility of finding and defining suitable criteria with an impact on the valuation of real estate. The research focused on immovable cultural monuments located in the statuto...

Belt conveyors constitute an important part of the machinery for the underground and surface mining of materials. In the course of time, conveyor belts proved to be the most efficient way of transporting material, which is still valid not only in the mining industry. For the transport of rocks to a mine disposal site, a combination of multiple belt conveyors is necessary. Places of transfer belong to the most stressed parts and there are frequent breakdowns. They operate in difficult conditions and are subject to ...

Changing climate variability and the type of land use are the main factors influencing the hydrological regime. The hydrological regime of the lake has a direct impact on biodiversity and has an impact on socio-economic processes in areas adjacent to the lake. The aim of the study is to predict and assess the impact of climate change and the change in the type of land use on the hydrological regime of Lake Usma. Two linear land-use change scenarios were used for modelling. Twelve climate scenarios were used to mod...

The article presents the data obtained by the authors during the expedition research in the largest bay of the Azov Sea - the Taganrog Bay. Its characteristic feature is shallowness, flowing due to water exchange with the Don, small rivers, and the development of surge phenomena. The ecosystem of the bay has been experiencing strong anthropogenic pressure for several decades. The authors analyzed the behavior and distribution of mercury dissolved and suspended forms in the surface and bottom layers of water, depen...

The existing approach to organizing big data processing requires the analyst to understand the set of initial data. This understanding presupposes the presence of knowledge not only about the list of available characteristics, their fullness, noisiness, etc., but also about the nature of their occurrence - the semantics of the data. Big data semantics can be represented using context. The context in the project refers to the activity in which the data is used or because of which was obtained. Applied scientific ap...

Urban agriculture has become increasingly topical in recent years due to both social trends and challenges of sustainable development. Although functions of the urban agriculture, especially economic and social, have been widely explored since the 1990s, the focus is mostly on regions where urban agriculture practices are strategies for survival and basic food security or on highly metropolitan cities, with little focus on countries and cities with a relatively medium or even low population density, thus excluding...

The work is devoted to the assessment of the natural protection of groundwater in the Ternopil oblast (Ukraine). The evaluation is based on the parametric method of V. M. Holdberh. The characteristics of the geological structure of the aeration zone and aquifers are given. The areas of the greatest influence of karst on the protection of aquifers are determined. The stratigraphic confinedness of water intakes and large deposits of groundwater is described for further analysis of their protection. Since more than 5...

Vulnerability, land use and sustainability are some of the main elements of major concern in the last decades that can be translated in practice through efficient development and planning. The role land use plays is recognized worldwide due to the rapid and continuous urban growth and development, which determine the occurrence of new powerful forces leading to social, demographical, environmental, technological and governmental changes. The large number of disasters in recent years demonstrated that the most effe...

The article presents some case studies of negative impact of human activities on underwater cultural heritage from Black Sea. A serious problem is the pollution and the litter disposal in the historical harbours. The resulting conditions often endanger some impressive and well-preserved underwater cultural heritage sites. An advanced methodology for litter registering and assessment was developed and applied using remote sensing with side scan sonar, subbottom profiler and orthophotography using a drone. The surve...

During 2019-2020 the study of the soils of 6-8-row (30 meters) ash - elm shelterbelts of an agroforestry landscapes (typical forest-steppe of the Belgorod oblast) and the soils of adjacent agricultural landscapes was conducted. The regime observations of the field moisture capacity in chernozems in 2 key areas were executed. The objects of study in both areas were the soils of flat watersheds with a deep (more than 10 m) level of ground water; soils were studied in the central parts of the field protective shelter...

Among the global threats facing humanity in the 21 century, the danger of climate change on Earth occupies a prominent place. Global climate change caused by anthropogenic factors can lead to natural disasters and, as a result, have a negative impact on human life and health. Given the importance of this problem, international organizations, governments, politicians at all levels, NGOs and society as a whole are involved in solving it. The purpose of the study is to determine the forms, activities and results of t...

Many operations with flammable liquids produce flammable atmospheres by evaporation of the liquid being handled. In some circumstances, the flammable atmosphere is not due to the liquid being handled but due to residues of volatile liquid or vapor from earlier operations with the same equipment as is often the case with diesel fuel handling. This paper highlights some aspects regarding the danger of fires and explosions in the transport, storage and distribution of diesel fuel starting from the investigation of th...

The aim of the study is to construct a priori constraints imposed on the model in the course of solving the inverse seismic problem. The object of the simulation is the structure of the upper part of the Khibiny massif — the largest alkaline massif located on the territory of the Kola Peninsula. The research is based on shallow-depth seismic tomographic modeling, which includes multi-stage work. Petrophysical materials concerning the main classes of rocks of the surface of the Khibiny massif and its framing were p...

The article is devoted to innovation culture and its main factors, such as innovativeness and creativity. The authors determine innovation culture as a social phenomenon of society's readiness to implement different types of innovations and to use new ideas in production, marketing, management and education. It is justified that innovation culture manifests in creativity and innovativeness. Authors define creativity as the ability to transcend traditional ways of thinking or acting, and to develop new and original...

The article focuses on the Landscape Architect profession and the competencies that a person must have in order to be able to conduct research and analyses of green areas, organizing the space optimally, making informed management decisions and finding economically sound solutions. A landscape architect possesses specialized knowledge and skills that are directly involved in designing and managing the green infrastructure and its various components. The importance of this profession is undoubted in the process of ...

Gamma-ray spectrometry is one of the most important and informative methods for various geological surveys. In field geophysics on the surface or in the air, the method is used for regional geological zoning, mapping of bedrock outcrops, etc. The most promising direction of geological surveys today is research with the use of UAVs. Conducting gamma-ray spectrometry using UAVs is complicated by the need to accumulate a large number of measurements to construct the correct gamma-ray spectrum. From this point of view...

Landslides and torrential erosion are among the most common geomorphological processes manifesting in the Romanian Subcarpathians, with a very high impact on the territory. The hydrographic basin of the Rau Alb stream, a left tributary of the Dambovita River, located at the western extremity of the Subcarpathians of Curvature, in the Ialomita Subcarpathians, is subject to complex processes of degradation by surface erosion, deep erosion and landslides. The research works for the analysis of morphodynamic processes...

The variation in time and space of the groundwater level is conditioned by the variation of climatic parameters. In the current context in which climate change is characterized by periods of prolonged drought and the distribution of precipitation is of the rainfall type, with large amounts of precipitation in a very short time, the groundwater level has accentuated periods of consumption to the detriment of accumulation episodes. In a first phase, the high values of the temperature superimposed over the periods wi...

Natural processes and human influences can cause several environmental issues upon urban and rural aquatic systems, especially in deltaic environs. This study was aimed to assess the vertical variation in the physical-chemical and lithological characteristics of core sediments. 14 undisturbed short sediment cores were collected from soft lacustrine sediments in various shallow lakes situated in the Matita-Merhei interdistributary depression, Danube Delta, Romania. Sediment samples were measured for temperature, pH...

The European Plate Observing System (EPOS), is a multidisciplinary, distributed research infrastructure that facilitates the integrated use of data, data products, and facilities from the solid Earth science community in Europe. The EPOS pan-European dimension is corroborated by 25 countries, 5 international organizations, 149 national research organizations and 256 research infrastructures involved in the data and service provision. The legal and governance framework designed during the Preparatory Phase and deve...

The maintenance of ecological, economic and social functions of forest territories is closely connected with competitiveness of forestry. Its assessment permits to take the right decisions for its enhancement and rational use of forest resources. In this regard the purpose of this paper is to present the theoretical and conceptual framework for development of unified methodology for quantitative assessment of competitiveness of forestry companies in Bulgaria. The theoretical framework is based on the existing theo...

In north-eastern Bulgaria, within Moesian Platform, one commercial oil and gas field and several smaller semi-commercial gas accumulations, located onshore, have been established. In continuation of this tectonic unit in Western Black Sea Basin there are several more accumulations of hydrocarbons. The object of this research is NE part of Moesian platform in Bulgaria onshore and offshore. The purpose of the present study is clarifying the source rock potential of the sediments by burial history and thermal maturit...

The scientific interest of evaluating the thermal regime of various areas has come to the fore with a more complete understanding that all major processes inside the Earth are related to thermal events and that all physical properties of rocks, as a basis for observed geophysical phenomena, are more or less dependent on temperature. The characterization of the thermal regime is followed by the basic elements: temperature and geothermal gradient, thermal conductivity and geothermal flow. The quantitative study of g...

Stakeholders and project activities are related to the typical and usually necessary project components of: ideas, financing and implementation. Our aim is to illustrate useful steps in problem analysis, progressing from system characterization (analytical phase) to predictive modeling (synthesis phase). System analysis and multi-criteria evaluation are used to identify alternative scenarios regarding project goals. The model suggests that “public awareness” is best promoted in projects with a more balanced repres...

The tornado phenomenon is getting to more attention in recent years due its unexpectedoccurrence in the areas where it was traditionally extremely rare. The European strongesttornado since 2001 appeared in Southern Morava region, Czech Republic, June 24th 2021.The paper deals with the incidence of tornadoes, the ways of prediction and measurementas well as the protection advices. The believed life cycle and possibilities of themonitoring, forecasting with the current satellite system as well as their limits werein...

The article deals with the issues of domestic tourism. It is proposed to use the ideas of synergetics to assess the development opportunities of the tourism business in three regions of the Arctic zone of the Russian Federation, taking into account their physical, geographical and economic position. Tourism resources, types of tourism and accommodation facilities were discussed, as well as types of recreational activities in these areas. It is shown that the tourism business is an interdisciplinary science, as it ...

Study on the trace elements in Haplic Luvisols and trends of their migration have been carried out in the sites localized at altitude of 1200m in the most Southern part of the Rhodope Mountains bordered to Greece. In that region, there are no industrial or mining enterprises so the technogenic pollution is not expectable to be found. Heavy metal concentrations in the mineral soil vary depending on concentration in parent rock. Content of trace elements was determined after acid dissolving (HF+HClO4) and respective...

This study uses GIS for studying the state of forests, affected by diseases or by pests or have other kind of damages. GIS is an effective tool to examine the phytosanitary status of forests based on existing specialized data from forest management plans and data from alerts submitted to online portal of the Executive Forest Agency, Bulgaria. The spatial GIS analysis of the specialized data for a given forest management unit (State Forestry Enterprise "Chirpan", district Stara Zagora, Bulgaria) is the basis for th...

The priorities in the policy of the energy sector of the Republic of Bulgaria after 1989 are in harmony with the requirements of the European directives and market mechanisms. An important aspect is the policy to promote the use of renewable energy sources (RES), which aims to achieve sustainable energy development and improve environmental performance. It is also related to the implementation of the commitments made by the Republic of Bulgaria regarding the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (1...

Over 30% of the Bulgarian Black Sea shoreline is characterized as a depositional type of coast. A significant portion of it represents well-formed sandy beaches and dune fields, falling under the protection of the European ecological network NATURA 2000. The coastal sector of the Lower Kamchia Depression hosts the longest beach-dune system on the Bulgarian Black Sea coast called Kamchia-Shkorpilovtsi beach. The main task of the project "Mapping and monitoring of depositional areas along the Northern Bulgarian Blac...

The spectral characteristics of the ULF waves (1mHz -1Hz) provide useful information about the conditions in the solar wind and in the magnetosphere. A series of geomagnetic field variations data are collected by the tri-axial search-coil instrument and acquisition system located at Panagjuriste, Geomagnetic Observatory (PAG), Bulgaria and other series of data are collected from two different instruments located at Conrad Observatory (WIC), Austria and Ebro Observatory (EBR), Spain, which operate within INTERMAGNE...

In the article synthesis of structures of disperse systems on the basis of gypsum is considered. Such systems are necessary for receiving materials which exclude burning of raw materials on the basis of gypsum waste for the receiving binders. For them use a certain composition of raw mix. Selection of structure of compositions allows to increase properties of materials. Such materials are characterized by high strength. The process of formation of structure of a gypsum which is received by hyper pressing is studie...

In the paperwork are presented aspects regarding uncertainty involved in the process of spark ignition assessment for intrinsically safe equipment. In the first part of the paper was presented the explosion risk. In the field of power generation and also, in a lot of other fields of industrial activities, the occurrence of flammable substances is a common fact. As a consequence, an explosion risk can occur. On the other hand, the installations placed in areas endangered by presence of flammable substances should b...

Many countries face the growing issue of an ageing population, which can be characterized as one of the most important phenomena of this century. One of the key factors in the elderly’s lives is spatial mobility, which is linked to their quality of life and well-being, including their independence and self-reliance. Walking is understood as an essential activity in this frame. The progressive erosion of physical and mental capabilities in elderly persons is causing growing issues for walking and close-neighbour mo...

The purpose of this study is a spatial-dynamic and structural hygienic assessment of the impact of the activities of thermal power facilities on the quality of atmospheric air and the formation of potential risks of harm to the health of the population in a large industrial center with a population of more than 350 thousand people and a total area of more than 500 square kilometers. At present, heat and power facilities belong to the main industries and form significant potential risks of harm to public health in ...

The authors substantiate that the implementation of decentralization reform in Ukraine can help to achieve the goals of sustainable development. Procedures and policies for decentralization reform promote socio-economic development of the regions through changes in the country's budget policy. This affects the welfare of the population and is one of the global goals of sustainable development. The main directions of decentralization that directly or indirectly affect the implementation of sustainable development g...

The purpose of the scientific research is the development, improvement and implementation of information technologies for a comprehensive assessment of the intensity and nature of anthropogenic pressure on urban (urbanized) water resources by contact and remote methods to improve the efficiency of the environmental management system and the environmental safety of the water fund of cities. The tasks for conducting research carried out using technologies for remote sensing of the Earth from space (ERS), specialized...

Assessment of the nutritional status of crop stand and other plant biophysical parameters can be a suitable source of information for the application of nitrogen fertilizers in precision agriculture, especially in conditions of high spatial heterogeneity of farm fields. Determination of the application rate of nitrogen fertilizers can be performed based on the plant diagnosis and estimation of plant biophysical parameters, such as nitrogen content, total amount of aboveground biomass and nitrogen uptake (Nupt), or...

The basic requirement placed on any machine system, technology and machine as a whole must be clearly based on the assurance of safe operation and operational reliability, and this is where maintenance is the systematic tool to achieve them. Technical diagnostics is a part of every maintenance and thus becomes one of the decisive maintenance tools in its comprehensive concept. Much attention is now being paid to lignite mining in the Czech Republic, especially when we are talking about the extraction of coal for i...

In 2011, we developed our application for B-imaging based on binary thresholding algorithm in a selectable Region of Interest. This application has been used in many studies focused on ultrasound B-imaging in neurology; primarily for substantia nigra echogenicity examination and also for some different brain structures, e.g. mediotemporal lobe atrophy investigation. One of principal output value is an echogenicity index which is used as a marker of the echogenicity grade. Many published studies showed that is well...

Soil erosion is one of the most widely dispersed adverse geomorphological processes in a global scale. If it is not limited, it can change the topographic surface, reduce the slope stability and water retention capability, and thus increase the disposition for geomorphological hazards. Heavy rainfalls or intensive snowmelt are the main triggering factors for erosion, but the processes strongly depend on the topography, slope gradient, soil properties, vegetation cover and land use. The aim of the current research ...

In the last years, the cultivation of methane-oxidizing organisms has been sort of great interest, because it allows to obtain value products using accessible raw materials, such as natural gas. The products obtained during the cultivation of mixed culture based on Methylococcus capsulatus can be used in agriculture, medicine and other fields. Nucleic acids and their derivatives are one of the most popular components that can be produced during the comprehensive processing of bacterial biomass. As a result of the ...

Here, we report a laboratory experiment performed with the water from the Don river. Our aim was to examine the effect of NH4VO3 in concentrations of 0.5, 5, 25, and 100 ?g/L of Vanadium (V) on the phytoplankton growth indicators in the absence of their growth limitation by Nitrogen (N) and Phosphorus (P), as well as on the metabolism intensity indicators of plankton communities: biochemical oxygen demand (BOD5) and alkaline phosphatase activity (APA). The stimulating effect on the phytoplankton abundance and biom...

This investigation is aimed to determine the general development phases of the vegetation and climatic situations of the Pur-Taz interfluvial region, Western Siberia (Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug, Russia) based on the spore-pollen analysis of the bottom sediments of the Lake 17-Ya-01. The palynological analysis was carried out on the basis of 26 samples. In total, 26 palynomorphs have been identified. A spore-pollen diagram, which has been divided on the 4 biostratigraphic sequences (pollen zones PZ I-IV), refle...

The paper examines the influence of vegetation season on canopy height models (CHM) derived from airborne laser scanning (ALS) data. ALS data were captured during the leaf-on (September 2011) and leaf-off seasons (April 2012) on the territory of the University Forest Enterprise of the Technical University in Zvolen, Slovakia. An automated procedures for deriving high-resolution digital terrain models (DTM) and digital surface models (DSM) were developed. CHM was calculated as the difference between DTM and DSM. CH...