The abandonment of military areas leads to succession processes affecting valuable open-land habitats and is considered to be a major threat for European butterflies. We assessed the ability of hyper ...spectral remote sensing data to spatially predict the occurrence of one of the most endangered butterfly species (
Hipparchia statilinus
) in Brandenburg (Germany) on the basis of habitat characteristics at a former military training area. Presence–absence data were sampled on a total area of 36 km
2
, and
N
= 65 adult individuals of
Hipparchia statilinus
could be detected. The floristic composition within the study area was modeled in a three-dimensional ordination space. Occurrence probabilities for the target species were predicted as niches between ordinated floristic gradients by using Regression Kriging of Indicators. Habitat variance could be explained by up to 81 % with spectral variables at a spatial resolution of 2 × 2 m by transferring PLSR models to imagery. Ordinated ecological niche of
Hipparchia statilinus
was tested against environmental predictor variables.
N
= 6 variables could be detected to be significantly correlated with habitat preferences of
Hipparchia statilinus
. They show that
Hipparchia statilinus
can serve as a valuable indicator for the evaluation of the conservation status of Natura 2000 habitat type 2330 (inland dunes with open
Corynephorus
and
Agrostis
grasslands) protected by the Habitat Directive (Council Directive 92/43/EEC). The authors of this approach, conducted in August 2013 at Döberitzer Heide Germany, aim to increase the value of remote sensing as an important tool for questions of biodiversity research and conservation.
This work assesses the environmental impact from chemical emissions due to military tests and routine activities in the area occupied by the Italian Inter-force Test Range (PISQ), located at Salto di ...Quirra, Sardinia, Italy. After reviewing the military activities carried out at PISQ, such as rocket launching, blasting and armament destruction, projectile and mortar fire impact, the associated pollution is evaluated. Chemical analyses were performed by means of Scanning Electronic Microscopy and Energy Dispersion Spectrometry on biotic and abiotic matrices. Residues of Rb, Tl, W, Ti and Al were found in matrices collected in the PISQ areas and environs. A review of experimental data on air, water, soil, milk, forage and animal tissues obtained by various Public Agencies of Sardinia proved that toxic element residues often exceeded the legal limits. PM10 and PM2.5 air concentrations also exceeded the legal limits after military blasting. Cd and Pb contents in the liver and kidneys of sheep living in farms at PISQ and in control farms that were located more than 20 km away from PISQ were higher than the legal limits. This work was performed to investigate concentration of xenobiotics in ecosystems emitted from PISQ activities. This assessment could be useful to focus future epidemiological studies carried out in PISQ and its neighbouring areas.
Analysis of subsurface soil cores from the site of a field-scale groundwater remediation experiment at Dover Air Force Base, Delaware, has revealed that tetrachloroethane (PCE) and trichloroethene ...(TCE) contamination extends into an aquitard underlying a groundwater aquifer. The site location is well downgradient of the locations of contaminant release, and the aquitard contamination is believed to have begun when contaminated groundwater first arrived in the overlying aquifer. Using independent estimates of sorption and diffusion properties in the accoutered layers, mathematical modeling based on diffusion in laminate slabs has been used to make inferences regarding the historical concentration conditions in the overlying aquifer. The results suggest that plume arrival occurred within the last two decades, with some important differences in the inferred TCE and PCE plume histories. The diffusion model was also applied toward predicting future aquitard concentrations and fluxes under scenarios based on the current condition as a starting point and hypothesized conditions of future groundwater cleanup. The results demonstrate how accoutered sampling and diffusion modeling can provide essential information relevant to forensic analysis, risk assessment, and subsurface cleanup
Background, aim, and scope
Exploited gas fields and underground gasholders are specific sources of increasing methane concentration. Methane migrates into the soils by diffusion and convection ...through natural and technogenic cracks in geological structures and influences the function of the soils. Soil cover of gas-bearing area functions as a specific, bilateral, periodically penetrating, geomembrane. Soils shield, transform, and differentiate migrating fluxes of technogenic-allochthonous methane, preventing its emission to the atmosphere. Problems of methane’s emission are rather current at the present, as methane is the second in importance after CO
2
greenhouse gas, since its concentration in the atmosphere annually grows by approximately 1%. By global estimations, methane emissions in the gas industry make about 8% of annual receipt to the atmosphere, equal on the average to 500 Тg per a year (Cicerone and Oremland, Global Biogeochem Cy 2:299–327,
1988
). But these calculations are based on the account of the technological losses making 3–12% from the mining of natural gas. The contribution of migratory methane fluxes to the atmosphere, as a rule, is not considered. The need for research of soil cover functioning on gas-bearing areas is explained by the fact that processes of methane oxidation, its transformation in soils, and emission to the atmosphere at these objects are now practically not being studied. The aim of our study was to reveal specific processes of soil function and formation on gas-bearing areas by an example of underground gasholder.
Materials and methods
The material was sampled in 1998–2003 at the territory of underground gasholder located in Albeluvisol’s zone in Russia. According to the comparative-geographical method, 51 soil profiles have been studied in similar litologically geomorphological conditions in various geochemical zones: in the industrial zone, in the zone of gas dissipation, and at the regional background. The total square of investigated territory is about 60 km
2
. Six soil profiles were investigated in seasonal dynamics. Samples of soils for physical, chemical, and microbiological analyses were taken from each horizon of soil profiles (202 samples). Samples of soil air for a definition of methane concentration were taken from depths of 20, 40, and 60 cm. Methane emission to the atmosphere was measured near soil’s cuts and, in addition, on all area of the investigated territory at knots of squares network through 700–1,000 m, in total at 32–42 points in May, July, and November. Years of investigation have been split by technological and hydrothermal conditions. The periods with the normal and lowered compression of gas in gasholder, dry and warm, and damp and cool years have been allocated. It has influenced the soil function processes and considered an interpretation of the data received.
Results
The changes of functional parameters of soils at a gas-bearing area influenced by methane fluxes migrating from gas deposits, in comparison with background soils, are revealed. Such functional parameters are methane concentration in the soils, activity of its bacterial oxidation, methane emission to the atmosphere, and oxidation–reduction potential. Spatial and temporary dynamics of these parameters at gas-bearing and background territory are investigated.
Discussion
Methane interaction with soil’s air is in its ascending (descending) and lateral diffusion and convection in soils. Methane fluxes dissipate in porous space of soils forming gas anomalies. The technogenic-allochthonous methane concentration strongly varies in soil’s air on gas-bearing area (1–10,500 ppm) and, on average, exceeds the autochthonous, microbiologically produced methane at background territories. Migratory methane is deposited on diffusion and sorption barriers. The capacity of diffusion barrier depends on effective coefficient of diffusion, the attitude of air and general porosity, and granulometric composition and sharply differs in auto-, semi-hydro-, and hydromorphic soils reaching maximum in hydromorphicity and among the soils with identical water content—in heavy soils. The capacity of the sorption barrier is defined by abiotic methane absorption and a specific surface of soils and grows with their increasing intensity in soils to a heavier granulometric composition or into soils with peat and gleyic horizons. The low sorption capacity leads to an increase of methane concentration in the soil’s air and decreases its utilization by microorganisms, in which its quantity depends on sorption properties. The central component of functioning that promotes a number of essential transformations in soils on gas-bearing areas is methane interaction with the biotic phase. The periods of methane deposition by diffusion and sorption barriers are used for biological methane oxidation and formation of biogeochemical barriers in soils. The activity of bacterial methane oxidation is characterized by spatial variability and depends on the entrance of methane, defined by granulometric composition, soil moisture, the attitude of air and general porosity, Eh, organic matter content, and salinization. During interaction between technogenic-allochthonous methane and soil on diffusion, sorption, and biogeochemical barriers, its transformation occurs, accompanied by a strengthening of variability of oxidation–reduction potential and formation of pedogenic, bacteriomorphic, and nanodispersic magnetic oxides of iron.
Conclusions and perspectives
Specificity of soil functioning on a gas-bearing area is in interaction of technogenic-allochtonous methane with solid, liquid, gaseous, and living substance of the soil system. Spatial laws of soils functioning on gas-bearing area in the Albeluvisol’s zone are revealed. Distinctions of soil functions depending on litologically geomorphological conditions are shown. The greatest changes of parameters of functioning under the influence of technogenic-allochthonous methane occur in automorphic soils, and it is less in semi-hydromorphic soils. Activity of bacterial methane oxidation in soils, emission, and consumption from the atmosphere and their spatial laws are characterized by the time dynamics depending on hydrothermal and technological conditions of seasons and years. During oxidation in soils of gas-bearing areas, carbon of methane is concentrated on a biogeochemical barrier that is shown in the increase of methylotrophic microorganisms’ biomass and leads to a high variability and decrease of Eh and to the formation of magnetic oxides of iron.
Recommendations
Results of research can be used for carrying out ecological monitoring and an estimation of tightness of objects of the gas industry. Activity of bacterial methane oxidation, Eh, and magnetic oxides of iron can be used as diagnostic parameters of soils on gas-bearing areas.
Content description: View from Alexander’s statue in Vallisaari to Helsinki. Photograph taken from north-west Vallisaari towards the northwest. The Church of Suomenlinna can be seen on the right and ...on the left of it the Gulf of Artillery between the Great Mustasaari of Suomenlinna and Susisaari
with bridges.
In the background, Manners-Helsinki is tipped.
colored
sisällön kuvaus: Näkymä Vallisaaren Aleksanterin patterin laelta Helsinkiin. Valokuva on otettu Vallisaaren luoteisosasta luoteeseen päin. Oikealla näkyy Suomenlinnan kirkko ja sen vasemmalla puolella Suomenlinnan Ison Mustasaaren ja Susisaaren välinen Tykistölahti
siltoineen.
Taustalla siintää manner-Helsinki.
värillinen
Content description: Fire chassis shed at Vallisaari Fire Station. It retained Ford, a truck and horse-drawn carriage from the T-model. The left shows a wooden table with sawn trees laid on top. They ...are from the picture left of the same yard
a carpenter’s yard. Photograph taken in sunny weather.
colored
sisällön kuvaus: Vallisaaren paloaseman palokalustovaja. Siinä säilytettiin aikanaan T-mallista Fordia, kuorma-autoa ja hevosvetoisia kärryjä. Vasemmalla näkyy puinen pöytä, jonka päälle on aseteltu sahattuja puita. Ne ovat kuvasta vasemmalle jäävästä saman pihapiirin
puusepänverstaasta. Valokuva on otettu aurinkoisella säällä.
värillinen
sisällön kuvaus: Retkeläiset menossa taksiveneeseen Vallisaaressa. Paikka on Torpedolahden laituri Vallisaaren itärannalla. Taivaanrannassa Haminansalmen toisella puolen näkyy Santahamina.
värillinen
...Content description: Hikers going to a taxi boat in Vallisaari. The place is Torpedolahti Pier on the eastern shore of Vallisaari Island. The other side of Haminansalmi on the skyline shows Santahamina.
colored
Content description: View from the fortifications of Vallisaari on the northwest coast of the island. Stone walled gunpowder deposits have been built in the terrain and built by the Russians in the ...1860s and 1870s. They are covered with a layer of earth and make the terrain hump. Sandy walkway
glimmer between the humps. On the left, a concrete entrance with a vault arch can be seen in the warehouse.
colored
sisällön kuvaus: Näkymä Vallisaaren linnoituksilta saaren luoteisrannikolla. Maastoon on rakennettu kiviseinäisiä ruutivarastoja, jotka venäläiset rakensivat 1860-1870-luvuilla. Ne on katettu maakerroksella, ja ne saavat maaston kumpuilemaan. Hiekkainen kävelytie
kiemurtelee kumpujen välistä. Vasemmalla näkyy holvikaarimainen betoninen sisäänkäynti varastoon.
värillinen
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