Anthropogenic Objects Research Articles

Anthropogenic litter in terrestrial flora and fauna: Is the situation as bad as in the ocean? A field study in Southern Germany on five meadows and 150 ruminants in comparison with marine debris

In contrast to the abundance of research on marine debris, terrestrial anthropogenic litter and its impacts are largely lacking scientific attention. Therefore, the main objective of the present study is to find out whether ingested litter produces pathological consequences to the health of domestic ruminants, as it does in their relatives in the ocean, the cetaceans. For this purpose, five meadows (49°18′N, 10°24′E) with a total survey area of 139,050 m2 as well as the gastric content of 100 slaughtered cattle and 50 slaughtered sheep have been examined for persistent man-made debris in Northern Bavaria, Germany. All the five meadows contained garbage, and plastics were always part of it. Including glass and metal, 521 persistent anthropogenic objects were detected altogether, equalling a litter density of 3747 items per km2.Of the examined animals, 30.0% of the cattle and 6.0% of the sheep harboured anthropogenic foreign bodies in their gastric tract. As in the case of cetaceans, plastics were the most dominant litter material. Bezoars had formed around plastic fibres of agricultural origin in two young bulls, whereas pointed metal objects were associated in cattle with traumatic lesions in the reticulum and the tongue. Of all the ingested anthropogenic debris, 24 items (26.4%) had direct equivalents in the studied meadows. Comparing with marine litter, 28 items (30.8%) were also present in marine environments and 27 items (29.7%) were previously reported as foreign bodies in marine animals.At least in this study region, waste pollution affected terrestrial environments and domestic animals, with clear equivalents in the marine world. Ingested foreign bodies produced lesions that may have reduced the animals’ welfare and, regarding commercial purposes, their productivity.

Using a non-invasive multiple-method approach to characterize rock glaciers in the periglacial critical zone: An example from the San Juan Mountains, Colorado

Anthropogenic climate change threatens water storage and supply in the periglacial critical zone. Rock glaciers are widely distributed alpine aquifers with slower response to temperature increases, that provide the summer water flow of many alpine streams. Knowing the extent and makeup of rock glaciers is necessary to evaluate their potential for water supply. We used non-invasive methods, integrating geological, geomorphological, meteorological, and geophysical information to characterize the internal structure and hydrology of the Upper Camp Bird rock glacier (UCBRG) located on level 3 of Camp Bird Mine in Ouray, Colorado, and assessed the applicability of two electromagnetic induction systems in this highly heterogeneous landform with a history of anthropogenic activity. The time-domain (G-TEM™) system achieved deep subsurface penetration (~100 m) and realistic modeling of the internal structure of the UCBRG: a shell of volcanic rock fragments (<3 m thick; 1–100 Ohm-m), a meltwater component (102–103 Ohm-m), located between 50 and 100 m near the toe (subpermafrost flow), and 1–30 m in the soundings farthest from the toe (suprapermafrost flow within the active layer), and a frozen component (permafrost 50–80 m thick; 103–106 Ohm-m). The frequency-domain system, however, was highly susceptible to local environmental conditions, including anthropogenic objects (i.e., mine carts, lamp posts, tunnel tracks, etc.) and was unable to resolve UCBRG's internal makeup. The non-invasive methodology and general conceptual framework presented here can be used to characterize other alpine aquifers, contributing to the quantification of global water resources, and highlighting the importance of preserving rock glaciers as storage for critical water supply in the future.

Geoinformation modeling of socio-ecological safety of rural areas on the example of settlements of the Belgorod region

In the course of the study, geoinformation resources were created for the rural areas of the Belgorod region. The created GIS consists of a system of hierarchically subordinate sections of rural territories of the Belgorod region - agrolandscapes of Strigunovsky (Borisovsky district), as well as Obukhovsky (Starooskolsky urban district) and Dolgopolyansky (Starooskolsky district) rural settlements. The results of ecological and geochemical studies were used as databases and thematic cartographic tools reflecting the natural resource potential, socio-economic and ecological-hygienic situation. The study of the spatial and temporal characteristics of the degree of anthropogenic pressure in rural areas of the Belgorod region on the example of Strigunovsky (Borisovsky district), Obukhovsky (Starooskolsky urban district) and Dolgopolyansky (Starooskolsky district) rural settlements, as well as adjacent agricultural landscapes using Earth remote sensing materials, made it possible to differentiate studied territories. 4 zones are identified - high anthropogenic load (residential and outbuildings of a rural settlement), medium anthropogenic load (agricultural land and other anthropogenic objects), natural frame (territories occupied by green vegetation), water bodies.

Картографирование антропогенных нарушений на территории природного заказника «Воробьевы горы» (г. Москва)

Specially protected natural areas in urban area are significant elements of green infrastructure, since they not only serve as a buffer zone or biodiversity conservation hotspot but also provide a large number of ecosystem services (mainly regulating, supporting, and cultural). At the same time, natural geosystems of protected areas in urbanized territories experience a complex negative anthropogenic impact: chemical and physical pollution, reduction of unsealed territories, violation of the landscape aesthetic, etc. “Vorobyovy Gory” nature reserve in Moscow on the picturesque slopes of the Moscow River valley has a unique biodiversity for a large city (more than 35 species of herbaceous plants and the same number of bird species living in the specially protected natural area are listed in the Red Book of Moscow), as well as a rich historical and cultural heritage. However, nowadays the nature reserve is under great anthropogenic pressure associated, among other things (such as air pollution, surface runoff, etc.), with changes in the land-use structure (construction of a new sports complex, installation of additional lighting poles, laying of new roads), installation of artificial landscape lighting systems, etc. All this leads to adverse changes in “Vorobyovy Gory” nature reserve ecosystems, which can lead to the loss of its conservation functions. The analysis of land-use dynamics on intensively transformed areas of the nature reserve was presented, endangered species of plants and animals were identified in this work. Maps of anthropogenic objects and detected ecosystem disturbances in the “Vorobyovy Gory” nature reserve (including the area affected by landscape lighting) were made.

It and Surveying Technologies in Geo-Hazards Modeling of Historic Anthropogenic Objects on the Example of the Wanda Mound in Krakow

Over the recent ten years the development of geodesic and informatic tools contributed to enrichment of measurement and interpretation methods as well as visualization of various anthropogenic and natural objects subdued to deformations over the time. The availability of photogrammetric methods (terrestrial and airborne measurements) caused that they are widely applied in monitoring of various objects subdued to the external (i.e., atmospheric) factors (rain, wind, temperature), mining (influence of underground mining). This also refers to natural terrain surface affected by mass movements and artificial earth constructions (mounds, spoil tips, dikes, road and rail embankments), the changes of which can threaten stability and pose threat to objects situated in these areas/objects and their users. There are many methods of getting spatial data and their processing, allowing the interpretation of geological threats. The article presents the measurement and interpretation model of the changes of artificially formed area with the historic Wanda Mound in Krakow with the use of robotic station SPS 930 Trimble and active signal MT 1000 and program AutoCAD v. 2021 (splines Coons patches). In the article it was shown that applying a limited number of the data set elements in a definite geometric system and the same measurement technology in the studied period of the analysis (2013–2022), it is possible to record and graphically interpretate changes on the surface of an earth mound, manifested in the phenomenon of ground creep, even in case of small values. INFORMATYCZNE I GEODEZYJNE TECHNOLOGIE W MODELOWANIU GEOZAGROŻEŃ ZABYTKOWYCH OBIEKTÓW ANTROPOGENICZNYCH NA PRZYKŁADZIE KOPCA WANDY W KRAKOWIE Rozwój narzędzi geodezyjnych i informatycznych przyczynił się w ostatnim dziesięcioleciu do wzbogacenia metod pomiarowych i interpretacyjnych oraz wizualizacji różnego rodzaju obiektów pochodzenia antropogenicznego oraz naturalnego, które podlegają deformacjom w czasie. Dostępność metod fotogrametrycznych (pomiary naziemne i lotnicze) sprawiła, że wykorzystywane są one powszechnie do monitoringu różnego rodzaju obiektów poddanych oddziaływaniu czynników zewnętrznych, tj. atmosferycznych (deszcz, wiatr, temperatura), górniczych (wpływ podziemnej eksploatacji górniczej). Dotyczy to także naturalnych powierzchni terenu objętych ruchami masowymi oraz sztucznych budowli ziemnych (kopce, hałdy, groble, nasypy drogowe i kolejowe), których zmiany mogą zagrażać stateczności i stwarzać zagrożenie dla obiektów towarzyszących, usytuowanych na tych obszarach/obiektach oraz ich użytkowników. Istnieje szereg metod pozyskiwania danych przestrzennych oraz ich opracowania, pozwalających na interpretację geozagrożeń. W artykule przedstawiono model pomiarowy oraz interpretacyjny zmian sztucznie ukształtowanej powierzchni zabytkowego Kopca Wandy w Krakowie, przy wykorzystaniu stacji robotycznej SPS 930 Trimble i sygnału aktywnego MT 1000 oraz programu AutoCAD v. 2021 (funkcje sklejane oraz płaty Coons’a). W artykule dowiedziono, że stosując ograniczoną liczebność zbioru danych w określonym układzie geometrycznym oraz tę samą technologię pomiarową w rozpatrywanym okresie analizy 2013–2022, możliwa jest rejestracja oraz graficzna interpretacja zmian powierzchni ziemnego kopca podlegającej zjawisku spełzywania gruntu, nawet w przypadku niewielkich wartości.

Object neophilia in wild herring gulls in urban and rural locations

Living with increasing urbanisation and human populations requires resourcefulness and flexibility in wild animals' behaviour. Animals have to adapt to anthropogenic novelty in habitat structure and resources that may not resemble, or be as beneficial as, natural resources. Herring gulls Larus argentatus increasingly reside in towns and cities to breed and forage, yet how gulls are adjusting their behaviour to life in urban areas is not yet fully understood. This study investigated wild herring gulls' responses to novel and common anthropogenic objects in urban and rural locations. We also examined whether gulls' age influenced their object response behaviour. We found that, out of the 126 individual gulls presented with objects, 34% approached them. This suggests that the majority of targeted gulls were wary or lacked interest in the experimental set‐up. Of the 43 gulls that approached the objects, we found that those tested in urban locations approached more slowly than their rural counterparts. Overall, gulls showed no preference for either novel or common anthropogenic objects, and age did not influence likelihood of approach, approach speed or object choice. Individuals paid most attention to the object they approached first, potentially indicative of individual preferences. Our findings indicated that most herring gulls are not as attracted to anthropogenic objects as anecdotal reports have suggested. Covering up obvious food rewards may thus help mitigate human–gull conflict over anthropogenic food sources.

Peculiarities of the Nesting Ecology of Some Mass Bird Species in the Conditions of the Fergana Valley

This article is devoted to the features of the nesting ecology of some common bird species in the Fergana Valley. Data on the distribution, distribution by nesting stations, clutch size, oological indicators of eggs, density of incubation of clutches and postembryonic growth and development of chicks of the white stork, green bee-eater, myna, Indian and field sparrow in the anthropogenic landscapes of the valley are given. In the Fergana Valley, the white stork is distributed mainly in settlements, the green bee-eater nests on loess cliffs along the banks of the river of large canals, the myna nests in anthropogenic objects, occupies the nests of rollers, Indian sparrows, the tree sparrow nests in anthropogenic landscapes, rarely in ravines, Indian Sparrow mainly lives in ravines and trees, forming large colonies. The clutch size for storks is on average 4.7, for bee-eater — 5.5, myna — 4.6, field sparrow — 4.5 eggs, Indian sparrow — 3.9 eggs. The density of incubation of eggs in a stork at the beginning of incubation is 96.3%, bee-eaters — 68.0%, myna — 67.7%, field sparrow — 93.1%, Indian sparrow — 92.4%, at the end of incubation, the incubation density changes and is 89.9% for the stork, 94.0% for the green bee-eater, 82.5% for the lane, 98.2% for the field sparrow, and 97.3% for the Indian sparrow.

Wild skuas can follow human-given behavioural cues when objects resemble natural food.

The capacity to follow human cues provides animals with information about the environment and can hence offer obvious adaptive benefits. Most studies carried out so far, however, have been on captive animals with previous experience with humans. Further comparative investigation is needed to properly assess the factors driving the emergence of this capacity under natural conditions, especially in species that do not have longstanding interactions with humans. Wild brown skuas (Catharacta antarctica ssp. lonnbergi) are non-neophobic seabirds that live in human-free habitats. In test 1, we assessed this species' capacity to use human behavioural cues (i.e., pecking at the same object previously picked up and lifted by a human experimenter) when the items presented were food objects: anthropogenic objects (wrapped muffins) and natural-food-resembling objects (plaster eggs). In test 2, we examined the response of another skua population towards non-food objects (sponges). Although all skuas in test 1 pecked at the objects, they pecked significantly more at the same previously handled items when they resembled natural food (plaster eggs). Most skuas in test 2, however, did not approach or peck at the non-food objects presented. Our results lead us to suggest that the use of human behavioural cues may be influenced by skuas' foraging ecology, which paves the way to further field studies assessing whether this capacity is directed specifically towards food objects and/or develops after previous interaction with humans.

Mapping the albedo of the active surface at different stages of the growing season using data from various sources

The albedo of active surfaces, such as soil, plant cover, or anthropogenic objects, is one of the most important components of the Earth's energy balance. It is most often determined based on satellite data; however, such data are characterized by relatively low resolution, and the possibility of acquisition is limited to cloudless days. The development of the UAV technology offers new possibilities of albedo measurement. In this study, an attempt was made to use a UAV equipped with a standard RGB sensor for albedo mapping. The results of the measurements and calculations were compared with Sentinel-2 and Landsat 8 satellite data. It has been shown that the commonly used and readily available UAVs can be applied for mapping the broadband albedo of the active surface with the use of appropriate validation algorithms developed by direct measurements on the ground with a precise high spectral resolution spectroradiometer. The quality of collected results can be improved using different conversion algorithms for the individual phases of the growing season.

Problems and Prospects of Developing Rare Types of Tourism in the Arkhngelsk Region

The article studies the acute problems of social and economic development of the region, which affect the tourist sector and identifies causes of rising demand for internal travel. Niche types of tourism were researched. The author elaborated classification of resources necessary for rare types of travel and formulated key criteria required for their ranging. This classification includes all types of resources in view of their origin. The article investigates principle trends of rare types of tourism, puts forward the definition ‘dark types of tourism’, gives a list of resources included in this category and reveals aspects that have negative impact on resource potential of the territory. A list of objects was provided, whose inclusion in the program of traditional tours can raise competitiveness of new routes on travel service market and can become a key section of the excursion program oriented only to rare types of tourism. Vast resource potential of the country in general and the Arkhangelsk region, in particular, diversity of their natural and anthropogenic objects, unique phenomena gave an opportunity to the author to write that in case of skilled and efficient regional management deterrents for the development of rare types of tourism can be eliminated.

ALGORITHMS AND ARCHITECTURE OF THE SOFTWARE SYSTEM OF AUTOMATED NATURAL AND ANTHROPOGENIC LANDSCAPE GENERATION

Context. The problem of automation of the generation of natural and anthropogenic landscapes is considered. The subject of the research is methods of procedural generation of landscapes that quickly and realistically visualize natural and anthropogenic objects taking into account different levels of detail. &#x0D; Objective. The goal of the work is to improve the rendering quality and efficiency of the procedural generation process of landscape surfaces at any level of detail based on the implementation of the developed method.&#x0D; Method. The proposed method of visualization involves the construction of a natural landscape using Bezier curves and surfaces and manual editing of individual segments; use of software agents that are responsible for individual steps of generating anthropogenic objects; adaptation of anthropogenic objects to the characteristics of natural landscapes; containerization of three-dimensional objects, which is used in various steps to organize the storage and loading of objects efficiently. A generated heightmap based on the Perlin noise algorithm is used to construct surfaces on individual segments of the natural landscape. Landscape processing software agents are used to unify the design of algorithms for creating and processing information about anthropogenic objects. Correct application operation and error resistance is guaranteed due to the inheritance of a specific interface by all implementations of agents. Containerization with two-level caching ensures the efficiency of display detailing. &#x0D; Results. The developed method is implemented programmatically, and its efficiency is investigated for different variants of input data, which to the greatest extent determine the complexity of visualization objects. &#x0D; Conclusions. The conducted experiments confirmed the efficiency of the proposed algorithmic software and its viability in practice in solving problems of automated landscape generation. Prospects for further research include improvement and expansion of the algorithms for procedural landscape generation, functionality complication of manual visualized object processing, and division of individual objects into separate hierarchies of containers.

Exploitation of construction objects in the aspect of the anthropopressure on the example of the Natural Education Centre "Młynarzówka" in the Narew National Park

Since the beginning of its existence mankind is using natural resources and applying them in construction techniques. The anthropogenic pressure induced by humans its clearly influencing the natural environment and so affecting its functional balance. Buildings are anthropogenic objects that enable mankind to inhabit its natural habitat according to their needs.This article discloses the use issues of buildings according to their anthropogenic pressure taken in consideration the example of a selected building.

Агроэкологическая оценка почвенно-ландшафтных комплексов бассейна р. Гильгильчай (Азербайджан)

Based on field and laboratory studies in the Gilgilchay river basin (Azerbaijan), soil-landscape complexes (natural and anthropogenic) were studied, and a map was compiled on a scale of 1:100,000 of lands, landscapes, farms, estates, settlements, roads and other anthropogenic objects by administrative districts. The ecological scores of soil-landscape complexes have been calculated, correction factors for the proportion of anthropogenic impacts in the landscape have been developed, and with their application the final ecological scores have been found. Ways of optimization based on agroecological points are proposed.

Segmentation of Natural and Anthropogenic Objects by Panchromatic Satellite Images Using Statistical Textural Features

Segmentation of Natural and Anthropogenic Objects by Panchromatic Satellite Images Using Statistical Textural Features

Recognition of 3D objects in a monostatic laser location system via intelligent analysis of pulsed reflectance profiles

Subject of study. A physics-based expert model of initial features for the recognition of anthropogenic 3D objects in a monostatic laser location system is proposed. Method. The model is based on an intelligent analysis of data obtained using digital simulation modeling of temporal profiles of pulsed reflectance profiles of the object. Informative features are formed using the method of principal components. Main results. A cluster structure in the space of principal features is demonstrated and investigated. The parameters of several algorithms for the clustering and classification of 3D objects are identified using machine learning methods and their quality is tested in an informative space. Practical significance. The stages of solving the clustering and classification tasks for anthropogenic objects by a monostatic laser location system are described in chronological order.

Environmental Assessment of Emissions of Pollutants into the Atmospheric Air by Sugar Beet Factories

The results of environmental assessment of emissions of pollutants (pollutants), greenhouse gas CO2 and odor emissions from sugar factories into the air are presented. The discrepancy in the interpretation of industrial environmental control on the basis of the concept of the best available technologies (BAT) for the technological line of sugar production and the requirements of environmental legislation for a sugar plant as an anthropogenic object of monitoring is shown. To achieve the effect of reducing the emission of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, twostage saturation of defecation juice was studied using jet technology. Various options of hardware design for the practical implementation of the injection process of saturation have been proposed.

Issues of Environmental Regulation and Establishment of Background Values of Soil Properties of Natural and Natural Anthropogenic Objects

Issues of Environmental Regulation and Establishment of Background Values of Soil Properties of Natural and Natural Anthropogenic Objects

Optimization of technogenic landscapes of the Crimea. Report 2. Landfills, embankments and dumps

The problem of waste is one of the most urgent in the world. The Russian Federation and the Republic of the Crimea are no exception. More than 30 billion tons of garbage has been placed on the territory of the Russian Federation, it is expected that almost all Russian landfills will overflow in the next five years. In the Crimea, outside the boundaries of settlements, 293 landfills with a total area of more than 1.054 million square meters remain not liquidated (in comparison with the indicators as of 12.03.2021, the number of non-liquidated landfills outside the boundaries of settlements increased by 4 units, and the area of landfills increased by 889 sq. m.). Optimization of anthropogenic objects is decided by the correct choice of location and operation of the dump, as well as by giving it the appropriate shape and proper landscaping, that is, using what is called the integration of the object into the landscape. Under any circumstances, the formation of a dump should be preceded by the removal of the topsoil, its storage and preservation. The most important form of dump should be considered a terraced table mountain with a steepness of 1:3 and a rounding of the talus base. Dumps above 10 m are terraced with a ledge width of at least 4 m. It is extremely important to ensure control over surface water runoff by laying small canals on the slopes and bordering the perimeter with a plantation strip at least 5 m wide. Phyto-reclamation measures on a poor substrate should be carried out using green manure, combining legumes and cereals (legumes: meadow clover, white clover, yellow alfalfa, horned clover, Hungarian sainfoin, etc.; cereals: orchard grass, desert wheatgrass, awnless brome grass, meadow fescue, pasture ryegrass, etc.). Young plants of avant-garde trees and shrubs are planted according to a layout pattern of 2.5 x 2.5 to 0.75 x 0.75 m. The more difficult the natural conditions, the denser the planting should be. Any types of trees and shrubs that grow rapidly in these conditions are used as vanguard. The main types of trees are initially planted in an amount of 4,000 to 6,000 pieces. This means that the distance between the rows is 1.5-2 m, and the distance between plants in a row is from 1 to 1.5 m. The avant-garde species of trees and shrubs are placed evenly in groups or rows. The main types of trees and shrubs are placed in groups of at least 10 seedlings of the same species.

Опыт разработки локальной ГИС орошаемых земель Волго-Ахтубинской поймы на территории Волгоградской области

The Volga-Akhtuba floodplain is a particularly valuable natural object in the south of Russia, located on the territory of three constituent entities of our country. There are three regional and one federal protected areas. Trends in the agricultural use of floodplain lands are aimed at increasing acreage and intensifying agriculture. Under these conditions, the risks of various pollution of soil and water resources increase. Land use control, as well as sown areas, is impossible without knowledge of the current state and location of cultivated irrigated lands. The modern policy of the state is aimed at involving unused agricultural land, one of the stages of which is updating information. The paper presents the results of the development of a local geoinformation system for irrigated lands of the Volga-Akhtuba floodplain within the Volgograd region. The purpose of the work is to create and maintain the functioning of a local geoinformation system of irrigated fields, natural and anthropogenic objects that form the general attractiveness of sites in terms of resuming economic activity, in the context of rural settlements located within the Volga-Akhtuba floodplain on the territory of the Volgograd areas. The author has developed thematic geoinformation layers in three blocks: natural, economic and analytical. The main materials for compiling the thematic layers were Earth remote sensing data of high and ultra-high spatial resolution. Substantiated are various methods for the formation of geoinformation layers, as well as the problems of identifying irrigated lands by automated methods and the prospects for automating the process of determining the use of irrigated lands. The general structure of a local GIS consists of more than 20 layers and 50 attribute datasets. A local geoinformation system can be presented as a web GIS and used in landscape and environmental studies, as well as to optimize measures to involve agricultural land.

Stages of anthropogenic transformation of surface morphology in the Arctic zone of Russia

Information about the occurrence and age of anthropogenic objects and accompanying surface morphology transformations in the Arctic zone of Russia was collected and systematized. 6 chronological stages of antropogenic surface transformations were distinguished: before 1918 a.d., 1919-1932 a.d., 1933-1963 a.d., 1964-1987 a.d., 1988-1998 a.d. and after 1999 a.d. The leading types of land-use on the territory of the Arctic zone of Russia for different time slices are identified, the areas affected by development are outlined, and the inherent types of anthropogenic transformation of landscapes are indicated. Rythms of economic development and antropogenic surface morphology transformation due to social-economic and political causes were established. Maximum of antropogenic transformation occurred during Soviet period in 1933-1963 and 1964-1987 a.d.. Periods between 1919-1932 a.d and 1988-1998 a.d. coinciding with collapse of Russian Empire and USSR respectively marked with significant decrease of antropogenic activity in Russian Arctic. Four types of territories differing with duration of antropogenic development, intensity and set of antropogenic objects and accompanying surface morphology transformations were revealed: 1) territories of old (before 1918 a.d) development with significant grade of antropogenic transformation (4,3% of Russian Arctic); 2) territories of Soviet (1918-1987) development with significant grade of antropogenic transformation (25,8% of Russian Arctic); 3) territories of Postsoviet (1988+) development with significant grade of antropogenic transformation (2,9% of Russian Arctic); 2) territories without significant amount of antropogenic objects and with well-preserved natural surface morphology (67% of Russian Arctic).