Articles

• Large scale wind climatological examinations of wind energy utilization

  86-90

  Andrea Kircsi

  Views:

  37

  The aim of this article is to describe the particular field of climatology which analyzes air movement characteristics regarding utilization of wind for energy generation. The article describes features of wind energy potential available in Hungary compared to wind conditions in other areas of the northern quarter sphere in order to assist the wind energy use development in Hungary. Information on wind climate gives a solid basis for financial and economic decisions of stakeholders in the field of wind energy utilization.

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• Environmental objective analysis, ranking and clustering of Hungarian cities

  91-108

  László Makra

  Zoltán Sümeghy

  Views:

  34

  The aim of the study was to rank and classify Hungarian cities and counties according to their environmental quality and level of environmental awareness. Ranking of the Hungarian cities and counties are represented on their „Green Cities Index” and „Green Counties Index” values. According to the methodology shown in Part 1, cities and counties were grouped on different classification techniques and efficacy of the classification was analysed. However, they did not give acceptable results either for the cities, or for the counties. According to the parameters of the here mentioned three algorithms, reasonable structures were not found in any clustering. Clusters received applying algorithm fanny, though having weak structure, indicate large and definite regions in Hungary, which can be circumscribed by clear geographical objects.

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• Characterization of urban aerosol sources in Debrecen, Hungary

  109-119

  Zsófia Kertész

  Zoltán Szoboszlai

  Erik Dobos

  Ildikó Borbély-Kiss

  Views:

  52

  Debrecen is an average middle European city from the point of view of aerosol pollution. Its location makes the city an ideal place for observing aerosol transport processes. Systematic investigation of atmospheric aerosol of the east-Hungarian region has been performed in the Institute of Nuclear Research of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences for 20 years by accelerator based elemental analytical technique. As a complementation of this research we observed the size distribution and short-term time variation of the elemental component of fine (PM2.5) and coarse (PM10-PM2.5) urban aerosol in the frame of sampling campaigns during 2007 and 2008 in a downtown site of Debrecen. Meteorological parameters were also recorded parallel to the aerosol sampling. Elemental concentrations (Z ≥ 12) were determined by particle induced X-ray emission (PIXE) analytical technique at the Laboratory of Ion Beam Applications (IBA) of the ATOMKI. On the obtained database six sources of the urban aerosol were identified: 2 types of soil, domestic heating, sulphate originating from long range transport processes, an unidentified source enriched with chlorine and traffic. Emission episodes were also observed. The short-time variation of urban aerosol combined with meteorological data and with mass size distribution serves as a basis to reach a better understanding of the aerosol sources in receptor areas, to select local emission and long range transport episodes, to follow the evolution of aerosol, and to make a better estimate on the health impact.

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• Heavy metal content of flood sediments and plants near the River Tisza

  120-131

  Szilárd Szabó

  József Posta

  Gyöngyi Gosztonyi

  Ilona Mészáros

  József Prokisch

  Views:

  47

  The River Tisza is Hungary’s especially important river. It is significant not only because of the source of energy and the value insured by water (hydraulical power, shipping route, stock of fish, aquatic environment etc.) but the active floodplain between levees as well. Ploughlands, orchards, pastures, forests and oxbow lakes can be found here. They play a significant role in the life of the people living near the river and depend considerably on the quality of the sediments settled by the river. Several sources of pollution can be found in the catchment area of the River Tisza and some of them significantly contribute to the pollution of the river and its active floodplain. In this paper we study the concentration of zinc, copper, nickel and cobalt in sediments settled in the active floodplain and the ratio of these metals taken up by plants. Furthermore, our aim was to study the vertical distribution of these elements by the examination of soil profiles. The metal content of the studied area does not exceed the critical contamination level, except in the case of nickel, and the ratio of metals taken up by plants does not endanger the living organisms. The vertical distribution of metals in the soil is heterogeneous, depending on the ratio of pollution coming from abroad and the quality of flood.

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• The scenic value of abandoned mining areas in Poland

  132-142

  Urszula Myga-Piątek

  Jerzy Nita

  Views:

  31

  Abandoned Polish mining areas are commonly heavily transformed so that they endanger no longer the environment. A disadvantage is that the newly created areas commonly contribute to the monotonous urban-industrial landscape, rather than providing additional value. This is partly due to legislation that hampers a more diversified management of abandoned mining areas as potentially valuable landforms. One of the legal barriers that restricts the possibilities of making these areas more attractive, regards the utilization of remaining exploitation holes (i.e. land depressions of at least 2 m deep, formed as a result of open-pit mining of energy, chemical, building or metallurgical resources) and waste heaps as important cultural and scenic elements. Such a new use of these old mininginduced phenomena is important if it is intended not only to involve the regional population in the process of exploring and exploiting the earth’s resources, but also to confront them with some negative consequences of these activities, including shaping the landscape in which these objects are situated. The current attitude towards a new architecture for abandoned mining areas should be reconsidered; particularly the present-day approach based on narrow specializations – for instance of experts in mineral exploitation, spatial planning or environmental protection – should be replaced by interdisciplinary action regarding shaping the landscape of abandoned mining areas.

  99

• Modelling the effects of long-term urban land use change on the water balance

  143-159

  Dagmar Haase

  Views:

  37

  The level of land consumption for housing and transport contrasts sharply with both the necessity and the legal obligation to maintain the ecological potential afforded by open spaces to meet the needs of current and future generations in terms of resource protection and climate change. Owing to the increasing intensity of soil usage, in many urban landscapes the soil conditions has deteriorated. The natural filter and run-off regulating functions of soils are impaired or even disappeared altogether by land surfacing. Since such soil functions closely depend on the soil’s biophysical properties, the decline of water balance functionality caused by urbanisation and increasing imperviousness varies. In response to the demand to sustainably secure urban water resources, it needs to be assessed exactly how land surfacing affects the functions concerned. Analysing and evaluating the urban land use change and the respective imperviousness on the long-term water balance ought to improve our general understanding of the water household related impact of urbanisation. Therefore, the aim of this paper is to assess the impact of urban land use change and land surfacing on the long-term water balance over a 130-year trajectory using the example of Leipzig. In particular, attention is to be paid to evapotranspiration, direct runoff and groundwater recharge.

  61

• Potential applications of landscape ecological patch-gradient maps in nature conservational landscape planning

  160-169

  Péter Csorba

  Views:

  28

  There are rather limited opportunities for using the results of landscape ecology in practical nature conservation. The reasonS for this are – at least partly – the different scales and frames of the two fields. For more effective cooperation there is an opportunity for landscape ecology to determine patch-gradients that are helpful for nature protection in expanding the living space of endangered species via CORINE land use-pattern in mixed use agricultural areas. Such alternative migration tracks become valuable in places, where landscape ecological corridors and stepping stone places are missing. The method applies the gradient concept of landscape structure of McGarigal and Cushman (2005). Determination of patch-gradients can be a good background material for settlement- and infrastructure planning; and for the elaboration of medium- and long term nature protection concepts or for even general landscape protection strategies as well.

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• Survey of abandoned industrial sites in the province of Carinthia (Austria) - methodology and results

  170-183

  Wolfgang Fischer

  Views:

  28

  The paper in hand mainly addresses the issue of abandoned industrial and commercial sites. The results of a survey form the central content and regards the method of investigation of this survey of abandoned sites in the province of Carinthia, including experiences and recommendations. The survey started with a number of more than 10,000 businesses. After the different steps of the survey (research phase, exploration phase, clarification phase and evaluation phase) 444 sites had to be attributed an increased potential for danger. After these steps followed an evaluation which concerned the priority in regard to the securing and/ or remediation of the abandoned sites. On the basis of certain gathered values, future surveys of abandoned industrial and commercial sites can be calculated fairly exactly.

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