Institute of Geography

The subject of the research is the assessment of the health of the population of the Kyzylorda region in the context of administrative districts using the integral indicator as a function. The aim of the study is to develop an algorithm for assessing the integral indicator of population health and the weighting coefficient by types of disease. The study used methods of system and comparative analysis, methods of mathematical and simulation modeling. The following results were obtained: an algorithm for assessing the integral indicator of population health and the weighting coefficient by types of disease were developed; testing of the proposed theoretical ideas was carried out using long-term official statistical data on health care of the Kyzylorda region for 2000-2022; the results obtained showed that there were no administrative districts with favorable integral indicators of population health in the Kyzylorda region during the study period. The developed algorithm and model for the integrated assessment of population health, applied in the monitoring mode, allow for understanding the regional characteristics of public health in the Kyzylorda region. The advantages of the method are the use of standard statistical parameters, the relative simplicity of obtaining results and their interpretation, as well as the possibility of adjustment depending on the objectives of the analysis.

From September 12-20, 2024 heavy rainfall events and massive flooding occurred in Austria due to the low-pressure system "Boris". Lower Austria and Vienna were severely affected by flooding and associated on- and off-site impacts. Flash flood discharge values in Vienna's torrent systems were particularly extreme – some experiencing a 1000-year event magnitude. It is evident that heavy precipitation events have shown a clear increasing trend in recent decades due to climate change, and these events are highly likely to continue to increase in the future, in some cases with still unforeseeable consequences. The project FlaMoVie (Flash Flood Monitoring Vienna, 2024–2026) is dedicated to (i) investigate the causes, course, and potential consequences of flash flood events in Viennese torrent catchments, and (ii) assess the determination of associated hydrological and geomorphological effects (incl. different climate change scenarios) using a hydro-geomorphological monitoring and modelling approach. In this contribution, we will highlight some monitoring results derived from multi-temporal Terrestrial Laser Scanning, field mapping/measurements, and hydrometeorological gauge data of the Alsbach system, i.e. a ca. 2 km² large flash-flood-prone, densely forested, torrential catchment in the northwest of Vienna, Austria. Field data is further integrated in CAESAR-Lisflood landscape evolution modelling using yielding high-resolution rates of erosion and sedimentation across the catchment. The investigations at the Alsbach allow to deduce important implications for the hydro-geomorphological response to torrential rainfall in forested small-scale headwaters in Viennese torrent catchments.

Mangrove ecosystems are among the most productive and valuable environments on Earth, delivering essential ecological and socio-economic benefits including carbon sequestration, coastal protection, and habitat provision for diverse marine species. However, mangroves face increasing pressures from human activities, with rapid expansion of pond aquaculture emerging as a main driver of mangrove deforestation, especially in Asia, which hosts nearly 40% of the world’s mangroves.This study presents a comprehensive continental-scale assessment of mangrove loss attributable to aquaculture pond expansion across Asia’s coastal zones, with a focus on Southeast Asia, where mangrove conversion is most severe. Utilizing satellite-based Earth observation data, including an object-based, single-feature inventory of aquaculture pond dynamics derived from Sentinel-1/-2 optical and radar time series and Landsat archive imagery, alongside the Global Mangrove Watch (GMW) dataset, we quantified spatial and temporal relationships between pond presence and mangrove forest decline.By integrating these datasets within a harmonized time-indexing framework, we directly associate pond activation events with subsequent mangrove decline to attribute deforestation to aquaculture expansion. Our results reveal strong spatial-temporal correlations: aquaculture ponds predominantly cluster in coastal river deltas, overlapping with mangrove loss hotspots, while pond activation frequently coinciding with or directly following significant mangrove loss. Across Asia, mangrove cover declined by approximately 7.2 percent (2,284 km²) in Indonesia and up to 22.2 percent in Pakistan over the study period from 1996-2019. Key hotspots of aquaculture-driven mangrove degradation were identified primarily in Indonesia, Myanmar, and Vietnam, with Indonesia alone accounting for over 13,000 hectares of mangrove loss between 1996 and 2007 due to pond expansion.Overall, this study underscores the substantial environmental footprint of pond aquaculture on Asia’s coastal ecosystems, demonstrating that aquaculture expansion is a principal driver of mangrove loss in critical regions. By leveraging advanced satellite Earth observation technologies, this research demonstrates the potential of remote sensing data to accurately quantify and monitor mangrove loss at large scales, providing timely, spatially detailed insights into ecosystem changes. Such capabilities are essential for deepening our understanding of the increasing pressures blue carbon ecosystems face from anthropogenic and climatic changes.

Abstract Land‐use and wildlife management are changing globally as part of efforts to address contemporary environmental challenges. In the Scottish Highlands, the hunting—or ‘stalking’—of deer has entered a period of considerable flux primarily because of national policy changes to mitigate climate change and biodiversity loss. However, professional deer stalkers, who manage deer, other wildlife and land across vast areas of Scotland, have received scant research attention, with their views poorly understood as a result. Via an in‐depth qualitative study based on unprecedented access to stalkers, through the lead author's involvement in an environmental mediation process focused on deer management, we apply the Values‐Rules‐Knowledge framework to explore how stalkers are responding to and influencing this changing context. We find that there is significant heterogeneity in perspectives amongst stalkers, with some highly resistant to and fearful of current and forthcoming changes, whilst others have more welcoming and adaptive attitudes. We also identify interactions and overlaps between and amongst the changing values, rules and knowledge of stalkers and stalking, which is increasingly influencing stalkers' work in the Highlands. We therefore show how the Values‐Rules‐Knowledge framework can be used to identify linkages that are both enabling and constraining of change between values, rules and knowledge in a particular context and, in doing so, reconfirm the utility of the framework. Overall, the paper sheds light on a very significant but previously poorly understood group of people in Scotland and informs knowledge more broadly around the impacts of changes in land‐use policy on traditional forms of land management as well as traditional land users. Read the free Plain Language Summary for this article on the Journal blog.

In disaster risk assessments, spatial population data are fundamental for determining exposure and social vulnerability. Traditionally, these analyses rely on static datasets, such as census records or population density maps. While accurate for representing nighttime distribution, these static models fail to capture the high levels of human mobility during the day. This can lead to significant under- or overestimations of the affected population, particularly in the event of sudden-onset disasters (e.g., flash floods, earthquakes, or critical infrastructure failure).To address this, high-resolution temporal data are required. However, existing approaches often rely on real-world measurements, such as cell phone data or GPS positions. Such data is usually purchased from data companies, limiting its utility for both research and emergency management.This study presents a spatio-temporal population model, initially developed for Germany's rich open data landscape, but with potential to be transferred to similar regions in the future. Using the city of Cologne as a primary test site, the model generates population maps for different time intervals throughout a typical weekday. The methodology employs iterative dasymetric mapping, integrating publicly available socio-demographic data, detailed building footprints, and the "Mobility in Germany" study. This approach ensures high transferability to other German metropolitan areas without requiring proprietary data.The model estimates the number of individuals in each building across seven distinct time intervals (e.g., 8 am – 10 am, 10 am – 1 pm) and further disaggregates the population into socioeconomic groups (e.g., students, elderly). The results were validated against three independent datasets: emergency call volumes, the ENACT POP dataset, and mobile phone positioning data.The model results enable refined disaster risk analysis by incorporating the temporal component of hazards and the corresponding population exposure. In the case of Cologne, this results in areas, such as the inner City at midday, with up to 5 times more exposed citizens than exposure analyses that rely on static data. Following the principles of Open Science, both the model code and the resulting datasets will be made publicly accessible to facilitate dynamic population assessments in other contexts.

Interdisciplinary research approaches are critical to understanding the profound shifts in glacial and periglacial environments due to climate change. However, conducting fieldwork in these geographies often involves navigating the complexities of situated narratives, traditionally dominated by masculinist and geoscience-centered approaches. In this commentary, using feminist glaciology as a lens for understanding the socio-environmental dynamics within the cryosphere, we reflect on the significance of interdisciplinary and cross-boundary research. Drawing from three different yet interconnected fieldwork experiences—nature-based tourism research in Patagonia, geophysical surveys in High Mountain Asia, and engaging with the green transition and indigenous perspectives in the European Arctic—we explore the challenges and solutions of doing research in these extreme environments while reflecting on positionality, knowledge production, and the need for diverse perspectives in the climate crisis.

Selective activation of CH4 under mild conditions to produce liquid oxygenates is central to low-carbon chemical manufacturing. While O2 or H2O2 are commonly used oxidants, the direct oxidizing role of H2O itself remains poorly defined. Here, we use Au–TiO2 as a prototypical nanointerface to disentangle the effects of H2O versus O2 on photocatalytic CH4 oxidation. In-situ EPR spin-trapping, high-pressure DRIFTS, and DFT reveal two distinct pathways. With H2O as the sole oxidant, photogenerated holes oxidize H2O to •OH, which abstracts H from CH4 to form •CH3; subsequent surface reactions yield CH3OH and HCHO. Computations indicate that roughly one-third of the generated •OH participates effectively in the productive sequence. In contrast, when O2 is present, interfacial electrons preferentially reduce O2 to •OOH; coupling of •OOH with •CH3 forms CH3OOH intermediates that evolve to CH3OH/HCHO, but the elevated •OOH flux also accelerates deep oxidation to CO2 and suppresses H2 evolution. These mechanistic differences in radical identity, intermediate pools, and apparent barriers translate into divergent selectivity. Under optimized, O2-free conditions (1 wt % Au–TiO2, 80 °C, 20 bar CH4, UV–vis; H2O as oxidant/medium), liquid C1 oxygenates are obtained at 7.7 mmol g–1 h–1 with 100% selectivity. The study reveals that tuning the oxidant and the interfacial radical landscape at a nanoscale metal–oxide interface governs the precision activation of CH4 and provides mechanistic insight into H2O-driven, selective methane oxidation on Au–TiO2.

In areas of multiple exposure-burial histories the use of two cosmogenic radionuclides (CRN) with different half-lives allows to reveal the disequilibrium between CRN concentrations and provide a better understanding of landscape evolution. This study aims to quantify bedrock denudation rates in the Western Mecsek Mts (southern Pannonian Basin), a low-elevation hilly area that is currently being exhumed from under its loess cover deposited during the Quaternary glaciations. Concentrations of 10Be and 26Al were measured in samples taken from flat, soil-covered ridge tops and stream sediments from several small river catchments composed of Permian and Triassic sandstones and conglomerates. Low 26Al/10Be ratios are indicative of unsteadiness caused by significant past burial of the bedrock surfaces. A Monte Carlo (MC) model was developed to reveal the temporal evolution of the loess cover as a function of glacial-interglacial climate, and to determine the true rate of bedrock denudation accounting for both loess-covered periods with shielding and zero erosion as well as phases of exposure and bedrock denudation during periods without loess.Our model showed that higher-elevation catchments and ridges were exposed for 40 to 85%, while lower-elevation areas were uncovered for less than 30% of time during the last 1 Ma. The modelled time integrated bedrock denudation rates were similar for the ridge crests and basin-averaged samples suggesting a steady relief. However, a well-expressed difference was found between the areas spending most of the time loess covered and the less covered group with mean integrated denudation rates of 5±5 m/Ma and 19±8 m/Ma, respectively. Single nuclide 10Be denudation rates overestimated the modelled, time-integrated denudation rates by a factor of ~1.5 for the more exposed group and by a factor of ~13 (up to >30) for the mostly covered areas. These rates, especially the latter, are slower than published values for similar climatic, tectonic, and topographic settings. If the simple, single nuclide 10Be approach was used, these differences would have remained hidden, and the true lowering rate of bedrock would have been overestimated by a factor that increases with the shielding time.This is the first study quantifying the influence of past loess covers on CRN concentrations in bedrock and to estimate the denudation rates corrected for this shielding. Our findings reveal that the steady-state assumption of the CRN concentrations may also be violated in small, non-glaciated catchments without intermittent sediment storage. Where single-nuclide 10Be denudation rates are higher than sediment-trap estimates, the shielding effect of past sediment cover (such as loess) could also explain the discrepancy. Accordingly, we recommend the use of the paired 26Al/10Be approach to test the presumption of cosmogenic nuclide equilibrium not only in large catchments and formerly glaciated areas, but also in settings where past sediment cover may have lasted long enough to lower the CRN ratio.Funding: PURAM, Mecsekérc Ltd., NKFIH project FK 124807. Sample processing: Cosmogenic Laboratories of Budapest (n=16) and of the University of Edinburgh (n=4); AMS measurements: ASTER, Aix en Provence (n=16) and SUERC, Glasgow (n=4)

Abstract Mount Kilimanjaro, with its steep elevational gradient (770–5,886 m a.s.l.) and pronounced land-use heterogeneity, supports high biodiversity and diverse Nature’s Contributions to People (NCP), but it is underrepresented in global spatial assessments. We address this gap by mapping NCP supply across 12 ecosystem types on the southern slopes identifying hotspots and coldspots and quantifying synergies and trade-offs among NCP categories. We use 25 context-specific NCP categories that integrates local and scientific knowledge with field measurements and remote-sensing-derived proxies. Combining long-term field data with remote sensing and machine learning, we upscaled plot-scale indicators into standardized supply maps. Total NCP supply is strongly concentrated in mid-elevation ecosystems: the 1,100–2,200 m band alone accounted for ~59% of total supply compared with ~18% in the lowlands (700–1,100 m), and the 1,100–2,800 m belts together provide ~73%, whereas high-elevation zones (2,800–4,600 m) contribute <9%. Hotspots clustered in lower montane forest, Ocotea forest and homegardens at mid-elevations, while coldspots occur in Erica forest and Helichrysum vegetation at high elevations and in maize fields and savanna at low elevations. We detected moderate (r = 0.55) to strong synergies (r = 0.83) among the three NCP groups (material, regulating, non-material). After accounting for climatic co-variation, the correlations among NCP groups weakened (r = 0.23 to 0.44), underscoring the critical role of climate for NCP supply. Our study maps NCP hotspots and coldspots across Mt Kilimanjaro and provides a decision-support layer for conservation, restoration and agroforestry management, as well as a blueprint for spatially-explicit NCP mapping and analyses.

Understanding the impacts of alien species on nature and man is crucial to setting priorities for managing invasions, and classification by impact type and ranking of species on this basis is a prerequisite for such decisions. The impact on native species, natural communities, and human life was assessed for 147 invasive alien plant species of European Russia using the Generic Impact Scoring System (GISS). The GISS protocol includes both ecological and socioeconomic criteria and is based on published data (in this study, 689 publications were used for scoring), taking into account the maximum impact in the secondary range. Among all the indicators, the impact on agriculture (crop production) prevails, while among the ecological indicators, the highest scores are for the impact on ecosystems and indirect impact on different biotic groups, including competition. An measure of species invasiveness is proposed taking into account the spread of the species as invasive in the regions of European Russia. Ranking of species by the indicators obtained revealed a relatively good correspondence with the list of species recommended by experts as the most dangerous alien species in Russia, but the choice of priorities among them is difficult without an objective impact assessment. In general, the use of standardized impact scoring schemes and a transparent procedure for determination of the impact status of alien species provide a more reliable approach to setting priorities in management and assessing the risks of invasions than expert opinion alone. A list of species has been suggested for which legislative and practical measures in order to limit their distribution are necessary first of all.