The contemporary understanding that heritage comprises the whole bio and geosphere, due to the direct or indirect anthropic impact all over the planet, allows for a global understanding of heritage that pervades all domains of sustainability research. The current debate on the so-called Anthropocene calls for revisiting past strategies of humans-environment disruptive episodes, in order to better understand the global implications of everyday actions and the wider implications of the interactions between technology and sociocultural structure. This paper discusses how low demographic density territories may offer the best examples of integrated responses, engaging geosciences as a backbone for interaction with tourism, technology, or societal strategies. Full article

An extended version of Principal Components Analysis (PCA) of monument stone decay phenomena occurring at “Basilica da Estrela” church, Lisbon, Portugal, is now presented. The PCA rationale and general methodological procedure is presented, as a first step of a stepwise approach to the eigenvector methods of data analysis. PCA, as others “Eigenvector Methods”, seeks to reveal the underlying structure that might exist within a set of multivariate observations. Temperature, pH, electrical conductivity and main ionic species were measured on several seepage samples over three years inside the monument. PCA results are discussed in the perspective of a nondestructive tool. Full article

Soluble salts are an important pollutant and the main decay agent of stone in the built environment. While their end erosive effects are well-established, the evolution in time of those erosive effects has been much less studied. This paper presents multivariate analyses of results from salt weathering cycles of three limestone types. Full article

Rocks and soils are an important source of external gamma radiation due to their content in U, Th, and K. The dose rate derived from the emission of gamma-rays of radioisotopes can be directly measured or assessed from their content. In the present study, values of outdoor gamma radiation absorbed dose rate are analyzed to explore the implications of levels related to those values in terms of the exposure time necessary for attaining a certain yearly effective dose. We propose simple relations with the absorbed dose rate and with the gamma index of materials. Full article

Paleontological samples are rare and non-renewable, which makes the study of their chemical or physical characteristics require non-destructive methods. Physical characteristics are routinely studied with non-destructive methods; however, chemical studies tend to require destructive methods unless samples are very small or only the surface compositions are of interest. One potential technique for non-destructive elemental analysis is photon activation analysis (PAA). PAA is a versatile, broad-spectrum, multi-element analysis tool with low sensitivities, capable of analyzing large samples without any alteration, preserving the physical characteristics. Recent work has applied PAA to fossils and their source matrices in an attempt to correlate provenance through trace element analysis. PAA was shown to be non-consumptive and able to identify 20+ elements in samples with sub-ppm sensitivities. From that work, several lessons were learned and the non-destructivity of the technique was better characterized. PAA doesn’t have one standardized methodology, as it varies depending on the sample type. As such, from the lessons learned from the previous research, a standard method of applying PAA non-destructively to paleontological samples has been developed and will be presented in the following paper. Full article

This article presents the methodology for developing a statistical model for monitoring salinity intrusion in the Mekong Delta based on the integration of satellite imagery and in-situ measurements. We used Landsat-8 Operational Land Imager and Thermal Infrared Sensor (Landsat- 8 OLI and TIRS) satellite data to establish the relationship between the planetary reflectance and the ground measured data in the dry season during 2014. The three spectral bands (blue, green, red) and the principal component band were used to obtain the most suitable models. The selected model showed a good correlation with the exponential function of the principal component band and the ground measured data (R² > 0.8). Simulation of the salinity distribution along the river shows the intrusion of a 4 g/L salt boundary from the estuary to the inner field of more than 50 km. The developed model will be an active contribution, providing managers with adaptation and response solutions suitable for intrusion in the estuary as well as the inner field of the Mekong Delta. Full article

Establishing a human colony on a planetary body different from the terrestrial one will entail combining those factors that can favour the good development of life in that place. However, which of these possible parameters are essential to the creation of a shelter for a long stay? Full article

Rare earth elements, i.e., lanthanides, are important components of many recently developed technology applications. However, their increasing use in the industrial sector, medicine, and agriculture over the last few decades has provided them with the title of “new pollutants”. Different methods are now applied for the removal of various pollutants from wastewaters, whereby the emphasis is placed on adsorption due to its simplicity, high efficiency, and low cost. In the present study, geopolymers prepared from coal ash were examined regarding their capacity for the adsorption of lanthanides from model solutions. The obtained results indicate the efficient removal of lanthanides by prepared geopolymers, depicting them as effective adsorbents for this group of elements. Full article

Ly Son district includes two off-shore volcanic islands: Ly Son Island (Re Isle) and Little Island (Bo Bai Isle), located in the eastern part of Quang Ngai Province, central Vietnam. It covers approximately 9.97 km² of land. Ly Son and the surrounding area will be applying to become a UNESCO Global Geopark. The island district is a product of volcanic activity that creates a wide variety of geomorphology forms: modern marine deposition, marine sediment, basalt flow and volcanic eruptions, and other geo-features. As a result of the geosite inventory, together with the assessment of scientific value and additional values (ecology, culture/history, economics, aesthetics), this study was conducted to propose a wide range of geo-products for Ly Son Geopark. The suggested products include: tourist center; scientific interpretation services such as introduction, providing explanations of scientific values of Ly Son Geopark; geo-trails, geo-roads, and geo-adventures; as well as local products. Geo-products will definitely contribute to support local economic development, appealing to tourists and effectively enhancing Earth Sciences education and conservation. Full article

Knowledge of inland water quality and riverine inputs to oceans is fundamental for water management, environmental monitoring, and the definition of policies and planning strategies related to the sustainable use of rivers. While European Union directives aim at the conservation of inland water resources, the ground operational monitoring network is often inadequate. River monitoring using Remote Sensing may complement in-situ measurements, supplying continuous, spatially explicit representation of parameters related to water quality and solid transport, even if the high-frequency dynamics of water parameters may not be caught due to limited satellite revisit time. Sentinel-2 and Landsat-8 satellites, equipped with MSI and OLI optical sensors whose spectral bands perform a more accurate atmospheric correction, allow for the development of methodologies for monitoring river color from space, thanks to high spatial resolution and short revisit times. This study presents a processing chain, developed to monitor water constituents in rivers using high-resolution satellite images. Multi-temporal analysis of chlorophyll-a (Chl-a) and total suspended matter (TSM) bio-geophysical variables was performed for the case study of the Po River (Italy) for the year 2017. Quantitative estimations of water constituents were retrieved from Sentinel-2 optical multispectral satellite data using the C2RCC algorithm, and the main outcomes are discussed. The developed processing chain can be used to create operational services for river monitoring, and represent a major improvement in the identification of spatio-temporal dynamics (like solid transport) in riverine systems. Full article

Urban environments are vulnerable, as there is a change in the surface structure of the land cover. Particularly when natural vegetation cover is converted to construction land, which is covered by impervious surfaces, the accumulation of solar energy is increased. This has led to an increasingly urban environment that is becoming more severe and threatening to affect the quality of life in urban populations. Satellite images are very helpful in determining the distribution of green space. This paper presents the results of analyzing urban land cover for determining green space (GS) distribution for Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC). In 2017, the vegetation land of the old 13 urban districts accounts for only one third of the impervious surface. In contrast, in the area of six new urban districts there is a high percentage of urban green space, accounting for nearly twice the proportion of the impervious surface type. This shows that the old inner city area is seriously lacking GS area. Most districts have a very low GS index, less than 10 m²/person, while in some districts it is even less than 3 m²/person. In the eastern part of the city, District 9 has the highest GS index, ensuring a good life quality. Recent research has provided a number of management solutions to improve and develop the GS area, thus enhancing the environment quality and the life quality for the population. Moreover, our research results contribute to the effective urban management of HCMC. Full article