Physical Geography and Environmental Sustainability
Abstract
:1. Introduction to the Special Issue
2. Summary of Papers
- Earth observation by way of five online tools and initiatives, including enviroGRIDS in the Black Sea catchment for data-sharing; Google Earth Engine for big-data processing; application processing interfaces allowing for new uses of data and models; the Berkeley Ecoinformatics Engine; and collaborative mapping tools (Seasketch/MarineMap and InVEST software that facilitate the engagement of different stakeholders. These tools support sustainable development through evidence brought by physical geography that is coupled with socioeconomic information ([1] case report).
- Wetland mapping of Rwanda’s Akagera Complex Wetland using remote sensing and GIS, with Landsat data between 1987 and 2015 (acquired in 5-year intervals) deployed in a DEM at 30-m resolution. The data reveal that 30% of the surface area is composed of waterbodies and that floodplain and swamp forest appear in smaller proportions. Waterbodies have been subject to instability associated with invasive species and certain lakes (Mihindi, Ihema, Hago, Kivumba) have shown evidence of shrinking ([2] article).
- In the Nanxiong Basin, China, both natural climate change and human activities are driving vegetation cover change. This was quantified using statistical methods and GIS to information from the past two decades, between 2000 and 2015. Most variations where a significant cover change occurred were attributable to human impacts, particularly due to industrialization and urbanization. On the other hand, the plantation and enclosed forest policy worked to ensure a noticeable recovery in vegetation in the study area during this period ([3] article).
- Remote sensing and GIS provided the means to examine the spatiotemporal dynamics of estimated soil organic carbon (SOC) in the Sanjiang Plain, China. The findings indicate that cropland increased between 1992 and 2012, with dry farmland converted to paddy fields. The SOC storage of cropland in the top 1 m of soil increased from 1220 to 1290 Tg·C due to increased cropland area. Agricultural reclamation from natural land-use also had a significant effect, with SOC values that are consistent with the movement direction of paddy fields ([4] article).
- In the Baltic Sea area, the cruise ship industry is examined in terms of its waste management at cruising ports, with four ports (Copenhagen, Helsinki, Stockholm, Tallinn) selected for this study. Using statistics and interview data, based on 12 interviews with port managers and decision-makers, the study calls for a standardized environmental legislation that is based on coherent measurement systems in order to encourage transparent environmental monitoring while also maintaining the competitiveness of these ports. The authors suggest focusing on specific waste types (waste specialization) and setting specific waste-discharge fractions as well as working towards spatial network collaboration ([5] article).
- Soil crust development and its impacts on underlying soil properties was investigated based on research executed in 2016 in the Hobq Desert of Inner Mongolia, North China. Soil samples up to 30 cm in depth made up soil crust samples from five areas entailing different stages of development. The physicochemical properties of samples indicated a gradual increase in these properties: thickness, water content, macro-aggregate (>250 μm) content, organic matter content, microbial biomass, and enzyme activities along the soil crust development gradient, with only soil bulk density of soil crusts experiencing a decrease. Amelioration effects were noted for physicochemical and biological properties below algal and moss crusts in comparison to the physical crust; these were concentrated in the upper horizons (top 12 cm) and quickly diminished deeper down the soil column ([6] article).
- As part of what has been called “syndisciplinary” research, it is advocated that factors influencing treeline (physiognomy, spatial patterns, dynamics) at the local to regional scales should have priority in investigations of the response to climate change of the treeline. Heat dependency influences the treeline position at global scale, but this changes regionally to locally due to variations in physiognomy, diversity, spatial and temporal features, and heterogeneity ([7] article).
- Nonpoint source pollution affected by crop production was examined using a case study of the Heilongjiang land reclamation area in China. This area produces 80% of water pollution due to fertilizer application. Nitrogen loss used to decouple nonpoint source pollution from crop production showed a weak decoupling frequency, but this was not steady in 2001–2012; this was true for rice production, although it was not steady over time, except for the Suihua branch ([8] article).
- By integrating multiresolution remote sensing and topographic and field-based datasets to examine the Mu Us Sandy Land in northern China, this paper quantifies change in land-use/cover change (LUCC) between 1965 and 2015. Land-use change occurred in three stages, during the Great Cultural Revolution, economic modernization, and the Great Ecological Project. National policies affected land use during these different periods, with cultivated land increasing in the first (Great Cultural Revolution); vegetation coverage, but also cultivated and artificial surfaces, also increased in the second stage (of economic modernization); and cultivated land as well as unused land decreased in the final stage (of the Great Ecological Project), when woodland and spare vegetation increased through the implementation of the Grain for Green Project, although there was more increased cultivation once more and reduced woodland and spare vegetation by the end of this phase, so that artificial surfaces in grasslands areas led to encroachment ([9] article).
- With the impact of major storms upon the Atlantic coast of Canada leading to much physical damage as well as socioeconomic impacts, communities composed of aging populations are vulnerable to the effects of climate and environmental changes. Based on interviews completed in 2011–2012, this study examines the impacts of the 2010 winter storms in Atlantic Canada, conveying the physical as well as socioecological impacts in 10 coastal communities located in three Canadian provinces (Québec, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island). Semi-structured interviews convey physical changes that are triggered by coastal erosion due to high-wave impact and storm surge flooding the coastline. Without government support, these rural communities cannot build large-scale flood protection, so that development should be controlled and relocation also encouraged, instead of any further building at the coast. Furthermore, emergency planning requires more work, with concerted short- and long-term responses necessary by government in order to promote sustainability ([10] article).
- Morphological changes triggered by climate change (e.g., extreme precipitation, sea-level rise, etc.) in estuaries can enhance the flood risk. A case study of the flood-prone Shetzu Peninsula in Taipei City, Taiwan, examines flood resilience. Retailers’ resilience thinking was considered, including any adaptive knowledge, skills, and networks. As a basic industry, the retail sector underwent a location quotient analysis; however, other assessments (e.g., interactive visualization modelling, consumption intensity mapping, etc.) are also relevant to consider. Semi-structured interviews held to explore the resilience thinking of 15 key retailers identified weather-related risks and adaptation plans. Urban resilience introduced as an adaptation intervention could help to manage climate change impacts ([11] article).
- In this final paper, physical geographers are examined in terms of their potential contribution to sustainability research. In a systematic review of three physical geography journals (Geogr. Ann. A, Phys. Geogr., Prog. Phys. Geogr.), results convey that physical geographers are active in sustainability research. They are engaging from a spatial perspective, contributing their understanding of human–environment interactions as well as studying the impacts of environmental change through an understanding of the natural world, notions of process and systems, and a range of methodological work. In short, physical geographers have an immense potential value in participating as part of multidisciplinary teams ([12] article—review style).
3. Conclusions
Conflicts of Interest
References
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Thornbush, M. Physical Geography and Environmental Sustainability. Sustainability 2017, 9, 2195. https://doi.org/10.3390/su9122195
Thornbush M. Physical Geography and Environmental Sustainability. Sustainability. 2017; 9(12):2195. https://doi.org/10.3390/su9122195
Chicago/Turabian StyleThornbush, Mary. 2017. "Physical Geography and Environmental Sustainability" Sustainability 9, no. 12: 2195. https://doi.org/10.3390/su9122195