Search Results (21)

In recent decades, forest fires have become one of the most disruptive and complex natural hazards from both environmental and territorial perspectives. The Canary Islands represent a particularly suitable setting for analysing wildfire risk. This study aims to characterise the Large Forest Fires (LFFs) that occurred across the archipelago between 2012 and 2024 through an integrative approach combining geospatial, meteorological, and socio-environmental information. A total of 13 LFFs were identified in Tenerife, Gran Canaria, La Palma, and La Gomera, affecting 55,167 hectares—equivalent to 7.4% of the islands’ total land area. The results indicate a temporal concentration during the summer months and an altitudinal range between 750 and 1500 m, corresponding to transitional zones between laurel forest and Canary pine woodland. Meteorological conditions showed average temperatures of 24.3 °C, minimum relative humidity of 23.7%, and thermal inversion layers at around 270 m a.s.l., creating an environment conducive to fire spread. Approximately 81% of the affected area lies within protected natural spaces, highlighting a high level of ecological vulnerability. Analysis of the Normalized Burn Ratio (NBR) index reveals a growing trend in fire severity, while social impacts include the evacuation of more than 43,000 people. These findings underscore the urgency of moving towards proactive territorial management that integrates prevention, ecological restoration, and climate change adaptation as fundamental pillars of any disaster risk reduction strategy. Full article

Underground mining environments are highly hazardous, often prone to gas explosions, cave-ins, and fires that may trap miners during emergencies. The accurate, real-time localization of miners is vital for effective self-escape and rescue operations. Although the Mine Improvement and New Emergency Response (MINER) Act of 2006 mandates communication and tracking systems, most current solutions rely on low-power devices and line-of-sight methods that are ineffective in GPS-denied, dynamic subsurface conditions. Delay-Tolerant Networking (DTN) has emerged as a promising alternative by supporting message relay through intermittent links. In this work, we propose a deep learning framework that combines Convolutional Neural Networks (CNNs) and Long Short-Term Memory (LSTM) networks to predict miner locations using simulated DTN-based movement data. The model was trained on a simulated dataset of 1,048,575 miner movement entries, predicting miner locations across 26 pillar classes. It achieved an 89% accuracy, an 89% recall, and an 83% F1-score, demonstrating strong performance for real-time underground miner localization. These results demonstrate the model’s potential for the real-time localization of trapped miners in GPS-denied environments, supporting enhanced self-escape and rescue operations. Future work will focus on validating the model with real-world data and deploying it for operational use in mines. Full article

Biogas produced from agricultural and forestry waste is emerging as a strategic and multifunctional solution to address climate change, inefficient waste management, and the need for renewable energy by transforming large volumes of biomass. Global estimates indicate that approximately 1.3 billion tons of waste is produced each year for these sectors; this waste is processed through anaerobic digestion, allowing it to be transformed into energy and biofertilizers. This reduces greenhouse gas emissions by up to 90%, promotes rural development, improves biodiversity, and prevents environmental risks, such as forest fires. However, despite its high global technical potential, which is estimated at 8000 TWh per year, its use remains limited as a result of its high initial costs, low efficiency in relation to lignocellulosic waste, and weak regulatory frameworks, especially in countries like Mexico, which use less than 5% of their available biomass. In response, emerging technologies, such as co-digestion with microalgae, integrated biorefineries, and artificial intelligence tools, are opening up new avenues for overcoming these barriers under a comprehensive approach that combines science, technology, and community participation. Therefore, biogas is positioned as a key pillar for a circular, fair, and resilient bioeconomy, promoting energy security and advancing toward a just and environmentally responsible future. Full article

Sustainability is under threat due to inefficient waste management. In the industrial sector, mechanisms such as value chains and producer obligations have advanced circular economy practices. However, in the agroforestry sector, open burning of waste remains prevalent, resulting in resource loss and heightened fire risks. This scenario jeopardizes the environmental, social, and economic pillars of sustainability, underscoring the need for legal frameworks to ensure waste recovery. This study proposes a regulatory framework to enhance the circular economy in agroforestry waste management. A benchmarking analysis was conducted to examine waste recovery systems where circular economy principles are successfully implemented. Insights from these systems were integrated with an in-depth assessment of the agroforestry biomass recovery chain to develop actionable regulatory measures. The proposed framework includes measures such as mandatory delivery of biomass, creation of aggregation centers, and incentives for biomass recovery. These measures are tailored to reduce fire risks, improve resource efficiency, and align stakeholders’ practices with sustainability goals. Visual tools, including comparative tables and diagrams, illustrate the framework’s impact. The study highlights the potential of regulatory interventions to promote agroforestry waste recovery, supporting sustainable development. Future work should focus on pilot implementations to validate the framework’s effectiveness in real-world scenarios. Full article

In architectural heritage research, rituals and human activities are often overlooked but are crucial for maintaining authenticity and reflecting various cultural values. In the Tibetan-Yi Corridor, one of China’s most renowned heritage routes, rituals and behaviours around the central pillar or fire pit reflect the shared culture and history of Di-Qiang ethnic groups, serving as critical indicators in studying their origins. A scientific method linking physical spaces with intangible cultural information is essential to preserve these rituals or activities and understand their interactions with architectural spaces. This study introduces a method utilising HBIM technology to document and analyse the 3D structures of Di-Qiang ethnic architecture and the rituals. It deconstructs rituals into bodily movements represented within the BIM space to simulate the behaviours of various roles. This method visualises ritual types and critical information by encoding different rituals and movements through geometric shapes, sizes, and colours, effectively linking architectural spaces with intangible cultural elements. The study’s two main contributions are (i) the HBIM archival method for Di-Qiang ethnic architecture, standardising geometric modelling and semantic information recording to digitise Di-Qiang architectural heritage, and forming a foundational 3D model library and semantic database; and (ii) the 3D representation method for ritual movements, which offers a way to manage intangible cultural information and spatially assess cultural behaviours, and evaluates the authenticity and quality of architectural heritage by analysing bodily rituals in space. This approach introduces a novel method for documenting and researching intangible heritage in cultural studies. Additionally, the digital technology-based research method offers a convenient platform for integrating and connecting digital heritage with digital humanities in the future. Full article

In Japan, a country prone to earthquakes, numerous damaging earthquakes have been recorded throughout history, often accompanied by descriptions of mysterious earthquake lights (EQL), which may involve various mechanisms. In this article, the possible mechanisms for different types of EQL in 11 cases are reviewed among 21 selected earthquakes. These involve preseismic physicochemical variations in the geological structure of the fault in the lithosphere, which contains deep Earth gases such as radon, methane, and others, as a primary factor for EQL generation. Additionally, various seismic, atmospheric, hydrospheric, and ionospheric variations interact with each other, resulting in the visualization of characteristic anomalous phenomena, such as glowing or shining ground, mountains, offshore areas, and skies of various colors. These phenomena appear momentarily but can sometimes last for extended periods. Because EQL often appear just before an earthquake, their study might be significant for earthquake prediction. Additionally, EQL involving methane flames in the ground is an important research topic as it relates to public safety. Was what they witnessed paranormal? Full article

This paper presents experimental and numerical investigations on the progressive collapse behavior of a two-story glulam frame when the middle column is exposed to ISO834 standard fire. The stress characteristics, temperature distributions, and deformation relationship curves of the bottom middle column after a fire are obtained. The collapse resistance performance and the mechanism of the glulam structure under local fire are studied in combination with the failure mode of the frame. The experimental results show that the failure time of the middle column in fire is 16.8 min, and the time to determine the progressive collapse of the structure is 17.17 min when the rotation angle exceeds the limit. The structure can remain stable for some time after the failure of the fire column, but as the fire continues to spread, the structure will collapse further. In addition, a temperature-field analysis model with the grid element type of DC3D8 and a structural field analysis model with the grid element type of C3D8R was established by using ABAQUS software under the experimental conditions. The numerical simulation is carried out by means of thermal–mechanical sequential coupling. The numerical simulation results show that the temperature of the beam end rose to more than 300 °C in about 15 min although it was not directly exposed to fire. The temperature of the whole connector at the pillar foot in the bottom column reached more than 700 °C when the fire time reached 60 min. The numerical simulation results agree well with the experimental results. The analysis results show that, in the failure process of the fire column, the junction of beam ends begins to produce stretching force to form a catenary effect. As the fire time increases, the catenary effect eventually fails. The stretching force at the beam end rapidly decreases and withdraws from the work, causing the progressive collapse of the frame. Full article

The objective of this study was to determine the impact of combinations of management practices on the sustainability of rangelands in different ecoregions across the Great Plains. Six study sites were selected in Kansas, Nebraska, Wyoming, Montana, and South Dakota, encompassing the Flint Hills, High Plains, and Sandhills ecoregions. Twelve rangeland management scenarios were developed from combinations of stocking density (light, moderate, heavy), grazing management (continuous, rotational), and fire regime (no burn, spring burn) along with a no-management scenario. Each scenario was simulated at each site using established computer models: Agricultural Policy/Environmental eXtender model, Integrated Farm System Model, and Impact Analysis for Planning. Additionally, human-edible nutrient conversion was computed. A sustainability index was developed to encompass the three sustainability pillars (i.e., environmental, economic, and social) into a single value. Unmanaged rangelands generally had less soil (20%), nitrogen (30%), and phosphorus (50%) losses, although this was not consistent across ecoregions, and similar or greater soil carbon deposition than grazed rangelands. There was an interaction among stocking density, grazing management, fire regime, and ecoregion for many indicators of soil health, greenhouse gas emissions, economic activity, and human-edible nutrient conversion. The scenarios with the greatest overall sustainability index value had moderate to high index values for each of the three pillars (people, planet, profit). In conclusion, the ranking of rangeland management practices based on sustainability indicators was inconsistent across ecoregions, indicating that the optimal management system to improve sustainability of rangelands is not the same for all ecoregions. Full article

Underground fires are still one of the most significant risks in mines today. In order to manage this risk, it is necessary to know the potential evolution of a fire and the effects it can have on people and other objects. Ventilation plays an essential role in the development of a fire; it also influences the propagation of toxic fumes and the variation of temperatures in all other areas of a mine. Currently, it is possible to jointly analyze, through numerical modeling, the ventilation circuit and a fire for different possible scenarios in order to define, in detail, the emergency plans that need to be adopted. In this paper, a numerical study was conducted via the use of Ventsim Software (an integrated mine and tunnel ventilation numerical package that is able to analyze airflows, pressures, heat, gases, and fires along all of a defined circuit over time using an iterative procedure to solve Kirchhoff’s current law). Furthermore, in this study, it is illustrated how the joint numerical modeling of the ventilation circuit and fire, when applied to an underground gypsum mine in the northwest of Italy, provides all the elements necessary to define the safety procedures that should be adopted in standard conditions as well as during an emergency due to a fire. More specifically, it was possible to identify suitable escape routes depending on the location of the possible fire and the time available for the staff to be able to evacuate safely. Full article

Forest fire prevention is very important for the protection of the ecological environment, which requires effective prevention and timely suppression. The opening of the firebreaks barrier contributes significantly to forest fire prevention. The development of an artificial intelligence algorithm makes it possible for an intelligent belt opener to create the opening of the firebreak barrier. This paper introduces an innovative vision system of an intelligent belt opener to monitor the environment during the creation of the opening of the firebreak barrier. It can provide precise geometric and location information on trees through the combination of LIDAR data and deep learning methods. Four deep learning networks including PointRCNN, PointPillars, SECOND, and PV-RCNN were investigated in this paper, and we train each of the four networks using our stand tree detection dataset which is built on the KITTI point cloud dataset. Among them, the PointRCNN showed the highest detection accuracy followed by PV-RCNN and PV-RCNN. SECOND showed less detection accuracy but can detect the most targets. Full article

Protecting “wilderness” and removing human involvement in “nature” was a core pillar of the modern conservation movement through the 20th century. Conservation approaches and legislation informed by this narrative fail to recognise that Aboriginal people have long valued, used, and shaped most landscapes on Earth. Aboriginal people curated open and fire-safe Country for millennia with fire in what are now forested and fire-prone regions. Settler land holders recognised the importance of this and mimicked these practices. The Land Conservation Act of 1970 in Victoria, Australia, prohibited burning by settler land holders in an effort to protect natural landscapes. We present a 120-year record of vegetation and fire regime change from Gunaikurnai Country, southeast Australia. Our data demonstrate that catastrophic bushfires first impacted the local area immediately following the prohibition of settler burning in 1970, which allowed a rapid increase in flammable eucalypts that resulted in the onset of catastrophic bushfires. Our data corroborate local narratives on the root causes of the current bushfire crisis. Perpetuation of the wilderness myth in conservation may worsen this crisis, and it is time to listen to and learn from Indigenous and local people, and to empower these communities to drive research and management agendas. Full article

The metabolism of a building can be connected to a rooftop greenhouse, exchanging energy, water and CO₂ flows, therefore reducing emissions and recycling cultivation inputs. However, integrating a rooftop greenhouse onto a building requires the application of stringent safety codes (e.g., fire, seismic codes), to strengthen and secure the structure with safety elements such as thick steel pillars or fireproof covering materials. These elements can shade the vegetation or reduce solar radiation entering the rooftop greenhouse. Nevertheless, application of additional LED light can help to overcome this constraint. The present study evaluated supplemental LED light application in an integrated rooftop greenhouse (i-RTG) at the ICTA-UAB research institute, located in Barcelona (Spain), for tomato cultivation (Solanum lycopersicum cv. Siranzo). The experiment explored the effects of three LED lighting treatments and a control cultivated under natural light only (CK). Applied treatments, added to natural sunlight, were: red and blue (RB), red and blue + far-red (FR) for the whole day, and red and blue + far-red at the end-of-day (EOD), each for 16 h d⁻¹ (8 a.m.–12 a.m.) with an intensity of 170 µmol m⁻² s⁻¹. The results indicate that LED light increased the overall yield by 17% compared with CK plants. In particular, CK tomatoes were 9.3% lighter and 7.2% fewer as compared with tomatoes grown under LED treatments. Fruit ripening was also affected, with an increase of 35% red proximal fruit in LED-treated plants. In conclusion, LED light seems to positively affect the development and growth of tomatoes in building integrated agriculture in the Mediterranean area. Full article

The paper studies, experimentally and numerically, the fire behavior of some structural elements of symmetric-tubular (rectangular in this study) shapes using modern dimensional analysis (MDA). A model at a certain scale of the real prototype is analyzed in order to obtain its response in case of fires. Experimental measurements are performed on a 1:10 scale model of a real support pillar and compared with the results of the numerical simulation. The obtained results can have useful applications in engineering practice, allowing fast obtaining of results with minimal costs. Full article

Being the main pillar in the context of Industry 4.0, the Internet of Things (IoT) leads evolution towards a smarter and safer planet. Being human-centered, rather than machine-centered, as was the case of wireless sensor networks used in the industry for decades, the IoT may enhance human intelligence with situational awareness, early warning, and decision support tools. Focusing on air cargo transportation, the “INTELLICONT” project presented a novel solution capable of improving critical air cargo challenges such as the reduction of total aircraft weight, detection and suppression of smoke and/or fire in a container, elimination of permanent moving and locking hardware, loading and unloading logistics enhancement and maintenance. In the present work, the IoT-based monitoring and control system for intelligent aircraft cargo containers is presented from a hardware perspective. The system is based on low-cost, low-energy sensors that are integrated into the container, can track its status, and detect critical events, such as fire/smoke, impact, and accidental misuse. The focus has been given to the design and development of a system capable of providing better and safer control of the aircraft cargo during the loading/unloading operations and the flight. It is shown that the system could provide a breakthrough in the state of the art of current cargo container technology and aircraft cargo operations. Full article

In February 2016, the Egyptian government introduced Egyptian Vision 2030. An important pillar of this vision is energy. Egyptian Vision 2030 presented renewable energy as the best solution to reduce the emission of greenhouse gases (GHGs) in the energy sector. Egypt’s electricity comes from various power plants; conventional thermal plants generate over 90% in which gas-fired generation accounts for 75% of the total output. Following the increase in natural gas (NG) projects in Egypt, NG is the dominant electricity source. Based on the pillars of the sustainable development strategy of Egypt, the county can increase dependence on renewable energies, and reduce CO₂ emissions and bound electricity production from natural gas. We aim to determine future energy generation strategies from various power plant technologies depending on these three principles. To make the picture more clear and complete, we compared the environmental impacts and external costs of fossil, hydro, and nuclear power plants in Egypt. We used two computer codes: the model for energy supply strategy alternatives and their general environmental impacts (MESSAGE) and the simplified approach for estimating environmental impacts of electricity generation (SIMPACTS). The MESSAGE code modeled the energy-supply systems to determine the best energy-supply technology to meet future energy demands. SIMPACTS estimated the environmental impact and damage costs associated with electricity generation. The results indicated that nuclear power plants and gas power plants are long-term electricity supply sources. Nuclear power plants entail low total external-damage costs, in addition to low environmental impact during normal operation. We conclude that nuclear power plants are the best alternative long-term electricity-generation choice for Egypt to meet future electricity demands. Full article