Search Results (689)

After the 2011 earthquake, lake water depletion has become a widespread issue in Sikkim, especially in regions classified as high to very high seismic zones, where many lakes have turned into seasonal water bodies. This study investigates Chochen Lake in the Barapathing area of Sikkim’s Pakyong district, which is facing severe water seepage and instability. The problem, intensified by the 2011 seismic event and ongoing local construction, is examined through subsurface fracture mapping using Vertical Electrical Sounding (VES) and profiling techniques. A statistical factor method, applied to interpret VES data, helped identify fracture patterns beneath the lake. Results from two sites (VES-1 and VES-2) reveal significant variations in weathered and semi-weathered soil layers, indicating fractures at depths of 17–50 m (VES-1) and 20–55 m (VES-2). Higher fracture density near VES-1 suggests increased settlement risk and ground displacement compared to VES-2. Contrasting resistivity values emphasize the greater instability in this zone and the need for cautious construction practices. The findings highlight the role of seismic-induced fractures in ongoing water depletion and underscore the importance of continuous dewatering to stabilize the swampy terrain. Full article

This study presents a numerical and experimental evaluation of axial load transfer mechanisms in deep foundations constructed in stratified cohesive soils in İzmir, Türkiye. A full-scale bi-directional static load test equipped with strain gauges was conducted on a barrette pile to investigate depth-dependent mobilization of shaft resistance. A finite element model was developed and calibrated using field-observed load–settlement and strain data to replicate the pile–soil interaction and deformation behavior. The analysis revealed a shaft-dominated load transfer behavior, with progressive mobilization concentrated in intermediate-depth cohesive layers. Sensitivity analysis identified the undrained stiffness (E_u) as the most influential parameter governing pile settlement. A strong polynomial correlation was established between calibrated E_u values and SPT N₆₀, offering a practical tool for preliminary design. Additionally, strain energy distribution was evaluated as a supplementary metric, enhancing the interpretation of mobilization zones beyond conventional stress-based methods. The integrated approach provides valuable insights for performance-based foundation design in layered cohesive ground, supporting the development of site-calibrated numerical models informed by full-scale testing data. Full article

The implementation of the trans-European tourist cycle route network “EuroVelo” is fostering new strategic importance for non-motorized mobility and the associated practice of cycling tourism. Indeed, slow tourism offers a pathway for the development of inland areas. The infrastructure supporting it, such as long-distance cycling and walking paths, can act as a vital connection, stimulating regeneration in peripheral territories by enhancing environmental and landscape assets, as well as preserving heritage, local identity, and culture. The regeneration of peri-urban landscapes through soft mobility is recognized as the cornerstone for accessibility to material and immaterial resources (including ecosystem services) for multiple categories of users, including the most vulnerable, especially following the restoration of green-area systems and non-urbanized areas with degraded ecosystems. Considering the forthcoming implementation of the Magna Grecia cycling route, the southernmost segment of the “EuroVelo” network traversing three regions in southern Italy, this contribution briefly examines the necessity of defining new development policies to effectively integrate sustainable slow tourism with the enhancement of environmental and landscape values in the coastal areas along the route. Specifically, this case study focuses on a coastal stretch characterized by significant morphological and environmental features and notable landscapes interwoven with densely built environments. In this area, environmental and landscape values face considerable threats from scattered, irregular, low-density settlements, abandoned sites, and other inappropriate constructions along the coastline. Full article

Recent archaeological discoveries across the Aegean, Cyprus, and western Anatolia have renewed interest in pre-Neolithic seafaring and early island colonization. However, the environmental contexts that support such early coastal occupations remain poorly understood, largely due to the submergence of Pleistocene shorelines following post-glacial sea-level rise. This study addresses this gap through an integrated geoarchaeological investigation of the pre-Neolithic site of Ouriakos on Lemnos Island, northeastern Aegean (Greece), dated to the mid-11th millennium BCE. By reconstructing both the terrestrial and submerged paleolandscapes of the site, we examine ecological conditions, resource availability, and sedimentary processes that shaped human activity and site preservation. Employing a multiscale methodological approach—combining bathymetric survey, geomorphological mapping, soil micromorphology, geochemical analysis, and Optically Stimulated Luminescence (OSL) dating—we present a comprehensive framework for identifying and interpreting early coastal settlements. Stratigraphic evidence reveals phases of fluvial, aeolian, and colluvial deposition associated with an alternating coastline. The core findings reveal that Ouriakos was established during a phase of environmental stability marked by paleosol development, indicating sustained human presence. By bridging terrestrial and marine data, this research contributes significantly to the understanding of human coastal mobility during the Pleistocene–Holocene transition. Full article

As the cradle of Jiangnan culture, Suzhou is home to a dense concentration of historical architectural heritage that is currently facing existential threats from rapid urbanization. This study aims to develop a spatial heritage corridor network for conservation and sustainable utilization. Using kernel density estimation, this study identifies 15 kernel density groups, along with the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP), to pinpoint clusters of historical architectural heritage and assess the involved resistance factors. Current Effective Conductance (CEC) theory is further applied to model spatial flow relationships among heritage nodes, leading to the delineation of 27 heritage corridors and revealing a spatial structure characterized by one primary core, one secondary core, and multiple peripheral zones. Based on 15 source points, six cultural relics-themed routes are proposed—three land-based and three waterfront routes—connecting historical sites, towns, and ecological areas. The study further recommends a resource management strategy centered on departmental collaboration, digital integration, and community co-governance. By integrating historical architectural types, settlement forms, and ecological patterns, the research builds a multi-scale narrative and experience system that addresses fragmentation while improving coordination and sustainability. This framework delivers practical advice on heritage conservation and cultural tourism development in Suzhou and the broader Jiangnan region. Full article

The Cao’e-Jiaojiang-Oujiang River Basin possesses abundant vernacular architectural heritage with significant historical–cultural value. However, challenges like dispersed distribution and inconsistent conservation hinder its systematic protection and utilization within territorial spatial planning, necessitating a deeper understanding of its spatiotemporal patterns. Utilizing 570 identified heritage sites, this study employed ArcGIS spatial analysis (Kernel Density Estimation, Nearest Neighbor Index), correlation analysis with DEM data, and suitability analysis (Minimum Cumulative Resistance model, Gravity Model) to systematically examine spatial distribution characteristics, their evolution, and relationships with the geographical environment and historical context. Results revealed a distinct “four cores and three belts” spatial pattern. Temporally, distribution evolved from “discrete” (Song-Yuan) to “aggregated” (Ming-Qing) and then “diffused” (Modern era). Spatially, heritage showed density in plains, preference for low slopes, and settlement along waterways. Suitability analysis indicated higher corridor potential in the northern section (Cao’e-Jiaojiang) than the south (Oujiang), leading to the identification of a “Northern Segment (Shaoxing-Ningbo-Shengzhou-Taizhou)” and “Southern Segment (Wenzhou-Lishui)” corridor structure. This research provides a scientific basis for systematic conservation and integrated heritage corridor construction of vernacular architectural heritage in the basin, supporting Zhejiang’s Poetry Road Cultural Belt initiatives and cultural heritage protection within territorial spatial planning. Full article

The Shenduntou Site, a significant Zhou Dynasty settlement in Anhui Province, provides rare insights into early Chinese woodcraft. This study examines exceptionally preserved wooden structures from Well J1, dating to the Western Zhou period (9th–8th c. BCE). Anatomical analysis identified the timber as Firmiana simplex (L.), indicating ancient selection of this locally available species for its water resistance and mechanical suitability in well construction. Comprehensive degradation assessment revealed severe structural deterioration: maximum water content (1100% ± 85% vs. modern 120% ± 8%) demonstrated extreme porosity from hydrolysis; X-ray diffraction (XRD) showed a 69.5% reduction in cellulose crystallinity (16.1% vs. modern 52.8%); Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) spectroscopy confirmed near-total hemicellulose degradation, partial cellulose loss, and lignin enrichment due to chemical recalcitrance; Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) imaging documented multiscale damage including vessel thinning, pit membrane loss, and cell wall delamination from hydrolytic, microbial, and mineral degradation. These findings reflect Western Zhou inhabitants’ pragmatic resource utilisation while highlighting advanced material deterioration that poses significant conservation challenges, providing critical insights into Zhou-era woodcraft and human–environment interactions in the lower Yangtze region. Full article

Given the increasing challenges posed by frequent extreme climatic events, understanding the climate–human connection between the climate system and the transitions of ancient civilizations is crucial for addressing future climatic challenges, especially when examining the relationship between the abrupt events of the Holocene and the Neolithic culture development. Compared with the globally recognized “4.2 ka collapse” of ancient cultures, the initial start time and the cultural significance of the 5.5 ka climatic fluctuation are more complex and ambiguous. The Hongshan culture (6.5–5.0 ka) is characterized by a complicated society evident in its grand public architecture and elaborate high-status tombs. However, the driving mechanisms behind cultural changes remain complex and subject to ongoing debate. This paper delves into the role of climatic change in Hongshan cultural shifts, presenting an integrated dataset that combines climatic proxy records with archaeological data from the Hongshan culture period. Based on synthesized aeolian, fluvial-lacustrine, loess, and stalagmite deposits, the study indicates a relatively cold and dry climatic fluctuation occurred during ~6.0–5.5 ka, which is widespread in the Horqin dune field and adjacent areas. Combining spatial analysis with ArcGis 10.8 on archaeological sites, we propose that the climatic fluctuation between ~6.0–5.5 ka likely triggered the migration of the Hongshan settlements and adjustment of survival strategies. Full article

Knowledge of the habitat characteristics of endangered species is an important basis for in situ conservation, release-site selection, and habitat modification. Although the Chinese pangolin (Manis pentadactyla) is one of the world’s most endangered species, little is known about its habitat preferences, and the results of past studies differ greatly. To clarify the habitat characteristics of the Chinese pangolin, we conducted habitat surveys in Guangdong, Jiangxi, and Zhejiang provinces of China using the transect method. A total of 520 burrow sites of Chinese pangolins were recorded in three study areas. The resulting data were analyzed using a generalized additive model, principal coordinate analysis, and Kruskal–Wallis tests. Nine ecological factors (elevation, slope, soil type, canopy coverage, surface coverage, number of trees, number of logs, tree diameter at breast height, and distance to a settlement) were found to affect pangolins’ distribution. Burrows were preferentially distributed at elevations of 50–150 m (62.3%), in silty soil (88.1%), on 20–40° slopes (83.3%), within young and medium-aged broadleaved forests with a canopy coverage exceeding 70% (65.8%), and close to water (less than 300 m). Among the three study regions, pangolin habitats differed significantly in seven environmental factors: elevation, canopy coverage, surface coverage, number of trees, distance to water, distance to a road, and distance to a settlement. Our findings imply that the Chinese pangolin appears to tolerate a broad range of ecological characteristics; however, food resources may be the key factor affecting its habitat selection, and other factors may indirectly affect its distribution by affecting food abundance. Finally, aside from hunting, a low level of human disturbance does not affect the presence of this species. Full article

With ongoing global warming, glacier lake outburst floods (GLOFs) and associated debris flows pose increasing threats to downstream communities and infrastructure. Glacial lakes differ in their triggering factors and breach mechanisms, necessitating event-specific analysis. This study investigates the GLOF risk of Jiongpuco Lake, located in the southeastern part of the Tibetan Plateau, using an integrated approach combining remote sensing, field surveys, and numerical modeling. Results show that the lake has expanded significantly—from 2.08 km² in 1990 to 5.43 km² in 2021—with the most rapid increase observed between 2015 and 2016. InSAR data and optical imagery indicate that surrounding moraine deposits remain generally stable. However, ice avalanches from the glacier terminus are identified as the primary trigger for lake outburst via wave-induced overtopping. Mechanical and geomorphological analyses suggest that the moraine dam is resistant to downcutting erosion, reinforcing overtopping as the dominant failure mode. To assess potential impacts, three numerical simulation scenarios were conducted based on different avalanche volumes. Under the extreme scenario involving a 5-million m³ ice avalanche, the modeled peak discharge at the dam site reaches approximately 19,000 m³/s. Despite the high flood magnitude, the broad and gently sloped downstream terrain facilitates rapid attenuation of flood peaks, resulting in limited impact on downstream settlements. These findings offer critical insights for GLOF hazard assessment, disaster preparedness, and risk mitigation under a changing climate. Full article

Typo-morphology, as interpreted by the Italian School of Planning, provides an approach to investigate the relationship between built form and socio-cultural patterns in vernacular settlements. This study examines Harran, a heritage site in southeastern Türkiye known for its distinctive conic domed dwellings, to explore how typo-morphological analysis can inform culturally sensitive design and adaptive reuse approaches. Despite its historical significance and inclusion in the UNESCO tentative list, Harran faces insufficient documentation, fragmented governance, limited conservation, and increasing pressure from urbanization and natural disasters. Using multiple sources and fieldwork, the research reconstructs the morphological evolution of Harran through diachronic maps across compound, district, and town scales. Reflections from Alberobello, Italy, i.e., the sister city of Harran and a UNESCO-listed town with a similarly unique vernacular fabric, provide a comparative view to explore different heritage management approaches. Harran evolved through informal, culture-driven growth, whereas Alberobello followed a regulated path. While Alberobello benefits from planned development and institutional preservation, Harran faces partial abandonment and neglect. By positioning typo-morphology as a conceptual planning tool, this paper emphasizes the need for context-responsive, ethically grounded, and inclusive approaches to heritage planning and conservation. It argues for planning practices that are not only technically competent but also attuned to place-based knowledge, local identities, and the long-term sustainability of living heritage. Full article

Understanding forest-cover change and its drivers is vital for global forest management and policy development. This study analyzed perceptions of historical drivers behind land-use/land-cover change (LULCC) and forest change in gazetted forests from 1966 to 2022 to evaluate the impact of human activities around the gazetted forest reserves, comparing three forests in Nasarawa State, North Central Nigeria. Data were collected through questionnaires, interviews, and focus group discussions. Three gazetted forests (Doma, Risha, and Odu) were sampled to represent the three geopolitical zones of the state. SPSS IBM version 29, NVivo 1.7, and Python 3 were used for data analyses to generate statistics and identify coherent themes across the forests. Results show that changes were perceived to be triggered by sixteen drivers (direct and indirect) related to social, economic, environmental, policy/institutional, and technological elements. Agricultural expansion, lumbering, and charcoal production were the most reported direct drivers, while population growth, poverty, and government policies were the most perceived indirect drivers. The results showed variations in human activities across forest sites. For example, agricultural expansion, lumbering, and grazing were more widespread, while construction and settlement activities differed between forests. The Risha forest community saw agriculture expansion ahead of other drivers, Doma forest people saw population growth above other drivers, and the Odu forest community saw lumbering aiding other drivers that led to change. Implementation of policies focusing on these key drivers must match local perceptions and priorities to engage people in forest conservation. These efforts could ensure effective forest protection that is vital for achieving global biodiversity and climate targets and safeguarding local livelihoods. The specific drivers of changes in each forest need to be targeted in conservation efforts. Full article

To explore a more accurate prediction method for subgrade settlement induced by underpass construction, this study takes the existing railway project of Ningbo Yuanyi Road underpass as a case to construct a subgrade settlement prediction model based on the Mamba neural network. Using monitoring data collected using on-site automated monitoring robots as the data foundation, the prediction results of the improved transformer, long short-term memory (LSTM), time-series dense encoder (Tide), and decomposition-linear (Dlinear) neural networks are compared. The research results show that the Mean Squared Error (MSE) and Mean Absolute Error (MAE) of the proposed Bi-Mamba model are 0.279 and 0.276, respectively, demonstrating higher prediction accuracy than comparative models such as iTransformer and LSTM. Additionally, ablation experiments verify that the attention gating module in the model reduces the MSE by 9.1%, serving as a key component for improving accuracy. This study provides an advanced data-driven prediction method for subgrade settlement forecasting, offering technical references for similar engineering projects. Full article

Ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosa Lawson & C. Lawson) forests in the western United States have experienced reduced fire frequency since Euro-American settlement, usually because of successful fire suppression policies and even without such human impacts at remote sites in the Great Basin and Mojave Deserts. In an effort to improve our understanding of long-term environmental dynamics in sky-island ecosystems, we developed tree-ring chronologies from ponderosa pines located in the Sheep Mountain Range of southern Nevada, inside the Desert National Wildlife Refuge (DNWR). After comparing those dendrochronological records with other ones available for the south-central Great Basin, we analyzed their climatic response using station-recorded monthly precipitation and air temperature data from 1950 to 2024. The main climatic signal was December through May total precipitation, which was then reconstructed at annual resolution over the past five centuries, from 1490 to 2011 CE. The mean episode duration was 2.6 years, and the maximum drought duration was 11 years (1924–1934; the “Dust Bowl” period), while the longest episode, 19 years (1905–1923), is known throughout North America as the “early 1900s pluvial”. By quantifying multi-annual dry and wet episodes, the period since DNWR establishment was placed in a long-term dendroclimatic framework, allowing us to estimate the potential drought resilience of its unique, tree-dominated environments. Full article

It is significant to study the correlation between the spatial distribution and topographic features for ethnic minority rural settlements, which can provide the theoretical basis and practical methods for the preservation of ethnic culture and scientific planning of territorial space. Liuzhou in Guangxi is a region with diverse ethnic groups and this paper takes Liuzhou as the case study. This study employs fractal theory, GIS spatial analysis, and correlation analysis methods to investigate the relationship between settlement spatial patterns and their surrounding geographical conditions. The findings reveal a significant positive correlation between the geographic location of ethnic minority rural settlements (including site selection and terrain features) and their geographical conditions (topographic and elevation factors). Additionally, significant associations exist between settlement slope, settlement orientation, and their positioning within mountainous terrain. The study also reveals strong correlations between planar morphological characteristics (or settlement scale) and settlement terrain for the settlements of the same ethnic group within the same region. Specifically, Dong settlements exhibit remarkable consistency in settlement scale, while Miao settlements demonstrate high similarity in terms of elevation distribution. The methodology developed in this study is applicable to correlation research on settlement characteristics across diverse ethnic groups and geographical regions. It not only reveals universal patterns of how physical-geographic environments influence the planar and spatial features of settlements, but also validates the logical coherence of investigating layout characteristics from both planar and spatial perspectives. The findings of this study not only provide practical guidance for the development and planning of settlements, but also offer recommendations for the cultural inheritance and settlement protection of ethnic minorities. Full article