Natural radioactivity levels of great soil groups in Seferihisar Geothermal Region, Turkey

In this study, measurement of natural radioactivity and analyses of physical properties of soil were carried on great soil groups around the Seferihisar Geothermal Region. The radioactivity levels in soils were analyzed using scintillation gamma spectroscopy. The, 232 activity concentrations for 226Ra Th, and 40K range from 7.1 to 32.0 Bq kg(-1), 15.2 to 35.9 Bq kg-1 and 223.1 to 802.2 Bq kg(-1), respectively. Obtained data was compared with average values given by UNSCEAR and the other studies. The radium equivalent activity (Raeq) in soil samples ranges from 42.2 to 144.7 Bq kg-1 which are lower than the suggested maximal admissible value of 370 Bq kg(-1) recommended by OECD. In addition, the value of external exposure dose has been determined from the content of natural radionuclides in soil. The absorbed dose rates change between 20.6 and 70.9 nGy 11-1 with a mean value of 46.7 nGy 11-1 which is lower than the global average value of 55 nGy 11-1. The annual effective dose rates varied from 25.2 to 87.0 ia.Sv year-1 with an average value of 57.3 ia.Sv year-1. Obviously, all the calculated values were lower than this value, and therefore the environment of Tuzla Fault can be regarded as an area with normal natural background radiation

Spatial Analysis of Cultural Heritage Landscapes in Rural China: Land Use Change and Its Risks for Conservation

Cultural heritage landscapes are consistently perceived as landscapes of high value. However, these landscapes are very vulnerable to change. In China, rapid land use change, especially urbanization, has become one of the main challenges for the conservation of cultural heritage landscapes in rural areas. This paper focuses on the designated cultural villages in rural China by systematically analyzing the spatial distribution of the designated cultural landscape across the country and assessing the threats these traditional landscapes are facing under current and future urbanization and other land use pressures. Current designated cultural heritage landscapes in China are predominantly located in the rural and peri-urban regions of Central and South China and less frequently found in other regions. Especially in these regions risks to land use change are large. These risks are assessed based on observed recent land use change and land use model simulations for scenarios up to 2050. The risk assessment reveals that especially in Southeast China along the sea coast and near the cities along the Yangtze River, high pressures are expected on cultural heritage landscapes due to urbanization. At the same time, in Southwest China, especially in Yunnan and Guizhou provinces, high pressures due to other land use changes are expected, including land abandonment. This assessment gives direction and guidance toward the selection of the most threatened cultural villages for detailed investigation and additional protection measures