Anthropocene Geomorphic Change. Climate or Human Activities?

An analysis of the evolution of sedimentation rates and disasters caused by surface geologic processes during the last century, at a global scale, is presented. Results show that erosion/sedimentation processes and frequency of such disasters increased substantially, especially after midtwentieth century, coinciding with the period of intense change known as the ?Great Acceleration.? Increases for this type of disasters are significantly greater than for other disasters related to natural processes, and about 1 order of magnitude in little more than half a century. This implies an important ?global geomorphic change.? Comparisons and correlations between changes observed in those processes and potential natural (rainfall) and human (degree of land surface transformation) drivers showed a strong relationship with the latter, and not so clear with the former. This suggests that the intensification of surface geologic processes is most likely due to a greater extent to a land transformation/geomorphic processes coupling than a climate/geomorphic processes one.Funding was provided by projects: CAMGEO CGL2006–11341, Spain; PICT2011–1685, Argentina; MTM2014–56235‐C2–2 and CGL2017–82703‐R, Spain

A ?password? game application for learning

La aplicación de entornos educativos cada vez más dinámicos y motivacionales ha impulsado una corriente docente que utiliza recursos digitales, basados en el juego, para la enseñanza. La gamificación, entendida como el empleo del juego para el desarrollo de actividades formativas en el aula, constituye una herramienta para trabajar sobre distintos tipos de aprendizaje y grupos de estudiantes, pudiendo ser empleada antes, durante y al final de las sesiones presenciales en el aula o de forma online. De este modo han surgido, en los últimos años, todo un conjunto de herramientas docentes que contribuyen a dirigir y facilitar el proceso de enseñanza-aprendizaje, y posibilitan una escuela más inclusiva, personalizada y capaz de fomentar a la vez el trabajo sobre otras competencias transversales. Con este fin se ha diseñado una aplicación que simula el ?rosco? del popular programa televisivo ?Pasapalabra?. El objetivo propuesto es contribuir a la incorporación de conceptos geológicos en asignaturas de Ciencias de la Tierra del grado de magisterio en educación primaria, a través del juego. El desarrollo de competencias basado en los videojuegos, dentro del contexto de la gamificación, fomenta el aprendizaje activo y la adquisición de conocimientos geológicos mediante el manejo de nuevas tecnologías a través de medios digitales gratuitos y de fácil acceso. El rosco geológico proporciona, además, una forma de repaso antes, durante y después de cada unidad didáctica, y puede ser utilizado como elemento evaluador. Este tipo de juegos promueve la motivación del alumnado, dirige el aprendizaje y estimula la capacidad de búsqueda de información de alumnos con necesidades especiales.The integration of educational environments increasingly dynamic and motivational have triggered a current tendency based on the use of digital resources. Gamification, understood as the use of games for the development of learning activities that can be developed either in the classroom or online before, during and after the sessions, is a tool that can drive the teaching-learning process. In recent years, a wide variety of teaching tools have contributed to lead and promote learning, allowing the development of a more inclusive school, personalized and capable of promoting, at the same time, the acquisition of transferable skills. For that purpose, we have designed an application that simulates the popular tv program ?Password?. The main goal is to contribute to the learning of geological concepts in Earth Sciences classrooms from the Primary Education Degree, using games. The development of skills through videogames, within the context of gamification, promotes active learning and the acquisition of geological knowledge using new technologies through free and easy to access digital environments. The ?Geologic Password? also provides a way for reviewing knowledge before, during, and after each learning unit and can be used as a method for evaluation. This type of games improves student´s motivation, driving the learning process and increasing the ability to search for information in those students with special needs

Spanish experience on the design of radon surveys based on the use of geogenic information

One of the requirements of the recently approved EU-BSS (European Basic Safety Standards Directive, EURATOM, 2013) is the design and implementation of national radon action plans in the member states (Annex XVIII). Such plans require radon surveys. The analysis of indoor radon data is supported by the existing knowledge about geogenic radiation. With this aim, we used the terrestrial gamma dose rate data from the MARNA project. In addition, we considered other criterion regarding the surface of Spain, population, permeability of rocks, uranium and radium contain in soils because currently no data are available related to soil radon gas concentration and permeability in Spain. Given that, a Spanish radon map was produced which will be part of the European Indoor Radon Map and a component of the European Atlas of Natural Radiation. The map indicates geographical areas with high probability of finding high indoor radon concentrations. This information will support legislation regarding prevention of radon entry both in dwellings and workplaces. In addition, the map will serve as a tool for the development of strategies at all levels: individual dwellings, local, regional and national administration

Denudation and geomorphic change in the Anthropocene; a global overview

The effects of human activity on geomorphic processes, particularly those related to denudation/sedimentation, are investigated by reviewing case studies and global assessments covering the past few centuries. Evidence we have assembled from different parts of the world, as well as from the literature, show that certain geomorphic processes are experiencing an acceleration, especially since the mid-twentieth century. This suggests that a global geomorphic change is taking place, largely caused by anthropogenic landscape changes. Direct human-driven denudation (through activities involving excavation, transport, and accumulation of geological materials) has increased by a factor of 30 between 1950 and 2015, representing a ten-fold increase of per capita effect. Direct plus indirectly human-induced denudation (triggered by land surface alteration) is presently at least one order of magnitude greater than denudation due to purely natural processes. The activity of slope movements, which represent an important contribution to denudation, sediment generation and landscape evolution, also shows a clear intensification. Frequency of hazardous events and disasters related to slope movements (an indirect measure of process frequency) in specific regions, as well as at continental and global levels, has grown considerably, in particular after the mid-twentieth century. Intense rainstorm events are often related to slope movement occurrence, but the general increasing trend observed is not satisfactorily explained by climate. Sedimentation has augmented considerably in most regions and all kinds of sedimentation environments. Although the link between denudation and sedimentation is not direct and unequivocal, it is safe to assume that if sedimentation rates increase in different regions during a given period, denudation must have increased too, even though their magnitudes could be different. This augmentation, particularly marked from the second half of the last century onwards, appears to be determined mainly by land surface changes, in conjunction with climate change. The changes observed suggest: a) there is evidence at a global scale of a growing response of geomorphic systems to socio-economic drivers, being Gross Domestic Product density, a good indicator of the human potential to cause such impacts; b) Land use/cover changes enhance effects of climate change on global denudation/sedimentation and landslide/flood frequency, and appear to be a stronger controlling factor; c) Our findings point to the existence of a global geomorphic change. This manifestation of global change is especially evident since the ?great geomorphic acceleration? that began in the middle of the 20th century, and constitutes one of the characteristics of the proposed Anthropocene.This work was supported, at different stages, by projects: FEDER, AEI, CGL2017-82703-R (Ministerio de Ciencia e Investigacion, Spain) and PICT2011-1685; MTM2014-56235-C2-2215 (Ministerio de Ciencia, Tecnología e Innovacion, Argentina). We also thank Dr. Anthony R. Berger for critical review and writing assistance

Exploring available landslide inventories for susceptibility analysis in Gipuzkoa province (Spain)

Similar to many mountainous regions of the world, landslides are a recurrent geological hazard in the Gipuzkoa province (northern Spain) that commonly cause damage to communication infrastructure, such as roads and railways. This geomorphological process also threatens buildings and human beings, albeit to a lesser degree. Over time, different institutions and academic research groups have individually collected crucial information on historic and ancient landslides in this region, resulting in various landslide inventories. However, these inventories have not been collectively assessed, and their suitability for landslide susceptibility modelling projects has often been assumed without comprehensive evaluation. In this study, we propose a simplified method to explore, describe, and compare the various landslide inventories in a specific study area to assess their suitability for landslide susceptibility modelling. Additionally, we present the results of an illustrative experiment that demonstrates the direct effect of using different inventories in landslide susceptibility modelling through a data-driven approach. We found that out of the five digitally available inventories in the study area, only three provide sufficient guarantees to be used as input data for susceptibility modelling. Furthermore, we observed that each individual inventory exhibited inherent biases, which directly influenced the resulting susceptibility map. We believe that our proposed methods can be easily replicated in other study areas where multiple landslide inventory sources exist, and that our work will induce other researchers to conduct preliminary assessments of their inventories as a critical step prior to any landslide susceptibility modelling project

Rainfall and weather conditions inducing intense landslide activity in northern Spain (Deba, Guipúzcoa)

The Deba area is intensely affected by frequent shallow landslides triggered by rainfall. This contribution explores the role of rainfall in landslide activity during a quite long time span (60 years), from a large network of rainfall gauges and a complete inventory of landslides. Out of 1,180 landslides inventoried, more than 50% occurred simultaneously in 6 known dates, corresponding to 6 episodes triggering multiple landslides; 3,241 rainfall episodes have been automatically recognized and characterized in terms of rainfall amount and duration, providing a representative dataset that covers a wide range of movement types and behaviors. Relationship between rainfall episodes driving multiple movements simultaneously has not been explored in depth so far in northern Spain. The analysis provides different results. The extraordinary character of the triggering rainfall has been assessed and empirical rainfall thresholds (total amount, and mean intensity), producing multiple landslides, has been found and compared with others described in literature. Also, the meteorological conditions associated to those extreme events have been recognized: multiple landslide occurrences are triggered by extreme convective rainfall: intense, short and with limited horizontal extent, as well as a marked summer-autumn seasonality. This weather pattern is more characteristic of Mediterranean areas than of mild marine west-coast climates. The definition of the conditions of the multiple landslide occurrence events, qualitative and quantitative, makes it possible to better understand the behaviour of slopes, which is essential for better predictability of landslide occurrence.This work was supported by the research projects: ESPERIDES (CGL2013-46425-P, MINECO, Spain) and “Influencia del cambio climático y de la actividad humana en los procesos y riesgos geomorfológicos” (29.P052.64004, UC)

Suitability of valleys of Cantabria area for a UGGp proposal

UNESCO-designated geoparks, intended for conservation, seek to drive economic development via geological heritage education and tourism. Since 2018, within the framework of the European project Atlantic Geoparks (Interreg Atlantic area program), the Valleys of Cantabria project has been promoted to declare a UNESCO Global Geopark (UGGp) in the Cantabria region (northern Spain). The Valles de Cantabria proposal, aligning with UNESCO objectives, evaluates the region´s geopark potential, emphasizing sustainable development and societal education. Covering 600 km2 in eastern Cantabria, the territory involves 19 municipalities and has a population of 60,600. The geological context, ranging from the Triassic to the Quaternary periods, reflects the complex evolution of this territory, which has been influenced by tectonic forces, geomorphological processes, and sea-level changes. Detailed reviews and fieldwork performed by experts, including university researchers, have identified 66 sites of geological interest (SGI). The geosites, which have different geological?geomorphological significances, have been assessed according to their scientific value (including educational importance), potential of use (mainly geotouristic use), and vulnerability or risk of degradation. The geological heritage is directly related to the high biodiversity of the area. The challenges of this territory, such as depopulation and the low income of the inhabitants, can be improved with the declaration of a geopark, which would help to create new job opportunities related to geotourism and sustainable development. UNESCO recognition could catalyse scientific research, address socioeconomic challenges, and foster rural revitalization, strengthening the symbiotic relationship between geoconservation and local economic growth. Collaboration with other Atlantic geoparks has enabled the exchange of experiences that will hopefully deepen in the future. Consequently, the aim of this work is to explore the potential of this territory in terms of high-quality geological features and biological and cultural heritage, as well as to evaluate the socioeconomic context that makes the territory potentially suitable for promoting a UGGp.This research was funded by co-financed by the Interreg Atlantic Area Programme through the European Regional Development Fund of the European Union (Atlantic Geoparks, EAPA_250/2016), “Influencia del cambio climático y de la actividad humana en los procesos y riesgos geomorfológicos” (29.P052.64004, Universidad de Cantabria), and “Caracterización de materiales, formas y procesos recientes para mejorar la gestión de los recursos y riesgos geológicos” (29.P209.64004, Universidad de Cantabria).This research was funded by co-financed by the Interreg Atlantic Area Programme through the European Regional Development Fund of the European Union (Atlantic Geoparks, EAPA_250/2016), “Influencia del cambio climático y de la actividad humana en los procesos y riesgos geomorfológicos” (29.P052.64004, Universidad de Cantabria), and “Caracterización de materiales, formas y procesos recientes para mejorar la gestión de los recursos y riesgos geológicos” (29.P209.64004, Universidad de Cantabria)