The Environmental Impact of Pig Farming

This study aimed to develop a methodology to evaluate the protection of animals and people from the harmful effects of the farm’s microclimate and environment, taking into consideration the energy, economic and environmental indicators. To achieve this goal, the following were determined for 2019 for the eight countries which are the world leaders in the field of pig farming: the volumes of carbon dioxide pollution, ammonia, dust and manure, and the analytical dependencies between the feed consumption, pig productivity and the concentration of ammonia inside the farm. The weight gain of pigs reduced by 15% with an increase in the concentration of ammonia in the internal air of livestock houses to 20 mg/m3 , but the feed wastage increased by 12%. Mathematical models were developed to estimate the relationships between the feed consumption, pig productivity and the concentration of harmful gas (ammonia) which is one of the main parameters of the microclimate. The results will be used in making technical and technological decisions in the field of microclimate, cleaning and disposal of farm manure. Keywords: pig, farming, ecology, environmen

Relation between size of mixing zone and intermediate concentration in miscible displacement

We investigate the miscible displacement of a viscous liquid by a less viscous one in a porous medium, which frequently leads to the formation of a mixing zone characterized by thin fingers. The mixing zone grows in time due to the difference in speed between the leading and trailing edges. The transverse flow equilibrium (TFE) model provides estimates of these speeds. We propose an enhancement for the TFE estimates. It is based on the assumption that an intermediate concentration exists near the tip of the finger, which allows to reduce the integration interval in the speed estimate. Numerical simulations of the computational fluid dynamics model were conducted to validate the new estimates. The refined estimates offer greater accuracy than those provided by the original TFE model.Comment: 16 pages, 11 figure

Widespread erosion on high plateaus during recent glaciations in Scandinavia

Glaciers create some of Earth’s steepest topography; yet, many areas that were repeatedly overridden by ice sheets in the last few million years include extensive plateaus. The distinct geomorphic contrast between plateaus and the glacial troughs that dissect them has sustained two long-held hypotheses: first, that ice sheets perform insignificant erosion beyond glacial troughs, and, second, that the plateaus represent ancient pre-glacial landforms bearing information of tectonic and geomorphic history prior to Pliocene–Pleistocene global cooling (~3.5 Myr ago). Here we show that the Fennoscandian ice sheets drove widespread erosion across plateaus far beyond glacial troughs. We apply inverse modelling to 118 new cosmogenic 10Be and 26Al measurements to quantify ice sheet erosion on the plateaus fringing the Sognefjorden glacial trough in western Norway. Our findings demonstrate substantial modification of the pre-glacial landscape during the Quaternary, and that glacial erosion of plateaus is important when estimating the global sediment flux to the oceans

Meteoric 10Be as a tracer of soil redistribution rates and reconstruction tool of loess–mantled soils (SW, Poland)

Loess deposits are terrestrial archives that record progressive deposition and erosion events of varying intensities. Data on long-term erosion rates are crucial for tracking changes in the stability of a loess mantle and reconstructing the evolution of loess-enriched soils. We used meteoric 10Be to i) define the factors responsible for its distribution along the profile, ii) determine long-term erosion rates in loess-enriched polygenetic soils characterised by illuviation processes, and iii) evaluate initial soil thickness and stability over time. Distribution of meteoric 10Be along the soil profiles was mainly driven by its translocation with clay particles and accumulation in the illuvial horizons. However, in some cases (loess over serpentinite), the highest meteoric 10Be content was measured in the C horizons which may be related to the longer exposure of serpentinite to meteoric 10Be deposition before the occurrence of a major loess accumulation event. The estimated long-term erosion rates greatly depend on the assumed environmental settings and were in the range of about 0.1–3 t ha−1 yr−1. Based on the soil redistribution rates, we reconstructed the removed loess layer which was from a few dm to about 3 m. The results indicate four main soil evolutionary phases: a) pre-exposure of sediments to meteoric 10Be accumulation; b) formation of thick loess mantles during the Last Glacial Maximum; c) erosion events between 21 and 11.6 ka that significantly shallowed the initial loess mantles; d) pedogenesis (with subsoil clay accumulation) in the Holocene within the thinner relicts of the former Late Pleistocene loess mantle followed by a recent and strong erosional phase due to human impact. These phases are also believed to have occurred in several other areas of Central Europe

Оценка потребности региона в человеческих ресурсах на основе анализа статистических данных и патентных ландшафтов

Переход России на новую технологическую платформу актуализирует проблему кадрового обеспечения по перспективным направлениям квалификации. Структурная трансформация экономики после пандемии ускорила изменения на рынке труда, выявив необходимость разработки новых методов прогнозирования с учетом приоритетов регионального технологического развития. Целью данного исследования является разработка новых подходов, основывающихся на структурированных и неструктурированных базах данных, для определения системы факторов формирования потребности в кадровом обеспечении. Потребности региона в человеческих ресурсах были спрогнозированы с использованием методик интеллектуального анализа данных и патентных ландшафтов. Такое прогнозирование учитывает экономическую направленность региона, а также его географическое положение, программу развития инвестиций и НИОКР, специфику рынка труда. Преимуществом предлагаемой методики является получение обоснованных оценок потребности региона в человеческих ресурсах методами интеллектуального анализа данных и патентных ландшафтов в условиях недостатка официальных статистических данных. База исследования включает более 25 миллионов записей: полнотекстовые коллекции российских и зарубежных патентов, научные работы, статистические показатели и т. д. Анализ ситуации в Вологодской области выявил перспективные направления подготовки, привлекательные для квалифицированных кадров и соответствующие приоритетам регионального технологического развития. В дальнейшем планируется совершенствование методики количественной оценки региональной потребности в специалистах отдельных отраслей. Полученные результаты могут быть использованы государственными органами и исследовательскими центрами при разработке региональных стратегий

Оценка потребности региона в человеческих ресурсах на основе анализа статистических данных и патентных ландшафтов

Переход России на новую технологическую платформу актуализирует проблему кадрового обеспечения по перспективным направлениям квалификации. Структурная трансформация экономики после пандемии ускорила изменения на рынке труда, выявив необходимость разработки новых методов прогнозирования с учетом приоритетов регионального технологического развития. Целью данного исследования является разработка новых подходов, основывающихся на структурированных и неструктурированных базах данных, для определения системы факторов формирования потребности в кадровом обеспечении. Потребности региона в человеческих ресурсах были спрогнозированы с использованием методик интеллектуального анализа данных и патентных ландшафтов. Такое прогнозирование учитывает экономическую направленность региона, а также его географическое положение, программу развития инвестиций и НИОКР, специфику рынка труда. Преимуществом предлагаемой методики является получение обоснованных оценок потребности региона в человеческих ресурсах методами интеллектуального анализа данных и патентных ландшафтов в условиях недостатка официальных статистических данных. База исследования включает более 25 миллионов записей: полнотекстовые коллекции российских и зарубежных патентов, научные работы, статистические показатели и т. д. Анализ ситуации в Вологодской области выявил перспективные направления подготовки, привлекательные для квалифицированных кадров и соответствующие приоритетам регионального технологического развития. В дальнейшем планируется совершенствование методики количественной оценки региональной потребности в специалистах отдельных отраслей. Полученные результаты могут быть использованы государственными органами и исследовательскими центрами при разработке региональных стратегий

LGM glaciations in the northeastern Anatolian mountains: New insights

Barhal Valley belongs to the Çoruh Valley System in the Kaçkar Mountains of northeastern Anatolia. This 13 km long valley is located to the south of the main weather divide and to the east of Mt. Kaçkar, with the highest peak of the mountain range being 3932 m. Today, source of an average yearly precipitation of 2000 mm of moisture is the Black Sea, situated approximately 40 km to the north of the study site. Glaciers of the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) descended directly from Mt. Kaçkar and reached an altitude of ca. 1850 m a.s.l. (above sea level). In this study, we are exploring whether the position of Barhal Valley to the south of the main weather divide and its east–west orientation have an influence on the existence and expansion of paleoglaciers. Here, we present 32 new cosmogenic 36Cl dates on erratic boulders from the Çoruh Valley System. We reconstructed three geomorphologically well-contained glacier advances in the Barhal Valley, namely at 34.0 ± 2.3 ka, 22.2 ± 2.6 ka, and 18.3 ± 1.7 ka within the time window of the global LGM. Field evidence shows that the glacier of the 18.3 ± 1.7 ka advance disappeared rapidly and that by the latest time, at 15.6 ± 1.8 ka, the upper cirques were ice-free. No evidence for Lateglacial glacier fluctuations was found, and the Neoglacial activity is restricted to the cirques with rock glaciers. A range of 2700 to 3000 m for the Equilibrium Line Altitude (ELA) at the LGM was reported based on modeling of the glacial morphology. We determined that the most likely position of the LGM ELA in the Çoruh Valley System was at 2900 m a.s.l. We suggest an alternative moisture source to the direct transport from the Black Sea for the ice accumulation in the Eastern Black See Mountains. The shift of the Polar Front and of the Siberian High Pressure System to the south during the LGM resulted in the domination of easterly airflow to the Caucasus and Kaçkar Mountains with moisture from expanded lakes in central–western Siberia and from the enlarged Aral- and Caspian Seas

Soil weathering dynamics and erosion in a dry oceanic area of the southern hemisphere (Otago, New Zealand)

Landscape evolution is driven by tectonics, climate and surface denudation. In New Zealand, tectonics and steep climatic gradients cause a dynamic landscape with intense chemical weathering, rapid soil formation, and high soil losses. In this study, soil, and elemental redistribution along two adjacent hillslopes in East Otago, New Zealand, having different landscape settings (ridge versus valley) are compared to identify soil weathering and erosion dynamics. Fallout radionuclides ($^{239+240}$Pu) show that over the last ~ 60 years, average soil erosion rates in the valley (~ 260 [t km$^{−2}$ year$^{−1}$]) are low compared to the ridge (~ 990 [t km$^{−2}$ year$^{−1}$]). The ridge yields up to 26% lower soil weathering intensity than the topographical-protected valley. The lowest soil weathering intensity is found at both hilltop positions, where tors (residual rocks) are present and partially disintegrate. The soil weathering intensity increases with distance from tors, suggesting that tors rejuvenate the chemical weathering signature at the hilltop positions with fresh material. The inversed and decreasing weathering degree with all soil depth indicates that the fresh mineral contribution must be higher at the soil surface than at the bedrock weathering front. Higher erosion rates at the exposed ridge may be partially attributed to wind, consistent with rock abrasion of tors, and low local river sediment yields (56 [t km$^{−2}$ year$^{−1}$]). Thus, the East Otago spatial patterns of soil chemistry and erosion are governed by tor degradation and topographic exposure