Geosystem services:A concept in support of sustainable development of the subsurface

Because functions of the subsurface are hidden from view, its important role in society is often taken for granted. Underground use in cities and subsurface resource extraction rapidly increase. Ensuring sustainability of the subsurface role requires balancing between exploitation and conservation, recognizing the non-renewability of abiotic resources and the long time cycles in the subsurface.This paper introduces the concept of geosystem services as a framework to analyze the issue of sustainable use of the subsurface in a systemic and holistic manner. Four main elements make up the framework: geosystems, services, values, and governance. Complementarity between the concepts of geosystem and ecosystems services is highlighted by classifying geosystem services in provisioning, regulating, cultural and supporting services. Geosystem services are distinguished from ecosystem services by systematically reflecting on three cross-cutting themes (i.e. space, scale and time). Applying the concept of 'geosystem services' results in improved integration in areas where trade-offs occur between 'geosystem services' stemming from the subsurface and 'ecosystem services' at surface. The geosystem services concept helps framing a more sustainable process of urbanization, and contributes to a spatially explicit linkage of (mineral) resource production to consumption, environmental impacts on the ecosystem and (global) governance of resources and resource efficiencies

Geosystem services: a hidden link in ecosystem management.

This paper explores the representation of goods and services from the subsurface, as defined by the concept of geosystem services, in contemporary ecosystems literature. A framework is defined consistent with and complementary to the categorisation defined under CICES. Following the Campbell Collaboration protocol, a systematic literature review is conducted on the representation of subsurface-related goods and services in ecosystem services research. The review shows that, in the period between 2000 and 2016, for every publication on subsurface services 140 articles on ecosystem services have been published. The results further indicate that valuation and governance studies on geosystem services are scarce. This gap stems from the exclusion of a number of abiotic goods and services from the classification as well as a lack of attention from the current scientific community to this topic. Studies to date have been performed in a limited number of English-speaking countries by researchers with backgrounds in ecology, biology, earth sciences and mining engineering. The underrepresentation of geosystem services in the scientific literature negatively impacts integrated decision making in spatial planning, environmental policy making and long term ecosystem management

Where can cone penetrometer technology be applied? Development of a map of Europe regarding the soil penetrability.

Over the past decades, significant efforts have been invested in the development of push-in technology for site characterization and monitoring for geotechnical and environmental purposes and have especially been undertaken in the Netherlands and Germany. These technologies provide the opportunity for faster, cheaper, and collection of more reliable subsurface data. However, to maximize the technology both from a development and implementation point of view, it is necessary to have an overview of the areas suitable for the application of this type of technology. Such an overview is missing and cannot simply be read from existing maps and material. This paper describes the development of a map showing the feasibility or applicability of Direct Push/Cone Penetrometer Technology (DPT/CPT) in Europe which depends on the subsurface and its extremely varying properties throughout Europe. Subsurface penetrability is dependent on a range of factors that have not been mapped directly or can easily be inferred from existing databases, especially the maximum depth reachable would be of interest. Among others, it mainly depends on the geology, the soil mechanical properties, the type of equipment used as well as soil-forming processes. This study starts by looking at different geological databases available at the European scale. Next, a scheme has been developed linking geological properties mapped to geotechnical properties to determine basic penetrability categories. From this, a map of soil penetrability is developed and presented. Validating the output by performing field tests was beyond the scope of this study, but for the country of the Netherlands, this map has been compared against a database containing actual cone penetrometer depth data to look for possible contradictory results that would negate the approach. The map for the largest part of Europe clearly shows that there is a much wider potential for the application of Direct Push Technology than is currently seen. The study also shows that there is a lack of large-scale databases that contain depth-resolved data as well as soil mechanical and physical properties that can be used for engineering purposes in relation to the subsurface. © 2014 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg

Life Cycle Analysis of Underground Thermal Energy Storage

Underground Thermal Energy Storage (UTES) systems are used to buffer the seasonal difference between heat and cold supply and demand and, therefore, represent an interesting option to conserve energy. Even though UTES are considered environmental friendly solutions they are not completely free of impacts on the environment in general and the subsurface in particular. In order to improve the understanding and knowledge on the environmental performance of UTES techniques, this study performed a Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) on two different UTES systems: Aquifer Thermal Energy Storage (ATES) and Borehole Thermal Energy Storage (BTES)

Sustainable development and management of the shallow subsurface.

This book is a compilation of topics and issues the authors think are required for a Sustainable Development and Management of the Subsurface. It attempts to arrive at a logic structure for dealing with the wide variety of aspects concerning the use of underground space, both time wise and geographically. The book aims to address engineers, teachers, (junior) scientists, and all others involved in subsurface construction providing an overview of not only technical aspects but also legal, governmental and policy making issues. It is a reference for the general public interested in the Earth science aspects of future cities and its citizens. It also contributes to the ambitions of the International Year of Planet Earth (2007–2009) aiming at increasing awareness of the public and politicians to a safer, healthier and wealthier society on this planet, and more in particular to the Megacities theme of the International Year