Environmental Geography Research Group

The Environmental Geography Research Group focuses on the geography of local processes triggered by global environmental change. Among the global processes, we are concerned with the increasing atmospheric concentration of carbon dioxide and the increasing environmental concentration of pharmaceutically active compounds and their geographic dimensions.

The instrumental infrastructure of the research group is provided by the HUN-REN CSFK SEDILAB (www.sedilab.hu).

Concerning carbon sequestration: landuse and agriculture are also factors in the increase in atmospheric carbon dioxide concentrations. However, changes in land use and tillage system can at least mitigate the increase in CO2 concentrations.

  • Our latest papers focused on the effects of the tillage systems on the carbon saquestration:
    Soil organic matter gain by reduced tillage intensity: Storage, pools, and chemical composition. DOI: 10.1016/j.still.2022.105584

The chemical properties of labile aggregate associated (AAOM) and mineral particle associated (MPAOM) organic matter

  • Another featured paper introduces the influence of environmental factors on the SOM stability:
    Kinetic parameters of soil organic matter decomposition in soils under forest in Hungary. DOI: 10.1016/j.geodrs.2018.e00187

Our most recent publications on the increasing environmental concentrations of active pharmaceutically active compounds include a review paper:

  • Efficiency of the bank filtration for removing organic priority substances and contaminants of emerging concern: A critical review. DOI: 10.1016/j.envpol.2023.122795

We would like to announce two more featured papers about environmental fate of these compounds:

  • Occurrence of pharmaceuticals in the Danube and drinking water wells: efficiency of riverbank filtration. DOI: 10.1016/j.envpol.2020.114893

  • Pharmaceuticals in water and sediment of small streams under the pressure of urbanization: Concentrations, interactions, and risks. DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.152160

Among sedimentary research, we highlight our communication on the relationship between the shape of sediment grains and their formation conditions:

  • Morphological analysis of mineral grains from different sedimentary environments using automated static image analysis. DOI: 10.1016/j.sedgeo.2023.106479

The members:

  • SZALAI, Zoltán (PhD), head of the group, associated professor
  • JAKAB, Gergely (PhD, dr habil), honorary associated professor
  • MADARÁSZ, Balázs (PhD, dr habil), associated professor (MATE)
  • FILEP, Tibor (PhD), senior research fellow (HUN-REN CSFK)
  • ZACHÁRY, Dóra (PhD), research fellow (HUN-REN CSFK)
  • SZABÓ, Lili (PhD), research fellow (HUN-REN CSFK)
  • GRESINA, Fruzsina (MSc), predoc
  • VANCSIK, Anna Viktória (MSc), doctoral student
  • BAUER, László (MSc), doctoral student
  • DÉVÉNY, Zoltán (MSc), doctoral student

 

2022.01.01.