Soil organic carbon (SOC) is a key soil quality indicator, as it is a source and storage of plant nutrients and plays a vital role in soil fertility and productivity maintenance. Intensification of agriculture is known to cause SOC decline; however, much of the evidence stems from field-scale experimental trials. The primary aim of this study is to investigate how more than 20 years of agricultural land use intensification in Bangladesh has influenced SOC levels at landscape levels. This was achieved by revisiting in 2012 four sub-sites from the Brahmaputra and Ganges alluviums which were previously sampled (1989-92) by the Soil Resource Development Institute and collecting 190 new samples. These were located at different elevations and subjected to differing amounts of inundation. The SOC was determined using the same method, potassium dichromate wet oxidation, used in the 1989-92 campaign. A comparison of the SOC in the 2012 samples with their historic levels (1989-92) revealed that overall SOC declined significantly across both alluviums as well at their four sub-sites. Further analysis, however, showed that SOC has declined more at higher sites. The higher sites are inundated to a limited level, which makes them suitable for growing multiple crops. Among the land types considered here, the low land sites (because of their topographical position) remain inundated for a greater part of the year, allowing a maximum of only one crop of submerged rice. As a result of reduced biomass decomposition due to anaerobic conditions when inundated, and lower land use/cropping intensity, SOC accretion has occurred in the lower land sites. The SOC levels in South Asian countries are inherently low and agricultural land use intensification fuelled by growing food production demand is causing further SOC loss, which has the potential to jeopardise food security and increase the environmental impact of agriculture.

Preparedness for flood emergency response is crucial for effective flood management. The need for advanced flood decision support tools that aid flood management has been recognized by several authors. This work examines the variability that currently exists across England with regard to the Unmanned Aerial System (UAS) data collection and processing strategy in flood emergency events. Expert elicitation was carried out using a tailored questionnaire about UAS deployment in three flood emergency scenarios. The survey highlighted that reduced equipment assembly time, a national network of appropriately qualified UAS pilots and the effective UAS deployment when on-site, can reduce the response time to flood emergency. For improved comparability and reduced bias in data collection and interpretation, clear guidelines on which data products are most beneficial for particular purposes, processing time required, platform and sensor selection may also be necessary. We consider that releasing a comprehensive documentation pack, which includes guidelines, standards and protocols that detail the methods, tools, technology, quantity and quality of data, to UAS pilots on a flood emergency call, will enhance the timely response.

Research on our own specie’s history with the spread of humans across the globe, throughout variable landscapes which incorporate past human-environment interactions, is an in-depth interdisciplinary field of science. Here, maps provide the chance to act as a common language across the involved research disciplines for any spatial component or topic. The underpinning rationale of this special issue, titled PaleoMaps, concerns collecting, integrating and creating explicit geospatial representations of paleoenvironments (Willmes et al., 2020). Utilising data within a geographical information system (GIS), these maps can be re-used in spatial modelling applications beyond the map itself. These maps and data sets are needed to represent Quaternary environmental changes and paleolandscapes, where archaeological evidence is integrated or used as a baseline for the spatial modelling of human activity. Very few sources for cartographic paleoenvironmental reconstructions currently exist, yet there are abundant sources of data and information which can be integrated to create a PaleoMap. This enables the appreciation, reuse and downstream application of these maps (and data) (Willmes et al., 2017). The intention of this special issue is to help enable the expansion of data visualisation and availability that result from GIS-based analysis of paleoenvironments. As a result landscapes – and their impact on human behaviour at various temporal and spatial scales – are considered. This focus upon cartographic outputs results from a realisation that maps are often simplified in publications about this topic, yet they can provide a powerful statement and synthesis of results. Authors from the variable field of sciences in the study of past human-environments (e.g. geography, geoscience, archaeology, climatology) have produced a set of exemplary spatial data visualizations that integrate mapping.

Research into urban geomorphology is relatively recent (Brown et al., 2017; Rosenbaum et al., 2003; Zwoliński et al., 2017), and the discipline is gaining interest at an accelerating pace, as global research communities become aware of the increasing intertwinement of geomorphological and anthropogenic forces, and their interrelated effects on urban life and urban form. Rapidly advancing disciplinary insights demand for continuous renewal, updating and assessment of the discipline’s methods, techniques and approaches to recognizing and mapping landforms, processes and deposits in urban environments (Brandolini et al., 2019; Del Monte et al., 2016; Diao, 1996; Ferrando et al., 2021; Zwoliński et al., 2018). Indeed, geomorphological surveys in urban areas involve careful observations of morphology, particularly at the medium-large scale (Bathrellos, 2007; Eyles, 1997; Faccini et al., 2008). Additionally, insights from other sources, particularly historical and geographical documents as well as excavation and borehole data, are essential in order to identify, map and date landforms and deposits (Brandolini et al., 2018; Giardino et al., 2015; Lucchetti & Giardino, 2015). This process is particularly difficult due to the stratification of urban expansion phases (Luberti, 2018; 2019). In Europe these cities were often founded in historical times, expanded in the Middle Ages and progressively grew larger (Del Monte et al., 2013; Zwoliński et al., 2018), and entered a period of uncontrolled urban sprawl in the 20th century, and particularly after the Second World War, partly related to the development of the second houses, rural and suburban lifestyle, and tourism (Brandolini et al., 2017; Edgeworth et al., 2015). Moreover, changes in the earth’s surface morphology lead to significant transformations of the urban space, forms are created as a result of artificial works and natural denudation and accumulation processes. In effect, there are also hybrid forms, negative and positive forms, concave and convex forms. Anthropogenic forms and deposits can both enrich and impoverish the complex morphological landscape and natural geodiversity of cities. The fundamental basis of this special issue, is the capacity of urban geomorphological research to generate new insights into the effects of urban growth on geomorphological processes and landforms and vice versa, and their relationship to increasing geological risks (Mandarino et al., 2021), In addition, the dissemination of cultural geoheritage in urban areas must also be addressed (Pica et al., 2018; Reynard et al., 2017; Thornbush & Allen, 2018). Promoted within the initiatives carried out by the Working Group on Urban Geomorphology of the International Association of Geomorphologist (IAG), this Special Issue is devoted to geomorphological surveying and mapping applications in urban areas, addressed at highlighting the topographic features and geographical-physical conditions that drove the choice of settlement and subsequent urban development, as well as to evaluating the impacts of human intervention on geomorphological processes and landforms. This Special Issue, collecting twenty-four case studies from around the world, offers an opportunity to share knowledge about geomorphological processes in urban areas and to prompt such debate, creating a gathering point for researchers and practitioners who deal with land planning and land management of risk mitigation measures as well as with the preservation and management of geocultural heritage, in a variety of morphodynamic and climatic contexts.

This special issue presents contributions about the methodologies and tools for representing and mapping geomorphological hazards, with a focus upon hazard and risk classification and tools for land planning, risk reduction and mitigation. Geomorphological mapping can be described as a group of techniques employed to systematically record the morphology of the ground, landforms, landscapeforming processes and materials that constitute the surface of the Earth (Griffiths et al., 2011; Lee, 2001). In this sense, it represents the result of the synthesis between the different ways and methods used to represent landforms, both in natural and urban landscapes. The challenges that arise from socioeconomic modifications of the landscape (e.g. abandonment of rural areas, inadequate exploitation of potentially hazardous zones) and climate change (e.g. increasing extreme weather events) demand that this cartography should quantitatively represent landforms and their associated processes, in order to elevate geomorphological maps into effective tools for land management and risk reduction. Cartographic approaches, which are now used for the assessment of geomorphological hazards, involve methodologies for input creation (e.g. maps of predisposing/triggering factors and inventories of past geomorphological processes or instabilities; i.e.: Lazzari et al., 2018; Lupiano et al., 2019) and cartographic and/or WebGIS outputs (e.g. resolution, mapping units, classification criteria, methods of validation; i.e. Cama et al., 2016; Wilde et al., 2018). In addition, methodological standards and guidelines (i.e.: Gonçalves et al., 2015; Griffiths & Abraham, 2008) must also be defined through geomorphological cartography for complete coverage, the automatic and semiautomatic classification of terrain using remotelysensed data and physically-based or statistical modelling in order to assess hazard and risk. The use of geomorphological mapping in the academic community, but also in applied fieldwork, has shown significant potential (Smith et al., 2011) and reached a maturity such that it is systematically employed for the production of geomorphological maps that allow the representation of hazards and so contribute to an evaluation of related risks. This special issue contributes to its ongoing development through the presentation of a range of perspectives, as well as related tools and methods used to acquire geomorphological data.

If there is a zeitgeist that is defining academic publishing at the moment, then it would be open access (OA). I wouldn’t go as far as to say that it is sweeping all before it, but it has far outgr...

The knowledge of spatial variability in soil organic carbon (SOC) is an important consideration in precision agriculture as well as site specific nutrient management. Geostatistical analyses coupled with GIS and GPS are effective tools in assessing the spatial variability and mapping of SOC. A total of 268 soil samples were collected in a systematic grid design (1-minute interval) using GPS covering four sub-districts: Delduar, Melandah, Mirpur and Fultala under two major alluviums - the Ganges and the Brahmaputra. The classical statistics showed that SOC values are normally distributed in the Fultala sub-site whereas in the other sub-sites, the SOC contents were not normally distributed. The semivariogram model also shows that the Fultala sub-site appears to have a strong structure and a gradual approach to the Gausian model providing the best fit where as the other sites show a weak spatial dependency. Due to salinity and other constrains, Fultala sub-site bears a relatively low cropping intensity and hence tillage and crop management are much lower than the other sites. GIS based interpolated values of SOC ranged from 0.39 to 2.02 % in the Fultala sub-site. Interpolated values of SOC ranged from 0.40 to 2.60% in the Delduar sub-site, 0.40 to 1.35% in the Melandah sub-site and 0.38 to 1.39% in the Mirpur sub-site respectively. Clearly, the sites where SOC is low, a pragmatic and location-based policy should be adopted to maximize SOC sequestration. Therefore, the geospatial technologies can help better management of agricultural land by targeting management practices appropriate to the SOC levels.

Soil erosion, rapid geomorphological change and vegetation degradation are major threats to the human and natural environment. Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) can be used as tools to provide detailed and accurate estimations of landscape change. The effect of flight strategy on the accuracy of UAS image data products, typically a digital surface model (DSM) and orthophoto, is unknown. Herein different flying altitudes (126-235 m) and area coverage orientations (N-S and SW-NE) are assessed in a semi-arid and medium-relief area where terraced and abandoned agricultural fields are heavily damaged by piping and gully erosion. The assessment was with respect to cell size, vertical and horizontal accuracy, absolute difference of DSM, and registration of recognizable landscape features. The results show increasing cell size (5-9 cm) with increasing altitude, and differences between elevation values (10-20 cm) for different flight directions. Vertical accuracy ranged 4-7 cm but showed no clear relationship with flight strategy, whilst horizontal error was stable (2-4 cm) for the different orthophotos. In all data sets, geomorphological features such as piping channels, rills and gullies and vegetation patches could be labeled by a technician. Finally, the datasets have been released in a public repository.

If I was to try to define what a university is for – in the briefest of statements – then it would be the pursuit of knowledge.This easily covers research (the pursuit of new knowledge) and educati...

Land inundation is a common occurrence in Bangladesh, mainly due to the presence of two major river systems - the Brahmaputra and the Ganges. Inundation influences land use and cropping intensity. However, there is little information on the influences of the extent of flooding and cropping intensity has on soil organic carbon (SOC), particularly at the landscape level. To investigate these influences, we collected 268 surface (0-30 cm) soil samples from 4 large sites within the two alluviums deposits (the Brahmaputra river and the Ganges river), on a regular grid (1600 m). The findings show that SOC levels are generally low, reflecting the intensity of agriculture and land management practices. SOC variability was higher across the medium high land (MHL) and medium low land (MLL) sites than in the high land (HL) and low land (LL) sites. The relatively low SOC levels and variability in the HL sites indicate soils here might have reached to equilibrium levels due to higher land use intensity. Topographically higher lands (HL and MHL), due to less of inundation, had higher cropping intensities and lower SOC's than lower lands (MLL and LL), which had lower cropping intensities, as they remain inundated for longer periods of time. The findings clearly demonstrate the intrinsic influence of land inundation in driving cropping intensity, land management practices and SOC levels.

Creativity is one of those tropes that seems to do the rounds regularly in, well, creative circles. Almost by definition it is levelled at the arts, in part because its base definition is along the...

Terrestrial hydrocarbon spills have the potential to cause significant soil degradation across large areas. Identification and remedial measures taken at an early stage are therefore important. Reflectance spectroscopy is a rapid remote sensing method that has proven capable of characterizing hydrocarbon-contaminated soils. In this paper, we develop a deep learning approach to estimate the amount of Hydrocarbon (HC) mixed with different soil samples using a three-term backpropagation algorithm with dropout. The dropout was used to avoid overfitting and reduce computational complexity. A Hyspex SWIR 384 m camera measured the reflectance of the samples obtained by mixing and homogenizing four different soil types with four different HC substances, respectively. The datasets were fed into the proposed deep learning neural network to quantify the amount of HCs in each dataset. Individual validation of all the dataset shows excellent prediction estimation of the HC content with an average mean square error of ~2.2 × 10−4. The results with remote sensed data captured by an airborne system validate the approach. This demonstrates that a deep learning approach coupled with hyperspectral imaging techniques can be used for rapid identification and estimation of HCs in soils, which could be useful in estimating the quantity of HC spills at an early stage.

Abstract. In countries globally (e.g. UK, Australia) there is intense political interest in fostering effective university-business collaborations, but there has been scant attention devoted to exactly how individual scientists' workload (i.e. specified tasks) and incentive structures (i.e. assessment criteria) may act as a key barrier to this. To investigate this an original, empirical dataset is derived from UK job specifications and promotion criteria, which distil universities' varied drivers into requirements upon academics. This reveals the nature of the severe challenge posed by a heavily time-constrained culture; specifically, a tension exists between opportunities presented by working with industry and non-optional duties (e.g. administration, teaching). Thus, to justify the time to work with industry, such work must inspire curiosity and facilitate future novel science in order to mitigate its conflict with the overriding imperative for academics to publish. It must also provide evidence of real-world changes (i.e. impact), and ideally other reportable outcomes (e.g. official status as a business' advisor), to feed back into the scientist's performance appraisals. Indicatively, amid 20–50 key duties, scientists may be able to free up to 0.5 days/week for work with industry. Thus specific, pragmatic actions, including short-term and time-efficient steps, are proposed in a user guide to help initiate and nurture a long-term collaboration between an early- to mid-career environmental scientist and a practitioner in the insurance industry. These actions are mapped back to a tailored typology of impact and newly-created representative set of appraisal criteria to explain how they may be effective, mutually beneficial, and overcome barriers. Throughout, the focus is on environmental science, with illustrative detail provided through the example of natural hazard risk modelling in the insurance industry. However, a new conceptual model is developed, joining perspectives from literatures on academics' motivations and performance assessment, which we tentatively posit is widely applicable. Sector-specific details (e.g. list of relevant impacts, user guide) may serve as templates globally and across sectors.