Suchergebnisse

Abstract
The Bochnia Salt Mine is one of the oldest mines in Europe. It was established in the thirteenth century, and actively operated until 1990. The mine has been placed on the UNESCO World Heritage List. Previous research describing Polish salt mines has been focused on bioaerosol characteristics and the identification of microorganisms potentially important for human health. The use of Polish salt mines as inhalation chambers for patients of health resorts has also been investigated. Nevertheless, the biodiversity of salt mines associated with biotechnological potential has not been well characterized. The present study paper examines the biodiversity of microorganisms in the Bochnia Salt Mine based on 16S rRNA gene and shotgun sequencing. Biodiversity studies revealed a significantly higher relative abundance of Chlamydiae at the first level of the mine (3.5%) compared to the other levels (< 0.1%). Patescibacteria microorganisms constituted a high percentage (21.6%) in the sample from site RA6. Shotgun sequencing identified 16 unique metagenome-assembled genomes (MAGs). Although one was identified as Halobacterium bonnevillei, the others have not yet been assigned to any species; it is possible that these species may be undescribed. Preliminary analyses of the biotechnological and pharmaceutical potential of microorganisms inhabiting the mine were also performed, and the biosynthetic gene cluster (BGC) profiles and antimicrobial peptide (AMP) coding genes in individual samples were characterized. Hundreds of BGCs and dozens of AMP coding genes were identified in metagenomes. Our findings indicate that Polish salt mines are promising sites for further research aimed at identifying microorganisms that are producers of potentially important substances with biotechnological and pharmaceutical applications.

The concept of waste storage in underground salt mines is to use the host rock environment as a geological barrier, preventing the migration of hazardous substances. European and Polish law defines the geological conditions and the safety of underground storage. According to national regulations, the underground storage site location is based on the results of geological research contained in the hydrogeological and geological-engineering documentation. This paper presents the principles for the assessment of the geological environment in a salt mine for the waste storage, in the context of national legislation. It has been shown that for the salt deposits a more detailed range of geological research has to be defined to prepare relevant documentation and to assess the possibility of waste storage in salt mines.

The Horizon 2020 interim evaluation (2017) indicates a steep increase in citizen engagement in European Union Citizen Science (CS) projects, with less than 1% in budgetary terms and minimal influence. Research findings attribute weak CS influence to the restriction of citizen actions to data collection, with minimal or no engagement in co-design, co-creation, data analysis, and elucidation of results. We design a participatory GIS and CS methodology aimed at engaging the citizens in the entire Earth Observation (EO) project cycle. The methodology also seeks to address previous CS project challenges related to data quality, data interoperability, citizen-motivation, and participation. We draw the high-level requirements from the SENDAI framework of action and the three pillars of active citizen engagement, as enshrined in Principle 10 of the Rio Declaration and the Aarhus Convention. The primary input of the methodology is the Haklay (2018) approach for participatory mapping and CS, and the Reed (2009) stakeholder analysis framework. The proposed methodology comprises of three main parts: system analysis, stakeholder analysis, and a six-step methodology. We designed the six-step methodology using an iterative and flexible approach, to take account of unforeseen changes. Future research will focus on implementing the methodology and evaluating its effectiveness in the Solotvyno Saltmine case study in Ukraine. ; This research is part of the ImProDiReT project, which is funded by the European Union Civil Protection, under grant agreement No. 783232. The research furthermore has been made possible by the partners in the ImProDiReT project facilitating the local contacts, providing background information and additional insights. We thank the Regional Development Agency of Zakarpattia, Ukraine, the Resilience Advisors Network and Institute of Geological Sciences of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine for their support. We especially thank Edmunds Atikis and Sjirk Meijer for their support.

The Horizon 2020 interim evaluation (2017) indicates a steep increase in citizen engagement in European Union Citizen Science (CS) projects, with less than 1% in budgetary terms and minimal influence. Research findings attribute weak CS influence to the restriction of citizen actions to data collection, with minimal or no engagement in co-design, co-creation, data analysis, and elucidation of results. We design a participatory GIS and CS methodology aimed at engaging the citizens in the entire Earth Observation (EO) project cycle. The methodology also seeks to address previous CS project challenges related to data quality, data interoperability, citizen-motivation, and participation. We draw the high-level requirements from the SENDAI framework of action and the three pillars of active citizen engagement, as enshrined in Principle 10 of the Rio Declaration and the Aarhus Convention. The primary input of the methodology is the Haklay (2018) approach for participatory mapping and CS, and the Reed (2009) stakeholder analysis framework. The proposed methodology comprises of three main parts: system analysis, stakeholder analysis, and a six-step methodology. We designed the six-step methodology using an iterative and flexible approach, to take account of unforeseen changes. Future research will focus on implementing the methodology and evaluating its effectiveness in the Solotvyno Saltmine case study in Ukraine.

AbstractThis study focuses on the Dombrovska pit lake, near the city of Kalush in Ukraine, which is a former potassium salt mine filled with brine and freshwater. The water level is still increasing and as a result the salinity is decreasing. We analyzed the benthic fauna communities and the genome instability by assessing the rearrangements in the polytene chromosomes of Chironomus salinarius and the physicochemical parameters of the near-bottom water (pH, conductivity, mineralization, major ions, NO3−, NH4+, metals Cd, Pb, Cu, Mn, and Fe) and sediment (pH, organic matter and metals Cd, Pb, Cu, Zn, Mn, and Fe) at four sites. The water mineralization ranged from 17.3 to 26.2 g dm−3 which are classified as mesohaline and polyhaline waters, respectively. The biodiversity of the benthic fauna was low, and the dominant species was C. salinarius. The density of C. salinarius varied spatially and changed from 637 ind./m2 at a depth of 5 m to 8167 ind./m2 at a depth of 2.5 m. The genome instability was analyzed by examining the structural and functional changes in the salivary gland chromosomes of C. salinarius. The exposure of C. salinarius damaged the chromosomes and the activities of key structures, such as the Balbiani ring and nucleolar organizer, were partially or completely suppressed.