ALBERT

Description: Unpredictable climate changes are affecting water resources, especially in karst arid and semiarid areas. In such locations, the need for additional sources of water always arises. The paper gives insight into hydrogeological characteristics of Kazeroo County and resolves some unknowns around the catchment area of the springs important for water supply of the wider urban area of the city of Kazeroon, Iran, by using stable isotope analysis (δD and δ18O) and tracer test. Multiple tracer test and stable isotope analysis were conducted for research purposes. The uranine injected at Tale Milek 1 borehole was detected in the Chenar Shahijan spring in less than 2 and in the Seyed Hossein spring after 6 days. Small amounts of uranine were detected in the Sasan and Pirsabz springs. Based on the high apparent flow velocity (approximately 1750–2000 m/day), the underground system has a quick response to the precipitation during dry seasons. The assumed hydraulic connection between Shahneshin North (Asmari) and Dashtak Northzones has been confirmed by tracer test since the dye injected in Northern Asmari Shahneshin anticline appeared in the springs in Dashtak North zone. The results of water stable isotope measurements show that the catchment area of karst springs in the vicinity of Kazeroo is probably over 2000 m at the area of Shahneshin anticline and is positioned lower than the catchment area of Arjan spring.

Description: (1) Background: Radon concentrations in the environment are generally very low. However, radon concentrations can be high indoors and can cause some serious health issues. The main source of indoor radon (homes, buildings and other residential objects) can be soil under the house, while other sources can be construction materials, groundwater and natural gas. Radon accumulates mainly in the lower levels of the buildings (especially low-ventilated underground levels and basements). (2) Methods: in this paper, we have measured the indoor radon concentrations at 15 locations in various objects (basements and ground floor/1st floor rooms) in the area of northern Croatia. (3) Results: the results show a higher concentration of radon in the basement area in comparison to values measured in the ground floor and first-floor rooms. The arithmetic mean (AM) and geometric mean (GM) of basement rooms were 70.9 ± 38.8 Bq/m3 and 61.2 ± 2.2 Bq/m3 compared to ground floor and first-floor rooms 42.5 ± 30.8 Bq/m3 and 32.8 ± 2.9 Bq/m3, respectively. (4) Conclusions: results obtained (AM and GM values) are within the maximal allowed values (300 Bq/m3) according to the Euroatom Directive. However, there are periods when maximum radon concentration exceeds 300 Bq/m3. Indoor radon concentrations vary with the occupancy of the rooms and it is evident that the ventilation has significant effect on the reduction of concentration.

Description: The Plitvice Lakes National Park is in the northwestern part of the Dinaric Karst in central Croatia. An important role of the soil in the karst is to purify the waters before they reach the phreatic zone. The soil is also a zone of accumulation, transformation, retardation and dilution of a potential pollutant. Knowing soil mineralogical composition is an important factor in understanding fate and transport of contaminants throughout lakes system. Samples of soil, peat and stream sediment were collected in the Prošće lake catchment and partly in the assumed zone of influence, X-ray diffraction (XRD) and Fourier Transform Infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) analysis of samples was performed to determine dominant mineral species in samples. XRD analysis showed predominance of lowquartz, which was found in all samples, most often as dominant phase. Dolomite was found in half of the samples, almost always as a significant phase while calcite was dominant phase in one of the samples. In most of the samples, members of the feldspars and chlorites groups, as well as muscovite, were present as minor phases. The absorption bands in the range of 2800-3000 cm-1 due to the organic matter are visible in spectra of all samples. These minerals can enter lakes system by surface waters, primarily streams and overland flow during snow thawing and rain, and also in cases of shore erosion. Terrigenic input in lakes is small but cannot be neglected due to the longlasting preservation efforts of the Prošće Lake recharge area, and the Plitvice Lakes National Park in general, terrigenous intake still does not pose a threat to water quality and tufa production. Considering the analyzed samples and characteristics of detected soil constituents, soils and sediments in the Prošće Lake catchment have the ability to retain and purify water on its way to the lakes. On the other hand, in case of the possible contamination in the recharge area of the lakes system, the pollutants can enter the system adsorbed on the soil particles. Learning more about the soils surrounding lakes gives valuable insight into their possible influence on lakes water chemistry and adds one piece of the puzzle into understanding this kind of a natural phenomenon.

Description: Entering the European Union, the Republic of Croatia took over the INSPIRE directive called the National Spatial Data Infrastructure. A large amount of spatial data can be found through the National Spatial Data Infrastructure Geoportal. Data are available for viewing or downloading via different services, such as a web mapping service or web feature service. Although different spatial data are available, it is hard to access useful information through Geoportal. The aim of this paper is to prepare a spatial database which will gather different spatial data related to environmental engineering and present different queries and the visualization of the results. The main data used are related to protected areas in the Republic of Croatia, which register the environmental pollutants, air quality, exploitation and research fields of mineral resources, waste management, water management, and so forth. Alongside the national spatial data, the Copernicus Land monitoring service EU-DEM, the digital elevation model, is used. The classification of Sentinel-2 MSI data is used to provide land cover. Remotely sensed data are used in queries where aspect, slope, and land cover affect the results. Two predefined SQL queries are discussed. The first query discusses the danger of landslides, and the second query discusses threats from illegal landfills and the effect that they have on the environment. Predefined SQL queries enable users to quickly access needed data, even when the original data is updated. All data, databases, visualization, and results are presented in open access software.