The use of weather satellite recordings has been growing rapidly over the last three decades. Determining the patterns between meteorological and topographical features is an important scientific job. Cloud cover analysis and properties can be of the utmost significance for potential cloud seeding. Here, the analysis of the cloud properties was conducted by means of Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) satellite recordings. The resolution of used data was 1 km2 within the period of 30 years (1989–2019). This research showed moderate changing of cloudiness in the territory of Serbia with a high cloudiness in February, followed by cloudiness in January and November. For the past three decades, May has been the month with the highest cloudiness. The regions in the east and south-west, and particularly in the west, have a high absolute cloudiness, which is connected with the high elevation of the country. By means of long term monitoring, the whole territory of Serbia was analyzed for the first time, in terms of cloudiness. Apart from the statistical and numerical results obtained, this research showed a connection between relief and clouds, especially in the winter season. Linear regression MK (Mann–Kendall test) has proven this theory right, connecting high elevation sides with high absolute cloudiness through the year.
The paper aims to provide an overview of the most important parameters (the occurrence, frequency and magnitude) in Vojvodina Region (North Serbia). Monthly and annual mean precipitation values in the period 1946–2014, for the 12 selected meteorological stations were used. Relevant parameters (precipitation amounts, Angot precipitation index) were used as indicators of rainfall erosivity. Rainfall erosivity index was calculated and classified throughout precipitation susceptibility classes liable of triggering soil erosion. Precipitation trends were obtained and analysed by three different statistical approaches. Results indicate that various susceptibility classes are identified within the observed period, with a higher presence of very severe rainfall erosion in June and July. This study could have implications for mitigation strategies oriented towards reduction of soil erosion by water.
The municipality of Štrpce (Southern Serbia) is an area located within Šar Mountain National Park, which is of great ecological importance. Due to the vicinity of settlements, it is necessary to analyze the terrain's susceptibility to natural hazards. The main goal of this research was to determine locations that are highly vulnerable at times of natural hazards (such as earthquakes, erosion, torrential flooding, snow avalanches, and forest fires). The first step in this research was to analyze seismic hazards for a 475 years return period (VII–VIII MCS for the observed area), which was possible by means of Geographic Information Systems. The second step was to determine the intensity of erosion and total sediment production using the Erosion Potential Model. The third step was related to the analysis of the potential of torrential floods using the Flash Flood Potential Index. The Avalanches Potential Index method was used as the fourth step. The fifth step included the analysis of a terrain susceptibility to the occurrence of forest fires. Following the five criteria analysis, weight coefficients were assigned to each of the analyzed parameters by using the Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP), which provided results of the total susceptibility to natural hazards of the territory of Štrpce. Results indicated that over 45% of the municipality is highly or very highly susceptible to various natural hazards. This article represents a significant step toward a better understanding of natural hazards and it provides a unique knowledge basis for establishing the management and mitigation guidelines and measures, not only within the researched area but at regional and national levels as well.
This paper analyses the state of erosion intensity in the Vlasina River Basin, the right tributary of the Južna Morava River. To determine the erosion intensity (Z) and sediment production, the Gavrilović method was used, in combination with the bare-soil index (BSI), with the application of geographic information systems (GIS) and multispectral satellite imagery. An erosion coefficient of 0.31 has been identified in the territory of the Vlasina River Basin, which has an area of 1,061.72 km². The prominent vertical fragmentation of the relief, large amount of precipitation in the source parts, density of the river network (1.65 km/km 2), which is above the average river network density in Serbia, as well as inadequate land exploitation, are the main reasons why it is necessary to monitor the erosion intensity in the Vlasina River Basin. The annual production of the sediment is 462,496.30 m³, while the value of specific sediment production is 435,47 m³/km²/year. This study represents the attempt to apply modern technologies to d1etermine the intensity of erosion in the Vlasina River Basin, and the results obtained could be used for more adequate management of land and water resources, sustainable planning of the forest ecosystems and environmental protection.
Today, the quality of water in the world is changing significantly due to the increasing human impact on the environment. The paper presents an analysis of the surface water quality of the Danube river at five hydrological stations in Serbia for 2018. Using the relevant method - the water quality index, in this case, the Serbian water quality index (SWQI) ten physico-chemical and microbiological parameters (oxygen saturation, Five-Day Biochemical Oxygen Demand or BOD5, ammonium ion concentration, pH value, water) were analyzed Total Nitrogen or WTN, Total Suspended Solids or TSS, orthophosphate concentration, electrical conductivity, temperature and fecal coliform bacteria presence in water). The values obtained are classified in 5 classes depending on the water quality. The lowest (good) water quality was recorded on the Zemun - Smederevo river course, while in Bezdan, Novi Sad and Radujevac, the average annual water quality is very good.
Snow avalanches are one of the most devastating natural hazards in the highlands that often cause human casualties and economic losses. The complex process of modeling terrain susceptibility requires the application of modern methods and software. The prediction of avalanches in this study is based on the use of geographic information systems (GIS), remote sensing, and multicriteria analysis—analytic hierarchy process (AHP) on the territory of the Šar Mountains (Serbia). Five indicators (lithological, geomorphological, hydrological, vegetation, and climatic) were processed, where 14 criteria were analyzed. The results showed that approximately 20% of the investigated area is highly susceptible to avalanches and that 24% of the area has a medium susceptibility. Based on the results, settlements where avalanche protection measures should be applied have been singled out. The obtained data can will help local self-governments, emergency management services, and mountaineering services to mitigate human and material losses from the snow avalanches. This is the first research in the Republic of Serbia that deals with GIS-AHP spatial modeling of snow avalanches, and methodology and criteria used in this study can be tested in other high mountainous regions.
Adequate disposal of municipal solid waste (MSW) is one of Serbia's most complex environmental challenges. The problem is more serious in urban areas, since large amounts of waste are disposed of in locations that do not comply with environmental, technical, and socio-economic standards. Such is the case for the city of Kraljevo, where about 116,000 inhabitants do not have a sanitary landfill facility. This research includes a multi-criteria analysis, conducted with the help of geographic information systems, to find a suitable landfill site location. After data collection, the first step was to process 15 environmental and socio-economic factors utilizing the fuzzy analytic-hierarchy process method. The second step comprised the visual analysis and selection of the ten most suitable locations from the synthetic convenience map. The third step involved the final ranking of sites by means of the fuzzy multi-objective analysis by ratio, plus the full multiplicative form method, based on four additional beneficial and non-beneficial criteria. The results show that sanitary landfill candidate site A4 is the most suitable location for constructing a sanitary landfill site due to its large area (569 ha) and relatively short distance from the urban zone (8 km). This study is the first to integrate geographic information systems and the fuzzy analytic-hierarchy process, multi-objective analysis by ratio, and the full multiplicative form algorithm for sanitary landfill selection. The results of the research can be used as a reference for safe waste disposal in the city of Kraljevo.
Torrential floods and landslides are frequent natural disasters in Serbia, but also in the Mlava River Basin. Due to the large number of settlements, the main goal of this research is to determine the locations that are most susceptible to torrential floods and landslides in the Mlava River Basin. Using geographic information systems (GIS), the first step is the analysis the susceptibility of the terrain to torrential floods using the Flash Flood Potential Index (FFPI) method. According to the obtained data, it was determined that 31.53% of the Mlava River Basin is susceptible, and 10.46% is very susceptible to torrential floods. The second step is the analysis of the susceptibility of the terrain to landslides, for which the statistical Probability method (PM) and the Landslide Susceptibility Index (LSI) were used. According to the results of the LSI index and PM method, 8.09% and 14.04% of the basin area is in the category of high and very high susceptibility to landslides. This paper represents a significant step towards a better understanding of unfavorable natural conditions in the Mlava River Basin, and the obtained results are applicable to numerous human activities in the research area (environmental protection, sustainable management of agricultural plots, protection of water and forest resources and ecosystems, etc.).
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