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The objective of this study is to develop a methodological approach to assess ecosystem functioning in terms of carbon uptake and sequestration. To achieve this, a model was developed to forecast Net Primary Productivity (NPP) and tested in a rural area, the Thrace region (NE Greece). Monthly net photosynthesis data from July 2015 to February 2024 was estimated using the MODerate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) Aqua MYD17A2H v061 dataset for the study area. This dataset was used as the dependent variable in an Autoregressive Integrated Moving Average (ARIMA) model. The predictive ability of monthly Land Cover (LC) and Soil Moisture (SM) data at various time lags was examined, and variables found to be significant predictors were introduced into the model as external predictors. The study found that crop areas and SM conditions exert the greatest influence on NPP, with areas containing trees exerting a lesser impact. Additionally, NPP was estimated for seven different LC and SM scenarios from March 2023 to February 2024. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present work demonstrates a methodology for acquiring high-resolution soil moisture information, namely at 1 km at a daily time step, utilizing data from a sparse network of soil moisture sensors and remotely sensed Land Surface Temperature (LST). Building on previous research and highlighting the strong correlation between surface soil moisture and LST, as a result of the thermal inertia, we first evaluated the correlation between Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) LST and ground-based soil moisture information from soil moisture sensors installed in a pilot area in Northeastern Greece. Second, a regression formula was developed for three out of six soil moisture sensors, keeping the three remaining monitoring stations serving as a validation set. Furthermore, regression coefficients were interpolated at 1 km and the regression equations were applied for the entire study area, thus acquiring soil moisture information at a spatial resolution of 1 km at the daily time step. The verification process indicated a reasonable accuracy, with a mean absolute error (MAE) of,0.02 m³/m³. The results were considerably better than using a simple interpolation or downscaled daily 1-km SMAP soil moisture. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Carrying capacity for development refers to the maximum level of economic and social growth that an environment can support without experiencing significant degradation or collapse. This concept integrates environmental and socioeconomic dimensions to ensure sustainable development. In the present work, we have combined climate reanalysis data sets with environmental and socioeconomic indicators to develop a novel index, the Carrying Capacity Development Index (CCDI). Thus, the Human Modification Index (HMI) and the Vulnerability to Disasters Index (VDI) were examined as part of the socioeconomic dimension of the CCDI, while selected ERA5 land layers combined with Natura 2000 sites formed the environmental elements. The methodology is demonstrated in Greece, where economic development in sectors such as tourism, transport and energy are threatening fragile Mediterranean ecosystems. Three different weightings were analyzed, giving equal weight to environmental and socioeconomic factors, or giving more weight to either the environment, society or the economy. The results showed that the methodology has a minor sensitivity to weighting and highlighted areas where future development objectives should be focused. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Wildfires in Mediterranean areas are becoming more frequent, and the fire season is extending toward the spring and autumn months. These alarming findings indicate an urgent need to develop fire susceptibility methods capable of identifying areas vulnerable to wildfires. The present work aims to uncover possible soil moisture and vegetation condition precursory signals of the largest and most devastating wildfires in Greece that occurred in 2021, 2022, and 2023. Therefore, the time series of two remotely sensed datasets–MAP L4 Soil Moisture (SM) and Landsat 8 NDVI, which represent vegetation and soil moisture conditions—were examined before five destructive wildfires in Greece during the study period. The results of the analysis highlighted specific properties indicative of fire-susceptible areas. NDVI in all fire-affected areas ranged from 0.13 to 0.35, while mean monthly soil moisture showed negative anomalies in the spring periods preceding fires. Accordingly, fire susceptibility maps were developed, verifying the usefulness of remotely sensed information related to soil moisture and NDVI. This information should be used to enhance fire models and identify areas at risk of wildfires in the near future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To link to full-text access for this article, visit this link: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvman.2005.12.022 Byline: Alexandra Gemitzi (a)(b), Vassilios A. Tsihrintzis (b), Odysseas Christou (c), Christos Petalas (b) Keywords: Geographic information systems; Stabilization pond systems; Site selection Abstract: Geographic information systems (GIS) use is presented in the problem of siting areas for construction of natural systems such as stabilization ponds (SPs) for domestic wastewater treatment. For this purpose, several variables, such as topography, land use, type of geological formation, distance to major rivers or lakes, distance to existing cities and villages, existence of environmentally protected areas, mean minimum monthly temperatures and required wastewater effluent characteristics were analyzed with the GIS, in order to accept or reject a particular area within a region. The method is applied in the region of Thrace (Northeast Greece) at the municipal level. The required area for SP systems was calculated in each of the 36 municipalities of Thrace (including two islands, Thassos and Samothraki) as a function of the population of each municipality, temperature and local wastewater effluent discharge criteria. Based on the GIS analysis, suitable locations were identified in each municipality first, and then the total required surface area of these systems was compared to the available surface area of each municipality, in order to decide whether SP systems could be a viable solution to the wastewater management problem in the particular region. In that way the present methodology offers a fast and simple method to check the suitability of new areas for construction of such systems. Author Affiliation: (a) Department of Water Resources Management, Regional Authority of Eastern Macedonia & Thrace, 69100 Komotini, Greece (b) Laboratory of Ecological Engineering and Technology, Department of Environmental Engineering, School of Engineering, Democritus University of Thrace, 67100 Xanthi, Greece (c) Geoinfo Co., Applied Geological Surveys and Research, G. Lambraki 133, 54352 Thessaloniki, Greece Article History: Received 14 May 2005; Revised 3 November 2005; Accepted 13 December 2005