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Attila Kerényi, Professor of Geography, was born in 1943 in Sátoraljaújhely. He earned a degree as a teacher of Geography and Biology in 1967. During the 1980s, he gained national and international scientific recognition for his research on soil erosion processes, and completed his candidate dissertation in 1984. In the 1990s, he became nationally acknowledged for his publications, textbooks and scientific books on landscape and environmental protection, and earned an academic doctorate title in the topic. His scientific work was recognized with numerous awards. In 2020, he was awarded the Officer’s Cross of the Hungarian Order of Merit in recognition of his several decades of research and teaching activities which have greatly contributed to the renewal of geography education at the University of Debrecen. On the occasion of his 80th birthday, his colleagues interviewed Professor Kerényi about his family, profession, achievements and the state of global environmental systems.

A klímaváltozás kihívásainak és alkalmazkodási lehetőségeinek elemzésekor a klímaaggodalmak és a környezetbarát viselkedés kapcsolatának kérdésköre is gyakran felvetődik. A 2020-ban kitört Covid19-világjárvány elterelte az emberek figyelmét a klímaváltozásról, így a lakosság klímaaggodalmainak feltárása fontossá vált ebben az időszakban. A szerzők kutatási mintaterületként egy kelet-közép-európai várost, Magyarország második legnépesebb települését, Debrecent, Hajdú-Bihar vármegye székhelyét választották. Kérdőíves felmérést végeztek 2020-ban a debreceni lakosok körében (N=200). A tanulmány fő célja a klímaaggodalmak és a környezetbarát viselkedés kapcsolatának vizsgálata volt. A klímaaggodalom, a környezetbarát viselkedés és a kiválasztott előrejelző változók (prediktorok) közötti kapcsolat szorosságát, erősségét és intenzitását korreláció-, a kiválasztott változók hatását és kapcsolatát pedig regresszióelemzéssel vizsgálták a szerzők. A lakosokra magas Klímaaggodalom Indexet (KAI) és Környezetbarát Viselkedés Indexet (KVI) mutattak ki. A korrelációelemzés egyik legfontosabb eredménye, hogy a KAI és KVI között egyáltalán nem mutatható ki szignifikáns kapcsolat, tehát a kettő nem függött össze a mintában. Másik fontos eredmény, hogy a KVI és a Kockázatérzékelés Indexek (KI) között sem mutatható ki szignifikáns kapcsolat, ugyanakkor a KAI és a KI között szignifikánsan pozitív irányú, közepes erősségű a kapcsolat. A többváltozós lineáris regresszióelemzésekben a demográfiai tényezők csak enyhén mérsékelték a változók hatását a KAI-ra és a KVI-re. Az eredmények azt támasztják alá, hogy az egyének klímaaggodalma nem vezet következetes környezetbarát viselkedéshez. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In our study we attempt to demonstrate the effects of uninsulated sewage tanks, which are the most important sources of contamination in settlements without sewage systems, on groundwater quality. We compared the results of measurements carried out before and one and a half years after the construction of the sewage system. We established 3 m deep monitoring wells within a 25 m radius of a sewage tank, which were then sampled, and the level of groundwater was recorded. The 3D model constructed on the basis of the saturated zone shows that the effluent wastewater formed a groundwater level dome with a height of more than 1 m. After the sewage tank was taken out of use the difference between the highest and lowest groundwater levels decreased to a few centimetres. In our study we investigated the spatial distribution of NH4+ (ammonium). Using the 3D model we were able to precisely determine the volume of water bodies with different levels of contamination. In an approximately 25 m3 water body, in the immediate environment of a sewage tank in use we detected NH4+ at a concentration which was characteristic of undiluted wastewater (>90 mg·dm−3). After the sewage tank was taken out of use, the concentration in its immediate environment decreased by more than 50%, although almost everywhere in the modelled area concentrations were measured above the limit value. Based on the above, we can conclude that the cleaning process has started, but the complete decontamination of the groundwater will take several years.

In this research, a climatic synthesis was built to assess the climatic parameters of the Oued Souf Valley through the meteorological data obtained from Guemar station (airport). It was revealed that the hydrological year of Oued Souf Valley is branded by the presence of a dry period and the total absence of a wet period over the year, even during January, when it was observed to have the lowest temperature and highest precipitation, which classified it as a Saharan climate (Hyper arid). The irregularity and the scarcity of precipitation, high temperatures and extremely high evapotranspiration had significant repercussions on surface runoff and infiltration which implies a high pressure on the water resources of Oued Souf valley and may disrupt the future socioeconomic project and increase the damage of natural drought and desertification. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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One of the concerns regarding aquaponic systems operating without conventional soil is the limited selection of plants available for cultivation. For a wider use of aquaponic systems increasing yields are inevitable. The aim of our research, started in 2017, was to eliminate the drawbacks of aquaponic systems using alternative solutions in order to remain in the framework of sustainable agriculture. In order to meet the above challenges, a hybrid, automated aquaponic system was installed in which the soil was not removed completely from the systems that are not completely closed as fish receive fresh water as well as keeping in this way hormones impeding growth at a low level. Crucians and African catfish were placed into two tanks of 7 m³. Further novelty of the system is the application of quail dung in a quantity determined specially for increasing the natural efficiency of the system. Three methods of cultivation were used and plant macro- and micro-elements were measured. Results indicate that the system is suitable for growing different chilli types while quail dung input contributes to increase yield significantly therefore it can be integrated into aquaponic systems excellently. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

DOMESTIC wastewater is the most significant source of pollution in Hungarian settlements. In order to eliminate this pollution the construction of sewage networks is ongoing in the country. The investments have a significant impact on the local environment, especially on groundwater resources. In the present case study changes in groundwater quality are evaluated after the construction of the sewage network. In the summers of 2013 and 2017 water samples were collected from 40 ground water wells. The comparative investigations were performed using a contamination index. The following parameters were used to calculate the contamination index:pH, EC, NH4+, NO2-, NO3-, PO43-, CODps, Na+. The degree of contamination (Cd) of the groundwater was classified into 4 categories: Cd>3 very heavy contamination, 3>Cd>2 heavy contamination, 2>Cd> 1 moderate contamination, 1>Cd low contamination. The results show strong groundwater contamination. In 2013, in 67.5% of the examined wells, the water quality was very heavily or heavily contaminated. Only 15% of the water samples had a low degree of contamination. Three years after the sewage network was set up, significant changes were observed. In 2017 the proportion of highly or heavily contaminated wells dropped to 50%, thus the number of moderately contaminated wells more than doubled. The number of low-polluted wells also grew, but their proportion did not reach 20% in 2017. On the basis of the results, it can be concluded that the purification process has started, but it may take several years. Further environmental measures are needed in order to eliminate these pollutants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ACCORDING to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and its implementation framework, Hungary is obligated to compile a National Climate Change Strategy (NCCS). The first and the reviewed version (NCCS-2) were completed for the period of 2008-2025 and 2017-2030, respectively, with an outlook until 2050. The objectives of the UN and the EU determine the planning and interventional tasks and they are in accordance with them. As part of the Environmental and Energy Efficiency Operative Program (EEEOP), the European Union and Hungary support the development of county-level and local climate strategies. Since for the adaptation to be successful, the collaboration between different planning levels is of paramount importance, in our study we aim to investigate how well the documents compiled in the Hungarian planning levels are integrated and whether they are in accordance with the international objectives. Furthermore, we also investigate the degree of which the compiled strategies focus on locally arising problems. The county-level climate strategies have been already completed in the framework of the EEEOP tender, while the development of strategies for the settlements is currently in progress. The county-level climate strategies completely cover the national objectives, which are in accordance with the objectives of the EU. The county-level climate strategies contain specific objectives regarding the given county, depending on how the climate change is expected to impact the region, as well as the economic, social and natural attributes of the counties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]