Human and ecological sustainability of environments exposed to significant anthropogenic effects (NP2022-II-6/2022)

Project ID: NP2022-II-6/2022

Type of contract: Sponsorship agreement

Project description:

In cities, aerosol particles blown up from road surfaces by traffic and wind, or from the mechanical wear of motor vehicles, can contribute up to 30-50% to the urban PM10 load. An on-line sampling method was developed to sample the respirable fraction of the settled resuspendable dust, which allowed for that analytical tests what previously wasn’t used. Until today, the estimation of the resuspendable fraction in the atmospheric PM10 aerosol has only been possible through modeling. During the research we will determine the contribution of this aerosol source from the chemical composition of resuspended and atmospheric PM10 aerosol samples, and we estimate the residence time of the resuspended aerosol using natural radionuclides in the atmosphere as tracers. We also carry out toxicological studies to determine how resuspendable urban dust can cause genetic and cell biological changes and DNA damage in humans. The identification of resuspended urban aerosol, the determination of the contribution rate and residence time, and the estimation of human health risks are useful from a social and economic point of view in addition to the scientific results, since with their help, municipalities and specialized authorities can develop effective air quality protection measures. By reducing PM10 pollution in big cities, the frequency and severity of respiratory and cardiovascular diseases can be reduced. In the recent period, the reproductive success of urban animal populations has changed significantly due to the changing food supply in urbanized areas and the lack of natural food sources. Intense human disturbance can have a negative effect on the reproduction of urban animals, but at the same time, many animal species living in cities adapt to constant human disturbance. This is often a source of conflict, so to find sustainable coexistence strategies with urban animal populations, it is necessary to explore the mechanisms that lead to the development of tolerance/courage towards humans. During the project, we are looking for correlations between relevant local environmental characteristics and the reproductive success, survival and behavior of urban animals. We use a combined approach based on field, geospatial and radio-telemetry tracking to characterize the mortality and land use of newly fledged birds and identify the most favourable urban habitat types during this sensitive life stage. We investigate the effects of anthropogenic food sources on reproductive success and the development and health of chicks in urban bird nests. We test the hypothesis that epigenetic changes play a role in the rapid adaptation of wild animals to disturbance and in the development of the related courage. We investigate the effects of human disturbance at the community level, i.e. which species are sensitive to persistent disturbance and which are not. Our research contributes to a better understanding of the impacts of urbanization on communities, the challenges facing urban wildlife and the responses to these challenges. All of this is an essential condition for us to be able to preserve the original ecosystem more effectively and sustainably in our built environment. Our changing environment, driven by the extreme effects of climate change and resource scarcity, is already challenging in the short term. It is essential to be prepared at all levels to anticipate and mitigate the social and economic impacts of inevitable changes. The most important pillar of this is awareness-raising, which is a prerequisite for the achievement of mitigation and adaptation objectives. During the project, we develop a methodology that enables the measurement and evaluation of adaptation preparedness, we develop training topics related to adaptation preparation, we develop online training forms in Hungarian and English, and finally we train specialists with appropriate knowledge. We are creating a science-based and sophisticated information database in Hungarian. The purpose of the platform is to distribute easy-to-understand visual, audio and written information related to adaptation in a systematic way to help organizations, communities and individuals prepare for the accelerating changes that occur due to the depletion of resources, the complex consequences of climate change and the combined effects of many other factors. With the help of a credible adaptation platform that presents processes and connections and makes the most important international research understandable, authentic and understandable images, audio and written information related to adaptation can be disseminated in a systematic way.

It enables dialogue between interested parties, and by quickly processing and delivering current scientific information, it helps them to find out about changes.

Project duration: 01.12.2022.- 30.11. 2026.

Total project cost: 319 993 170 Ft

Consortium leader: Centre for Ecological Research

Consortium members: University of Miskolc, Budapest University of Technology and Economics, Balaton Limnological Research Institute, Hungarian Meteorological Service, University of Szeged, Centre for Agricultural Research, University of Pannonia

Professional leader: Dr. András Gelencsér

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Project manager: Tímea Hajda Vargáné

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Financial leader: Gábor Domján

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