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Abstract: This study explores the application of strontium (Sr) isotope ratios (87Sr/86Sr) as geochemical tracers to understand hydrological connectivity and anthropogenic influences in a geologically diverse Alpine river catchment encompassing regions of Austria and Slovenia. Focusing on the Mur River and its tributaries, water samples were collected across 45 sites during three hydrological regimes to capture seasonal and spatial variability. In total, 28 tributaries were sampled to evaluate their influence on the isotope composition of the main river. Isotope analyses using multi-collector inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry, supplemented by geospatial mapping and multivariate statistics, were combined with measurements of 26 elemental concentrations to investigate land–water interactions and human impacts. The results demonstrate substantial temporal and spatial variability in 87Sr/86Sr ratios (ranging from 0.70853 to 0.71322), reflecting both geological heterogeneity and varying tributary inputs. A preliminary aquatic isoscape was developed, enabling the monitoring of connectivity and the impacts of geological and human influences under varying flow regimes. Tributaries, such as the Mürz River, significantly modulate isotope signatures in the main channel, often overriding local geological signals. The application of isotope pattern deconvolution revealed a contribution of 17% from the Mürz River to the Mur River’s isotope signature downstream of the confluence. Correlations between 87Sr/86Sr and metal concentrations further suggest the utility of 87Sr/86Sr as a proxy for source identification and anthropogenic influence assessment. By constructing a preliminary strontium isoscape for the region, this research provides novel insights into riverine connectivity, catchment-scale processes, and ecosystem dynamics. The integration of isotope data contributes to interdisciplinary understanding across geological, chemical, and ecological boundaries, and supports the development of isotope-based tools for sustainable aquatic system monitoring and management, including potential applications in fish ecology and habitat tracking.
Keywords: environmental monitoring, Sr isotopes, multi-element analysis, river management, river catchment tracing
Published in DiRROS: 13.02.2026; Views: 31; Downloads: 13
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Abstract: Measuring sustainability as an efficient tool to achieve sustainable development and improve economic, social, and environmental aspects is always fraught with complications. In this sense, developing a suitable approach for evaluating and recognizing the strengths and weaknesses across these dimensions is paramount. Given the inherent uncertainty in data for many real-world applications, the primary aim of this paper is to present a data envelopment analysis (DEA) model for evaluating sustainability within a stochastic environment. The proposed model is non-radial and incorporates undesirable outputs, enabling the assessment of overall sustainability as well as each of the economic, social, and environmental dimensions simultaneously. This multi-dimensional evaluation capability is a key advantage of the proposed model. Additionally, the proposed model is based on input excesses and output shortfalls. Another notable advantage is the incorporation of the assumption of managerial disposability when dealing with undesirable outputs. To demonstrate the applicability of the proposed model, data from 59 diverse countries across Africa, Europe, North America, and Asia were analyzed over a 12-year period (2010–2022). The country selection was designed to capture global heterogeneity in development levels, policies, and environmental conditions, allowing for robust cross-continental comparisons. Key findings reveal that: (1) Europe achieves the highest stochastic sustainability scores, while North America performs poorest; (2) Environmental sustainability shows the most success cases globally, whereas social sustainability lags; (3) Significant trade-offs exist between economic growth and environmental protection.
Keywords: data envelopment analysis, performance analytics, Stochastic modeling, sustainability efficiency, environmental benchmarking, managerial disposability
Published in DiRROS: 04.02.2026; Views: 129; Downloads: 48
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Abstract: This article examines how major droughts that affected all or parts of the Slovenian ethnic territory between 1921 and 2003 were reported in major Slovenian daily newspapers. Using qualitative content analysis, supported by basic corpus techniques, it analyses coverage of eight drought years (1921, 1939, 1950, 1952, 1962, 1983, 1992, and 2003) in Slovenec, Slovenski narod, Jutro, Slovenski poročevalec, Ljudska pravica, Delo, and Večer. The article analyses which vocabulary and metaphors newspapers used to describe heat and drought, how they reported on the impacts on agriculture and water resources, and how they portrayed state authorities, expert institutions, and farmers both as key response actors and as those most severely affected by the consequences of drought. It shows a shift from locally grounded and often sensational narratives in the interwar period, through more restrained and regime-aligned reporting under socialism, to more critical and risk-oriented framings after independence.
Keywords: environmental history, climate changes, drought, heat, press coverage, Slovenia, 20th cent., 21st. cent.
Published in DiRROS: 30.01.2026; Views: 240; Downloads: 113
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Abstract: This article adopts a comparative focus on two European borderlands, that of the Sorbs in Germany and that of the Vlachs in Serbia. It identifies three dimensions of marginalization that precede the loss of ecoculturally diverse landscapes through the expansion of mining activities: linguistic difference, border proximity, and the element of a rural culture. The article argues that these are part of a discourse that aims to legitimize the processes of “wastelanding”, that is the deliberate destruction of minority heritage through environmental degradation.
Keywords: Sorbian minority in Germany, Vlach minority in Serbia, ecocultural heritage, environmental degradation, endangered languages
Published in DiRROS: 19.01.2026; Views: 192; Downloads: 93
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Abstract: Bike commuters are regularly exposed to environmental stressors that impact their health and well-being. The Urban Cycling Lab in Ljubljana, developed within an Urban Living Lab and citizen science framework, engaged stakeholders in assessing exposure to particulate matter and noise, and in co-creating strategies to reduce it. This citizen science intervention combined sensor-enhanced ICT tools with behaviour change theory to assess both environmental and behavioural aspects of exposure. Exposure assessment included low-cost personal sensors as well as chemical analysis in biological samples to evaluate environmental exposure, while biochemical analysis of biological samples aimed to evaluate potential biological effects of exposure. Participants collected data using portable sensors and accessed real-time exposure comparisons via the Route Exposure Comparator web app. Biological samples (peripheral blood and spot urine) were collected from each participant at the end of data collection period. Data on sociodemographic characteristics, commuting habits, and environmental health literacy were collected via questionnaires. Ethnographic methods captured participants’ perceptions, route choices, and the intervention’s influence on commuting behaviour. This paper presents the methodology used to implement this intervention and provides a transferable model for participatory environmental exposure assessment. 1. Designed and implemented a citizen science intervention to assess cyclists’ exposure to air pollution and noise using sensor-enhanced ICT tools. 2. Promoted environmentally informed route choices through behaviour change strategies and digital feedback. 3. Applied survey and ethnographic methods to explore commuting behaviours and intervention impact.
Keywords: personal sensors, environmental exposure assessment
Published in DiRROS: 03.12.2025; Views: 619; Downloads: 119
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