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In 2023, a scientific project for studying the fungal biodiversity in organogenic soils in the area of the Bulgarian Antarctic Base 'St. Kliment Ohridski' on Livingston Island was funded by the National Center for the Polar Studies at Sofia University 'St. Kliment Ohridski', implemented under the National Program for Polar Research 'From Pole to Pole', adopted by the Ministry of Education and Science. In the period February-March 2023, a total of 126 soil samples were collected for analysis. Soil samples were carried out in the upper 0-5 cm soil layer. In places with deeper soil profiles, samples were collected from the deeper layer >5 cm. All samples were stored in sterile polyethylene bags in a freezer at minus 28°C on the Bulgarian ship 'St. St. Cyril and Methodius', which arrived in Bulgaria on 2nd May 2023. The present study aims to present the conceptual basis for the study of structure, composition, and bioecological features of fungal species occurring in Antarctic organogenic soils from Livingston Island, to investigate the representatives of separate taxonomic groups of invertebrate organisms interacting with the fungal species in the soil, and to establish the relationships with the soil characteristics in the studied sites. Studies of the biological and ecological features of representatives of the mycota in Antarctic organogenic soils, their physiological and biochemical behavior, and interaction with invertebrate organisms, are essential for a better understanding of the biological processes occurring in them, and the implementation of this project will have substantial contribution to these issues. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The surface of mountain glaciers is a place of accumulation of various biogenic organomineral and mineral compounds. As a result of intensive mass deglaciation of glaciers due to climate change and anthropogenic activity, this material can significantly affect the transformation of the landscape in the periglacial zone. Thus, this work considers the contamination of the surface of the Arctic, Antarctic, and Caucasian glaciers by priority pollutants. Atomic absorption spectroscopy was used to analyze trace elements (Cu, Zn, Ni, Cd, Pb) from cryoconite deposits. It was revealed that the cryoconite dust on the Ray-Iz glacier (Polar Urals) has a high level of nickel contamination, which comes to the glacier from local rock materials as a result of their weathering. The lowest concentrations of trace elements are found in one of the Arctic plots located at Mushketov and Aldegonda glaciers, the Caucasus, and the Antarctic, which is due to their relatively low content in the composition of rocks and the relatively low contribution of long-range transport of matter to the polar regions. Contamination of moraine sediments in the periglacial zone can make a significant contribution to the formation of the soil cover of these territories, the pollution of water bodies near the glacier, as well as affect the quality of life of the people living in the immediate vicinity of the mountain areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The tundra and tundra barrens of the maritime Antarctica represent a unique type of terrestrial ecosystem, geographically confined to the region of the Antarctic Peninsula and a number of surrounding archipelagos. Antarctic soils are underestimated in the quantity of organic matter (OM) pools, organic remnant humification/mineralization rates, and biogenic-abiogenic interactions. The structure of reserves for humic substances within the permafrost zone, as well as the role of the molecular composition of organic substances, are still poorly understood. In this study, we investigate humic acids of selected sub-Antarctic soils in terms of elemental and structural composition to evaluate OM stabilization degree and to assess carbon distributions in the molecules by solid-state CP/MAS 13C NMR and ESR spectroscopy. The results obtained show that the studied humic acids consist mainly of aliphatic structural fragments. According to ESR spectroscopy, it was noted that the most stable molecules by the data of ESR spectroscopy are formed in postornithogenic soils. In contrast, the average portion of the aromatic compounds is about 30% in humic acids, extracted from soils with evident ornithogenic effect. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The diversity of cultural landscapes is an important prerequisite for a variety of cultural ecosystem services, provided by ecosystems, especially in mountain areas, which evaluation is the basis for different environmental management practices and policymaking. The study aims to present an approach for assessment and mapping selected cultural ecosystem services, provided by protected areas (PA s) in Western Rhodopes Mt. - Velingrad Municipality. The data from Forest Management Plans (FMPs) of State Forestry Enterprise 'Alabak', State Hunting Enterprise 'Chepino' and Training Experimental Forestry Enterprise 'Georgi Avramov' - Yundola were used for characterization of forest territories in the region and for assessment of ecosystem services, provided by forest ecosystems. The assessment of cultural/natural heritage is carried out through a systematic analysis of the importance and significance of natural resources for different stakeholders. The analysis of the results from the assessment of the condition of forest ecosystems revealed that the largest part of them is characterized with very good ecological condition and high degree of naturalness, emphasizing the importance of the conservation regime. The studied Natura 2000 sites provide a wide variety of cultural ecosystem services, as the well-preserved nature in the sites is an important prerequisite for the development of different form of tourism and recreation. The results obtained showed that the majority of ecosystems in the case-study area are characterized with medium relevant capacity to provide to provide cultural ecosystem service (CES) 'Cultural heritage' as well as relatively large areas has relevant capacity, mostly on the territory of site 'Yadenitsa' and in the northern part of 'Rodopi-Zapadni'. The evaluation of forest ecosystems revealed that they have high relevant capacity to provide cultural ecosystem service 'Scenic beauty' while peri-urban forests around city of Velingrad and forest areas nearby the settlements have no relevant potential to provide this CES. The recognition, mapping and demonstration of ecosystem services from the Natura 2000 network can significantly influence stakeholders' attitudes and can contribute to the integration of PA s network in the regional development and directly support the decision-makers in their planning activities with focus on sustainable utilization of ecosystem services and achieving the balance between environmental protection, economic progress, and social development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cryosols of the Antarctic maritime area are much different from the continental ones. The relatively moderate climate conditions in Maritime Antarctica and a strong interaction between the biotic and abiotic environment are drivers for more intensive soil formation processes than in the continental regions. Soil formation studies from the Maritime Antarctica are, however, rather rare. Therefore, micromorphological investigations on polar soils can contribute to more comprehensive information on soil genesis in Antarctica. In this study, we applied the micromorphological study of thin sections from soil micromonoliths to assess the intensity and trends of the pedogenic processes in selected soils from two adjacent islands of the South-Shetland archipelago: King George Island and Livingston Island. The results obtained show that regional lithology and the origin of the incoming organic matter mainly determine the micromorphological structure of the local soils. Soil matrix micromorphological properties and features (mineralogical content, weathering stage and even partly grain-size distribution) are mainly defined by pyroclastic particles due to recent and ancient volcanic eruptions. The presence of rounded grains and aggregated mineral particles is the evidence of marine origin of the sediments. Ornithogenic soils show the clear evidence of the organic plasma formation and mineral particles aggregation via the zoogenic organic substances provided by penguins which is a unique specifics of the maritime Antarctic soils. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ecosystems in mountainous regions provide a wide variety of ecosystem services. Forests regulate climate at regional and global levels by i) providing sources or sinks of greenhouse gases (affecting global warming) and sources of aerosols (affecting temperature and cloud formation), and ii) their physical characteristics which can regulate local and regional climate. Bulgarian mountains have large amounts of carbon 'locked up' in its forests and soils and this potential depends on the type of forest, management regime and natural disturbances. Land-use changes and climate changes are significantly affecting the quality of ecosystem services especially in highland mountainous regions. There is wide range of sustainable management options to improve climate related regulating services, which would also benefit other ecosystem services. Our main knowledge gaps concern the quantification of the climate regulation provided by highland forest ecosystems thus this research focuses on assessment and mapping the carbon storage and sequestration in highland ecosystems in Rila Mountain (Bulgaria) as main indicators for climate regulating services. The quantification encompasses the biomass carbon pool and the dead organic matter (dead wood and litter). The analysis of carbon storage and sequestration is realized according to biophysical methods for evaluation of ecosystem services by combining data from direct and indirect measurements considering all factors, which affect highland forests. The results are summarized and presented within the context of their potential to supply climate regulation ecosystem services. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Moss biomonitoring technique was used for the first time in the Western Rhodopes for studying the air pollution in 2014-2015 in the framework of the International Cooperative Programme on Effects of Air Pollution on Natural Vegetation and Crops under the auspices of the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE-ICP Vegetation). The study region is with a long mining tradition. The survey was repeated in 2018, during the vegetation season, when moss samples were collected from five sites on the territory of the Western Rhodopes. Aluminium, As, Cd, Cr, Cu, Fe, Ni, Pb, V and Zn were determined by Inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectroscopy (ICP-AES) and Inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). The trends of spatial and temporal accumulation of airborne pollutants were examined. Data revealed that sequestered amounts of heavy metals and toxic elements generally tend to be higher in the last sampling period. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses the highlights of the scientific conference Geography and Regional Science in honor of Professor Ivan Batakliev which was held on October 30-31, 2014 in Pazardzhik, Bulgaria. Topics discussed include the welcome remarks of Associate professor Georgi Zhelezov, the main objectives highlighted at the conference, which include to raise awareness and draw special attention to the scientific contribution and socially engaged work of Batakliev, and the conference participants.