What Is an Environmental Geologist?

Environmental geology belongs to the earth sciences. It is a discipline that applies the principles of geology and geography, makes reasonable use of geological resources, and improves the living environment of human beings. It is a science between geology, geography, and environmental science. ^[1]

Environmental geology is a discipline that studies the interaction between human activities and the geological environment.

With the development of natural science and productivity and rapid development, the contradiction between human beings and the existing natural environment, that is, the geological environment, has intensified. Especially since the 1950s, global environmental geological problems have become increasingly acute, water shortages, water quality deterioration, and ground Subsidence, karst collapse, seawater intrusion, landslides, desertification, and multiple endemic diseases, etc., illustrate the huge impact of the geological environment on human beings. Human understanding and research of the geological environment have taken a new height, which is to study both The influence of geological environment on human beings should also be studied in terms of their effect on geological environment, that is, the relationship between human and geological environment is particularly emphasized, and a new discipline, environmental geology, was born.

Environmental geology has a wide range of research fields, and it includes such research contents:

Regional geological environment

Provide scientific basis for regional planning, economic development, land improvement and resource development. Such as China's geological disaster distribution map.

Geological hazards

For forecast

Since the 1950s, industrial pollution has become a serious environmental problem, affecting human health and ecological balance. As a result, a large number of geologists have invested in the study of environmental issues. Some countries in the world have established environmental geological research institutions and published books and periodicals. Judging from the development of disciplines, by the mid-1970s, environmental geology had developed into a relatively complete and independent new discipline.

Earliest environmental problem

The earliest environmental problems in human history, such as

Industrial pollution of the environment

Environmental geology is an emerging interdisciplinary discipline developed on the basis of geological sciences, social sciences, environmental sciences, and modern science and technology. The research content includes the natural earth system where the hydrosphere, atmosphere, biosphere, and lithosphere intersect. It also includes the interaction between human activities and natural systems, and their development and evolution processes. The principles followed by the Institute of Environmental Geology are closely related to the above-mentioned disciplines, and are generally reflected in the regionality of research objects, the systematic nature of research ideas, the comprehensiveness and diversity of research methods, and the practicability of research results. Environmental geology research methods must be compatible with the above characteristics and environmental geology research content.

Natural history analysis

This is the basic research method of traditional geology, and it is also applicable to environmental geology research. The research object of environmental geology, that is, the human-geoenvironment system is formed in the course of natural geology, and it continues to change and evolve with the changes in the conditions. Through the study of the formation conditions, mechanisms and environmental geological effects of existing environmental geological problems, analogous prediction of possible future changes and problems is a prerequisite for human beings to actively regulate the human-geological environment system and protect and improve the geological environment. Therefore, the natural history analysis method of "from the known to the unknown" is the basic research thinking that environmental geology must follow.

Geochemical method

Through the study of the migration and transformation of chemical substances in the environment and the study of mineral composition and structural characteristics, explore changes in the geological environment, such as soil erosion and weathering processes, and the weathering rate is related to the mineral properties of the rocks and external water. It is related to thermal conditions. Through the measurement and research of mineral composition and physicochemical properties, the progress of weathering can be evaluated. The geographical distribution of diseases such as Keshan disease and chlorosis is related to some environmental geological factors. Studying the abundance of chemical elements in this particular region's geological environment and its movement laws in various ecological environments will help reveal the internal relationship between human health and the geological environment.

System analysis method

The research object of environmental geology is a person with a complex circle structure and a clear hierarchythe geo-environment system, which involves many aspects such as the natural earth system and human social and economic activities. On the basis of determining the relationship between various environmental elements and comprehensively analyzing the interaction between the earth's dynamics and human activities that affect the quality of the geological environment, modern mathematical principles and calculation methods must be applied, including gray system analysis methods, linear or non-linear Linear system analysis methods, dissipative structure theory, sub-linear dynamics and other theories, systematically reveal the process, mechanism and law of environmental geological problems such as environmental pollution, land desertification, earthquakes and volcanic activities, collapse and landslides; focus on analyzing the atmosphere, The interaction of the hydrosphere, lithosphere and biosphere, and the impact of human activities on the global environment and ecosystems. Establish a dynamic model that expresses the interaction between human and terrestrial environmental systems, for environmental geological problems such as ecological degradation, environmental pollution and geological disasters. Prevention and governance provide effective optimization solutions.

Environmental Geological Mapping

Geological environmental problems are spatial, dynamic and comprehensive. Analyzing and representing environmental geological problems, operations on the map are an effective method. Environmental geological maps can not only show the state of the environment at a certain time, but also the system changes that occur over time. Therefore, in addition to the application of drawing languages such as the colors and lines of various geological maps, environmental geological maps also need numbers and mathematical symbols. These numbers and mathematical symbols are associated with a fixed environmental mathematical model, so that graphics can be combined with electronic computers to form dynamic environmental geological maps. A complete set of regional environmental geological maps includes a single elemental map of environmental geology, a comprehensive evaluation map of environmental quality, a trend of environmental evolution, a map of environmental zoning, and a plan of environmental planning.

Model simulation and prediction methods

Research methods based on environmental geological surveys, data collection, and analytical testing. The model method is to simulate and simulate the structure, function, and evolution characteristics of the environmental system, including structure models, evaluation models, simulation models, and prediction models.

Environmental geological research also needs to make predictions on the evolution of environmental geological problems from time, space and intensity to reduce or avoid disasters and losses caused by environmental geological problems. The forecasting method is mainly based on the following three aspects: forecasting and forecasting research with monitoring as the main means; forecasting and forecasting research based on the cause mechanism; and mathematical model simulation and forecasting research. Prediction models, numerical simulation prediction models, and system prediction models. At present, disaster prediction models based on catastrophe theory, chaos, fractal, and dissipative structure theory based on nonlinear dynamics theory have been widely used.

Environmental Geological Evaluation Method

By revealing the occurrence and development of environmental geological problems, evaluating their dangers and their damage to humans, analyzing the ability of human society to prevent and mitigate disasters under existing economic and technological conditions, and using economic principles to evaluate disaster prevention and pollution control Economic investment and its environmental, economic and social benefits, the evaluation methods mainly include fuzzy clustering, fuzzy comprehensive discrimination and systematic analysis. The evaluation content includes intensity evaluation, risk evaluation, damage loss evaluation, socio-economic vulnerability evaluation, and prevention project evaluation.

Modern science and technology methods

Modern and future environmental geology research, the more commonly used methods and technical means are observation and detection technology, testing and analysis technology, model and experimental technology and calculation and processing of data information. Satellite remote sensing, global digital seismic network, global positioning system, geographic information system, very long baseline interferometry technology, environmental isotope technology, and physical, chemical, biological analysis and measurement methods and other high-tech and methods for environmental geology from macro to micro Comprehensive and multi-layered research from qualitative to quantitative, from shallow to deep, from earth to cosmic space provides broad prospects. ^[3]