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Quaternary
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Environmental Changes and Their Significance for Sustainability
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Environmental Changes and Their Significance for Sustainability

A special issue of Quaternary (ISSN 2571-550X).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 10 September 2026 | Viewed by 6509

Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Jef Vandenberghe

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Earth Sciences, VU University, De Boelelaan 1085, 1081 HV Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Interests: fluvial geomorphology; morphological evolution; fluvial sedimentology; aeolian sediments; periglacial landforms
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Slobodan B. Marković

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Geography, Tourism and Hotel Management, University of Novi Sad, Trg D. Obradovića 3, 21000 Novi Sad, Serbia
Interests: quaternary geology; paleoclimate; loess; geoarchaeology and geomorphology
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The evolution of natural geo-ecosystems is mostly described from a purely academic viewpoint. However, the genetic processes of operation within those systems and their evolution in a geological framework may provide a good understanding of the natural conditions and mechanisms that govern our present-day natural environment. This knowledge will help in the evaluation of the risks of natural disasters or hazards and in managing a sustainable environment. We welcome papers that lead to a better understanding of natural systems and their evolution in Quaternary perspectives with the potential for consideration or implementation within present-day and future environments.

Prof. Dr. Jef Vandenberghe
Dr. Slobodan B. Marković
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Quaternary is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 1600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • environmental change
  • hazard risk
  • sustainable land surface evolution
  • sustainable land surface processes

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Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

32 pages, 17160 KB  
Article
Pollen-YOLO: A Deep Learning Framework for Automated Pollen Identification and Its Application to Palaeoecological Reconstruction on the Tibetan Plateau
by Xuan Shi, Guangliang Hou, Fubo Wang and Hongyu Li
Quaternary 2026, 9(1), 6; https://doi.org/10.3390/quat9010006 - 14 Jan 2026
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 900
Abstract
Automated pollen identification has become an increasingly important tool for palaeoecological research; however, its application to fossil pollen assemblages remains challenging due to complex backgrounds, morphological variability, and taxonomic similarity among pollen types. In this study, we propose Pollen-YOLO, a deep learning-based object [...] Read more.
Automated pollen identification has become an increasingly important tool for palaeoecological research; however, its application to fossil pollen assemblages remains challenging due to complex backgrounds, morphological variability, and taxonomic similarity among pollen types. In this study, we propose Pollen-YOLO, a deep learning-based object detection framework designed for automated pollen identification from microscopic images, and evaluate its performance using the TPPOL23 dataset. The model integrates a tailored backbone architecture with attention-based feature enhancement and class-specific data augmentation strategies to address the characteristics of fossil pollen images. Experimental results indicate that Pollen-YOLO achieves stable and competitive detection performance for most pollen taxa under the tested conditions, particularly for dominant taxa with distinctive morphological features. Model behavior is further examined through ablation experiments and Grad-CAM-based interpretability analysis, which provide insights into feature learning and classification mechanisms. The applicability of the framework is explored using a fossil pollen sequence from the Shaqu profile on the Tibetan Plateau. Automated results show a high level of agreement with manual identification in capturing major stratigraphic trends and vegetation succession patterns, while discrepancies persist for morphologically similar or low-abundance taxa. Overall, this study suggests that object detection-based deep learning approaches have the potential to support fossil pollen analysis and palaeoecological reconstruction. Rather than replacing expert identification, Pollen-YOLO is intended as a complementary, high-throughput tool that may assist large-scale pollen analysis under appropriate quality control when combined with expert verification. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Environmental Changes and Their Significance for Sustainability)
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16 pages, 3165 KB  
Article
Combining GPR and VES Techniques for Detecting Shallow Urban Cavities in Quaternary Deposits: Case Studies from Sefrou and Bhalil, Morocco
by Oussama Jabrane, Ilias Obda, Driss El Azzab, Pedro Martínez-Pagán, Mohammed Jalal Tazi and Mimoun Chourak
Quaternary 2026, 9(1), 4; https://doi.org/10.3390/quat9010004 - 6 Jan 2026
Viewed by 797
Abstract
The detection of underground cavities and dissolution features is a critical component in assessing geohazards within karst terrains, particularly where natural processes interact with long-term human occupation. This study investigates two contrasting sites in the Sefrou region of northern Morocco: Binna, a rural [...] Read more.
The detection of underground cavities and dissolution features is a critical component in assessing geohazards within karst terrains, particularly where natural processes interact with long-term human occupation. This study investigates two contrasting sites in the Sefrou region of northern Morocco: Binna, a rural travertine-dolomite system shaped by Quaternary karstification, and the urban Old Medina of Bhalil, where traditional cave dwellings are carved into carbonate formations. A combined geophysical and geological approach was applied to characterize subsurface heterogeneities and assess the extent of near-surface void development. Vertical electrical soundings (VES) at Binna site delineated high-resistivity anomalies consistent with air-filled cavities, dissolution conduits, and brecciated limestone horizons, all indicative of an active karst system. In the Bhalil old Medina site, ground-penetrating radar (GPR) with low-frequency antennas revealed strong reflection contrasts and localized signal attenuation zones corresponding to shallow natural cavities and potential anthropogenic excavations beneath densely constructed areas. Geological observations, including lithostratigraphic logging and structural cross-sections, provided additional constraints on cavity geometry, depth, and spatial distribution. The integrated results highlight a high degree of subsurface karstification across both sites and underscore the associated geotechnical risks for infrastructure, cultural heritage, and land-use stability. This work demonstrates the value of combining electrical and radar methods with geological analysis for mapping hazardous subsurface voids in cavity-prone Quaternary landscapes, offering essential insights for risk mitigation and sustainable urban and rural planning. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Environmental Changes and Their Significance for Sustainability)
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18 pages, 4053 KB  
Article
A Glacial–Interglacial Malacofauna Record from the Titel Loess Plateau, Serbia, between ~350 and 250 ka
by Milica G. Radaković, Bojan Gavrilović, Milivoj B. Gavrilov, Rastko S. Marković, Qingzhen Hao, Randall J. Schaetzl, Christian Zeeden, Binggui Cai, Zoran M. Perić, Aleksandar Antić, Tin Lukić and Slobodan B. Marković
Quaternary 2024, 7(2), 28; https://doi.org/10.3390/quat7020028 - 14 Jun 2024
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 3383
Abstract
We present data on molluscan fauna within the L3 loess unit (and partially within the S3 paleosol) from the key loess section of Veliki Surduk in Serbia. The section correlates to Marine Isotope Stage (MIS) 8 and late MIS 9 and, thus, spans [...] Read more.
We present data on molluscan fauna within the L3 loess unit (and partially within the S3 paleosol) from the key loess section of Veliki Surduk in Serbia. The section correlates to Marine Isotope Stage (MIS) 8 and late MIS 9 and, thus, spans the time frame from ~350 to 250 ka. The Veliki Surduk loess–paleosol sequence (LPS) is located on the northwestern margin of the Titel loess plateau and comprises ~30 m of sediments. Our focus is on a 5.4 m thick sedimentary interval, which was sampled at 20 cm increments, each sample covering approximately 2 ky. Nine mollusk species were identified in the loess sequence: Granaria frumentum, Helicopsis striata, Pupilla triplicata, Chondrula tridens, Pupilla muscorum, Succinella oblonga, Punctum pygmaeum, Vallonia costata, and Vitrina pellucida, as well as a few unidentified slug taxa (Limacidae, Agriolimacidae, and Milacidae). The majority of the snail assemblage occurs at the transition between MIS 9 and MIS 8, suggesting a mostly dry climate and an open and steppe-like habitat. The fauna identified in the upper part of the paleosol layer S3, below the L3 unit, indicated aridification. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Environmental Changes and Their Significance for Sustainability)
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