Abstract
Water cycle, natural and anthropogenic effects
Understanding the processes that influence the quality and quantity of water is essential, as this compound has played a decisive role in the formation and development of terrestrial life. The main aim of our research group is to provide adequate answers to the scientific and technical questions and aspects of water related problems. Thus, our research touches nearly every segment of the natural sciences, exploiting the technology development portfolio of the technical sciences, and looking at other important aspects of water as a complex system. Water plays a central role in the deeper layers of soil from the atmosphere through surface waters, but it is equally important to understand the physical, biochemical, and chemical processes that occur in aqueous systems at a microscopic level. Through the dissolution of several compounds in atmospheric processes, through the leaching and dissolution of solid impurities, we wish to understand their direct effect on changing weather phenomena. From the atmosphere, water gets into the soil in the form of rainfall, influencing the state of the immediate environment and, indirectly or directly the quality of surface and groundwater. The quantity and quality of precipitation strongly affect the wildlife of low-flow rivers, which can have a significant impact on the local ecosystem. The release of some of the water from the soil into the atmosphere is a process closely related to the carbon uptake and oxygen release of plant leaves, which naturally contributes to the reduction of atmospheric carbon dioxide.
Decreasing the water content of the soil limits the yield of the above processes and reduces the bioproduction of plants. The suboptimal water supply of the plants increases the stress of the plant due to other adverse environmental effects. Water analysis tasks closely related to the above research include the measurement of xenobiotics, free radicals and antioxidants released into the waters, as well as their chemical transformation. To understand these processes at the microscopic level, it is essential to discover the mechanism of known chemical reactions by means of reaction kinetics, which also includes the mathematical modeling required for quantitative description. Changes in the quantity and quality of precipitation have a significant impact not only on the flora but also on the fauna. An important element of our research is the research of a complex building water management system adapted to the domestic climatic conditions. This is directly linked to many elements of integrated water and green space management and the energy sector (wastewater treatment, rainwater drainage and recovery). The research requires multidisciplinary problem-solving, which involves the cooperation of 90 researchers of the Faculty of Sciences, Pharmacy, Engineering and Informatics, and Medical School and the coordination of 15 thematic projects.
Hungary