Applied Geophysical Challenges for Environmental Engineering in the Baltic Sea Region

WSEAS Transactions on Environment and Development 2025
Juris Burlakovs, Mārtiņš Vilnītis, Māris Krievāns, Zane Vincēviča-Gaile, Yahya Jani

Landfills and dumps mark the end of a product’s life cycle but often contain valuable secondary raw materials, posing both environmental risks and untapped resource potential. This study highlights the use of near-surface geophysical methods to map and characterize buried waste without excavation. These methods, including active/passive and invasive/non-destructive techniques, can explore depths from decimeters to tens of meters and are applied via both static setups and mobile platforms. Case studies performed in Latvia and Sweden demonstrate the effectiveness of geophysical surveys applying specifically proton magnetometry, induced polarization, and electrical resistivity in identifying hidden dumpsites and analyzing their contents. These techniques help assess the physical properties of buried waste materials, offering spatial insights into waste distribution and site structure. The findings underscore the role of geophysics in locating secondary raw materials and support advanced landfill mining strategies, contributing to environmental management and resource recovery.

Keywords
Abandoned dumpsites | Geophysical methods | Environmental assessment | Hidden waste | Landfill mining | Secondary raw materials | Subsurface mapping | Waste characterization
DOI
10.37394/232015.2025.21.89
Hyperlink
https://wseas.com/journals/articles.php?id=10945

Burlakovs, J., Vilnītis, M., Krievāns, M., Vincēviča-Gaile, Z., Jani, Y. Applied Geophysical Challenges for Environmental Engineering in the Baltic Sea Region. WSEAS Transactions on Environment and Development, 2025, Vol. 21, pp. 1082-1088. ISSN 1790-5079. e-ISSN 2224-3496. Available from: doi:10.37394/232015.2025.21.89

Publication language
English (en)