Environmental Security of the European Cross-Border Energy Supply Infrastructure

The current volume provides examples of how environmental hazards such as landslides, earthquakes, mountain processes, cold climate processes and tidal flows and currents can affect the energy supply infrastructure. In times of uncertainty, the security of the European cross-border energy supply infrastructure, such as pipelines, has great importance. Whilst the potential effects of political disagreement, economic inequalities and social differences are relatively well understood, the impact of environmental change is often poorly appreciated by decision-makers. New approaches have been examined for monitoring of hazardous landslide processes, including early warning systems, and near-real-time 3D data processing and visualization. The scientific problems of environmental systems design have been discussed and approaches for their implementation have been suggested. New integrated remote sensing techniques consisting mainly of hyperspectral and radar imagery are presented together with the processing of monitoring data using GIS techniques and, in particular, dynamic visualization. Attention is also given to conceptual issues of environmental and energy security and the role of education, to help resolve environmental problems through cooperation in the development of the European energy supply infrastructure.

Preface.- Environmental security issues associated with submerged cross-border pipelines (a case study of the Blue Stream gas pipeline); V.I. Osipov.- Using geological data to identify some environmental problems associated with existing pipelines and other linear structures; M.G. Culshaw et al.- Modern remote sensing techniques for monitoring pipeline displacements in relation to landslides and other slope mass movements; M. Jemec et al.- A review of Central Asian trans-border issues associated with environmental problems and hazard mitigation; N.G. Mavlyanova et al.- Cross-boundary oil and gas pipelines in Turkey: potential risks from geohazards; N.M. Yalçin.- Infrastructure in geohazard contexts: the importance of automatic and near-real-time monitoring; G. Lollino et al.- General problems of environmental monitoring system design for environmental security of European energy supply infrastructure; A.S. Victorov.- Towards a new generation of techniques for the environmental  management of maritime activities; T. Soomere et al.- Geo-environmental aspects of European underground infrastructure; E.F.J. De Mulder et al.-Environmental and Energy Security: conceptual evolution and potential applications to European cross-boundary energy supply infrastructure; H.G. Brauch.- 'Synoriology' - a new science controlling environment/energy/security complex systems; F. Papadimitriou.- Transborder energy supply problems - Bulgaria case study; P.S. Gramatikov.- Glaciation and thermokarst phenomena and natural disasters in the mountains of north-west Inner Asia; K.V. Chistyakov, D.A. Ganushkin.- Assessment of horizontal displacements in a large landslide in the  eastern Rhodope mountains (south Bulgaria) using remote sensing; A. Gikov.- Geodata for seismic hazard assessments; F.H. Karimov.- Some environmental problems between Albania and Montenegro and the effects on the local population; A. Axhemi, S. Axhemi.