Earth and Environmental Sciences

This study compares three seasonal storage pathways for 44 public buildings with shared rooftop PV in Drammen, Norway. The buildings face a strong mismatch between summer PV surplus and winter heating demand. The three pathways are borehole thermal energy storage (BTES), aquifer thermal energy storage (ATES), and a power-to‑hydrogen-to-power chain. We use measured hourly data from March 2020 to February 2021. Each pathway absorbs the summer PV surplus, stores it across the season, and returns it during the heating period. BTES injects 10,208 MWh of thermal energy into the ground and recovers 5339 MWh in winter. The seasonal recovery efficiency is close to 52%. ATES at a baseline groundwater velocity of 0.15 m per day recovers 6229 MWh from the same input and reaches 61%, the highest of the three. The hydrogen chain recovers 1452 MWh of electricity from 4455 MWh of summer surplus, giving a round-trip efficiency near 33%. ATES recovery depends strongly on local hydrogeology. Across a sweep of groundwater velocities from 0.02 to 0.30 m per day, recovery ranges from 71% down to 50%. At velocities above 0.25 m per day ATES drops below BTES. Under high‑carbon grid conditions, annual avoided emissions reach up to about 85 t CO₂ per building for BTES and 110 t per building for ATES. The hydrogen chain has the highest annualised cost. Per kWh of electricity delivered it is roughly fifteen times that of BTES. BTES remains the robust thermal option when aquifer conditions are unfavourable, while ATES is preferable where hydrogeology permits.

Abstract Extreme climatic events are increasing in frequency and intensity in the sub-arctic, a rapidly warming region crucial to global carbon–climate feedbacks. Ecosystem carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) fluxes can be greatly impacted by extreme events through both immediate and long-term legacy effects. As event intervals shorten, new extremes may coincide with incomplete recovery from previous ones; yet the consequences of multiple events remain poorly understood. We examined the recovery of tundra CO 2 fluxes relative to untreated controls following extreme drought, winter freezing, and their combination. Mesocosms from two major sub-arctic ecosystem types, Sphagnum peatland and tundra heath, were subjected to a seven-week summer precipitation exclusion (2022) and subsequent winter freezing (− 20 °C for two weeks). During summer 2023, drought recovery differed markedly between ecosystem types: Sphagnum peatland had stronger gross primary productivity (GPP) recovery than tundra heath (63 and 41%, respectively). Winter freezing had a similar legacy in both ecosystems (40 and 48% recovery in peatland and tundra heath, respectively). The combined effect of drought and freezing suppressed recovery to the lowest levels (29% in peatland and 19% in tundra heath) but did not differ statistically from freezing alone. In contrast with GPP, ecosystem respiration recovered more strongly (53–69%) across ecosystems and treatments. Importantly, this delayed recovery shifted the summertime net ecosystem exchange toward CO 2 sources (− 0.2 to − 0.3 μmol m −2 s −1 in peatland and − 0.3 to − 0.7 μmol m −2 s −1 in tundra heath), while the controls remained a sink (0.5 and 0.3 μmol m −2 s −1 , respectively). The combined effect of drought and freezing caused extensive shoot mortality of the dominant dwarf shrub Empetrum hermaphroditum (63% in peatland and 91% in tundra heath). Overall, our results reveal substantial and persistent legacy effects of (multiple) extreme events, potentially amplifying carbon–climate feedbacks.

Understanding how climate change affects the distribution and productivity of key grassland plant functional groups (PFGs) is crucial for predicting ecosystem dynamics and informing adaptive management strategies to ensure ecological security and sustainable pastoral development. Here, we combined species distribution data with environmental variables (climate, soil, and topography) to model the current and future (2050s, 2070s) potential suitable habitats for three major PFGs of legumes, graminoids, and forbs in Xinjiang under three climate scenarios (SSP126, SSP245, SSP585). We applied the MaxEnt model for habitat suitability modeling and integrated the Random Forest model to estimate forage yield within suitable areas. Our main findings are: (1) The MaxEnt model exhibited high predictive accuracy (AUC > 0.85), ensuring robust projections. (2) The dominant environmental factors influencing distribution varied among PFGs: soil type and precipitation of the coldest quarter for legumes; annual precipitation for graminoids; and precipitation of the driest month for forbs. Under current climate conditions, graminoids possessed the largest suitable habitat area (82.61 × 10 4 km 2 ), while forbs had the smallest (73.64 × 10 4 km 2 ). (3) Future climate scenarios project divergent responses. Legumes are projected to expand northeastward into the Tarim Basin, Altay region, and Turpan Basin, increasing their suitable area by 69.53%. Conversely, graminoids are projected to contract in the Tarim Basin, losing 20.03 × 10 4 km 2 of suitable habitat. Forbs show a mixed response, contracting in the Tarim Basin but expanding in the Kunlun Mountains, with their total suitable area initially decreasing before increasing, exhibiting an overall southwestward shift. Estimated forage yields generally increased with expanding suitable habitat area, with legumes showing the highest productivity. Our findings reveal distinct responses of different PFGs to future climate change. Projected alterations in temperature and precipitation patterns are likely to drive significant changes in the structure of suitable habitats and their productivity. This study provides a scientific basis for developing strategies for sustainable grassland utilization, restoration of degraded grasslands, and managing grass-livestock balance in Xinjiang.

The rapid expansion of photovoltaic (PV) power plants into grassland ecosystems necessitates a deeper understanding of their ecological impacts, particularly on the sensitive alpine meadows of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. This study investigates the effects of PV panels on plant community structure, functional traits, and niche characteristics by comparing sites beneath PV panels with natural control plots (CK). Our results demonstrate that phenotypic plasticity is a critical driver of community reassembly under PV panels. The PV-induced alteration of the microenvironment (reduced light availability, temperature buffering, and altered soil moisture and pH) triggered a pronounced shift in species dominance. Crucially, this community-level shift was underpinned by species-specific differences in adaptive capacity. Specifically, we identified two distinct response patterns among species: (1) highly plastic species exhibited adjustments in key functional traits, resulting in expanded niche breadth and increased niche overlap, which facilitated their establishment or persistence as dominants; conversely, (2) species with low plasticity experienced niche contraction and a decline in competitive status. By elucidating the intrinsic mechanisms of alpine meadow community reassembly under PV disturbance from the perspective of phenotypic plasticity, this study provides new insights into species coexistence in PV-modified environments, offering practical guidance for ecological management and vegetation restoration in high-altitude regions.

Diatom indicators are widely used in river bioassessment; however, their operational value can be obscured when stress-gradient response, rainfall response, and external transferability are treated as equivalent properties. We evaluated recalculated benthic diatom indicators in Korean monsoonal rivers using a fixed raw or near-raw analytical core comprising a long-term community-environment dataset (3576 samples, 587 taxa), Geum 2015 calibration data (119 sites), independent Geum 2023 validation data (80 sites), paired pre–post rainfall records (1788 comparisons), and taxonomic/trait references. Circular reuse was avoided by excluding precomputed score sheets and review-based summaries. Hellinger ordination showed that assemblage structure was primarily associated with gradients of phosphorus enrichment, conductivity, organic pollution, turbidity, and substrate/burial. The recalculated trophic diatom index (TDI)-type metric (rTDI) and motile, saprophilous, and saproxenous taxa were more environmentally reliable than richness or Shannon diversity. Reverified rainfall analyses showed that source-record TDI decreased after rainfall, whereas recalculated rTDI increased; trait/guild pre–post effects were generally minor. External validation indicated that reliability and transferability were distinct properties. Motile taxa retained the strongest cross-dataset consistency and predictive contribution, whereas rTDI and organic-pollution affinity/sensitivity metrics remained conditionally transferable. This framework distinguishes among chronic gradient response, rainfall-associated biofilm reorganization, and validation-informed indicator use, thereby supporting more cautious interpretation of diatom metrics in monsoonal river biomonitoring.

Abstract This study analyzes seasonal land surface temperature (LST) patterns in the historic urban heritage area of São João del-Rei, Brazil, using satellite remote sensing and machine-learning-based spatial downscaling. Landsat 8/9 thermal imagery and Sentinel-2-derived spectral indices were processed for January (wet summer) and July (dry winter) over the 2019–2025 period. Landsat-derived LST composites at 30 m were spatially refined to 10 m using a CatBoost Regressor trained with Sentinel-2 spectral predictors, including NDVI, NDWI, NDBI, albedo, and dSAVI. The resulting maps should be interpreted as model-derived downscaled LST surfaces, not as direct street-scale thermal observations. The results indicate clear seasonal differences in the spectral controls associated with LST variability. In January, vegetation- and moisture-related indices showed greater relative importance, suggesting a greater role of vegetation- and moisture-related surface conditions under wet-summer conditions. In July, the built-up index (NDBI) showed greater relevance in the predictor-removal analysis, indicating that impervious and built surfaces became more important for explaining winter LST contrasts within the adopted model. Spatial patterns in the model-derived downscaled LST maps suggest lower estimated surface temperatures near vegetated areas, water bodies, and some compact street segments, while more open and impervious spaces showed higher estimated surface temperatures. These patterns are interpreted in relation to the known morphology and material characteristics of the protected historic fabric, but they do not constitute direct evidence of thermal inertia, urban canyon effects, or pedestrian thermal comfort. The study provides an exploratory and reproducible framework for assessing seasonal surface thermal patterns in historic urban centers and discusses their potential relevance for heritage-sensitive climate adaptation planning.

The long-term viability of much of the current investment in nature restoration and protection as ‘nature-based solutions’ (NbS) to a host of societal challenges hinges on assumptions and hope that people will see value in often latent or indirectly ‘beneficial’ functions. However, we contend that for NbS to truly make sense to people — and to engage communities more actively in long-term maintenance — NbS need to be activated and imbued with meanings and practices more directly connected to contemporary and traditional life frames and habits. Once socio-culturally activated, continued care and biocultural management practices may help fill the still problematic gap in terms of long-term maintenance of NbS. Adopted and adapted biocultural practices, especially as they pertain to Indigenous perspectives and local ecological knowledge, may help tackle this dual challenge and make the current push for urban NbS deliver an infrastructure embedded in traditions and practices that invite stewardship and meaningful engagement, as well as support processes of recovery and restoration.

This paper shows how insights from normative political theory can advance debates about how biodiversity economics addresses values and preferences. It suggests that policymakers must be prepared to be morally discriminating when using existing values and preferences to guide biodiversity conservation. The Values Assessment suggests that the values and preferences of the least advantaged might need to be weighted more heavily, to ensure that conservation outcomes are just. This paper shows that we must go further than this. Rather than weighting them more heavily, policymakers must prioritise them over competing values and preferences. They must also refuse to give any weight to values and preferences that are clearly incompatible with justice. Doing so moves biodiversity conservation closer to wider projects of social and global justice.

Seagrass meadows sustain biodiversity, fisheries, and human well-being, yet remain undervalued and often overlooked in marine governance. This review examines the central role of Indigenous Peoples’ stewardship in maintaining and restoring seagrass ecosystems, grounded in relational worldviews that recognize humans, seagrass, and associated marine life as kin. Drawing on scientific literature, Indigenous scholarship, and evidence derived from community-led monitoring and restoration plans, we bring together a wide spectrum of stewardship practices that have long supported seagrass health. These include sustainable harvesting protocols, place-based taboos, sacred sites, seasonal closures, protection of large grazers, and ongoing Indigenous-led initiatives in cultural mapping, monitoring, and restoration. With examples from Australia and North America, we highlight revitalization initiatives that weave Indigenous knowledge with Western scientific methods, delivering positive ecological outcomes while restoring cultural relationships disrupted by colonial and postcolonial processes and accelerating environmental change. We argue that realizing just and resilient seagrass futures requires transformative change in ocean governance: legal recognition of Indigenous marine tenure, sustained support for Indigenous-led stewardship, and Indigenous law and knowledge in marine decision-making. Embedding Indigenous models of care grounded in reciprocity and kinship offers pathways that sustain both seagrass ecosystems and the cultures that steward them.

Wild Food Plants (WFPs) are edible species that grow without cultivation in forests, grasslands, field margins, and other natural and semi-natural spaces. They play a central role in the traditional food systems of Indigenous Peoples and local communities (IP&LCs) and have significant nutritional and nutraceutical value. Despite the importance of Indigenous knowledge and local practices in the stewardship of WFPs, IP&LCs have largely been under-represented in institutional structures and policies pertaining to their governance. Dominant policy agreements, tools, and guidance (e.g. International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture) have historically valorized WFPs for their commercial potential as sources of plant genetic traits for crop improvement, and protection activities have focused primarily on the collection and ex-situ storage of plant germplasm in gene banks, often located far from Indigenous territory where these species originate. As commercial interest in WFPs continues to grow, IP&LC rights, knowledge, and governance risk are being marginalized. This paper reviews the role of IP&LCs in the conservation and management of WFPs and proposes a framework to integrate their knowledge, stewardship practices, and governance into decision-making processes.

Caribbean critical literature has drawn attention to how climate change and adaptation framings are shaped by colonial legacies and contemporary global dependencies, yet less attention has been paid to how adaptation ideas take shape within national sociopolitical dynamics. Using the analytical lens of imaginaries and Barbados as a case study, this article examines how adaptation meanings are constructed. Drawing on analysis of key policy documents and interviews with policymakers, the study identifies three dominant imaginaries. Together, these imaginaries legitimize a national adaptation approach that prioritizes green–blue economic transformation, hard engineering solutions, and expanded financial access, not simply as responses to climate risk, but as pathways to pursue prosperity, preserve cultural identity and security, and reclaim perceived fairness and justice. These meanings, what is viewed as normal, desirable, and possible, are co-produced through the interaction of local histories and identities with globally circulating narratives of development, vulnerability, and justice. The article argues that greater attention to these ideological foundations is essential to explain why certain practices persist and to identify the assumptions that must be be challenged to enable transformative change. By making these imaginaries visible, it encourages reflexivity and supports more inclusive and transformative climate futures.

This viewpoint conceptualizes “climate unemployment” as a critical lens for interrogating the uneven socio-political landscapes produced by climate change. Moving beyond technocratic narratives of job loss and green reskilling, the term designates a multi-layered regime of exclusion shaped by intersecting inequalities of class, gender, (im)mobility, and epistemic legitimacy. It draws attention to the invisibilized labour losses of those who cannot migrate, operate in informal economies, or engage in alternative, non-commodified modes of subsistence. Rather than framing climate-induced unemployment as a transitional problem, this viewpoint positions it as a site of structural dispossession. Through examples from Türkiye’s disaster-prone and climate-vulnerable regions, the concept is grounded in the lived experiences of marginality and resistance. In so doing, it calls for reframing employment within climate discourse—not merely as a site of economic intervention but as a terrain of structural justice.

Citizens play an integral role in urban management by fostering inclusive, participatory, and sustainable governance processes. While numerous participatory processes have been implemented to regenerate urban areas, particularly with an eye towards the sustainable goals set by the United Nations, municipal administrations face a persistent challenge in maintaining active resident engagement. This raises critical questions regarding how to determine the engagement of our residents, or the real extension of that engagement. This paper addresses this gap by operationalizing the concept of citizen engagement through the development and longitudinal validation of a Structured Methodological Framework. Moving beyond the concept of a standalone tool, this framework is a comprehensive system designed with dual utility: researchers can use it analytically to systematically measure and track engagement patterns over time, while practitioners and urban managers can use it diagnostically to assess community baselines and strategically select corresponding Human-Centered Design (HCD) interventions. Embedded within a mixed-methods Participatory Action Research (PAR) approach, the study unfolds in four cycles: (1) prioritizing 36 literature-derived engagement factors through expert consultation ( N = 20); (2) developing and validating a quantitative diagnostic survey with residents ( N = 160); (3) structurally mapping specific HCD tools to address the prioritized factors; and (4) qualitatively validating the framework through a three-year longitudinal single case study in an urban regeneration project. The results demonstrate that treating engagement not as a static metric, but as an actionable, structured framework, effectively bridges the gap between theoretical citizen participation and practical urban management.

Cities are both major contributors to climate change and highly vulnerable to its impacts. The past two decades have seen a growing body of research on the conditions that influence city-level climate action; however, few literature reviews systematically distinguish between mitigation and adaptation or include low- and middle-income contexts (LMICs). This study addresses these gaps through a systematic review of 150 peer-reviewed studies published between 2003 and 2023, conducted in line with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) 2020 protocol. The review synthesizes evidence across high-income and LMIC contexts and four domains—vertical governance, horizontal governance, internal governance, and contextual conditions. It systematically distinguishes between mitigation and adaptation and examines pathways of city-level climate action. For mitigation, city action may emerge where external incentives intersect with local champions, suggesting either a norms-driven or an incentive-driven pathway. For adaptation, two additional pathways may be observed: a risk-driven pathway, following extreme events that open policy windows, and a mandate-driven pathway, where higher-level planning requirements prompt action in the absence of local shocks. In LMICs, the combination of centralized governance and limited vertical support may lead to donor-led or co-benefits-driven pathways. Beyond mapping conditions, this review therefore advances an integrated framework and configurational understanding that situates urban climate action at the intersection of governance and context, while identifying conceptual and empirical gaps in the literature. • Reviews 150 studies (2003−2023) on conditions influencing city-level climate action • Categorizes vertical, horizontal, and internal governance and contextual conditions • For mitigation, norms and incentives dominate, for adaptation, mandates and risks • Donor-led and co-benefits pathways may arise in LMIC contexts • Identifies conceptual ambiguity, planning bias, and lack of LMIC evidence