Earth and Environmental Sciences

Coastal blue-carbon burial is vulnerable to climate change, yet marine hydrodynamic effects remain poorly quantified. Here we estimate hydrodynamic effects on carbon accumulation rate (CAR), by integrating global observations across mangroves, marshes and seagrasses with multiple drivers. Across all ecosystems, hydrodynamics explains 11.8-16.2% of CAR variability, whereas within individual ecosystems it explains 14.5-31.4%, 13.2-13.9% and 14.7-17.7% in mangroves, marshes and seagrasses, respectively. Limited tidal ranges leave low-CAR, inundation-tolerant seagrasses more common, whereas larger tidal ranges support broader intertidal habitats for high-CAR mangroves and marshes. Wave forcing shows contrasting relationships with CAR: positive in mangroves and seagrasses, potentially linked to organic matter inputs, but negative in marshes, likely reflecting lateral export. As sea-level rise accelerates and storms intensify, carbon-release risks may become heterogeneous, with marshes most vulnerable and mangroves and seagrasses more conditional and regionally uncertain. These findings provide a hydrodynamic framework for predicting future carbon dynamics.

The graphitization of diamond is of significant interest for nanodiamond synthesis from laser-shocked hydrocarbons, for its use as a detector material, and for the application in diamond anvil cells. The transition can be triggered either locally through sufficiently rapid energy deposition, or thermally at temperatures above 1800 K. We report on an experiment in which a heavy-ion beam was used to volumetrically heat monocrystalline diamond, investigating the intermediate regime between these two competing mechanisms. Our sample is probed using x-ray radiation generated from a laser-driven titanium plasma. The ratio of elastic to inelastic scattering in backward direction allows for measuring the samples' bulk temperature. We observe good agreement between the x-ray based technique and stopping power simulations up to ∼ 2000 K. When increasing the heating further by fully stopping the ions in the target, we reach conditions where graphitization is predicted to occur. In this regime, elastic x-ray scattering is notably stronger than expected for pristine, heated diamond. Simultaneous x-ray diffraction measurements show a modification of the previously sharp diamond peaks in this range, which is also accompanied by changes in the optical properties of the sample. A thermally induced transition to graphite provides the most plausible explanation of the observations.

Hyperodapedontine rhynchosaurs, a group of specialized herbivorous archosauromorphs, are restricted to the Late Triassic Lower Maleri Formation of the Pranhita-Godavari (P-G) basin, India and their remains are found mostly within the thick red mudstone unit, calcirudite and mixed mud-sand lithologies. A good number of specimens (~ 210) of these rhynchosaurs, belonging to a minimum of 30 individuals, had been collected historically since 1960s, dominantly from six key accumulation sites near Kothapalle, Bheemini, Narlapuram, Venkatapur, Achlapur and Rampur, Telangana, India. Classical taphonomic studies on these specimens indicated highly fragmentary, transported, weathered and altered bones. This implied significant effects of high energy fluvial transportation on the bones, punctuated by episodes of long subaerial exposures in floodplains. Here, multivariate and spatial statistics have been employed to objectively infer a compact taphonomic framework, conduct a robust taphofacies analysis and precisely reconstruct the palaeoenvironment for the entire rhynchosaur assemblage of the Lower Maleri Formation, P-G basin. Five taphofacies and three taphofacies-lithofacies association (TL1, TL2, TL3) are derived from the combined analyses. TL1 is the dominant association, with a mix of articulated and weathered remains preserved within intercalated parallel-laminated and massive sandstone, indicating considerable transport followed by rapid burial, accompanying the waning of high-energy pulses. TL2 is characterized by fragmented and abraded bones preserved in a finely laminated and stratified mudstone, with occasionally articulated elements, indicating deposition from waning floodwaters in abandoned channel settings. TL3 represents the inter-flood stability phase, where prolonged subaqueous exposure and low sedimentation rates facilitated biological encrustation and early cementation.

Subterranean ecosystems host highly specialized and often cryptic biodiversity, yet even intensively studied landscapes may conceal deeply divergent vertebrate lineages. Here we describe Demogorgonichthys arcanus gen. et sp. nov., a new genus and species of cave-obligate fish discovered in Bobcat Cave, a long-monitored karst system on Redstone Arsenal in northern Alabama, USA. Phylogenetic analyses based on mitochondrial nd2, complete mitochondrial genomes, and the nuclear gene rhodopsin place D. arcanus within Amblyopsidae but reveal deep divergence from all described genera, including extensive lineage-specific degeneration of a vision-related gene. Notably, D. arcanus occurs in syntopy with the Southern Cavefish (Typhlichthys subterraneus) despite lacking a close phylogenetic relationship, providing evidence for multiple independent evolutionary origins of cave adaptation within a single groundwater system. This discovery highlights persistent detection bias in groundwater ecosystems and demonstrates that cryptic vertebrate diversity can persist even in well-characterized environments. Extreme endemism and restriction to a single cave-aquifer system further underscore the vulnerability of subterranean biodiversity and the importance of integrating evolutionary and conservation perspectives.

Dynamics associated with the expanding Hadley Circulation (HC) are gaining attention owing to their far-reaching consequences on tropical and subtropical weather and climate. In the present communication, the co-variability of ascending and descending regions of the HC at regional scales is investigated. The results from four decades of ERA-5 reanalysis emphatically show that the ascending and descending regions of the HC move in tandem with profound zonal asymmetry in their degree of co-variability, and their long-term trends show similar signs with notable differences in magnitude. In more than half of the longitudinal sectors, the relative movement between the ascending and descending boundaries of each hemisphere is in unison. At this juncture, where there are debates on the causative mechanism for the observed expansion of HC as well as their zonal asymmetries, the present results provide new insights into the regional HC dynamics by emphasizing the coherent variations of ascending and descending regions of the HC at regional scales for the first time. The results discussed in the study will be useful for identifying differences in the regional forcing of HC expansion and for quantifying the regional expansion rates of both ascending and descending regions of the HC.

Rapid globalization and urbanization have accelerated land use change, challenging ecological sustainability and spatial balance in traditional heavy-industry cities. This study develops a transferable, multi-scale framework integrating land use suitability assessment with scenario-based spatial optimization, demonstrated in Taiyuan, China. We construct a natural and socio-economic indicator system using AHP-CRITIC hybrid weighting, the efficacy coefficient method, and a multi-factor overlay model at county and grid scales, and apply a geographical detector to identify dominant drivers and their interactions. Crucially, we employ the Future Land Use Simulation (FLUS) model to predict and optimize land use patterns under four 2029 scenarios-farmland protection, ecological conservation, green low‑carbon, and integrated development-parameterized by suitability surfaces and driver constraints and calibrated with 2011-2023 transitions. Results show agricultural and built-up land suitability peaks in the east, while ecological land suitability is higher in the north and west. Key drivers vary by land type-distance to water sources for agricultural land, slope for built-up land, and elevation for ecological land-with interaction effects exceeding single-factor influences. Land use transitions (2011-2023) reveal continuous grassland loss, expansion of other land categories, and small but directional centroid shifts. The integrated scenario achieves the most balanced outcome between ecological protection and urban growth. Policy recommendations include strengthening spatial control over built-up land, safeguarding cultivated land security, restoring sensitive ecosystems, and promoting green, resource-efficient urban transformation. The framework is replicable for improving land resource efficiency, guiding spatial restructuring, and advancing sustainable spatial governance in industrial cities globally.

Microbial communities are central to aquatic ecosystem functioning, yet integrated cross-domain comparisons of prokaryotic and microeukaryotic microbiomes remain underexplored in tropical regions, particularly in Bangladesh. Here, we investigated habitat-associated differences in microbial community structure across freshwater and marine ecosystems of the Bangladesh tropical delta using 16S and 18S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing and assessed inferred functional potential for prokaryotic communities. Six freshwater and ten seawater samples were analyzed, comprising eight newly generated datasets (six freshwater and two seawater) and eight previously published seawater datasets. Prokaryotic communities exhibited significantly higher alpha diversity in freshwater, whereas microeukaryotic diversity showed no significant habitat-associated differences after correction, despite a weak freshwater enrichment trend. Beta diversity revealed clear compositional separation between habitats for both domains, with prokaryotes exhibiting centroid shifts and microeukaryotes showing greater within-group dispersion. Taxonomic profiles showed seawater dominance by Gammaproteobacteria and Alphaproteobacteria, whereas freshwater communities were more evenly distributed across Bacteroidota, Actinomycetota, and Verrucomicrobiota. Microeukaryotic assemblages also displayed pronounced habitat-associated restructuring. Functional inference of prokaryotic communities indicated conservation of core pathways across habitats despite taxonomic turnover. Exploratory cross-domain correlation analysis identified mixed positive and negative associations, although none remained significant after multiple-testing correction. Collectively, these findings reveal consistent habitat-associated microbial differentiation across tropical freshwater and marine ecosystems and provide a comparative baseline for understanding cross-domain microbial biogeography in climate-sensitive aquatic environments.

Physicochemical soil parameters drive biogeochemical processes by controlling microbial activity and the mobility, solubility, and bioavailability of organic and inorganic matter. Because these properties vary with depth, depth-resolved electrochemical tools are needed, yet existing systems are often limited in travel range, automation, cost, or flexibility. Here, we present a custom-built Soil Electrochemical Profiling System (SEPS) for water-saturated soils and other conductive porous media. Built from off-the-shelf components, the custom manipulator hardware can be assembled for less than $200, provides up to 27 cm vertical travel, and operates with a minimum mechanical step interval of 25 μm. SEPS integrates with a potentiostat to perform open-circuit-potential-based redox profiling, cyclic voltammetry, and chronoamperometry. We tested the system using ferricyanide/ferrocyanide standards and hydrogel diffusion experiments. We then demonstrated proof-of-concept applications in homogenized, water-saturated soil mesocosms, where SEPS resolved time- and depth-dependent redox changes and voltammetric responses. In addition, a polarized carbon-tip electrode supported long-term biofilm enrichment and subsequent depth-resolved chronoamperometric measurements. SEPS provides a practical, low-cost platform for electrochemical profiling in saturated soils, hydrogels, sediments, and related porous media.

This study aimed to delineate multi-species corridors across the KAZA landscape to be included in land use planning and identify which wildlife dispersal areas (WDA) are most critical for seven key mammal species across KAZA. For each species, we modelled habitat suitability across KAZA using ~ 48,000 occurrence points, from both camera trap and spoor surveys. Data from different sources were individually analysed, combined in an ensemble model and final outputs overlayed to form a multi-species layer, with which we assessed connectivity identifying core areas (KDE), corridors (LCP) and functional habitat in KAZA. The central KAZA region, from the Okavango Delta and Chobe National Park to Hwange National Park, supports the most extensive, well-connected core habitat for multiple species. Connectivity weakens toward the Sebungwe region, Angola, Namibia, and Kafue due to major rivers, veterinary fences, and growing human settlement/development. However, substantial highly suitable habitat occurs outside protected areas, with some WDAs playing disproportionately important roles in sustaining species' connectivity. No single species serves as an umbrella for others when identifying critical corridors, making multi-species analyses essential for comprehensive conservation planning. Protecting corridors and core areas across KAZA depends largely on land uses outside protected areas, underscoring the need to integrate multi-species corridors into land-use planning and to promote coexistence between people and wildlife.

The Yalong and Dadu River basins (Yangtze headwaters) serve as critical "water towers" for ecosystems and strategic diversions. However, climate warming may decouple atmospheric inputs from hydrological responses, exposing the limitations of traditional runoff-centric assessments that overlook terrestrial water storage dynamics. To address this gap, this study develops a probability-based diagnostic framework integrating the SWAT model with a novel Water Balance Resilience Index (WBRI) to evaluate basin health evolution (1961-2018). Annual water storage change was quantified via the hydrological water balance, standardized into a Normalized Storage Index (NSI), and transformed into the WBRI by fitting probability distributions to absolute anomaly magnitudes and mapping them to hydrological return periods on a continuous 0-1 health scale. Results reveal a significant non-linear divergence: while precipitation and evapotranspiration in the Dadu basin declined markedly, runoff remained relatively stable. This stability may be associated with cryospheric and storage-related buffering, which partly compensates for precipitation deficits through enhanced cryospheric contributions and reduced evapotranspiration under water-limited conditions. Phase-space diagnosis identified a recurring flux-state decoupling pattern, with the "High Flux-Low State" anomaly occurring at comparable frequencies in the Source Region and Sink group (both 19.8%) and varying across subbasins from 13.8% to 22.4%. This suggests that stable discharge may exert a "masking effect," concealing potential depletion of terrestrial water storage and legacy cryospheric reserves. Furthermore, the WBRI indicates that since 2010, both basins have tended toward a more vulnerable or tighter water-balance state, with reduced resilience to hydro-climatic variability. These findings support a flux-state collaborative monitoring framework. For the West Route Diversion Project, a hierarchical "Mainstem Control + Tributary Quotas" mode is suggested, in which transferable water limits consider storage-state indicators rather than runoff abundance alone. This may help reduce long-term storage-depletion risk and support alpine ecosystem sustainability.

Environmental and human health concerns have been increasing due to rising levels of heavy metal pollutants. In this study, an adsorptive treatment method based on the use of nickel cobalt ferrite nano-adsorbent was proposed for the removal of copper ions from domestic wastewater. An unsophisticated, quick and economic process was used to synthesize the nickel cobalt ferrite (Ni 0.5 Co 0.5 Fe 2 O 4; NiCoFe) nano-adsorbent, which was then characterized using XRD and SEM methods. Characterization results revealed that the synthesized nano-adsorbent exhibits a spherical porous structure consistent with literature data and demonstrates high phase purity. A univariate approach was used to optimize several parameters, including pH, buffer solution volume, adsorbent dosage, and mixing period, to achieve high adsorption outputs. The nickel–cobalt ferrite nano-adsorbent was subjected to a regeneration process to evaluate its reusability. Although a decrease in removal efficiency was observed by the third cycle, it was determined that the nano-adsorbent still exhibited distinct magnetic properties. The feasibility of the approach developed for Cu(II) removal was investigated through equilibrium adsorption studies conducted on domestic wastewater samples. As a result of the analytical performance evaluation of the FAAS system, the LOD and LOQ values were determined to be 0.06 mg/L and 0.19 mg/L, respectively, and the removal efficiency for copper ions was found to reach approximately 93.7%. Langmuir and Freundlich adsorption isotherm models were used to assess equilibrium adsorption data; the Langmuir-1 model performed better, with a correlation coefficient of 0.9993. Pseudo-first and pseudo-second order models were also used to test the adsorption kinetic data. Rate constants were determined for the two models and correlation coefficients were calculated to evaluate which model provided the best fit. The best fit was provided by the pseudo-second order model equation. The results clearly demonstrated that the spinel ferrite nanomaterials were productive, unsophisticated and affordable adsorbents for the removal of Cu(II) ions from wastewater.

Urban Public Green Spaces (UPGS) play essential roles in ecological resilience, climate adaptation, and socio-environmental equity, yet their sustainability in semi-arid cities remains insufficiently understood. This study applies an integrated framework combining multi-temporal remote sensing, climatic drought assessment, and socioeconomic indicators to evaluate UPGS vegetation health, water sustainability, and spatial equity in Mashhad, Iran. Five Vegetation Indices (VIs) were analyzed against the Standardized Precipitation and Evapotranspiration Index (SPEI) across multiple timescales. Correlations between VIs and drought were weak (maximum r = 0.284 for MSAVI2 at 24 months), indicating that intensive irrigation and local management practices largely mask climatic signals. Despite year-round irrigation, vegetation cover has continued to decline, reflecting dependence on diminishing groundwater resources, suboptimal irrigation efficiency, and potentially unsuitable species composition-though species-level data remain a limitation of this study. To integrate ecological and equity dimensions, we developed a Total Integrated Score (TIS) for 13 administrative districts, revealing pronounced spatial disparities (range: 52-155). District 11 exhibited the strongest combined performance, whereas District 1 showed the lowest TIS despite being adjacent to major UPGS, underscoring significant accessibility and distributional inequities. These findings highlight a growing sustainability risk: current irrigation-dependent management neither stabilizes vegetation health nor ensures equitable green space provision. The study emphasizes the need for drought-tolerant landscaping, diversified water strategies, and justice-oriented planning to strengthen resilience in semi-arid urban environments.

Air pollution remains a major public health concern, particularly in large metropolitan areas. This study aimed to evaluate the short-term association between ambient air pollution levels and non-accidental mortality in Istanbul between 2013 and 2019. In this ecological time-series study, daily mortality data were analyzed using quasi-Poisson regression models incorporating distributed lag non-linear models (DLNM) to estimate exposure–response relationships. Citywide daily mean concentrations of major air pollutants were derived from all eligible monitoring stations. Effect estimates were expressed as relative risks (RRs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) per 10 µg/m 2 increase in particulate matter concentrations. During the 7-year period, average particulate matter levels frequently exceeded World Health Organization (WHO) guideline values. A 10 µg/m 2 increase in PM 10 was associated with a 1.7% increase in daily mortality (RR: 1.017; 95% CI: 1.009–1.025), while a similar increase in PM 2.5 was associated with a 3.3% increase (RR: 1.033; 95% CI: 1.021–1.046). Mortality increases were more pronounced among individuals aged ≥ 65 years. Periods of consecutive high pollution were also associated with excess mortality. Short-term increases in particulate matter concentrations were associated with elevated mortality in Istanbul, particularly among older adults. These results support the relevance of WHO guideline values in the local context and highlight the importance of sustained air quality control policies.

) on the abrasive water jet (AWJ) machining performance are examined in terms of material removal rate (MRR), piercing time (PT) and overcut (OC), taper (TAP). The experimental results are analysed as a function of water pressure (P), traverse rate (TR), abrasive flow rate (AFR), and stand-off distance (SOD). The MRR improves with P, TR, and SOD, for Comp A, Comp B, and Comp C; however, at too-high AFR, cutting efficiency is reduced. Reducing water pressure lowers OC and TAP levels, thereby enhancing hole quality, while higher water pressure imparts more kinetic energy to the jet, leading to a larger hole diameter and higher TAP. ANOVA revealed that AFR (56.0%, 65.11%) and P (33.06%, 26.81%) are also significant parameters affecting MRR and PT, respectively, whereas TR (45.32%) is the most important factor among the three affecting OC, followed by SOD (26.28%) and P (20.04%). For TAP, P is the most influential factor (80.18%), followed by TR (14%). The results demonstrate the effectiveness of AWJ parameters in improving the machining performance and dimensional accuracy of Al2017A hybrid composite materials, offering useful and valuable insights for precision machining applications.