Earth and Environmental Sciences

Introduction Coastal high‐rise residential developments face growing climate‐related risks such as sea‐level rise, flooding, extreme wind and thermal stress, necessitating adaptive, climate‐responsive design. Green design strategies such as passive design measures and active/energy‐related systems are widely recognised as important in addressing these challenges, yet a gap remains between awareness and implementation in high‐rise developments, particularly in the Lagos, Nigeria coastal context, where technical, economic and regulatory restrictions act as barriers to adoption. Methods Using a structured occupant survey of 410 residents and an independent observation checklist administered across six coastal high‐rise developments in Eko Atlantic City, Lagos, this study evaluated and compared implementation of green design attributes at the item and building level. In response to a prior request for inferential testing, a reliability and factorability diagnosis of the occupant‐survey composite scales was also conducted, using Cronbach’s alpha, Bartlett’s test of sphericity, KMO sampling adequacy, and an exhaustive pairwise item‐correlation search. Results Implementation varied across attributes, with passive design and general building information features scoring higher and more consistently than active/energy‐related systems and building‐performance attributes, which varied more widely across buildings. The reliability diagnosis showed that no coherent composite construct exists within the current instrument; a supplementary one‐way ANOVA by floor level is reported for completeness, but its null result is not interpreted as substantive given this limitation. Discussion Factors reported in the literature as linked to green design adoption — including cost, stakeholder priorities, and regulatory regimes — are discussed, while noting these were not tested against this study’s own data. The study’s primary contribution is context‐specific, item‐level and observation‐based empirical evidence on green design adoption in the Lagos coastal high‐rise residential sector, together with a transparent, fully diagnosed account of a survey‐instrument reliability limitation intended to inform future instrument design.

The tensile strength properties and the initiation and propagation of tensile cracks within micritic bioclastic limestone–which forms the surrounding rock mass at the tunnel exit of the Altash Water Conservancy Project–pose a threat to engineering stability. To investigate the differences in tensile strength and stress-induced crack evolution under natural and water-saturated conditions, a comparative experimental study was conducted using Brazilian splitting tests coupled with acoustic emission (AE) monitoring. The results demonstrate that, compared with natural specimens, saturated limestone exhibits a 16.54% reduction in tensile strength. The failure process can be categorized into three distinct stages: compaction, quasi-linear elasticity, and unstable crack propagation. Furthermore, AE analysis indicates that while overall AE activity decreases following water saturation, the proportion of tensile cracks increases from 92.30% to 95.14%. Conversely, under natural conditions, shear cracks are more active and initiate earlier. Microscopically, the high content of bioclasts and associated complex interconnected pores (e.g., body cavity and secondary dissolution pores) endow the rock with remarkable hydrophilic and water-retention characteristics. Coupled with the presence of the abundant hydrophilic mineral illite, these factors collectively exacerbate water-rock interactions, driving the significant degradation of the rock’s mechanical properties from both material and structural perspectives.

Introduction Rapid urbanization in Tier-II Indian cities demands systematic approaches to grade separation infrastructure. Conventional iterative design often fails to integrate geometric, economic, geological, and regulatory constraints. This study develops a parametric optimization framework for urban flyover design, demonstrated through a case study in Chhatrapati Sambhaji Nagar (Aurangabad), Maharashtra. Methods Independent design parameters (design speed: 60−80 km/h, gradient: 3−4%, vertical clearance: 5.5−6.0 m) were defined per IRC and AASHTO standards. Dependent parameters (sight distance, curve lengths, ramp lengths) were computed using IRC formulae. Geological constraints (Deccan Trap basalt, black cotton soil), regulatory restrictions (heritage buffer, military clearance), and environmental limits were integrated into a weighted multi-criteria decision matrix. Sensitivity analysis quantified parameter influence, and lifecycle cost evaluation was performed using discounted cash flow over 50 years. Results Sensitivity analysis showed design speed variations of ±10 km/h altered stopping sight distance by 18−22%, while gradient changes of ±0.5% affected vertical curve length by 12−15%. Comparative evaluation demonstrated flyover construction costs 62% lower than tunnel alternatives ($4.2M vs $11.1M per km). Parabolic curves achieved higher constructability indices (0.87 vs 0.73 for splines). The framework yielded 28% reduction in land acquisition, 15% improvement in construction timeline, and 34% enhancement in lifecycle cost efficiency compared to conventional methods. Discussion The integrated parametric framework validates its methodological robustness against IRC and AASHTO standards, while addressing geological and regulatory constraints specific to Deccan Trap formations. Its replicability across Tier-II cities highlights potential for sustainable, resilient infrastructure planning. By reducing costs, minimizing land acquisition, and ensuring compliance, the framework advances SDG 9 (Industry, Innovation, Infrastructure) and SDG 11 (Sustainable Cities and Communities).

Watershed management through native forest protection provides important societal benefits including biodiversity conservation, cultural value, and hydrologic ecosystem services. With growing investment in watershed programs, understanding the spatial variation in return on investment (ROI) for hydrologic services is essential for guiding conservation investments. However, conservation cost and hydrologic service data for these analyses are often lacking. We partner with a watershed conservation partnership on Kauaʻi, Hawaiʻi, to analyze costs and benefits of protecting native forests from high-water-use invasive species, measuring cumulative groundwater recharge protected per dollar spent over 50 years. We combine detailed conservation cost data with land-cover change and groundwater recharge ecosystem service modeling across 16 existing and proposed management units. Using a 3% estimate for annual invasive species spread and a 3% discount rate, existing fenced units average 2244 L of cumulative groundwater recharge saved per dollar invested (range: 322–9935 L/$). When proposed new conservation areas are included, average ROI falls slightly to 2146 L/$ (range: 227–9999 L/$). ROI varies spatially, with the highest benefits occurring in middle elevation areas where evapotranspiration changes with forest composition change are greatest over the 50-year time horizon. Conservation costs are front-loaded due to fence construction and ungulate removal, while annual water benefits grow continuously as avoided recharge loss increases over time. This study demonstrates the importance of considering spatial ROI variation in watershed management, which can both justify the value of conservation efforts and aid spatial prioritization of future investments.

Policy coherence is increasingly recognised as a critical condition for sustainable urban development, particularly in rapidly urbanising contexts where land-use planning, housing, transport, climate adaptation, and environmental management must operate in a coordinated manner. In Ghana, mixed-use development (MUD) is widely promoted in policy discourse as a strategy to improve land-use efficiency, reduce urban sprawl, and support more compact and inclusive urban growth, yet the extent to which relevant national policies are aligned remains underexplored. This study examines policy coherence in Ghana’s national urban planning and development framework and its implications for sustainable MUD. Using a qualitative deductive content-analysis approach, nine national policy documents were analysed through five MUD drivers (urban land-use efficiency, climate resilience, environmental sustainability, social equity and inclusivity, and economic vitality) and four implementation dimensions (action measures, institutional arrangements, resources, and monitoring and evaluation). The findings reveal only partial policy alignment. Coherence is relatively stronger around land-use efficiency and selected compact-development goals, but much weaker in relation to institutional coordination, financing, monitoring systems, affordable housing, active mobility, and the integration of land-use and transport policy. The study argues that policy incoherence in Ghana is not only a sectoral problem but also an institutional and political one, shaped by fragmented mandates, uneven implementation capacity, and the interaction between statutory planning and plural land tenure systems. It concludes by recommending stronger inter-agency coordination, clearer implementation responsibilities, better integration of land-use and transport, more robust monitoring systems, and explicit financing pathways for sustainable urban development.

Digital Twin (DT) and artificial intelligence initiatives in local government often move faster than the governance and data conditions needed to support them. This Perspective proposes the Foundation First framework, a conceptual readiness pathway for small and midsize cities that treats data quality, governance capacity, cybersecurity, and public trust as prerequisites for responsible DT deployment, not afterthoughts. Developed through a structured narrative synthesis of literature on smart city maturity, digital transformation, data readiness, and urban governance, and illustrated through publicly documented practices in the City of Sugar Land, Texas, a midsize U.S. municipality as defined in this paper, with established data governance and asset management functions but no deployed DT platform, the framework outlines four sequential phases: foundational inventory and digitization, integration and open data, analytical and predictive pilots, and sustainable urban intelligence. Unlike maturity models that primarily assess technical sophistication, Foundation First emphasizes readiness sequencing by linking phase advancement to demonstrable data integrity, institutional alignment, audit practices, and governance controls. The framework also offers an illustrative alignment between phased municipal readiness and selected United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), showing how incremental capability building can support broader public-value outcomes without proposing target-level SDG measurement or implying causal attribution between phase completion and specific SDG outcomes. By reframing DT readiness as a governance- and data-centered progression rather than a purely technical problem, this Perspective offers municipal leaders and researchers a practical, grounded approach for assessing whether cities are actually prepared to invest in advanced urban intelligence systems.

Endotherms use complex internal mechanisms to maintain a steady body temperature, whereas ectotherms rely on environmental factors and behaviors for thermoregulation. Certain ectothermic animals, like some lizards, can also physiologically regulate their body temperature to some extent, with interspecies variations in thermoregulatory capacity under low-temperature conditions. However, the molecular mechanisms underlying this physiological regulation have remained unclear since its discovery about 80 years ago. Here, we reveal that the hepatic expression of constitutively active glucagon receptor (GCGR) in lizards, particularly in iguana, correlated with their thermoregulatory capacity when kept at low temperatures. When Pogona vitticeps and Phrynocephalus vlangalii with thermoregulatory capacity were treated with short hairpin RNA– GCGR or GCGR antagonist, their body temperatures dropped, and the expression of genes related to energy metabolism and respiratory metabolic rate was down-regulated. In contrast, Eremias argus , lacking thermoregulatory ability, revealed low hepatic GCGR expression. Overexpression of P. vitticeps GCGR (pv GCGR ) in the liver of E. argus increased body temperature and enhanced energy metabolism. Furthermore, in mice with reduced thermoregulatory ability by chlorpromazine administration, overexpression of constitutively active GCGR ligand-independently increased body temperature under cold conditions. In conclusion, constitutively active GCGR drives the physiological thermoregulation in lizards, and our study offered previously unidentified insights into expression regulation of constitutively active GPCR into physiological adaptations responding to environmental changes.

Adverse social determinants of health (SDOH) associate with greater heart failure (HF) risk. Among 9879 community-based participants of the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities (ARIC) cohort study, we assessed 4955 plasma proteins using an aptamer-based platform (SomaLogic). We derived an SDOH factor comprising income, education, and area deprivation index (ADI) in Black and white participants. Proteins associated with this factor at Bonferroni significance were tested for associations with incident HF using multivariable Cox proportional hazard models. Among Black participants, 36 proteins were associated with both the SDOH factor and incident HF, 126 were among white participants, and 12 were shared between race strata. Eight of these demonstrated significant mediation effect in causal mediation models. Key results were replicated in 49,396 participants in UK Biobank. Mendelian randomization and colocalization suggested a potentially causal effect of C1q tumor necrosis factor-related protein 1 (C1QTNF1), an adiponectin paralog, on HF. We demonstrate protein biomarkers associated with SDOH burden and HF risk.

Rapid climate change poses a severe threat to biodiversity, and phylogenetic diversity-a key metric capturing evolutionary uniqueness and adaptive potential-is critical for conservation. Integrating a well-resolved phylogenetic tree of 424 primate species, we combined spatial analysis and climate risk modeling to explore global spatiotemporal patterns of primates and assess their vulnerability under future climate scenarios. The results suggest a pronounced latitudinal pattern in primate distribution, with isothermality and annual mean precipitation as key drivers. Primate species in the American tropics (Mexico, Central, and South America) and southern China showed later divergence times and lower phylogenetic diversity, emerging as neo-hotspots for primates. Under future climate change, species in these neo-hotspots will face higher climate risks than those in paleo-hotspots of primate diversity. In addition, high human pressure, high climate risk, and limited protected area coverage increase species and population survival risks in hotspot regions. Overall, this global study deepens our understanding of biodiversity conservation under current climate change scenarios and synergistically advances the preservation of numerous natural services essential to ecosystem health and human well-being. Our study provides a spatially explicit framework to fulfill Targets 3 and 8 of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework.

Climate change is reshaping thermal regimes worldwide, threatening species whose early development depends on narrow temperature ranges. Yet directly linking warming to reproductive failure in wild populations remains intractable, particularly in aquatic ecosystems. We developed an empirical framework integrating stable isotope thermometry of archival tissues, landscape-scale temperature modeling, and field surveys to identify when and where successful reproduction occurs. Applying this approach to endangered winter-run Chinook salmon confined below a large dam, we revealed a narrow "critical thermal window" during early development. Surviving juveniles experienced temperatures below 12.5°C within ∼15 days of fertilization, and modest warming during this period sharply reduced survival. In warm years, dam-released cold-water overlapped only briefly with this window, restricting successful reproduction to a small fraction of the total spawning season. These results show how climate warming and river regulation interact to constrain population persistence and provide a framework to guide research on assessing climate vulnerability in temperature-sensitive species.

Sapropel S1 corresponds to the latest deoxygenation event that occurred in the Mediterranean Sea between ∼10.2 and 6.8 cal kyr BP. However, terrestrial deposition coeval with Mediterranean Sapropel S1 remains poorly understood. Through the integration of sedimentological, paleontological, geochemical (TOC, TN, δ 13 C, δ 15 N) and chronological data within a regional onshore-offshore framework, this study investigates the Upper Pleistocene-Holocene fill of the Biferno paleovalley system (Southern Italy) and characterizes the S1-equivalent (S1 eq ) succession. The results document a continuous S1 eq record comprising three stratigraphic intervals (S1a eq , S1break eq , and S1b eq ) that can be correlated with the corresponding offshore S1 phases. Facies evolution from poorly-drained floodplain to estuarine deposits reflects Holocene relative sea-level rise and paleovalley drowning. Bulk geochemical proxies display strong stratigraphic control, with δ 13 C and δ 15 N trends closely tracking facies shifts and Organic Matter (OM) sources. Onshore-offshore correlation and comparison with other Adriatic paleovalley systems reveal a marked decoupling in organic-carbon accumulation during the S1 break, consistent with the progressive landward migration of river mouths during the Holocene transgression. This evolution promoted enhanced terrigenous OM storage within paleovalleys while reducing its export toward deeper basin sectors. These findings indicate that paleovalley systems constitute key transient repositories of sediment and organic carbon during rapid transgression and provide a valuable terrestrial archive for reconstructing the evolution of the Adriatic source-to-sink system during Mediterranean Sapropel S1 deposition. Their stratigraphic record offers a critical link between continental and marine systems, providing new constraints on the environmental processes accompanying S1 deposition in the Adriatic and Mediterranean regions.

This paper presents the first systematic palaeoclimatic reconstruction of southern Italy, primarily focusing on the Puglia region, from 1000 to 1800 CE. Although documentary sources provide a wealth of climatic information for this area, they primarily record anomalies rather than normal climatic conditions, offering no baseline for comparison. To address this issue, we compiled a relational dataset comprising 526 documentary climate events, 285 of which were selected for quantitative analysis using the Pfister seven-point scale. We developed a Bayesian state-space model integrating these observations with CHELSA-TraCE21k palaeoclimatic simulations, which provide informative priors linked by a first-order autoregressive process. Observations enter the model through an ordinal logistic likelihood. The resulting posterior should be interpreted as a simulation-anchored latent climate state, informed primarily by documented extremes, rather than as a direct reconstruction of centennial annual-mean conditions. The temperature posterior indicates predominantly negative anomalies from the 15th century onward, broadly consistent with a Little Ice Age cooling phase, although the magnitude is influenced by the strong representation of extreme cold events and the 16th-century estimate is largely determined by the prior and temporal persistence. The precipitation reconstruction reveals a more complex picture: the CHELSA-TraCE21k prior exhibits a progressive drying trend not reproduced by an alternative forced simulation (ModE-Sim), while the documentary posterior remains closely aligned with the forced simulation. This agreement suggests that the prior–posterior divergence may reflect a regional feature of CHELSA-TraCE21k, although alternative explanations, including documentary reporting bias and model assumptions, cannot be excluded. Posterior uncertainty reflects data availability, with narrower credible intervals in well-documented periods. We compare both posterior reconstructions with two products from the Modern Era Reanalysis framework (ModE-RA and ModE-Sim), using anomalies re-baselined to a common reference period, and find broad agreement for temperature but a more informative divergence for precipitation. This comparison assesses consistency across climate products and highlights the sensitivity of the inferred precipitation trajectory to the simulation product used as prior, rather than providing an independent validation of either reconstruction. This framework can be applied to other regions where discontinuous historical evidence must be integrated with simulation-derived climate baselines.