Root exudates in mangrove forests accelerate bicarbonate production in the soil environment.

Mangrove forests are increasingly recognized as vital blue carbon ecosystems due to their high carbon sequestration capacity, primarily through the accumulation of soil organic carbon (SOC). Recent research highlights that, in addition to SOC, dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC), particularly in the form of bicarbonate (HCO₃⁻), plays a crucial role in carbon sequestration by being exported from these ecosystems to adjacent coastal waters. This study aims to investigate the previously unexamined mechanisms behind bicarbonate production in mangrove soils.

Assessing the changes in river water quality across a land-use change (forest to oil palm plantation) in peninsular Malaysia using the stable isotopes of water and nitrate.

Land conversion from natural forests to plantations (e.g., oil palm) in Southeast Asia is one of the most intensive land-use changes occurring worldwide.

Identification of Phosphorus Sources in a Watershed Using a Phosphate Oxygen Isoscape Approach.

Identifying nonpoint phosphorus (P) sources in a watershed is essential for addressing cultural eutrophication and for proposing best-management solutions. The oxygen isotope ratio of phosphate (δO) can shed light on P sources and P cycling in ecosystems. This is the first assessment of the δO distribution in a whole catchment, namely, the Yasu River Watershed in Japan.

Non-carcinogenic risk assessment of groundwater in South Gobi, Mongolia.

Thirty-nine groundwater samples were collected from wells near the Tavan Tolgoi and Oyu Tolgoi mines in Mongolia and at a relatively pristine site in northern Mongolia during August to September 2013, and analyzed for the concentrations of F, NO, Hg, As, Al, V, Mn, Co, Ni, Cu, Zn, Se, Mo, Cd, Sb, and Pb. A probabilistic risk assessment found that >95% of the population in the areas was at risk from drinking well water. The hazard index (HI) was >1, indicating a non-carcinogenic risk to human health.

Separate estimation of N export into baseline N leakage without disturbance and N loss due to insect defoliation in a pine forest watershed in central Japan.

Pine wilt disease (PWD) is caused by a non-native pest that has spread extensively throughout Japan. Previous research has indicated that most infected trees have died and the litter deposited has resulted in changes to stream-water chemistry, particularly increased nitrate (NO(3)(-)) concentrations. In this study, we divided stream nitrogen (N) export into N loss due to PWD and baseline N leakage without disturbance based on long-term monitoring.