Accumulation characteristics and source analysis of microplastics derived traffic of soil in the Tibetan Plateau.

The development of transportation infrastructure can stimulate economic growth. However, the environmental and human health risks associated with the release of traffic-derived microplastics (MPs) into the ecosystem must also be considered. This study examined four types of soil samples collected from the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau along the Gemang Highway.

[Distribution Characteristics and Ecological Risk Assessment of Heavy Metals in Roadside Soil of Important National Highways on the Qinghai-Xizang Plateau].

To clarify the impact of transportation on the sensitive and fragile ecosystems of the Qinghai Tibet Plateau and major ecological safety barrier functions, soil samples within 0-25 m on the roadside were collected from sections of national highways such as G214, G213, G345, G109, G316, and G317, and the contents of six heavy metals were analyzed. Then, the degree of heavy metal pollution and the risk of ecological hazards were evaluated using the single-factor pollution index method （）, Nemero comprehensive index method （）, and potential ecological risk index method （RI）. The results showed that the heavy metal contents of As, Cd, Hg, Ni, Pb, and Zn in the soil of important transportation national roads on the Qinghai Tibet Plateau ranged from 5.

Occurrence characteristics and potential risk of microplastics under different land conditions.

Microplastics (MPs) pollution has caused widespread concern, more researchers have focused on MPs in farmland soil. However, the distribution of MPs in different land use types, land restoration years and crop types remained largely unexplored. Therefore, the study investigated the distribution characteristics and evaluated ecological risk of MPs in soil of northern Shaanxi Province, China.

Tire plastic and road-wear particles on Yujing Expressway in the restoration area of Mu Us Sandy Land: Occurrence characteristics and ecological risk screening.

Tire plastic and road-wear particles (TPR-WP) are a current research priority as one of the main environmental sources of microplastics. We selected a unique land use type - desert restoration area, collected soil and dust samples from the Yujing Expressway and its service areas, and analyzed TPR-WP abundance, type, size and morphology by laser direct infrared (LDIR). The abundance of TPR-WP in expressway dust (14,446.

Antibiotics and microplastics in manure and surrounding soil of farms in the Loess Plateau: Occurrence and correlation.

The wide use of animal manure in farmland operations is a source of soil nutrients. However, the return of manure affected antibiotics and microplastics in the soil, thus the potential ecological risks cannot be overlooked. This study investigated the distribution of different antibiotics and microplastics and their correlation.

Characteristics and health risk assessment of indoor and outdoor PM in a rural village, in Northeast of China: impact of coal and biomass burning.

Fine particulate matter (PM) has health effects that may depend on its sources and chemical composition. In this study, characteristics of PM chemical composition and health risk assessment from Songyuan, China, were investigated during day and night in indoor and outdoor from February 4 to 19, 2021. Relative high concentrations of PM were obtained in indoor environment than outdoor, with 503.

Contribution of microbial necromass to soil organic carbon formation during litter decomposition under incubation conditions.

We conducted a 512-day incubation experiment to study the dynamics of microbial necromass and soil carbon fraction in the 'litter-soil' transformation interface soil layer (TIS) during litter decomposition, using a perennial C3 herb, , in the loess hills. The results showed that soil microbial necromass was dominated by fungi in the early and middle stages, and by bacteria in the late stage. The contribution of fungal necromass C to mineral-associated organic C (MAOC) was significantly higher (38.

A Holocene lacustrine record of variations in chemical weathering intensity in the Mu Us Desert, China.

The Mu Us Desert is an ideal location to study environmental changes during the Late Quaternary, because of its unique characteristics. The Abaoyan (ABY) profile, a typical aeolian-lacustrine profile located at the eastern edge of the desert, was investigated in this study. A basic chronological framework was established based on a combination of radiocarbon dating by accelerator mass spectrometry and in situ sedimentary phase identification.

New insights into adsorption mechanism of pristine and weathered polyamide microplastics towards hydrophilic organic compounds.

The widespread coexistence of hydrophilic organic compounds and microplastics (MPs) in the environment has greatly increased their associated environmental problems. To evaluate the potential carrier effect of oxygen-containing MPs on coexisting pollutants, adsorption behaviors of four hydrophilic organic compounds (benzoic acid, sulfamethoxazole, sulfamerazine and ciprofloxacin) on MPs (pristine and weathered polyamide (PA)) were studied in the aquatic environment. The results showed that the surface morphology, size, oxygen content, molecular structure, surface charge and crystallinity of PA were changed after weathering, and the weathering degree of PA treated with heat-activated potassium persulfate was the highest.

Trace elements in outdoor and indoor PM in urban schools in Xi'an, Western China: characteristics, sources identification and health risk assessment.

The PM-bounded elements were measured in outdoor and indoor from two urban middle schools in Xi'an. The PM mass was from 42.4 to 283.

Assessment of the inhalation exposure and incremental lifetime cancer risk of PM bounded polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) by different toxic equivalent factors and occupancy probability, in the case of Xi'an.

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are widespread toxic pollutants in the atmosphere and have attracted much attention for decades. In this study, we compared the health risks of PAHs based on different toxic equivalent factors (TEFs) in a heavily polluted area during heating and non-heating periods. We also pay attention to occupancy probability (OP) in different polluted areas.

The seasonal variation, characteristics and secondary generation of PM in Xi'an, China, especially during pollution events.

As an important central city in western China, Xi'an has the worst atmospheric pollution record in China and many measures have been taken to improve the air quality in the past few years. In this study, PM samples were collected across four seasons from 2017 to 2018 in Xi'an. Organic carbon and elemental carbon, water soluble ions, and elements were monitored to assess the air quality.

Research progress of heavy metals in desert-visual analysis based on CiteSpace.

In this paper, Web of Science (a database) is used to retrieve related literature in the field of heavy metal pollution in desert. CiteSpace is used to make a quantitative and qualitative evaluation on the literature in the field on the basis of a brief analysis on the research status, research focus, and evolution process in the field. Through CiteSpace visual analysis, a comparative analysis is given on related literature in terms of annual number of published papers, author groups, and their countries and regions, journals, publishing institutions, highly cited papers, research focuses, and burst terms, so as to explore the research status and future development trend of the field on a global scale.

Direct validation of dune instability theory.

Modern dune fields are valuable sources of information for the large-scale analysis of terrestrial and planetary environments and atmospheres, but their study relies on understanding the small-scale dynamics that constantly generate new dunes and reshape older ones. Here, we designed a landscape-scale experiment at the edge of the Gobi desert, China, to quantify the development of incipient dunes under the natural action of winds. High-resolution topographic data documenting 42 mo of bedform dynamics are examined to provide a spectral analysis of dune pattern formation.

Metagenomics Reveal Correlations Between Microbial Organisms in Soils and the Health of .

Biological diversity plays an important role in the stability of ecosystems. The Mu Us Desert (MUD), located in Northern China, is an aeolian desert. Although it has been governed by a series of ecological restoration programs, the MUD still has limited biological diversity.

Effect of vegetation patchiness on the subsurface water distribution in abandoned farmland of the Loess Plateau, China.

Patchiness of grassland results in important effects on ecohydrological processes in arid and semiarid areas; however, the influences on subsurface water flow and soil water distribution remain poorly understood, particularly during vegetation succession on slopes. This study examined these effects by comparing the water flow behaviors and preferential infiltration between vegetation patches (VP) and interspace patches (IP) in three sites at different states of vegetation succession (grass, subshrub and shrub) in abandoned farmland of the Loess Plateau, China. Dye tracer infiltration showed that patchiness of vegetation increased spatial variations of soil water and preferential infiltration by increasing the densities of fine root length and fine root volume in the soil profile.

The effectiveness of a multi-row Tamarix windbreak in reducing aeolian erosion and sediment flux, Niatak area, Iran.

Windbreaks are barriers that are widely used to reduce wind speed and aeolian erosion. Most windbreak studies have been done in wind tunnels and generally used rigid objects rather than live plants and most of these studies report on the modification of the flow field and not on the effectiveness at reducing sediment transport. A series of experiments were conducted to monitor the effectiveness of a fourteen-rows Tamarix windbreak in the field and in particular to measure the reduction in sediment erosion and transport.

Vegetation morphologic and aerodynamic characteristics reduce aeolian erosion.

Vegetation cover is crucial to controlling aeolian erosion but highly efficient vegetation is critical. How this efficiency is influenced by vegetation response to airflow is not clear. Here we evaluate the responses of Cosmos bipinnatus and Ligustrum lucidum Ait to a range of wind speeds in a wind tunnel.

Seasonal variation, spatial distribution and source apportionment for polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) at nineteen communities in Xi'an, China: The effects of suburban scattered emissions in winter.

Seasonal variation and spatial distribution of PM bound polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) were investigated at urban residential, commercial area, university, suburban region, and industry in Xi'an, during summer and winter time at 2013. Much higher levels of total PAHs were obtained in winter. Spatial distributions by kriging interpolations principle showed that relative high PAHs were detected in western Xi'an in both summer and winter, with decreasing trends in winter from the old city wall to the 2-3rd ring road except for the suburban region and industry.

Aeolian process of the dried-up riverbeds of the Hexi Corridor, China: a wind tunnel experiment.

Wind tunnel studies, which remain limited, are an important tool to understand the aeolian processes of dried-up riverbeds. The particle size, chemical composition, and the mineral contents of sediments arising from the dried river beds are poorly understood. Dried-up riverbeds cover a wide area in the Hexi Corridor, China, and comprise a complex synthesis of different land surfaces, including aeolian deposits, pavement surfaces, and Takyr crust.

Unravelling raked linear dunes to explain the coexistence of bedforms in complex dunefields.

Raked linear dunes keep a constant orientation for considerable distances with a marked asymmetry between a periodic pattern of semi-crescentic structures on one side and a continuous slope on the other. Here we show that this shape is associated with a steady-state dune type arising from the coexistence of two dune growth mechanisms. Primary ridges elongate in the direction of the resultant sand flux.