Microdroplets initiate organic-inorganic interactions and mass transfer in thermal hydrous geosystems.

Organic-inorganic interactions regulate the dynamics of hydrocarbons, water, minerals, CO, and H in thermal rocks, yet their initiation remains debated. To address this, we conducted isotope-tagged and in-situ visual thermal experiments. Isotope-tagged studies revealed extensive H/O transfers in hydrous n-CH-HO-feldspar systems.

Earthquake energy dissipation in a fracture mechanics framework.

Earthquakes are rupture-like processes that propagate along tectonic faults and cause seismic waves. The propagation speed and final area of the rupture, which determine an earthquake's potential impact, are directly related to the nature and quantity of the energy dissipation involved in the rupture process. Here, we present the challenges associated with defining and measuring the energy dissipation in laboratory and natural earthquakes across many scales.

An ecotourism suitability index for a world heritage city using GIS-multi criteria decision analysis techniques.

The concept of ecotourism has experienced a significant surge in popularity over the past two decades, primarily driven by the multitude of adverse impacts associated with mass tourism. The objective of the study was to develop a comprehensive ecotourism suitability index to guide policymakers in implementing tourism development policies. Given the considerable appeal of the study area to both local and international tourists, it is essential to conduct a systematic evaluation to pinpoint suitable areas for ecotourism development.

A spatio-temporal analysis of environmental fate and transport processes of pesticides and their transformation products in agricultural landscapes dominated by subsurface drainage with SWAT.

Pesticides are detected in surface water and groundwater, endangering the environment. In lowland regions with subsurface drainage systems, drained depressions become hotspots for transport of pesticides and their transformation products (TPs). This study focuses on detailed modelling of the degradation and transport of pesticides with different physico-chemical properties.

Autotrophy to Heterotrophy: Shift in Bacterial Functions During the Melt Season in Antarctic Cryoconite Holes.

Microbes residing in cryoconite holes (debris, water, and nutrient-rich ecosystems) on the glacier surface actively participate in carbon and nutrient cycling. Not much is known about how these communities and their functions change during the summer melt-season when intense ablation and runoff alter the influx and outflux of nutrients and microbes. Here, we use high-throughput-amplicon sequencing, predictive metabolic tools and Phenotype MicroArray techniques to track changes in bacterial communities and functions in cryoconite holes in a coastal Antarctic site and the surrounding fjord, during the summer season.

Identification of the Campanian Ignimbrite in the Dead Sea and consequent time-transgressive hydroclimatic shifts in the Eastern Mediterranean.

Robust chronologies and time equivalent tephra markers are essential to better understand spatial palaeoenvironmental response to past abrupt climatic changes. Identification of well-dated and widely dispersed volcanic ash by tephra and cryptotephra (microscopic volcanic ash) provides time synchronous tie-points and strongly reduces chronological uncertainties. Here, we present the major, minor and trace element analyses of cryptotephra shards in the Dead Sea Deep Drilling sedimentary record (DSDDP 5017-1A) matching the Campanian Ignimbrite (CI).

Giant viral signatures on the Greenland ice sheet.

Background: Dark pigmented snow and glacier ice algae on glaciers and ice sheets contribute to accelerating melt. The biological controls on these algae, particularly the role of viruses, remain poorly understood. Giant viruses, classified under the nucleocytoplasmic large DNA viruses (NCLDV) supergroup (phylum Nucleocytoviricota), are diverse and globally distributed.

Holed up, but thriving: Impact of multitrophic cryoconite communities on glacier elemental cycles.

Cryoconite holes (water and sediment-filled depressions), found on glacier surfaces worldwide, serve as reservoirs of microbes, carbon, trace elements, and nutrients, transferring these components downstream via glacier hydrological networks. Through targeted amplicon sequencing of carbon and nitrogen cycling genes, coupled with functional inference-based methods, we explore the functional diversity of these mini-ecosystems within Antarctica and the Himalayas. These regions showcase distinct environmental gradients and experience varying rates of environmental change influenced by global climatic shifts.

Uncovering the impacts of depleting aquifers: A remote sensing analysis of land subsidence in Iran.

Intensive groundwater pumping, previously unrecognized in its full extent, is blamed for aquifer degradation and widespread land subsidence in Iran. We use a 100-meter resolution satellite survey from 2014 to 2020 to assess the recent implications of groundwater usage across the country. Results indicate that approximately 56,000 km (3.

High-resolution impact-based early warning system for riverine flooding.

Despite considerable advances in flood forecasting during recent decades, state-of-the-art, operational flood early warning systems (FEWS) need to be equipped with near-real-time inundation and impact forecasts and their associated uncertainties. High-resolution, impact-based flood forecasts provide insightful information for better-informed decisions and tailored emergency actions. Valuable information can now be provided to local authorities for risk-based decision-making by utilising high-resolution lead-time maps and potential impacts to buildings and infrastructures.

Complete genome sequence of sp. strain ATA003.

The Gram-positive, rod-shaped endophytic bacterium sp. strain ATA003 was isolated from the endemic cactus seeds collected in the Coastal Atacama Desert, Chile. Here, we present a circular genome with a size of 4,084,881 bp and a GC content of 73.

Discriminating bloom-forming cyanobacteria using lab-based hyperspectral imagery and machine learning: Validation with toxic species under environmental ranges.

Cyanobacteria are major contributors to algal blooms in inland waters, threatening ecosystem function and water uses, especially when toxin-producing strains dominate. Here, we examine 140 hyperspectral (HS) images of five representatives of the widespread, potentially toxin-producing and bloom-forming genera Microcystis, Planktothrix, Aphanizomenon, Chrysosporum and Dolichospermum, to determine the potential of utilizing visible and near-infrared (VIS/NIR) reflectance for their discrimination. Cultures were grown under various light and nutrient conditions to induce a wide range of pigment and spectral variability, mimicking variations potentially found in natural environments.

Persistent microbial communities in hyperarid subsurface habitats of the Atacama Desert: Insights from intracellular DNA analysis.

Desert environments constitute one of the largest and yet most fragile ecosystems on Earth. Under the absence of regular precipitation, microorganisms are the main ecological component mediating nutrient fluxes by using soil components, like minerals and salts, and atmospheric gases as a source for energy and water. While most of the previous studies on microbial ecology of desert environments have focused on surface environments, little is known about microbial life in deeper sediment layers.

The exploratory dataset of isotopic composition of different water sources across Kazakhstan.

This work presents the dataset of stable water isotopes of oxygen and hydrogen measured in water samples from different sources (precipitation, surface water, groundwater, tap water) across Kazakhstan from 2017 to 2018 and from 2020 to 2023. The dataset includes results on isotopic composition of 399 water samples, namely precipitation: event-based ( = 108), cumulative monthly ( = 22); surface water: lakes, reservoirs, brooks, rivers, channels ( = 175), groundwater: shallow and artesian groundwater, spring ( = 85), tapwater ( = 9). For each sample name of the source, location, latitude, longitude and date of sampling, measurement uncertainty (one standard deviation) are available.

Unfolding rotational tectonics and topographic evolution from localized verses diffuse plate boundary counterparts.

We present a kinematic model developed from geodetic observations, topography analysis and analogue tectonic modelling results, which reveals a striking similarity between the rotational tectonic settings of the Gakkel Ridge-Chersky Range system in the Arctic, and the Central Indian Tectonic Zone within the Indian subcontinent. A crucial aspect of large-scale extensional rift systems is the gradual variation of extension along the rift axis, due to plate rotation about a Euler pole, which may lead to contraction on the opposite side of the Euler pole to form a rotational tectonic system. Our geodetic and topographic analysis, combined with the reanalysis of analogue tectonic modelling results demonstrates such rotational tectonic plate motion in both the Arctic and Indian case.

Development of novel resistivity-chargeability statistical relationships for subsurface characterization at Langkawi, Kedah.

The significance of resistivity-chargeability relationships has been acknowledged and applied in various geologic terrains and different environmental conditions. However, there remains an underexplored opportunity to fully utilize these methods in complex geological terrains with a mixture of granitic and sedimentary rocks where empirical relationships have not been established. Such discoveries are crucial for accurately delineating petrophysical and geomechanical properties, which are essential in addressing urgent environmental concerns like landslides, foundation collapse, groundwater shortages, and pollution.

Landslide topology uncovers failure movements.

The death toll and monetary damages from landslides continue to rise despite advancements in predictive modeling. These models' performances are limited as landslide databases used in developing them often miss crucial information, e.g.

Tuning MXene Properties through Cu Intercalation: Coupled Guest/Host Redox and Pseudocapacitance.

MXenes are 2D transition metal carbides, nitrides, and/or carbonitrides that can be intercalated with cations through chemical or electrochemical pathways. While the insertion of alkali and alkaline earth cations into TiCT MXenes is well studied, understanding of the intercalation of redox-active transition metal ions into MXenes and its impact on their electronic and electrochemical properties is lacking. In this work, we investigate the intercalation of Cu ions into TiCT MXene and its effect on its electronic and electrochemical properties.

StrucNet: a global network for automated vegetation structure monitoring.

Climate change and increasing human activities are impacting ecosystems and their biodiversity. Quantitative measurements of essential biodiversity variables (EBV) and essential climate variables are used to monitor biodiversity and carbon dynamics and evaluate policy and management interventions. Ecosystem structure is at the core of EBVs and carbon stock estimation and can help to inform assessments of species and species diversity.