Mechanism of denitrification in subsurface-dammed Ryukyu limestone aquifer, southern Okinawa Island, Japan.

Denitrification crucially regulates the attenuation of groundwater nitrate and is unlikely to occur in a fast-flowing aquifer such as the Ryukyu limestone aquifer in southern Okinawa Island, Japan. However, evidences of denitrification have been observed in several wells within this region. This study analyzed environmental isotopes (δN and ẟO) to derive the rationale for denitrification at this site.

Revisiting regional and seasonal variations in decadal carbon monoxide variability: Global reversal of growth rate.

Carbon monoxide (CO) is one of the important trace gases in the atmosphere capturing the evolution of chemical properties of the troposphere. Here we analyze the growth rates of CO during the period of 1991-2020 using in situ measurements from the World Meteorological Organization's (WMO) Global Atmospheric Watch (GAW) program. The analysis of trends has been done on different spatial and temporal scales.

Sample pretreatment effects on isotopic compositions of oxygen and sulfur in BaSO derived from atmospheric sulfate.

Rationale: Preparation of BaSO from samples of atmospheric rain, snow, and aerosols has been used for δ O and δ S analyses. In the present study, we investigated the effect of various sample pretreatments on δ O and δ S values determined from a Na SO reagent solution and samples of atmospheric precipitation to improve assay time and cost efficiency.

Methods: BaSO was prepared from a Na SO solution by (a) evaporative concentration, (b) evaporation to dryness, (c) evaporation to dryness after adding HCl, and (d) evaporation to concentration after adding HCl, followed by cooling and then precipitation using a BaCl solution.

Factors Contributing to the Pre-Elimination of Malaria from Hainan Island, China, 1986-2009.

Malaria was endemic in Hainan Island, China, for a lengthy period before its elimination. Here, we aim to gain a better understanding of malaria elimination by assessing and quantifying the relative effects of longitudinal changes in specific antimalarial interventions, socioeconomic development approaches, and malaria vectors on malaria prevalence in Hainan during the 1986-2009 pre-elimination period. Annual data were collected on the incidence of malaria, the number of residents protected by drugs (RPD), the number of residents protected by vector control, the presence of Anopheles minimus and Anopheles dirus, the annual per capita income of rural residents, major cash crop (rubber plantation) areas, the literacy rate of adult rural residents, and the rate of reinforced concrete house construction in rural areas.

Countries' vulnerability to food supply disruptions caused by the Russia-Ukraine war from a trade dependency perspective.

Disruptions of key food and fertilizer exports from Russia and Ukraine have exposed many countries to challenges accessing some commodities since these countries' war began. We evaluated the short-term, external, and direct impacts of disruptions of six food commodities and three types of fertilizer supplies from Russia and Ukraine on food access for all trading partners of the two countries by applying a set of trade and socioeconomic indicators. We found that the external food supplies of 279 countries and territories were affected to varying degrees; 24 countries-especially Georgia, Armenia, Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, and Mongolia-are extremely vulnerable because they depend almost entirely on a variety of food imports from Russia and Ukraine.

Environment Degradation, Health Threats, and Legality at the Artisanal Small-Scale Gold Mining Sites in Indonesia.

Artisanal Small-scale Gold Mining (ASGM) activities, despite offering numerous economic incentives, inflict negative impacts on the environment and public health due to the use of mercury or cyanide. This study aims to compare three ASGM locations in Indonesia in terms of environmental impacts and potential health problems in the community. As part of this research, field surveys at three ASGM illegal locations with different conditions, observations, literature studies, and interviews with the community and stakeholders were conducted.

Interactions of urbanisation, climate variability, and infectious disease dynamics: insights from the Coimbatore district of Tamil Nadu.

Climate change and shifts in land use/land cover (LULC) are critical factors affecting the environmental, societal, and health landscapes, notably influencing the spread of infectious diseases. This study delves into the intricate relationships between climate change, LULC alterations, and the prevalence of vector-borne and waterborne diseases in Coimbatore district, Tamil Nadu, India, between 1985 and 2015. The research utilised Landsat-4, Landsat-5, and Landsat-8 data to generate LULC maps, applying the maximum likelihood algorithm to highlight significant transitions over the years.

Change in Values of Illegal Miners and Inhabitants and Reduction in Environmental Pollution after the Cessation of Artisanal and Small-Scale Gold Mining: A Case of Bunikasih, Indonesia.

Artisanal and small-scale gold mining (ASGM) harms the environment and human health, because it requires mercury (Hg). Therefore, this study uses a questionnaire survey to identify the effects of the medical checkup findings, group discussion, and educational seminar on the values of illegal miners and residents in Bunikasih, Indonesia, regarding the environmental and health effects of Hg. Transdisciplinary communities of practice (TDCoP) were formed to pursue alternative livelihoods than illegal ASGM.

Rural Knowledge Transformation in Terms of Mercury Used in Artisanal Small-Scale Gold Mining (ASGM)-A Case Study in Gorontalo, Indonesia.

Gorontalo is reputed to be one of the best-quality gold producers in the Indonesian archipelago. Gold production has been largely achieved through the activities of artisanal small-scale gold mining (ASGM), which as part of its extraction process, primarily uses mercury-a substance known to cause negative impacts on health and the environment, leading also to numerous socio-economic issues. This research aims (1) to investigate the extent of rural knowledge regarding mercury and to determine whether a video that explains mercury and the problems that occur as a result of ASGM can significantly transform rural populations' knowledge; (2) to inspect different factors separating the SR group (those who live in the same regency as the ASGM area) from the NR group (those who live in the neighboring regency/city of the ASGM area) and to find out whether said factors are statistically significant.

Strontium isotope analysis of otoliths reveals differences in the habitat salinity among three sympatric stickleback species of the genus .

The analysis of otolith Sr isotope ratios (Sr/Sr) is a powerful method to study fish migration in freshwater areas. However, few studies have applied this method to study fish movement in brackish-water environments. Furthermore, despite the fact that habitat differentiation has been shown to drive genetic differentiation and reproductive isolation among stickleback fish, no studies have used the otolith Sr/Sr ratios to analyze habitat differentiation between stickleback ecotypes and species.

Very high particulate pollution over northwest India captured by a high-density in situ sensor network.

Exposure to particulate matter less than 2.5 µm in diameter (PM) is a cause of concern in cities and major emission regions of northern India. An intensive field campaign involving the states of Punjab, Haryana and Delhi national capital region (NCR) was conducted in 2022 using 29 Compact and Useful PM Instrument with Gas sensors (CUPI-Gs).

Boundary of ecosystem services: Guiding future development and application of the ecosystem service concepts.

Ecosystem Services (ESs) are either material or non-material benefits humans receive from ecosystems. Definitions, classifications, and typologies of ESs can vary to address different research and policy purposes. However, a boundary that distinguishes ESs from other ecosystem-related benefits (e.

Phylogenetic classification and palm-inflorescence anthophily of the Colocasiomyia zeylanica species group (Diptera: Drosophilidae), with descriptions of five new species.

The zeylanica group is one of the six species groups of the anthophilic genus Colocasiomyia de Meijere in the family Drosophilidae. In addition to two known species, five morphospecies have been recognized as members of this species group but left undescribed formally. In this study, species delimitation of these putatively new species was determined by barcoding of the mitochondrial COI (cytochrome c oxydase subunit I) gene and morphological comparison.

Mapping potential conflicts between global agriculture and terrestrial conservation.

Demand for food products, often from international trade, has brought agricultural land use into direct competition with biodiversity. Where these potential conflicts occur and which consumers are responsible is poorly understood. By combining conservation priority (CP) maps with agricultural trade data, we estimate current potential conservation risk hotspots driven by 197 countries across 48 agricultural products.

Estimation of the depth of origin of fluids using noble gases in the surface sediments of submarine mud volcanoes off Tanegashima Island.

The helium isotope ratio (He/He), concentration ratio of neon-20 to helium-4 (Ne/He), argon (Ar), krypton (Kr), and xenon (Xe) concentrations were measured in the porewater of surface sediments of several submarine mud volcanoes. From the He/He values (0.18-0.

Japanese urban household carbon footprints during early-stage COVID-19 pandemic were consistent with those over the past decade.

As urbanization accelerates worldwide, substantial energy and services are required to meet the demand from cities, making cities major contributors to adverse environmental consequences. To bridge the knowledge gap in the absence of fine-grained city-level climate protection measures due to data availability and accuracy, this study provides a detailed carbon emission inventory for analyzing the monthly fluctuations based on citizens' daily consumption behaviors. Here, carbon emissions embodied in approximately 500 household consumption items were calculated in 47 prefectural-level cities in Japan from 2011 to June 2021.

Positive reputation for altruism toward future generations regardless of the cost for current others.

Recently, altruism toward future generations (future altruism) has become a hot research topic. Although future altruism has been observed in several previous experiments, it is not yet clear when and why people are more likely to engage in future altruism. Drawing upon the empirical literature of reputation and cooperation, we predicted that future altruism brings reputational disadvantages.

Conversion strategy builds supply chain resilience during the COVID-19 pandemic: A typology and research directions.

This study proposes a novel typology of adaptation to hazards-a conversion strategy as a countermeasure to manage risks in interconnected supply chains. Conversion strategies are intended to transform one or multiple supply chain functions for a different one to manage the changing environment. Supply chain disruptions due to natural hazards have been researched in key manufacturing-based economies like Thailand, the US, Japan, and China.

Peatland groundwater level in the Indonesian maritime continent as an alert for El Niño and moderate positive Indian Ocean dipole events.

In general, it is known that extreme climatic conditions such as El Niño and positive Indian Ocean Dipole (IOD+) cause prolonged drought in Indonesia's tropical peatlands so that groundwater levels (GWL) drop and peat is prone to fire. However, 27 years of GWL measurements in Central Kalimantan peat forests show the opposite condition, where the lowest GWL occurs several weeks before El Niño and after IOD+ reaches its peaks. We show that the dropped sea surface temperature anomaly induced by anomalously easterly winds along the southern Java-Sumatra occurs several weeks before the GWL drop to the lowest value.

Descriptive, injunctive, or the synergy of both? Experimenting normative information on behavioral changes under the COVID-19 pandemic.

Backgrounds: The effectiveness of citizens' behavioral changes to prevent the spread of SARS-CoV-2, such as avoiding large social events, relies on science communication from policymakers and collective action among peer citizens. Extant studies recognize the potential effects of information stimuli on citizens' behavioral changes, including what epidemiological experts request () and what surrounding people behave (). Yet, they have insufficiently assessed the co-occurrence and possible interaction of multiple information stimuli.

COVID-19, stigma, and habituation: evidence from mobility data.

Background: The Japanese government has restricted people's going-out behavior by declaring a non-punitive state of emergency several times under COVID-19. This study aims to analyze how multiple policy interventions that impose non-legally binding restrictions on behavior associate with people's going-out.

Theory: This study models the stigma model of self-restraint behavior under the pandemic with habituation effects.

Variable effects of vegetation characteristics on a recreation service depending on natural and social environment.

In this study, we examined roles of three vegetation characteristics in provisioning of a recreation service by applying a machine-learning method to 4,708,229 spatially-explicit records of hiking activity in Japan. Then, expected impacts of land-use changes assessed and mapped based on the model. Associations between a recreation service and three vegetation characteristics were considerably variable depending on the social and natural environment such as accessibility and altitude.

Effect of groundwater residence time on geogenic fluoride release into groundwater in the Mt. Meru slope area, Tanzania, the Great Rift Valley, East Africa.

People living in the Great Rift Valley in East Africa suffer from fluorosis resulting from their consumption of groundwater. This paper shows that geogenic fluoride contamination in a natural water system has changed in the last two decades in the Mt. Meru slope area of northern Tanzania based on water quality, dating of the residence time, and stable isotopes of groundwater.