Preprints
Filtering by Subject: Physical Sciences and Mathematics
Compound Supershear Rupture During the 2026 Venezuela Earthquake Doublet
Published: 2026-09-18
Subjects: Earth Sciences, Geophysics and Seismology, Physical Sciences and Mathematics
The 24 June 2026 Venezuela earthquake doublet occurred along a complex transform-fault system. Teleseismic P waves encompassing both cataloged events were analyzed using potency density tensor inversion with seven structure models. All models indicate predominantly eastward rupture over approximately 220 km, including several stages of supershear propagation. Three apparent rupture stalls [...]
Incommensurate Global Cold-Seep Area Constructions and Their Consequences for an Iron-Bound Organic-Carbon Stock
Published: 2026-09-18
Subjects: Life Sciences, Physical Sciences and Mathematics
Global biogeochemical inventories require a spatial domain that is commensurate with the measured concentration, sediment mass, and ecosystem state. We re-evaluate the area term used by Ye et al. (2026) to estimate 142–218 Tg C of iron-bound organic carbon (Fe-OC) in the upper 30 cm of mature cold-seep sediment. Two primary results emerge. First, Ye et al. state that cold seeps occupy less than [...]
Causal Network Analysis of Heavy Snowfall Systems: North American Great Lakes vs. Sea of Japan Coast
Published: 2026-09-18
Subjects: Physical Sciences and Mathematics
This study conducts a hydro-climatic comparative analysis of two regions prone to heavy urban snowfall: the eastern shores of the North American Great Lakes (Lake-Effect Snow: LES) and the coast of the Sea of Japan (Sea-Effect Snow: SES). We introduce a quantitative metric—water vapor conversion efficiency (η= snowfall amount /PW)—and apply a data-driven causal discovery framework (DirectLiNGAM). [...]
Evaluating Biochar Crediting Protocols for Durable Carbon Removal
Published: 2026-09-17
Subjects: Physical Sciences and Mathematics, Social and Behavioral Sciences
As biochar expands as a source of carbon credits it has become increasingly clear that there are major differences among biochar protocols. This variation can make it challenging for producers to choose protocols and can make it difficult for buyers to understand the comparative value of different certified biochar credits, and in both these cases investor confidence is jeopardized. Here we [...]
Variance-ranked sound speed bases misclassify the surface duct: limits of profile RMSE as a proxy for acoustic prediction skill in the Bay of Bengal
Published: 2026-09-17
Subjects: Geography, Oceanography, Oceanography and Atmospheric Sciences and Meteorology, Physical Sciences and Mathematics, Remote Sensing, Social and Behavioral Sciences
Sound speed profile (SSP) estimation from surface observables is operationally mature and is evaluated almost universally by profile root-mean-square error. Using 19,934 Argo profiles from the Bay of Bengal (2005–2020), season-stratified empirical orthogonal function (EOF) bases, and BELLHOP transmission loss (TL) at 500 Hz, 1500 Hz and 3500 Hz over 24 held-out locations, we show that this metric [...]
Evolving Biofilm Morphology Controls Microplastic Transport in Porous Media
Published: 2026-09-17
Subjects: Engineering, Physical Sciences and Mathematics
Microplastics (MPs) entering soils and subsurface environments interact with biofilms that continually reshape pore geometry and local flow pathways, yet biofilm effects on MP transport are only studied under fixed conditions. Here, we used a saturated microfluidic porous medium to directly image biofilm development and track fluorescent polyethylene MPs at different stages of biofilm growth. [...]
Global isotopic proxy records for Ordovician temperature reconstruction
Published: 2026-09-16
Subjects: Earth Sciences, Geochemistry, Geology, Physical Sciences and Mathematics, Sedimentology, Stratigraphy
The Ordovician represents a critical interval in the Phanerozoic, marked by two profound biological events: the Great Ordovician Biodiversification Event (GOBE), with an unprecedented tenfold increase in marine species diversity, which was abruptly terminated by the Late Ordovician Mass Extinction (LOME), one of the most severe extinction events in Earth's history, wiping out approximately 85% of [...]
Mitigating Summertime Marine Heatwaves via Targeted Marine Cloud Brightening
Published: 2026-09-16
Subjects: Physical Sciences and Mathematics
Marine heatwaves (MHWs) negatively impact marine ecosystems and coastal economies. Here, we evaluate whether a preemptive, short-term, localized surface emission of sea salt aerosols (marine cloud brightening, MCB) can mitigate the impacts of a predicted MHW without creating significant effects beyond the intervention zone. As a case study, we apply MCB to the 2019 Northeast Pacific MHW, "The [...]
Coral connectivity: How biophysical modelling choices shape connectivity inference
Published: 2026-09-15
Subjects: Life Sciences, Physical Sciences and Mathematics
Understanding coral connectivity is essential for predicting metapopulation dynamics and guiding restoration under accelerating climate change. Connectivity facilitates the exchange of organisms among reefs and can promote recovery following disturbance. Biophysical models are widely used to predict and explore coral connectivity; however, their estimates carry substantial uncertainty arising [...]
Inside the Extinction Envelope: A Systemic Review and Meta-Analysis of Paleoclimate Extinction Markers with Comments on the Necessary Array of Last-Threshold Interventions
Published: 2026-09-14
Subjects: Life Sciences, Physical Sciences and Mathematics, Social and Behavioral Sciences
Every element of the causal chain that produced the five largest mass extinctions of the last half-billion years is presently active in the Earth system. The rate of the modern perturbation exceeds every peer-reviewed paleoclimate reference case. A six-intervention portfolio, deployed together at wartime industrial scale beginning now, is the physically necessary and sufficient response. The [...]
Very-high-resolution optical imagery reveals key clues to the Langtang Lirung ice–rock avalanche
Published: 2026-09-13
Subjects: Earth Sciences, Geomorphology, Physical Sciences and Mathematics
Ice–rock avalanches and resulting cascading processes are increasingly recognized to pose an exceptional risk to high-mountain systems. Once initiated, they often transition from dense multiphase mixtures to water-saturated debris flows and even hyper-concentrated floods, thus attaining sufficient runout potential to move from highly remote to populated regions. The event that originated from the [...]
A proxy-based model of glacier thermal characteristics
Published: 2026-09-12
Subjects: Earth Sciences, Physical Sciences and Mathematics, Physics
This work presents a spatially lumped, computationally efficient model for estimating glacier thermal characteristics at a regional scale. We formulated proxies for the major englacial heat sources (meltwater refreezing and vertical shear strain heating) and heat transport mechanisms (downstream advection and vertical diffusion). We subsequently calculated these proxies for all glaciers in Alaska [...]
Daily Flood Mapping at 90 m Resolution Through Physically-Constrained CYGNSS–SAR Fusion
Published: 2026-09-11
Subjects: Physical Sciences and Mathematics
Satellite flood mapping faces a fundamental spatiotemporal trade-off: Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) missions provide high-resolution flood masks but revisit any given location only every 6–12 days, while GNSS Reflectometry observations from the CYGNSS constellation are available daily but at kilometer scale. Neither sensor alone suffices to track flood events evolving over 24–72 hours. We [...]
Reconstructing annual 30 m forest aboveground biomass across Southwest China’s karst region from 1986 to 2024
Published: 2026-09-10
Subjects: Engineering, Life Sciences, Physical Sciences and Mathematics
Fine-resolution reconstruction of multi-decadal forest aboveground biomass (AGB) remains challenging in karst landscapes, where steep terrain, fragmented stands, and strong environmental gradients can limit the regional transferability of national and global products. We developed a regionally adapted two-stage framework to reconstruct annual 30 m forest AGB across Southwest China’s karst region [...]
The explosive engine of the 2022 Hunga submarine eruption
Published: 2026-09-10
Subjects: Earth Sciences, Geophysics and Seismology, Physical Sciences and Mathematics, Volcanology
The 2022 submarine eruption of Hunga volcano, Tonga, was among the largest volcanic eruptions in the modern era, yet the processes controlling its explosive sequence remain poorly understood. Here we present the first detailed insight into the internal mechanics of an explosive cycle from teleseismic waveforms. Four eruptive episodes repeat an implosion-explosion cycle, separated by a 3-minute [...]