Preprints
Filtering by Subject: Life Sciences
Flow dynamics and tributary mouth bar formation at river confluences with high rates of tributary sediment supply
Published: 2024-01-29
Subjects: Engineering, Life Sciences
River confluences influence the formation of secondary circulation, bed morphology, and associated feedbacks. With distance downstream through a drainage network, it becomes likely that the flow momentum of tributaries is lower than that of the main river, creating confluences with very low momentum ratio. However, the tributary may be able to supply significant quantities of sediment, especially [...]
2023 record marine heat waves: Coral Bleaching HotSpot maps reveal global sea surface temperature extremes, coral mortality, and ocean circulation change
Published: 2024-01-22
Subjects: Life Sciences
2023 was the hottest year in recorded history on land and in the sea, with dramatic and unexpected temperature increases (Cheng et al., 2024, Hausfather, 2024). 2023 Coral Bleaching HotSpot maps provide unique insight into global ocean circulation changes in response to greenhouse gas (GHG) forcing that caused dramatic global temperature rises. The highest excess daily air temperatures recorded [...]
Recognizing diversity in wetlands and farming systems to support sustainable agriculture and conserve wetlands
Published: 2024-01-20
Subjects: Life Sciences
Agriculture is a main driver of global decline in wetlands, but in addressing its impact the diversity in agricultural production systems and their catchment interactions must be recognized. In this paper we review the impacts of food production systems on wetlands to seek a better understanding of agriculture-wetland interactions and identify options for increasing sustainability. Eight farming [...]
An Assessment of Annual Load Estimation Methods in Small Watersheds for Cross Site Comparisons
Published: 2024-01-11
Subjects: Life Sciences, Physical Sciences and Mathematics
Streams and rivers export dissolved materials and eroded sediments from the watersheds they drain. Much can be learned about rivers and their watersheds by measuring the magnitude, timing and form of these exports. Such watershed load datasets are used to gain fundamental understanding of watershed ecosystems as well as to assess water quality and the efficacy of management approaches to sustain [...]
Human Civilization will Collapse (High Confidence): A Compendium of Relevant Biophysical, Political, Economic, Military, Health, and Psychological Information on Climate Change
Published: 2024-01-10
Subjects: Life Sciences, Physical Sciences and Mathematics, Social and Behavioral Sciences
Human civilization will not collapse from the direct effects of climate change, but rather from the secondary effects of crop failures, infectious diseases, and armed conflict. The root cause of the climate crisis is the earth’s energy imbalance: more energy is arriving at the earth from the sun than is being radiated back out into space. This is occurring because we have been [...]
2D and 3D imaging of ‘tunnel-shaped’ weathering features in soil grains: a biological origin?
Published: 2024-01-10
Subjects: Life Sciences, Physical Sciences and Mathematics
The evolution of the first plant-based terrestrial ecosystems some ~450 million years ago had a profound effect on the development of soils and shifts in global biogeochemical cycles, notably drawdown of CO2 from the atmosphere. In some part these shifts were due to biologically mediated weathering of mineral grains, which until plants evolved, had not been a significant contributor to [...]
Sustainable Living Unveiled: A Comprehensive Review of Key Studies on Zero Energy Homes
Published: 2023-12-20
Subjects: Engineering, Life Sciences
The journey to achieve Net Zero Energy in residential areas has progressed slowly. However, in recent times, the research behind accessing Net Zero has become more consistent. This paper discusses the steps to be taken in terms of technology, energy consumption, and energy efficiency to reach the goal of Net Zero. The timeline has been changed throughout discovering new and improved ways to [...]
Zero Energy Homes: Definitions, Design Considerations, Challenges, and Real-world Applications
Published: 2023-12-20
Subjects: Engineering, Life Sciences
In the pursuit of sustainable living, Zero Energy Homes (ZEHs) have emerged as a promising solution to mitigate the carbon footprint of residential housing. This review paper explores the multifaceted realm of ZEHs by examining diverse definitions, design considerations, challenges, and real-world applications. The lack of standardized definitions is addressed, encompassing variations from [...]
Transdisciplinary doctoral training to address global sustainability challenges
Published: 2023-12-14
Subjects: Education, Engineering, Life Sciences, Social and Behavioral Sciences
Methods for assessing Giant Kelp (Macrocystis pyrifera) biomass sinking rates and decomposition for carbon dioxide removal applications
Published: 2023-12-06
Subjects: Life Sciences
One promising carbon dioxide removal (CDR) strategy to achieve negative emissions of carbon dioxide is the sinking of farmed seaweed into the ocean where it may be sequestered. Methods to quantify the sinking rates, degradation rates and the release of degradation products from kelp is fundamental to understanding the durability of the strategy if applied to scale. The aim of this white paper is [...]
Stromatoporoids and extinctions
Published: 2023-12-01
Subjects: Life Sciences
Stromatoporoids are common shallow marine hypercalcified sponges in two major episodes with distinctive skeletal architectures: 1) Palaeozoic: Early to Middle Ordovician, to Late Devonian; and 2) Mesozoic: Late Triassic to Cretaceous and rare Cenozoic, but not confirmed in Permian and earlier Triassic strata. Stromatoporoids appeared in Early to Middle Ordovician strata, important in buildups [...]
Advancing hydrological monitoring using image-based techniques: challenges and opportunities
Published: 2023-11-17
Subjects: Engineering, Life Sciences
Enhanced and effective hydrological monitoring plays a crucial role in understanding water-related processes in a rapidly changing world. This paper explores the challenges and opportunities associated with image-based hydrological monitoring techniques, and highlights the need for innovative approaches and technologies to overcome existing limitations. Image-based hydrological monitoring has [...]
Köppen Geiger climatic classification for R users.
Published: 2023-11-16
Subjects: Life Sciences
Here we introduce an R version of the Matlab function from Beck et al. (2018), designed to classify monthly temperature and precipitation data according to Köppen Geiger climate classification. As professionals working in Macroecology or Biogeography usually use R as their main programming language, we believe this will be extremely useful for the work of these scientific communities.
Wildfire smoke impacts lake ecosystems
Published: 2023-11-06
Subjects: Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Life Sciences, Terrestrial and Aquatic Ecology
Wildfire activity is increasing globally. The resulting smoke plumes can travel hundreds to thousands of kilometers, reflecting or scattering sunlight and depositing ash within ecosystems. Several key physical, chemical, and biological processes in lakes are controlled by factors affected by smoke. The spatial and temporal scales of lake exposure to smoke are extensive and underrecognized. We [...]
Understanding the role of biodiversity in the climate, food, water, energy, transport and health nexus in Europe
Published: 2023-11-04
Subjects: Life Sciences, Social and Behavioral Sciences
Biodiversity underpins the functioning of ecosystems and the diverse benefits that nature provides to people, yet is being lost at an unprecedented rate. To halt or reverse biodiversity loss, it is critical to understand the complex interdependencies between biodiversity and key drivers and sectors to inform the development of holistic policies and action. We conducted a literature review on the [...]