Preprints
Filtering by Subject: Environmental Sciences
The New Method of Estimation Greenhouse Effect and Climate Change
Published: 2025-03-19
Subjects: Environmental Sciences, Physical Sciences and Mathematics
Global climate change is one of the major concerns of modern society. To estimate this change, the global mean temperature is often used. Measuring and calculating the Earth’s average temperature is a complex, multi-step process that combines data from various sources and employs statistical techniques. Today, datasets containing spatial-temporal data on Earth’s temperature are readily [...]
Mercury budget in global rivers at present-day: impacts from reservoirs and dams
Published: 2025-03-14
Subjects: Biogeochemistry, Earth Sciences, Environmental Health and Protection, Environmental Monitoring, Environmental Sciences, Water Resource Management
Many world rivers are currently polluted by mercury (Hg) compounds, leading to the bioaccumulation of methylmercury (MeHg) in the food web, which poses potential health risks to humans. However, the riverine Hg budgets of global scale remain poorly understood due to limited observations, complicating efficient environmental governance. Here, we employ a process-driven Hg model to track its [...]
Is abyssal dark oxygen production even possible at all?
Published: 2025-03-10
Subjects: Chemistry, Environmental Sciences, Oceanography and Atmospheric Sciences and Meteorology, Physical Sciences and Mathematics
Physical principles need to be respected when interpreting controversial findings such as the production of abyssal oxygen. Such extraordinary claims must be analysed carefully before a large research effort is mounted and valuable human and financial resources are wasted based on flawed data. We are aware of the sensitivities around polymetallic nodules and their potential value as a source of [...]
Modern Cave Monitoring Informs Interpretations of Past Climate Change: Applications to Titan Cave, Wyoming
Published: 2025-03-10
Subjects: Earth Sciences, Environmental Monitoring, Environmental Sciences, Geochemistry, Geology, Geomorphology, Hydrology, Speleology
Monitoring of cave environments is an essential process for deciphering records of past climate change preserved in the geochemical composition of speleothems, or mineral cave deposits. This study presents data from a multi-year monitoring effort in Titan Cave, Wyoming, a site of interest due to the abundance of speleothems suitable for paleoclimate reconstruction. Titan Cave exhibits annual cave [...]
Drastic Changes in Atmospheric CO2 Concentration Led to Biological Mass Extinction and Explosion
Published: 2025-03-07
Subjects: Earth Sciences, Environmental Sciences, Paleontology
When the area of polar ice caps expands to a certain threshold, a positive feedback effect will occur. Due to the strong reflection of sunlight by ice and snow, the global climate will become cold and dry. CO₂ in the atmosphere will be rapidly sequestered in the seabed and permafrost through the biological carbon pump, thereby affecting plant photosynthesis, reducing NPP and the nutritional value [...]
Reduced Precipitation on Rapa Nui During the Decline of the Moai Culture
Published: 2025-03-04
Subjects: Atmospheric Sciences, Climate, Environmental Sciences, Environmental Studies, Geography, Human Geography, Oceanography and Atmospheric Sciences and Meteorology, Physical Sciences and Mathematics
From approximately 1200-1600 CE, Polynesian settlers on the island of Rapa Nui engaged in megalithic monument construction, crafting hundreds of Ahu platforms and Moai statues from volcanic bedrock. The decline of this tradition has intrigued archaeologists for decades. The most widely disseminated hypothesis surrounding the demise of the Ahu Moai culture suggests that the Rapanui overexploited [...]
Performance and Stability Analysis of a GEIOS Proprietary Ionic Nanofluid for Medium to High-Temperature Geothermal Applications
Published: 2025-03-03
Subjects: Chemical Engineering, Engineering, Engineering Science and Materials, Environmental Sciences, Mechanical Engineering, Other Engineering, Physical Sciences and Mathematics, Physics
This study investigates the performance and stability of a proprietary ionic nanofluid developed by GEIOS Technologies for medium to high-temperature geothermal applications. The nanofluid integrates boron nitride nanoparticles, proprietary surface modifiers, and quantum-optimized additives to enhance thermal conductivity, heat transfer efficiency, and operational stability in closed-loop [...]
Uncertainties as a Guide for Global Water Model Advancement
Published: 2025-02-24
Subjects: Environmental Sciences
Global water models increasingly allow us to explore the terrestrial water cycle in earth-sized digital laboratories to support science and guide policy. However, these models are still subject to considerable uncertainties that mainly originate from three sources: (1) imbalances in data quality and availability across geographical regions and between hydrologic variables, (2) poorly quantified [...]
Enhancing Global-scale Urban Land Cover Representation Using Local Climate Zones in the Community Earth System Model
Published: 2025-02-21
Subjects: Earth Sciences, Environmental Sciences
Urban areas are increasingly vulnerable to the impacts of climate change, necessitating accurate simulations of urban climates in Earth system models (ESMs) in support of large-scale urban climate adaptation efforts. ESMs underrepresent urban areas due to their small spatial extent and the lack of detailed urban landscape data. To enhance the accuracy of urban representation, this study [...]
Freshwater salinization of seasonal ponds: High salinity and stratification threaten critical, overlooked habitats
Published: 2025-02-20
Subjects: Environmental Health and Protection, Environmental Monitoring, Environmental Sciences, Natural Resources and Conservation, Natural Resources Management and Policy, Water Resource Management
Nearly a century of road salt use in the snowbelt region of North America has led to substantial increases in salinity levels in freshwater habitats (1, 2). Salt pollution in lakes and rivers is well characterized (3, 4). Lacking are broad insights for seasonal ponds. As critical habitats for many endemic species, these small and often poorly flushed surface waters are especially vulnerable to [...]
Quantifying the contributions of climate change and adaptation to mortality from unprecedented extreme heat events
Published: 2025-02-15
Subjects: Environmental Sciences, Physical Sciences and Mathematics
Understanding the mortality effects of the most extreme heat events is central to climate change risk analysis and adaptation decision-making. Accurate representation of these impacts requires accounting for the effects of prolonged sequences of hot days on mortality, the change in that mortality due to anthropogenic forcing, and the potential compensating effects of adaptation to heat. Here, we [...]
Removal of Cd (II) and Zn (II) ions from Aqueous Solutions using Carbonized and Functionalized Persea americana Root Stem Powder
Published: 2025-01-30
Subjects: Environmental Sciences
The ability of carbonized and modified avocado (Persea americana) root stem powder (C-PA and M-PA) to remediate Cadmium (Cd (II)) and Zinc (Zn (II)) contamination in aqueous solution was studied by varying the carbonization temperature, particle size of the adsorbent, adsorption temperature, pH of the solution, contact time, adsorbent dose and adsorbate concentration. Scanning electron microscopy [...]
Estimating the contribution of vacant land in mitigating flooding in the Neuse Basin
Published: 2025-01-30
Subjects: Environmental Sciences
Flooding in the United States results in economic losses amounting to tens of billions of dollars annually, with urbanization and development in floodplains serving as key drivers of increased flood risk. This study explores the flood retention potential of vacant lands within current and projected landcover scenarios in the Neuse River Basin, a rapidly urbanizing region prone to significant [...]
SpartANN - Spectral Pattern Analysis and Remote-sensing Tool with Artificial Neural Networks
Published: 2025-01-28
Subjects: Environmental Sciences, Geography, Remote Sensing, Software Engineering
Remote sensing, particularly from satellite observation, has become the standard tool for monitoring the planet with a steady increase of data production, and has seen wide application in ecosystem services analysis and management. Many remote sensing applications involve image classification, using methods from simple regressions to complex machine learning approaches that require advanced user [...]
Interpretable biome-aligned temperature zones for climate classification via average monthly temperatures
Published: 2025-01-25
Subjects: Environmental Sciences
We introduce temperature zones based on average monthly temperatures that closely align with biome boundaries, intended for use in climate classification. This new system retains the simplicity and interpretability of existing classifications, such as those of Köppen-Geiger and Trewartha, while providing an improved fit to biome boundaries. Unlike previous classifications, we developed our system [...]