Preprints
Filtering by Subject: Environmental Sciences
Evaluating the role of observational uncertainty in climate impact assessments: Temperature-driven yellow fever risk in South America
Published: 2025-04-20
Subjects: Environmental Sciences
Global gridded temperature data sets (GGTDs) vary in their information sources, quality control procedures, generation techniques, and spatial-temporal resolutions, introducing observational uncertainty. This uncertainty is critical not only for studies on current climate conditions but also for future climate change projections, where observational data sets are used for bias correction and [...]
Using Google Earth Engine and the Normalized Difference Drought Index (2000–2024) to assess the spatiotemporal drought severity in Kenya's arid and semi-arid landscape
Published: 2025-04-20
Subjects: Environmental Sciences
Arid and Semi-Arid Lands (ASALs) have seen a surge in extreme climatic events with devastating environmental and livelihood effects. Understanding the dynamics of these extreme events such as drought at the landscape level is essential for anticipatory action among resource-dependent communities in the ASALs. This study utilised Systems Google Earth Engine (GEE) to analyse 24 years of Normalised [...]
Assessing legacy nitrogen in groundwater using numerical models of the Long Island aquifer system, New York
Published: 2025-04-15
Subjects: Earth Sciences, Environmental Sciences, Hydrology, Physical Sciences and Mathematics, Water Resource Management
Nitrogen transported along groundwater flow paths in coastal aquifers can contribute substantially to nitrogen loading into surface water receptors, particularly in hydrologic systems dominated by groundwater discharge. Nitrogen entrained in the aquifer is a function of land use and associated nitrogen sources at the time of groundwater recharge, which may differ considerably from present-day [...]
A realistic climate strategy
Published: 2025-04-12
Subjects: Climate, Environmental Health and Protection, Environmental Indicators and Impact Assessment, Environmental Sciences, Environmental Studies, Oceanography and Atmospheric Sciences and Meteorology, Social and Behavioral Sciences, Sustainability
The international climate strategy is failing. Current policies will act too slowly to prevent rising temperatures from crossing critical climate tipping points. IPCC assessments underestimate the non-linear risks and catastrophic costs of overshooting Paris Agreement targets. Opponents of solar geoengineering cite concerns about moral hazard and other potential risks; however, at this juncture [...]
Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Emissions Poised to Rocket: Modeling the Environmental Impact of LEO Satellite Constellations
Published: 2025-04-11
Subjects: Astrophysics and Astronomy, Earth Sciences, Environmental Sciences, Physics
The proliferation of satellite megaconstellations in low Earth orbit (LEO) represents a significant advancement in global broadband connectivity. However, we urgently need to understand the potential environmental impacts, particularly greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions associated with these constellations. This study addresses a critical gap in modeling current and future GHG emissions by developing [...]
WITHDRAWN Estimating the contribution of vacant land in mitigating flooding in the Neuse Basin
Published: 2025-04-11
Subjects: Environmental Sciences
WITHDRAWN
Impact of Marine Heatwaves and Coldwaves on CO2 in the South China Sea
Published: 2025-04-10
Subjects: Environmental Sciences, Oceanography and Atmospheric Sciences and Meteorology
Global warming is increasing the frequency and intensity of marine heatwaves (MHWs) in the South China Sea, while marine cold waves (MCWs) occur intermittently. Both phenomena influence the air-sea CO2 flux (FCO2) at the air-sea interface. This study uses inversion and reanalysis data, along with FCO2 diagnostic methods, to assess their impact on FCO2 in the South China Sea from 2003 to 2019. The [...]
Anthropogenic Interference in Aeolian Processes in Kerman Plain, Southeastern Iran
Published: 2025-04-02
Subjects: Earth Sciences, Environmental Sciences, Environmental Studies, Geography
Dry climate, poor vegetation and relatively smooth topography are the most important factors that brought about wind erosion processes prevail in the Kerman plain. Aeolian sediments in the Kerman plain can be divided into active and stabilized sediments. Stabilized sediments show a cross-bedding structure and coarser-grained fluvial sediments are found between layers of aeolian sediments. [...]
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 [...]