Preprints
There are 5978 Preprints listed.
Global database of hot sedimentary aquifer geothermal projects: De-risking future projects by determining key success and failure criteria in the development of a valuable low-carbon energy resource
Published: 2024-11-01
Subjects: Engineering
Hot sedimentary aquifers (HSAs) have huge potential for low-carbon energy supply but remain a relatively untapped resource. For example, HSAs could meet 100 years of UK national heat demand. The main technical barriers to HSA deployment are subsurface risks and associated well completion requirement. Numerous studies and policies have attempted to tackle these hurdles, but the sluggish [...]
Predicting Harmful Algal Blooms Using Ensemble Machine Learning Models and Explainable AI Technique: A Comparative Study
Published: 2024-11-01
Subjects: Engineering, Environmental Engineering
Harmful Algal Blooms (HABs), driven by environmental pollution, pose significant threats to water quality, public health, and aquatic ecosystems. This study aims to enhance the prediction of HABs in Lake Erie, part of the Great Lakes system, by utilizing ensemble machine learning (ML) models coupled with explainable artificial intelligence (XAI) for interpretability. Using water quality data from [...]
Global identification of solid waste methane super emitters using hyperspectral satellites
Published: 2024-11-01
Subjects: Atmospheric Sciences, Environmental Sciences
Solid waste is the third largest source of anthropogenic methane and mitigating emissions is crucial for addressing climate change. We combine three high-resolution (30–60 m) hyperspectral satellite imagers (EMIT, EnMAP, and PRISMA) to quantify emissions from 38 strongly-emitting disposal sites across worldwide urban methane hotspots. The imagers give consistent emission estimates, with EMIT and [...]
Fault Representation in Structural Modelling with Implicit Neural Representations
Published: 2024-11-01
Subjects: Earth Sciences
Implicit neural representations have been demonstrated to provide a flexible and scalable framework for computer graphics and three-dimensional modelling and, consequently, have found their way also into geological modelling. These networks are feature-based and resolution-independent, making them effective for modelling geological structures from scattered interface points, units, and structural [...]
Numerical modelling of lithosphere-asthenosphere interaction and intraplate deformation in the Gulf of Guinea
Published: 2024-11-01
Subjects: Geology, Geophysics and Seismology, Tectonics and Structure
To present day, the phenomenon of intraplate deformation and its associated earthquakes remain elusive. In this work, we argue that intraplate deformation may result from the interaction between lithospheric and upper mantle dynamic processes. To this extent, we targeted the Gulf of Guinea and adjacent Western Africa, a region with both low plate velocities and clear asthenosphere dynamics, [...]
Geological and Environmental Implications of Enhanced Oil Recovery Techniques: Balancing Efficiency with Sustainability
Published: 2024-10-31
Subjects: Earth Sciences, Environmental Sciences, Geology, Oil, Gas, and Energy, Physical Sciences and Mathematics
This research paper explores the geological and environmental impacts of enhanced oil recovery (EOR) technology, focusing on the balance between efficiency and sustainability in fossil fuel extraction. EOR methods, including thermal recovery, gas injection, and chemical flooding, are critical to maximizing reservoir recovery, especially as global energy demand increases and conventional reserves [...]
Comprehensive Assessment of Flood Impact, Zonal Statistics, and Site Suitability for Wind Turbines in Iowa
Published: 2024-10-31
Subjects: Civil and Environmental Engineering
Floods, exacerbated by climate change and urban development, pose significant global risks, particularly impacting the wind energy sector in Iowa due to its reliance on wind power. Despite this, current research often overlooks the comprehensive effects of environmental factors on wind turbine vulnerability. This study investigates how elevation and flood risk influence the susceptibility of wind [...]
Benchmarking Greenhouse Gas Emissions from U.S. Wastewater Treatment for Targeted Reduction
Published: 2024-10-31
Subjects: Civil and Environmental Engineering, Engineering, Environmental Engineering
To assess the national climate impact of wastewater treatment and inform decarbonization, we assembled a comprehensive greenhouse gas inventory of 15,867 facilities in the contiguous United States. Considering facility location and treatment configurations, we model on-site CH4, N2O, and CO2 production, and emissions associated with energy, chemical inputs, and solids disposal. Our estimate of 42 [...]
Livelihood Asset versus Capabilities: Pillars for Sustainable Development in Rural Households of East Wallaga zone, Southwest Ethiopia
Published: 2024-10-30
Subjects: Environmental Studies
This study investigated the relationship between livelihood assets and capabilities in rural households of East Wallaga Zone, Southwest Ethiopia, to understand how they contribute to sustainable development. The analysis, using Structural Equation Modelling (SEM), examined factors such as social engagement, land size, education, animal ownership, irrigation, and household size as indicators of [...]
Geospatial Analysis of Landslide Susceptibility Through Machine Learning In Relation to Environmental Indicators Across Global Regions
Published: 2024-10-30
Subjects: Physical Sciences and Mathematics
Landslides cause over a billion dollars per year in damages and the situation is only exacerbated by climate change. Landslide forecasting, as a result, is key for detecting these disasters. Traditional landslide prediction models often rely on localized data and extensive computational resources, limiting their applicability on a global scale and therefore have an accuracy rate of around 30%. [...]
Carbonated Mantle Lithosphere from the Western Canadian Cordillera
Published: 2024-10-30
Subjects: Physical Sciences and Mathematics
Carbonated mantle is a significant source for many alkaline magmas, yet carbonate minerals are rarely preserved in samples of mantle lithosphere. Here, we report the first occurrence of mantle-equilibrated (“primary”) carbonate within spinel peridotite xenoliths from the Pacific Coast Ranges of North America. The xenoliths are hosted in a 19 Ma basanite dyke at Mt. Preston, British Columbia near [...]
Automated underwater image analysis reveals sediment patterns and megafauna distribution in the tropical Atlantic
Published: 2024-10-30
Subjects: Environmental Monitoring, Environmental Sciences, Physical Sciences and Mathematics
The deep sea environment comprises diverse flora, fauna and habitats, whose characterisation is key towards our collective understanding of ocean health and resilience. Whereas direct sampling allows for detailed investigation of the vertical variability of seabed characteristics at small spatial scales, optical imaging is suitable for high-resolution assessment of the spatial distribution of [...]
Phase-equilibrium geobarometers for silicic rocks based on rhyolite-MELTS. Part 5: Principles for multiple-phase geobarometry with examples from plagioclase + orthopyroxene ± quartz ± magnetite assemblages
Published: 2024-10-30
Subjects: Geology
The quartz + feldspar rhyolite-MELTS phase-equilibrium geobarometer is a useful tool for calculating equilibration pressures of rhyolitic magmas. However, it is limited by requiring quartz saturation in magma. Here, we employ the principles from Parts 1-4 to move beyond modeling a specific mineral assemblage. We demonstrate methods for carefully interpreting the rhyolite-MELTS geobarometry [...]
A new subsurface temperature model for Ireland from joint geophysical–petrological inversion of seismic, surface heat flow and petrophysical data
Published: 2024-10-29
Subjects: Physical Sciences and Mathematics
High-quality maps of subsurface temperature and the geothermal gradient are useful when assessing the geothermal potential of a region. However, determining geothermal potential is a challenge when direct measurements of in-situ temperature and thermal property information are sparse and indirect geophysical methods are sensitive to a range of parameters, not just temperature. Here, we produce [...]
Land conversions not climate effects are the dominant consequence of sun-driven CO2 capture, conversion, and sequestration
Published: 2024-10-29
Subjects: Environmental Sciences, Other Environmental Sciences
Removing carbon dioxide (CO2) from the atmosphere is required for mitigating climate change. Large-scale direct air capture combined with injecting CO2 into geological formations could retain carbon long-term, but demands a substantial amount of energy, pipeline infrastructure, and suitable sites for gaseous storage. Here, we study Earth system impacts of modular, sun-powered process chains, [...]