Preprints
There are 6976 Preprints listed.
Oceanic Anoxic Event 3 coincided with peak Caribbean Large Igneous Province volcanism at 88 Ma
Published: 2025-12-10
Subjects: Physical Sciences and Mathematics
The high-volume, short-lived magma flux associated with the eruption of oceanic large igneous provinces (LIPs) is believed to have triggered Cretaceous Oceanic Anoxic Events, most notably OAE1 (~120–100 Ma) and OAE2 (~94 Ma). In contrast, OAE3 (~88–84 Ma) is considered to have occurred independently of LIP volcanism. Here we present a record of OAE3-related black shale deposition in Costa Rica [...]
Floodcraft: Game-based Interactive Learning Environment using Minecraft for Flood Mitigation and Preparedness for K-12 Education
Published: 2024-10-04
Subjects: Educational Methods, Environmental Studies, Graphics and Human Computer Interfaces
Flooding poses a significant threat to communities worldwide, yet educational methods to teach flood mitigation strategies are often lacking in engagement and practical application. This study introduces Floodcraft, an open-source educational game developed using the Minecraft platform to teach K-12 students about flood preparedness and mitigation methods interactively. The game encompasses four [...]
A 3D Darcy-scale reactive transport modeling of experimental wormhole formation in limestone under geological CO2 storage conditions
Published: 2024-12-27
Subjects: Transport Phenomena
Geologic CO2 storage is projected to play a key role in mitigating the climate change crisis. Changes in pore structure and hydraulic properties are likely to occur in carbonate rocks when they interact with CO2 as an acid-producing agent, potentially affecting CO2 flow and storage behavior in the subsurface. Here, we combine laboratory experiments and numerical simulations of CO2-saturated water [...]
Geological CO2 storage assessment in emerging CCS regions: Review of sequestration potential, policy development, and socio-economic factors in Poland
Published: 2025-08-19
Subjects: Earth Sciences, Environmental Sciences
Emerging carbon capture and storage (CCS) markets face critical challenges in developing systematic methodologies to assess geological CO2 storage potential under conditions of limited data availability, evolving regulatory frameworks, and nascent infrastructure development. This study establishes an assessment framework designed for lower-maturity CCS regions, using Poland as a representative [...]
In-situ hydrogen wettability characterisation for Underground Hydrogen Storage
Published: 2021-10-12
Subjects: Engineering
Hydrogen storage in subsurface aquifers or depleted gas reservoirs represents a viable seasonal and/or long-term energy storage solution. However, currently, there is a scarcity of subsurface petrophysical data for the hydrogen system, limiting modelling work and industrial rollout. In this work, we address the knowledge gap by determining the wettability and Interfacial Tension (IFT) of the [...]
Techno-economic analysis of natural and stimulated geological hydrogen
Published: 2025-01-03
Subjects: Earth Sciences
Geological hydrogen has emerged as a low-cost and low-carbon primary source of energy. This study provides a comprehensive techno-economic analysis of natural geological hydrogen (GH) and stimulated geological hydrogen (SGH) production, reaffirming its potential as a low-cost energy source. For the United States, we estimate production costs at $0.54/kg for GH and $0.92/kg for SGH, demonstrating [...]
Modeling and SAR Imaging of the Sea Surface: a Review of the State-of-the-Art with Simulations
Published: 2021-02-10
Subjects: Oceanography
Among other remote sensing technologies, synthetic aperture radar (SAR) has become firmly established in the practice of oceanographic research. Despite solid experience in this field, comprehensive knowledge and interpretation of ocean/sea and vessel wave signatures on radar images are still very challenging. This is not only due to the complex mechanisms involved in the SAR imaging of moving [...]
Sustainable AI infrastructure: A scenario-based forecast of water footprint under uncertainty
Published: 2025-04-24
Subjects: Engineering
The rapid expansion of artificial intelligence (AI) and cloud computing is creating a significant but often overlooked impact on global water resources. This paper presents a global assessment of water consumption in AI-driven data centres, distinguishing between water consumption for operational use at the facility, off-site water consumption related to electricity generation, and embodied water [...]
Optimisation of Agrivoltaic Systems within the Water-Energy-Food Nexus
Published: 2025-06-01
Subjects: Agriculture, Power and Energy, Systems Engineering
Agrivoltaic (APV) systems, which co-locate photovoltaic (PV) panels with agricultural production, have emerged as a promising strategy to simultaneously address water, energy, and food sustainability challenges. However, the optimal design of such systems remains complex due to competing objectives, site-specific conditions, and increasingly stringent policy constraints. This study presents a [...]
Enzyme-Mediated Multiphase Precipitation (EMMP): An Innovative Strategy for Ecotoxic Metal Immobilization in Aqueous Systems
Published: 2025-05-16
Subjects: Engineering, Physical Sciences and Mathematics
Ecotoxic metal contamination in wastewater and soil poses a critical environmental challenge due to its persistence, toxicity, and bioaccumulation potential. While conventional biogeotechnical methods like Enzyme-Induced Carbonate Precipitation (EICP) and Microbial Induced Carbonate Precipitation (MICP) have shown promise for metal immobilisation, their application is limited by excessive [...]
Ecosystem extent mapping in a global monitoring context
Published: 2025-10-03
Subjects: Environmental Indicators and Impact Assessment, Geographic Information Sciences, Natural Resources and Conservation, Natural Resources Management and Policy, Other Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Remote Sensing, Spatial Science, Sustainability
The vital role of ecosystems in maintaining biosphere stability is now recognised globally. Updates in policy frameworks on biodiversity and environmental decline include information on ecosystem extent (EE) as a core assessment indicator, e.g., the Global Biodiversity Framework indicator A2 ‘Extent of natural ecosystems’. The recently proposed System of Environmental-Economic Accounting – [...]
A simplified physics model for estimating subsurface CO2 storage resources constrained by fault slip potential
Published: 2024-12-19
Subjects: Earth Sciences
Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) at rates of several gigatonnes (Gt) per year may be needed to mitigate climate change. However, one major uncertainty is that the risk of injection-induced earthquakes may grow with this scale of deployment. In this work, we develop a tool, named CO2BLOCKSEISM, which uses simplified physics models to screen subsurface storage resources constrained by fault [...]
The role of information in shaping the emerging agricultural soil carbon market
Published: 2025-01-23
Subjects: Agriculture, Life Sciences
The agricultural soil carbon market that has emerged in recent years is widely regarded as a promising opportunity for farmers in the Global North and South, enabling them to generate carbon credits and derive a source of income from the adoption of alternative land management practices which contribute to climate change mitigation by increasing soil carbon sequestration and/or reducing [...]
Fracture distribution in a folded fluvial succession: the Puig-reig anticline (South-eastern Pyrenees)
Published: 2021-05-07
Subjects: Geology, Sedimentology, Stratigraphy, Tectonics and Structure
Sedimentary rocks of foreland fold-and-thrust belts typically undergo intensive fracturing as fold grows. The resulting fracture networks can present significant variations depending on the distribution of sedimentary facies and the complex structural characteristics of fold-and-thrust belts. The Puig-reig anticline, located in the south-eastern Pyrenees, mainly exposes proximal fluvial deposits [...]
Automated mineralogy as a novel approach for the compositional and textural characterization of spent lithium-ion batteries
Published: 2021-05-21
Subjects: Engineering
Mechanical recycling processes aim to separate particles based on their physical properties, such as size, shape and density, and physico-chemical surface properties, such as wettability. Secondary materials, including electronic waste, are highly complex and heterogeneous, which complicates recycling processes. In order to improve recycling efficiency, characterization of both recycling process [...]