Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Oliver Kost, Saul Gonzalez-Lemos, Laura Rodriguez-Rodriguez, Jakub Sliwinski, Laura Endres, Negar Haghipour, Heather Stoll
Summary: Cave-monitoring studies are crucial for understanding the factors influencing cave systems and interpreting stalagmite records. This study conducted a comprehensive monitoring of cave air, bedrock chemistry, and drip water in La Vallina cave over a 16-month period. The results reveal seasonal variations in drip rates, stable isotopes, trace elements, and carbon isotope signatures, which are driven by factors such as rainfall, evapotranspiration, biological processes, and bedrock dissolution. The findings also provide insights into the seasonal ventilation and stagnation of cave air, as well as the growth patterns of stalagmites.
HYDROLOGY AND EARTH SYSTEM SCIENCES
(2023)
Article
Geography, Physical
Stephane Jaillet, Charlotte Honiat, Edwige Pons-Branchu, Isabelle Couchoud, Fabien Hoblea, Tanguy Racine, Christoph Spoetl
Summary: Previous studies have shown disagreement on the timing of the maximum extent of the Alpine glaciation during the last glacial cycle. New data and observations from the karst region of the Western Bauges in the French Alps suggest a maximum advance during Marine Isotope Stage (MIS) 4, with a smaller advance during MIS 2. The data, including U/Th dates of speleothems, provide constraints on the timing of glacial advances and help re-evaluate the maximum Alpine glaciation during the Wurmian in this part of the Western Alps.
Article
Geography, Physical
Maria Wind, Friedrich Obleitner, Tanguy Racine, Christoph Spoetl
Summary: The Hundsalm ice cave in the Austrian Alps is highly impacted by regional warming, leading to the disappearance of its perennial ice deposits within the next decades.
Article
Forestry
Yunlin Zhang, Lingling Tian
Summary: This study evaluated the applicability of three methods, direct use of the Rothermel model, re-estimation of Rothermel parameters, and model reform, in predicting forest fire spread in Karst ecosystems. It found that the direct use of the Rothermel model is not practical, with relative errors as high as 50%. However, there were no significant differences between re-estimation of parameters and model reform, but the reform model showed advantages of simplicity and lower errors. The research proposes a new method for predicting fire spread rate in Karst ecosystems, which is significant for understanding and calculating the rate of forest fire spread in the region.
Article
Remote Sensing
Ling Yu, Lei Fan, Philippe Ciais, Stephen Sitch, Rasmus Fensholt, Xiangming Xiao, Wenping Yuan, Jingming Chen, Yingtong Zhang, Xiaocui Wu, Yuanwei Qin, Mingguo Ma, Zhongbing Chang, Mengjia Wang, Kai Yan, Lisheng Song, Jean-Pierre Wigneron
Summary: North American boreal forests have suffered extensive tree mortality and carbon loss due to stand-replacing disturbances, but the impacts on forest dynamics are still unknown. This study used remote sensing data and biomass datasets to estimate the effects of fires, logging, and insect outbreaks on the carbon balance of western North American boreal forests. The results showed significant losses in aboveground biomass for all three disturbances, with fire being the dominant factor for forest recovery. Environmental factors also played a role in forest recovery. These findings have important implications for effective forest management after disturbances.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF APPLIED EARTH OBSERVATION AND GEOINFORMATION
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Sarah A. Burgess, Lee J. Florea, Tracy D. Branam
Summary: This study tests and revises speleogenetic models by analyzing dissolved ion concentrations in water samples collected in karst landscapes. The results show elevated sulfur content in both karst basins, but from different sources. These findings have implications for the carbon-sulfur cycle, particularly in terms of the potential acceleration of carbon flux through sulfuric acid dissolution.
Article
Ecology
Lucas B. Harris, Alan H. Taylor
Summary: Increases in tree cover at dry forest margins are a global phenomenon. Our research in California's Sierra Nevada region found that mesic areas and areas of sparse tree cover close to existing forest tended to gain more canopy cover over time. Subsequent wildfires generated novel patterns of tree cover relative to historical baselines.
Article
Forestry
Cassady P. Dunson, Brian P. Oswald, Kenneth W. Farrish
Summary: Little is known about the effects of repeated prescribed burning on forest soils in the southern United States. This study aimed to identify correlations between soil chemical properties and burn intervals. The results showed that repeated burning treatments can cause short-term changes in soil chemical properties.
Article
Agronomy
Kaiyan Zhang, Furong Zhang, Haitao Li, Yue Su, Yanyou Wu
Summary: Insufficient inorganic nitrogen in karst soils often leads to poor growth in artificial young forests. However, little is known about the assimilatory demand of nitrate for the whole plant and the partitioning of nitrate assimilation in roots and leaves of woody plants in karst habitats. This study used the isotope mass balance approach to quantify the δ^15N values of N assimilates in different plant organs and in whole plants of Broussonetia papyrifera seedlings grown under different nitrate concentrations. The δ^15N values of N assimilates in the whole seedlings showed an increasing trend with higher nitrate concentration. Increasing the nitrate supply decreased the leaf-root difference in δ^15N values of N assimilates. Quantifying the δ^15N values of N assimilates in B. papyrifera seedlings grown under different nitrate concentrations contributes to estimating their assimilatory demand for nitrate, while the leaf-root difference in δ^15N values can be used to estimate the partitioning of nitrate assimilation between roots and leaves.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Takashi Osono, Syuntaro Hiradate, Satoru Hobara
Summary: The study conducted in a subtropical forest in Japan showed that bleached leaf litter exhibited different chemical characteristics over time, with faster mass loss and lower content of recalcitrant compounds. Bleaching plays a dominant role in the decomposition of leaf litter, accelerating the transformation and turnover of organic compounds and nitrogen.
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
(2021)
Article
Biochemical Research Methods
Sophie F. Warken, Lea Kuchalski, Andrea Schroeder-Ritzrau, Rolf Vieten, Martina Schmidt, Sebastian N. Hoepker, Adam Hartland, Christoph Spoetl, Denis Scholz, Norbert Frank
Summary: This study assesses the potential of transition metal ratios as indicators for infiltration changes by analyzing Cu, Ni, and Co in cave drip water. The results show significant changes in these metal ratios in response to seasonal infiltration changes and major rainfall events, making them promising tracers for studying rainfall variations and tropical cyclone reconstruction.
RAPID COMMUNICATIONS IN MASS SPECTROMETRY
(2022)
Article
Geography, Physical
Min Yang, Zhongqin Li, Muhammad Naveed Anjum, Xin Zhang, Yayu Gao, Chunhai Xu
Summary: Glacial mass balance is significantly affected by subsurface heat flux, but can generally be neglected during the ablation season. The study found that temperature variations had the most impact on the mass balance of Urumqi Glacier No.1, followed by precipitation.
GLOBAL AND PLANETARY CHANGE
(2021)
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Wei Yuan, Xun Wang, Che-Jen Lin, Qinghai Song, Hui Zhang, Fei Wu, Nantao Liu, Huazheng Lu, Xinbin Feng
Summary: In a Chinese tropical rainforest, Hg-0 is released from the soil and absorbed by plants, which replenishes the deposited Hg-0. However, there is still limited understanding of the emission of Hg-0 from the forest floor, which hinders our knowledge of the Hg mass budget in forest ecosystems. This study used Hg stable isotopic techniques to investigate the biogeochemical processes of Hg-0 deposition and evasion in the soil. The results showed that Hg-0 is emitted from the soil during the rainy season and deposited during the dry season, and there is no isotopic fractionation during atmospheric Hg-0 deposition.
ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Wei Yuan, Xun Wang, Che-Jen Lin, Jonas Olof Sommar, Bo Wang, Zhiyun Lu, Xinbin Feng
Summary: The study reveals that strong Hg-II reduction in soil leads to the release of Hg-0 to pore gas, with significant seasonal variation. The Hg isotope values in air are influenced by the Hg-0 efflux from pore gas, showing seasonality from -0.33±0.05% in summer to -0.08±0.05‰ in winter.
ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Ecology
Gustaf Granath, Christopher D. Evans, Joachim Strengbom, Jens Folster, Achim Grelle, Johan Stromqvist, Stephan J. Kohler
Summary: This study found that wildfires result in significant direct losses of C and N elements in ecosystems, with soil respiration and aquatic losses also playing important roles. While aquatic C and N losses were minor and did not increase post-fire, other elements like Ca and S showed ecologically relevant increases in fluvial export and concentration. The study also highlighted the presence of faster and slower-release nutrient pools in stream concentrations, with nutrient fluxes largely returning to pre-fire conditions three years after the fire.
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Karin Ching, Andy Baker, Ryoji Tanaka, Tingwen Zhao, Zhen Su, Rodney S. Ruoff, Chuan Zhao, Xianjue Chen
Summary: Pressure-driven liquid-phase isotope separation using graphene oxide and UV-reduced graphene oxide membranes can enrich D and O-18 in natural water. Adsorption separation was found to be the dominant mechanism, with increased graphene oxide loading leading to improved enrichment of D and O-18. UV-rG-O membranes showed the best performance in enriching D and O-18 in a single-stage experiment.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Zoe A. Thomas, Scott Mooney, Haidee Cadd, Andy Baker, Chris Turney, Larissa Schneider, Alan Hogg, Simon Haberle, Ken Green, Laura S. Weyrich, Vilma Perez, Nicole E. Moore, Atun Zawadzki, Sarah J. Kelloway, Stuart J. Khan
Summary: The study reveals a warming trend in the Australian alpine region over the past 3500 years, with a pronounced climate anomaly between 1000 and 1600 cal yrs. BP. Vegetation shifts occurred during this warm period, characterized by a decline in alpine species and an increase in open woodland taxa, along with an increase in regional fire activity.
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
(2022)
Article
Computer Science, Interdisciplinary Applications
Fabio Oriani, Pauline C. Treble, Andy Baker, Gregoire Mariethoz
Summary: This study presents a novel image analysis approach, WlCount, for detecting and counting laminae in geoscientific imagery. The method combines Dynamic Time Warping and Wavelet analysis techniques, and enables automatic counting through user-extracted signal frequencies. Experimental results demonstrate that WlCount provides comparable detection and counting results to manual counting.
COMPUTERS & GEOSCIENCES
(2022)
Article
Geochemistry & Geophysics
Liza K. McDonough, Pauline C. Treble, Andy Baker, Andrea Borsato, Silvia Frisia, Gurinder Nagra, Katie Coleborn, Michael K. Gagan, Jian-xin Zhao, David Paterson
Summary: This study compares fire-sensitive geochemical signals in a stalagmite from Yonderup Cave, Western Australia, with documented wildfire events. The results reveal distinct peaks in phosphorus and metal concentrations in response to known fire events, suggesting the presence of ash. The findings also indicate variations in geochemical signals before and after European colonization, likely linked to changes in land management, fire frequency, and fire intensity.
GEOCHIMICA ET COSMOCHIMICA ACTA
(2022)
Correction
Environmental Sciences
Zoe A. Thomas, Scott Mooney, Haidee Cadd, Andy Baker, Chris Turney, Larissa Schneider, Alan Hogg, Simon Haberle, Ken Green, Laura S. Weyrich, Vilma Perez, Nicole E. Moore, Atun Zawadzki, Sarah J. Kelloway, Stuart J. Khan
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
(2022)
Article
Geology
Ian J. Fairchild, Huiming Bao, Richard J. Windmill, Ian Boomer
Summary: Two cap carbonates overlying Cryogenian panglacial deposits are found in North-East Svalbard, providing insights into the sedimentation process and the O-17 depletion event as well as the presence of ultra-high pCO(2) during the deposition of the cap carbonates.
DEPOSITIONAL RECORD
(2023)
Review
Environmental Sciences
Hannah Gunter, Chris Bradley, David M. Hannah, Semira Manaseki-Holland, Rob Stevens, Kieran Khamis
Summary: Improved monitoring of potable water is crucial for achieving sustainable development goals. Recent advances in field deployable sensing technology, particularly fluorescence spectroscopy, offer opportunities for real-time monitoring of E. coli contamination, providing an invaluable platform for monitoring drinking water quality, especially in situations where infrastructure is degraded or during disaster-relief operations.
WILEY INTERDISCIPLINARY REVIEWS-WATER
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Andrea Borsato, Ian J. Fairchild, Silvia Frisia, Peter M. Wynn, Jens Fohlmeister
Summary: Annually laminated stalagmites ER77 and ER78 from Grotta di Ernesto provide an accurate annual record of environmental and anthropogenic signals for the last similar to 200 years. The stalagmites show two major transitions, one coinciding with the end of the Little Ice Age around 1840 CE, and the other occurring around 1960 CE and related to human-induced environmental changes.
ANTHROPOCENE REVIEW
(2023)
Article
Marine & Freshwater Biology
Jill Crossman, Chris Bradley, Fredric M. Windsor, Alexander M. Milner
Summary: This study investigated the spatial and temporal variation in relationships between water sources, flow paths, physical and chemical processes, organic matter, microbial biofilms, and macroinvertebrates in groundwater-fed streams of the Toklat River catchment in Denali National Park, Alaska. The findings revealed that perennial streams mainly fed by seepage from the valley sides were supported by fine particulate organic matter from subsurface flow paths, while ephemeral streams sustained by glacial meltwater seepage were supported by leaf litter. The study highlights the importance of considering spatial and temporal variation in groundwater-fed streams and the potential implications of projected hydrological changes under a changing climate.
Review
Geochemistry & Geophysics
Micheline Campbell, Liza McDonough, Pauline C. Treble, Andy Baker, Nevena Kosarac, Katie Coleborn, Peter M. Wynn, Axel K. Schmitt
Summary: Wildfires impact 40% of the earth's terrestrial biome, but our understanding of past fire activity is limited. Speleothems have recently been shown to record past fire events and can extend our knowledge of fire history. This review provides an overview of fire regimes, paleofire proxies, and the physical basis of speleothem fire records, as well as case studies from Australia.
REVIEWS OF GEOPHYSICS
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
John Gunn, Chris Bradley
Summary: This study investigates a karst system that exhibits rhythmic and episodic changes in discharge due to variations in flow from two phreatic conduits. Water tracing experiments reveal that the conduits receive both allogenic and autogenic recharge. High-resolution water depth data collected from the conduits and upstream cave during different periods show that the short-term temporal variability in water depths is influenced by conduit bedrock geometry and changes in conduit permeability caused by sediment accumulation in phreatic loops.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Stacey C. Priestley, Pauline C. Treble, Alan D. Griffiths, Andy Baker, Nerilie J. Abram, Karina T. Meredith
Summary: Billions of people worldwide rely on groundwater, but the impacts of climate change on groundwater recharge are not well understood. A study in southwest Australia found that a sustained decrease in rainfall has led to a disconnect between shallow karst aquifers and rainfall recharge, implying that groundwater recharge may no longer be reliable in this region. This situation is unprecedented in the last 800 years.
COMMUNICATIONS EARTH & ENVIRONMENT
(2023)
Article
Geology
Miaofa Li, Binggui Cai, Slobodan B. Markovic, Luo Wang, Qingzhen Hao, Andy Baker, Milivoj B. Gavrilov, Liyuan Jiang, Fang Wang, Xuefeng Wang, Lisheng Wang, Zhibang Ma, Jule Xiao, Zhengtang Guo
Summary: The North Atlantic jet stream has a significant impact on the climate of the North Atlantic-European region, particularly in winter. Recent observations have shown that the winter jet stream has strengthened over the past 140 years, and this trend has deviated from natural variability. Researchers have discovered that the appearance of the North Atlantic warming hole, caused by anthropogenic forcing, is the most likely explanation for this anomalous trend. Continued global warming may further strengthen the jet stream in the future.
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Heidi Kreibich, Kai Schroeter, Giuliano Di Baldassarre, Anne F. Van Loon, Maurizio Mazzoleni, Guta Wakbulcho Abeshu, Svetlana Agafonova, Amir AghaKouchak, Hafzullah Aksoy, Camila Alvarez-Garreton, Blanca Aznar, Laila Balkhi, Marlies H. Barendrecht, Sylvain Biancamaria, Liduin Bos-Burgering, Chris Bradley, Yus Budiyono, Wouter Buytaert, Lucinda Capewell, Hayley Carlson, Yonca Cavus, Anais Couasnon, Gemma Coxon, Ioannis Daliakopoulos, Marleen C. de Ruiter, Claire Delus, Mathilde Erfurt, Giuseppe Esposito, Didier Francois, Frederic Frappart, Jim Freer, Natalia Frolova, Animesh K. Gain, Manolis Grillakis, Jordi Oriol Grima, Diego A. Guzman, Laurie S. Huning, Monica Ionita, Maxim Kharlamov, Dao Nguyen Khoi, Natalie Kieboom, Maria Kireeva, Aristeidis Koutroulis, Waldo Lavado-Casimiro, Hong-Yi Li, Maria Carmen LLasat, David Macdonald, Johanna Mard, Hannah Mathew-Richards, Andrew McKenzie, Alfonso Mejia, Eduardo Mario Mendiondo, Marjolein Mens, Shifteh Mobini, Guilherme Samprogna Mohor, Viorica Nagavciuc, Thanh Ngo-Duc, Huynh Thi Thao Nguyen, Pham Thi Thao Nhi, Olga Petrucci, Nguyen Hong Quan, Pere Quintana-Segui, Saman Razavi, Elena Ridolfi, Jannik Riegel, Md Shibly Sadik, Nivedita Sairam, Elisa Savelli, Alexey Sazonov, Sanjib Sharma, Johanna Soerensen, Felipe Augusto Arguello Souza, Kerstin Stahl, Max Steinhausen, Michael Stoelzle, Wiwiana Szalinska, Qiuhong Tang, Fuqiang Tian, Tamara Tokarczyk, Carolina Tovar, Thi Van Thu Tran, Marjolein H. J. van Huijgevoort, Michelle T. H. van Vliet, Sergiy Vorogushyn, Thorsten Wagener, Yueling Wang, Doris E. Wendt, Elliot Wickham, Long Yang, Mauricio Zambrano-Bigiarini, Philip J. Ward
Summary: As the impacts of hydrological extremes increase, understanding the drivers of changes in risk and impacts is crucial for effective flood and drought risk management. However, there is currently a lack of comprehensive data on the processes and interactions leading to flood and drought impacts. This benchmark dataset provides unique socio-hydrological data on paired flood and drought events, covering a wide range of conditions. It enables comparative analyses and context-specific assessments, and can be used for exploring causal links and developing socio-hydrological models.
EARTH SYSTEM SCIENCE DATA
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Pauline C. Treble, Andy Baker, Nerilie J. Abram, John C. Hellstrom, Jagoda Crawford, Michael K. Gagan, Andrea Borsato, Alan D. Griffiths, Petra Bajo, Monika Markowska, Stacey C. Priestley, Stuart Hankin, David Paterson
Summary: Karst hydrology has a significant impact on the oxygen isotopic compositions of cave speleothems, and global analysis suggests that inconsistencies in speleothem-based reconstructions of past hydroclimates are common worldwide. The influence of fractures on flowpaths is identified as the primary driver of within-cave speleothem and dripwater oxygen isotopic variability.
COMMUNICATIONS EARTH & ENVIRONMENT
(2022)
