Article
Environmental Sciences
Omran E. Frihy, Essam A. Deabes, Abdelaleem A. Abudia, Ahamed Adawi
Summary: This study examines the surficial sediment samples collected from the recently formed fluvial delta in Lake Nasser/Nubia and analyzes the hydraulic-sorting processes and transport/depositional patterns. The results show that the delta-front deposits are characterized by thick coarse-grained sandy deposits with high heavy mineral content, while the prodelta mud layers have low heavy mineral content.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF SEDIMENT RESEARCH
(2022)
Article
Genetics & Heredity
Xiao-Ya Sun, Juan-Juan Yuan, Zhuo-Er Dong
Summary: Climate oscillation and habitat fragmentation pose threats to the survival of certain species, but the impact on semi-aquatic insects, such as Gigantometra gigas, is not well understood. In this study, the evolutionary history of G. gigas was explored using mitogenomic and nrDNA cluster sequences. The results showed that G. gigas populations conform to the isolation-by-distance model and experienced decline around 120 ka due to climate change during the late Pleistocene. Conservation efforts are recommended to ensure the survival of small G. gigas populations, especially those in Guangdong Province, China, which have low genetic diversity and limited suitable habitat in the future.
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Nils Ambec, Yves Bergeron, Nicole J. J. Fenton
Summary: Rare habitats are formed due to the geochemistry, history, or topography, and provide shelter for locally rare species. This study investigates the impact of early colonization on the composition and diversity of plant communities in former islands and submerged hills. The results show that former islands have richer bryophyte communities, while formerly submerged hills have higher vascular plant diversity.
BIODIVERSITY AND CONSERVATION
(2023)
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Felipe Lobos-Roco, Oscar Hartogensis, Francisco Suarez, Ariadna Huerta-Viso, Imme Benedict, Alberto de la Fuente, Jordi Vila-Guerau de Arellano
Summary: This study investigates how evaporation changes with scales in the Altiplano region of the Atacama Desert. The findings reveal that evaporation is controlled by different drivers at different timescales, with mechanical turbulence being the primary driver at the sub-diurnal scale and the radiative contribution term playing a major role at the seasonal scale.
HYDROLOGY AND EARTH SYSTEM SCIENCES
(2022)
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Mohamed El-Sayed El-Mahdy, Wael A. El-Abd, Fawzia Morsi
Summary: Understanding lake evaporation and the role of climate change in evaporation is crucial for water resources management. A study on Lake Nasser in southern Egypt developed a prediction model using artificial neural networks, indicating a potential 2% increase in evaporation by 2050. Trend analysis suggests that predicted climatological parameters may be slightly higher than historical records.
JOURNAL OF AFRICAN EARTH SCIENCES
(2021)
Article
Archaeology
Miroslaw Masojc, Ahmed Nassr, Ju Yong Kim, Maciej Ehlert, Grzegorz Michalec, Joanna Krupa-Kurzynowska, Young Kwan Sohn, Eric Andrieux, Simon J. Armitage, Marcin Szmit, Jin Cheul Kim, Ji Sung Kim, Marzena Cendrowska, Ewa Dreczko, Piotr Moska, Kyeong Ja Kim, Yire Choi
Summary: The research note presents evidence of the oldest Middle Pleistocene human activity in the Eastern Desert Atbara River (EDAR) area in Sudan, with preliminary results indicating Homo sapiens activity during MIS 5 and Homo erectus activity during MIS 7-n or earlier.
JOURNAL OF AFRICAN ARCHAEOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Geography, Physical
Anne L. Billingsley, Peter Reinthal, David L. Dettman, John D. Kingston, Alan L. Deino, Kevin Ortiz, Benjamin Mohler, Andrew S. Cohen
Summary: The carbon isotopic ratios of fish fossils in Tugen Hills, Kenya reveal dietary habitats and responses to lake-level fluctuations, contrasting with Lake Malawi and Lake Turkana records which indicate a mix of near-shore and deep-water species. The absence of near-shore benthic fish fossils in the Tugen Hills core suggests rapid lake-level changes in the East African Rift during the Plio-Pleistocene.
PALAEOGEOGRAPHY PALAEOCLIMATOLOGY PALAEOECOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Limnology
Kristy Lee Sullivan, Evelyn E. Gaiser, Hilary M. Swain
Summary: Phytoplankton assemblages in lakes are sensitive to climate drivers and changes in physicochemical conditions. This study investigated the impact of CDOC inputs on phytoplankton communities and found shifts in assemblages and successional patterns based on fluctuations in nutrient concentrations. Dark-water states showed greater interannual consistency and resilience compared to clear-water states, indicating potential resistance to state transitions or contribution to ecosystem resilience.
LIMNOLOGY AND OCEANOGRAPHY
(2022)
Article
Remote Sensing
Ju Zhang, Qingwu Hu, Yingkui Li, Haidong Li, Jiayuan Li
Summary: By studying 25 lakes on the Tibetan Plateau, it was found that lakes in the southern and western plateau tended to shrink until 2010, after which they began to gradually expand, but the overall trend is still shrinking; Lakes in the central plateau, northwest plateau, and northeast plateau tend to expand overall, with the expansion being attributed to not only precipitation but also the melting of glaciers and permafrost; The changes in the lakes have gone through three phases, namely a slight decrease, a rapid increase, and a slowdown in the last decade.
GEO-SPATIAL INFORMATION SCIENCE
(2021)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Oana A. Dumitru, Jacqueline Austermann, Victor J. Polyak, Joan J. Fornos, Yemane Asmerom, Joaquin Gines, Angel Gines, Bogdan P. Onac
Summary: Sea-level reconstructions using phreatic overgrowths on speleothems from caves in Mallorca, Spain provided snapshots of Neogene and Quaternary sea levels, with estimates of global mean sea level during significant transitions in the Earth's history. The study highlights the importance of understanding past sea level variation in relation to climate change.
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
(2021)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Yeying Wang, Haofeng Zhan, Yu Zhang, Zhengmin Long, Xiaofei Yang
Summary: This study reports the mitochondrial genome of Strix aluco from Leigong Mountain Nature Reserve, Guizhou Province, China, which has a total length of 18,632 bp and includes 37 genes. The study reveals that the common ancestor of Strix diverged during the Pleistocene and the uplift of the Qinling Mountains and climate oscillation in the Pleistocene caused divergence between the northern and southern parts of mainland China.
BIODIVERSITY DATA JOURNAL
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
L. C. Orme, E. M. Lind, T. M. Holm, S. E. Kjellman, K. A. Koinig, A. Hormes, G. C. Rosqvist, M. Ruppel, D. Divine, K. Husum, A. Miettinen, E. Isaksson
Summary: The study analyzed lake sediments from Lake Blokkvatnet in Svalbard using multiple approaches and found increasing organic content since the 1920s, possibly due to warming. Similar peaks of organic content were also observed in three occasions since the 1300s, potentially associated with higher temperatures, reduced sea ice, and negative phases of the North Atlantic Oscillation. The study also revealed increased catchment weathering and fluvial erosion starting from the 1800s, with higher erosion and weathering levels between the transition from the Medieval Climate Anomaly to the Little Ice Age.
JOURNAL OF PALEOLIMNOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Ecology
Lucas Bittner, Cindy De Jonge, Graciela Gil-Romera, Henry F. F. Lamb, James M. M. Russell, Michael Zech
Summary: This study presents a new temperature calibration and a quantitative record of mean annual air temperature (MAT) in Eastern Africa over the past 12 ka cal BP. By modifying the calibration method and adding surface sediment data, the researchers reconstructed the temperature history and found significant warming shortly after the Holocene onset, followed by a decrease in temperature.
Article
Geography, Physical
Arne Ulfers, Christian Zeeden, Silke Voigt, Mehrdad Sardar Abadi, Thomas Wonik
Summary: This study focuses on the nature of half-precession cycles and their signals in different proxy records from Europe and the Northern Atlantic region. Results show that the half-precession signal is present in all investigated sites, with a more pronounced signal in the southeast compared to the north. The study also suggests a connection between the half-precession cycles and interglacials, and highlights the role of the African Monsoon in influencing the climate systems of the Mediterranean and Southern Europe.
QUATERNARY SCIENCE REVIEWS
(2022)
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Jean-Claude Maki Mateso, Charles L. Bielders, Elise Monsieurs, Arthur Depicker, Benoit Smets, Theophile Tambala, Luc Bagalwa Mateso, Olivier Dewitte
Summary: In the rift flank west of Lake Kivu in DR Congo, forest cover dynamics, roads, and mining activities have significant impacts on landslide characteristics and causes. Deforestation leads to more frequent but smaller-sized shallow landslides due to the reduction in regolith cohesion. Mining activities increase the odds of landslides, and landslides associated with roads are larger than shallow landslides but smaller than recent deep-seated instabilities.
NATURAL HAZARDS AND EARTH SYSTEM SCIENCES
(2023)
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Abdallah S. Zaki, Robert Giegengack
JOURNAL OF AFRICAN EARTH SCIENCES
(2016)
Article
Astronomy & Astrophysics
Abdallah S. Zaki, Colin E. Pain, Kenneth S. Edgett, Robert Giegengack
Review
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Abdallah S. Zaki, Colin F. Pain, Kenneth S. Edgett, Sebastien Castelltort
Summary: Data from orbiting and landed spacecrafts on Mars have provided valuable information on fluvial landforms and sediments. Ridges interpreted as remnants of ancient fluvial activity are observed at numerous Martian locales, indicating extensive precipitation and runoff on early Mars. Different types of erosion-resistant capping materials have been identified as the formation mechanisms for Martian fluvial ridges. Water erosion, wind erosion, and mass wasting play a role in shaping these ridges by removing surrounding terrain. The composition and formational pathways of Earth's fluvial ridges suggest similarities in the accumulation of Martian fluvial deposits, potentially developed by both short-lived and long-lived fluvial activity.
EARTH-SCIENCE REVIEWS
(2021)
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Andrew S. Madof, William B. F. Ryan, Claudia Bertoni, Fabien J. Laugier, Abdallah S. Zaki, Sarah E. Baumgardner
Article
Geochemistry & Geophysics
A. S. Zaki, J. M. Davis, K. S. Edgett, R. Giegengack, M. Roige, S. Conway, M. Schuster, S. Gupta, F. Salese, K. S. Sangwan, A. G. Fairen, C. M. Hughes, C. F. Pain, S. Castelltort
Summary: This study investigates the formation and preservation of fluvial depositional systems in the eastern Sahara as an analogue to understand the complexity of Martian fluvial activity and its response to external factors. The findings suggest that similar fluvial systems on Mars may have formed due to intermittent episodes of erosion and deposition, influenced by rainfall and aeolian processes.
JOURNAL OF GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH-PLANETS
(2022)
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Samuel Yaw Danso, Yi Ma, Adams Osman, Isaac Yeboah Addo
Summary: This study conducted a spatial assessment and mapping of flood hazards in the Sekondi-Takoradi Metropolis (STM) of Ghana using the Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) and geographical information system. The results indicate that about 12% of STM lands are in very high flood zones and 24% are in high flood zones. The lower portions of STM are identified as the most susceptible to inundation. These findings provide valuable insights for effective flood planning and prevention in STM.
JOURNAL OF AFRICAN EARTH SCIENCES
(2024)
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Kesyton Oyamenda Ozegin, Stephen Olubusola Ilugbo
Summary: The study utilizes analytical hierarchical process and geoinformatics-based approaches to define groundwater potential zones in Edo State, Nigeria. The results show that high groundwater potential zones are mainly located in Edo-central and isolated portions of Edo-south, while low to very low potential zones are found in the study's northern region.
JOURNAL OF AFRICAN EARTH SCIENCES
(2024)
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Maham Eboubekrine Sedigh, Houssa Ouali, Michel Jebrak, Abdelkader Mokhtari
Summary: The carbonatites from the Richat dome in Mauritania are unique and underdocumented geological features. This study provides insight into the mineralogy and petrogenesis of the carbonatites, revealing three identified types and their association with spinel-bearing peridotite. The geochemical characteristics of the Richat carbonatites are similar to other Cretaceous alkaline carbonatite occurrences in different regions, suggesting a common geological process. The reactivation of a deep pan-African lineament is considered a fundamental factor in the formation of the Richat carbonatites.
JOURNAL OF AFRICAN EARTH SCIENCES
(2024)
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Riadh Aouissi, Gamal Mohamed El Qot, Sihem Salmi-Laouar, Catalina Gomez-Espinosa, Blanca E. Buitron-Sanchez
Summary: Twenty-one gastropod species have been identified in the Cenomanian deposits of Bellezma-Aures mountains, eastern Saharan Atlas, Algeria, with four of them recorded for the first time in the Batna mountains. These gastropods are mainly found in the 'Marnes de Smail' Formation, and their community changes may be attributed to minor sea-level fluctuations, sedimentation rate variations, and hydrodynamics. The paleobiogeographic distribution of these gastropod assemblages indicates a tethyan affinity and faunal exchange during that time interval.
JOURNAL OF AFRICAN EARTH SCIENCES
(2024)
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Behnam Esmaeili, Sirous Hosseinzadeh, Ali Kadkhodaie, David A. Wood, Samira Akbarzadeh
Summary: This research applies image analysis and clustering algorithms to estimate porosity and permeability of petroleum reservoir rocks, and demonstrates that the results from image analysis are consistent with traditional analysis methods, with acceptable correlation. In addition, different depositional environments and hydraulic flow units are identified through image analysis.
JOURNAL OF AFRICAN EARTH SCIENCES
(2024)
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Jianqi Zhuang, Jianbing Peng, Zhenhong Li, Yanqiu Leng, Xinghua Zhu, Weiliang Huang, Zhijie Jia, Yang Liu, Yi Zhu
Summary: The study on gully erosion in the East African Rift Valley of Kenya reveals that human activities and rainstorms are the main factors causing erosion. Gully erosion poses a serious threat to the ecological environment, particularly the man-made and fissure-induced gullies that should be further investigated.
JOURNAL OF AFRICAN EARTH SCIENCES
(2024)