Simultaneous determination of Sr and Pu isotopes in marine biological samples.

Pu and Sr are highly important radionuclides in the environment, which can accumulate in the human body through the food chain and cause radiation exposure. With the continuous discharge of treated nuclear contamination water from the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant, it is crucial to investigate and monitor the levels of Pu and Sr in seafood. However, it is still a challenge to determine Pu and Sr in seafood at environmental levels, owing to their extremely low concentrations, labor-intensive and time-consuming pre-treatment for large-sized samples.

Secondary organic aerosol in urban China: A distinct chemical regime for air pollution studies.

In the past decades, China has witnessed high air pollution associated with rapid economic development, although regulatory efforts have alleviated the situation since 2013. Haze events characterized by high particulate matter (PM) levels in China are not only of enormous magnitude but also represent a distinct chemical regime. Once driven by direct emissions, these high-PM episodes are now more affected by secondary aerosol, especially secondary organic aerosol (SOA).

Interstadial diversity of East Asian summer monsoon linked to changes of the Northern Westerlies.

During the last glacial period, the iconic Greenland ice-core records provide evidence of interstadial warmings with various durations ranging from a century to millennia. However, whether differences in interstadial duration are mirrored by distinct hydroclimate responses in the tropics remains unclear. Here we present four speleothem δO records from the Indian summer monsoon (ISM) and East Asian summer monsoon (EASM) regions, spanning both short and long interstadials during the last glacial period.

Size-segregated emission characteristics and associated toxicity of polycyclic aromatic compounds from agricultural machinery.

Non-road agricultural machinery (AM) emissions now exceed road vehicles as major atmospheric particulate contributors in China. Though recent changes to fuels and emission standards have been implemented, their effects on particle size-resolved chemical compositions and public health impacts remain poorly understood. This study systematically analyzed the particle size-resolved polycyclic aromatic compounds (PACs) chemical composition from 5 AM, evaluating the impacts of fuel type (diesel B0, biodiesel B5/B20), emission standards (stage II/III), and working status (idling, moving, working) on emission characteristics and health risks.

Physical protection by soil aggregates drives carbon gains in mangrove restoration: Evidence from coastal aquaculture ponds.

Mangrove wetlands are vital carbon sinks, yet their area has sharply declined due to aquaculture. To evaluate soil carbon stock recovery, we analyzed six pond-to-mangrove restoration sites along China's southeastern coast, assessing changes in carbon components and their drivers. Restoration increased soil water content, salinity, and total nitrogen while reducing pH and bulk density.

Reduced Antarctic Bottom Water overturning rate during the early last deglaciation inferred from radiocarbon records.

The rapid CO rise during the early deglaciation is often linked to enhanced ventilation by intensified Antarctic Bottom Water (AABW) overturning. The recorded radiocarbon ventilation seesaw during the early deglaciation, which describes improved Southern Ocean and reduced North Atlantic abyssal radiocarbon ventilation, has been interpreted as intensified AABW and reduced North Atlantic Deep Water convections. However, abyssal radiocarbon records also reflect changes in surface reservoir ages and interior water mass mixing.

Large riverbed sediment flux sustained for a decade after an earthquake.

Large earthquakes induce widespread landslides that fill river channels with sediment, generating long-lasting fluvial hazards and reshaping mountain topography. However, riverine sediment fluxes after earthquakes remain poorly resolved, mostly because of a lack of data on bedload flux. Here we construct a source-to-sink sediment budget following the 2008 M7.

Assessment of Soil Organic and Inorganic Carbon Stocks in Coastal Salt Marshes of China: Key Mechanisms Elucidated.

Coastal salt marsh ecosystems are among the most important blue carbon (C) sinks. However, due to disparate data sources, limited sample sizes, and inconsistent methodologies, large variations exist in blue C stock estimation. Furthermore, studies focus on soil organic carbon (SOC), with minimal attention given to soil inorganic carbon (SIC).

Shifts in Fungal Communities and Potential Functions Under Masson Pine Forest-to-Tea Plantation Conversion in Subtropical China.

The land-use conversion of Masson pine forests to tea fields is extensively practiced across subtropical China, primarily driven by its economic benefit. However, the effects of this conversion on soil fungal communities and functional guilds are poorly understood. Herein, a field experiment was conducted in a Masson pine forest (F), a 5-year-old tea plantation without (FT-CK) fertilization or with (FT-N), and a 30-year-old tea plantation (FT-O) to assess the impact of Masson pine forest-to-tea conversion on soil fungal abundance, community structure, and functional guilds by using qPCR and high-throughput sequencing.

The Pivotal Role of Carbon-Centered Environmentally Persistent Free Radicals in HONO Formation via Heterogeneous Reaction of NO on Diesel Soot.

Nitrous acid (HONO) constitutes an essential gaseous pollutant and a significant reservoir of hydroxyl radicals (OH), which are crucial for atmospheric oxidation capacity. Environmentally persistent free radicals (EPFRs), long-lived in particulate matter, may promote HONO formation via reactions with NO, although the mechanisms remain incompletely elucidated. In this study, the heterogeneous formation of HONO was explored through reactions between NO and diesel soot collected during a field campaign, focusing on the role of EPFRs.

Aqueous-phase secondary organic aerosol formation on mineral dust.

Secondary organic aerosol (SOA) is a significant component of airborne particles that impacts air quality, health, and climate globally. Aqueous-phase reactions contribute substantially to SOA mass. However, this process is primarily treated as occurring in submicron particles that contain water, or within cloud droplets in state-of-the-art models.

Terrestrial temperature history reveals Late Miocene rapid uplift of the northern Tibetan Plateau.

Paleoaltimetry data are essential for deciphering the growth trajectory of orogenic plateaus and underlying forcing mechanisms. However, paleoaltitude reconstructions using conventional paleotemperature analysis often have low resolution or large calibration uncertainties. Here, we use Group III alkenones, a marine paleothermometer normally not present in terrestrial basins, to reconstruct paleolake temperatures and refine the paleoelevation history of the Qaidam Basin, northern Tibetan Plateau, during the Late Miocene.

Summer and nonsummer climatic signals in speleothem δO revealed by loess microcodium δO in East Asia.

Speleothem δO records from central southern China have long been regarded as a key benchmark for Asian summer monsoon intensity. However, the similar δO minima observed among precession minima and their link to seasonal precipitation mixing remains unclear. Here, we present a 400,000-y record of summer precipitation δO from loess microcodium, which captures distinct precession cycles similar to those seen in speleothem δO records, particularly during glacial periods.

A comprehensive stalagmite investigation distinguishing anthropogenic and natural signals in Madagascar between 1680 and 1860.

Disentangling anthropogenic from natural induced changes is difficult, but crucial to accurately assess the specific environmental impacts of humans' actions versus climate in the paleoclimate records. Here we combine a new set of proxies, including stable isotopes, element concentrations (mainly Mg, Sr, and U), and detailed mineralogy to better distinguish the impacts of these two factors in the stalagmite records. We studied the period between 1680 and 1860 CE because of the known historical events in Madagascar history (e.

Potassium Isotopes in Huguangyan Maar Lake Sediments: Catchment Erosion versus Anthropogenic Activity since 1900 C.E.

Potassium (K), an essential element for life, is released in large quantities through anthropogenic activities, altering the geochemical K cycle. K isotopes, therefore, have the potential to trace anthropogenic processes. Huguangyan Maar Lake (HML), a hydrologically enclosed lake, provides an ideal setting to preserve the historical records of anthropogenic activities.

Dynamic relationships of antibiotic resistomes and greenhouse gas-functioning microbes across diverse habitats.

Reservoir ecosystems with diverse habitats form critical interfaces where antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions converge. Despite their distribution and ecological implications of ARGs across diverse habitats remain greatly unknown. There is a critical gap in dissecting the interlinkages between antibiotic resistomes and GHG-functioning microbes.

Predicting Suitable Habitat for (Coleoptera: Mordellidae: Mordellinae) Under Current and Future Climates Using MaxEnt Modeling.

Beetles of the family Mordellidae, important global pollinators, include , the third largest genus, which retains plesiomorphic traits related to pollination and is mainly found between 38° S-38° N. Existing studies on focus largely on taxonomy and systematics. The ecological response of to climate change remains poorly understood.

Advancements in understanding emission characteristics, data-driven olfactory-chemical measurements, and health impacts of the emerging odor pollution.

Odor pollution presents a multi-scale challenge to global environmental governance, with significant gaps in measurement reliability, temporal mismatches between emission patterns and regulatory standards, and acknowledgment of the undervaluation of its associated health risks. Analytical data reveal that odor concentrations vary over three to four orders of magnitude across different emission sources. These discrepancies are exacerbated by inconsistencies in measurement protocols, which hinder the establishment of standardized regulatory benchmarks.

Infrared Spectra of UF ( = 1-4) in Solid Ne and Ar Matrices: Symmetry-Breaking Structure of UF.

This study addresses two persistent challenges in uranium fluoride chemistry: resolving decades-long spectral assignment conflicts across UF, UF, and UF species, and conclusively settling the symmetry controversy of UF. By the cryogenic matrix isolation IR spectroscopy technique in combination with relativistic quantum chemical calculations, we experimentally tracked the stepwise formation of UF to UF in neon and argon matrices. Theoretical validation has led to a reassignment of the infrared absorption bands for UF, UF, and UF, defining their molecular geometries.

Unfolding the Potential of Soil Microbial Community Diversity for Accumulation of Necromass Carbon at Large Scale.

Microorganisms are the main drivers of soil organic carbon (SOC) formation, especially through the accumulation of microbial necromass C. It is unclear, however, how microorganisms mediate the accumulation of necromass in soil because microbial communities are prohibitively diverse. To bridge this knowledge gap, biomarkers of microbial cell walls (amino sugars) were combined with high-throughput sequencing, spanning a 900 km climatic gradient through the Loess Plateau.

Long term carbon export from mountain forests driven by hydroclimate and extreme event driven landsliding.

The export of organic carbon from terrestrial ecosystems by erosion may play a central role in balancing the geological carbon cycle and Earth's climate over millennial timescales. However, constraints on organic carbon yields have come from sampling modern rivers that don't capture variation over decades to millennia driven by changing hydroclimate and erosion during extreme events. Here we use volumetric reconstructions of lake sedimentary fills to generate timeseries of sediment and organic carbon yields from two catchments draining the Southern Alps, New Zealand over the last millennium.

Triangulating residential biomass burning impacts on PM via PMF, satellite observation-based emission inventory, and WRF-Chem.

In agricultural regions of northern China, PM (particulate matter with aerodynamic diameter less than 2.5 μm) pollution driven by biomass burning remains a critical environmental challenge, yet uncertainties persist in source apportionment due to methodological limitations and insufficient multi-method validation in agriculturally intensive areas. This study synergistically applied receptor modeling (PMF, Positive Matrix Factorization), emission inventory, and WRF-Chem (Weather Research and Forecasting model coupled with Chemistry) simulations to quantify biomass burning contributions in Siping City, Jilin Province, using year-round PM compositional data (July 2021-June 2022) and localized emission parameters.

Ice-related flooding in the lower Yellow River driven by atmospheric teleconnections over the past 160 years.

Ice-jam floods are a unique yet understudied hydrological hazard, occurring in cold-region rivers when upstream thawing and downstream freezing create ice blockages. Despite their severe impacts, their atmospheric drivers and future trends remain unclear. Using a 160-year documentary record, historical reanalysis datasets, and statistical modeling, we examine the climatic and hydrological controls of ice-jam floods in the lower Yellow River, one of the world's most flood-prone rivers.

Suborbital- and millennial-scale monsoon variability during Pleistocene interglacials.

Observational and modeling results show that the frequency and amplitude of extreme climatic events have increased significantly in the context of global warming. However, whether abrupt climate changes intensified during past warm periods remains poorly constrained due to the lack of high-resolution geological records. Here, we report a 512-m predominantly lacustrine sedimentary record from the Weihe Basin (North China), revealing that lake levels fluctuated significantly on suborbital (half- and quarter-precession) and millennial timescales over the last 2 Ma.