Weathering Research Articles

Synergized Effects of Amino Acids and NaCl to Enhance Silicate Mineral Dissolution in Aqueous Environments for Efficient Atmospheric CO2 Removal.

Enhanced weathering of silicate minerals is a promising approach for reducing atmospheric CO2 levels by increasing the aquatic pH and facilitating CO2 dissolution. However, the slow and unsustainable dissolution of silicate minerals in natural environments remains a challenge. This study proposed a new CO2 capture system that uses the combined effect of amino acids and NaCl to promote mineral dissolution, and its characteristics were investigated experimentally. The results showed that amino acids are promising for enhancing the near-congruent dissolution of silicate minerals, specifically at weakly alkaline pHs (i.e., 8), implying the long-term effectiveness of the system. Comprehensive findings revealed a 13-fold increase in the level of Ca extraction from wollastonite (CaSiO3) in the presence of 0.1 mol/L glutamic acid (Glu) over 72 h at 35 °C and a 22-fold increase in the level of CO2 capture efficiency. However, Fe-bearing minerals, such as olivine ((Mg,Fe)2SiO4), are unsuitable for application, because the enhanced Fe extraction results in the generation of Fe hydroxide, which lowers pH and consequently reduces CO2 capture efficiency. Moreover, NaCl facilitates the release of the Ca-Glu complex from mineral surfaces into the solution, synergizing amino acids to promote mineral dissolution. A semiclosed application system is proposed, with future studies needed to assess ecological impacts and ensure long-term sustainability.

Hydrogeochemical Characterization and Processes Controlling Groundwater Chemistry of Complex Volcanic Rock of Jimma Area, Ethiopia

The sustainable management of groundwater in the Jimma area is complicated by a lack of comprehensive studies on its chemical makeup and the geochemical processes influencing its hydrochemistry. This research aims to fill that gap by examining 51 groundwater samples from various sources, including deep groundwaters, shallow groundwaters, hand-dug well groundwaters, surface waters, and springs within the area primarily consisting of complex volcanic rocks. The goal is to describe the hydrogeochemical characteristics and determine the key processes affecting groundwater composition in this volcanic area. The study identifies clear patterns in cation and anion concentrations. For deep groundwaters, the average cation concentration is ranked as Na+ > Ca2+ > Mg2+ > K+, while shallow groundwaters, hand-dug well groundwaters, surface waters, and springs show a ranking of Ca2+ > Na+ > Mg2+ > K+. The major anions are typically ordered as HCO3− > NO3− > Cl− > SO42−. The quantitative hydrogeochemical analysis indicates that the freshwater types in the region are primarily Ca-HCO3 and Ca-Mg-HCO3, with some highly mineralized Na-HCO₃ waters also detected. The weathering of silicate minerals mainly drives the geochemical processes affecting groundwater chemistry. An increase in mineralization, suggested by saturation indices, points to a longer residence time underground, with deep groundwaters exhibiting the highest saturation levels and springs the lowest. This mineralization is especially significant for Mg-silicates and carbonates. Stability diagrams for feldspar minerals further demonstrate groundwater evolution along flow paths, revealing that shallow systems are in equilibrium with minerals like gibbsite, whereas deeper systems achieve stability with albite, Ca-montmorillonite, and microcline. Higher CO2 levels (10−1.5 to 100.5 atm), likely from mantle-magma degassing, add more HCO3− to the deeper aquifers. This study offers the first thorough characterization of the groundwater composition in the Jimma area and provides important insights into the Jimma area’s hydrogeochemical development, establishing a basis for enhanced groundwater management within this intricate volcanic aquifer system.

Joint Short-term Power Forecasting of Hydro-Wind-Photovoltaic Considering Spatiotemporal Delay of Weather Processes

Regional integrated energy systems (RIES) represented by hydro, wind, and solar energy are crucial avenues for future clean energy development, fully leveraging their complementarity can facilitate the orderly supply of renewable energy, significantly enhance the level of new energy consumption, and make outstanding contributions to achieving carbon neutrality goals. However, run-of-river hydropower (RHP), wind power (WP), and photovoltaic (PV) are affected by the chaotic characteristics of the weather system, with significant random fluctuations, and their output characteristics have significant heterogeneity, which brings a big challenge for the complementary coordinated scheduling. The high-accuracy power prediction of RHP, WP, and PV in the region is one of the key means for solving the above problems. To meet this challenge, by analyzing the spatio-temporal correlation properties between weather processes and station output, a novel joint prediction framework for short-term power forecasting (STPF) of regional hydro-wind-PV clusters is proposed. Firstly, to solve the problem of significant heterogeneity of water, wind, and solar, a Differentiated Spatio-Temporal Mixture Network (DSTMN) is proposed, which differentially encodes the weather and power information at multiple locations, enabling the extraction of common features while preserving their specificities, which addresses the difficulty of representing the inherent correlation patterns between wide-area meteorological information and heterogeneous energy sources. Secondly, to further explore the spatio-temporal correlation between meteorological information and power information, to improve the forecasting performance of the model, a spatio-temporal-lagged correlation (STLC) that can quantify their spatio-temporal delays is proposed. By analyzing the correlation characteristics between regional grid numerical weather prediction (NWP) information and station output at different spatial and temporal scales, the optimal spatial location and delay time of NWP inputs under the current scenario are determined for each station. Based on this, the best NWP scene probabilistic transfer model is established based on the Rank Bayesian Ensemble (RBE) method. By fitting the conditional probability distribution of the current best NWP spatiotemporal location and the 2nd day’s best NWP spatiotemporal location, providing a reliable input for the STPF model. Finally, a case study with 164 hydro-wind-solar stations in China demonstrates the effectiveness of the proposed method. Specifically, we achieved an accuracy improvement of 0.46% — 11.03% on the 2nd day of forecasting compared to benchmark methods.

Study on the physical mechanical properties and freeze-thaw resistance of energy storage concrete with artificial phase change aggregate

As the main material for major infrastructure in cold regions, the mechanical properties and freeze-thaw resistance of concrete have become key scientific issues affecting the safety and normal operation and maintenance of infrastructure in cold regions. Energy storage concrete with phase change materials (PCM) has high thermal storage performance, which is beneficial to improving the frost resistance of concrete. In our preliminary research work, the artificial phase change aggregate (APCA) containing PCM with high latent heat, good mechanical properties and frost resistance were made and tested. The APCA was added to the concrete and replaced with natural coarse aggregate in different proportions, resulting in several energy storage concrete schemes with different APCA contents. The water absorption characteristics, microstructure and pore characteristics of energy storage concrete with different APCA contents were tested and analyzed through negative pressure saturation test, SEM and MIP. The effects of APCA replacement on the composition, mechanical properties, failure morphology characteristics and frost resistance durability of energy storage concrete at various ages were analyzed through XRD test, strength test and freeze-thaw cycle test. The results showed that replacing natural coarse aggregates with APCA changed the pore characteristics of concrete, reduced its saturation water absorption rate, but did not change the composition of hydration products at various ages of concrete. Replacing with an appropriate amount of APCA in concrete is beneficial for reducing the total porosity, the number of more-harmful pores and harmful pores. APCA reduce the compressive strength and splitting tensile strength of energy storage concrete at various ages. The early splitting strength of energy storage concrete increases rapidly, while the later growth is relatively slow. APCA are beneficial for suppressing the expansion of pores and cracks under freeze-thaw action of concrete. APCA is helpful to improve the freeze–thaw resistance of the energy storage concrete. After 100 freeze-thaw cycles, their strength is still 96% of the 28 day strength, and their compressive strength is about 35 MPa. This study provides a reliable experimental and theoretical basis for improving the freezing resistance of concrete in cold area.

Carbonate precipitation-derived CO2 outgassing offsets the mineral weathering sink in the orogenic regime of southwestern Taiwan: Insights from triple Sr isotopes

Secondary carbonate precipitation plays a crucial role in determining the CO2 outgassing from carbonate-saturated rivers and influences the short-term terrestrial carbon cycle. The fractionation of stable isotopes has been extensively employed to quantify post-weathering reactions in rivers and assess the quantities of metals removed by secondary carbonates. However, a major challenge is that water isotopic compositions usually reflect both lithological mixing and biogeochemical fractionation, which complicates distinguishing between these signals. In this study, we applied triple Sr isotopes (87Sr/86Sr and δ88/86Sr) to determine the “unfractionated” δ88/86Sr of water. This method allowed us to precisely quantify the precipitation-derived fractionation. Our results show that a median of 48 % of Sr was incorporated into carbonates in southwestern (SW) Taiwan, corresponding to the removal of 69 % of the originally weathered Ca. This process is closely related to a significant increase in HCO3− concentration in the water. In SW Taiwan, high river discharge during wet periods typically enhances carbonate dissolution, leading to increased carbonate precipitation along with CO2 outgassing. Thus, hydrology and river discharge constraints significantly influence CaCO3 precipitation and CO2 outgassing processes and their associated CO2 budget. Using a machine learning model, we estimated that the precipitation-derived CO2 outgassing from rivers is +7.9 × 108 mol per year. This flux is nearly twice the long-term (~10 kyr) emission flux of +4.2 ± 1.4 × 108 mol per year in this region. This indicates that precipitation-driven CO2 emissions from rivers constitute a significant carbon source within the terrestrial carbon cycle of orogenic regions.

Continuous electrophoretic separation of submicron-microplastics from freshwater

Anthropogenic and natural weathering processes have produced submicron microplastics (MPs), an emerging contaminant. Due to small size, the treatment of submicron plastics particles by membrane processes requires small cutoff membranes, which necessitates great pressure gradient and suffers from clogging. The present study aims to develop an electrophoretic separation system for the separation of negatively charged submicron plastics particles from water. An electric field was supplied to produce an electrostatic force to counter the drag force in the permeation stream, thereby, preventing submicron plastics particles from entering the permeate. The critical electric field (Ec) for complete particles removal was estimated based on the dilute-to-influent flow rate ratio (qd), zeta potential, and size of submicron plastics particles. The result showed that at steady-state, particle removal could reach 99% at E > Ec at qd = 0.5. The distribution of plastics particles during electrophoretic separation was analyzed considering electrophoresis and particle deposition. The particle removal efficiency can be modelled by hydraulic condition and critical electric field. Finally, the engineering aspects such as long-term operation, electrode degradation and influence of coexisted constituents were evaluated. The operation cost of electrophoretic separation was calculated to be USD 0.48/m3, which is cost-effective at small scales compared to conventional membrane processes.

Groundwater hydrogeochemistry and potential health risk assessment through exposure to elevated arsenic in Darrang district of north bank plain of the Brahmaputra

The current study investigates groundwater contamination in Darrang district, situated in the flood-prone Brahmaputra Valley. This research evaluates the concentrations and geospatial distributions of iron, fluoride, and arsenic in groundwater samples (n = 347) and assesses their potential ecotoxicological risks to human health. Multivariate statistical techniques were used to investigate the sources and the mobilization mechanism of the contaminants in the aquifer system. The Piper and Gibbs plots reveal that silicate weathering, ion exchange, and mineral dissolution are the dominant processes influencing groundwater chemistry. Notably, higher pH levels (max = 8.5, mean = 7.4) are associated with alkaline desorption of arsenic from minerals. Cluster analysis also indicates the occurrence of pH induced carbonate weathering process implying weathering and active dissolution as a governing mechanism for arsenic release. The health risk assessments indicate significant non-carcinogenic and carcinogenic risks from prolonged exposure to arsenic, particularly for children. Spatial distribution maps identify areas most at risk of contamination and related health hazards. This is the first comprehensive analysis of groundwater contaminants in Darrang, providing valuable insights into the region’s water quality issues and supporting future groundwater management efforts in Brahmaputra floodplain region.

A Method for Identifying Warm Fronts in Eurasia

ABSTRACTWarm fronts often trigger significant weather changes, which also play a role in many extreme weather incidents. Therefore, it is crucial to understand the location and characteristics of warm fronts to accurately forecast weather changes. However, warm fronts are more difficult to identify than cold fronts on average, since the gradients can be weaker and shallower. This paper proposes a new objective method for identifying warm fronts in the Eurasia region using ERA‐5 hourly reanalysis data. The method uses the appropriate thermal front parameter and warm advection threshold to identify the potential warm frontal zone, then determines the corresponding warm boundary according to the predominant wind direction within the frontal zone, and finally locates the warm front line along the warm boundary. In various weather processes, the location and shape of the objective warm front correspond well with the distribution of weather systems and meteorological elements, indicating the effectiveness of the method. Meanwhile, the high agreement between objective and manual warm fronts further supports the reliability of the method. Furthermore, this method is applied to the long‐term datasets covering Eurasia, enabling an exploration of the climatological characteristics of warm fronts in the region. The study reveals distinct seasonal patterns in warm front frequency, with the highest frequency occurring during winter and the lowest during summer. Warm fronts are notably active in Europe, the Siberian Plain, the Northeast China Plain extending to the Western Pacific during winter, spring, and autumn. The dataset of warm fronts produced by this method proves valuable for climate change research.

Decoupling of redox processes from soil saturation in Arctic tundra

Permafrost thaw in warming Arctic landscapes alters hydrology and saturation-driven biogeochemical processes. Models assume that aerobic respiration occurs in drained soils while saturated soils support methanogenesis; however, saturated soils maintain redox gradients that host a range of anaerobic metabolisms. We evaluated how redox potential and redox-active solutes vary with soil moisture in the active layer of permafrost-affected acidic and non-acidic tundra hillslopes. Oxidizing conditions persisted in highly permeable organic horizons of both unsaturated tussock tundra and saturated wet sedge meadows. Redox potential decreased with depth in all soils as increasing soil bulk density restricted groundwater flow and oxygen diffusion. High concentrations of dissolved iron, phosphate, and organic carbon coincided with redox boundaries below the soil surface in acidic tundra, indicating active iron redox cycling and potential release of adsorbed phosphate during iron (oxyhydr)oxide dissolution. In non-acidic tundra, weatherable minerals affected nutrient dynamics more than redox-driven iron cycling, especially in low-lying, saturated areas where thaw reached mineral soils. The role of thaw depth and the ability of saturated soils to maintain oxidizing conditions in organic surface layers highlight the importance of soil physical properties and hydrology in predicting biogeochemical processes and greenhouse gas emissions.

Robust waterborne superhydrophobic PAI/PTFE/GO@TP anion-release coating with anti-corrosion and anti-scaling performance

In oil well field production, fluids cause mechanical damage and chemical corrosion, increasing the demands on the adaptability and durability of superhydrophobic materials. For this purpose, a superhydrophobic/superoleophilic polyamideimide (PAI)/polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE)/graphene oxide@tourmaline powder (GO@TP) anion-release coating was successfully developed using a combination of hydrothermal synthesis and spraying technology. The crosslinked network formed by the PAI and PTFE endowed the coating with exceptional mechanical durability and adhesion, maintaining a water contact angle of 151.5 ± 1.8° after enduring 800 wear cycles under 125 kPa of pressure. The homogeneous lamellar micro/-nanostructure provided a stable air barrier that shields the coating surface from contact with corrosive substances, ultimately enhancing its anti-corrosion performance. Following a 30-day soaking period, the coating demonstrated an impressive impedance modulus at low frequency, |Z|0.01 Hz value of 1011 Ω cm2. The slow release of hydroxyl anions from the tourmaline powder electrically neutralized, cations in water to form soluble salts, preventing the nucleation of the scale. The oil layer on the PAI/PTFE/GO@TP coating surface synergistically reduced water scale adhesion, resulting in only 0.23 mg/cm2 of scaling after 7 days. Moreover, the internal migration and surface arrangement of functional groups significantly improved the chemical stability and weather resistance of the coating. This study presented a feasible approach to expand the functional application of superhydrophobic coatings for anti-scaling and anti-corrosion.

In-situ X-ray analysis of cold alkali dissolution of cellulose pulps of various origin

AbstractThis article elucidates the dissolution of cellulose from different raw materials in NaOH aqueous solution via the combination of synchrotron-radiation-based SAXS/WAXS characterization. The X-ray measurements probed the mesostructure of the cellulose samples during the freeze-thawing cycle allowing tracking the initial swelling of the structure, the kinetics of disintegration of the cellulose crystallites as well as controlling the final state of the cellulose solution, i.e. presence or absence of cellulose aggregates. The individual SAXS and WAXS measurements were fitted and modelled to enable visualisation and tracking of the changes in the structure in relation to temperature during cooling and warming phases. To further increase the understanding of the parameters affecting dissolution different cellulose samples and solution compositions were considered. For this purpose the effect of increasing the concentration of NaOH and adding Zn2+ has been carefully investigated as well as the importance of the cellulose origin. We found consistent development that the dissolution occurs faster at higher concentrations of NaOH and with Zn2+ regardless the origin. Nevertheless, SAXS data show that materials with a larger amount of cellulose I show more apparent swelling in mesoscopic structure than bleached agricultural containing cellulose II. Despite few crystalline residues after the complete cooling-heating cycle shown by WAXS, some cellulose was not completely dissolved as some network structure remained in the samples under the test condition as suggested by SAXS.

Corrosion and mechanical behavior of a new Q450 weathering steel

Weather-resistant steel represents a significant advancement in addressing corrosion challenges. Several types of steel with enhanced weather resistance have already been developed and manufactured. Weathering steel has shown excellent anti-corrosion ability over conventional structural steel. However, research on the corrosion and mechanical behavior of this type of steel after corrosion damage is still limited. Therefore, this paper conducts a detailed experimental investigation of the corrosion behavior and tensile strength of a new Q450 weathering steel after an accelerated corrosion test. Several scanning techniques were employed to examine the development of corrosion damage in the new Q450 weathering steels after being subjected to different corrosion times. Vickers hardness and velocity intensity of the corroded specimen were obtained to reveal the corrosion behavior of the Q450 steel. Based on the test data, predictive models were developed to predict the pit size and mechanical properties of Q450 steel after corrosion damage. The results suggest that, as the corrosion time increases, the types and amounts of corrosion products change significantly, which causes the passivation film to become much denser. Meanwhile, the mechanical properties are degraded by the increasing corrosion damage. Ultimately, the proposed predictive models are proven to be accurate and reliable.

Fluoride contamination in African groundwater: Predictive modeling using stacking ensemble techniques

Fluoride contamination of groundwater is a severe public health problem in Africa due to natural factors that include geological weathering of fluoride-bearing minerals and climatic conditions characterized by high evaporation rates that highly elevate fluoride levels. Anthropogenic activities further aggravate the problem and have affected millions of people in countries such as; South Africa, Tanzania, Nigeria, Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Mauritania, Botswana, and Egypt. High fluoride levels of up to 10 mg/L have been encountered in parts of the East African Rift Valley, above the WHO's recommended limit of 1.5 mg/L, causing serious dental and skeletal fluorosis among the affected people. In this study, the distributions of F− in groundwater of Africa were forecast using an advanced stacking ensemble learning model based on 11 crucial groundwater physiochemical variables and 6270 accessible statistics of observed concentrations. The enhanced algorithm incorporates randomized trees, Tree-Bag, RF, DT, XGB, and ET Machine as base trainees, with a simple Naïve Bayes as the meta-analyzer. The model's AUC score of 0.86 accurately represented the uneven distributions of groundwater fluoride. The results showed that 20–35 % of the continent's eastern part and 10 % of its western region are at risk of having fluoride levels exceeding WHO limits, with an expected population of around 80 million. Regionally, fluoride contamination ranges from 0.1 to 3 mg/L in West Africa was range from 0.0 to 13.29 mg/L, 0.01–588 mg/L in East Africa, 0.04–65.9 mg/L in South Africa, and 0.1–10.5 mg/L in North and 0.01–1.9 mg/L in Central Africa. Na+ and HCO3− are Africa's leading primary causes of fluoride contamination, with Ca2+ and Cl− contributing to fluoride influence in some parts of the continent. This study helped identify health concerns linked to groundwater fluoride and offered guidance on assessing health risks in areas with sparse sample sizes.

Advanced Scanning Technology for Volume Change Measurement of Residual Soil

Weathering processes of rocks lead to the formation of residual soil layers, which are typically characterized by a deep groundwater table and a thick unsaturated zone. Hence, the calculation of a slope’s safety factor under the influences of climatic circumstances is a function of unsaturated characteristics, such as the soil–water characteristic curve (SWCC). To determine the SWCC, the volume of the soil specimen must be determined in order to compute the void ratio and degree of saturation. The drying processes of the soil specimen led to uneven soil volume change during laboratory SWCC testing, demanding the development of a soil shrinkage curve. Several methods for measuring soil volume change have been developed over the years. However, there are significant limitations, and it is rarely used due to the difficulty linked to accurately measuring the soil volume during drying processes. In this study, a revised scanning approach is developed to evaluate residual soil volume change utilizing 3D scanning technology. The proposed method is applied in a case study on residual soil from the Old Alluvium in Singapore. The laboratory data and analysis results suggested that 3D scanning technology should be required to provide a correct estimation of the air-entry value of soil.

Environmental Effects on the Interfacial Chemical Reactions at RTV Silicone-Silica Interfaces.

Silicone sealants and adhesives are extensively used in construction, automotive, industrial, and electronic applications because they exhibit excellent mechanical properties, strong adhesion, and good weather resistance. Room-temperature vulcanized (RTV) silicones develop good adhesion to many substrates and do not require heat for curing, which leads to flexible use in many applications. Although it is known that various factors such as relative humidity and temperature affect the curing of the RTV silicone adhesives, the interfacial chemistry that occurs during the curing process is still poorly understood but critical for success in adhesive applications. To address this, sum frequency generation (SFG) vibrational spectroscopy was used to probe the molecular details of the buried interface of the RTV silicone adhesive in situ. Time-dependent SFG experiments were conducted on two polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) matrices, at three humidity levels, and with two kinds of silica surfaces to investigate the behavior of the methoxy groups at the interface and the impact of environmental conditions on the adhesion mechanism. It was found that both the methoxy groups from methyltrimethoxysilane (MTMS) and methoxy-terminated PDMS could segregate to the interface. The diffusion of MTMS and bulk rearrangement of methoxy-terminated PDMS lead to the segregation and ordering of methoxy groups at the interface. After comparing eight samples cured under different environmental conditions, the reactions of the interfacial methoxy groups were found to be facilitated by both the surface water on silica and moisture from the environment. The silylation treatment on the silica slows the reactions of the interfacial methoxy groups, while the high environmental humidity accelerates the consumption of the interfacial methoxy groups. These findings provide insightful information about the adhesion mechanism of RTV silicone adhesives and accelerate new product development.

Global cooling controls Eocene environmental change in the Lunpola Basin, central Tibetan Plateau: Evidence from salinity and weathering reconstructions

Detailed investigations of sedimentary rocks from the Tibetan Plateau interior, which has been shaped by plateau development and climate change, will provide new insights into its uplift history. However, few continuous environmental records with clear climatic significance and precise age controls from the Tibetan Plateau hinterland exist, particularly in the early Cenozoic. This shortage hinders a full understanding of the impact of uplift on regional climate change. In this study, we present detailed mineralogical, micromorphological and geochemical investigations of the middle–upper Eocene (~39.6–35.3 Ma) lacustrine sediments from the well-dated Dayu section in the Lunpola Basin, central Tibetan Plateau, to explore the paleoenvironmental evolutionary history of the middle–late Eocene from paleoweathering and paleohydrological perspectives. The results reveal that the regional weathering process continuously weakened, as indicated by a long-term decrease in the (smectite + mixed-layer illite–smectite)/(illite + chlorite) ratio. The quantitative reconstruction of salinity variations via clay boron-based paleosalimeters reveals long-term salinization of paleolakes from freshwater–mesosaline conditions (averaging 9.0 psu) at ~39.6–37.8 Ma to freshwater–polysaline conditions (averaging 13.4 psu) at ~37.8–35.3 Ma. The long-term continuous weakening of the weathering intensity and lake salinization collectively suggests a secular drying trend in the central Tibetan Plateau. This drying was consistent with the climatic evolution of the southeastern and northern Tibetan Plateau, which is attributed primarily to global cooling, with secondary contributions from the increasing distance from moisture sources in the Paratethys and regional tectonics.

Enhancing Hydrophobicity in Mn4+‐Doped Organometallic Fluoride with High Quantum Efficiency through the Utilization of Trimethylsulfoxide Cation

AbstractMn4+‐doped red fluoride phosphors are crucial in white light illumination and display technologies due to their broad color gamut, high color purity, and cost‐effective production. This study introduces a novel Mn4+‐doped trimethylsulfoxonium hexafluorotitanate ((TMSO)2TiF6) organometallic fluoride phosphor. Crystallographic analysis via single‐crystal X‐ray diffraction reveals a cubic structure with space group Pa‐3. The synthesized material exhibits a characteristic Mn4+ narrow‐band red emission peak at 633 nm, with a photoluminescent quantum yield (PLQY) of 73%. Furthermore, compared to similar materials, this phosphor exhibits relatively better water resistance due to the introduction of TMSO+ cations, retaining 30% of its initial PL intensity after 72 hours of water immersion. In addition, the material exhibits anti‐Stokes emission by pumping the 2E Stokes sideband state directly, broadening its potential applications as luminescent cooling materials. The research results highlight the significant advantages of Mn4+‐doped phosphors, including high color purity, short excited state lifetimes, and relatively strong weather resistance. These findings provide a solid foundation and feasible pathway for the development of ultra‐wide color gamut displays with enhanced stability.

Inside the Atacama Desert: uncovering the living microbiome of an extreme environment.

The Atacama Desert in Chile is one of the driest and most inhospitable places on Earth. To analyze the diversity and distribution of microbial communities in such an environment, one of the most important and challenging steps is DNA extraction. Using commercial environmental DNA extraction protocols, a mixture of living, dormant, and dead cells of microorganisms is extracted, but separation of the different DNA pools is almost impossible. To overcome this problem, we applied a novel method on soils across a west-east moisture transect in the Atacama Desert to distinguish between extracellular DNA (eDNA) and intracellular DNA (iDNA) at the cell extraction level. Here, we show that a large number of living and potentially active microorganisms, such as Acidimicrobiia, Geodermatophilaceae, Frankiales, and Burkholderiaceae, occur in the hyperarid areas. We observed viable microorganisms involved as pioneers in initial soil formation processes, such as carbon and nitrogen fixation, as well as mineral-weathering processes. In response to various environmental stressors, microbes coexist as generalists or specialists in the desert soil environment. Our results show that specialists compete in a limited range of niches, while generalists tolerate a wider range of environmental conditions. Use of the DNA separation approach can provide new insights into different roles within viable microbial communities, especially in low-biomass environments where RNA-based analyses often fail.IMPORTANCEThe novel e- and iDNA separation technique offers insights into the living community at the cell extraction level in the hyperarid Atacama Desert. This approach provides a new framework for analyzing the composition and structure of the potentially active part of the microbial communities as well as their specialization, ecological network and community assembly process. Our findings underscore the significance of utilizing alternative genomic techniques in low-biomass environments where traditional DNA- and RNA-based analyses may not be feasible. The results demonstrate the viability of the proposed study framework and show that specialized microorganisms are important in initial soil formation processes, including microbial-driven mineral weathering, as well as the fixation of carbon and nitrogen.

Multimodal feature integration network for lithology identification from point cloud data

Accurate lithology identification from outcrop surfaces is crucial for interpreting geological 3D data. However, challenges arise due to factors such as severe weathering and vegetation coverage, which hinder achieving ideal identification results with both accuracy and efficiency. The integration of 3D point cloud technology and deep learning methodologies presents a promising solution to address these challenges. In this study, we propose a novel multimodal feature integration network designed to distinguish various rock types from point clouds. Our network incorporates a multimodal feature integration block equipped with multiple attention mechanisms to extract representative deep features, along with a hierarchical feature separation block to leverage these features for precise segmentation of points corresponding to different lithologies. Furthermore, we introduce a specialized loss function tailored for rock type identification to enhance network training. Through experiments involving point cloud sampling strategies and loss function evaluation, we identify the optimal network configuration. Comparative analyses against baseline methods demonstrate the superiority of our proposed network across diverse study areas reconstructed from UAV images and laser scanner data, exhibiting improved visual appearance and metric values (Accuracy = 0.978, mean Accuracy = 0.895, mean IoU = 0.857). These findings underscore the efficacy of the multimodal feature integration network as a promising approach for lithology identification tasks in various digital outcrop models derived from heterogeneous data sources.

Monitoring soil salinization and waterlogging in the northeastern Nile Delta linked to shallow saline groundwater and irrigation water quality

Soil salinization and waterlogging are critical environmental issues affecting agricultural productivity and cultural heritage preservation, particularly in arid regions. This study investigated soil degradation processes in the archaeologically and agriculturally significant northeastern Nile Delta of Egypt. The objective was to assess the severity of soil degradation and identify key drivers related to water resources and soil characteristics to aid in the development of management strategies. The research employed a multi-faceted approach, including hydrochemical analyses (of groundwater, irrigation water, and soil), water quality indices calculations, statistical analyses, and satellite data. The results revealed high levels of soil salinization in the northern and central areas, with 64% of soil samples classified as strongly and very strongly saline. Soil chemistry indicated salinization sources linked to sodium chloride dominance. Satellite data from Sentinel-2 images and SRTM digital elevation data showed widespread severe waterlogging in the northern lowlands. The Irrigation Water Quality Index (IWQI) values indicated that 87.5% of irrigation water samples posed severe restrictions due to high salinity and sodium hazards, which were mismatched with the low soil permeability observed in 81% of the collected samples exhibiting clay texture and covering most of the study area. Furthermore, shallow groundwater at depths of 0.5–3 m with high salinity was detected, where total dissolved solids exceeded 20,000 mg/L, and Na-Cl water types prevailed, indicating saltwater intrusion. A strong positive correlation (r > 0.83) was found between shallow saline groundwater and soil salinity. The combination of poor irrigation water quality, shallow saline groundwater tables, and low-permeability soils created a synergistic effect that severely compromised soil health and agricultural productivity. It also posed severe risks to the structural integrity of archaeological sites and buried artifacts through accelerated physical and chemical weathering processes. This necessitates an urgent mitigation strategy to combat soil degradation in this critical area.