Zn behavior and isotope fractionation in high altitude Andean lakes.

Identifying the spatial heterogeneity in malaria transmission is crucial for designing geographically targeted control interventions, especially in high-burden communities where hotspot identification and delineation can facilitate the decision-making process toward resource allocation to specific areas where they are most needed. This study is the first attempt to identify malaria hotspots by jointly modelling vector abundance and human malaria incidence, alongside key ecological drivers, providing new insights into entomological and epidemiological synergies for public health management. We applied a Bayesian Framework for Joint Gaussian Spatial Processes to log-transformed Anopheles gambiae s.l. and Anopheles funestus counts, and malaria incidence in eight communes of southwest Benin. Entomological data were obtained from mosquito surveillance activities and routine malaria incidence data from the District Health Information System 2. Malaria hotspots were delineated from a joint risk surface derived from interpolated predictive surfaces of malaria incidence and vectors abundance. Co-regionalization analysis explored local spatial correlations between malaria incidence and each mosquito vector suitability. Joint risk modelling identified contiguous malaria hotspots located mainly on the western shores of Lake Ahémé, andin Atchannou, Sè, Avloh and Grand‑Popo districts. Four ecological factors emerged as consistent and key drivers for all three processes: wind speed, mid-infrared reflectance, leaf area index and land surface temperature. Contrary to common assumptions, An. funestus showed stronger spatial correlation with malaria incidence across 119.95km2 compared to 89.90 km2ofAn. gambiae s.l.; and with 67.29km2 showing synergistic effects of both species. This study reveals high heterogeneity in the spatial association between malaria and its primary vector species, with An. funestus playing a potential prominent role than previously recognized. Our framework offers a useful insight of the distinct ecological preferences of each malaria vector species, and highlights the need for species-agnostic, and spatially targeted interventions informed by entomological and epidemiological data until universal vaccines become widely available.

Water levels in the Great Salt Lake (GSL), UT, USA, have been declining overall since 1989, leading to a 70% decrease in surface area. To understand GSL’s future, we seek to image fresh groundwater input and lithologic variation along the lake’s boundary. Determining the amount of groundwater recharge into GSL is crucial for lake management but currently unknown. During the Fall of 2024 and Spring 2025, we conducted 16 electrical resistivity tomography (ERT) and six transient electromagnetic (TEM) surveys along the southern shore of GSL between Burmester Road (to the West), Saltair, and Lee’s Creek (to the East). These measurements indicate a low-resistivity layer consistent with brine pore-water, with variable thickness ranging from 7.1 ± 0.1 m at Burmester to 9.6 ± 0.2 m at Saltair. The Saltair region shows a high-resistivity layer, consistent with a 4.4 ± 0.05 m thick layer of mirabilite. This layer contains vertical conduits that allow saline pore-water to upwell onto the surface forming evaporite deposits. Near Lee’s Creek, we find evidence of high resistivities consistent with fresher groundwater as shallow as 2.8 ± 0.03 m, where increased permeability along the paleo-Jordan River corridor may provide a path for groundwater recharge from the Wasatch Mountains.

Occurrence and differential spatiotemporal distribution of pesticides in a plateau lake basin with intensive vegetable cultivation: A case study in Qilu Lake Basin.

From Leaf to Topsoil, a Semi-quantitative Assessment of the Organic Matter Variations in Riparian Forests on a Lake Shore

Abstract: This essay examines the relationship of labor and natural history in the nineteenth century through the legacy of Woodmanston Plantation in Liberty County, Georgia. Under ownership of the LeConte family, Woodmanston comprised over 3,300 acres worked by more than 200 enslaved people. The plantation was seated amidst the great biodiversity of the Altamaha River watershed. In addition to rice, cotton, and timber production, the plantation was the site of a notable botanical garden. Eminent scientists John and Joseph LeConte grew up in Woodmanston's natural abundance, and Joseph credited that context for their beginning in science. The large force of enslaved laborers provided the revenue the LeConte brothers used to pursue training in the natural and physical sciences, as well as to use travel and field work to build expertise and professional reputations. Slavery-based capital persisted in the LeContes' careers beyond the destruction of chattel slavery by the Civil War. Moreover, enslaved people contributed directly to the pursuit of natural history in and around Woodmanston Plantation by collecting specimens of flora and fauna and by tending the prized botanical garden. This essay argues that the enslaved laborers of Woodmanston made possible the LeContes' contributions to American science. Focusing on enslavement and absentee plantation ownership, the essay traces Woodmanston's labor legacy from lowcountry Georgia to elite institutions of the Northeast, the shores of the Great Lakes, the mountains of northern Georgia, and ultimately to the halls of the University of California, Berkeley.

Abstract Jezero crater is located in Mars’ largest olivine-rich region, which is variously interpreted as lava flows, intrusive plutons, clastic sediments, or pyroclastics. In Jezero crater, several olivine-rich units have been investigated by the Perseverance rover, including an olivine cumulate in the crater floor (Séítah formation) and the enigmatic “Margin Unit”; an olivine- and carbonate-rich unit commonly interpreted as either a lake shore deposit or a local expression of the regional olivine-carbonate unit. We developed a method incorporating X-ray diffraction energy and spatial information to accurately determine the forsterite content (molar percentage of MgO/(MgO+FeOT)) of monocrystalline olivine encountered by Perseverance . Forsterite content in clastic sediments of the western Jezero fan indicate multiple olivine sources. In contrast, forsterite content analysed in the Margin Unit is similar to the Séítah formation, suggesting that at least some of the Margin Unit may represent an altered igneous cumulate with similar origins to the Séítah formation.

Fishermen are among the most at-risk goups for Schistosomiasis due to their regular contact with cercarial contaminated water. This study determined the prevalence, intensity and predictors of intestinal schistosomiasis among fishermen in Ilemela Municipality, Tanzania. An analytical cross-sectional study was conducted among fishermen in Ilemela Municipality, Tanzania. Participants were conveniently recruited. Background and risk information were collected using a semistructured questionnaire, and Kato-katz technique for stool examination. Multivariate logistic regression was used to identify predictors of infection. Among the 388 participants, 26.3% were infected with Schistosoma mansoni. The geometric mean eggs per gram of feces was 37.98 (95% CI 30.98 to 46.57). Of all infected participants, 84 (82.35%) and 18 (17.65%), had light and moderate intensity infections, respectively. Age, education, fishing frequency, toilet at the fishing area, fishing in shallow water and along the lake shore, years of fishing experience and distance to health facility were the significant predictors of infection. The study revealed a moderate prevalence of S. mansoni infection among study participants. This highlights fishermen as an untreated reservoir sustaining transmission, underscoring the need to include this group in control programs to protect this high-risk group and accelerate progress towards schistosomiasis-elimination goals.

Centorus rufipes (Gebler, 1833) is the only tenebrionid beetle commonly found in late Pleistocene deposits of southern western Siberia. It is assumed that the reasons for its success during the Last Glacial Maximum could have been its cold resistance and/or the relatively mild conditions of its habitat, the shores of salt lakes. The cold resistance parameters of C. rufipes and their overwintering conditions were studied near Kusgan Lake (Novosibirsk Oblast, Russia). Adults and larvae of this species used a supercooling mechanism to protect themselves from sub-zero temperatures and did not tolerate freezing, just like other steppe species of Tenebrionidae. The supercooling point (SCP) for most of the individuals was around -31 °C. Measurements of low lethal temperatures (LLT) showed that 50% of individuals died after 2 days of exposure to -27 °C. The measured SCP and LLT were at least 5 °C lower than darkling beetle species from the Chuya Depression of the Altai, which is known for its extreme winter temperatures. Thus, the hypothesis of increased cold resistance of C. rufipes was confirmed. No warming effect of its salt lakeside habitats was detected.

The article is devoted to the study of the activity of radionuclides of natural and anthropogenic origin in the bottom sediments of the Pechora River delta lakes, which represent the largest river in the European sector of the Arctic Ocean Basin. The study revealed that the average activities of the radionuclides 137Cs, 210Pb, 226Ra, 232Th and 40K in the lake bottom sediments are 2.7, 22.6, 18.3, 25.4 and 535.9 Bq/kg, respectively. The mean values of total alpha and beta activities of the bottom sediments are 334.8 and 720.7 Bq/kg, respectively. These values are commensurate with the global average, thereby signifying a minimal level of natural and anthropogenic radioactivity in the Pechora delta lakes’ sediments. The data on physical and chemical parameters demonstrated that the flooded lakes of the Pechora delta are characterized by a relatively weak manifestation of sedimentation and biological processes. This is due to the hydrological regime of the delta (flooding of lakes during flood periods, daily tides) which prevents active accumulation of fine mineral and organic material in the lakes. The profound impact of hydrological conditions within the Pechora delta is evident in the disorderly vertical distribution of physico-chemical parameters and radionuclide activities across the depth of bottom sediment columns. The data obtained on radionuclide activities and physico-chemical parameters has enabled the estimation of the role played by flooded delta lakes as a component of the Pechora estuary system in the accumulation of pollutants. However, the vertical distribution of radionuclides in bottom sediments of these lakes has been found to be an unreliable indicator of the chronology of pollutant loads in the Pechora basin. This is due to the Pechora delta’s complex hydrological regime, which ensures the uneven flow of mineral and organic material into the lakes over time. The study of lake chronology is complicated by the manifestation of thermoabrasion (destruction) of lake shores, which is characteristic of permafrost development areas and which ensures the inflow of additional volumes of terrigenous material into lake basins.

The evolution of landscape patterns in plateau lake basins directly influences the sustainable provision of ecosystem services. Revealing and predicting the impacts of landscape changes on ecosystem service value (ESV) under different development scenarios are essential for maintaining regional ecological security, enhancing ESV, and formulating policies for ecological conservation and restoration. As a typical representative of China’s plateau lake basin, the Erhai Lake Basin faces multiple challenges arising from rapid urbanization, tourism commercialization, and agricultural modernization. It is therefore crucial to understand its potential future landscape dynamics and their effects on ecosystem services. Based on landscape data, natural environmental data, and socio-economic data, we applied GIS-based spatial analysis and the equivalent factor method to simulate and assess landscape pattern changes and corresponding variations in ESV in 2030, 2040, and 2050 under three distinct scenarios. Local spatial autocorrelation analysis was further employed to identify the spatial clustering patterns of ESV. There were three findings: (1) From 2030 to 2050, forest increased continuously under the natural evolution scenario (NES) and ecological protection scenario (EPS) but declined under the economic growth scenario (EGS). Farmland expanded under the NES and EGS, whereas it decreased under the EPS. Grassland declined across all three scenarios, while built-up area showed consistent expansion. (2) In all simulated years, the total ESV of the Erhai Lake Basin ranked as EPS > NES > EGS. Between 2030 and 2050, total ESV exhibited an increasing trend under the EPS but declined under the other two scenarios, with the sharpest reduction under the EGS. Forests and water body were the main contributors to total ESV, while farmland and grassland played a critical role in driving ESV dynamics—the scale and direction of their transformation directly determined the overall ESV trends. (3) Across the three scenarios, ESVs all exhibit significant spatial heterogeneity. Local Moran’s I analysis indicated a dominant cluster of high values (HH) or a cluster of low values (LL), with LL clusters mainly concentrated in the northern basin and the western side of Erhai Lake, and HH clusters primarily located within the lake area. This study, through multi-scenario simulations, elucidates the spatiotemporal dynamics of landscape and ESV changes, providing valuable insights for green transformation, landscape spatial allocation, ecological restoration, and sustainable development in the Erhai Lake Basin.

Abstract Hydrothermal explosions are a significant geological hazard in some active volcanic systems; however, the timing and triggering mechanisms of these explosions are poorly constrained. This study applies luminescence dating techniques to hydrothermal explosion deposits in the Yellowstone Plateau volcanic field to constrain explosion chronologies and evaluate potential triggering mechanisms. We tested four luminescence dating techniques: K-feldspar post-infrared infrared stimulated luminescence (pIRIR 225 ), quartz blue light optically stimulated luminescence (BLOSL), quartz blue thermoluminescence (BTL), and quartz red thermoluminescence (RTL). The pIRIR 225 and RTL protocols produce consistent age estimates that agree with independent radiocarbon ages and with the timing of the Pinedale deglaciation. This study focuses on two craters, Mary Bay, along the northern shore of Yellowstone Lake, and Pocket Basin in Lower Geyser Basin. The mean pIRIR 225 ages from Mary Bay deposits (11.99 ± 0.68 ka) agree with previous radiocarbon constraints. The mean pIRIR 225 results from Pocket Basin deposits (13.44 ± 1.06 ka) suggest a history of explosion following Pinedale deglaciation, followed by recent hydrothermal alteration. Luminescence dating techniques are a promising tool for reconstructing the timing of hydrothermal explosions in the Late Pleistocene and Holocene, helping to constrain recurrence intervals of the largest hydrothermal systems, informing risk, and improving hazard assessments.

The lake district of Carinthia’s Klagenfurt Basin in southern Austria offers remarkable potential for advancing interdisciplinary research on prehistoric settlement landscapes. Although Austria’s first pile-dwelling site was discovered in 1864 at Lake Keutschacher See today part of the UNESCO World Heritage property “Prehistoric Pile Dwellings around the Alps” – systematic archaeological surveys of Carinthia’s more than 1,000 lakes and wetlands have remained scarce. This paper presents a pilot project addressing this long-standing research gap by developing a new anchor point for the identification, documentation, and evaluation of submerged lakeside archaeological heritage and their general archaeological setting. Combining archival and literature studies with underwater field surveys, sediment coring, and laboratory analyses, the project provides an updated inventory of archaeological structures belonging to the chronological frame of the 5th to 3rd millennia BC. Activities conducted between 2021 and 2024 in collaboration with local museums, municipalities, students, and volunteers have provided new insights into settlement dynamics, technological innovation, and human–environment interactions during the Neolithic and Copper Age. The Kapuzinerinsel pile-dwelling site in Lake Wörthersee serves as an example of a new discovery demonstrating how targeted potential assessments can bridge persistent gaps in Austria’s archaeological record and contribute to improved local heritage protection as well as reinforce connections to neighbouring regions. Beyond generating new data, the study underscores the broader significance of the Alpe-Adria lakescapes as an important inner-Alpine corridor linking the Italian Peninsula, Southeastern Europe (the Balkans), and the northwestern circum-Alpine lake-dwelling regions. By integrating cultural and natural data, this research promotes sustainable and interdisciplinary approaches that position southern Austria within the wider European archaeological discourse and establish a foundation for future research and management strategies. The project additionally provides new absolute radiocarbon dates that contribute to a better understanding of Carinthia’s prehistory.

A thick polycrystalline film was sputter-deposited onto a circular 3-inch diameter, thick single-crystal wafer with surface layers. The magnetoresistance (MR) of the sample was analyzed as a function of applied DC magnetic field and temperature using the Van der Pauw technique. Magnetic measurements were carried out over a temperature range of 25 °C to 350 °C using a Lake Shore Hall Effect Measurement System (HEMS). An external magnetic field ranging from to was applied at each temperature value to observe changes in resistance. Hall coefficients and resistance were obtained by applying current in both directions with different contact configurations. Machine learning techniques, including Random Forest Regression, were employed to predict magnetoresistivity beyond 350 °C; the best-performing model achieved values up to with MSE as low as, and enabled Curie temperature estimation with. This study highlights the potential of machine learning in accurately forecasting material properties beyond experimental limits, providing enhanced predictive models for the magnetoresistive behavior and critical temperature transitions of .

Land-use change and lake eutrophication: Stakeholders’ perceptions on practices and policies in Ethiopia

Abstract Jean-Jacques Rousseau’s Julie or the New Heloise extends far beyond picturesque scenery. It anticipates central questions of contemporary ecocriticism. Through a close reading of gardens, mountain landscapes, and lake shores, this study shows that Rousseau treats nature as an active agent that shapes human identity and moral development. The novel’s first half features scenes of intimate reverie that demonstrate what Zev Trachtenberg calls the “environmentalism of the man,” as nature elicits affect, stimulates self-understanding, and contributes to lovers’ psychological development through influence. The second half, focusing on the Clarens estate and the Elysium Garden, illustrates the “environmentalism of the citizen” (Trachtenberg “Rousseau and Environmentalism”). Rousseau presents an ecological micro-republic where sustainable agriculture, closed-loop exchanges, vegetarian consumption, and cooperative labor cultivate civic virtue and social justice. Rousseau dramatizes a reciprocally beneficial human-nature relationship that echoes debates about environmental justice in the Anthropocene. By situating Julie in early modern ecological thought, the study positions Rousseau as a pioneering voice in the environmental humanities and a precursor to ecocriticism’s emphasis on non-human agency.

A large collection of 75 stone head tools coming from the Stone Age hunter-gatherer sites of Dudka and Szczepanki in NE-Poland is presented. The tools, which are exceedingly diversified, were divided into 14 taxa. Most taxa reveal a long chronology from the Mesolithic to the Late Neolithic, although the majority of tools belong to the Para-Neolithic Zedmar culture. Tools were characterized regarding shape, proportion, size, mass, raw material and processing. The analysis shows that almost every taxon is intrinsically diversified regarding the position of maximum width and thickness, size and mass or kind and colour of rocks, and these variabilities do not show connections with the chronology. Instead, some secondary stylistic features such as the edge protrusion and separation from the trunk or form of sides and butts reveal chronological trends. Unexpectedly, the contexts in which tools appeared at both sites were different, at Dudka three quarters of finds come from the cemetery, whereas at Szczepanki three quarters come from the lake shore zone. It is argued that in both cases this arose from the custom of the intentional deposition of stone head tools.

At the beginning of 2025 the issue of the renovation of the Ritsu barn-dwelling roof ridge was raised at the Estonian Open Air Museum. The building, which now stands at the edge of the forest, was brought to the museum from Tinnikuru village near Lake Võrtsjärv. The Estonian Open Air Museum has an ethnographic description of the dwelling – EVM EA 43, originally compiled by Gea Troska – that includes a description of its history and construction. This reveals the building was built in the 1860s. The restoration of the Ritsu barn-dwelling kept this in mind, leaving out the chimney and – as a later addition to the original building – attached stable. When brought to the museum in 1966, the Ritsu barn-dwelling had a shingle roof, dated to 1938. Prior to that the roof was thatched, but no information as to what exactly it looked like exists now. The first place to look for examples is MUIS, where searches were carried out by both region and photographer. The limit set for the search was 1960, as the number of photographs increases considerably from there on and the likelihood of finding photographs depicting surviving thatched roof exam ples is minimal. The Estonian National Museum’s collection of ethnographic drawings was reviewed, with the limit set to 1940, as well as some ethnographic descriptions from south Estonia. Unfortunately, no photographs or drawings of thatched roofs were found for Paistu parish. As no examples were found for Ritsu’s roof in Paistu, the geographically and chronologically closest examples are photographs taken by Johannes Pääsuke in 1912 near Tarvastu. A nationwide search discovered 12 more photos of roof ridges of a similar design in south Estonia. Examples closest to Ritsu are photos taken by Ilmar Linnat in 1949 on the other side of Lake Võrtsjärv, in Uniküla in Rannu parish. Other examples were found farther from Lake Võrtsjärv, in the parishes of Kursi, Rõuge, Urvaste, Võnnu, Räpina and Setumaa. In addition, as a student, architect Harald Sultson made a drawing of the barn-dwelling at Hiire farm in Kääpa village (ERM EJ 30:1) during ERM’s fieldwork in 1926, depicting bundles of straw tied to rods on the ridge and the derelict roof of the building. A common feature to all these roofs is the absence of wooden strengthening for the ridge. Zooming in on the photos, a rod can be seen with the straw that’s broken over the ridge tied underneath, and a bundle of straw attached to the rod to protect the ties. It is likely that from the autumn of 2025, the roof ridge of the Ritsu barn-dwelling in the Estonian Open Air Museum will be seen covered by these bundles of straw instead of the current wooden strengthening.

The simultaneous interaction of lake breeze (LB) flows, complex terrain circulations and urban environments has so far received limited attention in the scientific literature. Here, we use the Weather Research and Forecasting model to investigate the aero- and thermodynamical interaction between Lake Geneva, the Swiss cities of Lausanne and Geneva and their rugged alpine landscape. To better isolate the role of urban areas, we compare results from a set of year-long simulations representing both realistic urban and hypothetical rural landcover scenarios. The results show that the urban areas of Lausanne and Geneva have a negligible effect on the dynamical evolution of LB, mostly consisting of wind deceleration caused by increased surface drag. However, the daytime excess heat over Lausanne results in a shift of the local anabatic wind regime onset time, one hour ahead, and a 1 km spatial displacement northward of the location of opposing flow collision. Urban-induced changes in heat advection can further lead to warmer air temperatures over the lake or cooler urban conditions along the lake shore. Our study shows that, although with due magnitude differences, mid-sized cities may have similar effects on wind and heat dynamics as larger metropolises in different landscapes and climates.This article is part of the theme issue 'Urban heat spreading above and below ground'.

Climate change is increasingly destabilizing hydrological systems in cold regions, driving lake and river drainage reorganization with profound ecological and socio-economic impacts. Here we investigate intensified hydrological changes in the Zonag and Yanhu Lake drainage basins, located in the Hoh Xil region of the Tibetan Plateau, a UNESCO World Natural Heritage site. Using field observations, satellite remote sensing, and climate data, we show that since 2019 these previously endorheic lakes have connected to the headwaters of the Yangtze River, expanding its basin. The region’s extreme precipitation events have heightened lake outburst risks, while the retreating lake shores, which have triggered more frequent sandstorms since 2011, degrading habitats for Tibetan antelope. Climate projections indicate persistent hydrological and ecological instability through 2035. Our findings highlight urgent needs for adaptive water management to mitigate flood risks associated with potential lake outbursts and to combat ecological degradation driven by ongoing sandification. Climate change is causing rapid changes in hydrological and ecological processes in the Zonag and Yanhu Lake drainage basins of the Tibetan Plateau, potentially increasing the risk of secondary lakeshore failures, flooding, and sand encroachment, according to analysis of hydrological changes.