In lowlanders, ascent to and prolonged stay at high altitude (HA) can trigger maladaptive changes in neurovascularization, immune function, and hippocampal-dependent cognitive impairment. Mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) induces similar neuropathological and behavioral alterations. The primary objective of this study was to characterize the impact of mTBI at HA on behavioral and neuropathological outcomes in controlled murine models. Baseline magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), diffusion tensor imaging (DTI), and [18F]fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography (PET) were conducted in male C57BL/6J mice prior to exposure to either sea level (SL) or chronic HA (12 weeks, 5000 m simulated in a hypobaric chamber). Mice were then assigned to mTBI (three repetitive closed head injuries) or Sham groups. The impact of HA-mTBI on novel object recognition and contextual fear memory recall, analogs of human subcategories of memory altered at HA, was evaluated 9-12 days postinjury, followed by imaging. Relative to their post-HA imaging assessment, HA-mTBI cerebral blood flow within the cortex, hippocampus, and thalamus was reduced, as was global brain volume. Moreover, statistical parametric mapping analysis detected clear HA-mTBI interactions in glucose uptake with reductions at the injury site and contralateral increases in the cortex and amygdala. Significant clusters were identified by MRI and DTI in the cortex, caudate, and corpus callosum for T2 values, trace, and radial diffusivity in HA-mTBI animals relative to their post-HA assessments. The principal component analysis and Pearson's correlations reveal distinct imaging signatures associated with HA exposure and TBI hippocampal integrity and thalamocortical connectivity, which may contribute to deficits in spatial memory and alterations in exploratorybehavior. The combined burden?? of chronic HA exposure and mTBI induces a complex neuropathological interaction, evidenced by region-dependent white matter vulnerability, gray matter alterations, and impaired cerebral glucose metabolism. Although HA exposure and mTBI independently produced behavioral deficits, a synergistic behavioral effect was not detected, revealing a critical dissociation between structural/metabolic injury and functional outcomes.

Climate change is a global phenomenon that requires collective intervention if humanity is to survive its catastrophic effects. The effects of climate change are palpable the world over, particularly in the rising of temperatures and sea levels and the snow melt and heavy rains that cause severe flooding followed by drought. It has been argued that climate change is a result, or consequence, of a lack of environmental awareness that is anthropogenic in nature. Of course, there are other causes of climate change that are not anthropogenic; there are natural causes too. However, these debates have tended to be dominated and led by extra-African scholars and activists, not that there are no African scholars and activists on climate change and related phenomena. This has created an illusion that Africa’s agency on climate change debates, and possible solutions, is hampered and curtailed. The article interrogates Africa’s agency on the climate change debates proffered thus far. Furthermore, it amplifies African and Africa’s voices on climate change. More importantly, this article seeks to articulate Africa’s positionality on climate change. The article uses a qualitative research methodology that allows for the interpretation of primary and secondary sources.

Orbital pacing of environmental changes during the Late Devonian-Early Carboniferous (Famennian-Viséan, ~ 372-330 Ma) greenhouse Earth is investigated using high-resolution gamma-ray (GR) logs, chemostratigraphy (ICP-OES, ICP-MS, pXRF), and cyclostratigraphic analysis (multitaper method, wavelet transforms, Fischer plots, Dynamic Noise after Orbital Tuning sea-level modeling) of two petroleum wells from the Jurgurra Terrace, Canning Basin, Western Australia. The sedimentary successions (Nullara, May River, Laurel, Anderson formations) reveal a ubiquitous ~ 5-Myr orbital eccentricity amplitude modulation cycle, along with shorter Milankovitch cycles (405-kyr long-eccentricity, 100-kyr short-eccentricity, 40-50-kyr obliquity, 20-25-kyr precession), and sedimentation rates of 3.5-4.5 cm/kyr derived from evolutionary Time Optimization (eTimeOpt) and orbital tuning. Key findings are: (1) The Hangenberg Event (HE; ~ 3925-4030 m in Rafael 1) and Lower Alum Shale Event (LASE; ~ 3690-3770 m) coincide with 405-kyr eccentricity maxima, imposing monsoonal intensification, nutrient input, and euxinia (recorded by high V/Cr, U/Th, and organic carbon burial). (2) The Late Tournaisian Cooling Event (LTCE; ~ 3500 m) is synchronous with 100-kyr eccentricity-driven glacial-interglacial cycles, with lowered sea level, high Rb/Sr values, and siliciclastic progradation. (3) Wavelet analysis reveals a hierarchical orbital structure in which precession-paced ventilation ended anoxic intervals (e.g., post-HE re-oxygenation), whereas Fischer plots show highstand systems tracts equate to condensed, organic-rich sediment at eccentricity maxima. Geochemical proxies (Sr/Ba, Mg/Ca) also record salinity fluctuations that can be linked to orbital-scale hydrological cycling. DYNOT modeling illustrates that ~ 5-Myr amplitude modulation cycles controlled long-term climate stability, enhancing redox and sea-level extremes. These cycles, supported by global analogs (Ordovician-Silurian, Late Cenozoic), emphasize orbital forcing as the leading cause of greenhouse climate instability and its implications for determining Earth's climatic sensitivity in the absence of ice. The research connects celestial mechanics and Devonian-Carboniferous environmental disasters with improved predictive models for orbital signatures in the sedimentary record.

Microbially driven iron redox cycling dominates Fe-bound organic carbon formation in coastal wetlands under sea level rise.

ABSTRACT Accurate insights into sea-level dynamics are crucial for coastal Earth Observation (EO) analysis. Global ocean tide models play an important role in hind- and future-casting sea-level predictions and gap-filling sparse tide gauge observations, making them a valuable input for large-scale coastal EO workflows. However, existing tide models vary greatly in local performance, particularly in dynamic and complex coastal regions. Satellite altimetry has previously been used to evaluate tide model performance offshore of challenging coastal regions. However, tidal dynamics at the coastline can differ significantly from deeper waters, making it difficult to extrapolate model selection from offshore altimetry observations alone. To support the next generation of coastal EO applications, there is a critical need for new scalable methods to assess and identify optimal tide models at the coastline itself. We present a novel EO-based ensemble tide modelling approach that optimizes coastal tide predictions by leveraging local model performance. This new method combines sea levels from satellite altimetry with an innovative optical remote sensing approach that compares time-series correlations between satellite-derived Normalized Difference Water Index (NDWI) and modelled tide heights. By quantifying and ranking how effectively each of 10 leading global tide models explain observed patterns of tidal inundation, we generate EO-guided ensembles that combine multiple models into a single optimized output. When applied at continental-scale across Australia’s diverse tidal environments, the ensemble approach consistently outperforms any individual model when validated against independent tide gauge observations. Our method is based on freely available optical and altimetry satellite data and open-source tools. The approach runs efficiently at scale, making it suitable for large-scale coastal EO applications that require accurate tide modelling across data sparse and poorly modelled coastal regions.

Abstract At the end of the last deglaciation, sea level rose in some locations and fell in others. This well-documented Earth response to ice unloading and water loading, called glacio-isostatic adjustment, is geophysically well-described, but the spatio-temporal distribution of rise and fall observations is unclear. Here, we elucidate the Holocene sea-level highstand frequently observed in the far-field of the former ice sheets by analysing the specific feedback mechanism by which Earth’s rotation affects sea level. By assessing the role of this rotational feedback in four models simulating the glacio-isostatic adjustment processes, we identify the height of the highstand as rotationally induced or enhanced in the Southwest Atlantic, Northeast Pacific, and Northern Indian Ocean, and rotationally weakened or suppressed in the southern Indian Ocean and parts of Pacific Ocean. Holocene relative sea-level proxy data broadly confirm this spatial pattern. Thus, Earth’s rotation is a driving mechanism which modulates the impact of other concurrent glacio-isostatic adjustment processes and, hence, shapes the observed postglacial relative sea-level histories.

ABSTRACT This article examines the intertwined dynamics of ecological precarity and coastal erosion in Trespassing by Uzma Aslam Khan, situating the narrative within the broader context of indigenous vulnerability in coastal Pakistan. It argues that the novel foregrounds forms of indigenous ecoprecarity produced through the overlapping forces of climate change, uneven development, and historical marginalisation. It engages postcolonial ecocritical debates advanced by Elizabeth DeLoughrey, Dipesh Chakrabarty, Vandana Shiva, Shazia Rahman, and Pramod K. Nayar to situate contemporary environmental challenges within the longer histories of European imperialism and industrialisation in South Asia. The article examines how colonial regimes transformed landscapes into sites of extraction, fostering exploitative attitudes toward nature that persist today and contribute to rising sea levels, floods, droughts, and shoreline erosion. Furthermore, it explores how environmental instability is represented in literary form, presenting the shoreline as a shifting boundary and highlighting how communities interpret, endure, and negotiate ecological change.

A survey was conducted to investigate the phytoseiid fauna of high-altitude apple habitats in the north western Himalayas, India. Two species belonging to the subgenus Anthoseius De Leon within the genus Typhlodromus Scheuten, T. (A.) agilis (Chaudhri) and T. (A.) malicolus Wainstein and Arutunjan, were collected from cultivated apple (Malus domestica Borkh.) and wild apple (M. sylvestris (L.) Mill.) at 2,753 m above sea level in Lahaul and Spiti district of Himachal Pradesh, India. Complementary descriptions based on newly collected females are provided, including detailed information on dorsal solenostomes, chelicera dentition, spermatheca morphology, and leg chaetotaxy. Typhlodromus (A.) agilis is recorded from India for the first time, whereas T. (A.) malicolus is recorded for the first time under its valid name. Typhlodromus (A.) dalii (Rather) and T. (A.) viniferae (Rather), both described from northwestern India, are herein treated as junior synonyms of T. (A.) malicolus. These findings clarify the taxonomy of the rickeri species group and contribute to knowledge of phytoseiid species in high-altitude Himalayan ecosystems.

Stroke hospitalization represents underlying stroke incidence and hospital utilization. We sought to identify factors associated with county-level hospitalization rates (HRs) and counties with HRs above or below expectation using publicly available data. This cross-sectional study is based on the analysis of county-level 3-year average stroke HRs (principal International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision [ICD-10], codes I60.X-I69.X) among Medicare fee-for-service beneficiaries from 2018 to 2020. Linear mixed models were fitted to investigate 6 sets of factors associated with HRs in a serial additive stepwise fashion (ie, demographics, overall population vascular risk factors, risk factor treatment, health delivery and access, environmental features, and socioeconomic status). We reported on marginal R2, the most impactful factors, and characterized proportional difference between crude and predicted HRs. The cohort of 3198 (98.6%) counties and county-equivalents had a mean stroke HR of 11.2 per 100 000 (SD=2.6). The mean characteristics of the included counties were as follows: 19.4% age ≥65 years, 73% White race, 7.6% coronary heart disease prevalence, 38% hyperlipidemia prevalence, and 5.7 primary care physicians per 10 000. In the fully adjusted model, between-county unexplained variation remained moderately high (R2=0.57). The most impactful factors associated with stroke HRs were prevalence of coronary heart disease, hypertension, smoking, nonadherence to antihypertensive medication, and elevation above sea level. Counties in the northwest United States generally had lower-than-expected HRs. Considerable unexplained county-level variance in stroke HRs exists after accounting for a wide variety of known and potential predictors. Future work to clarify the mechanism of known predictors and explain variance may inform interventions to improve systems of care.

The results of calculating trends in the temporal variability of bio-optical characteristics of Ecologically or Biologically Significant Marine Areas (EBSAs) in the Caspian Sea are presented. The analysis is based on data from the MODIS-Aqua (Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer) ocean color satellite sensor for the period from 2002 to 2025, processed using regional bio-optical algorithms developed at Shirshov Institute of Oceanology, Russian Academy of Sciences. Sea surface temperature time series were also analyzed to assess climate change in each zone. A comparison of the calculated characteristics for the EBSAs with those for the subregions of the Caspian Sea revealed good agreement. Negative significant trends in satellite estimates of chlorophyll-a concentration (from -0.016 to -0.008 mg/m3 per year) are observed in EBSAs of the Southern Caspian Sea, whereas on the eastern coast (from Turkmen Aylagy to Kendirli Bay) and in the Northern Caspian, a predominantly positive trend is established with a maximum value of +0.027 mg/m3 per year in the EBSA N14. Due to changes in the Caspian Sea level, an increase in suspended matter concentration is predominantly observed – a positive significant trend is established in 8 EBSAs out of 16. A significantly positive trend in sea surface temperature was recorded only in one zone, related to the northeastern coast of the Caspian Sea (+0.24 °C per year).

Coastal regions in Indonesia are currently facing unprecedented risks from the convergence of global climatic shifts and localized geological instability. This study investigates the intensifying vulnerability of the Jakarta-Bekasi coastal corridor, highlighting it as a critical zone within the broader context of regional climate adaptation. The objective is to evaluate the synergistic impact of eustatic sea-level rise and aggressive land subsidence on permanent inundation projections through 2030. Utilizing a quantitative geospatial design, the research integrates satellite altimetry from the Sentinel-6 mission with terrestrial geodetic data from 12 Continuous Operating Reference Stations (CORS) across a 12,500-hectare study area. Key variables include vertical land motion rates and sea surface height anomalies, processed through high-resolution Digital Elevation Models (DEMNAS). Results indicate that localized land subsidence, peaking at 11.2 cm per year, is the primary driver of flood risk, rendering Relative Sea Level Rise () significantly more destructive than global eustatic averages. Statistical analysis confirms that subsidence accounts for 82% of the variance in coastal inundation expansion, with critical hotspots in the Penjaringan and Muara Gembong sectors. These findings imply that current coastal defense structures are nearing functional failure due to the rapid erosion of operational freeboards. Consequently, the study concludes that regional resilience necessitates a shift from static engineering to adaptive water management and the implementation of Nature-based Solutions. Future research should prioritize AI-driven predictive modeling and volumetric building load analysis to enhance long-term mitigation strategies.

Coastal regions played a key role in the emergence of Early Neolithic cultures. Fluctuating sea levels shaped prehistoric human migration, settlement patterns, and adaptation strategies. The lower reaches of the Min River in Fujian were a major centre of activity. During the Middle to Late Neolithic, marine communities such as the Keqiutou (6500–5500 cal. a BP) and Tanshishan (5500–4300 cal. a BP) cultures flourished. However, the scarcity of earlier remains has limited understanding of Early Neolithic life before 8000 cal. a BP. We dated stratigraphic layers at the newly excavated Niutoushan site using radiocarbon dating and optically stimulated luminescence (OSL). OSL results indicate the site’s Neolithic culture layer between 9.3 ± 0.7 ka and 8.1 ± 0.5 ka, with radiocarbon dates clustering around 8300–7000 cal. a BP. Based on the younger bounds of the dating results and kernel density estimation, the Neolithic remains at the site are dated to approximately 8000–7000 cal. a BP, identifying Niutoushan as one of the earliest Neolithic sites in the region. Combined with sea-level reconstructions, the findings suggest that the rapid Early Holocene sea-level rise drove human migration along China’s eastern coast before 8000 cal. a BP. The Niutoushan culture was influenced by Neolithic cultures from northern coastal regions and potentially by those located to its south across the exposed Taiwan Strait from the Last Glacial Maximum to the Early Holocene. This points to complex interactions among Early Neolithic cultures in both northern and southern coastal China, warranting further investigation for validation.

Abstract In the flat-bottomed open ocean, the seawater density distribution yields alone the existence of geostrophic baroclinic currents and steric sea-level spatial changes. However, at basin margins, the bathymetry exerts a considerable control on both these quantities. Indeed, the steric sea level vanishes at the coast where depth is zero. Also, continental slopes are vorticity barriers hindering convergence (divergence) of baroclinic transport toward the coast and accumulation (removal) of water there. In the limit of no temporal development, how the coastal sea level is impacted by open-ocean density changes is hence nontrivial and must involve ageostrophic mechanisms. Here, we focus on bottom friction as one such process, provide derivations extending the arrested topographic wave theories to a fully baroclinic ocean, and discuss an application for an eastern boundary margin (representative of the Rockall Slope Current region, for example). We demonstrate that open-ocean density changes yield important joint effect of baroclinicity and relief (JEBAR) along-slope currents, which generate cross-slope Ekman currents due to friction with the seabed. The latter are associated with divergence and convergence leading to sea-level changes above the slope, mediated to the coast via coastally trapped waves. Through this process, not only the coastal sea level is modified but also the along-slope currents are slowed down to well-known asymptotical solutions. Hence, our results link modern theoretical developments in sea-level research and past analytical studies of slope currents. Our effort describes the fundamental notions, and we anticipate it paves the way for more sophisticated works.

Refined late-Pleistocene evolutionary and sea-level history for the Delmarva Peninsula, US Mid-Atlantic Coast

The record of environmental and climatic change through the late Norian stage in paleoequatorial settings has so far received limited attention. Here we present new geochemical and sedimentological data to investigate the depositional and environmental changes through the late Norian into the earliest Rhaetian in the marine carbonate Milaha and Ghalilah Formation exposed in Wadi Milaha, Ras Al-Khaimah, UAE. The upper part of the Milaha Formation studied in Wadi Milaha, comprises sediments deposited in a shallow marine environment, with some evidence of high-energy shoal deposition. Restricted conditions are present in the basal and middle part of the Asfal member of the Ghalilah formation, followed by high diversity faunal content, indicating the development of open marine conditions in the late Norian-early Rhaetian. Development of the restricted conditions upwards suggests changes in the relative sea level. Our results show that the succession is comprised of regressive-transgressive cycles, which include minor depositional cycles influenced by changes in clastic input. Sedimentological and elemental data indicate fluctuations in clastic input throughout the sedimentary succession studied. The increase in siliciclastic input coincides with a major regressive sea level cycle during the middle-late Norian. Our results suggest that the increased coarse terrigenous input is likely due to enhanced weathering and an associated warming episode during the late Norian. Very low correlation of δ 13 C carb and δ 18 O indicates little diagenetic influence on the isotopic record. The δ 13 C carb records an overall negative trend during the middle-late Norian with small-scale fluctuations of −2.8‰ magnitude and coincides with increased clastic input. A small positive excursion in δ 13 C carb is recorded at the Norian-Rhaetian boundary. The observed variations in sedimentary succession, relative sea level, and bulk carbonate carbon isotopic record are similar to those of other Tethyan sections. This comprehensive and comparably high-resolution record very likely indicates far-reaching or global ecological changes during the middle-late Norian. • Study area occupied a paleo-equatorial position during the mid-late Norian • Sedimentological investigations allowed the interpretation of sea level cycles • Enhanced siliciclastic input suggest intensification of hydrological cycle • Comparison of the carbon isotope trends suggests ecological changes in late Norian

X-band radar images of ocean waves offer a promising approach to estimate vertical current shear near the ocean surface, a region where direct measurement remains challenging. Inversion techniques on wavelength-dependent Doppler shifts have been used previously. However, they were restricted to a few meters below the sea surface. This study uses a smoothing technique along with in-situ measurements at lower depths to infer the current profile up to the mean sea level ( z = 0 m), thus delivering a measure for vertical current shear, an important indicator for the air-sea energy transfer. The method was applied to radar images collected during a storm event where concurrent measurements of an ADCP were available. The method also performs well without the use of in-situ measurements at lower depths, though accuracy improves when such data is available to stabilize the solution. This study has used shear as an overall measure of energy transfer of the wind into the water. Hence, a comparison of the extracted shear magnitude with the wind speeds at 10 m above sea level has been conducted. The shear magnitude increases are mirrored by the wind speeds. These promising results display that the study is a proof-of-concept study which requires future investigation. • Retrieval of current profile with the boundary layer just underneath the sea surface. • Current inversion from X-band radar images. • Improved results by incorporating in-situ measurements at lower depths. • Magnitude and direction of extracted shear follow pattern of wind measurements.

At high elevations, tree saplings and shrubs are usually protected by mid-winter snow cover, although climate change is expected to extend the snow-free (SF) period. Exposure to winter drought, freeze-thaw events and freezing temperatures will therefore increase, inducing damages to the hydraulic system and to living cells, resulting in reduced growth and increased mortality. A snow removal experiment was carried out at 1700 m. above sea level on saplings of five different species (Acer pseudoplatanus, Juniperus communis, Larix decidua, Picea abies and Sorbus aucuparia). Stem diameter was continuously monitored and compared with spring hydraulic conductivity (PLCspring), living cell mortality (PLDspring), nonstructural carbohydrates (NSCs), growth and survival rates. Under SF conditions, saplings had higher PLCspring and higher PLDspring, and thus experienced greater winter dehydration, resulting in lower growth compared with snow-covered saplings. Summer mortality was strongly correlated with PLCspring and PLDspring. These two key ecophysiological parameters predicted the risk of mortality in all species, whereas only PLDspring reduced growth. By monitoring stem diameter during winter, we have defined indices to quantify resistance and recovery of woody plants under increased frost pressure. Recovery strategies such as resprouting or embolism repair were critical for survival, highlighting the potential vulnerability of saplings to climate change at high elevations.

The late Oligocene to Early Miocene marked a critical phase in Earth's climate history characterized by the onset and evolution of the Icehouse climate mode, following the Antarctic glaciation at the Eocene-Oligocene transition. During this interval, the Antarctic ice volume fluctuated, driving global sea-level changes and reorganizing oceanic circulation. These changes are recorded by several glacial maxima, including the prominent Mi-1 event, which is associated with deep-sea cooling, sea level fall, and a major reorganization of the global carbon and nutrient cycles. The Early Miocene Carbon Maximum (EMCM) reflects enhanced primary productivity triggered by intensified ocean circulation and increased weathering. Meanwhile, the global carbon cycle became increasingly responsive to astronomic forcing, particularly eccentricity cycles. The phosphorus biogeochemical cycle also reorganized, with phosphogenesis events documented in both the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. This study investigates the Oligocene–Miocene interval in the Central Mediterranean, focusing on the largely investigated phosphatic layers of Southeastern Sicily (Hyblean Plateau). Through integrated calcareous plankton biostratigraphy and Strontium Isotope Stratigraphy, three main hiatuses are identified, corresponding to glacial events (Oi-2d, Mi-1, Mi-1a, Mi-1aa, and Mi-2). These hiatuses are locally associated with condensed, phosphate-rich layers linked to the upwelling of nutrient-rich waters and sea level fall. The occurrence and distribution of these layers highlight the Mediterranean's sensitivity to global climatic and biogeochemical shifts during the early Icehouse mode. This work provides new stratigraphic constraints and paleoceanographic interpretations, highlighting how glacial dynamics, ocean circulation, and regional tectonics influenced nutrient availability, phosphogenesis and sedimentary facies distribution during the Oligocene–Miocene. • Biostratigraphy and SIS identify two hiatuses marked by phosphate-rich hardgounds. • Phosphatic layers correlate with global oxygen positive spikes and glacial maxima. • Phosphate-rich layers formed by nutrient-rich upwelling currents. • Icehouse Climate sustained high nutrients, efficient circulation and upwelling.

Understanding future shoreline evolution is fundamental to developing adaptive coastal management strategies under climate change scenarios. This study analyzes the Southern Baltic Sea’s ∼37-km stretch comprising Usedom and Wolin islands, where sandy coastlines face intensifying erosion threats under rising anthropogenic and climatic pressures. We introduce an explainable Long Short-Term Memory Recurrent Neural Network (LSTM-RNN) framework designed to bridge the gap between Deep Learning (DL) performance and physical interpretability in decadal forecasting. The results show that the best model achieves a Root Mean Squared Error (RMSE) of 10.40 m, Mean Absolute Error (MAE) of 7.13 m, and R-squared (R 2 ) of 0.55. Deep SHapley Additive exPlanation (DeepSHAP) attribution reveals that erosion is driven by the compound interaction of sea-level rise (SLR), storm surges, and extreme waves. This transferable framework represents a significant methodological contribution, enhancing regional early-warning systems and providing a robust, "white-box" approach for Baltic Sea’s operational coastal management. • A sequence-aware neural network model forecasts decadal shoreline change until 2050. • The best model achieves an R-squared value of 0.55 for decadal shoreline change. • Explainable models show erosion is driven by sea levels and extreme waves. • Widespread erosion intensification is projected for the Southern Baltic by 2050.

Floods and financial stability: Scenario-based evidence from below sea level