Spatiotemporal Occurrence Research Articles

Using environmental DNA metabarcoding to assess the spatiotemporal occurrence of the imperiled River Redhorse (Moxostoma carinatum) in the Escambia-Conecuh River system of Florida and Alabama, USA

Using environmental DNA metabarcoding to assess the spatiotemporal occurrence of the imperiled River Redhorse (Moxostoma carinatum) in the Escambia-Conecuh River system of Florida and Alabama, USA

Spatio-temporal occurrence, burden, risk factors and modelling methods for estimating scrub typhus burden from global to subnational resolutions: a systematic review protocol.

Scrub typhus is a neglected life-threatening vector-borne disease mainly caused by the bacterium Orientia tsutsugamushi, which is occasionally transmitted to humans during feeding of larval mites. It has been estimated that more than 1 billion persons are potentially threatened and 1 million clinical cases occur annually across the world; however, it is unclear how this estimate was computed (and what the original source was) and much remains unknown regarding its global burden and risk factors. This systematic review aims to provide a comprehensive overview of the spatial-temporal distribution of scrub typhus, associated burden and risk factors at global, national and subnational resolutions, and to review the burden estimation models used at those different scales. A systematic search for literature on scrub typhus occurrence, risk factors and modelling methods will be conducted. PubMed and five other databases will be searched for published literature, and Google Scholar and nine other databases will be used to search for grey literatures. All titles/abstracts of the searched records will be separately assessed by two reviewers, who will then screen the full-text of potential records to decide eligibility. A pre-formatted spreadsheet will be used by one reviewer to extract data from qualifying research, with a second reviewer checking the results. Data will be tabulated, synthesized descriptively, and summarized narratively for each review question. Where appropriate, meta-analyses will be conducted. The risk of bias will be assessed, and potential publication bias will be detected. This review will provide a comprehensive understanding of the current occurrence, spatial-temporal distribution, and burden of scrub typhus, identify associated risk factors from global to subnational resolutions, consolidate the best practice modeling framework(s) to estimate the burden of scrub typhus at various geographic/temporal resolutions, and decompose the relative contributions of various risk factors at scale. CRD42022315209.

Tracking aquatic non-native macroinvertebrate species in Germany using long-term data

Biological invasions pose a global challenge, threatening both biodiversity and human well-being. Projections suggest that as invasions increase, the financial costs associated with management and the ecological harm they cause will also escalate. Here, we examined whether long-term biomonitoring strategies were adequate to identify and track benthic aquatic non-native macroinvertebrate species by using the German subset (151 time series; 129 of which reported non-native species) of the currently most comprehensive European long-term dataset of 1816 macroinvertebrate community time series from 22 European countries. The detection of aquatic non-native species was directly linked to the availability of long-term sites and thus, monitoring effort, having identified the spatio-temporal occurrence of 32 non-native species. The available long-term monitoring site data were mostly concentrated in the western part of Germany, predominantly covering the Rhine River and its tributaries. The spatially biased network of long-term monitoring sites, therefore, naturally skews the detection and reporting of aquatic non-native species toward this area and underestimates Eastern and Southern regions, impeding the comprehension of invasion dynamics. However, based on the available data, we found that the absolute number of non-native species increased and the proportion of non-native species relative to native species decreased over time. This indicates complex ecological interactions between native and non-native species and underlines the value of long-term data for investigating invasion dynamics. Considering the value of comprehensive monitoring networks, a spatially biased network delays the application of management and mitigation plans, possibly worsening the ecological and economic effects of biological invasions in Germany. The results provided here indicate the disadvantages of biased datasets, but simultaneously underline the enormous potential of a dense network of long-term monitoring. Our results also highlight the urgent need to increase and diversify long-term biomonitoring efforts throughout Germany to cover the main freshwater resources and their connections where the introduction risk of non-native species is the highest. Centrally collating such data would provide a profound basis for the monitoring of spreading aquatic non-native species and could serve the implementation of national biosecurity efforts.

Spatio-temporal occurrence and habitat characteristics of Aedes aegypti (Diptera: Culicidae) larvae in Southern Afar region, Ethiopia

BackgroundDescribing spatio-temporal occurrence and habitat characteristics of Aedes mosquito larvae is crucial for the control of Aedes borne viral diseases. This study assessed spatio-temporal abundance and habitat characteristics of Aedes larvae in the Southern Afar Region, Ethiopia.MethodsImmature mosquitoes were surveyed in Awash Sebat, Awash Arba, and Werer towns of the Southern Afar Region once per month from May 2022 to April 2023. Larvae and pupae surveys were carried out along the available water-holding containers. The collected larvae/pupae were reared to adults and identified by species/genus morphologically. The physical and chemical properties of the habitats were also characterized.ResultsA total of 9099 Aedes larvae/pupae were collected, of which 53.6% (4875) were from Awash Sebat, 29.5% (2687) from Awash Arba and 16.9% (1537) from Werer. Water-holding tyres harboured the highest number of Aedes larvae/pupae followed by water-storage drums. All the Aedes larvae/pupae reared to adults were morphologically identified as Aedes aegypti. The overall Container Index was 47.28%, House Index 18.19%, Breteau Index 59.94% and Pupal Index 171.94. Significant positive relations were observed in the occurrences of Ae. aegypti larvae/pupae with water-holding tyre (AOR = 15.89, CI = 3.55–71.09, p < 0.001), water storage drums (AOR = 19.84, CI = 4.64–84.89, p < 0.001), domestic habitat (AOR = 3.76, CI = 1.27–11.12, p = 0.017), and significant negative relations were observed with Ae. aegypti larvae/pupae occurrence and tap water source (AOR = 0.08, CI = 0.02–0.31, p = 0.001). Ae. aegypti larvae/pupae densities showed positive relations with dissolved oxygen (β = 0.523, p < 0.001) and total hardness (β = 0.475, p = 0.034) of water.ConclusionsDiverse types of artificial water-holding containers were positive for Ae. aegypti larvae/pupae. Ae. aegypti larvae/pupae were abundant in used water-holding tyres, water storage drums, and cement tanks in Awash Sebat, Awash Arba, and Werer towns. This could put the residents of the towns at high risk of infections with Ae. aegypti transmitted viral diseases such as chikungunya and dengue outbreaks. Thus, we recommend artificial water-holding container management as a strategy to control Ae. aegypti and hence the arboviral diseases transmission.

Toward Real-Time Ground-Shaking-Intensity Forecasting Using ETAS and GMM: Insights from the Analysis of the 2022 Taitung Earthquake Sequence

Abstract Earthquake forecasting, combined with precise ground-shaking estimations, plays a pivotal role in safeguarding public safety, fortifying infrastructure, and bolstering the preparedness of emergency services. This study introduces a comprehensive workflow that integrates the epidemic-type aftershock sequence (ETAS) model with a preselected ground-motion model (GMM), facilitating accurate short-term forecasting of ground-shaking intensity (GSI), which is crucial for effective earthquake warning. First, an analysis was conducted on an earthquake catalog spanning from 1994 to 2022 to optimize the ETAS parameters. The dataset used in this analysis allowed for the further calculation of total, background, and clustering seismicity rates, which are crucial for understanding spatiotemporal earthquake occurrence. Subsequently, short-term earthquake activity simulations were performed using these up-to-date seismicity rates to generate synthetic catalogs. The ground-shaking impact on the target sites from each synthetic catalog was assessed by determining the maximum intensity using a selected GMM. This simulation process was repeated to enhance the reliability of the forecasts. Through this process, a probability distribution was created, serving as a robust forecasting for GSI at sites. The performance of the forecasting model was validated through an example of the Taitung earthquake sequence in September 2022, showing its effectiveness in forecasting earthquake activity and site-specific GSI. The proposed forecasting model can quickly deliver short-term seismic hazard curves and warning messages, facilitating timely decision making.

Flow Measurements Above A DBD Plasma Actuator Array By Means Of Defocusing PTV

Lagrangian defocusing particle tracking velocimetry (DPTV) measurements are conducted in a thin, wall-parallel volume above a plasma actuator array that is applied to mimic the effect of wall oscillations by inducing alternating, wall-parallel forcing in opposite directions into the air above the actuator surface. The aim of the experiments is to capture the plasma-induced flow structures in otherwise quiescent air in order to increase the understanding of different actuation parameters. For this purpose, high-speed particle image velocimetry equipment with one camera is used in a DPTV setup, where the out-of-plane particle coordinate is obtained through the diameter of a defocused particle image. On this basis, an approach for continuous particle tracking in several consecutive frames is presented, allowing to derive three component, three dimensional velocity and acceleration data. Light reflections that occur on the adjacent actuator surface give raise to particular challenges concerning the measurement uncertainty estimation as well as the calibration procedure for the evaluation of the wall-normal coordinate of tracer particles. To overcome the latter, a calibration approach is presented for which solid particles are applied to the actuator surface and their particle image diameter is captured at different camera positions in a separate measurement. The estimation of in-plane and out-of-plane displacement measurement uncertainties is conducted following a newly-developed procedure where the deviation of particle displacements from a straight track is evaluated for measurements in quasi-quiescent air. The obtained results show the suitability of DPTV measurement technique for the practical application of the characterization of flow structures above a plasma actuator array. The measurement accuracy is found to be limited due to the available illumination, which depends on the used components. The measured flow fields together with optical and electrical measurement data allow for a further analysis of the present forcing strategy. Particularly, by recording phase-resolved, three-dimensional flow velocity and acceleration fields in the vicinity of the wall, the spatio-temporal occurrence and homogeneity of the near-wall forcing effects can be analyzed in future investigations.

NIMO: A graphical user interface‐based R package for species distribution modelling

Abstract Species distribution modelling (SDM) is essential for understanding and predicting biodiversity patterns globally. However, the complexities of data preparation, algorithm selection and model evaluation can present significant challenges. This paper introduces NIMO, an R package with a user‐friendly graphical interface aimed at streamlining the entire SDM workflow. In SDM, data preparation is a crucial and time‐consuming process, which requires the acquisition of spatiotemporal occurrence records. The Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF) database plays a key role in addressing data scarcity by providing extensive community science‐based repositories. However, compiling, aligning and verifying spatial references can be laborious. NIMO addresses these challenges by offering a flexible workflow that allows users to more easily query biodiversity data. NIMO organizes its features into three main steps: pre‐modelling, modelling and post‐modelling. It empowers users to optimize data for modelling with a variety of algorithms. NIMO allows for default hyperparameter values or extensive tuning, providing users with flexibility in selecting models. Practical implication: To demonstrate the effectiveness of NIMO, we presented a case study focusing on the critically endangered white‐backed vulture (Gyps africanus) in Kruger National Park, South Africa. We used NIMO to collect GBIF occurrence data and integrated environmental predictors to map suitable habitat (probability of occurrence). The distribution modelling workflow included area calibration, collinearity check, generation of training and testing data sets, model fitting and model combination. The results showcase the discriminative ability of fitted models, especially the generalized linear model, support vector machine and random forest, that constituted the ensemble model. Spatial prediction using the ensemble model revealed that the species has a higher occurrence probability close to roads, indicating a possible increased risk of mortality for the vultures in Kruger National Park from motor vehicle collisions.

A hotspot and mechanism of enhanced bottom intrusion on the southern New England shelf

Understanding the occurrence of the intrusion of open ocean water onto continental shelves has scientific significance and societal relevance as the intrusion can significantly disrupt the marine ecosystem and fisheries. High-resolution numerical modeling is used to investigate the spatiotemporal occurrence and mechanisms of highly anomalous bottom intrusions on the southern New England shelf. Based on multi-year numerical simulations, this study reveals a hotspot of cross-isobath bottom-intensified intrusions at a topographic trough. Examination of multiple events portrays a robust mechanism of locally enhanced bottom intrusions. Persistent upwelling-favorable winds set up an enhanced pressure gradient field at the topographic trough and drive the intrusion a large-distance onshore. Numerical experiments with and without the topographic trough show that the localized pressure gradient results from a combination of the shelf orientation and local bathymetry. Although highly anomalous waters on the shelf relate to wind forcing, correlations between the wind stress anomaly and bottom salinity anomaly at the location of the enhanced intrusion is modest, implying the need to incorporate other environmental factors to develop more deterministic prediction models for subsurface conditions on the shelf. The results have important implications for marine environment and fisheries management.

Influence of climatic factors on spatio-temporal variabilities in the occurrence of aflatoxins in major food grains available at retail shops in Bangladesh

In Bangladesh, little is known about the role of climatic factors influencing spatio-temporal occurrence among different food grains of aflatoxins, which have been linked to liver cancer cases and other health hazards. In this study, 252 food grain samples of 10 types were collected from retail markets at 18 districts, pre-monsoon, monsoon and post-monsoon seasons during February-September, 2018. Occurrence and concentration of total aflatoxins in the samples were analysed by a direct competitive enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, and compared with climatic data (temperature, humidity, rainfall, and sunshine hours). Contamination of aflatoxins was found in approx. 38% (n=96) of the total samples, with highest occurrence in groundnuts (82%), followed by corn grains (70%), chick pea (54.5%), wheat grain (50%) and green gram (42.9%). Aflatoxins occurrence was moderate in split chick pea (30.8%), yellow pea (28.2%), black gram (27.8%), and lentils (27.6%), while the lowest in grass pea (17.6%). Aflatoxins concentration was found to exceed the European Union permissible limit (≤5 µg kg-1) in 33 (13.1%) samples. Overall, approximately 5.6%, 7.5%, and 25.0% samples were contaminated with high (10-19 ppb), medium (5-9 ppb) and low (1-4 ppb) concentrations of aflatoxins, respectively. High level concentration of aflatoxins was more frequent in groundnut (36%) and wheat grain (20%), in comparison to other types. Occurrence of aflatoxins during pre-monsoon was detected among 21% (19/91) samples, which increased to ca. 30% (36/119) during monsoon, and 98% (41/42) during post-monsoon. However, aflatoxins mean concentration during post-monsoon was comparatively low than the other seasons. Variations in aflatoxins monthly prevalence correlated significantly with relative humidity (p ≤ 0.01) and rainfall (p≤ 0.05), when a 1-month time lag was considered. Therefore, predisposing climatic conditions, i.e., rainfall incidences and persistence of higher relative humidity in the previous month(s), have salient influence on aflatoxins occurrence, potentially impacting both pre-harvest and stored food grains. This study underscores the need of a more holistic monitoring of aflatoxins in agricultural products for a longer term, and adoption of proper intervention measures for food grains while being stored and before consumption. Asian Australas. J. Food Saf. Secur. 2024, 8(2), 32-47

An old unknown: 40 years of crayfish plague monitoring in Switzerland, the water tower of Europe

The oomycete Aphanomyces astaci is the causative agent of crayfish plague, a disease threatening susceptible freshwater crayfish species in Europe.To detect its spatiotemporal occurrence in Switzerland, we reviewed (1) the literature regarding occurrence of crayfish plague and North American crayfish carrier species and (2) the necropsy report archive of the Institute for Fish and Wildlife Health (FIWI) from 1968 to 2020. In the past, crayfish plague was diagnosed through several methods: conventional PCR, culture, and histology. When available, we re-evaluated archived Bouin’s or formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded samples collected during necropsies (1991–2020) with a recently published quantitative PCR.Literature research revealed putative reports of crayfish plague in Switzerland between the 1870s and 1910s and the first occurrence of three North American crayfish species between the late 1970s and 1990s.Finally, 54 (28.1%) cases were classified as positive and 9 (4.7%) cases as suspicious. The total number of positive cases increased by 14 (14.7%) after re-evaluation of samples. The earliest diagnosis of crayfish plague was performed in 1980 and the earliest biomolecular confirmation of A. astaci DNA dated 1991. Between 1980–1990, 1991–2000 and 2001–2010 crayfish plague spread from one to two and finally three catchment basins, respectively.Similar to other European countries, crayfish plague has occurred in Switzerland in two waves: the first at the end of the 19th and the second at the end of the 20th century in association with the first occurrence of North American crayfish species. The spread from one catchment basin to another suggests a human-mediated pathogen dispersal.

Climate correlates of bluetongue incidence in southern Portugal.

Model forecasts of the spatiotemporal occurrence dynamics of diseases are necessary and can help understand and thus manage future disease outbreaks. In our study, we used ecological niche modelling to assess the impact of climate on the vector suitability for bluetongue disease, a disease affecting livestock production with important economic consequences. Specifically, we investigated the relationship between the occurrence of bluetongue outbreaks and the environmental suitability of each of the four vector species studied. We found that the main vector for bluetongue disease, Culicoides imicola, a typically tropical and subtropical species, was a strong predictor for disease outbreak occurrence in a region of southern Portugal from 2004 to 2021. The results highlight the importance of understanding the climatic factors that might influence vector presence to help manage infectious disease impacts. When diseases impact economically relevant species, the impacts go beyond mortality and have important economic consequences.

Year-round spatial and temporal distribution of microplastics in water and sediments of an urban freshwater system (Jungnang Stream, Korea)

Streams and tributaries can play a significant role in the transport of inland microplastics to rivers and oceans; however, research on microplastics in these water bodies is limited compared to riverine and marine environments. Analyzing microplastic abundance at higher spatial and temporal resolutions is crucial to comprehend the dynamics of microplastics in these water bodies. Therefore, this study investigated year-round spatiotemporal variations of microplastics monthly in surface waters and sediments along the Jungnang Stream, one of the main tributaries to the Han River in South Korea. The mean concentration of microplastics in the stream was 9.8 ± 7.9 particles L−1 in water and 3640 ± 1620 particles kg−1 in sediment. Microplastic concentrations in surface waters during summer were significantly higher than in other seasons, positively linked to increased precipitation and river discharges. Polymer compositions mainly consisted of polyethylene, polypropylene, and polyethylene terephthalate, with the majority of microplastics detected smaller than 200 μm. Fragment-shaped microplastics were predominant over fibrous ones. The estimated annual input and output of microplastics through surface waters were 1.2–207 kg (2.7–150 billion particles) and 11.3–272 kg (17–769 billion particles), with the summer months contributing more than 70% of the total output. The greater microplastics output in the Jungnang Stream's waters compared to its receiving waters (Han River) indicates microplastics transport from water to other environmental compartments, such as sediments. These findings highlight the importance of investigating microplastic abundances in surface waters and sediments with temporal resolution, at least across different seasons. Such investigations offer valuable insights into the spatiotemporal occurrence and dynamic transport of microplastics, providing essential information for water management and the development of policies in freshwater ecosystems.

Spatiotemporal pattern and suitable areas analysis of equine influenza in global scale (2005-2022).

Equine influenza (EI) is a severe infectious disease that causes huge economic losses to the horse industry. Spatial epidemiology technology can explore the spatiotemporal distribution characteristics and occurrence risks of infectious diseases, it has played an important role in the prevention and control of major infectious diseases in humans and animals. For the first time, this study conducted a systematic analysis of the spatiotemporal distribution of EI using SaTScan software and investigated the important environmental variables and suitable areas for EI occurrence using the Maxent model. A total of 517 occurrences of EI from 2005 to 2022 were evaluated, and 14 significant spatiotemporal clusters were identified. Furthermore, a Maxent model was successfully established with high prediction accuracy (AUC = 0.920 ± 0.008). The results indicated that annual average ultraviolet radiation, horse density, and precipitation of the coldest quarter were the three most important environmental variables affecting EI occurrence. The suitable areas for EI occurrence are widely distributed across all continents, especially in Asia (India, Mongolia, and China) and the Americas (Brazil, Uruguay, USA, and Mexico). In the future, these suitable areas will expand and move eastward. The largest expansion is predicted under SSP126 scenarios, while the opposite trend will be observed under SSP585 scenarios. This study presents the spatial epidemiological characteristics of EI for the first time. The results could provide valuable scientific insights that can effectively inform prevention and control strategies in regions at risk of EI worldwide.

Charge block-driven liquid-liquid phase separation - mechanism and biological roles.

Liquid-liquid phase separation (LLPS) has increasingly been found to play pivotal roles in a number of intracellular events and reactions, and has introduced a new paradigm in cell biology to explain protein-protein and enzyme-ligand interactions beyond conventional molecular and biochemical theories. LLPS is driven by the cumulative effects of weak and promiscuous interactions, including electrostatic, hydrophobic and cation-π interactions, among polypeptides containing intrinsically disordered regions (IDRs) and describes the macroscopic behaviours of IDR-containing proteins in an intracellular milieu. Recent studies have revealed that interactions between 'charge blocks' - clusters of like charges along the polypeptide chain - strongly induce LLPS and play fundamental roles in its spatiotemporal regulation. Introducing a new parameter, termed 'charge blockiness', into physicochemical models of disordered polypeptides has yielded a better understanding of how the intrinsic amino acid sequence of a polypeptide determines the spatiotemporal occurrence of LLPS within a cell. Charge blockiness might also explain why some post-translational modifications segregate within IDRs and how they regulate LLPS. In this Review, we summarise recent progress towards understanding the mechanism and biological roles of charge block-driven LLPS and discuss how this new characteristic parameter of polypeptides offers new possibilities in the fields of structural biology and cell biology.

The Dynamics of Fire Activity in the Brazilian Pantanal: A Log-Gaussian Cox Process-Based Structural Decomposition

We present a novel statistical methodology for analyzing shifts in spatio-temporal fire occurrence patterns within the Brazilian Pantanal, utilizing remote sensing data. Our approach employs a Log-Gaussian Cox Process to model the spatiotemporal dynamics of fire occurrence, deconstructing the intensity function into components of trend, seasonality, cycle, covariates, and time-varying spatial effects components. The results indicate a negative correlation between rainfall and fire intensity, with lower precipitation associated with heightened fire intensity. Forest formations exhibit a positive effect on fire intensity, whereas agricultural land use shows no significant impact. Savannas and grasslands, typical fire-dependent ecosystems, demonstrate a positive relationship with fire intensity. Human-induced fires, often used for agricultural purposes, contribute to an increase in both fire frequency and intensity, particularly in grassland areas. Trend analysis reveals fluctuating fire activity over time, with notable peaks in 2018–2021.

Spatiotemporal occurrence and characteristics of microplastics in the urban road dust in a megacity, eastern China

The pervasive issue of microplastics pollution has garnered public attention, yet urban residents remain unaware of the threat within their living spaces. Urban road dust, as primary reservoirs for environmental microplastics, offers an insightful perspective into their occurrence and characteristics. This study investigated microplastics in the urban road dust in Nanjing, a megacity in eastern China, to reveal their spatiotemporal pattern. The abundance of microplastics in the road dust measured 143.3 ± 40.8 particles/m2, with predominant fragments and suspected tire wear particles, particularly those below 100 µm. Significant spatial variations were observed across urban functional zones (P < 0.05), with commercial and heavy industrial areas experiencing the highest microplastic pollution (up to 223.5 particles/m2). Infrared spectroscopy analysis identified 29 polymer types, with polystyrene (PS), polyamide (PA), and polyvinylidene difluoride (PVDF) prevailing. Light industrial zones exhibited slight contamination (mean = 93.4 particles/m2) but with diverse polymer components (24 types). Redundancy analysis and variation partitioning revealed that urban functional zoning, 7-day accumulated precipitation, and monthly PM2.5 primarily influenced the occurrence and characteristics of microplastics in urban road dust (P = 0.001). This study deepened our understanding of microplastics pollution in urban environments, providing novel insights for effective urban environmental management and improvement.

Flapping about: trends and drivers of Australian cownose ray (Rhinoptera neglecta) coastal sightings at their southernmost distribution range

The Australian cownose ray (Rhinoptera neglecta) is an understudied batoid that occurs along Australia's north and east coasts. Currently classified as Data Deficient on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, major knowledge gaps exist regarding the species' geographic range, habitat use and the drivers influencing its presence in coastal Australian waters. Sightings of R. neglecta were collected during systematic aerial surveys conducted along 980 km (~47%) of the New South Wales (NSW) coastline between 2017 and 2019. North-bound surveys were flown 500 m offshore, whilst return surveys were flown along the beach/sea interface (inshore or nearshore). Using generalized additive models and a set of nine predictors, we examined the relationship between the spatio-temporal occurrence of R. neglecta, their group size and the biophysical environment at the southernmost extent of their distribution. Results for the presence/absence (44.20% deviance explained) and group size of R. neglecta observed offshore and inshore (42.58 and 41.94% deviance explained, respectively) highlighted latitude, day of year, sea surface temperature, rainfall, wind speed, and wind direction as common influences to the three models. The models indicated R. neglecta were more likely to be present in the northern half of NSW during spring and summer months. However, larger group sizes were more likely to be observed in more southern regions during the same seasons, regardless of whether they were observed offshore or inshore. Group size is also likely influenced by more localized conditions, such as SST and tidal flows. This study represents the largest attempt to date to decipher the spatial ecology of R. neglecta and provides insights into the spatio-temporal distribution and relative abundance of the species along the full extent of the NSW coastline, extending the species' known distribution by over 70 km southward.

Water vapour exchange between the atmospheric boundary layer and free troposphere over eastern China: seasonal characteristics and the El Niño–Southern Oscillation anomaly

Abstract. This study develops a quantitative climatology of water vapour exchange between the atmospheric boundary layer (ABL) and free troposphere (FT) over eastern China. The exchange flux is estimated for January, April, July and October over 7 years based on a water vapour budget equation using simulated meteorological data. The spatiotemporal characteristics and occurrence mechanism of ABL–FT water vapour exchange and its relationship with the El Niño–Southern Oscillation (ENSO) are revealed: (1) the vertical exchange flux varies regionally and seasonally, with downward transport to maintain ABL moisture during winter and autumn in the northern region and persistent output to humidify the FT in the southern region, particularly in summer. Additionally, the vertical exchange flux is also topographic dependent. (2) The vertical motion at the ABL top, which is produced by the dynamic forcing of the terrain on synoptic winds, is the dominant mechanism for the water vapour vertical exchange over the long-term average. The evolution of the vertical exchange flux within 1 d scale is driven by the ABL diurnal cycle. (3) The interannual variation of water vapour vertical exchange is correlated with ENSO. A triple antiphase distribution with negative–positive–negative anomalies from north to south exists in La Niña years (and vice versa in El Niño years), which corresponds to the spatial pattern of anomalous precipitation. This phenomenon is mainly due to the alteration of vertical velocity and water vapour content at the ABL top varying with ENSO phases. These results provide new insight into understanding the atmospheric water cycle.

Spatiotemporal Occurrence of Organophosphate Esters in the Surface Water and Sediment of Taihu Lake and Relevant Risk Assessment

Aiming to explore the spatiotemporal occurrence of organophosphate esters (OPEs) in the aquatic environment of Taihu Lake and to assess the relevant ecological risk, monomeric and oligomeric OPEs in the surface water and sediment of Taihu Lake were determined using solid phase extraction and ultra-high performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. The target monomeric OPEs included chlorinated OPEs, alkyl OPEs, and aryl OPEs. There was no significant difference in the spatial distribution of OPEs in water and sediment between the pollutant-impacted and less-impacted zones. The average concentrations of OPEs in summer and winter were, respectively, 752.7 and 498.5 ng·L-1 in water and 124.0 and 54.5 ng·g-1 in sediment, indicating an obvious seasonal difference, especially for the monomeric OPEs. The OPEs levels in both the water and sediment were ranked in the order of chlorinated OPEs &gt; alkyl OPEs &gt; aryl OPEs≈oligomeric OPEs. The pseudo-partitioning coefficients (Kd) of OPEs between the sediment and surface water of Taihu Lake were much higher in summer (0.05-4.17 L·g-1) compared to those in winter (0.02-3.47 L·g-1) and were significantly positively correlated with the lg Kow values of OPEs. Based on the median concentrations of OPEs in the water of Taihu Lake, the ecological risk of OPEs was assessed by risk quotient (RQ) values, which indicated a medium risk at an RQ level of 0.34 during winter and 0.35 during summer. The assessment results showed that the risk ranking of OPEs was consistent with that of their concentrations, and the monomeric OPEs posed a higher ecological risk in summer compared to that in winter. Although the ecological risk of oligomeric OPEs in this study was not serious and was lower than that of monomeric OPEs, it is an urgent requirement to conduct ecotoxicology studies on oligomeric OPEs in the future since available data is highly limited at present.

Reconstructing patterns of domestication in reindeer using 3D muscle attachment areas

The use of reindeer has been a crucial element in the subsistence strategies of past Arctic and Subarctic populations. However, the spatiotemporal occurrence of systematic herding practices has been difficult to identify in the bioarchaeological record. To address this research gap, this study proposes a new virtual anthropological approach for reconstructing habitual physical activity in reindeer, relying on the protocols of the “Validated Entheses based Reconstruction of Activity” (VERA) method. Following blind analytical procedures, we focused on eight muscle attachment sites (“entheses”) in 36 reindeer free ranging in the wild, 21 specimens in captivity (zoo), and eight racing reindeer (habitual runners). Importantly, our analyses accounted for the effects of variation by subspecies, sex, age, and estimated body size. Our results showed clear differences across activity groups, leading to the development of discriminant function equations with cross-validated accuracies ranging from approximately 88 to 100%. The reliability of our functions was additionally confirmed using a blind test involving six zoo individuals not included in the initial dataset. Our findings support the use of the proposed approach for identifying domestication-related activities in zooarchaeological contexts, introducing a valuable tool for locating suspected domestication hotspots and elucidating the nature of past human-reindeer interactions.