Pub Date : 2024-08-06DOI: 10.3389/fenvs.2024.1433920
Katia Fernandes, Sean G. Young
Satellite detection of active fires has contributed to advance our understanding of fire ecology, fire and climate dynamics, fire emissions, and how to better manage the use of fires as a tool. In this study, we use active fire data of 12 years (2012–2023) combined with landcover information in the South-Central United States to derive a monthly, open-access dataset of categorized fires. This is done by calculating a fire predominance index used to rank fire-prone landcovers, which are then grouped into four main landscapes: grassland, forest, wildland, and crop fires. County-level aggregated analyses reveal spatial distributions, climatologies, and peak fire months that are particular to each fire type. Using the Standardized Precipitation Index (SPI), it was found that during the climatological fire peak-month, the SPI and fires exhibit an inverse relationship in forests and crops, whereas grassland and wildland fires show less consistent inverse or even direct relationship with the SPI. This varied behavior is discussed in the context of landscapes’ responses to anomalies in precipitation and fire management practices, such as prescribed fires and crop residue burning. In a case study of Osage County (OK), we find that large wildfires, known to be closely related to climate anomalies, occur where forest fires are located in the county and absent in areas of grassland fires. Weaker grassland fire response to precipitation anomalies can be attributed to the use of prescribed burning, which is normally planned under environmental conditions that facilitate control and thus avoided during droughts. Crop fires, on the other hand, are set to efficiently burn residue and are practiced more intensely in drier years than in wetter years, explaining the consistently strong inverse correlation between fires and precipitation anomalies. In our increasingly volatile climate, understanding how fires, vegetation, and precipitation interact has become imperative to prevent hazardous fire conflagrations and to better manage ecosystems.
{"title":"Landcover-categorized fires respond distinctly to precipitation anomalies in the South-Central United States","authors":"Katia Fernandes, Sean G. Young","doi":"10.3389/fenvs.2024.1433920","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3389/fenvs.2024.1433920","url":null,"abstract":"Satellite detection of active fires has contributed to advance our understanding of fire ecology, fire and climate dynamics, fire emissions, and how to better manage the use of fires as a tool. In this study, we use active fire data of 12 years (2012–2023) combined with landcover information in the South-Central United States to derive a monthly, open-access dataset of categorized fires. This is done by calculating a fire predominance index used to rank fire-prone landcovers, which are then grouped into four main landscapes: grassland, forest, wildland, and crop fires. County-level aggregated analyses reveal spatial distributions, climatologies, and peak fire months that are particular to each fire type. Using the Standardized Precipitation Index (SPI), it was found that during the climatological fire peak-month, the SPI and fires exhibit an inverse relationship in forests and crops, whereas grassland and wildland fires show less consistent inverse or even direct relationship with the SPI. This varied behavior is discussed in the context of landscapes’ responses to anomalies in precipitation and fire management practices, such as prescribed fires and crop residue burning. In a case study of Osage County (OK), we find that large wildfires, known to be closely related to climate anomalies, occur where forest fires are located in the county and absent in areas of grassland fires. Weaker grassland fire response to precipitation anomalies can be attributed to the use of prescribed burning, which is normally planned under environmental conditions that facilitate control and thus avoided during droughts. Crop fires, on the other hand, are set to efficiently burn residue and are practiced more intensely in drier years than in wetter years, explaining the consistently strong inverse correlation between fires and precipitation anomalies. In our increasingly volatile climate, understanding how fires, vegetation, and precipitation interact has become imperative to prevent hazardous fire conflagrations and to better manage ecosystems.","PeriodicalId":12460,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in Environmental Science","volume":"39 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.6,"publicationDate":"2024-08-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141934499","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Introduction: The presence of pharmaceuticals and personal care products in environmental matrices is considered one of the major scientific concerns. Most of these substances are disposed of unchanged through wastewater treatment plants and sewage systems. Consequently, they are continuously introduced into the water systems and progressively contaminate surface, ground and drinking water. During the COVID-19 pandemic, a large number of emerging contaminants including parabens were released to the environment through various routes. In this study, the occurrence of parabens (methylparaben (MePB), ethylparaben (EtPB), propylparaben (PrPB), and butylparaben (BuPB) was investigated in wastewater samples from various wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) and the receiving surface waters in KwaZulu Natal and Gauteng Provinces (South Africa).Methods: The samples were collected between October 2020 and December 2021, covering the 2nd, 3rd and 4th waves of the COVID-19 pandemic. A solid phase extraction protocol with high-performance liquid chromatography was used to extract and enrich parabens before analysis.Results and Discussion: Methylparaben (2.02–84.7 μg/L), EtPB (<0.24–24.8 μg/L), PrPB (<0.26–55.1 μg/L), and BuPB (<0.27–17.3 μg/L) were quantified in wastewater influent collected WWTPs of KwaZulu Natal Province. While <0.19–5.43 μg/L, <0.16–5.63 μg/L, <0.17–6.89 μg/L, and <0.19–5.32 μg/L for MePB, EtPB, PrPB, and BuPB, respectively, were quantified in effluent wastewater from the same province. The concentrations of MePB, EtPB, PrPB, and BuPB in influent wastewater from Gauteng Province were 2.58–123 μg/L, <0.24–33.6 μg/L, 3.77–73.4 μg/L and <0.27–85.8 μg/L, respectively. In effluent wastewater, concentrations ranging from 0.24–17.76 μg/L (MePB), <0.16–4.88 μg/L (EtPB), 0.69-12.5 μg/L (PrPB), and <0.19–4.726 μg/L (BuPB) were quantified. During the 4th wave, the concentrations of parabens in surface water were lower compared to the second and third waves of the pandemic. In general, the paraben residues in the surface of KwaZulu Natal Province (<0.08–16.4 μg/L) were higher than those in Gauteng Province (0.08-3.14 µg/L). Methylparaben and propylparaben were dominant in all investigated samples (wastewater and surface water), followed by ethylparaben. The ecotoxicological risk assessment was carried out for aquatic biota, which was estimated in terms of risk quotients (RQs). RQs for the target compounds in river water indicated that MePB and EtPB pose low risk, whereas PrPB and BuPB pose low to medium risk to aquatic organisms.
{"title":"Paraben residues in wastewater and surface water: a case study of KwaZulu Natal and Gauteng provinces (South Africa) during the COVID-19 pandemic","authors":"Neliswa Mpayipheli, Anele Mpupa, Ntakadzeni Edwin Madala, Philiswa Nosizo Nomngongo","doi":"10.3389/fenvs.2024.1418375","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3389/fenvs.2024.1418375","url":null,"abstract":"Introduction: The presence of pharmaceuticals and personal care products in environmental matrices is considered one of the major scientific concerns. Most of these substances are disposed of unchanged through wastewater treatment plants and sewage systems. Consequently, they are continuously introduced into the water systems and progressively contaminate surface, ground and drinking water. During the COVID-19 pandemic, a large number of emerging contaminants including parabens were released to the environment through various routes. In this study, the occurrence of parabens (methylparaben (MePB), ethylparaben (EtPB), propylparaben (PrPB), and butylparaben (BuPB) was investigated in wastewater samples from various wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) and the receiving surface waters in KwaZulu Natal and Gauteng Provinces (South Africa).Methods: The samples were collected between October 2020 and December 2021, covering the 2<jats:sup>nd</jats:sup>, 3<jats:sup>rd</jats:sup> and 4<jats:sup>th</jats:sup> waves of the COVID-19 pandemic. A solid phase extraction protocol with high-performance liquid chromatography was used to extract and enrich parabens before analysis.Results and Discussion: Methylparaben (2.02–84.7 μg/L), EtPB (&lt;0.24–24.8 μg/L), PrPB (&lt;0.26–55.1 μg/L), and BuPB (&lt;0.27–17.3 μg/L) were quantified in wastewater influent collected WWTPs of KwaZulu Natal Province. While &lt;0.19–5.43 μg/L, &lt;0.16–5.63 μg/L, &lt;0.17–6.89 μg/L, and &lt;0.19–5.32 μg/L for MePB, EtPB, PrPB, and BuPB, respectively, were quantified in effluent wastewater from the same province. The concentrations of MePB, EtPB, PrPB, and BuPB in influent wastewater from Gauteng Province were 2.58–123 μg/L, &lt;0.24–33.6 μg/L, 3.77–73.4 μg/L and &lt;0.27–85.8 μg/L, respectively. In effluent wastewater, concentrations ranging from 0.24–17.76 μg/L (MePB), &lt;0.16–4.88 μg/L (EtPB), 0.69-12.5 μg/L (PrPB), and &lt;0.19–4.726 μg/L (BuPB) were quantified. During the 4<jats:sup>th</jats:sup> wave, the concentrations of parabens in surface water were lower compared to the second and third waves of the pandemic. In general, the paraben residues in the surface of KwaZulu Natal Province (&lt;0.08–16.4 μg/L) were higher than those in Gauteng Province (0.08-3.14 µg/L). Methylparaben and propylparaben were dominant in all investigated samples (wastewater and surface water), followed by ethylparaben. The ecotoxicological risk assessment was carried out for aquatic biota, which was estimated in terms of risk quotients (RQs). RQs for the target compounds in river water indicated that MePB and EtPB pose low risk, whereas PrPB and BuPB pose low to medium risk to aquatic organisms.","PeriodicalId":12460,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in Environmental Science","volume":"1 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.6,"publicationDate":"2024-08-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141934560","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2024-08-06DOI: 10.3389/fenvs.2024.1425199
Wang Jing, Zhang Yang, Xia Longfei, Li Jianfeng, He Huan, Liu Siqi
The Loess Plateau is an important region for soil and water conservation and ecological construction in China. Exploring the spatio-temporal variations in soil conservation and water conservation services and their relationships in Loess Plateau under the background of land consolidation projects is of great significance for ecological protection and quality development in the Yellow River Basin. Taking Yan’an city as the research area, this paper used the InVEST model to quantitatively evaluated spatio-temporal variation characteristics and trade-off/synergy relationship of the soil conservation and water conservation services from 2010 to 2018. According to the implementation data, the relationship between the gully control and land consolidation (GCLC) project in various counties of Yan’an city and soil conservation and water conservation service was analyzed. The results showed that the total amount of soil conservation services in Yan’an City were 4.07 × 106 t and 3.75 × 106 t in 2010 and 2018 with a decrease of 7.76%, and with low spatial clustering characteristic. The total amount of water conservation services were 2.01 × 1010 mm and 2.03 × 1010 mm in 2010 and 2018 with a increase of 0.56%, and with high spatial clustering characteristic. There is a synergistic relationship between soil conservation and water conservation services in most area of Yan’an city. From 2010 to 2018, the effect of the GCLC projects on soil conservation and water conservation services in Yan’an city is not significant. The GCLC project can effectively alleviate the situation of sharp decline of cultivated land area and insufficient food production capacity.
{"title":"Soil conservation and water conservation services and trade-offs following the land consolidation project: a case study of Yan’an city, China","authors":"Wang Jing, Zhang Yang, Xia Longfei, Li Jianfeng, He Huan, Liu Siqi","doi":"10.3389/fenvs.2024.1425199","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3389/fenvs.2024.1425199","url":null,"abstract":"The Loess Plateau is an important region for soil and water conservation and ecological construction in China. Exploring the spatio-temporal variations in soil conservation and water conservation services and their relationships in Loess Plateau under the background of land consolidation projects is of great significance for ecological protection and quality development in the Yellow River Basin. Taking Yan’an city as the research area, this paper used the InVEST model to quantitatively evaluated spatio-temporal variation characteristics and trade-off/synergy relationship of the soil conservation and water conservation services from 2010 to 2018. According to the implementation data, the relationship between the gully control and land consolidation (GCLC) project in various counties of Yan’an city and soil conservation and water conservation service was analyzed. The results showed that the total amount of soil conservation services in Yan’an City were 4.07 × 10<jats:sup>6</jats:sup> t and 3.75 × 10<jats:sup>6</jats:sup> t in 2010 and 2018 with a decrease of 7.76%, and with low spatial clustering characteristic. The total amount of water conservation services were 2.01 × 10<jats:sup>10</jats:sup> mm and 2.03 × 10<jats:sup>10</jats:sup> mm in 2010 and 2018 with a increase of 0.56%, and with high spatial clustering characteristic. There is a synergistic relationship between soil conservation and water conservation services in most area of Yan’an city. From 2010 to 2018, the effect of the GCLC projects on soil conservation and water conservation services in Yan’an city is not significant. The GCLC project can effectively alleviate the situation of sharp decline of cultivated land area and insufficient food production capacity.","PeriodicalId":12460,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in Environmental Science","volume":"4 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.6,"publicationDate":"2024-08-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141934495","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2024-08-05DOI: 10.3389/fenvs.2024.1432614
Jie Zhang, Qidong Yu, Qian Chen
Introduction: The deviation between the stated intentions and actual actions of rural residents regarding waste classification constitutes a significant impediment to the effective implementation of environmental management strategies in rural areas. It is therefore recommended that steps be taken to reduce the deviation between the stated intentions and actual behaviors of rural residents. Doing so will help to reinforce environmental governance in rural communities and provide the necessary support for rural revitalization.Methods: This study establishes an analytical framework for examining the deviation between the internal perceived efficacy and external environmental policies among rural residents. The relationship between intention and behavior can be classified into three distinct scenarios: “intention with behavior,” “intention without behavior,” and “no intention with behavior.” Furthermore, an empirical analysis is conducted using survey data collected by Nanjing Agricultural University in the China Land Economic Survey in June and July 2021.Result: The results show that 1) the perceived efficacy has a significant positive influence on the deviation between the intention and behavior of rural residents in domestic waste classification, while the environmental policy has a significant negative effect on it; 2) the guiding policy has a significant negative moderating effect on the influence of perceived efficacy on the deviation between the intention and behavior of rural residents and the situation of “with intention and without behavior,” while the reward–punishment policy has a significant positive moderating effect on the influence of perceived efficacy on “without intention and behavior;” 3) the perceived efficacy has a masking effect on the impact of environmental policies on the deviation between the intention and behavior or “with intention and without behavior” of rural residents and a partial mediating effect on the impact of the environmental policy on “with intention and behavior” or “without intention and behavior.”Discussion: In consideration of these findings, the study proposes policy recommendations that emphasize the interconnectivity of the government, village collective organizations, and rural residents. The recommendations include the implementation of environmental policies and initiatives designed to enhance rural residents’ awareness of waste classification.
{"title":"A study of the driving factors of the intention and behavioral deviations of rural residents in waste classification","authors":"Jie Zhang, Qidong Yu, Qian Chen","doi":"10.3389/fenvs.2024.1432614","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3389/fenvs.2024.1432614","url":null,"abstract":"Introduction: The deviation between the stated intentions and actual actions of rural residents regarding waste classification constitutes a significant impediment to the effective implementation of environmental management strategies in rural areas. It is therefore recommended that steps be taken to reduce the deviation between the stated intentions and actual behaviors of rural residents. Doing so will help to reinforce environmental governance in rural communities and provide the necessary support for rural revitalization.Methods: This study establishes an analytical framework for examining the deviation between the internal perceived efficacy and external environmental policies among rural residents. The relationship between intention and behavior can be classified into three distinct scenarios: “intention with behavior,” “intention without behavior,” and “no intention with behavior.” Furthermore, an empirical analysis is conducted using survey data collected by Nanjing Agricultural University in the China Land Economic Survey in June and July 2021.Result: The results show that 1) the perceived efficacy has a significant positive influence on the deviation between the intention and behavior of rural residents in domestic waste classification, while the environmental policy has a significant negative effect on it; 2) the guiding policy has a significant negative moderating effect on the influence of perceived efficacy on the deviation between the intention and behavior of rural residents and the situation of “with intention and without behavior,” while the reward–punishment policy has a significant positive moderating effect on the influence of perceived efficacy on “without intention and behavior;” 3) the perceived efficacy has a masking effect on the impact of environmental policies on the deviation between the intention and behavior or “with intention and without behavior” of rural residents and a partial mediating effect on the impact of the environmental policy on “with intention and behavior” or “without intention and behavior.”Discussion: In consideration of these findings, the study proposes policy recommendations that emphasize the interconnectivity of the government, village collective organizations, and rural residents. The recommendations include the implementation of environmental policies and initiatives designed to enhance rural residents’ awareness of waste classification.","PeriodicalId":12460,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in Environmental Science","volume":"30 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.6,"publicationDate":"2024-08-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141934561","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Introduction: The formation of bars and pools, characterized by concave and convex bed morphology, is a typical feature of curved rivers. The channel bed morphology has a significant influence on the flow structures in curved channels.Methods: Based on data from physical model experiments, this study employs the RNG k-ε model and the VOF (Volume of Fluid) method to perform three-dimensional numerical simulations of flow in continuous curved channels.Results: By comparing the variations in flow structures between channels with a flat bed and channels with bars and pools, the results show that the presence of bars and pools leads to an increase in longitudinal flow velocity on the convex bank side near the entrance of the upstream bend, while in the downstream bend it is opposite. The high-velocity region shifts slower towards the concave bank along the bend. The presence of point bars weakens the circulation near the convex bank in the upstream bend, resulting in a smaller circulation intensity. The decrease in circulation intensity is the largest (−23.91%) at the apex of the bend. In the downstream bend, the remaining circulation from the upstream bend attenuates slower in the pool and has a greater impact distance, increasing the circulation intensity in the downstream bend. The section near the bend entrance shows the largest increase in circulation intensity, with a rate of 128.18%. The unevenness of the bed topography increases the unevenness of the bed shear stress in the downstream bend.Discussion: The findings of this study contribute to a deeper understanding of the complex flow structures and evolution trends in natural curved rivers, providing scientific basis for the management of curved river channels.
{"title":"Influences of channel bed morphology on flow structures in continuous curved channels","authors":"Yujiao Liu, Yuanfang Chai, Minghui Yu, Yinjun Zhou","doi":"10.3389/fenvs.2024.1431021","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3389/fenvs.2024.1431021","url":null,"abstract":"Introduction: The formation of bars and pools, characterized by concave and convex bed morphology, is a typical feature of curved rivers. The channel bed morphology has a significant influence on the flow structures in curved channels.Methods: Based on data from physical model experiments, this study employs the RNG k-ε model and the VOF (Volume of Fluid) method to perform three-dimensional numerical simulations of flow in continuous curved channels.Results: By comparing the variations in flow structures between channels with a flat bed and channels with bars and pools, the results show that the presence of bars and pools leads to an increase in longitudinal flow velocity on the convex bank side near the entrance of the upstream bend, while in the downstream bend it is opposite. The high-velocity region shifts slower towards the concave bank along the bend. The presence of point bars weakens the circulation near the convex bank in the upstream bend, resulting in a smaller circulation intensity. The decrease in circulation intensity is the largest (−23.91%) at the apex of the bend. In the downstream bend, the remaining circulation from the upstream bend attenuates slower in the pool and has a greater impact distance, increasing the circulation intensity in the downstream bend. The section near the bend entrance shows the largest increase in circulation intensity, with a rate of 128.18%. The unevenness of the bed topography increases the unevenness of the bed shear stress in the downstream bend.Discussion: The findings of this study contribute to a deeper understanding of the complex flow structures and evolution trends in natural curved rivers, providing scientific basis for the management of curved river channels.","PeriodicalId":12460,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in Environmental Science","volume":"111 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.6,"publicationDate":"2024-08-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141934562","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2024-08-05DOI: 10.3389/fenvs.2024.1427928
W. J. Nie, H. D. Du, S. S. Xie, Y. L. Bi
BackgroundPhytogenic mounds are a type of microtopography formed under perennial plants canopies in water erosion areas. However, the function of phytogenic mounds in seed assemblages and their ecological consequences remain poorly understood in semiarid areas with water erosion. Thus, understanding the characteristics of seed banks on mounds is crucial for ecosystem conservation and management in water-eroded areas.MethodsWe compared the quantity and composition of soil seed banks on the upslope and downslope parts of mounds and intercanopy surfaces along four slope gradients. We also explored the relationships among the soil seed bank, aboveground vegetation, and environmental factors. Furthermore, the species similarity between the soil seed bank and aboveground vegetation was analyzed to clarify the important ecological consequences of phytogenic mounds for plant community construction in serious soil erosion area.ResultsFor slopes with α ≤ 46.6%, the intercanopy surfaces had greater soil seed bank species composition, density, and diversity than did the phytogenic mounds, and these characteristics showed no significant differences between the upslope and downslope parts of the mounds. As the slope increased, the soil seed bank density and species composition increased on the upslope part of the mound, and reached a maximum for slopes with α > 70%, while the downslope part of the mound negatively effected on seed aggregation. The sediment accumulation rate, soil moisture, particle size distribution, pH, organic matter carbon, and hardness were significantly correlated with the soil seed bank density and diversity in the study area. For slopes with 0 < α ≤ 26.8%, the species similarity coefficient between the soil seed bank and aboveground vegetation was the highest for the intercanopy surface. This species similarity on the upslope part of the mound showed an increasing trend with increasing slope gradient, while the downslope part of the mound had the opposite trend. For slopes with α > 70%, the upslope part of the mound did not only have more species in the soil seed bank but also had more species in aboveground vegetation than did the downslope part of the mound and intercanopy surface.ConclusionFor slopes with α ≤ 46.6%, phytogenic mounds had barely impact soil seed bank accumulation and conservation in semiarid and eroded areas. For slopes with α > 46.6%, the mounds (particularly on the upslope part of the mound) showed seed assemblage functions, which are coupled with improving edaphic conditions and decreasing microhabitat stress; thus, phytogenic mounds, or areas of microtopography, can be used to promote restoration success in semiarid eroded areas.
{"title":"The function of phytogenic mounds in the accumulation and conservation of soil seed banks in semiarid areas with water erosion","authors":"W. J. Nie, H. D. Du, S. S. Xie, Y. L. Bi","doi":"10.3389/fenvs.2024.1427928","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3389/fenvs.2024.1427928","url":null,"abstract":"BackgroundPhytogenic mounds are a type of microtopography formed under perennial plants canopies in water erosion areas. However, the function of phytogenic mounds in seed assemblages and their ecological consequences remain poorly understood in semiarid areas with water erosion. Thus, understanding the characteristics of seed banks on mounds is crucial for ecosystem conservation and management in water-eroded areas.MethodsWe compared the quantity and composition of soil seed banks on the upslope and downslope parts of mounds and intercanopy surfaces along four slope gradients. We also explored the relationships among the soil seed bank, aboveground vegetation, and environmental factors. Furthermore, the species similarity between the soil seed bank and aboveground vegetation was analyzed to clarify the important ecological consequences of phytogenic mounds for plant community construction in serious soil erosion area.ResultsFor slopes with α ≤ 46.6%, the intercanopy surfaces had greater soil seed bank species composition, density, and diversity than did the phytogenic mounds, and these characteristics showed no significant differences between the upslope and downslope parts of the mounds. As the slope increased, the soil seed bank density and species composition increased on the upslope part of the mound, and reached a maximum for slopes with α &gt; 70%, while the downslope part of the mound negatively effected on seed aggregation. The sediment accumulation rate, soil moisture, particle size distribution, pH, organic matter carbon, and hardness were significantly correlated with the soil seed bank density and diversity in the study area. For slopes with 0 &lt; α ≤ 26.8%, the species similarity coefficient between the soil seed bank and aboveground vegetation was the highest for the intercanopy surface. This species similarity on the upslope part of the mound showed an increasing trend with increasing slope gradient, while the downslope part of the mound had the opposite trend. For slopes with α &gt; 70%, the upslope part of the mound did not only have more species in the soil seed bank but also had more species in aboveground vegetation than did the downslope part of the mound and intercanopy surface.ConclusionFor slopes with α ≤ 46.6%, phytogenic mounds had barely impact soil seed bank accumulation and conservation in semiarid and eroded areas. For slopes with α &gt; 46.6%, the mounds (particularly on the upslope part of the mound) showed seed assemblage functions, which are coupled with improving edaphic conditions and decreasing microhabitat stress; thus, phytogenic mounds, or areas of microtopography, can be used to promote restoration success in semiarid eroded areas.","PeriodicalId":12460,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in Environmental Science","volume":"14 20 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.6,"publicationDate":"2024-08-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141934564","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2024-08-05DOI: 10.3389/fenvs.2024.1429410
Anis Ben Ghorbal, Azedine Grine, Ibrahim Elbatal, Ehab M. Almetwally, Marwa M. Eid, El-Sayed M. El-Kenawy
Particularly, environmental pollution, such as air pollution, is still a significant issue of concern all over the world and thus requires the identification of good models for prediction to enable management. Blind Source Separation (BSS), Copula functions, and Long Short-Term Memory (LSTM) network integrated with the Greylag Goose Optimization (GGO) algorithm have been adopted in this research work to improve air pollution forecasting. The proposed model involves preprocessed data from the urban air quality monitoring dataset containing complete environmental and pollutant data. The application of Noise Reduction and Isolation techniques involves the use of methods such as Blind Source Separation (BSS). Using copula functions affords an even better estimate of the dependence structure between the variables. Both the BSS and Copula parameters are then estimated using GGO, which notably enhances the performance of these parameters. Finally, the air pollution levels are forecasted using a time series employing LSTM networks optimized by GGO. The results reveal that GGO-LSTM optimization exhibits the lowest mean squared error (MSE) compared to other optimization methods of the proposed model. The results underscore that certain aspects, such as noise reduction, dependence modeling and optimization of parameters, provide much insight into air quality. Hence, this integrated framework enables a proper approach to monitoring the environment by offering planners and policymakers information to help in articulating efficient environment air quality management strategies.
{"title":"Air pollution prediction using blind source separation with Greylag Goose Optimization algorithm","authors":"Anis Ben Ghorbal, Azedine Grine, Ibrahim Elbatal, Ehab M. Almetwally, Marwa M. Eid, El-Sayed M. El-Kenawy","doi":"10.3389/fenvs.2024.1429410","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3389/fenvs.2024.1429410","url":null,"abstract":"Particularly, environmental pollution, such as air pollution, is still a significant issue of concern all over the world and thus requires the identification of good models for prediction to enable management. Blind Source Separation (BSS), Copula functions, and Long Short-Term Memory (LSTM) network integrated with the Greylag Goose Optimization (GGO) algorithm have been adopted in this research work to improve air pollution forecasting. The proposed model involves preprocessed data from the urban air quality monitoring dataset containing complete environmental and pollutant data. The application of Noise Reduction and Isolation techniques involves the use of methods such as Blind Source Separation (BSS). Using copula functions affords an even better estimate of the dependence structure between the variables. Both the BSS and Copula parameters are then estimated using GGO, which notably enhances the performance of these parameters. Finally, the air pollution levels are forecasted using a time series employing LSTM networks optimized by GGO. The results reveal that GGO-LSTM optimization exhibits the lowest mean squared error (MSE) compared to other optimization methods of the proposed model. The results underscore that certain aspects, such as noise reduction, dependence modeling and optimization of parameters, provide much insight into air quality. Hence, this integrated framework enables a proper approach to monitoring the environment by offering planners and policymakers information to help in articulating efficient environment air quality management strategies.","PeriodicalId":12460,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in Environmental Science","volume":"41 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.6,"publicationDate":"2024-08-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141934566","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Objective: We here displayed the global research trends of meteorology and hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome (HFRS) as a visual knowledge map by using bibliometrics and revealed the research directions, hotspots, trends, and frontiers in this field.Methods: Using Web of Science core collection as the data source and with CiteSpace and VOSviewer software, we collected and analyzed the annual number of papers, cooperative relationships (countries, institutions, authors, etc.), citations (literature citation, literature co-citation, literature publication, etc.), keywords (emergence, clustering, etc.) of meteorology, and HFRS-related research data for the past 30 years, and drew a visual map.Results: In total, this study included 313 papers investigating the relationship between meteorology and HFRS. The first paper was published in 1992. Globally, United States had the largest number of publications in this field, and the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention was the most influential institution conducting related research (20 articles published, and the mediation centrality was 0.24). Several small author cooperation clusters were formed; however, the number of papers published by the same scholar and the co-citation frequency were low. Cazelles Bernard (7 articles) published the highest number of articles in this field, and Gubler DJ was the author with the most co-citations (55 times). The most frequently cited journal was Emerging Infectious Diseases. In this field, the top three high-frequency keywords were “hemorrhagic fever,” “transmission,” and “temperature.” According to keyword cluster analysis, the top three themes were dengue, dechlorane plus, and bank voles. The timeline spectrum exhibited that dengue clustering had a good temporal continuity. The trend analysis of emergent words revealed that the research on “temperature,” “meteorological factors” and “Puumala hantavirus” has gradually appeared in recent years.Conclusion: This study represents the first comprehensive exploration of global trends, hotspots, frontiers, and developments in the relationship between meteorology and HFRS, utilizing CiteSpace and VOSviewer software. The findings of this study are crucial for elucidating the influence of climate change on disease transmission patterns and offering novel insights for forthcoming epidemiological research and public health interventions.
{"title":"Visual analysis of hot spots and trends in research of meteorology and hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome: a bibliometric analysis based on CiteSpace and VOSviewer","authors":"Yonghai Dong, Sheng Ding, Tianchen Zhang, Wenfang Zhou, Hongyu Si, Chen Yang, Xiaoqing Liu","doi":"10.3389/fenvs.2024.1395135","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3389/fenvs.2024.1395135","url":null,"abstract":"Objective: We here displayed the global research trends of meteorology and hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome (HFRS) as a visual knowledge map by using bibliometrics and revealed the research directions, hotspots, trends, and frontiers in this field.Methods: Using Web of Science core collection as the data source and with CiteSpace and VOSviewer software, we collected and analyzed the annual number of papers, cooperative relationships (countries, institutions, authors, etc.), citations (literature citation, literature co-citation, literature publication, etc.), keywords (emergence, clustering, etc.) of meteorology, and HFRS-related research data for the past 30 years, and drew a visual map.Results: In total, this study included 313 papers investigating the relationship between meteorology and HFRS. The first paper was published in 1992. Globally, United States had the largest number of publications in this field, and the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention was the most influential institution conducting related research (20 articles published, and the mediation centrality was 0.24). Several small author cooperation clusters were formed; however, the number of papers published by the same scholar and the co-citation frequency were low. Cazelles Bernard (7 articles) published the highest number of articles in this field, and Gubler DJ was the author with the most co-citations (55 times). The most frequently cited journal was <jats:italic>Emerging Infectious Diseases</jats:italic>. In this field, the top three high-frequency keywords were “hemorrhagic fever,” “transmission,” and “temperature.” According to keyword cluster analysis, the top three themes were dengue, dechlorane plus, and bank voles. The timeline spectrum exhibited that dengue clustering had a good temporal continuity. The trend analysis of emergent words revealed that the research on “temperature,” “meteorological factors” and “<jats:italic>Puumala hantavirus</jats:italic>” has gradually appeared in recent years.Conclusion: This study represents the first comprehensive exploration of global trends, hotspots, frontiers, and developments in the relationship between meteorology and HFRS, utilizing CiteSpace and VOSviewer software. The findings of this study are crucial for elucidating the influence of climate change on disease transmission patterns and offering novel insights for forthcoming epidemiological research and public health interventions.","PeriodicalId":12460,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in Environmental Science","volume":"6 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.6,"publicationDate":"2024-08-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141934563","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2024-08-05DOI: 10.3389/fenvs.2024.1416450
Syed Ahmed Raza, Li Zhang, Jian Zuo, Bowei Chen
Sustainable Development Goal-14 (SDG-14) directly demands the protection, conservation, restoration, and sustainable management of the global mangrove ecosystem. Assessment of the development Pakistan has made toward the sustainable management of mangrove ecosystems necessitates the remote sensing-based evaluation of national-level mangrove cover. Using Google Earth Engine (GEE) for geoprocessing 12,000+ 10-m high-spatial resolution Sentinel-2 time-series images (2016–23) and applying random forest (RF) classifier, the current research provides the latest spatial distribution of mangroves along Pakistan’s coastline and changes observed for a duration of 8 years. Additionally, this research provides the first spatiotemporal health assessment of Pakistan’s national mangrove cover as well. Rational analysis of the results indicated splitting the entire timeline based on two seasons (Jan–Jun and Jul–Dec). Results revealed an overall increase of 1,210 km2 (2023) in the mangrove cover on the national-level; a 3.42 km2 average annual increase from 2016 (1,186 km2). Mangrove gain/loss assessment based on the land use land cover (LULC) transition matrix illustrated 223 km2 gain and 199 km2 loss; a 24 km2 net gain. Declines of 20.28% and 7.91% were found in maximum- and mean-NDVI (2016-23), depicting the deteriorating mangrove health conditions. Likewise, significant Sen’s slope analysis (p < 0.05) indicated that 88.8% of all the mangrove-NDVI pixels exhibited an overall decrease, whereas 11.2% pixels showed an overall increase (2016-23). It was concluded that despite showing a growth in the extent, mangrove cover in Pakistan has shown a decline in health, primarily due to deforestation for urban operations and sea-level rise, still making them vulnerable and potentially leading to a disrupted ecosystem, including carbon release in the atmosphere. This study will assist in the formulation of mangrove conservation and management strategies, whereas future research can explore the potentials of land surface temperature (LST) and evapotranspiration in combination to the NDVI for an in-depth analysis of the health status of mangroves.
{"title":"Time series monitoring and analysis of Pakistan’s mangrove using Sentinel-2 data","authors":"Syed Ahmed Raza, Li Zhang, Jian Zuo, Bowei Chen","doi":"10.3389/fenvs.2024.1416450","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3389/fenvs.2024.1416450","url":null,"abstract":"Sustainable Development Goal-14 (SDG-14) directly demands the protection, conservation, restoration, and sustainable management of the global mangrove ecosystem. Assessment of the development Pakistan has made toward the sustainable management of mangrove ecosystems necessitates the remote sensing-based evaluation of national-level mangrove cover. Using Google Earth Engine (GEE) for geoprocessing 12,000+ 10-m high-spatial resolution Sentinel-2 time-series images (2016–23) and applying random forest (RF) classifier, the current research provides the latest spatial distribution of mangroves along Pakistan’s coastline and changes observed for a duration of 8 years. Additionally, this research provides the first spatiotemporal health assessment of Pakistan’s national mangrove cover as well. Rational analysis of the results indicated splitting the entire timeline based on two seasons (Jan–Jun and Jul–Dec). Results revealed an overall increase of 1,210 km<jats:sup>2</jats:sup> (2023) in the mangrove cover on the national-level; a 3.42 km<jats:sup>2</jats:sup> average annual increase from 2016 (1,186 km<jats:sup>2</jats:sup>). Mangrove gain/loss assessment based on the land use land cover (LULC) transition matrix illustrated 223 km<jats:sup>2</jats:sup> gain and 199 km<jats:sup>2</jats:sup> loss; a 24 km<jats:sup>2</jats:sup> net gain. Declines of 20.28% and 7.91% were found in maximum- and mean-NDVI (2016-23), depicting the deteriorating mangrove health conditions. Likewise, significant Sen’s slope analysis (<jats:italic>p</jats:italic> &lt; 0.05) indicated that 88.8% of all the mangrove-NDVI pixels exhibited an overall decrease, whereas 11.2% pixels showed an overall increase (2016-23). It was concluded that despite showing a growth in the extent, mangrove cover in Pakistan has shown a decline in health, primarily due to deforestation for urban operations and sea-level rise, still making them vulnerable and potentially leading to a disrupted ecosystem, including carbon release in the atmosphere. This study will assist in the formulation of mangrove conservation and management strategies, whereas future research can explore the potentials of land surface temperature (LST) and evapotranspiration in combination to the NDVI for an in-depth analysis of the health status of mangroves.","PeriodicalId":12460,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in Environmental Science","volume":"23 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.6,"publicationDate":"2024-08-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141934565","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2024-08-05DOI: 10.3389/fenvs.2024.1376882
Tao Liu, Mingming An, Jingrui Chen, Yuanyuan Liu, Le Chao, Jichen Liu, Mingliang Zhang
The growing atmospheric mercury (Hg) emissions in China have raised ongoing concerns regarding contamination in marine fish. To better understand the pollution patterns and associated risks, we examined methylmercury (MeHg) content in demersal and pelagic fish from four commonly found families in three geographically distinct bays along the Chinese coast. We identified significant spatial variations in MeHg levels within the same fish family across regions. Specifically, fish collected from the Beibu Gulf in the South China Sea consistently exhibited significantly higher MeHg levels compared to those from the Laizhou Bay in the Northeast and/or Haizhou Bay in the East of China. In contrast, MeHg levels in fish collected from Haizhou Bay consistently remained the lowest. Within each region, we observed significantly higher MeHg concentrations in demersal species compared to pelagic species. This trend was particularly evident in fish species including bartail flathead (Platycephalus indicus), small-scale tongue sole (Cynoglossus microlepis) and greater lizardfish (Saurida tumbil) from the Beibu Gulf (0.50, 0.21, and 0.18 mg/kg dw, respectively), as well as bartail flathead and slender lizardfish (Saurida elongata) from Laizhou Bay (0.09 and 0.12 mg/kg dw, respectively). By comparison, MeHg content in silver pomfret (Pampus argenteus) from all three regions consistently remained relatively lower than in other species. Using target hazardous quotient (THQ) calculations, we estimated potential health risks in local populations associated with the consumption of the studied fish species. Our results showed a lack of apparent health risks to local residents, as all THQ values obtained from the three regions fell within the safe limits (0.02–0.94). However, it remains important to conduct additional assessments and spatiotemporal monitoring that encompass a broader range of species and regions.
{"title":"Variations in methylmercury contamination levels and associated health risks in different fish species across three coastal bays in China","authors":"Tao Liu, Mingming An, Jingrui Chen, Yuanyuan Liu, Le Chao, Jichen Liu, Mingliang Zhang","doi":"10.3389/fenvs.2024.1376882","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3389/fenvs.2024.1376882","url":null,"abstract":"The growing atmospheric mercury (Hg) emissions in China have raised ongoing concerns regarding contamination in marine fish. To better understand the pollution patterns and associated risks, we examined methylmercury (MeHg) content in demersal and pelagic fish from four commonly found families in three geographically distinct bays along the Chinese coast. We identified significant spatial variations in MeHg levels within the same fish family across regions. Specifically, fish collected from the Beibu Gulf in the South China Sea consistently exhibited significantly higher MeHg levels compared to those from the Laizhou Bay in the Northeast and/or Haizhou Bay in the East of China. In contrast, MeHg levels in fish collected from Haizhou Bay consistently remained the lowest. Within each region, we observed significantly higher MeHg concentrations in demersal species compared to pelagic species. This trend was particularly evident in fish species including bartail flathead (<jats:italic>Platycephalus indicus</jats:italic>), small-scale tongue sole (<jats:italic>Cynoglossus microlepis</jats:italic>) and greater lizardfish (<jats:italic>Saurida tumbil</jats:italic>) from the Beibu Gulf (0.50, 0.21, and 0.18 mg/kg dw, respectively), as well as bartail flathead and slender lizardfish (<jats:italic>Saurida elongata</jats:italic>) from Laizhou Bay (0.09 and 0.12 mg/kg dw, respectively). By comparison, MeHg content in silver pomfret (<jats:italic>Pampus argenteus</jats:italic>) from all three regions consistently remained relatively lower than in other species. Using target hazardous quotient (THQ) calculations, we estimated potential health risks in local populations associated with the consumption of the studied fish species. Our results showed a lack of apparent health risks to local residents, as all THQ values obtained from the three regions fell within the safe limits (0.02–0.94). However, it remains important to conduct additional assessments and spatiotemporal monitoring that encompass a broader range of species and regions.","PeriodicalId":12460,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in Environmental Science","volume":"76 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.6,"publicationDate":"2024-08-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141934420","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
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