Polar stratospheric clouds (PSCs) form in polar regions typically between 15 and 25 km, when the local temperature is sufficiently low. PSCs play an important role in the ozone chemistry and the dehydration and denitrification of the stratosphere. Lidars with a depolarization channel may be used to detect and classify different classes of PSCs. The main PSC classes are water ice, nitric acid trihydrate (NAT) and supercooled ternary solutions (STS), the latter being liquid droplets consisting of water, nitric acid and sulphuric acid. PSCs have been observed at the lidar observatory at Concordia Station from 2014 on. The harsh environmental conditions at Concordia during winter render successful lidar operation difficult. In order to facilitate the operation of the observatory several measures have been put in place to achieve an almost complete remote control of the system. PSC occurrence is strongly correlated with local temperatures and is affected by dynamics, as the PSC coverage during the observation season shows.

Two coupled climate models which participated the CMIP6 project (Coupled Model Intercomparison Project Phase 6), the Earth System Model of Chinese Academy of Sciences version 2 (CAS-ESM2-0) and the Nanjing University of Information Science and Technology Earth System Model version 3 (NESM3), were assessed in terms of the impact of four new sea ice parameterization schemes. These four new schemes are related to air-sea heat flux, radiation penetration and absorption, melt ponds, ice-ocean flux, respectively. To evaluate the effectiveness of these schemes, key sea ice variables with and without these new schemes, such as sea ice concentration (SIC) and sea ice thickness (SIT), were compared against observation and reanalysis product from 1980 to 2014. The simulations followed the design of historical experiments within the CMIP6 framework. The results revealed that both models demonstrated improvements in simulating Arctic SIC and SIT when the new parameterization schemes were implemented. The model bias of SIC in some marginal sea ice zones of Arctic was reduced, especially during March. The SIT was increased and the transpolar gradient of SIT was reproduced. The changes of spatial pattern of SIC and SIT after adding new schemes bear similarities between the two coupled models. This suggests that the new schemes have potential for broad application in climate models, especially for those with underestimated SIT.

The variations of visibility, PM mass concentration and mixing layer height (MLH) at four major urban-industry regions (Shenyang, Anshan, Benxi and Fushun) in multi-cities of central Liaoning over northeast China were evaluated from 2009-2012 to characterize the dynamics effect on air pollution. The annual mean visibilities were about 13.7±7.8km, 13.5±6.5km, 12.8±6.1km and 11.5±6.8km in Shenyang, Anshan, Benxi and Fushun, respectively. The pollution load (PM×MLH) shown a weaker vertical diffusion in Anshan with a higher PM concentration in the near-surface. High concentrations of fine mode particles may be partially attributed to the biomass burning emissions from September in Liaoning Province and surrounding regions in Northeast China as well as the coal burning during the heating period with lower MLH in winter. The increasing wind speed has a similar change as the increasing of mixing layer height to make the effect on the aerosol vertical diffusion. The visibility on the non haze-fog days was about 2.5-3.0 times higher than that on hazy and fog days. The fine particle concentrations of PM2.5 and PM1.0 on the haze and fog days were ~1.8-1.9 times and ~1.5 times higher than that on no hazy-fog days. The MLH during fog pollution showed more declining trend than haze pollution compared with non haze-fog days. The results of this study could provide the useful information to better recognize the effects of vertical pollutants diffusion on air quality in the multi-cities of central Liaoning over Northeast China.

Climate change is challenging the agricultural sector worldwide. The pressure exerted by the altered thermal conditions drives the zonal shift for various cultivations. This study presents the multiyear analysis of the Growing Degree Days (GDD) index over the Northern Mediterranean Basin (NMB), focused on the high-value vine cultivation derived from the E-OBS dataset. To handle this extensive environmental dataset, R-language scripts and packages were applied, along with the capabilities of the GIS software. The investigated time period spans from 1969 to 2018, and the performed analysis indicates a broad shift/expansion in areas of GDD exceeding 2000 heat units. The extracted results specify the viticultural areas where the GDD index surpasses the suitable values for vine cultivation, owing to the increase of the thermal stress risk. In addition to mapping areas with GDD ≥ 2000, spatial calculations of the surface of areas meeting this criterion per country in the study area were made. In the northern parts of the NMB, the rise of the GDD index values indicates the establishment of vine plantations in the future.

The Upper Hunter Valley is a major coal mining area containing approximately 40% of the currently identified total coal reserves in New South Wales (NSW), Australia. Due to the ongoing increase of mining activities, PM10 (air-borne particle with an aerodynamic diameter less than 10 micrometres) pollution has become a major air quality concern in local communities. This paper summarises the spatial and temporal variability modes of PM10 pollution in the region, based on long-term multi-site monitoring data and the application of the rotated principal component analysis (RPCA) and wavelet analysis techniques. RPCA identified two distinct air quality clusters/subregions in the valley, one in the west/northwest, the other in the southeast. Wavelet analysis revealed the annual cycle to be most persistent temporal mode of PM10 variability in both subregions, with intermittent signals observed at time scales of around 120, 30~90 and under 30 days. How these variation modes are related to the effects of local PM10 emissions and the influence of meteorology at different time scales deserves further attention in future work. The findings will be used in air quality reporting and forecasting in NSW. The methodology and results can also be useful for air quality research in similar regions elsewhere.

Ammonium sulfate has been utilized in agriculture; however, there is a dearth of research on its application in maize cultivation subsequent to the implementation of nitrification inhibitors or coating. This study aims to analyze the impacts of various combinations of ammonium sulfate fertilizers on soil nutrients, plant nutrient uptake, yield, and fertilizer utilization efficiency in maize cultivation to ascertain the optimal and stabilized disposal method for ammonium sulfate. A completely randomized design was employed with five treatments (AU, the control using urea; AS, treatment using ammonium sulfate; ASN, treatment using ammonium sulfate with a nitrification inhibitor; ASG, treatment using oil-coated ammonium sulfate; ASD, treatment using oil-humic acid-coated ammonium sulfate). Results showed that: (1) Compared with AU and AS, ASN, ASG and ASD decreased the leaching rates of TN, NH4+-N and NO3-N to the 10-20 cm soil layer, and more residual N was obtained in 0-10 cm soil layer. The first-order kinetic equation Nt=N0(1-e-kt) can better fit the process of nitrogen accumulation and release, and the N release rate constant is AU>CK>AS>ASH>ASN>ASD; (2) Compared with AU and AS treatments, the plant dry weight, grain dry weight, spike width, spike length, and yields of maize increased by 8.85-11.08%, 12.98-14.15%, 2.95-3.52%, 5.50-5.65%, and 43.21-51.10% under ASG treatment respectively. The impact of effective spike number on maize yield was found to be significant, as demonstrated by the path analysis conducted in this study. Furthermore, the accumulation levels of nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium within above-ground plants significantly increased under the ASG treatment compared to the AU and AS treatments. The partial productivity of nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium increased by 1.43-1.51-fold under ASG treatment, while grain nitrogen balance, grain phosphorus balance, and grain potassium balance increased by 1.41-1.58-fold, 1.51-1.95-fold, and 1.15-l.96-fold respectively. The oil-coated ammonium sulfate, therefore, exhibited the optimal slow-release effect of nutrients, thereby achieving superior performance in enhancing maize production and efficiency.

Tailings generated by mining account for the largest proportion of global waste from industrial activities. Copper is relatively uncommon world-wide, with low concentrations in sediments and waters, yet is very elevated around mining sites. On the Keweenaw Peninsula of Michigan, USA, jutting out into Lake Superior, 140 mines extracted native copper from the Portage Lake Volcanic Series, part of an intercontinental rift system. Between 1901-1932, two mills at Gay (Mohawk, Wolverine) sluiced 22.7 million metric tonnes (MMT) of copper-rich tailings (stamp sands) into Grand (Big) Traverse Bay. Here we examine: 1) 3D coastal elevation and reef bathymetry, 2) particle dispersal, 3) copper concentrations and leaching, plus 4) shoreline toxicity. About 10 MMT of tailings created a migrating coastal beach that stretches 7 km from the Gay pile to the Traverse River Seawall. Another 10 MMT are moving underwater on the coastal shelf, threatening Buffalo Reef, an important lake trout and whitefish breeding ground. Aerial photos, ALS (plane) LiDAR, and relatively inexpensive UAS (drone) surveys characterize shoreline structure and aid initial remediation. Because sands (natural beach quartz, stamp sand basalt) are silicates of similar density, particle dispersal is similar and challenging. However, stamp sand beaches contrast greatly with natural sand beaches in both physical profile and chemistry. Dispersing particles retain copper, and release toxic concentrations. Leaching is elevated by exposure to high DOC and low pH waters. Field experiments, shoreline seining, and benthic sampling confirm serious impacts on aquatic biota, supporting tailings removal.

The article presents the results of cyanide leaching of gold-containing concentrate using the trichlorocyanuric acid (TCCA) oxidizer. Gold-containing concentrate obtained from a gold tailings sample from a gold recovery factory (GRF) in one of the deposits of Kazakhstan that was not previously studied for concentrability. According to X-ray phase analysis and energy dispersive spectrometry (DSM) data, the main compounds in the tailings sample under study are: pyrite FeS2, quartz SiO2, calcite CaCO3, albite NaAlSi3O8, muscovite KAl2Si3AlO10(OH)8, dolomite CaMg(CO3)2, and oxidized iron compounds. Microscopic studies have established the presence of gold grains in free form, ranging in size from 0.9-10.2 mkm Au-ultrafine and fine gold. Obtaining a gold-containg concentrate with a gold content of 15.95 g / t is possible according to the enrichment scheme, which includes centrifugal separation, classification according to the fineness class -0.05 mm, additional grinding of hydrocyclone sands to a fineness of 90.0-95.0% of the class finer than 0.050 mm, and control centrifugal separation. Since pyrite in technogenic raw materials is the main gold-containing mineral, this paper presents studies on the oxidizability of pyrite with the TCCA oxidizer. The results of studies on the oxidation of pyrite using the TCCA oxidizer show that the products of its hydrolysis oxidize pyrite with the formation of various iron compounds on its surface. Pretreatment of gold-containing concentrate with oxidizer TCCA for 3 hours before the cyanidation process (20 hours) allows to increase the recovery of gold in the solution by 5.8 %.

An Indo-French campaign was conducted during May 2014 at Gadanki (13.5^oN, 79.2^oE), India, for investigating gravity wave (GW) coupling between the lower and middle atmospheres using a suite of experimental techniques. In this paper we are presenting the sources for those GWs which are observed at airglow layer (~87 km) using (OH) Airglow Imager during the campaign. For this purpose we have developed a background model atmosphere by combining the ERA-Interim, MSIS E 90 model and HWM 07 model data sets. Uniqueness of the present study lies in using near-real time background atmosphere data from simultaneous radiosonde and SVU Meteor Radar covering both source and propagation/ dissipation regions of GWs. We have observed 17 wave events and used GROGRAT model for reverse tracing to locate the source(s). When we searched for the sources near the terminal points or along the ray path, deep convection is found to occur but no strong wind shear. This indicates that the source for the observed GWs is deep convection. We have also simulated small scale waves that can reach mesosphere during different seasons (background conditions). GWs with periods less than 100 minutes and horizontal wavelengths less than 200 km are mostly reaching the mesospheric altitudes. Interestingly, it is found that only few GWs that are generated in the troposphere reach the mesospheric altitudes during the monsoon season, though strong sources like convection and wind shear persist throughout this season. Thus, background wind plays significant role in deciding the propagation of GWs in to upper atmosphere.

The study of precipitation amount at different time scales constitutes an important issue in climate research and risk assessment. When dealing with daily totals, a frequent but sometimes underestimated problem is at what time the observation day begins. The choice of different starting times may lead to incompatibility between stations and incorrect identification of extreme events. In this work, the problem of temporal misalignment between precipitation datasets characterized by different starting time of the observation day is analyzed. The most widely used adjustment methods (1day and uniform shift) and two methods based on reanalysis (NOAA and ERA5) are evaluated in terms of temporal alignment, precipitation statistics and percentile distributions. As test series, the precipitation amount collected from 9 a.m. local time (09 LT) on the previous day to 09 LT on the target day (9-9 datasets) of the Padua and nearby stations in the period 1993-2022 have been selected. Results show that the reanalysis-based methods, in particular ERA5, outperform the others in temporal alignment, regardless the station. But, for the periods in which reanalysis data are not available, “1day” method, which shifts the daily amount back one calendar day, and “unif” method, which distributes uniformly the daily total from a 2-day moving window surrounding the target date, can be considered valid alternatives. On the other side, concerning the precipitation statistics, the reanalysis-based methods are not the best option, as they increase the precipitation frequency and reduce the mean value over wet days, NOAA much more than ERA5. Nevertheless, the uniform method provides a larger deviation from the original daily series. The use of the series of a station nearby the target one, which is mandatory in case of missing data, gives similar or better results than applying any adjustment method to the 9-9 series. General conclusions can hardly be drawn as they depend on the method and station. For the Padua dataset, the analysis was repeated at monthly and seasonal resolution. In general, the adjustment series show the most relevant changes in the precipitation statistics in summer and less temporal alignment with the original series in summer and autumn, the two seasons mainly affected by heavy rains in Padua. Finally, the percentiles distribution, analyzed for all the methods and stations, indicates that any adjustment method underestimates the percentile values, except ERA5. Only Legnaro, the station most correlated with Padua, gives results like ERA5.

Accurate cloud quantification is essential in climate change research. In this work, we construct an automated computer vision framework by synergistically incorporating deep neural networks and finite sector clustering to achieve robust whole sky image-based cloud classification, adaptive segmentation, and recognition under intricate illumination dynamics. A bespoke YOLOv8 architecture attains over 95% categorical precision across four archetypal cloud varieties curated from extensive annual observations (2020) at a Tibetan highland station. Tailor-made segmentation strategies adapted to distinct cloud configurations, allied with illumination-invariant image enhancement algorithms, effectively eliminate solar interference and substantially boost quantitative performance even in illumination-adverse analysis scenarios. Compared with the traditional threshold analysis method, the cloud quantification accuracy calculated within the framework of this paper is significantly improved. Collectively, the methodological innovations provide an advanced solution to markedly escalate cloud quantification precision levels imperative for climate change research, while offering a paradigm for cloud analytics transferable to various meteorological stations.

The accuracy of cosmic ray observation by the Large High Altitude Air Shower Observatory Wide Field-of-view Cherenkov/fluorescence Telescope Array (LHAASO-WFCTA) is influenced by variations in aerosols in the atmosphere. The solar photometer (CE318-T) is extensively utilized within the Aerosol Robotic Network as a highly precise and reliable instrument for aerosol measurements. With this CE318-T 23, 254 sets of valid data samples in 394 days from October 2020 to October 2022 at the LHAASO site were obtained. Data analysis revealed that the baseline Aerosol Optical Depth (AOD) and A˚ngstro¨m Exponent (AE) at 440-870 nm (AE440−870nm) of the aerosols were calculated to be 0.03 and 1.07, respectively, suggesting that the LHAASO site is among the most pristine regions on Earth. The seasonality of the mean AOD are the order of spring > summer > autumn = winter. The monthly average maximum of AOD440nm occurred in April (0.11 ± 0.05) and the minimum was in December (0.03 ± 0.01). The monthly average of AE440−870nm exhibited slight variations. The seasonal characterization of aerosol types indicated that clean continental background aerosol predominated in autumn and winter, which is the optimal period for the absolute calibration of the WFCTA. Additionally, the diurnal daytime variations of AOD and AE across the four seasons are presented. Our analysis also indicates that the potential origins of aerosol over the LHAASO in four seasons were different and the atmospheric aerosols with higher AOD probably originate mainly from Northern Myanmar and Northeast India region. These results provide a baseline for comparison to the future on-site measurement of extinction coefficient profile and aerosol phase function by LHAASO-WFCTA, also enrich the valuable materials on aerosol observation in the Hengduan Mountains and Tibetan Plateau.

The main objective of this work is to investigate the temporal variation of PM10 concentrations within the urban area of Athens during the years 2001-2015. For this purpose, the time series of the particulate matter with aerodynamic diameter less than 10μm (PM10) is recorded for a 15-year period (2001-2015) in two different monitoring stations located in the urban area of Athens. The results show a totally different behavior of PM10 concentrations between the Athens city center and the suburban areas. It seems that in the city center the main sources of PM10 are traffic and heating systems especially during the cold period of the year. Furthermore, in the city center a significant seasonal variation was found with high concentrations during the cold period of the year and lower concentrations during the warm period of the year. Moreover, it was found that during the weekends, there is a decrease in PM10 concentrations probably due to the fact that majority of people do not use their vehicles. Finally, for both locations a significant temporal decreasing trend of the mean annual PM10 concentrations was found which indicates that during the last years, there have been improvements towards a better air quality.

The main objective of this work is the assessment of the annual number of hospital admissions for respiratory disease (HARD) due to the exposure to in-healable particulate matter (PM10), within the greater Athens area (GAA), Greece. Towards this aim, the time series of the particulate matter with aerodynamic diameter less than 10μm (PM10) recorded in six monitoring stations located in the GAA, for a 13-year period 2001-2013, is used. Initially, a descriptive statistical treatment of PM10 concentrations took place. Furthermore, the AirQ2.2.3 software developed by the WHO was used to evaluate adverse health effects by PM10 in the GAA during the examined period. The results show that, during the examined period PM10 concentrations present a significant decreasing trend. Also, the mean annual HARD cases per 100,000 inhabitants ranged between 20 (suburban location) and 40 (city centre location). Approximately 70% of the annual HARD cases are due to city centre residents. In all examined locations, a declining trend in the annual number of HARD cases is appeared. Moreover, a strong relation between the annual number of HARD cases and the annual number of days exceeding the European Union daily PM10 threshold value was found.

Incidental P losses from non-point sources may contribute to eutrophication and to decreased soil fertility. These incidents have been related to heavy rainfall on freshly fertilized agricultural soils and little is known about such incidents on more natural soils or in forests. The aim of this work is to determine if incidents of high P leaching also occur in spruce forests, and if such incidents are of significance in P cycling. We found a peak in the mineral soil solution showing that single events of high P leaching occur. The orthophosphate concentration in the Bf-horizon of the 80-year old spruce forest peaked in the autumn of the second year of a continuous monitoring. The concentration increased by more than 85 times compared to the highest concentration obtained earlier during the sampling. The amount leached during this 6 months peak is 10 times higher than the average annual leaching. This P leaching might be due to a combination of high P deposition/through-fall and a high anion exchange with dissolved-organic-carbon and Cl-. We suggest that single events of high sub-surface P leaching may contribute to the overall P leaching, and might increase with the global warming as more DOC is expected to be released to the soil solution.

The mining sector generates a substantial quantity of stone waste and tailings, which constitutes an environmental risk. The most prevalent method for disposing of this industrial waste is dumping, which contributes to soil deterioration and water contamination while acquiring precious land. It can be recycled using a number of processes, such as the promising geopolymerization technique, which transforms waste into value. This study reviews current developments in the manufacturing of mine tailings-based geopolymer composites from industrial waste as a possible sustainable building material. This paper also gives in-depth studies on the characteristics and behaviors of mine tailings composites used in geopolymer manufacturing, including durability, microstructure, thermal and leaching properties. This review also identifies knowledge gaps that must be filled in order to advance mine tailings composites for geopolymers.

Conservation tillage and deep side-fertilization both hold the potential to reduce nitrogen leaching and improve grain yield and nitrogen use efficiency in fragrant rice cultivation practices. However, the combined impact of different tillage practices with deep side-fertilization on nitrogen leaching remains uncertain. Therefore, this study conducted on-site experiments for four rice growing seasons in both early and late seasons in 2018 and 2019, using the fragrant rice varieties "Meixiangzhan 2"(MX) and "Xiangyaxiangzhan"(XY). The four experimental treatments included:conventional tillage with regular fertilization (T1), conventional tillage with simultaneous deep fertilization (T2), reduced tillage with simultaneous deep fertilization (T3) , and no-tillage with simultaneous deep fertilization (T4). Our results indicate that the T4 treatment exhibited higher nitrogen leaching rates and potential nitrogen losses throughout the entire rice growth cycle, with a 4.51% increase in total nitrogen leaching and a 1.86% increase in potential nitrogen leaching compared to T1. In contrast, the T2 treatment demonstrated the lowest nitrogen leaching rate, resulting in a 6.01% reduction in total nitrogen leaching and a 9.57% decrease in potential nitrogen leaching compared to T1, demonstrating the most optimal performance. For MX, the T1 treatment resulted in lower daily grain outputs compared to the other treatments, with disparities ranging from 5.35% to 9.94%. Similarly, for the XY, the T1 treatment yielded significantly lower daily grain outputs compared to the other treatments, with discrepancies ranging from 6.26% to 10.81% during the late season of 2019. Overall, this study shows that conventional tillage with deep fertilization effectively reduces nitrogen leaching and boosts fragrant rice yields. Minimizing nitrogen leaching enhances nitrogen utilization efficiency. These insights highlight the significance of strategic fertilization and cultivation for environmental conservation and agricultural sustainability.

The NP method was used to elucidate the contributions of vehicles and coal combustion to seasonal and long-term atmospheric PM-bound Pyr and 1-NP concentrations in Kanazawa, Kitakyushu, Shenyang, and Shanghai in the Western Pacific region from 1997 to 2021. Among the four cities, Kanazawa demonstrated the lowest Pyr concentration. The contribution of vehicles to Pyr before and after 2010 were 35% and 5%, respectively. The 1-NP concentration reduced by a factor of more than 1/10. These changes can be attributed to the emission control from vehicles. Kitakyushu revealed the second lowest Pyr and the lowest 1-NP concentrations. Coal combustion was found to be the main contributor to Pyr, while its contribution to 1-NP increased from 9% to 19%. The large contribution of coal combustion is attributed to iron manufactures. Shenyang demonstrated the highest atmospheric Pyr concentration with its largest seasonal change. Vehicles are the largest contributors to 1-NP. However, coal combustion, including winter coal heating, contributed 97% or more to Pyr and more than 14% to 1-NP. Shanghai revealed the second highest Pyr and 1-NP concentrations, but the former was substantially lower than in Shenyang. Coal combustion was the major contributor, but the contribution of vehicles to Pyr was larger before 2010 similar to Kanazawa.

Industries are required to utilize treatment technologies to reduce contaminants in wastewater prior discharge and valorize by-products to increase sustainability and competitiveness. Most acid leaching gypsum purification studies have obviated the treatment of the highly acidic wastewater produced. In this work, acidic wastewater from acid leaching purification of post-consumer gypsum was treated to recover a valuable solid product and reusable water. The main aims of this work were to determine the impact of recirculating acidic and treated wastewaters on the efficiency of the acid leaching purification process and to valorize the impurities in the wastewater. Samples were characterized through X-ray fluorescence and X-ray diffraction. SimaPro 9.5 and ReCiPe 2016 midpoint method were used for the life cycle assessment of three wastewater management approaches. The reuse of the acidic wastewater did not improve the chemical purity of gypsum. Soluble impurities were precipitated at pH 10.5 as a magnesium-rich gypsum that could be commercialized as fertilizer or soil ameliorant. The alkaline treated water was reused for 6 acid leaching purification cycles without impacting the efficiency of the purification process. An acid leaching-neutralization-filtration-precipitation approach demonstrated superior overall environmental performance. Barriers and enabling measures for the implementation of an in-house wastewater treatment were identified.

Atmospheric correction is the processes of converting radiance measured at a spectral 1 sensor to the reflectance of the materials in a multispectral or hyperspectral image. This is an 2 important step for detecting or identifying the materials present in the pixel spectra. We present 3 two machine learning models for atmospheric correction trained and tested on 100,000 batches of 40 4 reflectance spectra converted to radiance using MODTRAN, so the machine learning model learns 5 the radiative transfer physics from MODTRAN. We created a theoretically interpretable Bayesian 6 Gaussian process model and a deep learning autoencoder treating the atmosphere as noise. We 7 compare both methods for estimating gain in the correction model to the well-know QUAC method 8 of assuming a constant mean endmember reflectance. Prediction of reflectance using the Gaussian 9 process model outperforms the other methods in terms of both accuracy and reliability.

Between 2011 and 2016 small-scale farm trials were run across three dairy regions of New Zealand (Waikato, Canterbury, Otago) to compare the performance of typical regional farm systems with farm systems implementing a combination of mitigation options most suitable to the region. The trials ran for at least three consecutive years with detailed recording of milk production and input costs. Nitrate leaching per hectare of the milking platform (where lactating cows are kept) was estimated using either measurements (suction cups), models, or soil mineral nitrogen measurements. Post-trial, detailed farm information was used in the New Zealand greenhouse gas inventory methodology to calculate the emissions from all sources; dairy platform, dairy support land used for wintering non-lactating cows (where applicable) and replacement stock, and imported supplements. Nitrate leaching was also estimated for the support land and growing of supplements imported from off-farm using the same methods as for the platform. Operating profit (NZ$/ha/year), nitrate leaching (kg N/ha/year), and greenhouse gas emissions (t CO₂-e/ha/year) were all expressed per hectare of milking platform to enable comparisons across regions. Nitrate leaching mitigations adopted in lower-input (less imported feed and N fertiliser) farm systems reduced leaching by 22 to 30 percent, and greenhouse gas emissions by between nine and 24 percent. The exception was the wintering barn system in Otago where nitrate leaching was reduced by 45 percent but greenhouse gas emissions were unchanged due to greater manure storage and handling. Important drivers of a lower environmental footprint are reducing nitrogen fertiliser and imported feed. Their effect is to reduce nitrogen surplus and feed flow through the herd and drive down both greenhouse gas emissions and nitrate leaching. Emission reductions in the lower-input systems of Waikato and Canterbury came at an average loss of profit of approximately NZ$100/t CO₂-e (three to five percent of industry average profit per hectare).

Good hand hygiene has proven to be essential in reducing the uncontrolled spread of human pathogens. Cold atmospheric plasma (CAP) may provide an alternative to disinfecting hands with ethanol-based handrubs when hand washing facilities are unavailable. CAP can be safely applied to the skin if the energy is well controlled. In this study, RF and DC plasma sources was built with a pin-to-mesh electrodes configuration inside a fused silica tube of 5 mm of inner diameter. Microbiological assays based on EN 13697:2015+A1:2019 using Escherichia coli DSM 682 or Staphylococcus epidermidis DSM 20044 were used to examine the antimicrobial effect of various plasma conditions. Metal and silicone disks that model skin were used as inoculation matrices. The prototype air radio frequency (RF) CAP achieved significant disinfection in the MHz range on stainless steel and silicone substrates. This is equivalent to half the performance of direct current CAP, which is only effective on conductive substrates. Using only electricity and air CAP could, with further optimization, replace or complement current hand disinfection methods, and mitigate the economic burden of public health crises in the future.

The airflow carried by artificial aeration provides oxidant O2 for microbial growth and mineral dissolution in heap bioleaching. To investigate the effect of forced aeration rate on bioleaching of low-grade copper sulfide ores, column bioleaching experiments with six columns were conducted in the aeration range of 0~150 L/h at 30~45 ℃. The results showed that when the aeration rate was higher than 95 L/h, the proportions of heap settlement and fine particles mass were much greater than that without aeration. The final total Fe concentration and bacterial cell numbers in pregnant leach solution increased with the increase of aeration rate.The final concentrations of Cu2 + in the mother liquor under aeration conditions of 60-150 L / h were 1.411, 1.432, 1.498, 1.491 and 1.583 g / L, respectively, which were higher than 1.345 g / L under non-aeration conditions. When the aeration rate was 150 L / h, the final Cu leaching rate was 80.1 %, which was 11.4 % higher than that without aeration ( 68.7 % ). Furthermore, in the early stage of leaching, copper leaching rate with 95 L/h aeration rate remained the highest. 结论Artificial aeration accelerates the bioleaching of low-grade copper sulfide ores by improving porosity structure, temperature range of bacterial activity and microbial catalyzed dissolution of targeted minerals.

This paper focused on the oxidative leaching process of vanadium from vanadium-chromium reducing residue in alkaline medium with MnO₂. The effect of experimental parameters including reaction time, reaction temperature, dosage of MnO₂, dosage of NaOH, and liquid-to-solid ratio on the leaching efficiency of vanadium had been studied. The results indicated that MnO₂ was an efficient oxidant for leaching out of vanadium. The leaching efficiency of vanadium was up to 97.25% under optimal reaction conditions: reaction temperature of 90 ℃, reaction time of 60 min, dosage of MnO₂ at 50 wt.%, concentration of NaOH at 30 wt.% and liquid-to-solid at 5:1 mL/g.

In recent years, with the increasing research and development of the LED industry which contains GaN, it is expected that there will be a large amount of related wastes in the future. Especially the gallium has extremely high value of economic, therefore, it is necessary to establish the recycling system of the GaN waste. However, GaN is a direct-gap semiconductor and with high energy gap, high hardness, and high melting point make it difficult to recycle. Therefore, this study will analyze the physical characteristics of LED wastes containing GaN and carry out various leaching method to leach the valuable metals from the waste optimally. Different acids are used to find out the best reagent for leaching the gallium. Different experimental parameters are discussed such as the effect of the different acid agents , concentration, pressure, solid-liquid mass ratio, temperature, and time which influence the leaching efficiency of the gallium. In this study, various leaching methods which effect the leaching efficiency of the gallium are compared and the advantages and disadvantages are discussed. Finally, pressurized acid leaching method is preferred to leach the GaN waste, and hydrochloric acid is used as the leaching solution because of its better leaching efficiency of gallium. Eventually, the leaching efficiency of the gallium can reach to 98%.

In this study, we present comprehensive climatologies of effective ultraviolet (UV) quantities and photosynthetically active radiation (PAR) over Cyprus for the period 2004 to 2023, leveraging the synergy of earth observation (EO) data and radiative transfer model simulations. The EO dataset, encompassing satellite and re-analysis data for aerosols, total ozone column, and water vapor, alongside cloud modification factors, to capture the nuanced dynamics of Cyprus's atmospheric conditions. With a temporal resolution of 15 minutes and a spatial of 0.05°x0.05°, these climatologies undergo rigorous validation against established satellite datasets and are further evaluated through comparisons with ground-based global horizontal irradiance measurements provided by the Meteorological Office of Cyprus. This dual-method validation approach not only underscores the models' accuracy but also highlights their proficiency in capturing intra-daily cloud coverage variations. Our analysis extends to investigating the long-term trends of these solar radiation quantities, examining their interplay with changes in cloud attenuation, aerosol optical depth (AOD), and total ozone column (TOC). Significant decreasing trends in the noon ultraviolet index (UVI), of -2 to -4% per decade have been found in Autumn, especially marked on the island’s Northeastern part, mainly originating from the (significant) positive trends in TOC. The significant decreasing trends in TOC, of -2 to -3% per decade that were found in Spring do not result in correspondingly significant positive trends in the noon UVI since variations in cloudiness and aerosols also have a strong impact on the UVI in this season. The seasonal trends in the Daylight Integral (DLI) were generally not significant. These insights provide a valuable foundation for further studies aimed at developing public health strategies and enhancing agricultural productivity, highlighting the critical importance of accurate and high-resolution climatological data.

Five fundamental problems—neutrino mass, baryogenesis, dark matter, inflation, strong CP problem—are solved at one stroke in a model, dubbed as “SM-A-S-H” (Standard Model-Axion-Seesaw-Higgs portal inflation) by Andreas Ringwald et. al. The Standard Model (SM) particle content is extended by three right-handed SM-singlet neutrinos $N_i$, a vector-like color triplet quark $Q$, a complex SM-singlet scalar field $\sigma$ that stabilises the Higgs potential, all of them being charged under Peccei-Quinn (PQ) $U(1)$ symmetry, the vacuum expectation value $v_\sigma\sim10^{11}$ GeV breaks the lepton number and the Peccei-Quinn symmetry simultaneously. We found that numerically SMASH model not only solves five fundamental problems but also the sixth problem “Vacuum Metastability” through the extended scalar sector and can predict approximately correct atmospheric neutrino mass splitting around 0.05 eV and the solar neutrino mass splitting around 0.009 eV.

The research on calcium leaching of 3D printed cement pastes (3DPC) exposed in aggressive water is limited, and the mechanism underlying its effect needs to be better understood. The performance anisotropy of degraded 3DPC due to calcium leaching is investigated in this paper. Samples with aggregate micro fines (AMF) and fly ash (FA) were prepared. A 6 mol/L NH₄Cl solution was used in the accelerated experiment. At specific leaching durations, performances were tested on the samples in different leaching directions. Results show that the performances of 3DPC in aggressive water have a significant anisotropic behavior. The evolution of pore defects and hydration products mainly governs the performance anisotropy of degraded 3DPC. The remaining hydration products of the surface of 3DPC leached in the Z direction are less than the other two directions because calcium ions leached in the Z direction are difficult to be compensated through weak interfaces between layers.

Manganese sludge, an industrial waste in the ferroalloy industry, contains various components and holds significant importance for sustainable development through its valorization. This study focuses on characterizing a manganese sludge and investigating its behavior during sulfuric acid leaching. The influence of process conditions, including temperature, acid concentration, liquid to solid ratio, and leaching duration, was examined. The results revealed that Mn, Zn, and K are the main leachable components, and their leaching rates increase with increasing temperature, liquid to solid ratio, and time. However, acid concentration requires optimization. High leaching rates of 90% for Mn, 90% for Zn, and 100% for K were achieved. Moreover, it was found that Pb in the sludge is converted to sulfate during the leaching which yields a sulfate concentrate rich in PbSO4. The leaching process for Mn and Zn species appears to follow a second or -third order reaction, and the calculation of rate constants indicated that Mn leaching kinetics are two to five times higher than those for Zn. Thermodynamic calculations were employed to evaluate the main chemical reactions occurring during leaching.

The mining wastes generated during the last decades in the mining region of Pachuca-Real del Monte in Mexico, still contains silver values of interest. For this reason, the present work is a preliminary study of the leaching kinetics of silver contained in these residues, using as a leaching reagent the thiosemicarbazide-oxygen system, with the aim of proposing this leaching system as a less toxic alternative than cyaniding process. Previous the leaching process, representative samples were wholly characterized, finding 56 g of Ag and 0.6 g of Au per ton. For the kinetic study in the mentioned system, were evaluated the reagent concentration, temperature, partial pressure of oxygen, pH and stirring rate. According the experimental results found, it was observed that [CH5N3S] concentration showed a significant effect on the leaching rate, obtaining a reaction order of n = 0.93, in the range of 20 - 40 mol CH5N3S ⋅ m-3, getting so a silver recovery up to 76.9%. The effect of temperature gave an activation energy of Ea = 45.55 KJ mol-1, which was indicative of a chemical reaction control. Finally, partial pressure of oxygen has a notable effect on leaching rate, but pH and stirring rate have not apparent effect.

The recent pandemic has greatly stressed supply chains, treatment modalities, and medical resources. Cold atmospheric plasma (CAP) has been used for a wide range of applications in biomedical engineering due to its many components including electrons, charged particles, reactive oxygen species (ROS), reactive nitrogen species (RNS), free radicals, ultraviolet (UV) photons, molecules, electromagnetic fields, physical forces, and electric fields. In this manuscript, we develop CAP devices for COVID-19. Our manuscript indicates the advantages of highlydeployable CAP devices for both sanitation and treatment, without the need for supply chains of special consumables such as hand sanitizers and the like. We hope that this timely research will help engage the broader community of engineers that wish to help the medical community with this pandemic and to prevent and treat future outbreaks.

The Predicted Mean Vote (PMV) and the Predicted Percentage of Dissatisfied (PPD) indices are used to assess the indoor environment in terms of human thermal comfort-discomfort. In this study, an experimental combined objective and subjective investigation of thermal comfort perception has been performed in students between 16-18 years old, in a non-air-conditioned school building. The objective approach included instrumentation measurements and data processing according to ISO 7730, whereas, the subjective one was based on answers collection following ISO 10551. The study is mainly devoted to the verification of Fanger’s approach in a building, in free running conditions, under a mild (moderate) climate.The comparison between instrumentation data and questionnaire results presented an underestimation of the mean vote, predicting a cooler sensation than the actual one.

In order to formulate a reasonable water input model for cotton fields in southern Xinjiang, scientific and rational fertilization, reduce soil carbon leaching, and improve soil carbon sequestration capacity, the undisturbed soil column leaching test was used to simulate the current field management method in the study area. Two methods of drip irrigation and flood irrigation were set up, and three irrigation and three nitrogen fertilizer levels were used to carry out the undisturbed soil column leaching test. The results showed that the amount and mode of water and nitrogen input affected the distribution and leaching loss of organic carbon and inorganic carbon in soil. When the nitrogen application rate increased from 270 kg·hm-2 to 450 kg·hm-2, the leaching loss of soluble organic carbon and soluble inorganic carbon increased significantly. When the water input increased from 6000 m3·hm-2 to 9000 m3·hm-2, the leaching loss of DOC and DIC increased significantly. The carbon leaching loss under drip irrigation was higher than that under flood irrigation. The leaching rates of DOC and DIC were the fastest under the conditions of high water ( 9000 m3·hm-2 ) and high fertilizer ( 450 kg·hm-2 ). It shows that water and nitrogen input and irrigation methods are important factors affecting soil carbon leaching. In the case of excessive water input, long-term high-frequency irrigation is the main factor affecting carbon leaching.

Direct-to-blister copper flash smelting slag contains up to 14% of copper and 2-4% of lead. Considering this fact, this material is subjected to the high-temperature reduction process. After this, converting process is performed on the Cu-Pb-Fe alloy being the product of decopperization process in electric furnace. An alternative to the presently used processing of flash smelting slag would be its hydrometallurgical treatment and selective recovery of Pb and Cu. This paper presents the results of laboratory tests on flash smelting slag leaching with citric acid solutions. The experiments performed allowed to determine the process parameters at which the Pb concentration in the post-leaching sediment reached the value of 0.41-0.6% while the Pb content in flash smelting slag was 3.05%. Analogous values for copper were 11.5-11.8% (after leaching) and 12.44% (before). Material after leaching in citric acid solutions can be processed, in the second step, using sulfuric acid solutions, and it could lead to the recovery of almost all copper contained in it.

This paper addresses the atmospheric emissions from oil and gas extraction and production in Greece. The study was carried out in 2014 in the Kavala gulf, which currently is the only location of oil and gas production in Greece and where the exploration activities for hydrocarbons started in the late ‘60’s. This study presents the qualitative and quantitative characteristics of atmospheric emissions, in relation also to the emissions’ control management system. Particular reference is made to sulphur compounds since the existence of volcanic rocks results to increased amounts of H₂S. The results shows that, currently, atmospheric emissions of pollutants during extraction and production of hydrocarbons in Greece are very low and do not have any significant effect on air quality and climate change. Since it is expected that exploitation of hydrocarbons and oil and gas extraction and production will increase in the future, appropriate measures should be taken to ensure environmental protection, such as the development of integrated monitoring systems and the use of up to date emission control technologies.

Reservoir routing has been a routine procedure in hydrology, hydraulics and water management. It is typically based on the mass balance (continuity equation) and a conceptual equation relating storage and outflow. If the latter is linear, then there exists an analytical solution of the resulting differential equation, which can directly be utilized to find the outflow from known inflow, and to obtain macroscopic characteristics of the process, such as response and residence times, and their distribution functions. Here we streamline the reservoir routing framework and extend it to find approximate solutions for nonlinear cases. The proposed framework can also be useful for climatic tasks, such as describing the mass balance of atmospheric carbon dioxide and determining characteristic residence times, which have been an issue of controversy. Application of the theoretical framework results in excellent agreement with real world data. In this manner, we easily quantify the atmospheric carbon exchanges, and obtain reliable and intuitive results, without the need to resort to complex climate models. The mean residence time of atmospheric carbon dioxide turns out to be no more than four years and the response time is smaller than that, thus opposing the much longer mainstream estimates.

On 19 September 2021, La Palma volcano (Canarias Archipelagos) started an eruption that persisted until 13 December 2021. Despite the Volcano Explosive Index (VEI) being estimated equal to 3, corresponding to not so powerful eruption, the long eruption activity posed much scientific in-terest in this natural hazard event. In this paper, we searched for possible effects of this eruption on the atmosphere and ionosphere, investigating the climatological archive and Swarm magnetic satellite data. In particular, we explored Aerosol, Sulphur Dioxide and Carbon Monoxide con-centrations in the atmosphere identifying both the direct emissions from the volcano as well as the plume that drifted toward West-South-West and was reinforced during the eruption period. The vertical profile of temperature from the Saber satellite was analysed to search for the possible presence of acoustic gravity waves induced by volcanic activity. Compared with the year before without eruption in the areas, a lot of Saber profiles present an Energy Potential very much higher than the previous year, proposing the presence of Acoustic Gravity Waves (AGW) induced by volcano eruption activity. We also identified Swarm magnetic disturbances on the day of the eruption and in November. The mechanism of coupling could be different for the latter one, as there is no evidence for AGW. They may be due to a more complex of physical and chemical al-terations that propagate from the lower atmosphere to the upper one into the ionosphere.

This article investigates whether the weather has any role in terms of spread and vulnerability of COVID-19 and how that knowledge can be used to arrest this fast spreading disease. It highlights that temperature and humidity both are important for transmitting the virus- temperature being the stronger factor. A dry, cool environment is the most favourable state for the spread of the virus. In fact, high temperature environment significantly reduces the risk from the virus. Warm places and countries are likely to be less vulnerable. Only regulating temperature level can provide drastic results to stop and arrest the outbreak. Some urgent solutions are proposed based on that knowledge. The novelty of such approach is- it can be applied overnight and implemented immediately across the globe. It is very cost effective and practically without side effects. No vast amount of funding is required to adopt these solutions. Apart from existing guidelines, these additional measures are likely to reduce the spread of the disease dramatically. Following the scientific discussion, such solutions may be thought of implementing worldwide, especially to vulnerable countries, as an emergency basis.

Aiming at the industrial scale development of a Scandium (Sc)-selective leaching process of Bauxite Residue (BR), a sufficiently numerous set of process design aspects has been investigated, by appropriate exploitation of available experimental data. The interpretation of experimental data for Sc leaching yield, with sulfuric acid as the leaching solvent, has shown significant impact from acid feed concentration, mixing residence time, liquid to solids ratio, and times of leachate re-usage onto fresh BR. The thin film diffusion model, as the fundamental theory for leaching, either with constant particle size for selective leaching, or with shrinking particle size for less-, or non-, selective leaching, interprets sufficiently well the relevant experimental data. In both cases, a concept for an unyielding core supplements the basic model. Especially for the selective leaching mild conditions, the simplest model version keeps step with the experiments, since both prove 1^st order kinetics, while especially for the extreme conditions including very low solvent excess, it is proposed a combined conversion rate model with diffusion and chemical reaction inside particles. The maximization of Sc recovery per unit of consumed solvent (i.e., specific recovery) emerged as highly critical for the process economics.

in this paper, the optical channel performance with respect to varying scintillation index parameters is studied. Where different channel effects are studied and analyzed. In free-space optical (FSO) communication, the major drawback of the optical communication system is the atmospheric turbulence (AT). This effect is nonlinear with optical channel altitude being changed. Therefore, the power margenal (PM) required for such a channel is also inconstant respectively. In this thesis, we analyze AT effect on the optical channel with different altitudes. Such that we found the difference in the range of PM required for such optical link distance. In our result, the Bit Error Rate (BER) VS. PM required is measured. The optical channel model is Log-Normal considered and the BER threshold BER^th = 10^-10 is taken.

The development of Imaging Atmospheric Cherenkov Telescopes (IACTs) unveiled the sky in the teraelectronvolt regime, initiating the so-called “TeV revolution” at the beginning of the new millennium. This revolution was also facilitated by the implementation and adaptation of statistical tools for analyzing the shower images collected by these telescopes and inferring the properties of the astrophysical sources that produce such events. The image reconstruction techniques, the background discrimination and the signal-detection analyses are just a few of the pioneering studies applied in the last decades in the analysis of IACTs data. This (succinct) review has the intent of summarizing the most common statistical tools that are used for analyzing data collected with IACTs, focusing on their application in the full analysis chain, giving references to the past literature for a deepened examination.

Atmospheric Motion Vectors (AMVs) calculated by six different institutions (Brazil Center for Weather Prediction and Climate Studies/CPTEC/INPE, European Organization for the Exploitation of Meteorological Satellites/EUMETSAT, Japan Meteorological Agency/JMA, Korea Meteorological Administration/KMA, Unites States National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration/NOAA and the Satellite Application Facility on Support to Nowcasting/NWCSAF) with JMA’s Himawari-8 satellite data and other common input data are here compared. The comparison is based on two different AMV input datasets, calculated with two different image triplets for 21 July 2016, and the use of a prescribed and a specific configuration. The main results of the study are summarized as follows: (1) the differences in the AMV datasets depend very much on the “AMV height assignment” used and much less on the use of a prescribed or specific configuration; (2) the use of the “Common Quality Indicator (CQI)” has a quantified skill in filtering collocated AMVs for an improved statistical agreement between centers; (3) JMA AMV algorithm has the best overall performance considering all validation metrics, most likely due to its height assignment: “optimal estimation using observed radiance and NWP wind vertical profile”.

Atmospheric correction is a necessary step in image processing data and spectra recorded by spaceborne sensors for pure cloudless atmosphere, primarily in the visible and near-IR spectral range. We have present a fast and sufficiently accurate method of atmospheric correction based on the proposed analytical solutions describing with high accuracy the spectrum of outgoing radiation at the top boundary of the cloudless atmosphere. This technique includes the model of the atmosphere and its optical parameters that are important in terms of radiation transfer. The solution of the inverse problem for finding unknown parameters of the model is carried out by the method of non-linear least squares (Levenberg-Marquardt algorithm) for an individual selected pixel of the image (its spectrum), taking into account the adjacency effects. Using the found parameters of the atmosphere and the average surface albedo, assuming homogeneity of the atmosphere within a certain area of the hyperspectral image (or the whole frame), the spectral albedo at the Earth's surface is calculated for all other pixels. It is essential that the procedure of the numerical simulation with non-linear least squares of the direct transfer problem is based on using analytical solutions, which provides a very short calculation time of the atmospheric parameters (seconds or less) and the ability to perform atmospheric correction "on-fly." Testing methods of atmospheric correction was performed using the synthetic outgoing radiation spectra at the top of the atmosphere (TOA), obtained by numerical simulation in the LibRadTran code, as well as spectra of real space images of the Hyperion hyperspectrometer. A comparison with the results of atmospheric correction in module FLAASH of ENVI package has been performed. Finally, to validate our data obtained by the SHARK method, a comparative analysis with ground-based measurements of Radiometric Calibration Network (RadCalNet) was carried out.

Environmental legislation is moving towards global standards for ease of application and to impose sanctions and penalties when necessary, without compromising human health and biota. International environmental measures for control and monitoring of atmospheric air only monitor emissions of SO_x, NO_x, O₃, and Pb. In general, most research work in air pollution done using the analysis of elements in rainwater show analysis of trace metals such as Na, Mg, Zn, and Mn. In this work, trace metals in the rainwater at the city of Goiânia, capital of the State of Goiás, were analyzed. Goiânia is a large city set in a predominantly agricultural province located in central Brazil. Presence of trace metals in rainwater was detected, indicating atmospheric air pollution levels higher than occupational limits set by WHO.

This study was conducted to recover valuable metals (silicon and silver) using acid leaching and substitution reactions with copper powder from the pulverized solar cell separated from the PV ribbon. Leaching experiments were conducted according to nitric acid concentration by molar solution as 1M, 2M, and 3M using an ultrasonic cleaner at a reaction temperature of 60 °C for the leaching times of 30 to 120 minutes. Si phases were detected at all leaching reaction times, it was confirmed that the aluminium was removed effectively if the nitric acid leaching time was more than 30 minutes, and silicon with a purity above 99% could be recovered. The silver was precipitated by adding copper, which has greater reducibility than Cu, Al, Si, Pb, and Sn. When the addition of copper powder was 0.75 and 1.0 g, precipitate was produced 0.23 and 0.55 g, respectively. The optimal condition for the recovery of silver by the addition of copper powder was 1 g, where is recovery rate reached 93.3%.

This study investigated the ability of a HYDRUS 1D model for predicting the vertical distribution of potassium iodine (200 ppm) in soil columns after amendment with five different common remediation materials (gypsum, lime, fly ash, charcoal and sawdust) at a rate of 2.5% (w/w), relative to an unamended control soil. Results shows that relative to the unamended soil, iodine leaching was decreased by all amendments but that the magnitude of the decreases varied with the soil amendment applied. Iodine content was highest in the upper layer of the soil columns and decreased progressively with soil depth. The model was evaluated via comparison of the model simulated values with measured values from the soil column studies. The results showed that the HYDRUS 1D model efficiency was near to 1, indicating that the stimulated results were near to the measured values. Therefore, this study showed that iodine leaching through a soil could be ascertained well using a HYDRUS 1D model. The model over predicted iodine leaching, resulting to a weak correspondence between the simulated and the measured results for iodine leaching. This suggests that the HYDRUS-1D model does not explain accurately different organic and inorganic amended soil and the preferential flow that occurs in these columns. This may be due to the fact that Freundlich isotherm, which is part of the transport equations, does not sufficiently describe the mechanism of iodine adsorption onto the soil particles. This study would help to select amendments for an effective management strategy to reduce exogenous iodine losses from agro-ecosystems. This would also improve understanding of iodine transport in soil profile.

It is common knowledge that increasing CO₂ concentration plays a major role in enhancement of the greenhouse effect and contributes to global warming. The purpose of this study is to complement the conventional and established theory that increased CO₂ concentration due to human emissions causes an increase of temperature, by considering the reverse causality. Since increased temperature causes an increase in CO₂ concentration, the relationship of atmospheric CO₂ and temperature may qualify as belonging to the category of “hen-or-egg” problems, where it is not always clear which of two interrelated events is the cause and which the effect. We examine the relationship of global temperature and atmospheric carbon dioxide concentration at the monthly time step, covering the time interval 1980–2019, in which reliable instrumental measurements are available. While both causality directions exist, the results of our study support the hypothesis that the dominant direction is T → CO₂. Changes in CO₂ follow changes in T by about six months on a monthly scale, or about one year on an annual scale. We attempt to interpret this mechanism by involving biochemical reactions, as at higher temperatures soil respiration, and hence CO₂ emission, are increasing.

In the past two decades the world experienced an exceptional number of unprecedented extreme weather events, some causing major human suffering and economic damage, such as the March 2012 heat event, which was called “Meteorological March Madness.” From the beginning of space era a correlation of solar flares with pressure changes in atmosphere within 2–3 days or even less was reported. In this study we wanted to test the possible relation of highly warm weather events in North-East America with Solar Energetic Particle (SEP) events. For this reason we compared ground temperatures T_M in Madison, Wisconsin, with energetic particle fluxes P measured by the EPAM instrument onboard the ACE spacecraft. In particular, we elaborated case events and the results of a statistical study of the SEP events related with the largest (Dst ≤ −150nT) Coronal Mass Ejection (CME)-induced geomagnetic storms, between with the years 1997–2015. The most striking result of our statistical analysis is a very significant positive correlation between the highest temperature increase_. ΔT_M and the time duration of the temperature increase ΔT_M (r = 0.8, p <0.001) at “winter times” ( r = 0.5, p , 0.01 for the whole sample of 26 SEP examined events). The time response of T_M to P was found to be in general short (a few days), but in the case of March 2015, during a gradual P8 increase, a cross-correlation test indicated highest c.c. within 1 day (p < 0.05). The March 2012 “meteorological anomaly” was elaborated in the case of South-East Europe, where, beside a period of strong winds and rainfall (6-13.3.2012), intense precipitation in North-East Greece (Alexandroupoli) were found to be correlated with distinct high energy flux enhancements. A rough theoretical interpretation is discussed for the space—atmospheric extreme weather relationship we found. However, much work should be done to achieve early warning of space weather dependent extreme meteorological events. Such future advances in understanding the relationships between space weather and extreme atmospheric events would improve atmospheric models and help people’s safety, health and life.

The crucial stages in the geochemical evolution of the Earth’s crust, ocean, and atmosphere could be explained by the assumed low-energy nuclear reactions (LENR) that are triggered by seismic activity. LENR result in the fission of medium-weight elements accompanied by neutron emissions, involving Fe and Ni as starting elements, and C, N, O as resultants. Geochemical data and experimental evidences support the LENR hypothesis. A spectral analysis of the period 1955-2013 shows common cycles between interannual changes in atmospheric CO2 growth rate and global seismic-moment release, whereas the trending behavior of the atmospheric CO2 was in response to the anthropogenic emissions. Assuming a correlation between such seismic and atmospheric fluctuations, the latter could be explained by cycles of worldwide seismicity, which would trigger massively LENR in the Earth’s Crust. In this framework, LENR from active faults could be considered as a relevant cause of carbon formation and degassing of freshly-formed CO2 during seismic activity. However, further studies are necessary to validate the present hypothesis which, at the present time, mainly aims to stimulate debate on the models which regulates atmospheric CO2.

Abstract: The migration and transformation of pesticides in the environment will have an impact on the ecosystem. This study collected greenhouse soil from Shouguang, Shandong Province, and studied the photodegradation and leaching of 17 common pesticides in the soil. The results of photodegradation experiments showed that the degradation rate of certain pesticides was increased in the light environment, compared with that in the dark controls. The light half-lives of emamectin benzoate, pyraclostrobin, and metalaxyl were all shorter than their respective dark half-lives, indicating that their residues in soil were greatly affected by light. The leaching experiment showed that the leaching potential of the leachable pesticides was: nitenpyram ≫ metalaxyl &gt; acetamiprid &gt; carbendazim &gt; diethofencarb ≈ chlorantraniliprole &gt; isoprothiolane &gt; oxadixyl &gt; boscalid ≈ tebuconazole &gt; hexaconazole. Pesticides that are easy to leach but not easy to degrade, such as chlorantraniliprole and metalaxyl, have a high potential risk of groundwater pollution, and more degradation technologies should be used to reduce their pollution risk. The study on photodegradation and vertical migration behavior of various pesticides in this study was conducive to providing references for the agricultural use and pollution control of pesticides.

Modern technologies for recycling electronic waste (e-waste) impose high economic efficiency and environmental safety requirements. Among existing technologies, hydrometallurgy is considered the most promising technology for e-waste recycling. Increasing attention to the chlorination method is associated with the complex recycling of low-grade ores containing noble metals and secondary polymetallic raw materials. In this paper, we propose a new scheme for leaching metals from computer printed circuits (PCBs) pre-crushed in a disintegrator: the processes of chlorine production and hydrochlorination are implemented in one reactor under the action of alternating current (AC) of industrial frequency (50 Hz). It was found that complete leaching of gold is achieved from fine fractions of raw materials containing 0.03% and 0.01% of the gold at an experiment duration of 2 hours, a current density of 0.66 A·cm-2, and a solid/liquid ratio of 8.6 g·L-1. Under the same conditions of the electrochemical leaching process from the fraction of raw material with a gold content of 0.08%, the degree of metal leaching is 80.5%. At the same time, with an increase in the copper content in the raw material from 1.40% to 6.13%, an increase in the degree of its leaching from 84.6% to 95.2%, respectively, is observed. These results will serve as a foundation for developing a complex technology for recovering valuable metals from PCBs.

In this work, a semi-empirical relationship of carbon dioxide emissions with atmospheric CO₂ concentrations has been developed that is capable of closely replicating observations from 1751 to 2018. The correlation consists of a superposition of a linear component that may be attributed to the net emission flux from land use changes coupled with a rapidly varying component of the terrestrial sink combined with a fossil-fuel combustion/cement production emissions-based calculation with a single, fixed, scaling parameter determined by the ocean sink coupled with the remaining slowly varying component of the land sink (the fossil-fuel combustion airborne fraction).

In Ecuador, particularly in the El Oro province, gold mining has been historically hampered by arsenic contamination in the ores. This research addresses the persistent issue of arsenic in gold-bearing ores from Miraflores Mine in Cerro Azul, Atahualpa Canton, and the challenges it presents to mining operations. The study's purpose is to evaluate the effectiveness of an alkaline leaching process for arsenic removal. The ore underwent thorough characterisation, employing advanced techniques like fire assay and atomic absorption. Once the ore's nature was discerned, an arsenic extraction experiment using a leaching solution was conducted. The implemented process achieved an arsenic removal efficiency of 90.54%. This enhanced ore quality facilitates efficient metallurgical applications and, more notably, reduces the environmental footprint by diminishing the need for harmful reagents like sodium cyanide. However, a significant implication of this method is the added cost due to the need for heat during the leaching test, amounting to an approximate $30 per ton increase. The alkaline leaching process emerges as a promising solution for arsenic challenges in El Oro’s mining sector. While the findings are encouraging, further expansive tests are recommended to validate the results and underscore the urgency for sustainable and hazard-conscious mining practices.

One of the potential sources of rare-earth elements (REEs) is the solid waste from alumina industry - bauxite residue, known as “red mud” (RM). The main REEs from the raw bauxite are concentrated in RM after the Bayer leaching process. The earlier worldwide studies were focused on the scandium (Sc) extraction from RM by concentrated acids to enhance the extraction degree. This leads to the dissolution of major oxides (Fe2O3 and Al2O3) from RM. This article studies the possibility of selective Sc extraction from alkali fusion red mud (RMF) by diluted nitric acid (HNO3) leaching at pH ≥ 2 to prevent co-dissolution of Fe2O3. RMF samples have been analyzed by X-ray fluorescence spectrometry (XRF), X-ray diffraction (XRD), electron probe microanalysis (EPMA), and inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). Sc extraction has been found to be 71.2 % at RMF leaching by HNO3 at pH=2 and at 80 °C during 90 min. The kinetic analysis of experimental data by the shrinking core model has shown that Sc leaching process is limited by the interfacial diffusion and the diffusion through the product layer. The apparent activation energy (Ea) was 19.5 kJ/mol. We have established that according to EPMA of RMF, Sc is associated with iron minerals; it could act as the product layer. The linear dependence of Sc extraction of magnesium (Mg) extraction has been revealed. This fact indicates that Mg can act as a leaching agent of Sc presented in RMF by ion-exchangeable phase.

The paper presents the first retrievals of clean snow properties using spaceborne hyperspectral The Environmental Mapping and Analysis Program (EnMAP) observations. The location close to the Dome C in Antarctica has been selected. At this location the atmospheric effects except molecular light scattering and absorption are weak and the simplified atmospheric correction scheme can be applied. The ice grain size, snow specific surface area and snow spectral and broadband albedos have been retrieved using single view EnMAP measurements. In addition, we propose the technique to retrieve trace gas concentrations (e.g., water vapor, ozone) from EnMAP observations over the snow surfaces. Close correspondence of satellite and ground measured parameters has been found.

The systems ESTE are running in nuclear crisis centers at various levels of emergency preparedness and response in Slovakia, the Czech Republic, Austria, Bulgaria, and Iran (at NPP monitored by International Atomic Energy Agency, IAEA). ESTE is a decision support system, running 24/7, and serves the crisis staff to propose actions to protect inhabitants against radiation in case of a nuclear accident. ESTE is also applicable as decision support system in case of a malicious act with radioactive dispersal device in an urban or industrial environment. Dispersion models implemented in ESTE are Lagrangean particle model (LPM) and Puff trajectory model (PTM). Described are models approaches as implemented in ESTE. PTM is applied in ESTE for the dispersion calculation near the point of release, up to 100 km from the point of nuclear accident. LPM for general atmospheric transport is applied for short-range, meso-scale and large-scale dispersion, up to dispersion on the global scale. Additionally, a specific micro-scale implementation of LPM is applied for urban scale dispersion modelling too. Dispersion models of ESTE are joined with radiological consequences models to calculate a complete spectrum of radiological parameters - effective doses, committed doses and dose rates by various irradiation pathways and by various radionuclides. Finally, radiation protective measures, like sheltering, iodine prophylaxis, or evacuation, evaluated on the base of predicted radiological impacts are proposed. Dispersion and radiological models of the state-of-the-art ESTE systems are described. Results of specific analyses, like number of particles applied, initial spatial distribution of the source, height of the bottom reference layer, are presented and discussed.

Ammonia (NH3), the most prevalent alkaline gas in the atmosphere, plays a significant role in PM2.5 formation, atmospheric chemistry, and new particle formation. This paper reviews quantification of [NH3] through measurements, satellite-remote-sensing, and modeling reported in over 500 publications towards synthesizing current knowledge of [NH3], focusing on spatiotemporal variations, controlling processes, and quantification issues. Most measurements are through regional passive sampler networks. [NH3] hotspots are typically over agricultural regions like the Midwest US and North China Plain, with elevated concentrations reaching monthly averages of 20 and 74 ppbv, respectively. Topographical effects dramatically increase [NH3] over the Indo-Gangetic Plains, North India and San Joaquin Valley, US. Measurements are sparse over oceans, where [NH3] ≈ few tens of ppbv, variations of which can affect aerosol formation. Satellite-remote-sensing (AIRS, CrIS, IASI, TANSO-FTS, TES) provides global [NH3] quantification in the column and at surface since 2002. Modeling is crucial for improving understanding of NH3 chemistry and transport, its spatiotemporal variations, source apportionment, exploring physicochemical mechanisms, and predicting future scenarios. GEOS-Chem (global) and FRAME (UK) models are commonly applied for this. A synergistic approach of measurements↔satellite-inference↔modeling is needed towards improved understanding of atmospheric ammonia, of concern from the standpoint of human health and the ecosystem.

Smallsats are becoming the predominant electro-optical Earth observation (EO) imaging platforms. While atmospheric correction of smallsat data enhances its utility, an established pathway to do so may constrain accuracy and utility. The alternative, Closed-form Method for Atmospheric Correction (CMAC), developed for smallsat application provides surface reflectance derived solely from scene statistics. In a prior paper, CMAC closely agreed with Land Surface Reflectance Code (LaSRC) software for correction of the four VNIR bands of Landsat-8/9 images for conditions of low to moderate atmospheric effect over quasi-invariant warehouse-industrial targets. Those results were accepted as surrogate surface reflectance to support analysis of CMAC and LaSRC reliability for surface reflectance retrieval in two contrasting environments: shortgrass prairie and barren desert. Reliability was defined and tested through a null hypothesis: the same top-of-atmosphere reflectance under the same atmospheric condition will provide the same estimate of surface reflectance. Evaluated against the prior surrogate surface reflectance, the results found decreasing error with increasing wavelength for both methods. From 58 comparisons across the four bands, LaSRC average absolute error ranged from 0.59% (NIR) to 50.30% (blue). CMAC error was well constrained from 0.01% (NIR) to 0.98% (blue) sustaining the null hypothesis for reliability.

Ammonia is an atmospheric pollutant, predominantly emitted from agriculture, leading acidification and eutrophication of soil and water and contributing to secondary PM2.5. The implementation of accurate emission inventories with high spatial and time resolution plays a fundamental role in the development of air modelling simulation and in the impact assessment of actions for air quality improvement. The development and release of new algorithms and the increase of data availability are supporting the implementation of machine learning approaches in environmental and air quality data analysis. In this paper we present a methodology developed by the application of the Random Forest algorithm to bottom-up local emission inventories of ammonia to validate annual time series of ammonia emissions and calculate high resolution temporal profiles. The model has been trained and tested by the hourly measurements of ammonia concentrations and atmospheric turbulence parameters starting from a constant emission scenario. The initial values of emissions are calculated based on a bottom-up emission inventory detailed at the municipal basis and considering a circular area of about 4 km radius centered on measurement sites. By comparing predicted and measured concentrations, the emissions are modified, the model's training and testing are repeated, and the model converges to a very high performance in predicting ammonia concentrations and establishing an hourly time changing emission profile. The site-specific emissions profiles, estimated by the proposed methodology, clearly show a nonlinear relation with measured concentrations and allow to identify the effect of atmospheric turbulence on pollutant accumulation. The estimated time series well confirm the available data of the emission inventories and the monthly emission profiles have been compared with estimated data from satellite.

Atmospheric turbulence, which produces chaotic motions in the planetary boundary layer, can inhibit mixing between fast-reacting species produced or released at different locations. This segregation process modifies the effective rate at which reactions occur between these species, and are not appropriately accounted for in coarse resolution models since these models assume complete mixing of tracers within each gridbox. Here we present a few examples of LES-based simulations applied to chemically reactive species in a forested area with high emissions of biogenic hydrocarbons, an urban area rich in anthropogenic emissions; and a maritime area with high emissions of reduced sulfur species.

The capabilities of a quadcopter in the hover mode for low-altitude sensing of atmospheric turbulence with high spatial resolution in urban areas characterized by complex orography are investigated. The studies were carried out in different seasons (winter, spring, summer, and fall), and the quadcopter hovered in the immediate vicinity of ultrasonic weather stations. The DJI Phantom 4 Pro quadcopter and AMK-03 ultrasonic weather stations installed in different places of the studied territory were used in the experiment. The smoothing procedure was used to main regularities in the behavior of the longitudinal and lateral spectra of turbulence in the inertial and energy production ranges. The longitudinal and lateral turbulence scales were estimated by the least-square fit method with the von Karman model as a regression curve. It is shown that the turbulence spectra obtained with DJI Phantom 4 Pro and AMK-03 generally coincide with minor differences observed in the high-frequency region of the spectrum. In the inertial range, the behavior of the turbulence spectra shows that they obey the Kolmogorov-Obukhov “5/3” law. In the energy production range, the longitudinal and lateral turbulence scales and their ratio measured by DJI Phantom 4 Pro and AMK-03 agree to a good accuracy. Discrepancies in the data obtained with the quadcopter and the ultrasonic weather stations at the territory with complex orography are explained by the partial correlation of the wind velocity series at different measurement points and the influence of the inhomogeneous surface.

The use of different primary energy sources in human society has led to two major polluting emissions in the environment: energy (mostly heat), and chemical substances (mostly carbon dioxide). In this paper, the total global anthropogenic emissions of heat to the atmosphere during the industrial era (years 1850-2018) were determined and their effect on the change of global atmospheric temperature was calculated. The concept of a theoretical three-phase Earth reactor was introduced to estimate global atmospheric temperature increase caused by anthro-pogenic heat emissions. The resulting calculations closely approximated the actual atmospheric temperature change recorded during the last 170-year period. These results suggest that the temperature change of the atmosphere (global warming) is entirely due to anthropogenic heat emissions.

The physical environment plays an important role in the transmission of respiratory infections like Covid-19. To find relevant articles on environmental factors influencing respiratory infection outbreaks, we searched Pub med Central on the following topics: 1. Environmental pollution causing coronavirus fatality- 73 results, relevant 1 article, 2. Environmental factors affecting Covid-19, 149 results from which there were 6 relevant articles, 3. Impact of air pollution on Covid-19 fatality, 10 results, relevant 3 articles, 4. Environmental factors affecting respiratory viruses- 10646 results were obtained, 2 relevant articles. We searched Google scholar on environmental factors affecting Covid-19 transmission and found 7 relevant papers. We excluded the duplicates in each of the key words search. Date of search was on 20^th April 2020. All articles included in results were scrutinized and relevance of articles was based on their content that discussed meteorological and physical environment factors in the spread and severity of Covid-19. We have discussed factors like air pollution, smoking, air temperature, humidity and air velocity as contributing factors. If meteorological factors are conducive to spread in a particular area, we need protective measures way before a respiratory infection outbreak occurs. Covid-19 is a lesson learnt the hard way, and we must enable people to practice hygienic practices with limited resources but high level of protection that it provides. Air pollution control can prevent priming of respiratory system which shall further protect from pulmonary infections.

The RHAPS project was launched in 2019 with the major objective to identify specific properties of the fine atmospheric aerosol from combustion sources that are responsible for toxicological effects and can be used as new metrics for health-related outdoor pollution studies. In this paper, we present the overall methodology of RHAPS, and introduce the phenomenology and the first data observed. A comprehensive physico-chemical aerosol characterization has been achieved by means of high-time resolution measurements (e.g. number size distributions, refractory chemical components, elemental composition,) and low-time resolution analyses (e.g. oxidative potential, toxicological assays, chemical composition,…). Preliminary results show a high complexity in the relations observed, the link between air quality and toxicological endpoints being not obvious. We explore data from different points of view: source apportionment of PM1 and the role of source emissions on aerosol toxicity, the oxidative potential as a predictive variable for PM1 toxicity with focus on the secondary organic aerosol possessing redox-active capacity, exposure-response relationships for PM1, and air quality models to forecast PM1 toxicity. We provide a synthesis of results with the outlook to companion papers where data are analyzed in more detail.

The chemical reaction of ion-adsorption type rare earth during in-situ leaching process is accompanied by ion migration and charge movement, making the leaching process electrochemical in nature. The chemical reaction rate plays an important role in the leaching rate of rare earth elements. In this work, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) was used to reveal characteristics of electrical resistance alteration and leaching rate of rare earth elements during in-situ leaching. The equivalent circuit model of the leaching process was established, and two critical parameters of solution resistance Rs and charge transfer resistance Rt were analyzed to reflect the electrochemical characteristics. According to the characteristics of electrical resistance alteration, the leaching process was divided into four stages: wetting, reaction, equilibrium, and top water stage. The resistance parameters Rs and Rt decreased first and then increased during the leaching process. The maximum value of Rs was 1330Ω∙cm2 at the end of the top water stage, and the minimum value was 135Ω∙cm2 at the beginning of the equilibrium stage. The maximum value of Rt was 8310Ω∙cm2 at the beginning of the leaching stage, and the minimum value was 21Ω∙cm2 at the end of the reaction stage. Rs and Rt were negatively correlated with the pore size and chemical reaction rate during leaching. With increasing of pore size and reaction rate , the resistance parameter decrease. This study provide a new idea for intelligent monitoring of rare earth ore.

Antibiotic-loaded bone cements are widely used in orthopedic surgery. However, they present issues such as a short antibiotic release time and the antibiotic resistance. These challenges necessitate the development of novel antibacterial bone cements. Non-leaching bone cement containing antibacterial motifs represents a promising advancement in this direction. Antibacterial motifs are incorporated into the cement either covalently or non-covalently, and while they will not be released, they will still exhibit surface antibacterial activity. This review comprehensively examines the structure and antimicrobial activity of prevalent non-leaching antimicrobial bone cements. Additionally, it delves into the characteristics of current methods employed for detecting surface antimicrobial activity. Finally, the future research direction of non-leaching antibacterial bone cement is discussed, with a specific focus on innovative antibacterial motifs, the mechanisms underlying non-leaching antibacterial properties, and the potential synergies achievable by combining non-leaching antibacterial bone cement with traditional antibiotics.

The mining wastes generated during the last decades in the mining region of Pachuca-Real del Monte in Mexico, still contains silver values of interest. For this reason, the present work is a preliminary study of the leaching kinetics of silver contained in these residues, using as a leaching reagent the thiosemicarbazide-oxygen system, with the aim of proposing this leaching system as a less toxic alternative than cyaniding process. Previous the leaching process, representative samples were wholly characterized, finding 56 g of Ag and 0.6 g of Au per ton. For the kinetic study in the mentioned system, were evaluated the reagent concentration, temperature, partial pressure of oxygen, pH and stirring rate. According the experimental results found, it was observed that [CH₅N₃S] concentration showed a significant effect on the leaching rate, obtaining a reaction order of n = 0.93, in the range of 20 - 40 mol CH₅N₃S × m^-3, getting so a silver recovery up to 76.9%. The effect of temperature gave an activation energy of Ea = 45.55 KJ mol^-1, which was indicative of a chemical reaction control. Finally, partial pressure of oxygen has a notable effect on leaching rate, but pH and stirring rate have not apparent effect.

Observations collected during cold season precipitation periods at Utquagvik, Alaska and at the mul-tidisciplinary drifting observatory for study of Arctic climate (MOSAiC) are used to statistically ana-lyze relations among the atmospheric water cycle parameters including the columnar supercooled liq-uid and ice amounts (expressed as liquid water and ice water paths, i.e., LWP and IWP), the integrated water vapor (IWV) and the near-surface snowfall rate. Data come from radar and radiometer-based retrievals and from optical precipitation sensors. While correlation between snowfall rate and LWP is rather weak, correlations coefficients between radar-derived snowfall rate and IWP are high (~ 0.8), which is explained, in part, by generally low LWP/IWP ratios during significant precipitation. Corre-lation coefficients between snowfall rate and IWV are moderate (~0.45). Correlations are generally weaker if snowfall is estimated by optical sensors, which is, in part, due to blowing snow. Correlation coefficients between near-surface temperature and snowfall rates are low (r<0.3). Results from the Alaska and MOSAiC sites are generally similar. These results are not very sensitive to the amount of time averaging (e.g., 15-minute averaging versus daily averages). Observationally-based relations among the water cycle parameters are informative about atmospheric moisture conversion processes and can be used for model evaluations.

The El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) stands as the paramount tropical phenomenon of climatic magnitude resulting from ocean-atmosphere interaction. Due to its atmospheric teleconnection mechanism, ENSO wields influence over diverse environmental variables spanning distinct atmospheric scales, thereby potentially impacting the spatiotemporal distribution of atmospheric aerosols. Within this framework, this study aims to appraise the relationship between ENSO and atmospheric aerosols across the Legal Amazon during the period between 2006 and 2011. Over this quinquennium, four ENSO events were identified. Concurrently, an analysis was conducted on the spatiotemporal variability of aerosol optical depth (AOD) and AOD extinction for Black Carbon (EAOD-BC), concomitant with said ENSO events, utilizing data derived from the Aerosol Robotic Network (AERONET), MERRA-2 model, and ERSSTV5. Through the Windowed Cross Correlation (WCC) approach, statistically significant phase lags of up to 4 to 6 months were observed between ENSO indicators and atmospheric aerosols. Moreover, conspicuous increases of over 100% in atmospheric aerosol concentration were evidenced subsequent to El Niño periods, especially during the intervals encompassing the La Niña phase, particularly within the La Niña CP (Central Pacific)/Modoki category. By analyzing specific humidity anomalies (QA), exceptional scenarios in the region were detectable. This observation suggests a notable singularity when juxtaposed with antecedent investigations and typical average patterns characterizing the impacts on the Amazonian region.

The propagation of electromagnetic waves beyond the line of sight can be caused by atmospheric ducts, which are a significant concerns in the fields of radar and communication. This paper utilizes data from seven automatic stations and five radio-sounding stations to statistically analyze the characteristics of the atmospheric ducts in the northwest region of the South China Sea (SCS). After verifying the practicality of numerical analysis data from NCEP CFSv2 and ERA5 in studying atmospheric ducts using measured data, we analyzed the space-time distribution characteristics of the height of the regional evaporation duct and the bottom height of the elevated duct. Using the parabolic equation model, we simulated electromagnetic propagation loss under different frequencies and radiation elevation angles in both uniform and non-uniform duct environments within a typical atmospheric duct structure. The study found that the NCEP CFSv2 data accurately captures the evaporation duct height and duct occurrence rate in the study area, and the elevated duct bottom height obtained from the inversion of ERA5 and the measured data has a good consistency. The occurrence rate and height of evaporation duct in coastal stations in the northwest of the SCS vary significantly by month, demonstrating clear monthly distribution patterns. Conversely, changes in the Xisha station are minimal, indicating good temporal uniformity. For lower atmospheric ducts, the difference in occurrence rates between 00:00 and 12:00 (UTC) is negligible. The occurrence probability of elevated ducts in the Beibu Gulf area is relatively high, mainly concentrated from January to April, and the Xisha area is dominated by surface ducts without foundation layer, mainly concentrated from June to August. The monsoon plays a critical role in the generation and evolution of atmospheric ducts in the northwest of the SCS, with the height of the evaporation duct increasing and the bottom height of the elevated duct decreasing after the onset of the summer monsoon. Electromagnetic propagation simulations demonstrate that higher frequency and lower elevation angles of radiation sources in the trapping layer of the evaporation duct make it easier to be trapped. As the evaporation duct height decreases, the amplitude of the "sinusoidal fluctuation" of the propagation loss also decreases. Frequency changes of the radiation source in the surface duct environment have minimal impact on electromagnetic propagation loss, but the elevation angle of the radiation source is a critical factor. The frequency of the "sinusoidal fluctuation" in propagation loss is higher in a hybrid duct environment compared to a uniform surface duct. Additionally, the propagation loss increases faster with distance at the height of the evaporation duct, resulting in greater electromagnetic propagation loss.

The primary purpose of the study was the determination of the spatial day-to-day variability of extreme temperatures in Poland and the dependency of large temperature changes on atmospheric circulation in accordance with the Grosswetterlagen (GWL) classification. The goal was implemented based on data from 1966 to 2015, made available by the Institute of Meteorology and Water Management – National Research Institute. Day-to-day changes in maximum and minimum temperatures were designated with a rate of ≥ 6 °C (large) and with a rate of ≥ 12 °C (very large) and their spatial distribution was presented. Finally, the analysis of the dependency of considerable temperature changes on atmospheric circulation in accordance with the Grosswetterlagen (GWL) classification was conducted. The obtained results showed that in Poland in the period 1966-2015 the number of large changes in both Tmax and Tmin slightly increased, although the fluctuations show spatial variability. Large changes in Tmax occur more frequently in spring, and in Tmin in winter. Large changes in Tmax and Tmin are mainly recorded during cyclonic circulation, however, the anticyclonic circulation types favour especially large decreases in Tmin.

Nowadays a recognized need for accurate observations of atmospheric aerosols (AEs) and reactive gases (RGs) exists in the framework of regional, national and global near-surface networks based on permanent or mobile measurement stations. In this context, a paramount and not-trivial issue is related to the correct execution of continuous sampling of ambient air and its subsequent distribution to measurement analyzers hosted inside the stations. Sampling artifacts must be minimized for obtaining reliable pictures of ambient air composition. To respond to this need, a suite of novel “smart” and relatively low-cost systems for the continuous sampling of ambient air was developed in the framework of the Project I-AMICA (2012 – 2015, www.i-amica.eu). These systems were designed to execute AE and RG measurements according with WMO/GAW and ACTRIS recommendations and standard operation procedures. A particular attention was dedicated to the stabilization and control of the sampling flow rates and temperatures. The analysis of one full year of operations at the WMO/GAW regional station of Capo Granitola (GAW ID: CGR, Italy), allowed to conclude that these systems are effective in meeting the technical requirements for correct execution of AE and RG measurements

Atmospheric turbulence characteristics are essential in determining the quality of astronomical images and implementing adaptive optics systems. In this study, the vertical distributions of optical turbulence at the Peak Terskol observatory (43.27472 ° N 42.50083 ° E, 3127 m a.s.l.) using the Era-5 re-analysis and scintillation measurements are investigated. For the closest reanalysis grid node to the observatory, vertical profiles of the structural constant of the air refractive index turbulent fluctuations Cn2 were obtained. The calculated Cn2(z) vertical profiles are compared with the vertical distribution of turbulence intensity obtained from tomographic measurements with Shack-Hartmann sensor. The atmospheric coherence length at the location of Terskol Peak was estimated. Using combination of atmospheric models and scheme paramaterization of turbulence, Cn2(z) profiles at Mt. Kurapdag were obtained. The values of atmospheric coherence length at the Peak Terskol are compared with estimated values of this length at the ten astronomical sites including Ali, Lenghu and Daocheng.

Biochar is a carbon-rich material that recently received attention due to its increasing agronomical potential. The agricultural utilization of biochar relates to its potential to act in the soil as a soil conditioner, nevertheless, the complex information on the direct dependence of biochar physical properties (texture, particle size) and corresponding leaching and availability of organic molecules (e.g. the polycyclic and heterocyclic organic compounds) and inorganic mineral salts (based on micro– and macroelements) are still not consistent. These aspects were addressed in our study. A multi-elemental analysis (ICP-OES) was used to access the information on the aqueous-extractable and total contents of inorganic macro- and macroelements in used commercial biochar samples (purchased from Sonnenerde GmbH, Novoterrra Sonnenerde GmbH, Biouhel.cz, s.r.o.). Potassium (K) was identified as the major macroelement, responsible for alkaline pH and the conductivity of biochar extract. Our results indicate an indirect relation between the size fraction of biochar and the content of extractable K, sodium (Na), and calcium (Ca) and a direct relation with the contents of phosphorus (P) and magnesium (Mg). As the total determined amounts of inorganic elements were significantly higher compared to aqueous-extractable amounts, we believe it could indicate the potential for repeated release to the surrounding soil. These findings were also confirmed by the analysis of biochar samples obtained after the cultivation (duration of 2 years) in selected representative soil samples from the Czech Republic (Cambisol, Fluvisol, Regosol, Chernozem). Moreover, gas chromatography (GC) coupled with mass spectroscopy (MS) was further used to reveal the concentrations of available polycyclic aromatic and heterocyclic compounds in biochar samples. The detected concentration of these types of organic compounds were far below the certified limits. We believe our in-depth analysis could provide the necessary insight into the description of biochar mineral content, its connection to biochar texture, corresponding physicochemical properties and potential availability to leach nutrients to the soil. These findings could help in further assessment of the potential applications of biochar in modern agriculture as a soil conditioner.

The copper mining industry is increasingly using artificial intelligence methods to improve cop-per production processes. Recent studies reveal the use of algorithms such as Artificial Neural Network, Support Vector Machine, and Random Forest, among others, to develop models for predicting product quality. Other studies compare the predictive models developed with these machine learning algorithms in the mining industry, as a whole. However, not many copper mining studies published compare the results of machine learning techniques for copper recovery prediction. This study makes a detailed comparison between three models for predicting copper recovery by leaching, using four datasets resulting from mining operations in northern Chile. The algorithms used for developing the models were Random Forest, Support Vector Machine, and Artificial Neural Network. To validate these models, four indicators or values of merit were used: accuracy (acc), precision (p), recall (r), and Matthew’s correlation coefficient (mcc). This paper describes dataset preparation and the refinement of the threshold values used for the predictive variable most influential on the class (the copper recovery). Results show both a precision over 98.50% and also the model with the best behavior between the predicted and the real. Finally, the models obtained show the following mean values: acc=94.32, p=88.47, r=99.59, and mcc=2.31. These values are highly competitive as compared with those obtained in similar studies using other approaches in the context.

In recent years, marine, freshwater and terrestrial pollution with microplastics has been discussed extensively, whereas atmospheric microplastic transport has been largely overlooked. Here, we present the first global simulation of atmospheric transport of microplastic particles produced by road traffic (TWPs – tire wear particles and BWPs – brake wear particles), a major source that can be quantified relatively well. We find a high transport efficiency of these particles to remote regions, such as the Arctic Ocean (14%). About 34% of the emitted coarse TWPs and 30% of the emitted coarse BWPs (100 kt yr^-1 and 40 kt yr^-1 respectively) were deposited in the World Ocean. These amounts are of similar magnitude as the total estimated terrestrial and riverine transport of TWPs and fibres to the ocean (64 kt yr^-1). Atmospheric transport of microplastics is thus an underestimated threat to global terrestrial and marine ecosystems and affects air quality on a global scale, especially considering that other large but highly uncertain emissions of microplastics to the atmosphere exist. High latitudes and the Arctic are highlighted as an important receptor of mid-latitude emissions of road microplastics, which may imply a future climatic risk, considering their affinity to absorb solar radiation and accelerate melting.

Nitrate is rich in Mars sediments owing to long-term atmospheric photolysis, oxidation, and deposition coupled with a lack of leaching via rainfall. The Atacama Desert in Chile, which is similarly dry and rich in nitrate deposits, is used as a Mars analog in this study to explore the potential effects of high nitrate levels on microbial growth. Seven study sites sampled across an aridity gradient in the Atacama Desert were categorized into 3 clusters – hyperarid, intermediate, and arid sites, as defined by major elements in the regolith, associated biomass, and precipitation. Intriguingly, the distribution of nitrate concentrations in the shallow subsurface suggests that the buildup of nitrate is not solely controlled by precipitation. Correlations of nitrate with SiO2/Al2O3 and grain sizes suggest that sedimentation rates are also important in controlling nitrate distribution. At arid sites receiving more than 10 mm/yr precipitation, rainfall shows a stronger impact on biomass than nitrate does. However, high nitrate to organic carbon ratios are generally beneficial to N assimilation as evidenced both by soil geochemistry and enriched culturing experiments. This study suggests that even in the absence of precipitation on contemporary Mars, the nitrate levels are sufficiently high to benefit potentially extant Martian microorganisms.

In this paper, spatial pulse position modulation (SPPM) is used as a case study to investigate the performance of the optical spatial modulation (SM) technique in outdoor atmospheric turbulence (AT). A closed-form expression for the upper bound on the asymptotic symbol error rate (SER) of SPPM in AT is derived and validated by closely-matching simulation results. The error performance is evaluated in weak to strong AT conditions. As the AT strength increases from the weak to strong, the channel fading coefficients become more dispersed and differentiable. Thus, a better error performance is observed under moderate-to-strong AT compared to weak AT. The performance in weak AT can be improved by applying unequal power allocation to make FSO links more distinguishable at the receiver. Receive diversity is considered to mitigate irradiance fluctuation and improve the robustness of the system to turbulence-induced channel fading. The diversity order is computed as half of the number of detectors. Performance comparisons, in terms of energy and spectral efficiencies, are drawn between the SPPM scheme and conventional MIMO schemes such as repetition coding and spatial multiplexing.

The air in subterranean karst cavities is often depleted in methane (CH₄) relative to the atmosphere. Karst is considered a potential sink for the atmospheric greenhouse gas CH₄ because its subsurface drainage networks and solution-enlarged fractures facilitate atmospheric exchange. Karst landscapes cover about 14% of earth’s continental surface, but observations of CH₄ concentrations in cave air are limited to localized studies in Gibraltar, Spain, Indiana (USA), Vietnam, Australia, and by incomplete isotopic data. To test if karst is acting as a global CH₄ sink, we measured the CH₄ concentrations, δ¹³C_CH4, and δ²H_CH4 values of cave air from 33 caves in the USA and three caves in New Zealand. We also measured CO₂ concentrations, δ¹³C_CO2, and radon (Rn) concentrations to support CH₄ data interpretation by assessing cave air residence times and mixing processes. Among these caves, 35 exhibited subatmospheric CH₄ concentrations in at least one location compared to their local atmospheric backgrounds. CH₄ concentrations, δ¹³C_CH4, and δ²H_CH4 values suggest that microbial methanotrophy within caves is the primary CH₄ consumption mechanism. Only 5 locations from 3 caves showed elevated CH₄ concentrations compared to the atmospheric background and could be ascribed to local CH₄ sources from sewage and outgassing swamp water. Several associated δ¹³C_CH4 and δ²H_CH4 values point to carbonate reduction and acetate fermentation as biochemical pathways of limited methanogenesis in karst environments and suggest that these pathways occur in the environment over large spatial scales. Our data show that karst environments function as a global CH₄ sink.

The results of numerical experiments with the chemistry-climate model of the Institute of Numerical Mathematics of the Russian Academy of Sciences - Russian State Hydro-Meteorological University (INM-RSHU CCM) in comparison with the MERRA2 reanalysis data are presented. To assess the impact of sea surface temperature (SST) on stratospheric processes and the ozone layer, numerical experiments were carried out for scenarios corresponding to the El Niño and La Niña Southern Oscillation phases. It is shown that the El Niño phase contributes to the enhancement of heat and mass transfer to the polar stratosphere, which strengthen the Brewer-Dobson circulation and the flux of wave activity that affect the zonal wind. As a result, during El Niño, the probability of sudden stratospheric warming increases and the stratospheric polar vortex (SPV) weakens, re-sulting in an increase in total polar stratospheric ozone. The La Niña phase, on the contrary, is accompanied by a weakening of heat and mass transfer from the troposphere to the stratosphere, as a result of which the stratospheric polar vortex strengthens and the total column ozone decreases. It is shown that the effect associated with the Southern Oscillation is more pronounced in the Northern Hemisphere than in the Southern Hemisphere. Numerical experiments were also carried out for scenarios in which the sea surface temperature was set corresponding to the early 1980s, and the results were compared with calculations in which the SST was set corresponding to the late 2010s. This allowed us to assess the influence of the multiyear trend in the SST increase on stra-tospheric processes and the ozone layer. It was shown that the SST increase is most pronounced in the Arctic, which corresponds to the phenomenon of "Arctic amplification", and therefore, the heat and mass transfer to the stratosphere increases in the Northern Hemisphere, which contributes to some weakening of the SPV and increase of the total column ozone. But, compared to the Southern Oscillation, the influence of the SST trend on the SPV and total column ozone is much weaker and is observed mainly in the Northern Hemisphere.

Cold atmospheric plasma (CAP) has emerged as a promising therapeutic technology, distinguished by its safety, efficiency, and minimal side effects. With increasing applications in dermatology, CAP demonstrates antimicrobial efficacy against bacteria, viruses, and fungi, supports tissue proliferation and wound healing, and hinders the growth and migration of tumor cells. This review encompasses the concept, physical characteristics, and current research applications of CAP in dermatology. CAP, a gas cloud produced by ionizing gases, operates at room temperature, ensuring safety and efficacy in dermatological use. Its effects are mediated through active components like reactive oxygen and nitrogen species (RONS) and ultraviolet radiation. The extensive research covered in this paper explores CAP's applications in skin infections, immune-related diseases, and tumor diseases. As a biologically suitable technology, cold atmospheric pressure plasma finds widespread use in medicine, including medical device sterilization, dentistry, oncology, and dermatology. The direct and indirect forms of CAP applications, including plasma-activated liquids, complement each other. CAP holds promise as a dermatological treatment technique, but further exploration and research are needed. This article briefly explores CAP's diverse applications and potential utility within dermatology. The objective is to enhance the progress of plasma medicine by furnishing a concise overview of the applications of this groundbreaking technology in dermatological contexts.

The current methods for lightning risk warnings that are based on atmospheric electric field (AEF) data have a tendency to rely on single features, which results in low robustness and efficiency. Additionally, there is a lack of research on cancelling warning signals, contributing to the high false alarm rate (FAR) of these methods. To overcome these limitations, this study proposes a lightning risk warning method that incorporates enhanced empirical Wavelet transform-Adaptive Savitzky Gorey filter (EEWT-ASG) and one-dimensional morphology, using time-frequency domain features obtained through the Wavelet transform (WT). The proposed method achieved a probability of detection (POD) of 77.11%, miss alarm rate (MAR) of 22.89%, FAR of 40.19%, and critical success index (CSI) of 0.51, as evaluated on 83 lightning processes. This method can issue a warning signal up to 22 minutes in advance for lightning processes.

The production of photovoltaic modules is increasing to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. However, this results in a significant amount of waste at the end of their lifespan. Therefore, recycling these solar panels is important for environmental and economic reasons. However, collecting and separating Crystalline silicon, Cadmium Telluride, and Copper indium gallium selenide panels can be challenging, especially in underdeveloped countries. The innovation of this work is to develop a process to recycle all solar panel waste. The dissolution of all metals is studied through the leaching process as the main step of the flowchart. In the first step of leaching, silver can be recovered 98% by 0.5 nitric acid. Then, the second and third step involves the use of glycine for base metals dissolution, followed by the leaching of valuable metals with hydrochloric acid. The effect of parameters such as initial pH, acid concentration, solid/liquid ratio, and Hydrogen peroxide concentration are studied. The results show that Cu, Pb, Sn, Zn, Cd, In, Ga, and Se can be recovered until about 100% under optimal conditions. The optimal conditions for the dissolution of Cu, Zn, and Cd were the glycine concentration of 0.5 M, Temperature of 25 ˚C, the solid/liquid ratio of 10 gr/l, and 1% of Hydrogen peroxide. The optimized glycine concentration for the leaching of lead and tin was 1.5M. Indium and gallium were recovered to 100% by the use of 5M Hydrochloric acid, S/L=10gr/l, and T=45 ˚C. Separation of selenium and tellurium occurred by 0.5 M HCl at a temperature of 60 ˚C. Additionally, for the first time, a general outlook for the recycling of various end-of-life solar panels is suggested.

The orbital elactronic structure of Rare Earth Elements (REEs) contains many unpaired electrons which render them capable of storing large amount of magnetic energy in addition to being critical for hitech applications. Geological deposits are their conventional sources, and the current supply chain relies on production from these deposits. However, given their critical roles in the anticipated global energy transition, there is the need to explore other viable sources to supplement current and future supplies chains. REEs occur in coal as accessory minerals and their concentration in coal ash to levels that rival those of geological deposits has been estab;ished by sophisticated analytical chemical methods. Conmventional hydrometallurgical processes rely on acid leaching, using tioxic mineral acids. Meanwhile, organosulfonic acids have pKa values that rival those of conventional minerals acid and can, therefore, be used in hydrometallurgy but their uses in this regard are not well documented in the literature. In this extensive review, we have covered geological sources of REEs exaustively in addition to showing the potential of organosulfonic acids as environmentally benign lixiviants for REEs extraction from coal ash. We have also shown how process optimization can be achieved using advance technologies while using organisulfonic acids. Moreover, we have shown current and future global market trends regarding the production of select organosulfonic acids, and the anticipated global increase in their production motivates the use of organosulfonic acids as viable lixiviants for REEs extraction from caol ash deposits.

The abundant use of lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) in a wide variety of electric devices and vehicles will generate a large number of depleted batteries, which contain several valuable metals such as Li, Co, Mn, and Ni present in the structure of the cathode material (LiMO2). The present work investigates chemical, technological, and environmental aspects in the treatment of such wastes, development of a methodology for the extraction of lithium, cobalt, nickel, manganese, and graphite by a carbochlorination pyrometallurgical process. Mixtures of cathode and anode materials (called black mass, mixed oxides of Li, Co, Ni, Mn, and graphite) from different LIBs, carbon black (as reducing agent), and CaCl2 (as chlorinating agent) were used. Non-isothermal thermogravimetric tests up to 850°C and isothermal tests at 700°C of the mixtures in an inert atmosphere were carried out. It was experimentally observed that the LiMO2-C-CaCl2 reaction takes place at 700°C. LiCl, Ni, and Co were obtained as final products, and to a lesser extent, CoO, NiO, and MnO2. CaCO3 was also obtained as a by-product. The obtained results show that carbochlorination is an efficient and effective alternative route for the extraction and recovery of metals from different LIBs, focused on the sustainability and circular economy

PDMS samples may be used in various microfluidic applications by hydrophilizing their surfaces. This study examines the effects of air plasma jet (APJ) and dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) plasma on the surface hydrophilicity of polydimethylsiloxane. In order to increase the hydrophilicity of PDMS sample surfaces, two plasma sources including APJ and DBD were compared. Both DBD and APJ setups were measured for voltage and current, and their respective power was calculated and compared based on their characteristics. It is important to note that the electrical specifications of APJ and DBD were identical, and the source power rates for APJ and DBD plasma were 306W and 300W respectively. UV-vis spectroscopy was used to characterize the plasma, and an electrical characterization of the plasma's power supply was carried out. The effects of parameters such as the distance from the nozzle tip, the duration of the process, and the source voltage on the hydrophilicity of the surfaces during the treatment by APJ were also examined, and samples were then examined for a period of time to determine whether surface hydrophilicity was preserved. On the PDMS surface, a contact angle of about 5.1° was observed using short-term plasma treatments of 10 seconds. In the same conditions, the effect of DBD treatment was superior to that of APJ treatment.

Rare earth elements (REEs) and Sc are concentrated in aluminum production byproducts. The novel REEs recovery approach, which involves leaching by acid at a pH > 3 in the presence of MgSO4, results in the formation of a pregnant leach solution (PLS) with a low concentration of iron (Fe) and titanium (Ti) and a large quantity of valuable elements. The ion exchange method was acknowledged as the most favorable method used to separate the REEs from PLS. This work studies the application of chelating resin Puromet МТS9580 in the sorption recovery of Sc from sulfate solutions. To analyze the static Sc sorption data, Langmuir, Freundlich, and Temkin isotherm models were used. The Langmuir isotherm model was the best fitted to the experimental data, with a coefficient of determination (R2) of 0.983. The dynamic adsorption experiment was conducted using a PLS and a simulate solution without contaminants. Adsorption of Sc from the simulate solution was better fitted to the Thomas model with a Sc capacity greater than 7 mg mL–1. Because Ti had a gradual decrease in C/C0, which the Thomas model was unable to simulate, the modified dose-response (MDR) model fitted better with PLS. The NaHCO3 solution (200 g L–1) effectively desorbed Sc (&gt;98 %) from simulated and PLS solutions after 1.5 h of stirring in a batch mode.

The use of nitrogen (N) fertilizers can have detrimental effects on the environment due to nitrate leaching. This study aims to examine the impact of N fertilizer source and application timing on wheat yield and nitrate leaching in various soil textures. A randomized complete block design (RCBD) was employed to conduct the experiment. The treatments consisted of two N fertilizer sources: ammonium nitrate (AN) and urea (NN), applied at three different times throughout the year, with a control treatment. The three application timings were total application before sowing (T₁), total application in spring (T₂), and half the amount before sowing and the other half in spring (T₃). The experiment was conducted in three different soil textures (sandy loam, silty clay loam, and silty clay), with three replications over three growing seasons: 2018-19 (Y₁), 2019-20 (Y₂), and 2020-21 (Y₃). The results indicated significant effects of different soil textures on grain yield. Specifically, the silty clay loam soil differed significantly from the sandy loam and silty clay soils in terms of grain yield. The interaction effects between the N fertilizer source and application timing were also found to be significant for all soil textures (p<0.01). In sandy loam and silty clay soils, the grain yield increased when using the T₃ application timing compared to the silty clay loam soil. Notably, the silty clay loam soil with the T₂ application timing exhibited the highest grain yield, with a yield of 6863.6 kg ha^-1. Furthermore, the study revealed that N fertilizers and their application timing significantly influenced the protein content in the silty clay and sandy loam soils. The protein percentages were 10.76 and 10.93 for the silty clay and sandy loam soils, respectively, following the T₂ treatment. Additionally, ammonium nitrate (AN) demonstrated a noticeable effect on the percentage of grain protein compared to urea (NN). In conclusion, the application timing of N fertilizers had an impact on grain yield and protein content in different soil textures. Moreover, nitrate concentration increased throughout the experiment, with the highest soil nitrate concentration observed in both fertilizer treatments, particularly in the sandy loam soil.

Biochar application to the soil can improve soil quality and nutrient leaching loss. Recent studies have reported that surficial application of biochar to stored swine manure can reduce emissions of odorous compounds and reduce the volatilization loss of ammonia. Our working hypothesis was that the biochar-treated manure application to the soil would decrease nutrient leaching from manure and increase plant-available nutrients. The study objectives were to evaluate the impact of biochar-treated swine manure on soil total C, N, and other major and minor nutrients. Three biochars (i) neutral pH red-oak (RO), (ii) highly alkaline autothermal corn (Zea mays) stover (HAP), and (iii) mild acidic Fe-treated autothermal corn stover (HAPE) were incubated with swine manure for a month. The biochar-manure mixture was applied in triplicate to soil columns with application rate determined by the P₂O₅-P content in manure or manure-biochar mixtures after the incubation. The ammonium (NH₄⁺), nitrate (NO₃^-), and reactive P concentrations in soil column leachates were recorded for eight leaching events. Soil properties and plant-available nutrients were compared between treatments and control manure & soil. Manure-(HAP&HAPE) biochar treatments significantly increased soil organic matter (OM) and increased soil total C, N, and improved soil bulk density. Concentrations of KCl-extractable NH₄⁺ and NO₃^- significantly increased in HAPE column leachates during this 4-week study and in the soil after the experiment. A significant reduction in soil Mehlich3 Cu was also observed for the manure-HAPE mixture compared with the control. Overall, the manure-biochar incubation enabled biochar to sorb nutrients from manure, and the subsequent manure-biochar mixture application to soil improved soil quality and plant nutrient availability in comparison to conventional manure application to soil. This proof-of-the-concept study suggests that biochars could be used to solve both environmental and agronomic challenges and further improve the sustainability of animal and crop production agriculture.

The intercomparison among different atmospheric monitoring systems is key for instrument calibration and validation. Common cases involve satellites, radiosonde, radio occultation (e.g. GNSS-RO) and atmospheric model outputs (e.g. ERA5 reanalysis). Since instruments and/or measures are not perfectly collocated, the miss-collocation uncertainty must be considered in the related intercomparison uncertainty budgets.

We propose that, at equilibrium, statistically equal temperatures as mechanical torques are exerted on each kind of gas phase molecules as rates of translational action [@t=ʃmvds/dt=ʃmr2ωdϕ/dt=mv2, J]. These torques result from the impulsive density of resonant quantum fields with molecules, configuring the trajectories of gas molecules while balancing molecular pressure (p=NkT) against the density of field energy (J/m3). Gibbs energy fields contain no resonant quanta at zero Kelvin, with this measure of chemical potential diminishing in magnitude as translational action of the vapor molecules and quantum field energy increases with temperature. In illustration, we show how impulsive torques from quantum fields drive the reversible thermodynamics of Carnot’s heat-work engine cycle, sustain the decreasing atmospheric temperature gradient of increasing molecular entropy with altitude, support the translational action and field energy of vortical wind flow in anticyclones, frictionally warming the Earth’s surface while recycling greenhouse infrared absorption of surface radiation, generating electrical power from air flow in wind farms and destructive power in tropical cyclones. These cases all distinguish symmetrically between a causal field of impulsive quanta (Σhν) that energizes the action of matter and the resultant vis viva of molecular mechanics (mv2). The quanta of these different fields display mean wavelengths from 10-4 m to 1012 m, with mechanical advantages many orders of magnitude greater than the corresponding translational actions, though with mean quantum frequencies (v) similar to those of radial Brownian movement for independent particles (ω). These energy fields are also thermodynamically reversible reservoirs for heat, optimizing work processes on Earth and delaying the achievement of maximum entropy production from short wave solar radiation in conversion to outgoing long wave radiation to space.

Newton’s law of universal gravitation applies between two point-masses. True gravitation of solid Earth is volume integration of gravitation of all point-masses inside the solid Earth on a point-mass in atmosphere. However, in meteorology the Earth “shrinks” into a point-mass located at Earth center with entire Earth mass to identify the Earth gravitation (untrue). Combination of untrue gravitational and centrifugal accelerations gives effective gravity (geff). Combination of true gravitational and centrifugal accelerations leads to true gravity (g). The true gravity g minus the effective gravity geff is the gravity disturbance vector, δg = g – geff. With the true gravity g used in the basic equations, seven non-dimensional numbers are proposed to identify the importance of δg versus traditional forcing terms such as horizontal pressure gradient force and Coriolis force. These non-dimensional numbers are calculated from two publicly available datasets with the geoid undulation (N) from the static gravity field model EIGEN-6C4 and long-term mean geopotential height (Z), wind velocity (u, v), and temperature (Ta) at 12 pressure levels in troposphere from the NCEP/NCAR reanalyzed climatology. The results demonstrate δg nonnegligible in hydrostatic equilibrium, geostrophic wind, geostrophic vorticity, Ekman pumping, Q vector, and Omega equation, but negligible in thermal wind relation.

Seasonal variations in atmospheric ultrafine particulate matter (PM0.1) were monitored in Bangkok, Thailand, from 2016 to 2017. PM0.1 bound organic carbon (OC), and elemental carbon (EC) were collected by a cascade air sampler that can collect PM0.1 and estimated by a thermal-optical carbon analyzer following the IMPROVE-TOR protocol. The annual average PM0.1 in Bangkok was 14.5 ± 4.7 µg/m3, higher than in large Asian cities like Shanghai and Hanoi. Biomass burning from neighboring areas was shown to increase the particle concentration. Apparent risings in carbon species as OC, EC, and OC/EC ratios in the wet and dry seasons were observed, and Char-EC/Soot-EC displayed that the PM0.1 in the Bangkok atmosphere was influenced mainly by the vehicle exhaust, even though the influence of biomass burning was more sensitive during the dry season. The effective carbon ratio (ECR) displays that carbonaceous aerosol is light-absorbing; the dry season increase contributed to climate and air quality. The finding of this work is of great importance to air pollutants control policies in urban areas.

Stretching along the border of North Dakota and Minnesota, The Red River Valley (RRV) of the North has the highest frequency of reported blizzards within the contiguous United States. Despite the numerous impacts these events have, few systematic studies exist discussing the meteorological properties of blizzards. As a result, forecasting these events and lesser blowing snow events is an ongoing forecast challenge. This study presents a climatology of atmospheric patterns associated with RRV blizzards for the winter seasons of 1979-1980 to 2017-2018. Patterns were identified using subjective and objective techniques using meteorological fields from the North American Regional Reanalysis (NARR). The RRV experiences on average, 2.6 events per year. Blizzard frequency is bimodal with peaks occurring in December and March. The events can largely be typed into four meteorological categories dependent on the forcing that drives the blizzard: Alberta Clippers, Arctic Fronts, Colorado Lows, and Hybrids. Objective classification of these blizzards using a competitive neural network known as the Self-Organizing Map (SOM) demonstrates that gross segregation of the events can be achieved with a small (8-class) map. This implies that objective analysis techniques can be used to identify these events in weather and climate model output that may aid future forecasting and risk assessment projects.

A methodology for selecting rational parameters of atmospheric aircrafts at the initial stages of design using an optimization algorithm of differential evolution and numerical mathematical modeling of aerodynamics problems is proposed. The technique involves the implementation of weight and aerodynamic balance in the main flight modes, has the ability to consider atmospheric aircrafts with one or two lifting surfaces, apply parallel calculations and automatically generate a three-dimensional geometric model of aircraft appearance based on the optimization results. A method for accelerating the process of optimizing the parameters of an aircraft in terms of take-off weight by more than three times by introducing a objective function into a set of design variables is proposed and demonstrated. The results of assessing the reliability of the used mathematical models of aerodynamics and the correctness of the calculation the objective function, taking into account various constraints, are presented. A comprehensive test of the performance and efficiency of the methodology is considered by solving demonstration problems to optimize more than ten main design parameters the appearance of two existing heavy-class unmanned aerial vehicles with known characteristics from open sources.

Fiber coupling efficiency is one of the key technical indicators of atmospheric laser communication, which directly affects the communication system BER. According to the optical fiber coupling efficiency model, the optical fiber coupling model under atmospheric slant link is established, and the relationship between wavelength, zenith angle, receiving aperture, altitude and coupling efficiency is studied through numerical simulation. Based on the principle of adaptive optics turbulence correction, the relationship between fiber coupling efficiency and adaptive optics order is established. A fast method for estimating the coupling efficiency based on Strehl ratio is proposed. According to the principle of laser communication system, the semi-physical simulation experimental system of atmospheric slant-range channel coupling efficiency is constructed, and the coupling efficiency test and analysis are completed.

Orbitrap mass spectrometers have been widely used in environmental component analysis . This paper presents an enhanced data acquisition system for in-situ detection of Orbitrap mass spectrometry, which enables in-suit real-time signal processing and analysis for atmospheric molecules with small mass numbers.During previous space atmospheric explorations, quadrupole mass spectrometry (QMS) was usually utilized for analyzing isotopic compositions and complicated compounds in the mixture. However, the inevitable ion scattering and drift during mass transfer, as well as the QMS attenuator loss, result in a relatively lower signal-to-noise ratio of the produced mass spectrum. In recent years, a novel mass spectrometer, called an Orbitrap mass spectrometer, has been gradually accepted and used because of its non-destructive detection ability, high mass resolution, and accuracy. Nevertheless, Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry (FT-ICR MS) is preferred over the Orbitrap mass spectrometry for ground applications, especially for detecting low-mass components (e.g. below 50 atomic mass units) due to the former’s superior resolution. As the mass number decreases, the detection system demands a higher sampling and processing rate. Additionally, in ground-based scenarios, mass spectrometry analysis software on computers is often employed to analyze the signals. Therefore, in order to achieve in-situ detection of the space atmospheric environment using the Orbitrap mass spectrometer, this paper proposes a real-time signal acquisition and processing system for mass spectrometry analysis. The system comprises of signal conditioning circuits, analog-to-digital conversion circuits, programmable logic circuits, and related software. These components perform spectrum analysis and process the signal in real-time on hardware components, allowing for high-speed acquisition and analysis of the signals produced by the Orbitrap mass spectrometer.

The assimilation of Soil Moisture and Ocean Salinity (SMOS) data into the ECMWF (European Centre for Medium Range Weather Forecasts) H-TESSEL (Hydrology revised - Tiled ECMWF Scheme for Surface Exchanges over Land) model is presented. SMOS soil moisture (SM) estimates have been produced specifically by training a neural network with SMOS brightness temperatures as input and H-TESSEL model SM simulations as reference. This can help the assimilation of SMOS information in several ways: (1) the neural network soil moisture (NNSM) data have a similar climatology to the model, (2) no global bias is present with respect to the model even if regional differences can exist. Experiments performing joint data assimilation (DA) of NNSM, 2 metre air temperature and relative humidity or NNSM-only DA are discussed. The resulting SM was evaluated against a large number of in situ measurements of SM obtaining similar results to those of the model with no assimilation, even if significant differences were found from site to site. In addition, atmospheric forecasts initialized with H-TESSEL runs (without DA) or with the analysed SM were compared to measure of the impact of the satellite information. Although, NNSM DA has an overall neutral impact in the forecast in the Tropics, a significant positive impact was found in other areas and periods, especially in regions with limited in situ information. The joint NNSM, T2m and RH2m DA improves the forecast for all the seasons in the Southern Hemisphere. The impact is mostly due to T2m and RH2m, but SMOS NN DA alone also improves the forecast in July- September. In the Northern Hemisphere, the joint NNSM, T2m and RH2m DA improves the forecast in April-September, while NNSM alone has a significant positive effect in July-September. Furthermore, forecasting skill maps show that SMOS NNSM improves the forecast in North America and in Northern Asia for up to 72 hours lead time.

A convenient practical model for accurately estimating the total entropy (ΣSi) of atmospheric gases based on physical action is proposed. This realistic approach is fully consistent with statistical mechanics, but reinterprets its partition functions as measures of translational, rotational and vibrational action or quantum states, to estimate the entropy. With all kinds of molecular action expressed as logarithmic functions, the total heat required for warming a chemical system from 0o K (ΣSiT) to a given temperature and pressure can be computed, yielding results identical with published experimental third law values of entropy. All thermodynamic properties of gases including entropy, enthalpy, Gibbs energy and Helmholtz energy are directly estimated using simple algorithms based on simple molecular and physical properties, without resource to tables of standard values; both free energies are measures of quantum field states and of minimal statistical degeneracy, decreasing with temperature and declining density. We propose that this more realistic approach has heuristic value for thermodynamic computation of atmospheric profiles, based on steady state heat flows equilibrating with gravity. Potentially, this application of an action principle can provide better understanding of emergent properties of many natural or evolving complex systems, including modelling of predictions for global warming.

Following the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, several studies have examined the possibility of correlating the virulence of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), the virus that causes COVID-19, to the climatic conditions of the involved sites; however, inconclusive results have been generally obtained. Although either air temperature or humidity cannot be independently correlated with virus viability, a strong relationship between SARS-CoV-2 virulence and the specific enthalpy of moist air appears to exist, as confirmed by extensive data analysis. Given this framework, the present study involves a detailed investigation based on the first 20–30 days of the epidemic before public health interventions in 30 selected Italian provinces with rather different climates, here assumed as being representative of what happened in the country from North to South, of the relationship between COVID-19 distributions and the climatic conditions recorded at each site before the pandemic outbreak. Accordingly, a correlating equation between the incidence rate of the pandemic and the average specific enthalpy of atmospheric air was developed, and an enthalpy-based seasonal virulence risk scale was proposed as a tool to predict the potential danger of COVID-19 spread due to the persistence of weather conditions favorable to SARS-CoV-2 viability. For practical applications, a conclusive risk chart expressed in terms of coupled temperatures and relative humidity (RH) values was provided, showing that safer conditions occur in case of higher RH at the highest temperatures, and of lower RH at the lowest temperatures. The proposed risk scale was in agreement with the available infectivity data in the literature for a number of cities around the world.