📄 earth_science

Nemerow Pollution Index and Inter-Variable Relationships in Esuk Oro River, Southern Nigeria

This study recalculated the Nemerow Pollution Index for the Esuk Oro River in Southern Nigeria using station means and Pearson correlations, revealing that phosphate-driven nutrient enrichment is the primary pollution factor while emphasizing the index's role as a screening tool rather than a definitive safety declaration due to limited data and operational benchmarks.

Imekan I. Akpan¹, Iboroakam E. Udosen2026-08-18
📄 earth_science

Plant-Based Biomonitoring of Airborne Microplastics: A Systematic Review

This systematic review of 20 field studies concludes that while plants, mosses, and lichens offer valuable time-integrated data on airborne microplastic deposition, the field remains fragmented and requires standardized protocols before plant-based burdens can reliably indicate ambient concentrations or human exposure.

Neda Kaydi, Fakher Rahim, Farhad Safdari, Mona Sharififard, Ajay Ojha, Samaneh Motalebi, Behzad Khafaei, Najmeh Yazdanpa (…)2026-08-18
📄 earth_science

Hybrid Data-driven and Process-based Modeling for Streamflow Forecasting Under Climate Change in the Upper Genale River Basin of Ethiopia

This study demonstrates that a hybrid framework integrating the process-based QSWAT+ model with machine learning algorithms significantly enhances streamflow forecasting accuracy in Ethiopia's Upper Genale River Basin, revealing a projected upward trend in future streamflow under climate change scenarios to support sustainable water resource management.

Eliyas Abdi Ali, Asfaw Kebede, Mekonen Ayana2026-08-18
📄 earth_science

Beyond carbon accounting: integrating stand structure and community composition for understanding aboveground carbon storage in Sudanian savanna-woodlands

This study of Manda National Park in southern Chad demonstrates that while stand structure is the primary driver of aboveground carbon storage in Sudanian savanna-woodlands, integrating community composition provides essential ecological context for developing biodiversity-inclusive carbon assessment frameworks.

Caleb Ngaba Waye Taroum2026-08-18
📄 earth_science

Revitalizing the Gedeo Indigenous Environmental Governance System for Climate Change Mitigation and Sustainability

This qualitative ethnographic study, grounded in Socio-ecological Systems and Political Ecology theories, demonstrates that the Gedeo Baallee indigenous governance system effectively sustains agroforestry, adapts to climate change, and ensures resource equity, advocating for its formal recognition in national environmental policies.

Shumet Amare Zeleke, Tadie Degie Yigzaw2026-08-18
📄 earth_science

Marine biodegradation of otherwise persistent engineering nylons

This study demonstrates that certain engineering nylon fishing lines, previously considered environmentally persistent, undergo significant marine biodegradation through a hydration-mediated mechanism that enhances microbial accessibility to the polymer structure, thereby challenging the assumption that polymer chemistry alone dictates environmental fate.

KOHZO ITO, Shota Ando, Daisuke Kasai, Takashi Masaki, Eri Ueno, Megumi Akiyama, Takahiro Imai, Yugo Miyakawa, Namiko Gib (…)2026-08-18
📄 earth_science

Vegetation management saved 7,000 tonnes of soil carbon losses in one of the UK’s highest severity peatland fires

This study demonstrates that vegetation management on Langdale Moor, one of the UK's most severe peatland fires, successfully preserved small unburned islands that prevented the loss of nearly 7,000 tonnes of soil carbon, underscoring the critical role of such management in mitigating wildfire-induced carbon emissions.

Sarah J Baker, Romy C. Franz Bodenham, Kerryn Little, stefan doerr, Nicholas Kettridge, Claire Belcher2026-08-17
📄 earth_science

Land use patterns drive demographic collapse and reveal urgent conservation needs of Balanites aegyptiaca (L.) Delile Stands in resilient dryland forests

This study demonstrates that intensive land-use patterns, particularly cultivation on loamy soils, drive the demographic collapse of the keystone tree species *Balanites aegyptiaca* in the Lake Chad Basin by causing high post-recruitment mortality and a scarcity of mature individuals, thereby highlighting an urgent need for conservation strategies to mitigate these impacts.

Ismael Bio Yandou, Boubacar MOUSSA MAMOUDOU, Idrissa Soumana, Ali Mahamane2026-08-16