📄 earth_science

Microphysical Mechanisms and Topographic Effects of Different Precipitation Phases during a Winter Freezing Event in Central China: A Case Study

This study utilizes high-resolution WRF simulations and microphysical diagnostics to elucidate how Hubei's complex terrain and specific microphysical processes—such as ice aggregation, warm-layer melting, and supercooling maintenance—govern the simultaneous formation of snowfall, freezing rain, and rainfall during the February 2024 winter freezing event in Central China.

Shuo Sun, Min Yuan, Yaohui Li2026-08-14
📄 earth_science

Assessment of Hydro-geochemical and Radiological Contamination Associated with Artisanal and Small-Scale Gold Mining and Its Implications for Human Health and the Environmental Quality

This systematic review synthesizes evidence from the past two decades to demonstrate that artisanal and small-scale gold mining (ASGM) causes severe, interconnected geochemical, radiological, and hydrogeological contamination that significantly threatens environmental sustainability and public health, necessitating integrated assessment frameworks and stronger regulatory interventions.

Buhari Samaila, Alhassan Alhaji Shehu, Abdullahi Muhammad Gidado, Buhari Maidamma2026-08-14
📄 earth_science

Soundscape categories shape recreational responses across independently characterized bamboo forest settings: a two-phase audio– visual experiment

This two-phase audio–visual experiment demonstrates that acoustic conditions significantly shape recreational responses in bamboo forests, with natural sounds eliciting the highest subjective relaxation and pleasure while traffic noise produces the strongest negative effects, although these subjective preferences show weak correspondence with EEG measures and are largely mediated by perceived pleasantness and annoyance.

Hao Li, Yi Peng, Zongsheng Li, Xinyu Du, Chenmingyang Jiang, Qibing Chen, Bingyang Lv, Cong Ma2026-08-14
📄 earth_science

Neural downscaling of air-quality simulations requires structural correction before spatial refinement

This paper demonstrates that effective neural downscaling of air-quality simulations requires a two-step process of structural correction to address resolution-dependent model divergence on a common grid, followed by spatial refinement, rather than treating coarse fields as simple smoothed versions of fine fields.

Jens d'Hondt, Hervé Petetin, Carlos Pérez García-Pando, Oriol Jorba, Marc Guevara2026-08-14
📄 earth_science

Contamination of Pesticide residues and Human Health Risk Assessment of the Selected Agricultural Soils in Oyo State, Nigeria

This study reveals that agricultural soils in Ibarapa and Oke-Ogun regions of Oyo State, Nigeria, are significantly contaminated with both legacy organochlorine and current pyrethroid pesticide residues, posing a critical to very high health risk to humans as evidenced by risk quotients exceeding safety limits and a greater than 90% probability of adverse effects.

Adio Isiaka Hassan, Jimoh Taylor, Oludare Adenubi, Khadijah Agbalaya, Olarenwaju Damazio, Musiliu Salaam2026-08-14
📄 earth_science

Validation Of a Modified Normalized Skillings-Mack Fractal Dimension For Characterizing Pore Structure in Permo-Triassic Khuff Carbonate Reservoirs , Central Saudi Arabia

This study validates the Modified Normalized Skillings-Mack fractal dimension as a robust and highly consistent alternative to the normalized pore-radius method for characterizing pore-network heterogeneity and predicting reservoir quality in Permo-Triassic Khuff carbonate reservoirs, demonstrating that higher fractal dimensions correlate with improved pore connectivity and permeability.

Khalid Elyas Mohamed Elameen Alkhidir2026-08-14
📄 earth_science

Spatio-temporal variability of water quality and trophic state in a semi-arid basin of northeastern Brazil

This study reveals that the Salgado River in northeastern Brazil suffers from severe, seasonally variable water quality degradation and eutrophication, particularly in urban areas during the dry season, driven by high organic pollution, nutrient loads, and thermotolerant coliforms.

francisco José De Paula Filho, David Andriolla Colares, Marcella Araújo Macêdo, Sabrina Duarte Alencar, Gabriella Braga (…)2026-08-14
📄 earth_science

Phosphorus Trend Analysis and the Role of Wastewater Treatment Facilities in Attenuating Eutrophication of the Swakoppoort Reservoir, Namibia

This study analyzes phosphorus trends and eutrophication potential in the Swakoppoort Reservoir, revealing that the reservoir is in a hypertrophic state due to ineffective treatment at certain facilities, while demonstrating that advanced technologies like membrane filtration and reverse osmosis significantly reduce nutrient discharge.

Tertu Nelago Iileka, Richard Joseph Kimwaga2026-08-13
📄 earth_science

From radiative signal to early warning: the integrated IRIS index for detecting, explaining and projecting intraseasonal rainfall breaks in the Sahel (1992–2050)

This study critically evaluates the Sahel Integrated Radiative Index (IRIS) as a potential early-warning tool for intraseasonal rainfall breaks, finding it to be a physically grounded state descriptor with limited predictive skill due to inherent rainfall stochasticity and a projected climate signal too weak to distinguish from natural variability by 2050.

Younousse BIAYE, Bouya DIOP2026-08-13