Natural Resources Research Institute

Estuaries are essential for the ocean's mass balance of terrestrial dissolved organic matter (DOM). Dissolved black carbon (DBC) constitutes the largest known persistent fraction of DOM in marine environments. However, the alterations of DBC during its transport through estuaries remain largely unknown. In this study, we conducted six sampling cruises across three estuaries in China, which varied in size, tidal patterns, and hydrological conditions. We measured DBC concentrations in both the overlying water and sediment porewater. Our results indicated that DBC input occurred during flood tides, whereas DBC removal was observed during ebb tides. Modeling results and laboratory experiments suggest that photodegradation and photo‐dissolution were not the primary mechanisms influencing these patterns; instead, variations in submarine groundwater discharge (SGD) of DBC may account for the observed flood‐ebb‐related fluctuations. Additionally, we found a higher internal accumulation of DBC during the lower runoff period in the three estuaries, which could be related to the longer flushing time. We estimated that SGD‐derived DBC flux accounted for ∼12% of DBC discharged from the Jiulong River to the estuary, and represented ∼16–23% of riverine DBC discharge on a global scale. Our study provides new insights into the flood‐ebb‐tides‐related DBC transport in estuaries, which should be considered in future studies of other DOM components in the estuarine region. Furthermore, our study underscores the significance of SGD flux in the transport of terrestrial DOM to the ocean, highlighting the need for its incorporation into the global budget of terrestrial organic matter.

Plain Language Summary The Surface Water and Ocean Topography (SWOT) satellite measures a wide area of the sea surface height. These measurements contain two types of oceanic motions. One is the vortical motion generally including the mesoscale flow and submesoscale processes. The other is the wavy motion mainly incorporating the (internal) inertial‐gravity wave. In SWOT measurements, one type of motion could hide the other. For example, the wavy (vortical) signal might become invisible in the oceanic region characterized by the intense vortical (wavy) motion. This raises the need to separate the two types of motions from SWOT measurements, which remains a major challenge due to their overlap in horizontal scales. To this end, this study uses the initialization technique in numerical weather prediction and realizes a practical vortical‐wavy separation of SWOT measurements via additionally introducing concurrent sea surface velocity data from the land‐based HFR system. The applications highlight the validity and usefulness of this separation approach.

Biofortification of staple crops is a sustainable strategy to deliver essential micronutrients to impoverished populations in developing countries. Banana is a highly valued crop consumed by over 75% of Ugandans. However, the starchy green cooking bananas have very low levels of pro‐vitamin A (PVA) and heavy dietary reliance on them has been associated with vitamin A deficiency (VAD). Two banana cultivars, hybrid M9 and Nakitembe, were selected for PVA biofortification. A phytoene synthase 2a (MtPsy2a) gene was transformed into the selected cultivars under the control of the constitutive maize polyubiquitin1 promoter or the banana fruit‐preferred ACC oxidase (ACO) promoter. Plants were regenerated on selective media and putatively transgenic plants confirmed by PCR. A total of 356 and 162 transgenic events for M9 and Nakitembe, respectively, were planted in a confined field trial (CFT). Transgenic plants were assessed against non‐transformed controls. Selection was based on phenotype, cycle time, yield, β‐carotene equivalents (β‐CE) and transgene copy number. There were no significant variations in cycle time, but some phenotypic differences were observed between transgenic and non‐transgenic controls. Transgenic fruits had yellow to orange fruit pulps, unlike pulp from non‐transgenic controls that were paler. On average, fruit from transgenic M9 and Nakitembe accumulated fourfold and threefold more β‐CE than non‐transgenic controls, respectively. Five elite lines each of M9 and Nakitembe have been selected for national agronomic performance trials that will aid the selection of lead events to be considered for environmental release.

Background and aims Quantifying the dynamic relationship between soil labile silicon (LSi) pools and rice silicon (Si) upstake during growth is crucial for improving regional rice Si accumulation and increasing crop yields. Methods We analyzed various silicon pools in soil and Japonica rice samples from paddy fields at tillering, spike and maturity stages. Correlation analysis and regression models were employed to determine their relationships. Results As rice develops, the Si content in rice plants transitions from a strong positive correlation with soil dissolved Si at the tillering stage to a strong positive correlation with other LSi fractions (e.g., adsorbed Si, sodium acetate-extractable Si), which have higher storage. Increasing the supply of plant-available silicon (PASi) in the soils of the study area promoted overall Si accumulation in rice plants, with a stronger response observed for straw and husk (Spearman's r: 0.39–0.64, p < 0.05). Especially, the growth rate of Si concentration in local japonica rice straw showed an increasing and then leveling off trend with the soil PASi content. Local data revealed that the growth rate of straw Si accumulation increases with soil PASi when the japonica rice straw Si content is below 42 g kg⁻¹. Comprehensive cross-regional involving different soil Si contents showed a quadratic relationship between soil PASi and rice straw Si, indicating the existence of an upper limit to rice Si accumulation. Conclusions The response of rice Si accumulation in relation to different LSi fractions is contingent upon changes in crop Si demand at various growth stages. In regard to the current low soil PASi in the study area, additional Si fertilizer can effectively promote Si utilization in Japonica rice, but it should be noted that there is a certain physiological upper limit for crop Si accumulation.

The snapping shrimp Alpheus is the genus with most species in the Alpheidae family. In this study, the mitochondrial genome of Alpheus brevicristatus De Haan, 1844 has been sequenced and analyzed. The circular mitogenome was 15,705 bp in length with an A+T content of 62.64%. It contained 37 genes typically found in metazoans, and one non-coding region. Phylogenetic analysis highly supported the placement of A. brevicristatus within Alpheidae. This study provides important mitochondrial genome data that could be used for further phylogenetic and evolutionary study of caridean snapping shrimps.

Ecological restoration has been considered and implemented as an effective approach to reverse land degradation, particularly in vulnerable drylands. While there has been a large body of research focusing on the ecological and economic benefits of these projects, few studies have focused specifically on the intangible socio‐cultural values like cultural heritage, identity, and social cohesion in these areas. The difficulty in quantifying these values lies in their subjective perception among individuals and keep changing dynamic social contexts. Therefore, it remains unclear about how local inhabitants perceive the intangible cultural and social benefits provided by dryland ecosystems and how this perception impact community well‐being. This study employs the Cultural Ecosystem Services (CES) framework to evaluate how rural communities perceive the intangible benefits under ecological restoration. We re‐classify the commonly used ten types of CES into four main categories, auto‐responsive/intrinsic, behaviors, meanings and personal. We conducted 466 semi‐structured household interviews across 17 representative villages in Yan'an, China's Loess Plateau region. Through latent class analysis, we identified three distinct perception patterns of CES. Results revealed universal recognition of all CES types, with education and income significantly influencing their perceptions. Certain landscapes like grasslands and villages strongly shaped “sense of place” and social connections, while wetlands and waterfalls had minimal impact. Social engagement, particularly employment, enhanced CES recognition, whereas religious activities showed limited influence. This exploratory study examines the social dynamics of perceived intangible values in dryland ecosystem restoration. Our innovation lies in applying the CES framework to assess these values in dryland areas, using latent class analysis to identify three perception categories linked to demographics, landscapes, and activities. This approach offers targeted suggestions for enhancing CES, supporting ecological restoration policies that value both nature and culture. While our study establishes a foundation, further long‐term research is needed to fully understand the relationship between CES perceptions and ecological restoration outcomes.

Ocean mesoscale eddies are important drivers of upper ocean physical and biological processes. However, owing to their ephemeral nature and limited observational data, the impact of eddies on three‐dimensional biogeochemical cycles and hence related phytoplankton phenology remains unclear. Here, from ship‐based surveys, we assessed the impact of two eddies of opposite polarity on phytoplankton biomass and community structure, in the upper 200 m of the northwest South China Sea (SCS), as well as their effect on the diapycnal nutrient fluxes and oxygen concentration. These observations revealed that pico‐phytoplankton dominated phytoplankton community, whereas the fraction of micro‐ and nano‐ phytoplankton (Fmicro and Fnano) increased with depth, reaching a maximum near the SCM layer (located between 50 and 100 m). The magnitude of SCM and total phytoplankton Chl were greater within the cyclonic eddy (CE) compared to those influenced by the anticyclonic eddy due to the enhanced vertical diapycnal fluxes of nutrients within the CE. The elevated diapycnal nutrient flux in the CE resulted from an increase in turbulent kinetic energy dissipation coefficient and steeper vertical gradients in inorganic nutrients. Pigment‐based chemotaxonomy further indicated that eukaryotes increased significantly in the SCM layer with concentrations reaching 0.16 ± 0.08 mg m⁻³; the enhancement of Fmicro in the CE was mainly attributed to the increased contribution of diatoms. The vertical biogeochemical dynamics revealed by this research may showcase fundamental characteristics of oligotrophic ecosystems, where mesoscale perturbations are vertically heterogeneous, improving our understanding of the complex biophysical interactions within mesoscale eddies.

Heavy metals in agricultural soil are hazardous to the environment and human beings. So, the current study was hypothesized that Trichoderma harzianum maize biochar (MBT), and maize biochar zinc oxide nanocomposite (MB-ZnO) could effectively stabilize Cd and Cu in a polluted soil and evaluate their synergistic effects on Sesbania sesban L. (Merr.) growth. The biochar zinc oxide nanocomposite and T. harzianum loaded biochar were systematically characterized before applications. In this study, both types of engineered biochar (MB-ZnO nanocomposite and MBT) were applied to influence the growth of S. sesban. These plants were sprayed with various doses (0, 50, 75, 100 mg/L) of MB-ZnO nanocomposite and 2.0% (w/w) MBT. Foliar application of 100 mg/L MB-ZnO nanocomposite clearly reduced Cd and Cu content in the shoots of S. sesban by 30% and 31%, respectively. The combined application of MB-ZnO increased SOD (33.33%), and POD (37.5%) at the concentration of 100 mg /L. Co-applied application of MB-ZnO nanocomposite and MBT diminished Cd and Cu content by 39% and 38%, respectively, and increased soil pH (8.03 to 8.23). Conclusive findings of this study established that the application of the engineered biochar (MB-ZnO nanocomposite and MBT) is an environment-friendly and efficient way to immobilize toxic metals from the soil and improve the physiological, biochemical, anatomical, and antioxidant enzyme activities of the S. sesban plant. Graphical Abstract Schematic depiction of complete experiment

Israel’s Mediterranean biogeographical region is characterized by high habitat diversity and stark seasonal changes in forage composition, availability and quality. Managers of protected areas in this region advocate livestock ranching to mitigate fire risk and enhance conservation merits. However, competition between livestock and endangered, native ungulates in these areas might impair their functioning as refugia. We used fecal DNA metabarcoding to study the diets of native mountain gazelles (Gazella gazella) and domestic cattle (Bos taurus), in two nature reserves with distinct vegetation types (shrubland vs grassland), and during different seasons. Dietary overlap was ubiquitously low, and seasonal changes in the diets of both ungulates translated into differences in their dietary overlap, with the highest overlap found in grassland during winter. This generally low overlap may be attributed to the extreme differences in their body size or may also result from long-lasting sympatry of gazelles and cattle – first wild and later domesticated—shaping a robust dietary separation. Yet, since cattle biomass is typically much higher than gazelles’, a low dietary overlap in key food items of gazelles may result in their depletion which might negatively affect gazelles, especially during the fawning season and drought years. Our results highlight the need to cover diverse conditions when studying herbivore dietary composition and overlap. Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1038/s41598-025-04366-w.

Quantitative analysis of siliceous microfossils in a dated sediment core from Lake Michigan reveals the anthropogenic history of pelagic conditions from the last ~ 160 years. Sediments deposited before the twentieth century contained low diatom abundances comprising species associated with oligotrophic conditions. Diatom-assemblage reorganization in the early to mid-twentieth century resulted in an increase in diatom-model-inferred water-column-phosphorus concentrations associated with cultural eutrophication. In recent decades, better nutrient management and water-quality recovery drove a decline of high-nutrient indicating diatom taxa. The most recent two decades manifest the effects of the extensive dreissenid invasion (a continued reduction in diatom-accumulation rate) and likely atmospheric warming (the rise in summer-diatom taxa representing a longer summer stratification and ice-free period). Like many areas of the Great Lakes basin, Lake Michigan’s paleolimnological sequence reflects the widespread eutrophication of the twentieth century, followed by remediation and a modern condition affected by multiple stressors.

Object detection is the most crucial and challenging task of computer vision and has been used in various fields in recent years, such as autonomous driving and industrial inspection. Traditional object detection methods are mainly based on the sliding windows and the handcrafted features, which have problems such as insufficient understanding of image features and low accuracy of detection. With the rapid advancements in deep learning, convolutional neural networks (CNNs) and vision transformers have become fundamental components in object detection models. These components are capable of learning more advanced and deeper image properties, leading to a transformational breakthrough in the performance of object detection. In this review, we comprehensively review the representative object detection models from deep learning periods, tracing their architectural shifts and technological breakthroughs. Furthermore, we discuss key challenges and promising research directions in the object detection. This review aims to provide a comprehensive foundation for practitioners to enhance their understanding of object detection technologies.

The southward shift of anomalous westerlies from the equator to the south off‐equatorial areas plays a curtail role in demising El Niño, and was attributed to seasonal changes in the large‐scale environments in previous studies. Given that the southward shift exhibits a distinct spectral peak at the sub‐seasonal timescale, we propose that it could also be caused by the seasonal meridional movement of high‐frequency variabilities in the western tropical Pacific, such as the tropical cyclones (TCs) and Madden Julian Oscillation (MJO). It is found that the TCs and MJOs contribute to approximately 39% and 20% of the southward shift from October in El Niño years to the following March, respectively, both of which are significant at the 95% confidence level. Our findings supplement dynamics regarding to El Niño decay, and imply the necessity of improving seasonal forecast of high‐frequency variabilities for a better prediction of El Niño.

The Eurasian Basin in the Arctic Ocean, comprising the Amundsen and Nansen Basins separated by the Gakkel Ridge, has sediment deposits up to 4–5 km thick. However, its sedimentation history and processes remain poorly understood. Using 31 seismic profiles, we have estimated deposition rates for 54 Ma. From 54 to 45 Ma, the Nansen Basin averaged ∼15 cm/kyr, while the Amundsen Basin exhibited higher but variable rates (15–50 cm/kyr). From 45 to 20 Ma, the Amundsen Basin's rates decreased significantly, dropping to 6–7 cm/kyr (34–45 Ma) and ∼3.5 cm/kyr (20–34 Ma). Meanwhile, the Nansen Basin maintained higher rates (∼12 cm/kyr to ∼5 cm/kyr). After 20 Ma, sedimentation rates diverged further. The Nansen Basin stabilized at ∼5 cm/kyr and was significantly influenced by glaciation and iceberg rafting, while the Amundsen Basin continued to decline to ∼2 cm/kyr, with pelagic sediments dominated by sea‐ice and iceberg rafting, and debris flows near the Lomonosov Ridge. The Nansen Basin's higher rates are likely due to its proximity to the Barents and Laptev Sea shelves, while the general declined rates across the basin are related to basin expansion, climate cooling, and reduced tectonic activity. Additionally, the Eurasian Basin's sedimentation is shaped by two phases of Siberian river activity. Before 45 Ma, the Lena and Indigirka rivers dominated, particularly near the eastern Laptev Sea Shelf. After 45 Ma, the Pyasina and Yenisey rivers became the main contributors, with significant sediment delivery through the St. Anna Trough. Sediment deposits (0.6–1 km) along the Gakkel Ridge (70°E−100°E) are also caused by these processes.

The development and use of urban land with sustainable planning is a challenging task. In the optimization of urban land usage plans, this article investigates a decision-making framework based on the Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) combined with an intuitionistic fuzzy set (IFS) for a multi-criteria decision-making (MCDM) algorithm. The model considers several factors, including infrastructural demands, social effects, economic viability, and environmental sustainability, to manage the complexities and uncertainties inherent in urban land development. The framework of IFS is a more generalized and superior format of a fuzzy set. It can express both aspects of information in the form of degree of membership (DoM) and degree of non-membership (DoNM) under the range of interval$\:\:\left[\text{0,1}\right]$. To address this type of situation, we aimed to develop AHP and Sugeno-weber t-norm (TNM) and t-conorm (TCNM) based aggregation operators (AOs) called intuitionistic fuzzy Sugeno-weber weighted averaging (IFSWWA) operators. The MCDM algorithm for AHP and derived AOs is presented, including the solution of real-life numerical examples for selecting the best plane for urban land development and utilization. To highlight the significance of the proposed approach, we will compare it with existing methodologies. Then, we discussed some solid conclusions.

Quantifying the suspended sediment load (SSL) in Iran’s Gheshlagh basin, specifically the Chehel Gazi (1) and Khalifa Tarkhan (2) Rivers, is crucial for ensuring Sanandaj’s water security and regional ecological stability. This research pioneers an innovative two-stage approach, which employs data classification (DC) based on machine learning (ML) to enhance the predictive accuracy and robustness of traditional sediment rating curve (SRC) and advanced artificial neural network (ANN) methods in sediment modeling. Phase 1 (Classification): Water-sediment (W-S) discharge data were classified using Gaussian mixture models (GMM) and Naive Bayes classifiers (NBC). Specifically, 19 GMMs (2–20 classes) were evaluated using the Bayesian information criterion (BIC) and Akaike information criterion (AIC) to determine the optimal number of classes. This facilitated a comparative analysis between unclassified data (Mode 1) and classified data (Mode 2). Phase 2 (Modeling): classified and unclassified W-S data were used to develop SRC and ANN models for SSL estimation (70% training, 30% testing). In Mode 2, NBC assigned test data to GMM-identified classes. Results indicated that GMM identified two optimal classes for both rivers. Notably, AI-driven DC significantly improved the predictive accuracy of both the SRC and ANN models. ANN consistently outperformed SRC in both modes, with Mode2-ANN achieving the highest accuracy. Compared to traditional Mode1-SRC, Mode2-ANN reduced errors by 90.3% for Riv. 1 and 37.3% for Riv. 2. AI-driven DC was more effective at reducing errors than the modeling methods (ANN, SRC), and its integration with regression techniques proves vital for improved hydrological predictions, especially in data-scarce regions where traditional methods falter.

Plain Language Summary Radiogenic Pb isotopes have been widely used to trace sediment provenance, although their utility is influenced by grain size and mineral composition. To date, there is still a need for a more in‐depth understanding of the Pb isotopic compositions in different grain‐size fractions of wind‐blown dust. This study investigates the Pb isotopic characteristics of two different fractions of dust in the central Japan Sea. The observed size‐dependent differences in Pb isotopes are attributed to the uneven weathering of minerals in source rocks, with the finer fraction containing more easily weathered minerals and thus exhibiting more radiogenic Pb isotopes than the coarser fraction. Our findings suggest that climate‐related weathering and transport sorting can significantly influence the Pb isotopic compositions of dust. This research highlights the complexity involved in interpreting Pb isotope data and emphasizes the need for a more nuanced approach when using these isotopes to reconstruct past environmental conditions.

The thermal evolution of magmatic systems of the Altenberg‐Teplice and Tharandter Wald calderas, which erupted during the terminal post‐collisional phase of the Variscan orogeny in the Bohemian Massif, was investigated. The zircon saturation temperatures and Ti‐in‐zircon thermometer indicate that the intrusive and extrusive units of the two calderas were sourced from medium‐ to high‐temperature (∼770–930°C) felsic lower crustal magma. Using an integrated rock‐magnetic and paleomagnetic approach through thermal demagnetization and stepwise thermomagnetic curves, it was estimated that intracaldera ignimbrites reached temperatures of 550–600°C. The low‐temperature component (350–450°C) likely corresponds to the alteration of magnetic minerals during cooling or late‐stage magmatic/hydrothermal events. Placing these findings in the broader context of Variscan post‐collisional magmatism might suggest a trend of decreasing magma temperatures from 330 Ma to 302 Ma within the two lower‐to mid‐crustal (Moldanubian) and upper‐crustal (Saxothuringian) units of the Bohemian Massif, possibly reflecting the cooling of the hot collisional orogen. Lastly, we suggest that a combination of zircon temperature estimates with the rock‐magnetic methods may provide a comprehensive framework for further research on the thermal evolution of felsic magmatic systems.

Enhancing vulnerable people’s resilience capacity and well-being, particularly in light of increasing exposure to multiple stressors and shocks, is crucial for realizing Sustainable Development Goal 1.5. However, empirical research that investigates how exposure to stressors and shocks, and resilience capacity impact rural households’ well-being in mountainous areas is rare. The study examines the resilience capabilities of rural households in the Dabie Mountainous Area of China using a sample of 522 households collected in 2022. It further investigates the influence of shock exposure and resilience capacity on household well-being through regression analysis. Additionally, the study delves into the heterogeneity in shock exposure and resilience capacity, and their influence on the well-being of household with varied livelihood sources. The findings reveal that: (1) The overall resilience capacity score is primarily skewed towards lower values. Among its three pillars, adaptive capacity scores the highest, followed by transformative capacity, while absorptive capacity scores the lowest. (2) Stressors and shocks negatively affect household well-being. Specifically, the adverse effect of health shock on well-being is statistically significant. (3) Resilience capacity positively affects household well-being. Among its three pillars, the impact of absorptive and transformative capacities on household well-being is significantly positive. (4) Heterogeneity analysis reveals that stressors and shocks exert statistically significant negative impacts on well-being in Groups 2 and 4. For households with five distinct livelihood sources, the enhancement of resilience capacity has exerted statistically significant positive impacts on household well-being. Notably, compared to Groups 3 and 4, the improvement in well-being resulting from the enhancement of resilience capacity is considerably more pronounced in Group 2. These findings provide valuable insights for sustaining households’ resilience capacities and well-being in mountainous areas.

Four new polyketides including one indanone (1), one isobenzofuranone (2), and two naphthoquinones (3 and 4) were isolated from the deep‐sea‐derived fungus Pseudogymnoascus hyalinus, along with 20 known compounds (5–24). The structures of new compounds were established by comprehensive analyses of their 1D and 2D NMR, HRESIMS, as well as TD‐DFT‐ECD. Compounds 5, 6, and 10 displayed potent inhibitory effects against RSL3 induced ferroptosis with EC50 values of 4.74, 1.55, and 3.72 µM, respectively.