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Environmental considerations for the decommissioning of subsea cables
No full textSince the first trans-oceanic telegraph cables were laid in the nineteenth century, a subsea network of cables has grown across the global ocean; becoming upgraded with co-axial, and more recently, fibre-optic cable systems. Demands for digital connectivity mean that this network continues to expand, with an estimated >3.5 million km of all types of subsea cable installed to date, and a growing amount of now out-of-service infrastructure requiring decommissioning. While the environmental impacts have been well-documented for installation and operational phases, to date no study has addressed the potential impacts associated with the decommissioning of out-of-service subsea cable systems, which typically have a 20-25-year design life. Here, we address this evidence gap and present a first synthesis of the drivers for, and environmental considerations relevant to, the decommissioning of subsea telecommunications cables. We show that recovery of subsea cables has potential to return commercially valuable materials to the economy with a high degree (>95 %) of recyclability; however, various dynamic environmental conditions and logistical challenges mean that it is not always viable to recover the entire length of a cable system. While cable recovery activities are found to have a localised and short-lived environmental impact, it is important to ensure that any impacts are minimised, particularly in sensitive habitats, or exceptional cases where intense biological colonisation of a cable has occurred. Options for decommissioning out-of-service systems, other than recovery, include in-situ repurposing to make scientific measurements or re-deploying sections of recovered cables elsewhere. Many future opportunities exist for further enhancing the evidence base concerning cable decommissioning and with regards to the gathering of environmental data during cable recovery operations to inform future decision-making and to enhance the wider scientific understanding of shallow to deep sea environments
Co-creating water knowledge: a community perspective
No full textNavigating the complexities of global and local water resources challenges requires collaboration and mutual learning among diverse knowledge systems and disciplines. However, Western philosophical approaches to generating knowledge have prevailed in water management and hydrology, often overlooking community priorities, practices and perspectives, and power asymmetries - including gender inequalities, racism, and colonial injustices. In this perspective paper, we explore the co-creation of water knowledge (CCWK) concept to value multiple and diverse forms of knowledge. We identify four overarching principles (inclusivity, openness, legitimacy, and actionability), highlighting the importance of establishing relationships and collaborative leadership, adopting key tools and techniques, and integrating knowledge for water resources management. Furthermore, we argue that prioritizing epistemic justice is essential for effective CCWK. To address these, we advocate for more interdisciplinary and reflexive research practices that challenge and disrupt Western scientific traditions shaped by functionalist and colonial legacies
Reconstructing Eocene Antarctic river drainage from provenance analysis of Amundsen Sea embayment sediments
No full textSedimentary records can illuminate relationships between the climate, topography, and glaciation of West Antarctica by revealing its Cenozoic topographic and paleoenvironmental history. Eocene fluvial drainage patterns have previously been inferred using geochemical provenance data from an ~44– to 34–million year deltaic sandstone recovered from the Amundsen Sea Embayment. One interpretation holds that a low-relief, low-lying West Antarctic landscape supported a >1500-kilometer transcontinental river system. Alternatively, higher-relief topography in central West Antarctica formed a drainage divide between the Ross and Amundsen seas. Here, zircon U-Pb data from Amundsen Sea Embayment sediments are examined alongside known regional bedrock provenance signatures. These analyses suggest that all observed provenance indicators in the Eocene sandstone derive from West Antarctic rocks. This implies that a local river system flowed off a West Antarctic drainage divide, helping constrain the mid-Late Eocene evolution of West Antarctic topography with implications for the history of rifting and the characteristics of sediments infilling interior basins
Are microplastic (∼25–1000 μm) and plasticizer concentrations correlated in sediments of an urbanized UK estuary?
No full textAn understanding of the relationships between plastics and plasticizers is vital in order to assess their environmental risk. We investigated spatial trends and relationships between microplastics and plasticizers in sediments of an urbanized estuary subject to contemporary and historic sources of contamination (Forth estuary, Scotland, UK). As such, this study represents one of the first to investigate the co-occurrence of emerging plasticizers, phthalates, and microplastics in an estuary system. We determined the concentration of 7 legacy (phthalate) and 3 emerging (adipate, terephthalate, trimellitate) plasticizers and 21 microplastic polymer types. The most abundant microplastics were polyethylene (PE), polypropylene (PP), polyurethane (PU), and poly(vinyl chloride) (PVC). Plasticizers were dominated by diethylhexyl phthalate (DEHP), although emerging plasticizers (e.g., diethylhexyl terephthalate, DEHTP) were frequently detected at low concentrations (mean 7.3 ng g–1 ww). There was strong evidence that concentrations of microplastics and plasticizers were significantly lower in the outer estuary. However, we found no evidence for a spatial relationship between the concentration of microplastics and plasticizers at individual site level. Our results indicate that microplastics in the size range analyzed (∼25–1000 μm) may not be a good predictor of the spatial distribution of plasticizers in estuaries. This could result from release of plasticizers prior to plastic fragmentation and deposition and differences in transport and fate
Toward an integrated framework on AMOC stability: Combining theory, observations, paleoclimate records, model simulations and AI
No full textThe Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC) plays a critical role in regulating global heat and hydrological redistributions. A primary concern regarding AMOC is its potential future collapse, as suggested by paleoclimate records and the indications coming from models of different levels of complexity. Different approaches have been applied to investigate AMOC stability and project its future evolution, yet critical challenges persist, such as incomplete understanding of driving mechanisms, short observation duration, limitations in paleoclimate reconstructions, persistent model biases and methodological constraints in tipping-point predictions. For more accurate projections of future AMOC variability, we suggest using paleoclimate tipping events as benchmarks for validating understanding and simulations of AMOC tipping, and propose an integrated research framework on AMOC stability that combines theory, observations, paleoclimate records, model simulations and Artificial Intelligence (AI). The strategy mainly includes three steps: paleoclimate simulations, model-data comparison and model selection, and deep learning
A haplotype-resolved chromosomal reference genome for the porcini mushroom Boletus edulis
Get PDFHaplotype-resolved chromosomal reference genomes are increasingly available for many fungi, offering insights into the evolution of pathogenic and symbiotic lifestyles. However, these resources remain scarce for ectomycorrhizal fungi, which play crucial roles in forest ecosystems. Here, we used a combination of chromatin conformation capture and PacBio sequencing to construct a haplotype-resolved chromosomal genome assembly for Boletus edulis, a prized edible fungus and emerging model for ectomycorrhizal fungal research. Our new reference assembly, “BolEdBiel_h2,” derives from a B. edulis sporocarp sampled in Bielefeld, Germany. The genome assembly spans 41.8 Mb, with a scaffold N50 of 4.1 Mb, and includes 11 chromosome-level scaffolds, achieving near telomere-to-telomere coverage across multiple chromosomes. We annotated a total of 15,406 genes, with a Benchmarking Universal Single-Copy Orthologs score of 96.2%. Key genomic features such as mating loci, carbohydrate-active enzymes, and effector proteins, were identified. As a first application of this new genomic resource, we mapped whole-genome resequencing data from 53 genets to investigate the population structure and genetic diversity of the European lineage of B. edulis. We identified 2 distinct genetic clusters and found that high-latitude populations from Iceland and Fennoscandia exhibited greater nucleotide diversity than populations from the United Kingdom and Central Europe. Additionally, we discovered a 0.4-Mb inversion on chromosome 3 and identified several regions of locally elevated nucleotide diversity, which may represent candidates for ecological adaptation. This genomic resource will facilitate a deeper understanding of this ecologically and commercially important wild fungus
A protocol for the radiological assessment for agricultural use of land in Ukraine abandoned after the Chornobyl accident
Get PDFThere is a need in Ukraine for re-evaluation of the status of lands outside the Chornobyl Exclusion Zone which were abandoned in the years after the accident. Since the 1991 criteria for zoning were put in place, there has been no re-classification of abandoned lands even though radionuclide contamination density and, for radiocaesium isotopes, mobility have both declined. This study describes the development of a protocol for assessment of abandoned lands in Ukraine based on a 100 ha experimental plot. A simple method of quantification of 137Cs contamination density was developed using external dose measurement whilst other relevant radionuclides (90Sr; 241Am and Pu isotopes) were quantified using selected soil samples. Modelling of uptake of radionuclides in eight key crops shows that the study field could be re-used for agriculture according to Ukrainian regulatory limits. Monte Carlo modelling of potential dose to farm workers showed that dose was dominated by external exposure and that doses were significantly below 1 mSv y−1. Based on statistical analysis of soil-plant concentrations ratios, criteria were derived for assessment of suitability of agricultural land for production. The criteria are applicable to areas of soddy-podzolic sandy and sandy loam soils (Podzoluvisol) typical in these regions of Northern Ukraine. They are not applicable to high organic matter soils (Histosols) where soil-plant concentration ratios are likely to be much higher for radiocaesium
Using long-term ecological datasets to unravel the impacts of short-term meteorological disturbances on phytoplankton communities
Get PDF•1. Extreme meteorological events such as storms are increasing in frequency and intensity, but our knowledge of their impacts on aquatic ecosystems and emergent system properties is limited. Understanding the ecological impacts of storms on the dynamics of primary producers remains a challenge that needs to be addressed to assess the vulnerability of freshwater ecosystems to extreme weather conditions and climate change.
•2. One promising approach to gain insights into storm impacts on phytoplankton community dynamics is to analyse long‐term monitoring datasets. However, such an approach requires disentangling the impacts of short‐term meteorological disturbances from the effects of the seasonal trajectories of meteorological conditions. To this end, we applied boosted regression tree models to phytoplankton time series from eight relatively large lakes on four continents, coupled with a procedure adapted to detect and quantify rare events.
•3. Overall, the patterns and potential drivers we identified provide important insights into the responses of lakes to short‐term meteorological events and highlight differences in the response of phytoplankton communities according to lake morphological characteristics. Our results indicated that deepened thermoclines and lake‐specific combinations of drivers describing altered thermal structures caused deviations from the typical trajectories of seasonal phytoplankton succession. For shallow polymictic lakes, shifts in phytoplankton succession also depended on changes in light availability.
•4. Overall, our study highlights the value of long‐term monitoring to improve our understanding of phytoplankton sensitivity to short‐term meteorological disturbances
The Fuquene National Geomagnetic Observatory: a journey through its past, present, and future
Get PDFOfrecemos aquí un análisis detallado del papel crucial del Observatorio Geomagnético Nacional de Fúquene en la historia de la investigación geomagnética y su renovada importancia en el estudio del geomagnetismo y el monitoreo del clima espacial. El geomagnetismo desempeña un papel clave en la comprensión del campo magnético de la Tierra, sus dinámicas internas y su interacción con la actividad solar, la cual puede afectar las operaciones de los satélites, las redes eléctricas y los sistemas de comunicación. Un tema de especial interés es la reciente mejora en el equipamiento del observatorio, lo que ha incrementado significativamente su capacidad para detectar y analizar fenómenos geomagnéticos, especialmente a medida que la actividad solar se intensifica con el acercamiento al pico del Ciclo Solar 25. Se destacan, asimismo, las mejoras técnicas realizadas en los sistemas de medición del observatorio, lo que ha resultado en una mayor precisión y frecuencia en la recopilación de datos, lo que se evidencia en la detección y el monitoreo exitosos de recientes tormentas geomagnéticas provocadas por intensas erupciones solares y eyecciones de masa coronal, lo que resalta el papel del Observatorio de Fúquene en la provisión de datos en tiempo real durante eventos significativos del clima espacial. Con estas actualizaciones, el observatorio está en una posición ideal para convertirse en una parte integral de redes globales como INTERMAGNET y una referencia clave para la investigación futura sobre las interacciones entre el Sol y la Tierra. Sus capacidades mejoradas servirán para avanzar en el modelado geomagnético y las predicciones del clima espacial, especialmente en las regiones cercanas al ecuador magnético, donde el impacto de la actividad solar es una fuente de creciente interés
Metal mining on land versus the ocean in the context of the current Biodiversity Crisis
Get PDFAs climate change and biodiversity loss intensify, the deep seabed beckons as a source of metals for batteries. Initiating this new exploitation conflicts with international agreements to decelerate biodiversity loss through wider protections of ecosystem integrity. The poor record of terrestrial mining must not be an excuse to mine the ocean floor. Improved oversight and biodiversity protection as miners increase production on land will produce a better global biodiversity outcome
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