Integrated environmental modeling (IEM) is inspired by modern environmental problems, decisions, and policies and enabled by transdisciplinary science and computer capabilities that allow the environment to be considered in a holistic way. The problems are characterized by the extent of the environmental system involved, dynamic and interdependent nature of stressors and their impacts, diversity of stakeholders, and integration of social, economic, and environmental considerations. IEM provides a science-based structure to develop and organize relevant knowledge and information and apply it to explain, explore, and predict the behavior of environmental systems in response to human and natural sources of stress. During the past several years a number of workshops were held that brought IEM practitioners together to share experiences and discuss future needs and directions. In this paper we organize and present the results of these discussions. IEM is presented as a landscape containing four interdependent elements: applications, science, technology, and community. The elements are described from the perspective of their role in the landscape, current practices, and challenges that must be addressed. Workshop participants envision a global scale IEM community that leverages modern technologies to streamline the movement of science-based knowledge from its sources in research, through its organization into databases and models, to its integration and application for problem solving purposes. Achieving this vision will require that the global community of IEM stakeholders transcend social, and organizational boundaries and pursue greater levels of collaboration. Among the highest priorities for community action are the development of standards for publishing IEM data and models in forms suitable for automated discovery, access, and integration; education of the next generation of environmental stakeholders, with a focus on transdisciplinary research, development, and decision making; and providing a web-based platform for community interactions (e.g., continuous virtual workshops).
Gabriel C Rau, José Bastías Espejo, R Ian Acworth
et al.
Groundwater (GW) is the primary freshwater resource in many of the world’s drylands, sustaining millions of people and supporting agriculture and ecosystems where surface water is scarce or unreliable. Recharge in these regions is highly episodic and occurs mainly through ephemeral streams (i.e. focused recharge), yet the mechanisms that determine whether surface flows contribute to aquifer replenishment remain poorly constrained. A common assumption is that large floods dominate recharge, but evidence from long-term monitoring is limited and inconclusive. We combine a unique hydrogeological monitoring dataset from the arid zone (Fowlers Gap in western New South Wales, Australia) with numerical modelling of vadose zone processes to assess the controls on focused GW recharge. Our results show that even extreme floods that overtopped piezometers did not produce measurable recharge at the water table. In contrast, significant recharge occurred only during a temporal cluster of moderate flow events in 2022. Numerical simulations confirm that temporal flow clustering produces longer periods of ephemeral streamflow, which progressively wet the vadose zone, overcome evapotranspiration (ET)-driven moisture deficits, and increase relative hydraulic conductivity, enabling percolation to the water table. Isolated floods, by contrast, largely saturate only shallow sediments and water is subsequently lost to ET. By explicitly incorporating ET, our modelling provides a more realistic representation of dryland recharge dynamics and highlights the roles of antecedent conditions and vadose zone properties. These findings demonstrate that recharge is not governed by rainfall totals or intensity alone, but critically depends on the timing and sequence of storm events. The implications for climate change assessments and water management are substantial, as projected shifts toward more intense but less frequent rainfall may reduce opportunities for clustering and thereby limit GW replenishment. Process-based modelling and event-scale analyses are therefore essential for reliable recharge projections and sustainable GW management in drylands.
Johnathan Daniel Maxey, Neil D. Hartstein, Dane Dickinson
et al.
Abstract Aquaculture’s contribution to global N2O emissions is poorly constrained and often reliant on supply chain/industrial emissions/life-cycle analyses which generalise system responses to farm-derived inputs and contain few examples of direct measurements made in situ. Among the studies that do report aquaculture associated N2O emissions the focus has been on pond culture and wetlands systems rather than open marine systems. Our study examined the effects of open system aquaculture culture on water column N2O cycling in two hydrodynamically contrasting southern hemisphere systems: the heavily stratified Macquarie Harbour, Tasmania, Australia and the semi-enclosed but well-mixed Big Glory Bay, New Zealand. Significant, but localised, N2O undersaturation was observed under the active salmon farm in the heavily stratified Macquarie Harbour during the peak feeding season, but not under fallowed salmon farms or the non-farmed areas. This was observed in a low-oxygen but not anoxic water column. Water column N2O was either in equilibrium with the atmosphere or supersaturated in all other instances. In Big Glory Bay N2O undersaturation was observed during winter and spring sampling surveys that generally persisted across the bay and resulted in removal of atmospheric N2O. The specific mechanisms of N2O loss are still uncertain but is likely driven by a combination of particle associated denitrification activity in farm waste plumes, denitrification/DNRA in sediments and on the detritus covered mussel shells and lines. Overall, this study demonstrates that industry impacts to N2O cycling can include loss dynamics which have previously been unreported. Therefore, global estimates of N2O emissions from aquaculture may be significantly overestimated.
Abstract This article explores the historical roots and significant contributions of the Science, Technology, Society (STS) movement and its evolutionary offshoots Science, Technology, Society, Environment (STSE) and Socio-Scientific Issues (SSIs) within the context of science education. It critically assesses traditional STEM education, noting its alignment with global competition, national security, and labor market demands while frequently overlooking socio-political and ethical dimensions. The paper emphasizes the necessity of revisiting STS principles and Critical Education practices to enhance STEM education, advocating for an integrated framework that aligns with broader sociocultural and political contexts. It proposes adopting a critical and anti-oppressive perspective within integrated STEM education, focusing on the incorporation of ethical and democratic values. This approach seeks to align STEM education with students' needs, embracing a humanistic perspective and promoting equity and social justice. By fostering an integrated STEM education that prepares students to address the global challenges of the twenty-first century, science education can significantly contribute to contemporary democratic societies by providing students with the knowledge and skills to responsibly and ethically address critical social issues. Understanding and making informed decisions on scientific and technological issues with social, ethical, political, economic, and environmental dimensions are essential for the well-being and prosperity of the society as a whole.
Semantic segmentation of ultra-high-resolution remote sensing (UHR-RS) imagery plays a critical role in land use and land cover analysis, yet it remains computationally intensive due to the enormous input size and high spatial complexity. Existing studies have commonly employed strategies such as patch-wise processing, multi-scale model architectures, lightweight networks, and representation sparsification to reduce resource demands, but they have often struggled to maintain long-range contextual awareness and scalability for inputs of arbitrary size. To address this, we propose RingFormer-Seg, a scalable Vision Transformer framework that enables long-range context learning through multi-device parallelism in UHR-RS image segmentation. RingFormer-Seg decomposes the input into spatial subregions and processes them through a distributed three-stage pipeline. First, the Saliency-Aware Token Filter (STF) selects informative tokens to reduce redundancy. Next, the Efficient Local Context Module (ELCM) enhances intra-region features via memory-efficient attention. Finally, the Cross-Device Context Router (CDCR) exchanges token-level information across devices to capture global dependencies. Fine-grained detail is preserved through the residual integration of unselected tokens, and a hierarchical decoder generates high-resolution segmentation outputs. We conducted extensive experiments on three benchmarks covering UHR-RS images from 2048 × 2048 to 8192 × 8192 pixels. Results show that our framework achieves top segmentation accuracy while significantly improving computational efficiency across the DeepGlobe, Wuhan, and Guangdong datasets. RingFormer-Seg offers a versatile solution for UHR-RS image segmentation and demonstrates potential for practical deployment in nationwide land cover mapping, supporting informed decision-making in land resource management, environmental policy planning, and sustainable development.
Michelangelo Mercogliano, Gloria Spatari, Chiara Noviello
et al.
Abstract Introduction Humanitarian crises exacerbate the vulnerability of already fragile healthcare systems and significantly increase the risk of infectious disease outbreaks in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). This systematic review aims to evaluate strategies and interventions implemented in LMICs to prevent and manage infectious diseases outbreaks during humanitarian crises from 2018 to 2023. Methods A comprehensive literature search was conducted across Scopus, PubMed, and Web of Science, adhering to the PRISMA guideline and the SPIDER framework to identify relevant studies. The review included studies published between 2018 and 2023 focusing on infectious disease prevention and management in LMICs during humanitarian crises. Study quality was assessed using the Joanna Briggs Institute checklist. Results Eleven studies were identified from 1,415 unique articles. These studies addressed diverse interventions, including vaccination campaigns, epidemiologic surveillance, and integrated health services. Cholera outbreaks in Haiti and Mozambique, triggered by gang violence, internal migration, and Cyclone Kenneth, were addressed through epidemiological surveillance, case management, WASH (Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene) service improvements, and oral vaccination campaigns. Mathematical models guided cholera vaccination in Thailand's refugee camps. In India, surveillance and rapid response measures successfully prevented infectious disease outbreaks during the Kumbh Mela gathering. The Philippines improved response times to climate-related disasters using point-of-care testing and spatial care pathways. Despite challenges in Yemen, evaluating malaria surveillance systems led to recommendations for integrating multiple systems. Uganda developed a national multi-hazard emergency plan incorporating vaccination, communication, and risk management, proving useful during the refugee crisis and Ebola outbreak. In South Sudan, integrating immunisation services into nutrition centres increased vaccination coverage among children. Nigeria experienced a rise in measles cases during armed conflicts despite vaccination efforts, while visual communication strategies improved SARS-CoV-2 vaccination rates. Conclusion These interventions highlight the importance of multimodal, targeted, and collaborative responses to address complex health crises without relying on unsustainable investments. Despite the effectiveness of these interventions, infrastructure limitations, insecurity, and logistical constraints were noted. These findings emphasize the need for adaptable and resilient healthcare systems and international collaboration to safeguard the right to health during complex humanitarian crises.
Hongzheng Zhu, Kieran Khamis, David M. Hannah
et al.
Abstract In‐situ dissolved organic matter (DOM) monitoring frequencies have often been chosen for convenience or based on perceived wisdom, without fully assessing their impact on representation of DOM dynamics. To address this gap, we collected 5‐min fluorescence data in an urban headwater and resampled it at coarser intervals to investigate the impact of monitoring frequencies on the detectability of DOM dynamics during storms. Expecting hydrometeorological conditions to modify the impact of monitoring frequency, we categorized 85 storm events into groups: Group A (low intensity, short duration), Group B (high intensity, short duration), and Group C (low intensity, long duration). Surprisingly, our analysis indicated that monitoring frequency has minimal influence on commonly used biogeochemical indexes (e.g., maximum, hysteresis and flushing index), which are employed to characterize solute behavior, regardless of storm type. To facilitate a direct comparison between monitoring frequencies, we back‐interpolated coarser data into 5‐min intervals and calculated mean squared errors by comparing them with original high‐resolution data. Our findings indicated that in colder periods with predominately Type A and C storms, a coarser monitoring frequency (>30 min) can capture DOM dynamics. Conversely, in warmer periods when Type B storms dominate, a finer frequency (≤15 min) is necessary to capture key solute chemograph processes (e.g., first flush and dilution). Generally, we suggest a 15‐min monitoring frequency as optimal for similar urban headwater systems, and advocate an adaptive approach based on seasonal variations to improve efficiency, especially when power, data transfer, and storage are constraints.
Tobias Rudolph, Peter Goerke-Mallet, Andre Homölle
et al.
Integrated geo- and environmental monitoring in mining represents a high-dimensional challenge (location, altitude/depth, time and sensors). This is challenging for experts but poses great problems for a multitude of participants and stakeholders in building up a complete process understanding. The Epe research cooperation aims to elucidate the ground movement at the Epe cavern storage facility with a public participation process. The research cooperation was founded by the city of Gronau, the citizens’ initiative cavern field Epe, the company EFTAS, Münster, and the Research Center of Post-Mining at the Technische Hochschule Georg Agricola, Bochum. This research cooperation is the first in Germany to involve direct collaboration between science and the public. In the cavern field, which has been in operation since the 1970s, brine is extracted, and at the same time natural gas, crude oil and helium, as well as hydrogen in the future, are stored in the subsurface. The technical focus of this work was the development of a high-resolution spatiotemporal analysis of ground movements. The area is monitored annually by the mining company’s mine surveyor. The complexity of the monitoring issue lies in the fact that the western part is a bog area and a former bog area. Furthermore, the soils in the eastern part are very humus-rich and show strong fluctuations in the groundwater and therefore complex hydraulic conditions. At the same time, there are few fixed scatterers or prominent points in the area that allow high-resolution spatiotemporal monitoring using simple radar interferometry methods. Therefore, the SBAS method (Small Baseline Subset), which is based on an aerial method, was used to analyze the radar interferometric datasets. Using an SBAS analysis, it was possible to evaluate a time series of 760 scenes over the period from 2015 to 2023. The results were integrated with the mine survey maps on the ground movement and other open geodata on the surface, the soil layers and the overburden. The results show complex forms of ground movement. The main influence is that of mining. Nevertheless, the influence of organic soils with drying out due to drought years and uplift in wet years is great. Thus, in dry years, ground subsidence accelerates, and in wet years, ground subsidence not only slows down but in some cases also causes uplift. This complexity of ground movements and the necessary understanding of the processes involved has been communicated to the interested public at several public information events as part of the research cooperation. In this way, an understanding of the mining process was built up, and transparency was created in the subsurface use, also as a part of the energy transition. In technical terms, the research cooperation also provides a workflow for developing the annual mine survey maps into an integrated geo- and environmental monitoring system with the development of a transparent participatory geomonitoring process to provide resilience management to a mining location.
Wajid Umar, János Balogh, Muhammad Khalid Hameed
et al.
Overuse of chemical fertilizers in agroecosystems leads to the increased economic burden, low crop production in terms of input and environmental pollution. Due to its improved nutrient management and degrading properties, synthetic slow release fertilizers have become a significant advancement in the fertilizer sector. In this study we evaluated the effect of slow release urea on nitrous oxide (N2O) emission, crop growth and crop nutrient contents. Measurements were carried out in two different texture soils (sandy loam and silty clay) under two different conditions (bare soil and planted). The N2O emission was measured for 15 days from bare soils and 48 days from planted soil. Plant fresh weight, dry weight, chlorophyll contents, N and Zn were measured in the end of the experiment. The results showed that N2O emission was reduced 33–39 % from coated urea as compared to conventional urea in bare soil. In planted soil, the coated urea reduced the N2O emission 29–33 %. The deep placement of urea in silty clay soil reduced the N2O emission up to 22.8 % as compared to surface placement. Plant fresh matter, dry matter, N and Zn contents were significantly (p ≤ 0.05) higher with coated urea as compared to conventional urea. It is concluded that the coating of urea with hydrophobic materials like stearic acid, along with Zn sources i.e. Zn fortified nano-bentonite or the ZnO nanoparticles (NPs) presents opportunities to overcome the environmental pollution and increasing the crop production and quality.
Anita Shrestha, Clare Barnes, Dibya Devi Gurung
et al.
Whilst political ecology scholarship has contributed much to articulating social injustices associated with Nepal's community forestry, here we took a different approach, by attempting an 'affirmative political ecology.' We drew on feminist and activist scholarship to inspire collective action that engaged directly with challenges of social justice and those charged with delivering it through their work. Guided by theories and practices of 'transformative learning' and a range of associated reflective practices, our participatory action research involved 4 facilitators and (up to) 25 participants who work across Nepal's forest bureaucracy (and for some, the wider community-based natural resource management sector). Together physically, remotely and through our writing, we reflect upon the operation of power in our professional – and personal – lives, exploring how that may enable a more informed and meaningful engagement with social justice within the workplace, and beyond. This article presents the process of our collective reflection and learning, and shares some of its initial outcomes based on the experiences of the 15 co-authors. Whilst 'simply' having the time and space to come together was hugely important, it was the form and feel of that space that was particularly significant, as we focused on co-creating a safe space which was non-judgmental and based on mutual respect, enabling comfortable and open discussion of often unspoken and uncomfortable issues. Ultimately, this article argues that collective practices of reflection and transformative learning can create shared learning, understanding, empathy and solidarity, and thus that it offers hope in the face of on-going social injustices. It therefore urges political ecologists to work towards such caring and affirmative collective engagements with practitioners as one way in which to affect change.
Abstract Redressing global patterns of biodiversity loss requires quantitative frameworks that can predict ecosystem collapse and inform restoration strategies. By applying a network-based dynamical approach to synthetic and real-world mutualistic ecosystems, we show that biodiversity recovery following collapse is maximized when extirpated species are reintroduced based solely on their total number of connections in the original interaction network. More complex network-based strategies that prioritize the reintroduction of species that improve ‘higher order’ topological features such as compartmentalization do not provide meaningful performance improvements. These results suggest that it is possible to design nearly optimal restoration strategies that maximize biodiversity recovery for data-poor ecosystems in order to ensure the delivery of critical natural services that fuel economic development, food security, and human health around the globe.
Mahdi Moeinikia, Shahram Mehravar Giglouu, Salim Kazami
et al.
Background: Today, e-learning has become one of the basic components of education process, especially in higher education. Institutions and universities employ e-learning extensively in their educational operations. In light of this, the goal of the current research was to determine the advantages, disadvantages, possibilities, and dangers associated with e-learning in the Iranian higher education system.Method: The present research is applied in terms of purpose and with a qualitatively exploratory approach. The participants of present study were experts in the field of e-learning in public universities of the Ministry of Science, Research and Technology in 2021.Using purposive sampling and snowball sampling methods, 16 e-learning experts were selected as the participants. Semi-structured interviews were used to collect data and thematic analysis was employed to analyze the obtained data. Results: After analyzing the obtained data from the interview, the total number of 116 free codes were extracted from interviews content was 116 codes, which were classified in 18 concepts and finally were identified strengths (Use of office automation in universities, Establishment of information and communication technology centers in universities, Development of e-learning in universities, Familiarity of faculty members and students with virtual environments, The place of e-learning in upstream documents and university perspectives), weaknesses (Lack of proper infrastructure, equipment and facilities for e-learning, Lack of specialized manpower, Lack of formal regulations for e-learning in the field of higher education, Insufficient knowledge about e-learning), threats (Threats related to cost, facilities and time, Management threats, Threats to change the nature of the university, Threats related to interactions) and training opportunities (Increas access to e-learning, Expanding international and intercultural interactions, Environmental benefits, Providing economic opportunities , Development of educational justice) of e-learning in Iranian higher education system. Conclusion: Considering the research findings, to develop educational justice and the possibility of more population access to the University of the Student community, reviewing existing approaches and educational methods and using e-learning as a new educational strategy for higher education system are necessary
Computer applications to medicine. Medical informatics