Journal of Environmental & Earth Sciences

Carbon Cycling in Natural and Managed Ecosystems: Recent Insights and Future Research Needs

Fei Wang, Jian Wang, Jia Wang, Fangfang Li, Hongrui Zhang — Wed, 17 Jun 2026 00:00:00 +0800

Carbon cycling is an important factor in the climate regulation of the Earth as it regulates the exchange of carbon between the atmosphere, oceans, and soils, as well as living organisms on Earth. This review discusses the processes of carbon cycling in natural and managed ecosystems and identifies the processes of photosynthesis, respiration, decomposition, and soil carbon dynamics as the major processes. It looks at the effects of activities carried out by humans, such as agriculture, forestry, and urbanization, which affect carbon fluxes to improve or interfere with carbon sequestration. Recent technological changes, such as remote sensing, eddy covariance systems, and isotopic tracers, have enormously helped to monitor carbon dynamics over a greater scale and over a greater time extent. Also, new developments in modeling methods have enhanced the forecasts of carbon cycling in different environmental conditions. Nevertheless, many issues, such as the constraint in data, complexity of ecosystem interactions, and the requirement to know more about carbon feedbacks and non-linearities as climate changes persist. These issues should be solved by interdisciplinary research, biological innovations, and more comprehensive monitoring networks. Future studies should be aimed at the effects of extreme events on carbon processes, how well the ecosystem responds to the feedback, and how to apply the scientific results to policy and management tools. This will prove very important in curbing climate change and enhancing sustainable management of ecosystems.

Next-Generation 3D Mapping Techniques for Geological Hazard Monitoring

Shuai Fu — Mon, 01 Jun 2026 00:00:00 +0800

The increasing frequency and intensity of geological hazards such as earthquakes, landslides, volcanic eruptions, and floods underscore the need for advanced monitoring techniques. Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR), satellite-based technologies, and Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) are next-generation 3D mapping technologies that have transformed geological hazards monitoring due to their high-resolution, real-time data that could improve hazard detection, risk evaluation, and disaster management. Through these technologies, detailed and three-dimensional models of geological features can be produced, and this helps in the detection of hazards like fault lines, unstable slopes, and volcanic activities with more accuracy than before. The combination of several sources of data and the development of machine learning and predictive modeling has further increased the abilities of 3D mapping systems, which have allowed them to monitor hazards in real-time and provide early warning systems. The challenges associated with data quality, computational requirements, environmental issues, and data integration still persist despite the great advancement. The future development of sensor technology, autonomous systems, and predictive modeling has the potential to enhance hazard prediction and early warning and risk mitigation approaches. Due to the use of 3D mapping technologies, disaster preparedness can be enhanced, negative consequences of natural calamities can be decreased, and the overall resilience to geological threats can be improved. In this review, the development, present status, use, challenges, and future trends of 3D mapping in monitoring geological hazards have been discussed.

Environmental Stewardship in Civil Infrastructure: A Comprehensive Review of AI Applications in Road and Bridge Engineering

Yi Su — Thu, 11 Jun 2026 00:00:00 +0800

The road and bridge infrastructure systems are also among the most resource-intensive systems in the built environment, which produce massive environmental impacts on their life cycles. Civil infrastructure environmental stewardship must therefore demand decision-making methods that are no longer limited to the static analysis of sustainability, but rather to the adaptive and data-driven management of long-lived resources. Recent innovations in artificial intelligence (AI) can provide transformative potential to facilitate this transition by making predictions, optimization, and continuous monitoring in the process of planning, design, construction, operation, maintenance, and end-of-life stages. The article is a comprehensive review of AI applications that promote environmental stewardship in road and bridge engineering. The review combines the state-of-the-art approaches, which involve AI in combination with the life-cycle assessment, digital twins, sensing systems, and asset management systems to minimize greenhouse gas emissions, energy consumption, material use, waste, and ecosystem disruption. The focus is specifically on the way AI advances environmentally responsible planning and design, low-impact construction delivery, predictive and network-level maintenance approaches, and circular end-of-life approaches. The review also explores cross-cutting issues to do with the quality of data, model transferability, interpretability, governance, and equity that impact the practical efficacy of AI-based stewardship. This article forms a systematic basis for future research and implementation by categorizing the current research on environmental impact domains, life-cycle stages, and AI methods. The results show how AI can transform the infrastructure management system into a proactive, measurable, and robust environmental custodianship, as well as the requirement of interconnected systems, reliable models, and institutional preparedness.

Preventing Geological Disasters in Loess Regions: Lessons Learned and Future Directions from Gansu and Similar Environments

Yucheng Wang — Thu, 18 Jun 2026 00:00:00 +0800

Loess areas represent the most susceptible geomorphological settings for geological disasters, thanks to distinctive soil properties, elevated porosity, and high water permeability. The study provides an updated overview of the mechanisms, features, and mitigation approaches for geological hazards in loess regions, using Gansu Province as a case study and comparing it with other loess regions worldwide. This research explores the geomorphological and environmental characteristics of loess, with an emphasis on the role of hydro-mechanical stress in landslides, debris flows, and collapses. This review, through the synthesis of case studies and literature, reveals the primary role of water in controlling various types of hazards, and also highlights the influence of human factors such as irrigation, urbanization, and slope alterations. Existing prevention and mitigation measures, such as monitoring, engineering, ecology, and policy-making, are assessed, showing gaps in their piecemeal implementation and long-term sustainability. This review is unique in its multi-scale and multi-disciplinary approach, which connects soil micromorphology, landscape dynamics, and socio-environmental interactions. It suggests future work in areas including the use of emerging technologies like artificial intelligence and multi-source observation, as well as the development of climate-resilient, adaptive management strategies. This research promotes an integrated strategy of technological, ecological, and social adaptation to improve resilience in loess regions.

Environmental IoT under Attack: A Review of Adversarial Machine Learning in Monitoring Networks

Hui Zeng, Massudi Mahmuddin — Fri, 12 Jun 2026 00:00:00 +0800

Environmental Internet of Things (E-IoT) networks are also used in real-time air, water, soil, and ecological systems monitoring, which provides high-resolution data that is essential in environmental management and policy decision-making. When used in these networks, the implementation of machine learning (ML) will improve the predictive potential, anomaly detection, and automated decision-making. Nevertheless, the use of ML models brings with it additional security threats in the guise of adversarial machine learning (AML) attacks, which can alter the input to models, their training data, or parameters in order to trigger inaccurate predictions or to prevent the detection of events of interest. This review essentially offers a thorough analysis of E-IoT network AML threats, the distinct characteristics of resource-constrained, distributed, and dynamic environmental sensing environments. Along with the mechanisms, the attack surface, and the impacts that such attacks may have on monitoring reliability and decision-making, we classify AML attacks into evasion, poisoning, model extraction, and backdoor attacks. The review also provides a survey of defense techniques at data, model, and system levels, such as preprocessing, robust modeling, adversarial training, secure aggregation, and self-healing networks, and the advantages, weaknesses, and trade-offs of these techniques. Lastly, the challenges that are recognized as open include a lack of realistic datasets, coping with concept drift, resource limitations, and interdisciplinary research. Through the synthesis of existing information, this review will inform the development of resilient, safe, and reliable E-IoT networks that will be able to support reliable environmental monitoring when subjected to adversarial attacks.

Bioengineered Materials for Soil and Water Remediation: Mechanisms, Effectiveness, and Global Applications

Xikun Liu, Hongwei Chen, Hongwei Chen, Yan Wang — Thu, 25 Jun 2026 00:00:00 +0800

Bioengineered materials are becoming more accepted as sustainable and efficient remedies towards the reduction of soil and water pollution caused by industrialization, agriculture, and urban development. This review is a synthesis of recent discoveries in bioengineered remediation materials, which range from microbial-based materials, biopolymer-derived sorbents, bio-inspired and biomimetic materials, and plant/biomass-derived hybrids. It focuses on the mechanistic principle of contaminant removal, such as adsorption, ion exchange, chelation, precipitation, biodegradation, and redox-mediated transformation and synergistic pathways facilitated by multifunctional hybrid designs. Commonly used metrics in performance evaluation include removal efficacy, kinetics, capacity, selectivity, stability, and reusability, with a specific focus on the differences between laboratory demonstrations and field-scale results in complex environmental matrices. The review also explains major constraints to large scale application, such as material fouling and degradation, inconsistency in changing pH and redox environments, biosafety and ecotoxicity (in particular in the case of living or genetically modified materials), cost and scale-up, and regulatory guidance and standardization lapses. Lastly, the future directions are described, based on opportunities in synthetic biology, smart and stimuli-responsive materials, integrated sensing and monitoring, and circular-economy organizing coupled with remediation and resource recovery. In general, bioengineered materials provide an attractive direction for the use of adaptable, low-impact remediation strategies, yet their global realization will demand balanced improvements in the material design, risk analysis, and scaled implementations.

Smart Environmental Technologies for Safeguarding Tangible Heritage: From Microclimate Control to Predictive Deterioration Modelling

Shuang Li, Jun Chen — Thu, 04 Jun 2026 00:00:00 +0800

The environmental conditions determine the long-term conservation of tangible cultural heritage, affecting the processes of physical, chemical, and biological degradation of materials and situations over an extensive spectrum. The last few years have seen expansive gains in sensing technology, data acquisition, and analysis procedures, which have facilitated the creation of intelligent environmental practices that surpass the conventional and unchanging conservation policies. This review presents a recap on existing studies in smart environmental technologies to preserve tangible heritage with a focus on the spectrum between environmental monitoring and intelligent microclimate control, predictive deterioration modelling, and decision support. The paper reviews the main environmental hazards to build, movable, and outdoor heritage sites and outlines how high-resolution surveillance systems, sensor networks, and non-invasive methods deliver the data base of adaptive conservation management. Intelligent microclimate control strategies are studied in the context of the ability to achieve conservation performance, energy efficiency, and sustainability. Special focus is made on predictive deterioration modelling, which can include physics-based, empirical, and data-driven models, and the issues of validation, uncertainty, and interpretability in heritage. The combination of these elements as part of decision support structures is noted as a critical move to preventive and risk-based conservation. Through a critical analysis of the existing capacities and capacities, the review outlines the main gaps in the current research and the way forward in the future of designing resilient, data-infused heritage conservation systems that can address the strategic shifts in the environmental and climatic forces.

Subsurface Integrity at the Energy-Environment Interface: Advances in Ground Construction for Oil and Gas Storage and Transport Systems

Wei Fan, Long Yang, Fangfang B ai, Lin Fan — Mon, 15 Jun 2026 00:00:00 +0800

The integrity of the subsurface at the energy environment interface is essential for the safe, long-term and responsible storage and transportation of oil and gas. The latest developments in materials, design techniques, and monitoring systems have revolutionized the design and operation of subsurface infrastructure in a manner that employs simultaneous solutions to mechanical, chemical, and geotechnical problems. The case in this review is the state-of-the-art developments in the subsurface construction, storage system, and transport network, including high-performance alloys, geopolymers, composite linings, and bio-mediated stabilization systems. The adaptive structural designs, such as reinforced foundations, multi-layer linings, and flexible pipeline systems, enhance resilience during conditions of a difference in settlement, cyclic loading, and geochemical exposure. By using fiber-optic sensing, digital twins, and machine learning, predictive management and monitoring help detect a possible failure on time and optimize the interventions in the operations. The environmental safeguards are also critically assessed in the review, such as erosion control, groundwater protection, and sustainable construction practices, focusing on how they are integrated with operational and regulatory goals. The shortage of geological predictability, material behavior over long periods, and adjustment to new energy sources, including hydrogen and CO₂, are stated, and future research and practice directions are outlined. The article highlights the necessity of a multidisciplinary approach that is holistic, showing that the key to resilient, sustainable, and safe subsurface energy infrastructure is integrated engineering, materials, and monitoring strategies that can address energy and environmental demands as they change.

Research on the Resilience Evaluation and Enhancement Mechanism of Sustainable Development in Cultural Tourism under Environmental Regulatory Pressure

Qiming Wang — Tue, 09 Jun 2026 00:00:00 +0800

The pressure from environmental regulations is emerging as an effective and constant factor that is developing the sustainable development of cultural tourism destinations. The review is a synthesis of studies on the process of resilience evaluation and improvement of cultural tourism systems that are increasingly subject to governance by the environment of very high standards. The article combines separate literatures on tourism sustainability, environmental regulation, and adaptive governance based on the resilience theory and coupled socio-ecological-economic systems perspective to explain how regulatory pressure influences resilience processes. The review indicates that regulation has dual and context-specific effects, including compliance costs, capacity constraints, and uncertainty in operations, which can undermine short-term absorptive capacity. Credible and well-coordinated regulatory regimes can boost green innovation, resource-use efficiency, product upgrading, and institutional learning, and enhance adaptive and transformative resilience. Methodologically, the current resilience measurements are dependent on composite indicator systems in terms of the environmental, economic, social, cultural, and institutional facets, but they are constrained by the lack of dynamism in measurements, the lack of uniformity in the selection of indicators, and a deficit of multi-scale interactions. The mechanism-oriented evidence focuses on four interacting channels: constraint, incentive, structural adjustment, and governance mediation channels, in which the regulation determines destination pathways. The review also reveals intervention strategies for resilience enhancement that focus on policy alignment, technology-driven visitor and environmental management, low-impact cultural experiences, industrial diversification, inclusive community involvement, and adaptive and data-driven governance. Dynamic assessment schemes, causal findings, and distribution-sensitive studies should be developed in the future to enable sustainable transformation under the influence of a regulation.

Faciological Sectioning and Mapping of Intra-Tarat Mineralization Systems in the Taossa Sector of SOMAIR (Tim Mersoï Basin, North-West Niger)

Abdoulwahid Sani, Karimou Dia Hantchi, Abdel Kader Ahmed Akassa, Moussa Konaté — Wed, 24 Jun 2026 00:00:00 +0800

This work focuses on the sedimentological study of the Taossa deposit (Tim Mersoï Basin), one of the ore deposits belonging to the concession area of SOMAÏR (Société des Mines de l'Aïr). The Tarat Carboniferous formation hosts numerous uranium deposits, including the Taossa deposit. The study of this deposit led to the proposal of a new division based on intra-Tarat facies characteristics. The Tarat formation has thus been subdivided into five units (instead of four). These are, from bottom to top: U1, U2, U3G, U4a and U4b. Each of these units is distinguished from the others by its specific facies pattern. Thus, the U1 unit consists of coarse to very coarse microconglomeratic sandstones, the U2 unit consists of argillites or alternating argillites-fine sandstones, U3G sub-unit consists of coarse to very coarse sandstones at its base. U4 is subdivided into 2 sub-units (U4a and U4b). U4a encompasses the summit part of Unit U3 and the fine sandstone base of Unit 4, and U4b consists of Tarat-Madaouéla argillite or clay-silt alternations in the Taossa area. The advantage of this division is that it could facilitate ore categorization during the mining phase. Isohypsic and isopaque maps of the various intra-Tarat units have also been produced. They show that the Tarat sediments were deposited in a fluvio-deltaic environment. Geological modeling suggests that uranium mineralization at the Taossa deposit is concentrated along the flanks of anticlines and synclines, which are sites of preferential accumulation of organic matter and sulfides, reputed to be reducing and fixing agents for uranium.

Ecological Determinants of Nepenthes khasiana Distribution: A Study of Slope Orientation and Altitude in Meghalaya, India

Anindita Bhattacharya, Sarah G. Momin, Prabal Sarkar — Fri, 26 Jun 2026 00:00:00 +0800

Pitcher plant, Nepenthes khasiana Hook. f. (Nepenthaceae), is a carnivorous plant distributed in the hilly terrain in Meghalaya, India. Although scattered information is available on their distribution, none of the studies covered the role of slope orientation on the distribution of pitcher plants. Therefore, the trail survey method was employed during the survey between 2018 and 2025 to determine the distribution of pitcher plants with respect to elevation and slope orientation. Wherever there was a sighting of a pitcher plant, the GPS coordinate as well as landscape parameters were recorded. The study clearly demonstrates that N. khasiana exhibits a unique altitudinal distribution, predominantly limited to mid-elevation montane regions that range from approximately 500 to 1,500 m above sea level. This species shows a strong preference for open areas and sloped landscapes. Moreover, the dominance of northwest-facing slopes emphasizes the importance of slope orientation (255–360°). These findings underscore that elevation, slope selection, and slope orientation together influence the spatial distribution and ecological niche of N. khasiana across its distribution range in the hilly areas of Meghalaya, India. The present study could be used by the policymakers and stakeholders for identifying priority conservation habitats, regulating land-use change and mining activities in sensitive areas, developing habitat restoration programmes on suitable slopes, strengthening in-situ conservation and long-term population monitoring, and formulating site-specific management strategies to save this endemic carnivorous plant from extinction.

The Impact of Bio Compost Use on the Agricultural Soil Microbiome: Evidence from a Laboratory-Scale Study

Angelantonio Calabrese, Fabiola Turchese Liuzzi, Mariavirginia Campanale — Fri, 05 Jun 2026 00:00:00 +0800

Composted organic amendments are increasingly recognized as viable alternatives to synthetic fertilizers, driven by the rising interest in organic waste recycling and sustainable soil management. This study aims to evaluate the long-term effects of bio compost, derived from organic waste, on the chemical and microbiological properties of agricultural soils. A one-year laboratory-scale experiment was conducted using nine microcosm replicates with increasing doses of compost (ratios 1:1, 1:2, 1:4), applied in both powder and granular forms, with and without the addition of water. Microbiological analysis based on 16S rRNA gene sequencing revealed significant shifts in microbial composition. The results demonstrated a consistent increase in microbiological DNA concentration in samples amended with bio-compost, showing a 50% increase from the initial concentration. Furthermore, regarding species composition, bio-compost altered the bacterial population in favor of the predominant species introduced into the soil, indicating a selective enhancement of the bacterial community. Additionally, the addition of water did not affect either the quantity or quality of the bacterial composition. Microbial biomass significantly improved following compost application, with powdered formulations proving more effective than granular ones, and drought conditions often eliciting more pronounced responses. These findings demonstrate that the amendment can improve soil quality by minimizing disruption to microbial communities and promoting long-term soil fertility. Adopting this approach appears beneficial for circular, bio-based agricultural systems.

Environmental Stress and Carbon Storage Optimization in Mining-Driven Land Use in Northern Shaanxi

Wei Jing — Tue, 23 Jun 2026 00:00:00 +0800

This review synthesizes advances in simulating environmental stress effects and coordinating carbon storage optimization within mining-driven land use evolution, with a focus on the Shaanxi Northern Mining Area Basin. Intensive coal exploitation reshapes land use/land cover patterns through excavation, subsidence, waste dumping, and infrastructure expansion, while simultaneously intensifying coupled stresses such as soil degradation, vegetation loss, hydrological disruption, and erosion. We summarize how recent land system modeling has progressed from static suitability constraints toward dynamic, spatially explicit frameworks that incorporate stress indicators and, increasingly, feedbacks between environmental processes and land conversion. We then assess approaches for quantifying carbon storage under mining disturbance, ranging from coefficient-based carbon accounting to ecosystem service and process-based models, emphasizing uncertainty sources linked to land classification, carbon density heterogeneity, and scale mismatch. Building on these foundations, we review coordinated optimization strategies that integrate carbon storage objectives with land demand and environmental constraints through multi-objective and scenario-based methods. Such frameworks reveal context-dependent trade-offs and synergies among mining development, reclamation, and ecological restoration, and carbon sequestration potential, particularly under water-limited and erosion-prone conditions. Finally, we identify research priorities for mining basins, including tighter coupling of stress, carbon, and land dynamics, improved representation of socio-economic decision-making behavior, long-term monitoring and validation, and uncertainty-aware decision support. These directions can strengthen low-carbon, resilient land use planning in ecologically fragile mining regions.