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Traditional Construction Wisdom in Developing Regions
In developing regions, traditional architecture embodies centuries of human ingenuity, reflecting a profound understanding of local environmental dynamics, cultural traditions, and community needs through dwellings and settlements that harmonize with their natural surroundings. Yet, as rapid urbanization and modernization reshape these landscapes, such time-honored practices face unprecedented challenges-often neglected or abandoned in favor of modernity, distancing communities from their architectural heritage while intensifying issues like environmental degradation, resource scarcity, and social inequality. Against this backdrop, this Special Issue reassesses the role of traditional architecture in advancing sustainable urbanization and ecological adaptation, drawing on indigenous building knowledge to uncover innovative responses to contemporary challenges. By bridging ancestral wisdom with emerging concepts such as smart technologies, regionalism, and ecological resilience-with a particular emphasis on rural, remote, and underserved areas-the collected works demonstrate how revitalizing these traditions not only supports ecological goals but also reinforces cultural identity, social cohesion, and local empowerment. Through interdisciplinary collaboration and knowledge exchange, the lessons of the past inform the design, planning, and governance of resilient, culturally vibrant communities, embracing the principles of traditional architecture to pave the way toward a more sustainable, equitable, and harmonious future.
Practice and Application of Artificial Intelligence in Built Environment
This Special Issue is titled "Practice and Application of Artificial Intelligence in Built Environment". It focuses on the deep integration of artificial intelligence (AI) technology with the entire life cycle of human settlements, including buildings, cities, and infrastructure, exploring the paths and value of technology implementation. The built environment encompasses multiple dimensions, including architectural design, construction, operations and maintenance, and urban planning. This Special Issue brings together research findings from scholars in South Korea, Japan, New Zealand, Malaysia, the UK, and China, primarily covering real-world case studies from South Korea and China, including specific urban studies in Seoul, Guangzhou, Zhengzhou, Tianjin, and Shantou. These studies encompass both data-driven urban perception and street-quality assessment centered on street view/remote sensing (e.g., Zhengzhou and Tianjin) and interpretable analyses of age-friendly public spaces (e.g., Tapgol Park in Seoul). This collection provides a re-usable methodological framework and case studies for empirical analysis of AI-assisted evaluation, optimization, and renewal decisions in built environments at different scales.
Advances in Mapping Land Cover and Land Use Based on Remotely Sensed Data
Land cover and land use (LCLU) is an important component of the Earth system. It affects ecosystem services, water conservation, infectious disease outbreaks, food security, the climate system, urban forms, etc. In the last few decades, remote sensing technology has evolved dramatically for better radiometric, spatial, and spectral resolution image products. Such advances in remote sensing, together with a variety of machine- and deep learning algorithms and multiple high-performance cloud computing platforms, further provide the potential and opportunities for fine-resolution, global-scale, and dynamic LCLU mapping. In addition, along with the development of drone technology, the (near) real-time monitoring of land surface in different sectors, such as forestry and agriculture, has attracted much attention in recent years. The improved documenting of LCLU leads the scientific community to further explore the driving factors of LCLU changes and reveal the underlying mechanisms for better land use planning. This Reprint synthesizes recent advances in LCLU mapping, change detection, accuracy assessment, and driver analysis, providing important insights into the remote sensing of LCLU.
The Yosemite
The Yosemite presents a reflective and immersive exploration of a vast mountain landscape shaped by ice, stone, water, and time. The narrative focuses on careful observation of valleys, cliffs, forests, rivers, and living ecosystems, revealing how natural forces work in balance rather than isolation. Attention is given to plant life, animal presence, seasonal change, and geological movement, portraying the environment as active, resilient, and deeply interconnected. The writing emphasizes reverence for wild spaces, encouraging respect, humility, and patience when encountering nature on its own terms. Moral reflection emerges through ideas of preservation, responsibility, and the spiritual value of unspoiled land, presenting wilderness as a source of renewal rather than conquest. The book blends scientific curiosity with lyrical reflection, allowing factual description to coexist with emotional insight. Through its steady pace and contemplative tone, the work invites readers to slow their perception, recognize harmony within natural systems, and understand the ethical importance of protecting landscapes that shape both the physical world and human consciousness.
People, Planet and Purpose- Interdisciplinary insights for the 21st century
People, Planet and Purpose is a comprehensive interdisciplinary book that explores the interconnected relationship between human society, environmental sustainability, and ethical progress. Designed for students, researchers, and educators, this book brings together diverse perspectives from science, technology, economics, and social studies to address real-world issues.The book highlights how modern challenges-such as climate change, social inequality, and technological transformation-require integrated thinking beyond traditional academic boundaries. It emphasizes the importance of collaboration across disciplines to create sustainable and responsible solutions.According to the content in the book, science, society, and interdisciplinary thinking work together to solve complex problems and promote innovation for a better future.
Climate Change and Agriculture
As an international agrometeorologist deeply engaged in the intersection of climate change and agriculture, the author offers this book not merely as a compilation of facts, but as a guide to understanding the evolving challenges and opportunities in global agriculture under changing climate. The aim of the book is to equip students, policy makers, and agrometeorologists with the scientific foundation, critical thinking skills, and global perspective needed to innovate and lead in a warming world. Core Concepts of the book include Policy Concept for Climate Change (PCCC) and Micromet Concept for Climate Change (MCCC) which helps the farmers in reducing the cost of cultivation of their crops and animal rearing by 50 per cent, increase in yields by 50 percent and 10 percent increase in quality of their produce. Towards this direction the book offers a comprehensive, interdisciplinary approach, from Al innovations to organic farming and policy frameworks. Stresses the urgency of both mitigation and adaptation to secure profitable agriculture and food production.This book reflects the author's commitment to fostering informed, resilient, and climate change-conscious agricultural leaders. It stands the test of time as one of the most important books of the present era.
The Raft and the Yabby
It begins simply: a small group of people, a farm dam on Peramangk Country in the Tanunda Hills of South Australia, and a floating raft of reeds.The Raft and the Yabby is narrative nonfiction at its most quietly powerful. What begins as a practical act of environmental restoration, that is, building a reed raft to improve the health of a dam, unfolds into something far more resonant: a meditation on retirement, purpose, and the unexpected ways community holds people together.At the heart of the story is Mick, navigating the transition out of a life defined by structure and service. As he and a handful of others work side by side in the mud, conversations arise naturally. The kind that don't happen easily face to face, but flow when hands are busy. Grounded in real places and real experience, the book explores how shared, practical work creates the conditions for what some academics call "side-by-side wellbeing" the quiet, powerful support that emerges when people simply show up together.And beneath the surface of the dam, patient in the mud? A yabby. A small sign that something is already living, already resilient, already there.This book is also a companion resource. Alongside the narrative, The Raft and the Yabby includes reflective essays on men's mental health and informal support networks, discussion guides, book club questions, and a community conversation tool. This makes the book equally at home in a reading group, a Men's Shed, a Landcare gathering, or a health practitioner's hands. It is written for anyone who cares about the wellbeing of the people around them, and for the communities... the volunteer brigades, conservation groups, neighbourhood networks, that hold those people quietly together.Rooted in the landscapes and rhythms of regional South Australia, with deep respect for First Nations Country, The Raft and the Yabby is a gentle, grounded reminder that land and people recover the same way: slowly, together, and often through the smallest of acts.
Biogeochemical Element Cycling in Plant-Soil Systems
This Reprint is focused on biogeochemical element cycling in plant-soil systems and its significance for ecosystem dynamics and services. The articles collated here provide valuable insights into how nutrient/element cycling influences ecosystem functions and how various land management practices, such as afforestation or the use of fire, affect factors such as microbial diversity and soil health. This publication is not only of interest to scientists in the field, but also students, university teachers, policymakers, and those who are interested in biogeochemical cycles in general.
Advances in Near-Earth Space and Atmospheric Physics from Ground-Based and Satellite Observations
Within the near-Earth space and the atmosphere, all regions are closely interconnected, forming a multi-coupled complex system. Space weather events originating from the Sun, such as solar flares, energetic particle precipitations and the effects of solar wind disturbances, can cause significant changes in the Earth's environment. These variations manifest in different spheres/regions of the system (such as geomagnetic storms and ionospheric storms). Furthermore, the lowest part of the terrestrial plasma-the ionosphere-is strongly coupled with the neutral atmosphere. Therefore, it is also affected from below by the different types of atmospheric waves associated with phenomena of non-space origin (e.g., severe tropospheric convection, thunderstorms, and tectonic activity). The variability of the plasma environment ranges across broad spatial scales, from local or regional to inter-hemispherical or global changes. Their temporal variability is also diversified, from the 11-year solar cycle variations to rapid changes, which are still difficult to predict and measure in situ. The resulting intense variations in the terrestrial plasma affect communication and navigation systems, spacecraft operations, as well as commercial aircraft operations. Thus, monitoring the processes within the system via ground-based and satellite observations is rather crucial. This Special Issue collects research papers that contribute to improving our understanding of the physical processes within the Earth's plasma environment coupled with the atmosphere, utilizing the advantages of ground-based and satellite observations.
Longleaf, Far as the Eye Can See
Longleaf forests once covered 92 million acres from Texas to Maryland to Florida. These grand old-growth pines were the "alpha tree" of the largest forest ecosystem in North America and have come to define the southern forest. But logging, suppression of fire, destruction by landowners, and a complex web of other factors reduced those forests so that longleaf is now found only on 3 million acres. Fortunately, the stately tree is enjoying a resurgence of interest, and longleaf forests are once again spreading across the South. Blending a compelling narrative by writers Bill Finch, Rhett Johnson, and John C. Hall with Beth Finch's breathtaking photography, Longleaf, Far as the Eye Can See invites readers to experience the astounding beauty and significance of the majestic longleaf ecosystem.The authors explore the interactions of longleaf with other species, the development of longleaf forests prior to human contact, and the influence of the longleaf on southern culture, as well as ongoing efforts to restore these forests. Part natural history, part conservation advocacy, and part cultural exploration, this book highlights the special nature of longleaf forests and proposes ways to conserve and expand them.
Influence of Urbanization-Related Radical Land Modification on Urban Extreme Climate
Agricultural Practices to Improve Irrigation Sustainability
To ensure global food security under increasing climate variability and to mitigate the impacts of growing water scarcity, it is critical to enhance the efficiency of water use in crop production systems. This challenge must be addressed while safeguarding soil and water resources from potential environmental degradation associated with irrigation, including soil salinization, nutrient leaching, and ecosystem disturbance. Therefore, sustainable irrigation requires approaches that combine agronomic performance with environmental protection. Rather than emphasizing constraints and risks, it is important to adopt a solution-oriented perspective by focusing on agroecological practices that can enhance the sustainability of irrigated agriculture. The contributions to this Special Issue reflect evaluations of the most effective management options, the identification of soil indicators that are most responsive and sensitive to irrigation practices, and studies of recent technological advances that support improved decision-making. By integrating these perspectives, this Special Issue contributes to the identification of management strategies that optimize water use while promoting resilient, resource-efficient irrigation systems.
AI-Enhanced Operation and Management of Renewable Energy-Integrated Power Systems
Biomimetic Adaptive Buildings
One path via which to combat climate change is to consider buildings as living beings rather than dead objects. This might mean creating a building fa癟ade that alters in response to changing climatic conditions. In a building with such a facade, adaptation happens via the automatic regulation of temperature, light, or airflow. This can lead to both a reduction in the operational energy used and to the enhanced comfort of the internal environment. Examples of current advancements in the design of such facades include integrated self-adjusting shading devices, dynamic insulation, and responsive ventilation in order to provide autonomous and real-time control. Other examples of living building elements are nature-inspired materials, such as brick-integrated bacteria, and photobioreactors, like algae. The self-regulating mechanisms present in living building technologies are either active or passive. Active methods of adaptation employ extrinsic mechanisms such as sensors, processors and actuators to operate. On the other hand, passive methods of adaptation are achieved via intrinsic means of control, such as the constant change of material properties. This Reprint brings together papers that reflect investigations into living building and living building elements and reports on a vast range of ways in which adaptation is achieved within buildings, either through the morphological configuration of fa癟ade components, the implementation of smart materials, or using nature-inspired materials and principles in the building fa癟ade.
Wonders Of Creation A Descriptive Account Of Volcanoes And Their Phenomena
Wonders of creation: A Descriptive account of volcanoes and their phenomena offers an engaging exploration of volcanic activity designed to inspire curiosity about the natural world. The work introduces volcanoes as powerful geological forces, emphasizing their dramatic presence and transformative impact on landscapes. Rather than relying on technical explanation, the narrative favors vivid description, allowing readers to visualize eruptions, flowing lava, and towering ash clouds as natural spectacles. Attention is given to the structure and behavior of volcanoes, showing how internal forces shape mountains and plains within moments. The text also blends scientific observation with historical and mythical associations, illustrating how human imagination has long tried to explain these fiery phenomena. By highlighting both the destructive capacity and creative power of eruptions, the work presents nature as unpredictable yet fascinating. The tone remains accessible and enthusiastic, encouraging appreciation rather than fear. Through clear language and striking imagery, the book invites readers to view volcanoes as gateways to understanding Earth's dynamic processes and the enduring relationship between humanity and the planet.
Analysis of Energy Efficiency
In an era defined by resource scarcity, major environmental challenges, and a rapidly evolving global energy landscape, the imperative nature of energy efficiency has never been more critical. The Special Issue "Analysis of Energy Efficiency: Perspectives and Policies towards Sustainable Development" tackles this complex domain, presenting a collection of research that presents the diverse pathways and strategic interventions necessary to foster an authentic sustainable energy future. As nations worldwide try to cope with the challenges of meeting escalating energy demands while simultaneously reducing pollution and ensuring energy security, energy efficiency emerges not only as an economic opportunity, but also as a support of sustainable development. The main objective of this Special Issue is to portray how energy efficiency is intimately linked to sustainable development. It is not about saving energy, it is about building resilient societies, fostering equitable growth, and safeguarding our planet for future generations. Economically, energy efficiency drives innovation, creates new industries and employment opportunities, and improves national competitiveness. Socially, it can lead to greater energy affordability, enhanced energy access, particularly in underserved communities, and improved public health outcomes through reduced pollution. The contributions within this Special Issue jointly demonstrate that investments in energy efficiency yield multiple dividends that extend far beyond immediate cost savings, forming an important foundation for the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.
Dancing With Uncertainty
With a commitment to the future of humanity and all our relations, ReVision is dedicated to the exploration of issues that assert and value the transmotional and interconnected sovereignty of people before any institutions. Sovereignty and self-determination as foundations of peace require our human imagination as part of a sustainable world of stories and cultural practices in a particular place or ecology.
Optical Sensing Technologies, Devices and Their Data Applications
This Special Issue, "Optical Sensing Technologies, Devices and Their Data Applications", presents a comprehensive exploration of innovative optical paradigms that enable the precise measurement of physical, chemical, and environmental parameters. It highlights breakthroughs in sensor design, data integration, and practical deployment across diverse fields.At its core, the collection delves into advanced optical devices such as fiber optic sensors, photonic imagers, lidar systems, and Doppler configurations, which offer unparalleled sensitivity for atmospheric profiling, boundary layer analysis, and pollution tracking. Contributions emphasize multifunctional platforms that fuse optical methods with ultrasonic nondestructive evaluation, yielding robust tools for structural health monitoring and industrial quality control. A prominent thread weaves in artificial intelligence, machine learning, and big data analytics to refine sensor outputs, addressing performance optimization, anomaly detection, and cybersecurity in AI-augmented systems. Spanning 12 meticulously peer-reviewed papers as of November 2025 and amassing over 16,800 views, this Reprint curates these pivotal articles into a cohesive volume, serving as an indispensable reference for photonics experts, environmental scientists, and interdisciplinary innovators seeking to harness data-driven optical solutions for tomorrow's technologies.
Failure Characteristics of Deep Rocks, Volume II
In recent decades, the design and construction of geotechnical engineering projects, including mines, tunnels, hydropower stations, and nuclear waste repositories, have increased in scale, and this trend is expected to continue in the future. These large-scale engineering projects are closely related to geomaterials (such as rock and soil) and geomechanics. When rock engineering enters increasingly deep exploitations, two critical scientific problems pose a serious threat to people's lives and property, the construction efficiency of projects, and the ecological environment. Geological disasters, including rockbursts, landslides, and slabbing, frequently occur during the construction and operation of rock projects as the geostress increases. Scientists aim to prevent the instability and breakage of the surrounding rock. Meanwhile, researchers and workers seek to break hard rock efficiently in the excavation process. Therefore, the investigation and better understanding of the mechanical and fracture behavior of deep rocks is of key importance to the scientific design and safe operation of deep rock engineering projects. This topic is dedicated as a specific platform for all geomechanics research. This topic can serve as the missing link between applied and fundamental research journals.
Accuracy and Quality Control of Remote Sensing Data
Remote sensing enables global monitoring, but the growing number of sensors requires strict compliance and high radiometric accuracy for consistent data use. Reliable results depend on regular spectral, radiometric, and geometric CAL/VAL, especially for spaceborne hyperspectral sensors. Data quality is affected by the following: Atmospheric effects: Residual noise after correction, including the adjacency effect from multiple scattering; Sensor issues: Geometric anomalies such as band-to-band misregistration in multispectral push-broom systems (e.g., Sentinel-2 MSI); Uncertainty: Errors linked to aerosol models, AOD retrieval, ground reflectance, and BRDF. This Special Issue focuses on three themes: 1. Calibration and Quality Assessment: Advances such as the Radiometric Calibration-Reflectance Inversion Iterative (RCRII) method for adjacency-effect correction, Solar Diffuser BRDF measurements for on-board calibration, and mission quality assessments (e.g., GF-7, SDGSAT-1). Geometric performance is evaluated using frameworks like EDAP for metrics such as SNR and MTF. 2. Product Validation and Geophysical Parameters: Validation of thematic products and physical variables, including Permafrost Active Layer Thickness from airborne SAR vs. GPR, Copernicus HRL Imperviousness Density, and checks of geometric accuracy and thematic stability for sensors like PRISMA. 3. Advanced Processing and Modeling: Methods such as parsimonious gap-filling for sub-daily ETa and integrating photogrammetry with Structure from Motion using Quadrifocal Tensor techniques for positioning and calibration of High Oblique Frame Sweep aerial cameras.
Mathematical, Physical, Chemical, and Biological Methods for Ice and Water Problems
We are pleased to announce this Reprint from a Special Issue of Water, "Mathematical, Physical, Chemical and Biological Methods for Ice and Water Problems", that focuses on new methods and technologies for managing the ice and water environment under ice. This includes machine learning algorithms, numerical modeling, high-resolution remote sensing, and in-situ and laboratory mechanical testing. It also includes the interactions in addressing water-ice-related challenges to navigation, flood control, and ecological stability. This Reprint collects ten innovative studies that delve into the mechanisms of ice formation and break-up, the interaction between waves and sea ice, and the environmental responses of aquatic systems. This offers new theoretical insights and practical guidelines for disaster prevention and water resource management, and can serve as valuable references for sea ice, river ice, and lake ice scientists and engineers.
Forest Ecosystem Services and Landscape Design
Natural and anthropogenic ecosystems can provide benefits to human communities, which can be used to increase well-being. Forest ecosystem services currently play an important role; they are of both direct and indirect interest to specialists from different fields and are receiving the attention of political decision-makers. Knowledge of these forest services has become increasingly crucial for landscape management, as they may help address some of the problems of modern society.Landscapes are also regarded as an essential resource; their efficient valorization could improve environmental quality and human communities' well-being. A systemic, sustainable approach to landscape design is critical for the present and future generations.This Reprint, "Recent Advances in Forest Ecosystem Services and Landscape Design", presents multi- or interdisciplinary contributions related to forestry, including experimental studies, monitoring approaches, and models, to promote knowledge regarding the conservation and the management of forest ecosystems and landscape design.
Sustainable and Low Carbon Development in the Energy Sector
This Reprint serves as a comprehensive, transdisciplinary platform for analyzing the global energy transition. The collection of seventeen articles frames the shift toward a low-carbon economy as a complex challenge that requires integrated solutions across physics, economics, and sociology. The theoretical foundation of the volume combines rigorous physical evaluations with advanced economic modeling. Authors apply the laws of thermodynamics and material entropy to assess future technologies, alongside entropy-based econometrics for regional forecasting. These technical perspectives are balanced by sociological investigations into the contact zones between citizens and administration, addressing the governance of prosumer capitalism.On a practical level, the issue delivers diverse sectoral applications. In transportation, research utilizes hybrid deep learning to predict electric vehicle charging demand. The agricultural sector is examined through strategies for the adoption of Fossil-Energy-Free Technologies (FEFTS) and the economics of organic farming. Further contributions focus on grid stability by integrating hydropower into resource adequacy assessments and optimizing feed-in tariff policies for households. By merging theoretical depth with operational case studies, this volume offers a holistic roadmap for navigating the technical and social intricacies of decarbonization.
Future Scenarios of Land Use and Land Cover Change
The rate and magnitude of global environmental changes are accelerating, with profound consequences for land systems. These changes underpin interconnected climate and biodiversity crises that international negotiations and treaties are struggling to navigate-an increasingly frustrating situation. Land use is one domain where humanity has significant agency: we can determine what land is used for, and in doing so, we can influence climate and equity outcomes and biodiversity integrity, and preserve biocultural heritage, health, and well-being.Land use choices have far-reaching implications. Reforesting former cropland can store carbon, safeguard biodiversity-from an individual endangered species to entire ecosystems-and maintain ecosystem functioning. Similarly, expanding urban areas into agricultural land can undermine food production. Conservation initiatives often focus on ecological restoration or preventing harmful land use transitions, such as agricultural conversion of forests, which reduce habitat quality and connectivity. These land use choices determine whether we exacerbate or work to get ahead of the challenges that face the planet today. However, there is a compelling need to develop new ways of envisioning possible futures to understand and adapt to these challenges and develop pathways to reach sustainable futures. Yet, land use choices are rarely binary.
Advances on the Influence of Vegetation and Forest on Urban Air Quality and Thermal Comfort
Urbanisation has intensified environmental challenges, particularly through the deterioration of air quality and the amplification of heat stress, both of which directly affect public health and urban liveability. Vegetation- and forest-based strategies, often framed as nature-based solutions (NBSs), have consequently gained relevance as key tools to mitigate these problems by reducing air pollutant concentrations, improving thermal comfort, and delivering a wide range of co-benefits. Their influence, however, is neither uniform nor linear, since aerodynamic, deposition, shading, and evapotranspiration processes interact in complex ways with urban morphology, atmospheric pollutants, and meteorological conditions. As a result, understanding the role of vegetation in shaping urban environments requires interdisciplinary approaches and evidence from both experimental and modelling studies. In the present Reprint, we offer new insights into the multiple mechanisms through which vegetation affects air quality, the microclimate, and thermal comfort, while also highlighting the challenges of designing context-sensitive green infrastructures that carefully account for the specific environmental, urban, and social conditions in which they are embedded.
Field Monitoring, GIS, Remote Sensing, Geophysical Techniques, and Hydrochemical Analysis in Groundwater Investigations
This Reprint presents a high-quality, up-to-date collection of peer-reviewed studies that demonstrate the state of the art in integrated groundwater investigations. It reflects recent advances in combining field monitoring, geophysical techniques, remote sensing, geographic information systems, and hydrochemical analysis to achieve a comprehensive understanding of groundwater systems and their governing processes.The contributions address critical challenges currently facing groundwater resources, including depletion, salinization, contamination, spatial variability of recharge, groundwater storage changes, and climate-related hydrological extremes. The studies cover diverse hydrogeological and climatic settings, such as arid and semi-arid regions, coastal aquifers, agricultural basins, post-mining environments, and humid landscapes. Together, they illustrate how interdisciplinary and multi-scale approaches can be used to characterize subsurface structure, assess groundwater quality, delineate recharge potential zones, monitor storage dynamics, and analyze groundwater-related flood processes. By integrating observational data, geophysical imaging, satellite-based information, spatial modeling, and data-driven techniques, this Reprint provides practical and methodological insights for researchers, practitioners, and policymakers. It supports evidence-based groundwater assessment and management strategies aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals.
Tectonic Evolution of the Tethys Ocean in the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau
This Reprint collates ten original research articles that explore the tectonic evolution of the Tethys Ocean, with a focus on the geological archive of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. The contributions span the entire spectrum of Tethyan history, from the Proto- and Palaeo-Tethys to the Neo-Tethys, investigating the magmatic and tectonic processes driven by oceanic subduction, slab rollback, and ultimate continental collision. The key themes include subduction-related magmatism, crust-mantle interaction, tectonic transitions from extension to compression, and the genesis of mineral resources. By integrating field studies with advanced geochemical and geochronological analyses, this collection addresses some of the controversial issues regarding the geodynamic evolution of the Tethyan realm and provides new constraints on continental assembly, oceanic closure, and the profound tectonic signatures imprinted across the Tethyan realm. This Reprint offers a comprehensive and timely resource for researchers in tectonics, petrology, and geodynamics.
Clay Minerals
Clay minerals are fundamental components of sedimentary basins and play a complex, dual role in the petroleum industry. While they are essential constituents of source and reservoir rocks, their unique physicochemical properties often pose significant engineering challenges during drilling, completion, and production.This Special Issue features comprehensive reviews on nanofibrous clays and mechanical inhibitors, alongside original research on novel shale stabilizers and high-temperature drilling fluid composites. Several studies delve into the mechanisms of wellbore instability and reservoir damage, with case studies focusing on the Zhengning oilfield and the Gulong shale oil reservoir in China. Furthermore, the collection addresses critical petrophysical interpretation challenges in high-resistivity shales and glauconite-rich greensand reservoirs, and evaluates the performance of palygorskite as a sustainable extender in cementing operations.By bridging mineralogy with petroleum engineering, this Special Issue provides valuable insights for researchers and industry professionals seeking to optimize drilling performance and improve reservoir management in clay-rich formations. The findings contribute to a deeper understanding of how to leverage the beneficial properties of clay minerals while mitigating their problematic impacts in the global energy exploration landscape.
The Landscape of Home
An anthology of some of the most evocative writing focusing on our vast natural heritage, along with pieces that address pressing land issues facing the West. This collection not only paints a vivid portrait of life in the Rocky Mountains, it also presents some of the finest nonfiction writing to be found in America today. This is a perfect selection that is bound to sink reader's roots deeper in the landscape of home. Includes essays by: Peter Anderson, Caroline Arlen, Audra DeLella Benedict, John A. Byers, SueEllen Campbell, Douglas Chadwick, Craig Childs, Frank Clifford, Stanley Crawford, Richard F. Fleck, Gary Furguson, Merrill Gilfillan, Andrew Gulliford, Gillian Klucas, Geoffrey Lockwood, Dale Lott, Laton McCartney Andrea Peacock, Diane Josephy Peavey, Ann Ronald, George Sibley, Steweart L. Udall, Chip Ward, Mary Taylor Young, Ann Zwinger
Groundwater Quality and Contamination at Regional Scales
Groundwater is the most abundant freshwater resource available on Earth. It is a source of drinking water for more than 2 billion people, also providing more than 40% of water resources for irrigated agriculture. Land use change accompanied with various human activities is expected to have substantial impact on groundwater quality and contamination at regional scales throughout the twenty-first century, especially in urbanized areas. For example, the wholesale transformation of agricultural and natural ecosystems to more intensive uses of urbanization and industrialization has a strong negative impact on groundwater quality worldwide. As a consequence, in order to enhance the utility of groundwater resources under the condition of land use change, knowledge on the status of groundwater quality and contamination at regional scales is required. Therefore, this reprint presents a vast array of information on regional groundwater quality and contamination in several countries such as China, India, Uganda, and Ethiopia. In addition, a systematic review on advanced analytical approaches for phenolic compounds in groundwater was also included. We hope that it will be a useful reference for related readers, hydrogeologists, and departments of water resources' development and utilization.
Conservation of Bio- and Geo-Diversity and Landscape Changes
The reprint includes articles dealing with the relationship between biological diversity (including geo- and eco-diversity) and land cover and use changes, including the factors able to affect this relationship and possibilities to control them. The articles included in this collection are grouped around several interconnected themes: urbanization, biodiversity loss, habitat quality, and the role of planning and technology in environmental management.
Tsunami
On the morning of December 26, 2004, an undersea earthquake struck off the coast of Sumatra in the Indian Ocean. The resulting tsunami killed an estimated 230,000 people across fourteen countries, from Indonesia to Sri Lanka to Thailand to the Maldives to India and all the way to East Africa. Everyone who was there and survived has a story of where they were when the tsunami hit. But there are too many stories that will never be told. This is one woman's story of her experience of that day and its aftermath.LeeAnn Pickrell was in Rai Leh, Thailand, just off the beach drinking coffee that morning when the ocean went away. Everyone ran to the top of the beach to see a wall of white approaching the shore, at first slowly and then picking up speed as boats overturned and they realized the wave wasn't going to stop. It's the story of the tsunami in a particular place, of not understanding what was happening, of separation and reunion. It's also a story of coming home, of not being hurt physically but the psychic shifts of such an experience. It's about letting go of old ideas of faith that no longer make sense and opening to the connections we have to each other through the stories we tell.
Soil and Groundwater Quality and Resources Assessment, 2nd Edition
Soil and groundwater underpin the Earth's critical zone, sustaining water supply, agriculture, ecosystems, and socio-economic development. They face escalating pressures from climate change and human activities, resulting in contamination, depletion, and degradation. The accurate assessment and sustainable management of these systems thus represent an urgent global priority.This Special Issue addresses these challenges via diverse methods. Studies employ integrated numerical modeling of contaminant transport and geological effects, alongside hydrochemical and isotopic analyses to trace pollution and hydrogeochemical evolution. Advanced assessment tools quantify health risks and inform zoned management. Together, these works integrate physical, chemical, and data-driven approaches to decipher complex system behaviors and provide scalable management insights. The research underscores the need for interdisciplinary integration. Effective assessment requires combining mechanistic knowledge with monitoring and predictive tools that capture spatiotemporal dynamics. Future work should link groundwater models with climate-land-use scenarios, develop uncertainty-aware risk frameworks, enable cross-scale integration, and incorporate hydro-biogeochemical processes. This Special Issue aimed to foster collaboration and guide adaptive strategies to protect these vital resources.
Wetland Conservation and Ecological Restoration
Wetlands are the closest ecosystems to human beings, and they provide multiple functions and services for human societies. The awareness of its importance is rising in the context of the accelerated rate of its diminishing and degradation, and more knowledge about its structure, process, functions, and implications is needed to enhance the conservation and restoration work. This reprint collected nine papers on the topic of wetland conservation and ecological restoration, including biological aspects, biogenic elements, carbon sink function and resilience in wetland, wetland ecological water replenishment, wetland conservation survey, ecological restoration suitability evaluation, and water purification in treatment wetland. We anticipate that the compilation of papers we have assembled will offer clear and valuable insights into wetland conservation and ecological restoration, presenting restoration, conservation, and management implications and specific strategies to address unresolved questions.
Role of Microorganisms and Their Metabolites in Agriculture, Food and the Environment
This Reprint highlights recent advances in understanding how microorganisms and their metabolites influence agricultural productivity, food quality and safety, and environmental health. The contributions explore a wide range of topics, including plant-microbe interactions, microbial indicators of plant disease, biodegradation of toxic pollutants, microbial consortia for sustainable plant protection, innovative bioprocessing technologies, and the valorization of agro-industrial by-products. The Reprint also features studies on microbial genome analysis, mineral transformations mediated by microorganisms, and bacteriophage-based strategies for controlling multidrug-resistant pathogens in food. Together, these works showcase the growing potential of microorganisms as tools for sustainable solutions across agriculture, food systems, and environmental management.
Role of Microorganisms and Their Metabolites in Agriculture, Food and the Environment
Microorganisms and their metabolites play essential roles in soil fertility, plant health, food quality, and environmental sustainability. This Reprint highlights recent advances enabled by molecular and omics technologies that deepen our understanding of microbial functions and their practical applications.The collected in Reprint articles showcase microbial consortia capable of degrading pesticides and plastics, the influence of soil microbiomes in agroforestry and biochar-amended systems, and inoculants that support plant growth under stress. Additional contributions examine bacteriophages as tools for food biocontrol, microbial enzymes driving flavor development, and mechanisms of fungal pathogenicity.Together, these studies emphasize the central role of microbial research in shaping sustainable agricultural practices, improving food safety and quality, and advancing environmental protection.
Remote Sensing of Vegetation Function and Traits
Plants' functional traits reflect their ecological strategies, responses to environmental factors, and shape ecosystem properties. The variation in functional traits is important for addressing ecological questions across multiple scales, demanding standardized techniques across space and time. This research domain has proven highly productive for comprehending ecological and evolutionary patterns and processes related to the functional characteristics of plants. Consequently, precise and timely acquisition of plant traits improves our understanding of the impact of environmental changes and disturbances on plants. Remote sensing coupled with advanced models has the capacity to monitor vegetation functioning through traits across multiple spatial and temporal scales. Spectral signals from remote sensing instruments enable the retrieval of species traits, including pigments, species composition, ecosystem structure and function. Plant traits can be retrieved from remote sensing through radiative transfer model inversion, machine learning, and deep learning techniques. As remote sensing data become more accessible through UAVs and freely available satellite data, machine and deep learning have emerged as compelling methods for enhancing the extraction of plant traits from airborne and spaceborne sensors. This Special Issue presents innovative contributions from authors from around the world that examine the application of both active and passive remote sensing sensors in the retrieval of key vegetation and landscape metrics that reflect ecosystem structure and function.
Photocatalytic Nanomaterials for Environmental Purification
In this Reprint, titled "Photocatalytic Nanomaterials for Environmental Purification," we systematically compile cutting-edge research on the design, theoretical exploration, characterization, and application of photocatalytic materials, aiming to address increasingly severe environmental pollution challenges. The included papers propose multi-level innovative strategies centered on enhancing photocatalytic efficiency, material stability, and system scalability, with a strong focus on sustainable material design and process optimization. The research covers various application areas, including advanced structural modulation of photocatalytic materials, photocatalytic degradation of pollutants, reduction in heavy metal ions, fuel desulfurization, and antibacterial functionalities. In-depth discussions span reaction mechanisms, synthesis methods, and real-world environmental remediation scenarios. By emphasizing the principles of green chemistry and solar-driven technology, this collection serves as a comprehensive academic reference for researchers, engineers, and policymakers in the field of photocatalysis, promoting the development of efficient, practical, and sustainable environmental solutions through photocatalytic technology.
Smart Land Use Planning II
Amid rapid urbanization, digital transformation and global sustainability challenges, smart land use planning has become crucial for balancing economic development, ecological protection and social equity. This Special Issue, themed "Smart Land Use Planning", collates 12 cutting-edge research articles from around the globe, covering theoretical exploration, technical integration, regional cases and policy implications, aiming to present the latest progress and innovative practices for academics, planners and policy-makers. The accompanying Reprint compiles all articles for long-term academic dissemination and practical application. Focusing on interdisciplinary integration, the issue includes regional case studies (e.g., China's Yangtze River Delta, Xining's marginal area and Togo's Greater Lom矇), explores the intersection of smart planning and sustainable development, and highlights smart technology applications in specific land use types. Collectively, the articles reflect the diversity and rigor of related research, providing practical solutions for complex land use issues. This Special Issue enriches the theoretical system of smart land use planning and promotes global academic exchanges, contributing to sustainable land use and regional high-quality development.
Tir
A journey through the natural landscapes of Wales. In Tir--the Welsh word for "land"--writer and ecologist Carwyn Graves takes us on a tour of seven key characteristics of the Welsh landscape. He explores such elements as the ffridd, or mountain pasture, and the rhos, or wild moorland, and examines the many ways humans interact with and understand the natural landscape around them. Further, he considers how this understanding can be used to combat climate change and improve wildlife populations and biodiversity. By diving deep into the history and ecology of each of these landscapes, we discover that Wales, in all its beautiful variety, is just as much a human cultural creation as a natural phenomenon: its raw materials evolved alongside the humans that have lived here since the ice receded.
