The present study performed classification global aerosols based on particle linear depolarization ratio (PLDR) and single scattering albedo (SSA) provided from AErosol RObotic NETwork (AERONET) Version 3.0 and Level 2.0 inversion products of 171 AERONET sites located in six continents. Current methodology could distinguish effectively between dust and non-dust aerosols using PLDR and SSA. These selected sites include dominant aerosol types such as, pure dust (PD), dust dominated mixture (DDM), pollution dominated mixture (PDM), very weakly absorbing (VWA), strongly absorbing (SA), moderately absorbing(MA), and weakly absorbing (WA). Biomass-burning aerosols which are associated with black carbon are assigned as combinations of WA, MA and SA. The key important findings show the sites in the Northern African region are predominantly influenced by PD, while south Asian sites are characterized by DDM as well as mixture of dust and pollution aerosols. Urban and industrialized regions located in Europe and North American sites are characterized by VWA, WA, and MA aerosols. Tropical regions, including South America, South-east-Asia and southern African sites which prone to forest and biomass-burning, are dominated by SA aerosols. The study further examined the impacts by radiative forcing for different aerosol types. Among the aerosol types, SA and VWA contribute with the highest (30.14 +/- 8.04 Wm-2) and lowest (7.83 +/- 4.12 Wm-2) atmospheric forcing, respectively. Consequently, atmospheric heating rates are found to be highest by SA (0.85 K day-1) and lowest by VWA aerosols (0.22 Kday-1). The current study provides a comprehensive report on aerosol optical, micro-physical and radiative properties for different aerosol types across six continents.

Permafrost thawing is a critical climate tipping point, with catastrophic consequences. Existing stabilization methods rely on refrigerant-based systems, such as thermosyphons and active refrigeration, which are capital-intensive, energy-demanding, or increasingly ineffective in warming climates. Most infrastructure built on permafrost requires continuous heat removal from the foundation as the underlying permafrost becomes progressively unstable. To address these challenges, we demonstrate a fully biomass-derived cooling geotextile that can effectively mitigate permafrost thawing through scalable nanoprocessing via a roll-to-roll fabrication (1.3 mmin-1). The cooling geotextile features a hierarchical three-layer design: a strong woven biomass scaffold, a permeable nonwoven fiber network, and an optimized porous coating layer with micro- and nano-structures. When anchored to bare ground, it extracts heat to the cold sky, enhances albedo from similar to 30% to 96.3%, and establishes a thermal barrier between soil and air. Engineered for Arctic durability, it withstands strong winds, extreme cold, and freeze-thaw cycles, exceeding the American National Engineering Handbook requirements (tensile strength 1,682 kg; tear strength 191 kg; puncture strength 61 kg). Field tests in West Lafayette, IN (40 degrees 25 ' 21 '' N, 86 degrees 55 ' 12 '' W) reveal up to 25 degrees C soil cooling under 500 Wm-2 irradiance. Its lightweight (0.8 kgm-2) and rollable attributes enable scalable and fast localized deployment. Simulations predict up to 12 degrees C surface cooling during Arctic summer (2020-2050), preventing up to 40,000 km2 of permafrost from thawing. Completely derived from biomass, cooling geotextile ensures a low carbon footprint (0.7 kgm-2), positioning itself as a sustainable solution for reinforcing Arctic coastline, reconstructing thawing landscape, and restoring the environment.

The recent large reduction in anthropogenic aerosol emissions across China has improved China's air quality but has potential consequences for climate forcing. This sharp reduction in anthropogenic emissions has occurred against a background influenced by changing regional biomass burning emissions over a similar period of time. Here, we use the UK Earth System Model (UKESM) to estimate aerosol instantaneous radiative forcing (IRF) due to changes in emissions of aerosols and precursors from biomass burning and anthropogenic sources (separately and in combination) over 2008-2016, with a focus on China and regions downwind. We also separately quantify the IRF due to changes in anthropogenic aerosol emissions inside China (CHN) and the Rest Of the World (ROW). Reductions in Chinese anthropogenic emissions of BC, SO2 and OC contributed -0.30 +/- 0.01, +1.00 +/- 0.04, and +0.05 +/- 0.01 W m-2, respectively to IRF over China, accounting for similar to 97% of the total local anthropogenic aerosol IRF. These emission changes contributed a remote regional IRF of 0.22 +/- 0.04 W m-2 over the North Pacific Ocean. The reduction in SO2 emissions from China contributed a global IRF of equal magnitude to that from SO2 emissions from ROW (similar to 0.08 W m-2). Changes in global biomass burning emissions contributed 0.03 W m-2 (equivalent to over 20% of the magnitude of anthropogenic aerosol IRF), enhancing the global anthropogenic aerosol IRF, whereas they partly offset the anthropogenic IRF over China. Meanwhile, biomass burning emissions dominated the total IRF (around 98%) over the Arctic.

Use of forest biomass may induce changes in the aerosol emissions, with subsequent impacts on the direct and indirect climate effects of these short-lived climate forcers. We studied how alternative wood use scenarios affected the aerosol emissions and consequent radiative forcing in Finland. In all alternative scenarios, the harvest level of forest biomass was increased by 10 million m3 compared to the baseline. The increased biomass harvest was assigned to four different uses: (i) to sawn wood, (ii) to pulp-based products, (iii) to energy biomass combusted in small-scale appliances or (iv) to energy biomass combusted in medium-to-large scale boilers. Aerosol emissions (black carbon (BC), organic carbon (OC) and sulphur dioxide (SO2)) under these scenarios were estimated using displacement factors (DFs). The global aerosol-climate model ECHAM-HAMMOZ was used to study instantaneous radiative forcing due to aerosol-radiation interactions (IRFARI) and effective radiative forcing (ERF), based on the differences in aerosol emissions between the alternative wood use scenarios and the baseline scenario. The results indicated that the use of sawn wood and energy biomass combusted in medium- to large-scale boilers decreased radiative forcings, implying climate cooling, whereas the increased use of pulpwood increased them. Energy biomass combustion in small-scale appliances increased IRFARI by 0.004 W m-2 but decreased ERF by -0.260 W m-2, specifically due to a strong increase in carbonaceous aerosols. Alternative use of forest biomass notably influenced aerosol emissions and their climate impacts, and it can be concluded that increased forest biomass use requires a comprehensive assessment of aerosol emissions alongside greenhouse gases (GHGs). Given the consequent reduction in radiative forcing from aerosol emissions, we conclude that the greatest overall climate benefits could be achieved by prioritising the production of long-lived wood-based products.

Drought and soil nitrogen (N) deficiency are the limiting factors for poplar plantation productivity improvement in semi-arid regions. N addition could alleviate the growth decline of trees caused by drought; however, the effectiveness under severe drought and the underlying ecophysiological understanding remains uncertain. To further clarify the mechanisms of N addition in regulating tree biomass accumulation under different drought levels, we investigated the effects of 6 g NH4NO3 per plant addition on the carbon and N assimilation and biomass accumulation of potted poplar seedlings under moderate or severe drought (40 % or 20 % of field capacity) conditions, with a particular emphasis on carbon and N interactions. We found that under moderate drought, N addition markedly promoted the activities of antioxidases, nitrate reductase (39 %), and N concentration (56 %) in leaves, significantly alleviated the damages of the membranes and photosystem II, and increased both leaf area (69 %) and chlorophyll content per unit leaf area, along with net photosynthesis rate (34 %), thereby significantly alleviating growth restrictions. However, under severe drought, although N addition increased the accumulation of both soluble sugars and N of the whole plant, it did not ameliorate the damage to membranes and photosystem II, nor did it improve chlorophyll content, leaf area, or biomass accumulation. Therefore, N addition could increase leaf area, enhance antioxidants, and positively influence leaf carbon assimilation (0.60, p < 0.001) in poplar seedlings under moderate drought. The restrictions on leaf area and carbon assimilation were exacerbated during severe drought, which mitigated the positive effects of N addition on carbon assimilation and biomass accumulation. The findings of this study suggest that the growth of hybrid poplar can be enhanced by applying N fertilizer under mild drought conditions. In contrast, N fertilization has no significant effect in severe drought conditions.

The majority of European forests are managed and influenced by natural disturbances, with wind being the dominant agent, both of which affect the ecosystem's carbon budget. Therefore, investigating the combined effect of wind damage and different soil preparation practices on forest carbon pools is of great importance. This study examines changes in carbon stocks in the soil and biomass of two 5-year-old Scots pine stands (namely Tlen1 and Tlen2), which were established approximately 2 years after a large-scale wind disturbance in northwestern Poland. These neighboring sites differ in terms of the reforestation methods applied, particularly regarding soil preparation: ploughing disc trenching at Tlen1 and partial preparation through local manual scalping at Tlen2. Using nearby forest soils as the best available reference for the pre-windthrow state, it was estimated that the total carbon stock in the soil (up to 50 cm depth, both organic and mineral) was depleted by approximately 17 % at Tlen1 and 7 % at Tlen2. The between-site differences were around 18 %, which nearly doubled when considering only the top 20 cm of the soil profile. In contrast, the total biomass, as well as the carbon stock in biomass, were significantly higher at the site with soil prepared using moderate ploughing (Tlen1) compared to the area with partial soil preparation (Tlen2). Our findings indicate that ploughing disc trenching, aimed mainly at weed removal and improving soil properties, significantly enhanced Scots pine seedlings' growth, survival, and development during the first four years after planting. Finally, when both carbon stock estimates are pooled together, regardless of the chosen technique, the growing biomass in the investigated stands did not fully compensate for the carbon losses caused by mechanical soil preparation. However, in the short term, the overall change in the ecosystem's carbon balance was only slightly negative and comparable between the two sites.

Sustainable polymers have attracted interest due to their ability to biodegrade under specific conditions in soil, compost, and the marine environment; however, they have comparatively lower mechanical properties, limiting their widespread use. This study explores the effect of incorporating waste soy biomass into sustainable polymers (including biodegradable and biobased) on the thermal and mechanical properties of the resultant blends. The dispersion of the waste soy biomass in the polymer matrix is also investigated in relation to particle size (17 mu m vs. 1000 mu m). Fine waste soy biomass did not significantly affect the melting temperature of the polymers (polyhydroxyalkanoates, polybutylene adipate terephthalate, polybutylene adipate terephthalate/poly(lactic) acid, and biobased linear low-density polyethylene) used in this study, but their enthalpy of fusion decreased after soy was melt-blended with the polymers. The tensile modulus of the polymers filled with fine waste soy biomass powder (17 mu m) was enhanced when melt-blended as compared to unfilled polymers. Additionally, it was found that fine waste soy powder (17 mu m) increased the tensile modulus of the polymer blends without significantly affecting processability, while coarse waste soy meal (1000 mu m) generally reduced elongation at break due to poor dispersion and stress concentration; however, this effect was less pronounced in PHA blends, where improved compatibility was observed.

Snow cover is a critical factor controlling plant performance, such as survival, growth, and biomass, and vegetation cover in regions with seasonal snow (e.g., high-latitude and high-elevation regions), due to its influence on the timing and length of the growing season, insulation effect during winter, and biotic and abiotic environmental factors. Therefore, changes in snow cover driven by rising temperatures and shifting precipitation patterns are expected to alter plant performance and vegetation cover. Despite the rapid increase in research on this topic in recent decades, there is still a lack of studies that quantitatively elucidate how plant performance and vegetation cover respond to shifting snow cover across snowy regions. Additionally, no comprehensive study has yet quantitatively examined these responses across regions, ecosystems, and plant functional types. Here, we conducted a meta-analysis synthesizing data from 54 snow cover manipulation studies conducted in both the field and laboratory across snowy regions to detect how plants performance and vegetation cover respond to decreased or increased snow cover. Our results demonstrate that plant survival, aboveground biomass, and belowground biomass exhibited significant decreases in response to decreased snow cover, with rates of survival having the greatest decrease. In response to increased snow cover, plant survival, growth, biomass and vegetation cover tended to increase, except for plant belowground length growth and biomass, which showed significant decreases. Additionally, our quantitative analysis of plant responses to changes in snow cover across regions, ecosystems, and plant functional types revealed that cold regions with thin snow cover, tundra and forest ecosystems, and woody species are particularly vulnerable to snow cover reduction. Overall, this study demonstrates the strong controls that snow cover exerts on plant performance, providing insights into the dynamics of snow-covered ecosystems under changing winter climatic conditions.

Nanotechnology is an emerging tool which has the potential to stimulate photosynthetic process in stress related environment. Unfortunately, the role of nanotechnology on photosynthetic performance explaining photosystem II functionality and specific energy fluxes in crop plants are rather scarce. Photosystem II contributes 90% of the energy requirement in plants, therefore its participation in a sub-optimal environment cannot be ruled out. The current study not only elucidates the role of Zinc-NP on light harvesting efficiency of photosystem II and specific energy fluxes but also explains their subsequent involvement in physiological tolerance against salt stress in saline soil. Oryza sativa L. rice var. Diamond and Triticum aestivum L.wheat var. Benazir seeds were sown in plastic pots and were allowed to grow in natural condition. Fifteen-day-old plants were exposed to ZnO-NP at 0.02 g/L with or without salt stress (0, 75, and 150 mM) NaCl concentration. Application of nanoparticles in saline environment showed 22 to 36% increase in rice and 9 to 25% in wheat growth. Biomass accumulations and relative water content (RWC) were also increased from 10 and 111% in a suboptimal condition. Moreover, nanoparticles reduced the oxidative damages in both rice and wheat plants indicating -20.2 to -58.3% and -28.7 to -20.2% reduction in the MDA and H2O2 production under moderate to severe salt stress. Maximum quantum yield (Fv/Fm) was less affected in severe and moderate salt stress indicating -7 and -5.4% decrease in stress condition. Foliar application of ZnO-NP improves the size and number of active reaction centre of photosynthetic machinery (Fv/Fo) and performance index (PIabs) in saline soil. It was concluded that Zn-NP not only sustained light harvesting potential in both cereal plants under salinized soil but also increases the biomass accumulation and reduces oxidative damage in a sub-optimal environment.

Aerosols emitted from biomass burning affect human health and climate, both regionally and globally. The magnitude of these impacts is altered by the biomass burning plume injection height (BB-PIH). However, these alterations are not well-understood on a global scale. We present the novel implementation of BB-PIH in global simulations with an atmospheric chemistry model (GEOS-Chem) coupled with detailed TwO-Moment Aerosol Sectional (TOMAS) microphysics. We conduct BB-PIH simulations under three scenarios: (a) All smoke is well-mixed into the boundary layer, and (b) and (c) smoke injection height is based on Global Fire Assimilation System (GFAS) plume heights. Elevating BB-PIH increases the simulated global-mean aerosol optical depth (10%) despite a global-mean decrease (1%) in near-surface PM2.5. Increasing the tropospheric column mass yields enhanced cooling by the global-mean clear-sky biomass burning direct radiative effect. However, increasing BB-PIH places more smoke above clouds in some regions; thus, the all-sky biomass burning direct radiative effect has weaker cooling in these regions as a result of increasing the BB-PIH. Elevating the BB-PIH increases the simulated global-mean cloud condensation nuclei concentrations at low-cloud altitudes, strengthening the global-mean cooling of the biomass burning aerosol indirect effect with a more than doubling over marine areas. Elevating BB-PIH also generally improves model agreement with the satellite-retrieved total and smoke extinction coefficient profiles. Our 2-year global simulations with new BB-PIH capability enable understanding of the global-scale impacts of BB-PIH modeling on simulated air-quality and radiative effects, going beyond the current understanding limited to specific biomass burning regions and seasons. Plain Language Summary Biomass burning includes wildfires, prescribed burns, and agricultural burns; and is an important source of aerosol particles in the atmosphere. These aerosol particles are important for climate and human health. Our work contributes to understanding the global and interannual impacts of changing the height of these particles in the atmosphere. We ran multiple global atmospheric chemistry model simulations with each simulation having different heights for aerosol particles from biomass burning. Simulations with a higher average emission height had more smoke aerosol particles in the entire atmosphere, resulting in an increase in the cooling radiative impact of biomass burning compared to simulations with a lower average emission height. We found that simulations with a higher average emission height for biomass burning aerosols had slightly better agreement with satellite observations relative to lower heights. This study shows the importance of biomass burning aerosol emission height on Earth's global air quality and climate.