To investigate the coupled time effects of root reinforcement and wet-dry deterioration in herbaceous plant-loess composites, as well as their microscopic mechanisms, this study focused on alfalfa root-loess composites at different growth stages cultivated under controlled conditions. The research included measuring root morphological parameters, conducting wet-dry cycling tests, and performing triaxial compression tests and microscopic analyses (CT scanning and nuclear magnetic resonance) on both bare loess and root-loess composites under various wet-dry cycling conditions. By obtaining shear strength parameters and microstructural indices, the study analyzed the temporal evolution of the shear strength and microstructural characteristics of root-loess composites under wet-dry cycling. The findings indicated that the alfalfa root-loess composite effective cohesion was significantly higher than that of the plain soil in the same growth stage. The alfalfa root-loess composite effective cohesion increased during the growth stage in the same dry-wet cycles. The alfalfa root-loess composite effective cohesion in the same growth stage was negatively correlated with the number of dry-wet cycles. The fatigue damage of the soil's microstructure (pore coarsening, cement hydrolysis, and crack development) increased continuously with the number of dry-wet cycles. However, due to the difference in mechanical properties between roots and the soil, the root-soil composite prevented the deterioration of the soil matrix strength by the dry-wet cycles. As the herbaceous plants grow, the time effect observed in the shear strength of the root-soil composite under the action of dry-wet cycles is the result of the interaction and dynamic coordination between the soil-stabilizing function of the herbaceous plant roots and the deterioration caused by drywet cycles.

This study analyzes the aerosol and precipitable water vapor (PWV) properties at six sites in the Indo-Gangetic Plains (IGP), a densely populated and highly polluted region. The main objective is to explore how the columnar PWV is related to the attenuation of shortwave solar radiation (SWR), as well as the combined role of aerosol properties and PWV on radiative forcing based on AERONET data and model (SBDART) simulations. The analysis revealed high aerosol optical depth (AOD) values (0.4-0.6) throughout the year in all the sites, associated with increased PWV (4-5 cm) during the summer monsoon. Comprehensive investigation shows that changes in PWV levels also affect aerosols' size distribution, optical properties and radiation balance in a similar way - but in different magnitudes - between the examined sites. The water vapor radiative effect (WVRE) is highly dependent on aerosol presence, with its magnitude for both surface (-130 to -140 Wm(-2)) and atmospheric forcing becoming higher under clean atmospheres (without aerosols). Aerosol presence is also considered in the computations of the WVRE. In that case, the WVRE becomes more pronounced at the top of the atmosphere (TOA) (30 to 35 Wm(-2)) but exhibits a lower forcing impact on the surface (about -45 Wm(-2)) and within the atmosphere (70-80 Wm(-2)), suggesting important aerosol-PWV interrelations. The atmospheric heating rate due to PWV is more than double (3.5-4.5 K Day(-1)) that of aerosols (1-1.9 K Day(-1)), highlighting its essential role in radiative effects and climate implications over the IGP region. The radiative impacts of PWV and aerosols are further examined as a function of the single scattering albedo, solar zenith angle, and absorbing AOD at the different sites, revealing dependence on both astronomical and atmospheric variables related to aerosol absorption, thus unravelling the combined role of aerosols and PWV in climate implications.

Seismic risk assessment of code-noncompliant reinforced concrete (RC) frames faces significant challenges due to structural heterogeneity and the complex interplay of site-specific hazard conditions. This study aims to introduce a novel framework that integrates three key concepts specifically targeting these challenges. Central to the methodology are fragility fuses, which employ a triplet of curves-lower bound, median, and upper bound-to rigorously quantify within-class variability in seismic performance, offering a more nuanced representation of code-noncompliant building behavior compared to conventional single-curve approaches. Complementing this, spectrum-consistent transformations dynamically adjust fragility curves to account for regional spectral shapes and soil categories, ensuring site-specific accuracy by reconciling hazard intensity with local geotechnical conditions. Further enhancing precision, the framework adopts a nonlinear hazard model that captures the curvature of hazard curves in log-log space, overcoming the oversimplifications of linear approximations and significantly improving risk estimates for rare, high-intensity events. Applied to four RC frame typologies (2-5 stories) with diverse geometries and material properties, the framework demonstrates a 15-40 % reduction in risk estimation errors through nonlinear hazard modeling, while spectrum-consistent adjustments show up to 30 % variability in exceedance probabilities across soil classes. Fragility fuses further highlight the impact of structural heterogeneity, with older, non-ductile frames exhibiting 25 % wider confidence intervals in performance. Finally, risk maps are presented for the four frame typologies, making use of non-linear hazard curves and spectrumconsistent fragility fuses accounting for both local effects and within-typology variability.

Hurricane Otto caused sequential changes in tropical soil microbiota over 5 years.Acidobacteria were critical early decomposers of deposited canopy debris for 3 years.Complex C degrading fungi were critical later decomposers of debris starting at 4 years.A suite of C, N and microbial indicators should prove valuable for forest managers.Hurricanes cause significant damage to tropical forests; however, little is known of their effects on decomposition and decomposer communities. This study demonstrated that canopy debris deposited during Hurricane Otto stimulated sequential changes in soil carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) components, and decomposer microbial communities over 5 years. The initial response phase occurred within 2 years post-hurricane and appeared associated with decomposition of the labile canopy debris, suggested by: increased DNA sequences (MPS) of the Acidobacterial community (as common decomposers of labile plant material), decreases in total organic C (TOC), increased biomass C, respiration, and NH4+, conversion of organic C in biomass, and decreased MPS of complex organic C decomposing (CCDec) Fungal community. After 3 years post-hurricane, the later response phase appeared associated with decomposition of the more stable components of the canopy debris, suggested by: increased MPS of the Fungal CCDec community, TOC, stabilized Respiration, decreased Biomass C, the return to pre-hurricane levels of the conversion of organic C to biomass, and decreased MPS of Acidobacterial community. These changes in the microbial community compositions resulted in progressive decomposition of the hurricane-deposited canopy material within 5 years, resulting several potential indicators of different stages of decomposition and soil recovery post-disturbance.

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.

An integrated constitutive model has been developed for rock-like materials, incorporating confinement-sensitive damage and bi-mechanism plasticity. The model aims to improve the capability of the conventional damage model in depicting the strengthening and brittle-to-ductile transitions that occur under both active and passive confinement conditions. A thermodynamic analysis of energy transformation and dissipation, considering both damage and plasticity, underpins the model's development. The model, rooted in damage-plastic theory, has been divided into two sub-models: (1) Confinement-Sensitive Model: This sub-model addresses the strengthening and ductility enhancements due to active confinement stress. It effectively captures the mechanical responses of rock-like materials under various levels of active confining stresses. (2) Endochronic Dilatancy Model: Based on endochronic theory, a separate dilatancy strain model is proposed, which effectively facilitates the interplay between lateral dilatancy and the growth of passive confining stress. Both sub-models, as well as the integrated model, have undergone validation using experimental data, including uniaxial tests, cyclic loading tests, actively confined tests, and passively confined tests of rock-like materials. These validations confirm the model's accuracy and reliability in predicting the mechanical behavior of rock-like materials under complex loading conditions.

The solidification of dredged marine sediments with high water content is important for maintenance dredging and reclamations. To reduce the carbon emission of solidification, low-carbon recycled wastes such as incinerated sewage sludge ash (ISSA) and ground granulated blastfurnace slag (GGBS) have been recently adopted as binding materials to replace conventional Portland cement. For soil slurry with ultra-high water content, using the consolidationsolidification combined method is an effective way to reduce the volume and improve the final mechanical properties. However, it is unclear how the consolidation interacts with solidification using the binding materials. In this study, a series of laboratory tests were conducted on dredged Hong Kong marine deposit slurry mixed with ISSA and GGBS with alkali activation by lime. The elemental consolidation tests controlled with different constant rates of strain and multistage loadings demonstrate that the rate of consolidation has significant effects on volume reduction and yielding stress development during consolidation-solidification treatment. Consolidationsolidification achieves higher volume reduction and yielding stress than pure solidification. As the rate of consolidation decreases, there is a smaller volume reduction at the same effective stress and less yielding stress enhancement at the same curing time. A scanning electron microscope with energy dispersive spectrometer was used to investigate hydration products and soil fabric after treatment. The slower rate of consolidation causes the looser structure and finer needleshaped products with the same curing period, which can explain the mechanical properties observed from the element tests.

On December 18, 2023, an Ms6.2 earthquake struck Jishishan County, Gansu Province, in western China. The China Earthquake Early Warning Network (CEEWN) captured extensive near-field ground motion data using high-density microelectromechanical system (MEMS) sensors and force-balanced accelerographs (FBAs). Through noise level and usable frequency range assessments of MEMS/FBA recordings, we compiled a strong- motion dataset encompassing the Ms6.2 mainshock and 13 aftershocks (Ms >= 3.0). Analysis of this dataset revealed distinct source characteristics and site effects through spatial distributions and attenuation patterns of peak ground acceleration (PGA, up to 1.1 g at station N002B), peak ground velocity (PGV), and spectral accelerations (SAs) across various periods. The mainshock's near-fault motions exhibited pronounced short-period energy, with 0.2 s SAs exceeding 1.0 gin intensity zones VII-VIII due to hanging wall effects, soil amplification, and topographic influences. Site-to-reference ratio (SSR) analysis identified site nonlinearity above 1 Hz and amplification between 1 and 10 Hz. Observed PGAs and short-period SAs surpassed ground motion model (GMM) predictions with faster attenuation rates, while long-period SAs (>1.0 s) remained below predictions. Residual analysis of intensity measures (IMs) and horizontal-to-vertical spectral ratios (HVSRs) demonstrated progressive site nonlinearity, showing HVSR frequency reductions and amplitude declines at PGAs >500 cm/s(2). This dataset advances regional ground motion model (GMM) development, while our findings on strong ground motion characteristics offer critical insights for earthquake damage assessment and post-disaster reconstruction.

In cold regions, and considering the increasing concerns regarding climate change, it is crucial to assess soil stabilisation techniques under adverse environmental conditions. The study addresses the challenge of forecasting geotechnical properties of lime-stabilised clayey soils subjected to freeze-thaw conditions. A model is proposed to accurately predict the unconfined compressive strength (UCS) of lime-stabilised clayey soils exposed to freeze-thaw cycles. As the prediction of UCS is essential in construction engineering, the use of the model is a viable early-phase alternative to time-consuming laboratory testing procedures. This research aims to propose a robust predictive model using readily accessible soil parameters. A comprehensive statistical model for predicting UCS was developed and validated using data sourced from the scientific literature. An extensive parametric analysis was conducted to assess the predictive performance of the developed model. The findings underscore the capability of statistical models to predict UCS of stabilised soils demonstrating their valuable contribution to this area of study.

Background and AimsGlobal climate change is intensifying the co-occurrence of abiotic stresses, particularly combined waterlogging/submergence and salinity, posing severe and escalating threats to woody plant ecosystems critical for biodiversity, carbon storage, and soil stabilization. Despite extensive research on herbaceous species, understanding of woody plant responses remains fragmented and disproportionately focused on specific groups like mangroves and halophytes. This review aims to synthesize and critically evaluate the current state of knowledge on the integrated physiological, morphological, and molecular responses of diverse woody plants to this challenging combined stress scenario.MethodsA comprehensive synthesis and analysis of existing scientific literature was conducted. This involved systematically examining empirical studies, comparative analyses, and theoretical frameworks related to the responses of various woody plant species to the concurrent application of waterlogging/submergence and salinity stress, drawing comparisons to single-stress effects and herbaceous model systems.ResultsThe majority of woody plants exhibit synergistic, more detrimental effects under combined stress compared to either stress alone. Key manifestations include significantly heightened inhibition of photosynthesis, severe disruption of ion (particularly Na+ and Cl-) homeostasis leading to toxicity, and exacerbated oxidative damage. Woody plants utilize core stress tolerance mechanisms analogous to herbaceous species, such as ion exclusion/compartmentalization, activation of enzymatic and non-enzymatic antioxidant systems, and osmotic adjustment via compatible solute accumulation. Crucially, they also deploy distinctive structural and long-term adaptive strategies, including the development of specialized organs (pneumatophores, hypertrophic lenticels), deep root systems for accessing less saline groundwater, and physiological acclimation processes leveraging their perennial nature. Nevertheless, critical knowledge gaps persist, particularly concerning the underlying molecular signaling networks, the mechanisms of long-term adaptation over years/decades, and the specific responses of mature trees in natural ecosystems.ConclusionSignificant gaps hinder a comprehensive understanding of how woody plants cope with combined waterlogging/submergence and salinity stress. To advance fundamental knowledge and inform effective ecological restoration strategies for climate-resilient landscapes, future research must prioritize the application of integrated multi-omics approaches (genomics, transcriptomics, proteomics, metabolomics), the development of high-efficiency genetic transformation techniques for recalcitrant woody species, the deployment of advanced high-throughput phenotyping platforms, and crucially, long-term field-based studies simulating realistic future stress scenarios.