Search Results (505)

Fresnel high-concentration photovoltaic/thermal (HCPV/T) systems operating in sandy environments are susceptible to natural lens soiling, which attenuates the effective concentrated solar input and alters electrical and thermal performance. Natural-soiling comparison tests were conducted over 0–28 d, and an SD-CNN-BiLSTM-Attention model was developed to forecast cell-center temperature and electrical power 5, 10, and 20 min ahead. At a surface soiling density of 10.760 g·m⁻², current and electrical power decreased by 38.37% and 39.28%, respectively, relative to the concurrently operated clean-reference unit; cell-center temperature and water-tank temperature rise decreased by 7.74% and 15.13%. Thermal power also showed an overall downward trend, although the magnitude was affected by relatively large measurement uncertainty. Under grouped cross-validation, temperature RMSEs were 0.473, 0.515, and 0.555 °C at 5, 10, and 20 min, corresponding to reductions of 8.34%, 21.68%, and 44.07% relative to Persistence. Electrical-power RMSEs were 0.661, 0.618, and 0.640 W, with an 18.24% reduction relative to Persistence at 20 min. Ablation analysis showed a limited contribution from surface soiling density at 5 and 10 min but a clearer contribution at 20 min. These results support electrical and thermal performance assessment and short-term operational forecasting of Fresnel HCPV/T systems in sandy environments. Full article

The coastal dunes of the Colombian Caribbean show highly variable vegetation dynamics between 2015 and 2025. The study was conducted on five different beaches: Lipe, Salguero, Costa Verde, Gairaca, and Mendihuaca. Satellite images and SAVI estimates were used to evaluate changes in vegetation cover. The results show that Gairaca and Mendihuaca are ecosystems with the greatest ecological stability, due to their high vegetation values, lower mobile-sand presence, better moisture retention, and lower thermal stress. On the other hand, Lipe, Salguero, and Costa Verde show more fragmented cover, dominated by sparse vegetation and bare soils, which demonstrate greater geomorphological and ecological vulnerability. The period from 2015 to 2020 shows a general decrease in vegetation vigor, possibly related to water stress and adverse climatic conditions. After 2020, there were signs of recovery, although not with the same intensity at all sites. Salguero showed vegetation recolonization but still did not present structural consolidation. Lipe was the most unstable system, with greater degradation and low recovery capacity. This study confirms that vegetation cover is a key indicator of resilience, stability, and ecological succession in coastal dunes. Full article

This study investigates the relationship between ground heat flux (GHF) over the Tibetan Plateau and heatwave days in Korea. A weak negative correlation was found during the pre-1998 period (1979 to 1997), whereas a strong positive correlation emerged during the post period (1998 to 2019). To further examine the mechanisms underlying this interdecadal change, seven positive and seven negative GHF years were selected for both the pre-1998 and post-1998 periods and composite analyses were conducted. During positive GHF years in the post-1998 period, the Tibetan Plateau experienced enhanced surface heating, reduced spring snow cover, and lower summer soil moisture. These conditions favored greater absorption and release of heat from the land surface. Concurrently, anomalous anticyclonic circulation strengthened throughout the troposphere, accompanied by enhanced subsidence over the latitude band containing the Korean Peninsula. In addition, both the western North Pacific high and the South Asian high expanded and intensified during positive GHF years, exerting a stronger influence on the middle and upper troposphere over Korea. The increased occurrence of heatwaves in Korea during the post-1998 period is partly attributable to enhanced thermal forcing over the Tibetan Plateau and the associated development of a circumglobal teleconnection-like wave train, which induced downstream anticyclonic circulation anomalies over East Asia. This upper-tropospheric forcing, together with a La Niña–like or negative Pacific Decadal Oscillation–like sea surface temperature pattern, created atmospheric conditions favorable for more frequent heatwave events over Korea. These results suggest that the influence of Tibetan Plateau thermal forcing on Korean heatwaves has strengthened since the late 1990s through its interaction with large-scale atmospheric circulation and oceanic background conditions. Full article

In response to the significant seasonal fluctuations in heating and cooling loads in greenhouses for high-value fruit trees in northern China, as well as issues such as heat accumulation on the ground-source side and high carbon emissions from coal-fired heating, this paper proposes a coupled energy supply system comprising a PVT system, a mine pit seasonal thermal storage unit, a ground-source heat pump and a cooling tower. Taking a 30,000 m² cherry greenhouse and an existing 15,000 m³ mine pit thermal storage reservoir in Weifang, Shandong Province, as the research objects, annual design-stage simulations with a 0.125 h time step were conducted using SketchUp-TRNBuild and TRNSYS. Discrete sensitivity analyses and engineering constraints were used to determine the PVT area and cooling tower outlet temperature. Heating demand mainly occurred from November to February, whereas cooling demand was concentrated from June to September. The selected 2452 m² PVT system supplied direct heating for 34 days, covered 23.05% of the seasonal heating demand, and achieved a storage efficiency of 69.17%. Without a cooling tower, the first-year soil temperature increased by 1.1 °C. With a 26 °C cooling tower outlet temperature, the soil thermal imbalance ratio decreased to 2.4%, and the 15-year soil temperature rise was limited to 0.28 °C. The recommended system required 1.3239 million kWh of net purchased electricity annually, reduced operating costs by approximately CNY 802,800 (USD 118,243) and operational emissions by 2027.8 tCO₂-eq per year relative to the baseline, and had a static payback period of 6.4 years. The annual operational emission reduction was linearly extrapolated over a 20-year assessment period under fixed weather, load, equipment performance, and grid emission assumptions, resulting in a scenario-based carbon reduction threshold of 40,556 tCO₂-eq. Net life cycle carbon savings would be possible if the additional emissions from construction, equipment replacement, and end-of-life treatment remained below this threshold. Full article

Thermal regulation of surface soil is critical for vegetation establishment in degraded mining environments, yet the systematic design of insulation layers tailored to mine restoration remains underdeveloped. Fifteen candidate thermal insulation materials from six categories were evaluated under simulated solar radiation, and a two-stage optimization framework was established. The first stage employed response surface methodology (RSM) for preliminary screening; the second used Gaussian process regression with Bayesian optimization (GPR-BO) for mixture refinement. RSM identified hollow glass microspheres as the strongest positive contributor and wood chips as the most detrimental component. The GPR-BO framework yielded an optimal formulation achieving T₉₀ = 12.80 °C, heating rate v = 0.0311 °C/min, and heat resistance efficiency η = 65.85%, with R² exceeding 0.95 for all response variables. The observed thermal regulation arose from the synergy of three mechanisms: surface radiative heat suppression, internal conductive path interruption, and transient thermal buffering. These findings offer a practical design route for high-performance insulation layers in cold-region mine ecological restoration. Full article

Sorghum (Sorghum bicolor L. Moench) is a major cereal in water-limited environments. Its C₄ carbon-concentrating pathway suppresses photorespiration and supports comparatively high photosynthetic and water-use efficiency at high temperature, although yield remains sensitive to the timing and intensity of drought. This systematic review critically evaluates how coordinated variation in phenology, canopy development, transpiration regulation, photosynthetic resilience and root-mediated water capture can be phenotyped for sorghum improvement. The review was conducted and reported in accordance with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) 2020 statement. Eligible primary studies examined sorghum drought physiology, sensing-based phenotyping, trait retrieval, root-associated water capture, or breeding applications. Following duplicate removal and title, abstract and full-text screening, 45 sorghum-specific studies were included. Owing to substantial heterogeneity in experimental design, drought treatment, sensing platform, target trait, and validation metric, evidence was synthesised narratively rather than by meta-analysis. We compare sorghum studies across Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR), multi-spectral, hyperspectral, thermal, structural, and fluorescence sensing, with emphasis on reported accuracy, transferability and physiological interpretation. We then examine how PROSAIL (PROSPECT coupled with Scattering by Arbitrarily Inclined Leaves) and SCOPE (Soil Canopy Observation, Photochemistry and Energy Fluxes) can be constrained for sorghum canopies and combined with machine learning. The central contribution is a sorghum-specific framework that distinguishes directly observed or model-retrieved canopy traits from indirect root-function predictions requiring ground validation. The synthesis identifies practical routes for measuring functional stay-green, high-vapour-pressure-deficit responses and post-anthesis water capture, while defining priorities for cross-environment validation and breeding deployment. Full article

Accurate assessment of crop water status is critical for precision irrigation and sustainable water management in agriculture. This study develops a UAV-based thermal infrared inversion framework for high-resolution canopy temperature retrieval and irrigation decision support in tea plantations. The proposed approach integrates multi-frame image mosaicking, threshold-based canopy extraction, and a gray–temperature calibration model to generate spatially continuous canopy temperature maps. Crop water stress was quantified using the Crop Water Stress Index (CWSI), and its reliability was further evaluated by analyzing its relationship with stomatal conductance. The framework further estimates soil moisture status and irrigation requirements based on a threshold-based irrigation strategy. The results show that the linear gray-temperature calibration model achieved a maximum absolute error of less than 0.3 °C and that the calculated CWSI and estimated irrigation requirement were strongly correlated with measured stomatal conductance, with R² up to 0.91. The proposed method provides a practical technical workflow from UAV thermal imagery acquisition to canopy temperature retrieval and quantitative irrigation decision-making, demonstrating its potential for precision irrigation management in tea plantations. Full article

This study presents the results of long-term field experiments investigating the effects of subsurface heating and irrigation with discharged warm water (28–35 °C) on the hydrothermal, redox, biological, and salt regimes of Haplic Chernozem (Loamic, Endocalcaric) in the central Forest-Steppe zone of Ukraine. The experiments were conducted under contrasting hydro-meteorological conditions, allowing assessment of thermo-reclamation practices across a wide range of temperature and soil moisture regimes. Subsurface heating increased soil temperature by 7.3–11.1 °C at the depth of heating pipe installation, while the thermal effect gradually decreased with increasing distance from the heat source. Combined heating and irrigation created a more uniform temperature distribution within the root zone, reduced the depth and duration of soil freezing, and improved hydrothermal conditions throughout the growing season. The studied soils maintained predominantly oxidative conditions under all treatments. However, the combined application of heating and irrigation promoted a more homogeneous distribution and seasonal stabilization of soil redox potential throughout the profile. Soil heating also enhanced microbiological activity, thereby increasing cellulolytic activity, particularly during cold and dry periods when soil temperature and moisture limited microbial processes. Irrigation with slightly mineralized warm wastewater did not cause significant overall soil salinization but resulted in the redistribution of calcium and sodium within the soil profile. Subsurface heating intensified the seasonal dynamics of readily soluble salts, promoting their temporary accumulation near the heating pipes, whereas combined heating and irrigation facilitated subsequent leaching of excess salts into deeper horizons. The integrated application of subsurface heating and irrigation produced the highest and most stable perennial grass productivity, increasing biomass yield by 87–163% compared with the control, irrespective of meteorological conditions. These findings demonstrate that the integrated use of industrial waste heat for subsurface heating combined with irrigation represents a promising and environmentally sustainable thermo-reclamation technology capable of improving soil functioning and agricultural productivity, provided that long-term monitoring of soil water–salt regimes is maintained. Full article

To reveal the heave deformation characteristics and influencing factors of high-speed railway subgrade–culvert transition section (SCTS) on expansive soil foundations under water immersion, this study takes the Xi’an–Ankang High-Speed Railway as the engineering background. An in situ vertical swelling pressure test was conducted, and the equivalent thermal expansion coefficient was back-calculated based on the temperature–moisture equivalence theory. A three-dimensional numerical model was then established. The effects of immersion zone width, swelling potential, and immersion location were analyzed. The results show that, as the immersion center gradually deviates from the culvert center, the maximum subgrade heave deformation exhibits a non-monotonic trend of first decreasing and then increasing. When the immersion zone is locally distributed beneath the culvert, differential heave deformation of the SCTS is likely to occur. Gray relational analysis indicates that the maximum heave deformation is highly associated with both immersion zone width and swelling potential, while the width of heave area is more closely associated with immersion zone width. In engineering practice, the immersion range of the foundation near the SCTS should be carefully controlled, and drainage, anti-seepage, waterproofing, and soil improvement measures should be adopted to reduce the risk of differential heave deformation. Full article

This paper presents experimental investigations carried out on components belonging to agricultural plough assemblies, which undergo significant mechanical loading during soil tillage operations. Due to severe operating conditions, ploughs are subjected to abrasive wear and impact stresses, so that enhancing these properties translates into improved performance, accompanied by a lower failure rate and, consequently, reduced downtime in agricultural activity. In order to upgrade the material properties of the active parts that come into direct and sustained contact with the soil—and which are therefore most vulnerable to degradation—surface thermal coatings were applied by means of Atmospheric Plasma Spray (APS) deposition, with the aim of extending service performance and component lifespan. The mechanical properties of the deposited coatings were assessed through hardness testing (approx. 204 HV) and microscratch behaviour evaluation (COF > 1). In addition, microstructural examinations were conducted using scanning electron microscopy to characterise the surface condition following the thermal deposition process. The findings confirm that thermal coatings represent a viable technical solution, enabling not only the improvement of plough component properties, but also the possibility of reconditioning worn parts by compensating, through thermal deposition, for the material loss caused by soil-induced wear during field operation. Full article

Conventional ridge tillage has triggered severe soil organic carbon depletion and soil erosion in sloping maize fields of humid northeast China, posing a persistent threat to black soil health and regional grain security. As representative conservation tillage systems integrated with full straw residue retention, no tillage and strip tillage exhibit prominent potential in soil protection, and their soil-improving benefits are inseparable from continuous straw carbon input; however, their regulatory effects on humus fractions and humic acid molecular properties in erosion-prone sloping farmlands remain largely unclarified. This study aimed to screen the optimal integrated tillage–cultivation mode for sloping farmlands in the northeast China black soil region and to reveal how tillage systems coupled with incremental agronomic practices affect maize yield, humus composition, and humic acid molecular characteristics in Albic soil, a representative degraded soil type of the regional black soil system. A 2-year field experiment was conducted in a typical sloping farmland of Jilin Province, with conventional ridge tillage set as the control. Five incremental integrated management practices (from baseline practice to fertilizer reduction, straw decomposition promotion, and 5–10% higher planting density) were arranged under both under no-tillage and strip-tillage systems. We analyzed dissolved organic matter fluorescence properties, carbon content of humus fractions, and humic acid molecular structural features, and performed principal component analysis for comprehensive performance evaluation of all treatments. This study demonstrates that optimized strip tillage, supported by full straw C input as an indispensable prerequisite, combined with straw decomposition promotion and a 10% planting density increase can synchronously boost soil fertility and maize yield, providing a scientific and practical tillage strategy for sustainable black soil conservation of sloping Albic farmlands in humid northeast China. Strip tillage achieved a 6.78% higher average maize yield than NT, and the maximum yield was recorded with ST5 (strip tillage combined with straw decomposition promotion and 10% planting density increase). Both no tillage and strip tillage significantly increased C_DOM content, humification index and autochthonous contribution, optimized humus component distribution with elevated humic acid carbon content, humic acid carbon-to-fulvic acid carbon ratio and humic acid carbon-to-total organic carbon ratio, and enhanced humic acid aromaticity, thermal stability, and hydrophobicity. The principal component analysis results indicated that ST5 ranked first in comprehensive performance, while conventional ridge tillage ranked the lowest among all treatments. Strip tillage integrated with straw decomposition promotion and 10% increased planting density effectively modulated humus fractions, improved humic acid molecular stability, and synchronously increased maize yield. This integrated management regime provides a scientific and practical tillage strategy for sustainable black soil conservation and high-efficiency maize production in sloping Albic farmlands of humid northeast China. Full article

This study evaluated the individual and interactive effects of straw management, tillage systems, and wheat growth stages on surface energy balance (SEB) dynamics in a semi-arid wheat production system, with particular focus on net radiation (Rn), sensible heat flux (H), latent heat flux (LE), Bowen ratio (β), and energy partitioning (EP). A field experiment was conducted during the 2022–2023 growing season using a split–split plot design with two straw management treatments, four tillage systems, and three growth stages. Surface energy balance components were estimated through field-based micrometeorological measurements. Data were analysed using ANOVA, variance partitioning analysis, and Pearson correlation analysis. All experimental factors significantly affected SEB components, although growth stage represented the dominant source of variability, accounting for 42–58% of total variance. Flowering stage consistently promoted the highest LE values and the lowest β and EP values, indicating enhanced evaporative cooling during maximum crop development. Conservation-oriented tillage systems substantially modified thermal partitioning, with no-tillage (NT) significantly increasing LE and reducing H relative to conventional tillage (CT). The combination of straw incorporation and NT during flowering (IS + NT + S2) produced the highest LE value (129.15 W m⁻²) and one of the lowest H values (18.35 W m⁻²). Bowen ratio progressively decreased from CT (8.57) to NT (1.44), confirming a shift from sensible to latent heat exchange under conservation-oriented management. Crop phenology and conservation-oriented soil management jointly regulated thermal partitioning and evaporative cooling in semi-arid wheat systems. NT combined with straw incorporation substantially enhanced latent heat exchange while reducing sensible heating, particularly during flowering. This study provides novel field-based evidence regarding the combined influence of straw management, tillage systems, and wheat phenology on SEB dynamics under semi-arid conditions, contributing to improved understanding of land–atmosphere interactions and climate-adaptive agricultural management strategies. Full article

Film mulching can promote maize canopy development by altering soil thermal conditions. However, commonly used air-temperature-based growing degree days (GDDs_air) may not adequately reflect mulch-induced soil warming or the effects of biodegradable film degradation on leaf area index (LAI) dynamics. To improve unified simulation of maize LAI under different film mulching conditions, field experiments were conducted in 2023 and 2024. Five treatments were established: 0.006, 0.008 and 0.010 mm biodegradable films (DM1, DM2 and DM3, respectively), a 0.010 mm conventional plastic film (PM), and a no-mulching control (CK). The compensation of increased soil temperature for air-temperature-based thermal accumulation during early maize growth was quantified. Modified Logistic LAI models were then developed using days after emergence (DAEs), GDDs_air, soil-temperature-compensated growing degree days (GDDs_stc), and normalized GDDs_stc (NGDDs_stc) as driving variables. The models were calibrated with observations from 2023 and independently validated with observations from 2024. The compensation effect acted through mulch-induced increases in 0–10 cm soil temperature during early maize growth and was stronger at the seedling stage than at the jointing stage. Compared with DM1 and DM2, daily compensation values were higher by 0.25–0.78 °C under DM3 and by 0.26–0.76 °C under PM. Independent validation showed that the GDDs_stc-driven model had lower prediction error than the DAEs- and GDDs_air-driven models. The NGDDs_stc-driven model performed best; its RMSE values were 17.61%, 15.17% and 10.91% lower than those of the DAEs-, GDDs_air- and GDDs_stc-driven models, respectively. These results indicate that incorporating mulch-induced soil temperature compensation into the thermal time scale can more accurately represent maize canopy development under film mulching conditions. Full article

Approximately 80% of the buildings that will exist in Global North countries by 2050 have already been built, yet most perform poorly in terms of energy efficiency and fail to deliver net-positive outcomes. Ecologically active soils, which are engineered to provide the moisture, porosity, and nutrient conditions necessary for plant growth, offer a promising yet underexplored pathway for the regenerative retrofitting of existing building envelopes. This paper presents the rationale, objectives, and results of the Regenerative Retrofitting Via Ecologically Active Soil Structures (Reeco-Soil) project, which investigates the state of the art of ecologically active soil-based building retrofitting through a Systematic Literature Review (SLR) conducted in accordance with PRISMA 2020 guidelines, drawing on searches of the Scopus and Web of Science databases. Results confirm that bio-based clay composites can achieve significant reductions in thermal conductivity, and that robotic and spray-based fabrication methods are capable of depositing earthen materials onto complex building geometries. However, peer-reviewed evidence directly addressing biological component integration remains critically scarce. As conclusion, the review reveals substantial opportunities for integrating earthen materials, biological components, and digital fabrication technologies into regenerative retrofitting strategies, while also highlighting research gaps that must be addressed before they can be implemented at scale. Full article

Warming profoundly influences soil respiration in terrestrial ecosystems, thereby altering global carbon cycling. Understanding the trends and drivers of soil respiration changes in forest ecosystems under warming is essential for assessing regional carbon budgets and ecosystem carbon sink/source dynamics. In this study, a one-year warming experiment was conducted using open-top chambers in a Taxodium hybrid (Zhongshanshan) ecosystem in the northern Jiangsu coastal area, China. Treatments included control (CK) and warming (W), focusing on soil respiration components (soil respiration, Rs; heterotrophic respiration, Rh; autotrophic respiration, Ra) and associated soil hydrothermal and nutrient factors. Results showed that both warming and season significantly affected Rs, Rh, and Ra, all exhibiting a unimodal seasonal pattern peaking in summer. Warming increased winter Ra by 117.39% (p < 0.001). Bivariate models (temperature and moisture) explained more variation in respiration (R² = 0.720–0.893) than univariate models. Correlation analysis indicated that under control conditions, Rs components were significantly positively correlated with microbial biomass carbon (MBC), ammonium nitrogen (NH₄⁺-N), and available phosphorus (AP). After warming, these positive correlations with MBC and AP persisted; however, negative correlations emerged with soil organic carbon (SOC) and its stoichiometric ratios (C:N, C:P). Additionally, Ra showed negative correlations with easily oxidizable carbon (EOC), total nitrogen (TN), and N:P. Overall, these findings suggest that climate warming may enhance soil respiration in the Taxodium hybrid (Zhongshanshan) ecosystem by altering soil thermal-hydrological and nutrient factors, although further validation is needed. Full article