Chemical weathering of continental rocks plays a central role in regulating the carbon cycle and the Earth's climate, accounting for nearly half the consumption of atmospheric carbon dioxide globally. However, the role of climate variability on chemical weathering is still strongly debated. Here we focus on the Himalayan range and use the lithium isotopic composition of clays in fluvial terraces to show a tight coupling between climate change and chemical weathering over the past 40 ka.

While previous research helped to identify and prioritize the sources of error in air quality modeling due to anthropogenic emissions and spatial scale effects our knowledge
is limited on how these uncertainties affect climate forced air-quality assessments. Using as reference a 10 yr model simulation over the greater Paris (France) area at 4 km resolution and anthropogenic emissions from a 1 km resolution bottom-up inventory, through several tests we estimate the sensitivity of modeled ozone and PM2.5

Nitrogen (N) deposition-induced soil acidification has become a global problem. However, the response patterns of soil acidification to N addition and the underlying mechanisms remain far from clear. Here, we conducted a meta-analysis of 106 studies to reveal global patterns of soil acidification in responses to N addition. We found that N addition significantly reduced soil pH by 0.26 on average globally. However, the responses of soil pH varied with ecosystem types, N addition rate, N fertilization forms, and experimental durations.

There is a lack of field data on the water withdrawal and consumption intensity of thermoelectric power plants in China. With China's ambitious electricity capacity expansion and ever-growing water deficit, the overlooked water dimension of thermoelectric power generation could soon have significant water sustainability implications, and field data on water intensity of thermoelectric power plants will be essential to further our understanding of China's water-electricity nexus.

Emergence of artemisinin resistance in southeast Asia poses a serious threat to the global control of Plasmodium falciparum malaria. Discovery of the K13 marker has transformed approaches to the monitoring of artemisinin resistance, allowing introduction of molecular surveillance in remote areas through analysis of DNA. We aimed to assess the spread of artemisinin-resistant P falciparum in Myanmar by determining the relative prevalence of P falciparum parasites carrying K13-propeller mutations.

The Weather Research and Forecasting model with Chemistry (WRF/Chem) simulation with the 2005 Carbon Bond gas-phase mechanism coupled to the Modal for Aerosol Dynamics for Europe and the Volatility Basis Set approach for Secondary Organic Aerosol (SOA) are conducted over a domain in North America for 2006 and 2010 as part of the Air Quality Model Evaluation International Initiative (AQMEII) Phase 2 project.

Numerical model scenarios of future climate depict a global increase in temperatures and changing precipitation patterns, primarily driven by increasing greenhouse gas (GHG) concentrations. Aerosol particles also play an important role by altering the Earth's radiation budget and consequently surface temperature. Here, we use the general circulation aerosol model ECHAM5-HAM, coupled to a mixed layer ocean model, to investigate the impacts of future air pollution mitigation strategies in Europe on winter atmospheric circulation over the North Atlantic.

We assessed the effects of the elimination of livestock in riparian systems at Hart Mountain National Antelope Refuge in southeastern Oregon, 23 years after the removal of cattle grazing, using 64 photos taken before grazing was removed compared with later retake photos. Two methods were used for this assessment: (1) a qualitative visual method comparing seven cover types and processes and (2) a new quantitative method of inserting digital line transects into photos. Results indicated that channel widths and eroding banks decreased in 64 and 73 % of sites, respectively.

The Diabetes Prevention Program was a groundbreaking randomized controlled trial in which the incidence of diabetes was dramatically reduced with a structured lifestyle intervention and significantly reduced with prophylactic metformin in patients at high risk of developing diabetes. This study and others like it introduced the prevention of diabetes with metformin and structured lifestyle programs to clinical practice. The American Diabetes Association now recommends intensive lifestyle interventions or metformin to prevent diabetes for people at high risk.

Yaws, an infectious disease caused by Treponema pallidum subspecies pertenue, affects mainly children in poor rural communities in tropical countries. This bacterium is transmitted by direct skin-to-skin, nonsexual contact and causes a chronic, relapsing disease that is characterized by highly contagious primary and secondary cutaneous lesions and by noncontagious tertiary destructive lesions of the bones. Cases are reported currently in 12 countries in Africa, Asia, and the western Pacific region, and 42 million people are estimated to be at risk for yaws.