To explore the sedimentary history, sources, and ecological risks of emerging contaminants in global alpine lake sediments, 2,026 monitoring data points from 42 published studies were systematically integrated. Unit standardization and concentration normalization were applied, and temporal sequences with 5-year intervals were constructed for trend analysis. The results showed that persistent organic pollutants (POPs) in global alpine lake sediments stayed at generally low levels, with concentrations of 0.160~2140, 0.001~12.9, 1.30~372, 0.001~12.9, and 0.119~2.50 ng/g for PAHs, DDTs, HCHs, PCBs, and PBDEs, respectively. Concentrations of PAHs showed a continuous rising trend, whereas concentrations of DDTs and HCHs exhibited two peaks in the 1980s and early 2000s, reflecting "primary source" emissions from human activities and "secondary source" releases driven by global warming. Microplastic abundance (19~2640 items/kg) remained relatively low overall but displayed an increasing trend, also related to human activities and climate change. The toxic equivalents of PAHs continues to rise, leading to increasing ecological risks; while microplastics exhibit relatively low abundance but high proportion of hazardous polymers, indicating non-negligible ecological threats. However, current research on microplastic chronological sequence in alpine lake sediments remains scarce; studies of non-extractable residues (NER) of emerging contaminants in alpine lake sediments are relatively limited; and reports on endocrine-disrupting compounds and antibiotics are extremely rare. Investigations on emerging contaminants in data-scarce regions such as the African plateau and research on multiple categories of emerging contaminants especially co-migrating substances are both needed in the future.

The fugacity model is a widely used multimedia environmental fate model for organic pollutants. Multimedia environmental fate of typical antibiotics including ofloxacin and roxithromycin in Liangshui River using reclaimed water was simulated and researched based on level IV fugacity model, and the reliability of model was verified in this study. For another, transfer flux and the main transport process were analysed and identified. Meanwhile, the model key parameters were conducted by sensitivity analysis and uncertainty analysis. The results showed that the simulated concentrations were in good agreement with the measured concentrations, which indicated the simulation effectiveness of the model in the study area. When the environmental system reached equilibrium in the study area, the water advection outflow was identified as the primary export process for target antibiotics in water, while the interfacial exchange process with water phase was the major process for sediment. Sediment was the main reservoir of two antibiotics in the study area because of the mass fraction of ofloxacin and roxithromycin in water and sediment, respectively, were 8.73% and 91.27%, 27.46% and 72.54% at equilibrium. Henry's Law constant (H) significantly influenced the two-phase migration behavior. This study provides theoretical basis and decision-making support for environmental prediction and pollution control of antibiotics in rivers using reclaimed water.

In this study, we investigated the transformation of sulfamethoxazole (SMX) by various reactive nitrogen intermediates (RNIs) (NO, NH₂OH, and free nitrous acid (FNA)), as well as the effect of FNA on the removal of SMX (1~5mg/L) by ammonia-oxidizing bacteria (AOB) under weak acidic conditions. The results demonstrated that FNA significantly enhanced the removal of SMX, with pH identified being the most influential factor. Under weak acidic conditions(pH=6~7), FNA-coupled AOB cometabolism achieved a SMX removal efficiency of 80.0% without significantly affecting ammonia oxidation efficiency. During the process, the content of extracellular polymers (EPS) exhibited an initial increase followed by a decrease. The content of ammonia monooxygenase (AMO) was slightly inhibited, while the levels of hydroxylamine oxidoreductase (HAO) initially decreased and then increased. Additionally, the abundance of the AOB genus Nitrosomonas decreased sharply from 56.4% to 0.7% before recovering to 14.7%. In contrast, the abundance of Comamonas and Thermomonas increased significantly, which helped maintain ammonia oxidation performance and SMX removal efficiency.

A sulfur packed-bed reactor was employed, with lime mud-an industrial by-product, serving as an alkalinity source. The concentration of Sulfamethoxazole (SMM) was gradually increased to investigate the microscopic response mechanisms of sulfur autotrophic denitrifying (SADN) microbial communities under SMM stress. The results indicated that the SADN microbial communities could utilize the alkalinity provided by lime mud to achieve efficient nitrogen removal. Under low-concentration SMM stress, the system remained stable, Thiobacillus was enriched with removal efficiencies of nitrate (NO₃^--N) and SMM exceeding 99%. Under the impact of high-concentration SMM, the abundance of Thiobacillus in the system decreased, and the nitrogen removal performance fluctuated. However, the dominant bacteria in the system regulated the synthesis of hydrophobic amino acids glutamic acid (Glu) and proline (Pro) by increasing the secretion of C6-HSL, promoted the synthesis of tightly bound protein (TB-PN) in extracellular polymer (EPS), maintained the tight secondary structure of the protein, and thus promoted the aggregation of floc sludge. Under this regulation, the denitrification performance was recovered, and the SMM removal rate reached 60%. Additionally, under high-concentration SMM stress, unclassified_f__Rhodocyclaceae utilized the carbon sources secreted by apoptotic autotrophic bacteria and EPS to synergize with Ferritrophicum and Thiobacillus for efficient nitrogen removal.

Jianhu Lake, a small plateau lake in Yunnan Province, was selected as the study area. The spatio-temporal distributions of microplastics in water of Jianhu Lake were studied, and the microplastic fluxes from the influent and effluent rivers were explored through field sample collection and laboratory experiment. Then, the source or sink effects of small plateau lakes on microplastics were revealed. The results showed that the average abundances of microplastics in water of Jianhu Lake were (4.80±2.85) and (12.61±8.00) n/m³ in wet and dry seasons, respectively. The average monthly fluxes into the lake were (55.59×10⁶) and (3.82×10⁶) n, respectively. The monthly fluxes out of the lake were (13.70×10⁶) and (9.80×10⁶) n, respectively. The rayon (RY), polyethylene terephthalate (PET), and low density styrene-butadiene-styrene (SBS) were the main polymers types in water of Jianhu Lake. The degree of microplastic pollution in water of Jianhu Lake was higher in the dry season than that in the wet season. The microplastics from influent rivers had a significant contribution to the accumulation of microplastics in water of Jianhu Lake. Generally, Jianhu Lake was the sink of microplastics, while the "source" and "sink" roles of lakes on microplastics were the dynamic process under the different conditions.

The effect of polyethylene (PE) microplastics with varying particle sizes and addition levels on nutrient cycling in the rhizosphere soil of pakchoi (Brassica campestris L.) was investigated through pot experiments. The total carbon content in the soil was found to be significantly increased by PE addition (P<0.05), with increases of 73.9% and 56.3% observed under treatments with PE particle sizes of 1.0μm and addition levels of 0.5% (w/w) and 1.0% (w/w), respectively. Moreover, soil enzyme activity was influenced by PE addition, and significant increases in cellulase, invertase, amylase, urease, protease, and phosphatase activities were recorded under treatments with a PE particle size of 0.5μm and an addition level of 1.0% (w/w) (P<0.05). A highly significant impact of PE particle size, addition level, and their interaction on the levels of nitrate nitrogen and available phosphorus, as well as the activities of cellulase, invertase, and phosphatase in the rhizosphere soil of pakchoi, was revealed by two-way ANOVA (P<0.001). Furthermore, the abundance of microbial functional genes associated with the reduction of citrate cycles and incomplete citrate cycles during carbon cycling was enhanced by PE addition, thereby partially increasing the carbon fixation potential of the microbiome in the rhizosphere soil of pakchoi. Significant positive correlations between cellulase activity and changes in carbon and nitrogen cycling functional genes (P<0.05), as well as significant negative correlations with changes in phosphorus cycling functional genes (P<0.05), were demonstrated by Mantel test results. Changes in nitrogen and phosphorus cycling functional genes were found to be positively correlated with total carbon content (P<0.05). Actinobacteria, Proteobacteria, and Acidobacteria were identified as the primary hosts of key functional genes involved in carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus cycling in the rhizosphere soil of pakchoi. The physicochemical properties of the rhizosphere soil were altered, the microbial community structure was modified, and the expression of functional genes linked to carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus cycling was modulated by PE addition, thereby influencing nutrient cycling processes within the rhizosphere soil of pakchoi.

Microplastics (MPs) pollution, as a global environmental problem, has been recognized as a serious threat to aquatic ecosystems and the health of wild fish. The characteristics and influencing factors of microplastic pollution were analyzed in 11species of wild fish from Baiyangdian. The results indicated that the detection rate of MPs in these 11species was 100%, with an average abundance of (26.54±3.69) MPs per individual. The majority of the detected MPs were identified as transparent and black fibrous particles, with sizes predominantly less than 0.5mm, and their polymer composition was found to be diverse. The accumulation of MPs in Baiyangdian fish was influenced by multiple factors: the biological characteristics of the fish (body length and weight) were shown to determine the probability of MPs intake; the trophic level was observed to affect the biomagnification effect; feeding habits were found to regulate exposure probability; and habitat characteristics (such as the vertical distribution of MPs in the water column) were demonstrated to constrain exposure levels. The interaction of these factors resulted in significant variations in MPs accumulation among different fish individuals, revealing the complex mechanisms underlying MPs bioaccumulation. The findings of this study are expected to provide valuable data support for assessing the status and risks of MPs pollution in Baiyangdian fish populations.

Accurate measurement of internal exposure to metal(loid) mixtures is crucial for early identification of disease risk. In this study, a multi-element analytical method based on inductively coupled plasma tandem mass spectrometry (ICP-MS/MS) was developed and optimized for the quantification of 35metals and metalloids in whole blood. The method demonstrated excellent linearity (R²>0.998), high sensitivity (limits of detection as low as 2.0ng/L), good precision (coefficient of variation < 15%), and acceptable accuracy (spike recovery rates ranging from 76.2% to 124%). The performance of this method was further validated by its application to whole blood samples collected from 211middle-aged and elderly residents living near a non-ferrous metal smelting area in China. Moreover, this application facilitated an assessment of population-level exposure characteristics of 35target elements. Elevated concentrations of toxic elements such as Pb and Cd—associated with smelting activities—were observed, while statistically significant variations across sex and age groups suggested potential demographic determinants of exposure heterogeneity(P < 0.05). This high-throughput quantitative approach to whole-blood metallomics holds great potential for elucidating the biological roles of multiple elements, and provides a robust analytical foundation for exposure assessment, environmental risk evaluation, and the development of health interventions in populations affected by industrial activities. The established protocol could be further expanded to encompass a broader range of target elements in future studies.

Atmospheric inversion is a key method to estimate urban carbon dioxide emissions for monitoring and assessment purpose. The inversion skills determine not only the assessment accuracy and efficiency, but also whether they can fulfill the demands of carbon managements for the cities to achieve carbon peak and carbon neutrality (dual carbon pledge). However, despite the recent advances in urban carbon inversions, it is still not well examined in depth and details the current status of the inversion skills and their roles in urban dual carbon managements, taking into account multiple factors including monitoring networks, emission inventories, atmospheric transport and inversion methods. Here, we review the advances of urban carbon inversions and examine inversion performance, highlighting that the improvement of the inversion performance requires coordinated optimization of monitoring networks, prior inventories, and transport models. High-performance inversion systems can provide timely and accurate estimates of urban emissions and identify short-term emission variations, supporting policy assessment and carbon management at urban scale. We further discuss the challenges and possible solutions for improving inversion performance in several Chinese cities, with the aim of providing atmospheric environmental monitoring support for these cities to achieve dual carbon targets.

This article used the window EBM super-efficiency DEA model to calculate the synergistic level of carbon reduction, pollution reduction, green expansion and economic growth (CPGE) of crop production in China from 2009 to 2022, and identified the key driving factors and nonlinear response relationships of carbon reduction, pollution reduction, green expansion and economic growth synergy through the GBDT model. The results showed that: (1) During the inspection period, the overall synergy of CPGE of crop production in China showed an upward trend, rising from 0.67 in 2009 to 0.95 in 2022, with an average annual growth rate of 2.65%. Taking 2016 as the dividing point, the growth rate generally showed a "downward-upward" trend. (2) The regional differences in synergistic effects of CPGE of crop production in China were significant. In terms of temporal characteristics, the synergy between grain main production areas, grain main sales areas, and production and sales balance areas has been improved, with average annual growth rates of 2.85%, 3.68%, and 1.84%, respectively. In terms of spatial distribution, the pattern of synergistic effects has shifted from "high in the north and low in the south" to "high in the south and low in the north", gradually converging towards high-quality level, reducing regional differences, and ultimately presenting a spatial clustering feature of "cold in the east and hot in the west". (3) The key driving factors that affected synergistic effects included grain yield per hectare and agricultural mechanization level. Grain yield per hectare, individual technological level and urban-rural income gap factors had complex nonlinear characteristics. Technological innovation level factor had a significant promoting effect, while other factors had fluctuating negative impacts. From the perspective of time effects, grain yield per hectare has gradually become a core factor. From the perspective of regional effects, there were significant spatial differences in driving factors.