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1. Synchronous Marine and Terrestrial Carbon Cycle Perturbation in the High Arctic During the PETM

   https://doi.org/10.1029/2020PA003942  

   Cui, Ying; Diefendorf, Aaron_F; Kump, Lee_R; Jiang, Shijun; Freeman, Katherine_H (April 2021, Paleoceanography and Paleoclimatology)

   Abstract The Paleocene‐Eocene Thermal Maximum (PETM; 56 Ma) is considered to be one of the best analogs for future climate change. The carbon isotope composition (δ¹³C) ofn‐alkanes derived from leaf waxes of terrestrial plants and marine algae can provide important insights into the carbon cycle perturbation during the PETM. Here, we present new organic geochemical data and compound‐specific δ¹³C data from sediments recovered from an early Cenozoic basin‐margin succession from Spitsbergen. These samples represent one of the most expanded PETM sites and provide new insights into the high Arctic response to the PETM. Our results reveal a synchronous ∼−6.5‰ carbon isotope excursion (CIE) in short‐chainn‐alkanes (nC₁₉; marine algae/bacteria) with a ∼−5‰ CIE in long‐chainn‐alkanes (nC₂₉andnC₃₁; plant waxes) during the peak of the PETM. Although δ¹³C_n‐alkanesvalues were potentially affected via a modest thermal effect (1‰–2‰), the relative changes in the δ¹³C_n‐alkanesremain robust. A simple carbon cycle modeling suggests peak carbon emission rate could be ∼3 times faster than previously suggested using δ¹³C_TOCrecords. The CIE magnitude of both δ¹³C_n‐C19and δ¹³C_n‐C29can be explained by the elevated influence of¹³C‐depleted respired CO₂in the water column and increased water availability on land, elevatedpCO₂in the atmosphere, and changes in vegetation type during the PETM. The synchronous decline in δ¹³C of both leaf waxes and marine algae/bacteria argues against a significant contribution to the sedimentary organic carbon pool from the weathering delivery of fossiln‐alkanes in the Arctic region. 

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2. Life Cycle Assessment and Life Cycle Cost Analysis of Repurposing Decommissioned Wind Turbine Blades as High-Voltage Transmission Poles

   https://doi.org/10.1061/JCEMD4.COENG-13718  

   Henao, Yulizza; Grubert, Emily; Korey, Matthew; Bank, Lawrence C; Gentry, Russell (May 2024, Journal of Construction Engineering and Management)

   Wind energy is widely deployed and will likely grow in service of reducing the world’s dependency on fossil fuels. The first generation of wind turbines are now coming to the end of their service lives, and there are limited options for the reuse or recycling of the composite materials they are made of. Current literature has verified that there is no existing recycling pathway (i.e., mechanical, chemical, thermal methods of recovery, etc.) for end-of-life materials in wind blades that can meet cost parity with landfilling in the US. However, to the authors’ knowledge there is no study to date that uncovers the cost structures associated with repurposing wind turbine blades in the US. Repurposing could offer a cost-competitive advantage through displacement of higher-value products, rather than materials or chemical constituents alone. This study implements life cycle assessment (LCA) and life cycle cost analysis (LCC) to assess the environmental and financial implications at each stage of repurposing wind turbine blades as the primary load-carrying elements for high-voltage transmission line structures in the United States. This case study contribution to knowledge is based on the successful management of construction waste by analyzing an application for repurposing construction demolition waste. Specifically, this study presents an environmental and financial analysis of repurposing wind turbine blades as transmission line poles. Under this case study, our results show that BladePoles have lower greenhouse gas emissions than steel poles, and we anticipate BladePoles will be less costly than steel poles. Overall emissions are most sensitive to combustion emissions, driven primarily by transportation distance and hours of required crane operations during the installation process. Compared to other evaluated recycling methods, repurposing wind blades as BladePoles has the least overall global warming potential. 

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3. Stratospheric Sulfate Aerosol Geoengineering Could Alter the High‐Latitude Seasonal Cycle

   https://doi.org/10.1029/2019GL085758  

   Jiang, Jiu; Cao, Long; MacMartin, Douglas G.; Simpson, Isla R.; Kravitz, Ben; Cheng, Wei; Visioni, Daniele; Tilmes, Simone; Richter, Jadwiga H.; Mills, Michael J. (December 2019, Geophysical Research Letters)

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4. Demonstration of high-reconfigurability and low-power strong physical unclonable function empowered by FeFET cycle-to-cycle variation and charge-domain computing

   https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-024-55380-x  

   Li, Taixin; Guo, Xinrui; Müller, Franz; Abdulazhanov, Sukhrob; Ma, Xiaoyang; Zhong, Hongtao; Liu, Yongpan; Narayanan, Vijaykrishnan; Yang, Huazhong; Ni, Kai; et al (December 2025, Nature Communications)
5. Patterns and Potential Consequences of a Changing Sulfur Cycle in High Elevation Wetlands

   https://doi.org/10.1029/2024JG008616  

   Rea, Laura_T; Huber, Molly_E; Miller, Hannah_R; Adamchak, Clifford; Hinckley, Eve‐Lyn_S (April 2025, Journal of Geophysical Research: Biogeosciences)

   Abstract Ice thaw and enhanced bedrock weathering are increasing sulfate export in alpine streams, which may change sulfur (S) and other biogeochemical cycles in adjacent wetlands. We compared S and carbon (C) concentrations and sulfate reduction rates (SRRs) across three wetland types in the Colorado Rocky Mountains, USA: snowmelt‐fed wetlands (SFWs), periglacial solifluction lobes (PSLs), and subalpine wetlands (SAWs). We found that each wetland type had unique biogeochemical characteristics. Subalpine wetlands had the highest soil C (37.2 ± 8.7%C) and SRRs (29.3 ± 21 nmol mL⁻¹ soil day⁻¹) compared with SFWs and PSLs, which had lower %C and moderate to low SRRs, respectively. Subalpine wetlands accumulated little sulfate, whereas PSLs had high concentrations (0.04 ± 0.04 vs. 0.6 ± 1.4 mg S g⁻¹ dry soil respectively); SFWs had low sulfate concentrations (0.02 ± 0.01 mg S g⁻¹ dry soil). Sulfate‐S stable isotope data suggest different sources of S in the SFWs and PSLs: atmospheric and geologic, respectively. The data indicate that high C supports high SRRs in SAWs, whereas SRRs may be C‐limited and co‐limited by C and S in PSLs and SFWs, respectively. With climate warming, SAWs have the greatest potential to release more C to the atmosphere, SFWs will likely decrease in size and experience changes in plant community composition, and PSLs may be sources of acid rock drainage. These data demonstrate different biogeochemical fates of S and C in three wetland types present across alpine landscapes, and notable consequences for biogeochemical cycling as warming continues. 

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