Summer heat extremes are among the major meteorological disasters in China, posing severe threats to public health, economic and social development, and natural ecosystems. To address the nation's urgent need for managing heat-related disaster risks, we independently developed a prediction model system for summer heat extremes in China, based on new scientific insights. Since 2018, the model system has demonstrated stable and reliable predictive capabilities, relatively accurately capturing the spatial patterns and anomalies of summer heat extremes. In May 2025, using this system, we predicted that the number of summer hot days in 2024 would be 12.55 days, which is 2.69 days more than the average of normal years (1991-2020). The forecast also indicated more severe heat extremes, elevated disaster risks, and pronounced regional differences. The most significant above-normal heat extremes were expected in the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River Basin, South China, the Sichuan Basin, southern Xinjiang, northern Jiangsu, and northern Anhui. These were followed by the Beijing-Tianjin Plain, Shandong, Henan, southern Shaanxi, parts of northeastern China, parts of Gansu, and northern Ningxia. Based on these findings, we also provide response recommendations to prevent and mitigate the impacts of summer heat extremes across China.

In the summer of 2022, the Yangtze River Basin experienced unprecedented heat waves, drawing considerable attention from the scientific community. Affected by over a month of record-breaking high temperatures and droughts, this extreme event not only caused escalating losses to human health, the economy, and the environment, but also exacerbated food insecurity and hindered sustainable development. Therefore, a more comprehensive understanding of extreme heat in the Yangtze River Basin during the summer of 2022 is essential to identify the drivers of extreme event variability under global warming, assess the impacts of human activity and natural variability, and evaluate potential climate risks. This study first reviews the main characteristics, formation mechanisms, and causes of the extreme heat in the Yangtze River Basin in the summer of 2022, and further summarizes the research progress on the event over the past three years. The results showed that the 2022 summer high temperature in the Yangtze River Basin was a rare extreme heat event. Its occurrence was primarily driven by atmospheric circulation anomalies related to the western Pacific subtropical high and the South Asian high, the triple La Niña phenomenon, the Atlantic and Indian SST forcing, and land-atmosphere feedback mechanism (e.g., soil moisture and air temperature). In addition to natural variability, human activity is the dominant factor influencing heat extremes. Without anthropogenic forcing, such extremes would have been highly unlikely. Such rare heat waves are projected to become more frequent under ongoing global warming. Finally, the paper highlights key research challenges and knowledge gaps associated with extreme heat events.

Subsea permafrost, formed by the inundation of terrestrial permafrost due to sea-level variations during the interglacial cycles, is primarily distributed across the Arctic continental shelves. However, a substantial uncertainty remains regarding the extent of its distribution (approximately 1~2.7 million square kilometers). Subsea permafrost is considered a significant carbon reservoir in the Earth’s system, storing vast amounts of Organic Carbon (OC) and methane (CH₄). With global warming and rising Arctic Ocean temperatures, subsea permafrost is undergoing rapid degradation, potentially exacerbating carbon release risks. Consequently, it plays a significant role in the global carbon cycle and climate dynamics. Large-scale CH₄ emissions into the atmosphere have been observed in the East Siberian subsea permafrost region. However, the rates of subsea permafrost degradation, the size of carbon reservoirs, and gas release remain poorly constrained. In particular, rapid Arctic warming, the northward expansion and intensification of the North Atlantic Current (which exacerbates the Atlantification of the Arctic Ocean), and increased human disturbances have intensified climate risks due to accelerated CH₄ emissions from Arctic subsea permafrost. These changes have significant implications for future human sustainability. This study systematically summarizes the spatial distribution, degradation rates, and carbon storage of Arctic subsea permafrost. It also examines CH₄ monitoring in subsea permafrost, including fixed-point observations, aerial surveys, and remote sensing technologies. Furthermore, it discusses the factors influencing CH₄ emissions, emphasizes the importance of understanding Arctic subsea permafrost dynamics within the context of global climate change, identifies key challenges, and suggests future research directions.

To improve the accuracy of monitoring land gravelization and the efficiency of fieldwork, and further promote the innovation of monitoring methods, a study on the appropriate size and quantity of quadrats was conducted. This study examines the desert region of Inner Mongolia and uses the entropy TOPSIS and Wilcoxon rank sum test methods to determine the optimum sampling scheme for land gravelization monitoring. Based on results using 100 cm×100 cm quadrats as the true values of gravel coverage and surface gravel mass per unit area, new survey areas in the desert regions of Inner Mongolia were selected, and the maximum quadrat was expanded to 200 cm×200 cm to increase the sampling areas and number of quadrats, and optimize the sampling scheme for monitoring land gravelization. The comparative results of the two experiments show that: \mathrm{①} Q25 exhibits good advantages for monitoring suitability, which can improve field work efficiency while ensuring measurement accuracy; \mathrm{②} the appropriate quantity and sizing of quadrats vary significantly with changes in the maximum quadrat size; however, for Q25, the change in appropriate quantity (from 9 to 10) is non-significant, indicating good stability; \mathrm{③} using Q25, the appropriate coverage for monitoring gravelization is consistent with the results from monitoring surface gravel mass per unit area; this not only simplifies the monitoring process, but also ensures the reliability and comparability of monitoring data.

Northwest China is one of the world’s typical arid regions, where limited water resources severely constrain social development. However, the current utilization of atmospheric cloud water resources in this region remains significantly underdeveloped. Investigating the spatiotemporal variations of cloud water resources and cloud-precipitation processes is of great practical importance for enhancing technological capacity to exploit atmospheric water resources. To address this challenge, the National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC), through its Regional Innovation and Development Joint Fund, has supported the project “Multi-scale Variations of Atmospheric Cloud Water Resources and Cloud-Precipitation Processes in Northwest China”. This study highlights the strategic importance of developing cloud water resources in the region and examines the complexity of water formation and precipitation conversion mechanisms. Key influencing factors include the interaction of multiple atmospheric circulation systems; the macro- and microphysical complexities of cloud processes; the unique activation effects of dust aerosols; the topographic influences of plateaus and major mountain ranges; and the impact of regional climate warming and humidification. The critical role of field observations in supporting these investigations is also emphasized. Based on these insights, the study identifies six key research priorities for the future, including understanding variability patterns, aerosol-cloud interactions, cloud-precipitation conversion mechanisms, and advancing cloud microphysical parameterizations. These efforts aim to establish a robust theoretical and technical foundation for the effective utilization of atmospheric water resources in Northwest China.

Soil improvement plays a critical role in enhancing the soil carbon sink capacity and optimizing karst processes under global climate change. Using bibliometric methods, this study analyzed literature from Chinese and English journals (1990-2024), focusing on the regulatory mechanisms linking soil improvement to soil carbon cycling and karst carbon sinks. The Web of Science (WoS) and China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI) databases indexed 712 and 468 relevant articles, respectively, most of them original research papers. Article numbers showing a fluctuating upward trend over the 34 years. This process can be divided into three phases: germination (before 2005), growth phase (2005-2013), and rapid development (after 2013). English-language journals published more articles than Chinese-language journals. The English-language literature initially focused on biochar carbon sequestration mechanisms and greenhouse gas emissions. Over time, the focus shifted towards the synergistic regulation of soil microbial functional genes and nitrogen-phosphorus nutrient cycling, reflecting a transition from mechanism-based analysis to application-oriented microbial-nutrient coupling. Chinese-language literature has expanded from monitoring basic indicators, such as soil respiration, moisture, and heavy metals, to systematic research on soil aggregate regulation, microbial community optimization, and improvement techniques. In addition, a Carbon-Pool Management Index (CPMI) is established to guide practical applications. In low-productivity karst regions, soil improvement efforts primarily assesses improvement measures on karst processes and the soil carbon balance. This study explored the bidirectional coupling relationship between karst carbon sinks and soil improvement. Specifically, high concentrations of soil CO₂ drive carbonate rock weathering, whereas improvement measures enhance the carbon sink effect by improving soil quality. To advance soil improvement research in karst areas, it is recommended to establish a quantification method for measuring the increase in karst carbon sinks due to soil improvement and develop a database. Furthermore, considering the calcium-rich and alkaline characteristics of karst soils, the synergistic effects of improvement measures on ecological restoration and sustainable agricultural should be evaluated to provide scientific support for global carbon neutrality. By leveraging soil improvement technologies, we can enhance soil and karst carbon sinks, address climate change more effectively, promote the integration of ecological restoration and sustainable agricultural development in karst regions, and contribute to the achievement of China’s Dual Carbon Goals.

Amidst the accelerating activation of polar cryosphere tipping points due to global warming， significant challenges must be overcome to understand their state and changes， including sparse observations， insufficient physical knowledge， and limitations of traditional model simulations. Artificial Intelligence （AI） provides a powerful tool for efficiently extracting information from vast polar datasets and bridging cognitive gaps. This paper summarizes notable progress by Chinese researchers in AI applications for the polar cryosphere： \mathrm{①} Sea ice forecasting: purely data-driven deep learning models (e.g., SICNet, SIPNet) have been developed, significantly improving weekly, monthly, and seasonal-scale forecasts of Arctic/Antarctic sea ice concentration. Some models incorporate physical constraints and outperform traditional dynamical and statistical models. Various methods (e.g., improved U-Net, EW-Net, SAC-Net, and PMDRnet) have been proposed for sea ice type identification, lead extraction, sea ice thickness relationship modeling, and enhancing the spatial resolution of passive microwave imagery. \mathrm{②} Ice sheet surface hydrology: Applied Random Forest (RF) and BP neural networks were applied to estimate surface melt of the Greenland Ice Sheet and identify supraglacial lakes. An improved U-Net model was used to automatically extract surface water bodies of the Antarctic ice sheet/ice shelf with high accuracy, thereby overcoming the limitations of traditional NDWI methods. \mathrm{③} Subglacial systems: A novel method based on Variational Autoencoders (VAE) and unsupervised clustering was used to automatically detect subglacial lakes from ice-penetrating radar data, thereby improving efficiency and accuracy. \mathrm{④} Crevass identification: Improved U-Net and its variants (e.g., ResUNet) were applied to automatically extract surface crevasse distributions on Antarctic ice shelves from SAR and optical imagery. \mathrm{⑤} Ice stratigraphy and topography: Deep learning (e.g., EisNet and ST-SOLOv2) was employed to automatically extract internal isochronous layers and bedrock interfaces from radargrams, aiming to solve this long-standing manual bottleneck. \mathrm{⑥} Other applications include: Mass balance reconstruction of covered ice sheets (fusing multi-source data with SVM/BPNN), radiation balance dataset construction (RF), near-surface air temperature inversion (RF/DNN), ice shelf basal channel identification (improved U-Net), intelligent classification of glacial seismic events (autoencoders and Gaussian mixture models), GPS data interpolation, tropospheric delay modeling, and identification of geological structures. Although Chinese polar cryosphere AI research began relatively late, it has developed rapidly and yielded fruitful results, demonstrating significant potential in data-driven modeling, automated feature extraction, and multisource information fusion. Current challenges include model interpretability, insufficient integration of physical mechanisms, scarcity of high-quality labeled data, and limited generalization ability in complex regions. Future efforts should focus on developing physically constrained AI models, advancing multimodal learning, enhancing model robustness and interpretability, and strengthening international collaboration and data-sharing to more accurately characterize polar cryosphere changes and support global climate response and risk assessment.

Debris flow disasters, known for their frequent occurrence and high destructiveness, are difficult to monitor effectively due to the limited real-time performance and high false-alarm rates of conventional monitoring methods. This critical limitation underscores the urgent need to develop highly efficient and precise intelligent detection techniques to substantially enhance early warning capabilities. To address the challenges of poor real-time performance and high false alarm rates in traditional debris flow monitoring systems, this study proposes an enhanced YOLOv8m-GCSlide model based on the YOLOv8 framework. The GlobalContext Network (GCNet) is integrated into the backbone network to improve spatial dependency modeling of dynamic fluid boundaries in complex terrains, while a Sliding Loss function (SlideLoss) is designed to dynamically adjust classification thresholds and mitigate sample imbalance. Knowledge distillation is applied to compress the model, resulting in a lightweight variant (YOLOv8n-GCSlide) with reduced computational complexity. A multi-source video dataset was constructed using publicly available resources, with frames extracted at 0.25-second intervals to balance feature retention and training efficiency. Data augmentation techniques, including random cropping, rotation, scaling, Gaussian blur, and color jittering, were used to enhance generalization, supplemented with negative samples (e.g., dry riverbeds and landslides) to reduce false positives. Experimental results show that the optimized model achieves 94.6% (+2.0%) detection accuracy, 88.0% recall, 95.9% mean Average Precision (mAP), and an inference speed of 244.1 FPS, outperforming mainstream lightweight models such as SwinTransformer and MobileNet variants. After compression, the model parameters were reduced by 88.1%, with the distilled version retaining 94.6% (+1.2%) accuracy and 88.0% (+0.7%) recall while maintaining an inference speed of 244.1 FPS. Field validation conducted in Sedongpu Gully, a high-risk debris flow region, confirmed the model’s practical applicability. Under complex environmental interference, the model achieved 82.3% recall, 4.2% false positive rate, and a processing speed of 240.6 FPS. The integration of global attention mechanisms and task-specific loss functions effectively captures dynamic motion features and suppress environmental noise. Additionally, model compression techniques help balance accuracy and computational efficiency, enabling edge deployment for real-time disaster warnings. This approach provides a robust technical foundation for intelligent geological hazard monitoring systems, emphasizing high precision, low latency, and adaptability to resource-constrained scenarios.

Studying the supply-demand relationship of ecosystem services and implementing zoned management are crucial for reconciling ecological protection with socioeconomic development in ecologically fragile regions. This study takes Naiman Banner, a typical sandy land area in Northern China, as a case study. We quantified the supply of key ecosystem services (e.g., water yield, carbon sequestration, and soil conservation) from 2000 to 2020 using the InVEST model, while the demand was assessed based on socioeconomic data. Spatiotemporal patterns were analyzed using hotspot-cold spot analysis, and the driving mechanisms behind the comprehensive ecosystem service supply-demand ratio were investigated using the GeoDetector model. The results revealed three key findings. First, over the two decades, the overall supply capacity of ecosystem services in Naiman Banner increased by 19.81%, whereas the demand decreased by 11.09%. Consequently, the overall supply-demand ratio improved significantly by 39.73%, indicating a substantial enhancement in ecological sustainability. Spatially, the comprehensive supply-demand ratio exhibited a distinct pattern of ‘surplus in the north and south with a deficit in the center’, primarily shaped by the regional landscape configuration and the intensity of human activities. Second, factor detection identified that the proportion of forest land was the primary driver of hotspot areas (high supply-demand ratio), underscoring the critical role of afforestation and forest conservation. Conversely, the proportion of sandy land was identified as the core driver of cold spot areas (low supply-demand ratio), highlighting the impact of desertification. Third, based on an integrated analysis of the comprehensive supply-demand ratio, its spatial matching relationship, and the proportional areas of hotspots and cold spots, a systematic ecological management zoning scheme was developed. Naiman Banner was categorized into six secondary and ten tertiary zones, which were classified into four major types: ecological conservation, ecological restoration, ecological enhancement, and ecological development. Targeted and differentiated management strategies were proposed for each zone. This research provides a scientific basis for precise ecological protection and sustainable socio-economic development in Naiman Banner, offering a replicable framework for similar arid and semi-arid regions.

The monitoring and early warning of pathogenic microorganisms and infectious diseases serve as a critical foundation for preventing major public health crises and mitigating biosecurity risks. However, research on the monitoring and early warning of pathogenic microorganism transmission in the atmosphere remains limited, with no systematic framework established yet. This study addresses strategic needs in public health security by identifying key scientific challenges in the field, systematically elucidating the environmental response mechanisms of atmospheric pathogens under climate change, monitoring technologies for pathogenic microorganisms in the atmosphere, and advances in infectious disease prediction models. Furthermore, this study identifies critical research frontiers for future breakthroughs, including: elucidating the source characteristics, formation mechanisms, environmental evolution, and transmission mechanisms of atmospheric pathogens; developing high-precision real-time monitoring technologies for atmospheric pathogens and establishing a biosafety surveillance network; constructing a multi-disciplinary, multi-scale and multi-model coupled prediction and early warning platform for atmospheric pathogen and infectious diseases. This research framework will provide scientific decision-making support for preventing public health emergencies, effectively enhance biosecurity governance capacity, and offer a scientific paradigm for building a global community of health for all.

The Division Ⅴ (Atmospheric Sciences Discipline) of the Department of Earth Sciences, National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC), has successfully completed the application, mail review, panel review, and funding results summary for the General Program, Young Scientists Fund (C), and Fund for Less Developed Regions in 2025. The total number of applications for the above three types of projects in the discipline of atmospheric sciences from 2020 to 2025 has shown a continuous increase trend. Among them, a total of 2, 436 applications are received in 2025, showing an increase of 5.4% compared with 2024. The comprehensive scores of the mail reviews for these three types of projects have slightly decreased compared with previous years. To encourage high-risk and high-value fundamental research and explore the selection and funding model for the “non-consensus projects”, the Atmospheric Sciences Discipline has, for the first time, nominated the “non-consensus projects” to undergo the panel review process. Considering the overall layout of the discipline, it is encouraged to moderately tilt towards the Supporting Technology and development fields (secondary application codes D0508 to D0514). Under the equal conditions, preference is given to female applicants. After the panel review, the Atmospheric Science Discipline has funded a total of 419 projects in the above three categories, with an average funding rate of 17.2%. In 2024, a total of 383 projects of these three types are concluded, and the indicators such as the number of publications is basically the same as those in 2023.

Aufeis (icings) are unique cryohydrological features in frozen ground regions, acting as critical solid-water reservoirs by freezing and storing a substantial portion (up to 40%) of the winter baseflow in some basins. Ecologically, they also serve as keystone habitats that provide crucial unfrozen overwintering refugia for cryophilic fish and other aquatic organisms. Concurrently, their formation and evolution pose significant geohazards to engineering infrastructure such as roads, bridges, tunnels, and culverts. In the context of global warming, a synthesis of both long-term in-situ and remote sensing observations confirms that icings are undergoing significant degradation, characterized by shrinking areas, accelerated melt rates, and fragmentation of perennial ice bodies. However, the mechanisms governing their formation and evolution, as well as their broader impacts on eco-hydrological processes and sustainable development in these regions, remain inadequately understood. This study comprehensively reviews the current understanding of icing formation, distribution, and controlling factors (e.g., geology, climate, and permafrost). It traces the evolution of research methodologies, from foundational field surveys and historical mapping to modern approaches combining satellite remote sensing (e.g., NDSI and machine learning) and geophysical techniques (e.g., GPR, ERT, and NMR). This review also highlights the eco-hydrological and hazard-related impacts of changes in ice-riving. We further discuss future research directions, noting a shift in focus, from the broad river systems of the Arctic and subarctic regions to understudied areas such as High Mountain Asia. Future research priorities are identified, calling for a paradigm shift from two-dimensional spatial monitoring towards integrated, three-dimensional quantitative analysis and prediction. Key frontiers include: \mathrm{①} elucidating the fundamental physical mechanisms of icing formation through coupled modeling; \mathrm{②} leveraging artificial intelligence to combine multi-source data (e.g., satellite, UAV, geophysical) for accurate estimation of icing volume; \mathrm{③} quantifying the cascading impacts of icing degradation on geomorphology and ecosystems; and \mathrm{④} developing robust predictive models for water resource management and geohazard mitigation related to icing evolution. Such advancements are crucial for providing the robust scientific basis needed for sustainable development in Earth’s rapidly changing cold regions.

In 2023, the Naiman trona deposit in Inner Mongolia was discovered, representing the second-largest trona deposit in the world and the largest in Asia, with proven trona resources estimated at approximately 2.077 billion tons. This discovery presents a significant opportunity for the restructuring of China’s soda ash industry. The global and domestic development status of trona was comprehensively reviewed, highlighting the necessity for China’s soda ash industry to significantly increase its reliance on trona to enhance its international competitiveness. Considering the distinctive geological characteristics and resource distribution of the Naiman trona deposit, characterized by high associated oil and gas reserves, co-occurrence with salt and soda, deep burial, and steep inclination, three major engineering challenges were posed during the development process. \mathrm{①} Hydrocarbons are enriched within the crystal lattices and fracture networks of trona and halite layers, as well as within the pore spaces and bedding fractures of the surrounding mudstone, resulting in severe oil emulsification during solution mining. \mathrm{②} Nearly half of the Naiman trona deposit is composed of low-to-moderate salinity trona, for which cost-effective and high-efficiency salt-soda separation technologies have yet to be developed. \mathrm{③} The engineering complexity of horizontal well construction is markedly increased by deep burial depth, steep formation dip, and the presence of funnel-shaped structural blocks. Future research should prioritize the development of high-performance and environmentally benign demulsifiers, the integrated and coordinated utilization of co-occurring salt and soda resources, and high-precision horizontal well construction technologies enabled by multidisciplinary integration, thereby supporting the efficient and sustainable exploitation of the Naiman trona deposit.

Marine aerosols are among the most important natural aerosols globally, playing key roles in the Earth’s radiation balance and climate change. They are a critical link between the ocean, atmosphere, and climate. Organic matter constitute a significant fraction of marine aerosols and can contribute up to 50% of submicron aerosol mass. Missing knowledge of the composition and formation of Marine Organic Aerosols (MOA) hinders the accurate evaluation of their climatic effects. This paper reviews research methods, spatial and temporal distribution patterns, chemical composition characteristics, and sources of MOA, providing a comprehensive summary of the domestic and international progress in marine organic aerosols, and proposes key research directions for future studies. Current research on the chemical nature was mainly focused on the fluorescent or water-soluble components, whereas the characterization or quantification of MOA molecular components remains largely unknown. Marine organic aerosols are generally abundant in regions with high phytoplankton activity or those under strong influence from transported continental pollutants. Their sources include sea-spray emissions or secondary formation processes across different sea areas, resulting in distinct MOA compositions and chemical properties. Currently, the limited of observational data limits our deep understanding of MOA formation and further investigation via laboratory experiments or modelling simulations. In the future, integrating observational, experimental, and modeling simulations should be combined to improve our understanding of the sources, sinks, and climate regulations of marine organic aerosols.

Gravity Waves (GWs) significantly influence structure of the entire atmosphere and coupling between atmospheric layers. Research on gravity waves is crucial for deepening our understanding of atmospheric dynamics and for improving the accuracy of atmospheric models. While gravity waves are well-known in the fields of astronomy and physics, they also play a vital role in atmospheric science, particularly in the study of airflow, wave propagation, and climate variability. This review highlights the following key findings: ① Satellites are suitable for observing the middle and upper atmosphere; radar is most effective for detailed observations of vertical wave propagation; and reanalysis data are best suited for analyzing global GW characteristics; ② Compared with non-orographic gravity waves, orographic gravity waves generally have longer vertical wavelengths and can propagate to higher altitudes; ③ Orographic gravity waves are easier to trace due to their relatively fixed sources; and ④ Common parameterization schemes effectively simulate the drag effects of orographic gravity waves, while single-wave and global spectral techniques can predict the east-west momentum flux of non-orographic gravity waves. However, the complete generation and evolution processes of both types of GWs cannot yet be accurately simulated. There is still considerable room for improvement in the observation, identification, feature analysis, and parameterization of gravity waves. In the future, advancements in observational technology are expected to yield higher-quality data, enabling a clearer understanding of GW characteristics. Based on this, progress in parameterization methods and the application of artificial intelligence techniques is anticipated to enhance our understanding of the formation mechanisms of both orographic and non-orographic gravity waves, thereby improving the accuracy of weather and climate simulations.

This paper analyzed the application, acceptance, and review funding overview of Marine Science and Polar Science (Application Code: D06) in 2025, summarized the project completion in 2024, and sorted out and proposed the problems found in the project management process. Overall, the number of applications for General Program, Less Developed Regions Fund, and Youth Science Fund Projects (C) continued to grow in 2025, with a total of 3 528 proposals and an increase of 337 proposals compared with 2024. The number of applying institutions was 467 with an increase of 58 compared with 2024. Regarding the completed projects, the standardization of the completion reports for projects completed at the end of 2024 has improved, but some projects still have problems such as inconsistent content between the published achievements and the research goals in the proposal, and insufficient condensation of major achievements.

Current limitations in typhoon forecasting are primarily attributed to insufficient understanding of mesoscale processes. To address this gap, this review synthesizes the current understanding of mesoscale waves in typhoons, including Vortex Rossby Waves (VRWs) and Typhoon-induced Gravity Waves (TGWs). It investigates their generation mechanisms and characteristics, and systematically examines the linkages between these waves and key typhoon structural features, including the eyewall, spiral rainbands, convective intensity, and (a) symmetric structure. Furthermore, the impact of these structural modifications on typhoon intensity is investigated, along with the statistical correlations between wave characteristics and typhoon intensity changes. The results show that: \mathrm{①} The theoretical frameworks for polygonal eyewall and inner spiral rainband formation have evolved from the TGW approach to that of VRWs. VRWs provide partial explanations for typhoon asymmetric structures and double-eyewall formation while representing one plausible mechanism for outer spiral rainbands. The changes in intensity induced by VRWs manifest through complex processes characterized by differing dynamical responses depending on (i) wave propagation directionality (tangential/radial), (ii) spatial domain (inner-core/outer region) and (iii) levels (mid-lower/upper) at (iv) different periods during the typhoon lifecycle phase (intensification/decay). \mathrm{②} The wave characteristics of TGWs (including amplitude, wavelength, period, and occurrence frequency) exhibit correlation with changes in typhoon intensity. TGWs, primarily excited by convection in the eyewall and spiral rainbands and rapidly propagating vertically, may serve as precursor signals for typhoon (rapid) intensification. \mathrm{③} Both VRWs and TGWs can drive the outward radial transport of momentum and heat within typhoons. Through wave-mean flow interactions, they modify local circulation and enhance typhoon symmetry, ultimately contributing to typhoon intensification (including rapid intensification). Some scientific challenges remain in applying VRWs and TGWs to improve fine-scale wind/precipitation distributions and advance the forecasting of changes in typhoon intensity. Current research underscores the necessity of integrating high-resolution numerical simulations with multi-platform coordinated observations to quantitatively analyze mesoscale wave-typhoon interactions, thereby identifying precursor signals for typhoon intensification, including rapid intensification. Tools such as wave spectrum analysis and wave energy flux diagnostics are instrumental in extracting early-warning indicators from both wave characteristics and energy transport perspectives. Advances in satellite and radar detection technologies will enable the validation of theoretical frameworks through multi-platform observational data, ultimately enhancing monitoring and forecasting capabilities for typhoon structural and intensity changes.

The farming-pastoral zone in Naiman Banner is located in the hinterland of Horqin Sandy Land. The research on the formation mechanism and background values of groundwater hydrochemistry supports the allocation of water resources and the green development of agriculture and animal husbandry. Based on hydrogeological survey and hydrogeochemical analysis, combined with self-organizing map neural network (SOM) and K-means clustering hybrid algorithm, this study revealed the characteristics of groundwater chemical composition, main controlling factors, and environmental background values. Results indicated significant spatial heterogeneity in groundwater chemistry, with HCO₃-Ca·Mg as the predominant hydrochemical type and weakly alkaline characteristics. Groundwater chemical evolution is primarily driven by dissolution-precipitation of carbonate minerals and weathering of silicate minerals, and controlled by alternating positive cation adsorption. The apparent background values of Total Fe (TFe), F^-, TDS and NO₃-N, key indicators affecting the quality of groundwater in Naiman Banner, were 0.42~0.56 mg/L, 0.34~0.38 mg/L, 181~188 mg/L and 0.22~1.58 mg/L, respectively, which were estimated by using a coupled approach of hydrogeochemical graphic method, Grubbs test and SOM. The high background of TFe may be related to siderite dissolution, while the F^- enrichment is controlled by fluorite dissolution and alternating positive cation adsorption. This research elucidates the groundwater background values and hydrochemical formation mechanisms in the farming-pastoral zone of Naiman Banner, providing scientific support for the optimization management of regional water resources, pollution prevention, and ecological conservation.

This paper systematically analyzes the application, acceptance, evaluation, and funding of the projects managed by the Geochemistry Discipline (Application Code: D03) in the Department of Earth Sciences, National Natural Science Foundation of China in 2025, and reviews the project completion in 2024. Compared with 2024, the number of applications for the Fund for the Less Developed Regions increased in 2025, while the General Program and Young Scientists Fund (C) showed a slight decrease. For two consecutive years, the number of applications for the Young Scientists Fund (C) has been significantly lower than that of the General Program. In the past five years, the total number of host institutions applying for projects has kept increasing continuously, and Earth’s surface geochemistry (D0310) has become a new growth point of the discipline. In 2025, four projects in the Geochemistry discipline were not accepted due to failure to provide required supporting materials. The review submission rates of the General Program, Young Scientists Fund (C), and Fund for the Less Developed Regions were 154.7%, 154.7%, and 141.7%, respectively. The funding rates were 17.9%, 18.4%, and 11.1%, respectively. The average funding amounts were 531 000 yuan per project, 300 000 yuan per project, and 309 000 yuan per project, respectively. The completion outcomes of the General Program, Young Scientists Fund (C), and Fund for the Less Developed Regions in 2024, as well as the Young Scientists Fund (B) projects approved in 2021, indicate that the overall quality of funding achievements and first-labeled achievements needs further improvement. In recent years, the geochemistry discipline has remained characterized by a relatively small number of applications and slow growth. In the future, on the basis of maintaining the advantageous directions of the discipline, efforts should be made to strengthen the in-depth integration of basic research with goal orientation and national needs, and to promote interdisciplinary, cross-disciplinary, and transdisciplinary research, so as to expand both the depth and breadth of geochemistry research.

In the intricate domain of marine geochemistry, barium (Ba) and its isotopes emerge as pivotal elements. Their remarkably high preservation rate in marine sediments allows them to withstand post-depositional alterations, making them ideal proxies for long-term geological records. The stable isotope fractionation behavior of barium serves as a powerful tool for reconstructing paleoproductivity with high precision. In this study, we meticulously compiled high-precision isotope analysis data from various sources, including a comprehensive review of existing literature and in-house experimental results. We then conducted an in-depth investigation into the sources and sinks of marine barium. Our findings demonstrate that terrigenous, hydrothermal, and biological inputs are not isolated contributors, but instead interact synergistically to drive the cycling of barium in the ocean. Regarding Ba isotope fractionation, within the mineral-fluid-melt system, we found that the dynamic interplay between equilibrium and kinetic fractionation mechanisms is of critical importance. Equilibrium fractionation, governed by quantum mechanical differences in bond vibrations, and kinetic fractionation, associated with non-equilibrium processes such as diffusion, jointly shape the isotopic composition of marine barium. Observed regional variations in isotope fractionation further suggest that multiple factors, including temperature, pressure, and the presence of various chemical species, jointly influence marine Ba isotope behavior. This spatial heterogeneity provides a valuable framework for tracing the evolution of the paleo-oceanic environment and reconstructing historical changes in oceanic conditions. Looking ahead, the integration of in-situ micro-area analytical techniques is not merely desirable but essential. These advanced methods will enable detailed investigations at the microscale, enhancing our understanding of the interactions among biological, mineral, and fluid components in marine systems. Ultimately, such insights will improve the accuracy of paleo-oceanic reconstructions and contribute to a more comprehensive understanding of Earth’s past oceanic ecosystems.

Chinese Maifanite, a natural mineral from Naiman Banner,Tongliao City, Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, has potential applications in water purification, environmental remediation, healthcare, and agricultural improvement. Weathering processes alter the physicochemical properties of Maifanite, thereby influencing its heavy metal adsorption performance. This research systematically investigated Maifanite samples collected from different depths in the southern mountainous mining area of Naiman Banner, conducted comprehensive analyses including weathering degree assessment, heavy metal adsorption experiments, and prevention and control mechanism studies combining physicochemical characterization. The research reveals that Naiman Banner Maifanite primarily undergoes physical weathering. Based on macroscopic characteristics, Chemical Index of Alteration (CIA), and weathering coefficient K_f , deep-layer samples were identified as slightly weathered, while surface samples exhibited moderate to strong weathering. Weathering increased the specific surface area of Maifanite by 66.81%, reduced pores smaller than 3.6 nm, and increased pores between 3.6~4.0 nm from 12.36% to 40.05%. Additionally, weathering caused the destruction of quartz and plagioclase crystals, leaching of alkaline elements (Na, Mg, Si, K, Ca). The zero potential point shifted markedly from 7.09 to below 2. Notably, deep-layer Maifanite demonstrated preferential adsorption toward anionic chromium (Cr)-a characteristic groundwater contaminant-with a maximum theoretical adsorption capacity of 0.90 mg/g. Conversely, surface-weathered Maifanite exhibited enhanced adsorption capacity for cationic cadmium (Cd)-a typical soil pollutant-reaching 5.57 mg/g. The adsorption process, comprising three distinct stages (surface diffusion, mesopore diffusion, and micropore diffusion), achieved equilibrium within 24 hours. Multilayer heavy metal adsorption mechanisms were predominantly governed by electrostatic interactions with additional contributions from surface hydroxyl complexation. In conclusion, natural geological weathering induces significant physicochemical modifications in Maifanite, including the observed zero potential point shift, which collectively enhance its capacity for comprehensive heavy metal prevention and control in both soil and groundwater systems. This research provides crucial theoretical foundations for the sustainable development and utilization of Naiman Banner Maifanite in groundwater purification applications.

Naiman Banner is located in an arid and semi-arid region and represents a typical agro-pastoral ecotone. Agricultural production in this area has long been constrained by complex natural conditions and the fragmented spatial distribution of cropland, resulting in an unclear understanding of the current state of farmland utilization. This, in turn, limits the region’s capacity for agricultural resource management and targeted policy implementation. Conducting an analysis of farmland utilization in Naiman Banner is therefore crucial for promoting high-quality agricultural development in agro-pastoral transitional zones and supporting the national food security strategy. In this study, Naiman Banner was selected as the research area. Based on Landsat 8 time-series imagery, the spatial distribution of major grain crops from 2020 to 2024 was extracted using the random forest method. Additionally, Jilin-1 high-resolution remote sensing imagery was used in combination with a multi-scale segmentation algorithm and the U-Net model to obtain cropland field parcels and road data for 2020 and 2024, respectively. On this basis, an evaluation index system for assessing the level of farmland infrastructure construction in the region was established. By integrating the extracted spatial distribution of major grain crops, this study focuses on analyzing the spatiotemporal patterns of major grain crops, the level of farmland infrastructure construction, and their interrelationship in Naiman Banner. Results showed a steady increase in the planting area of major grain crops over the five-year period, with a cumulative net growth of 22 673.46 hm², representing a 12.9% increase. Planting areas gradually shifted from general farmland to well-facilitated farmland. Meanwhile, agricultural infrastructure was continuously improved, with significantly higher development levels observed in well-facilitated farmland areas compared to general farmland. Further analysis revealed that regions with higher levels of agricultural infrastructure exhibited higher utilization rates of staple crops, demonstrating clear spatial consistency and a positive correlation. These findings provide provide technical support and decision-making references for regional agricultural resource management, optimization of infrastructure allocation, and food security assurance.

Rain-on-snow floods are extreme hydrological events characterized by sudden onset, low frequency, and high destructiveness, often leading to severe disasters. Due to their complex nature, understanding the disaster-causing mechanisms, evolution processes, and prevention strategies of rain-on-snow floods has become one of the most pressing challenges in contemporary hydrology and a fundamental requirement for national disaster prevention and mitigation. This study reviews the distribution characteristics and hazards of rain-on-snow floods and examines current research progress and development trends. It is found that the definition of rain-on-snow floods remains at a “potential” stage, with varying thresholds and considerable inconsistency. The disaster-causing mechanisms are still unclear, resulting in a limited understanding of flood evolution laws and a lack of robust simulation and forecasting models. These gaps hinder accurate flood warnings and risk management. There is an urgent need to establish a “real” definition of rain-on-snow floods, based on extensive flood event data and related observations. Additionally, revealing the underlying mechanisms, developing reliable simulation and forecasting models, and replicating typical rain-on-snow flood events through application-based demonstrations are essential next steps. This will enable a clearer understanding of the evolutionary processes, future changes, and potential risks of rain-on-snow floods at regional, basin, and global scales, while also supporting the development of effective prevention and mitigation strategies.

The Horqin Sandy Lands, located in the ecologically sensitive transitional belt between semi-arid and semi-humid climatic zones, support a complex mosaic of ecosystems characterized by inherent vulnerability and represent one of the most severely desertified regions in northern China. Despite its environmental significance, comprehensive studies that systematically integrate the biogeographical mechanisms underlying desertification with rigorous assessments of control efficacy in this region remain notably scarce. The region's comparatively substantial groundwater resources are fundamentally underpinned by an extensive and porous sandy sedimentary stratum, measuring 80 to 200 meters in thickness, which serves as a critical aquifer system. The period from 1985 to 2000 witnessed remarkable progress in desertification control, marked by a significant reversal in land degradation trends. Nevertheless, the subsequent phase post-2000 has been defined by a pronounced operational bottleneck, manifesting as a markedly decelerated rate of reduction in desertified land area and a stagnating trajectory in the recovery of biomass. In the context of ongoing climate change, the foremost challenge confronting sustainable desertification management in the Horqin Sandy Lands is escalating water resource stress, which threatens the longevity of past restoration gains and future initiatives. This review systematically synthesizes and critically evaluates a substantial body of research pertaining to the geographical foundations of ecological vulnerability, the dynamic processes and mechanisms of desertification and ecological recovery, and the intricate interrelationships between biological productivity fluxes and groundwater dynamics. By constructing a comprehensive synthesis from these diverse research strands, this review aims to elucidate the complete narrative of desertification control tracing its foundations, achievements, and contemporary challenges， thereby providing a robust theoretical framework and empirical evidence base to inform the scientific management of soil and water resources and to guide the sustainable restoration of degraded landscapes in the Horqin Sandy Lands.

Microbes are known to show a great spatiotemporal distribution, and exert extensive and intensive geological agents in both modern days and Earth history. These features make the microbes play important roles on great changes of Earth environments, enabling important and wide applications in geoengineering including the pollutant remediation, decrease of atmospheric CO₂, geohazards prevention, as well as toxicity decrease. This necessitates the cross-disciplinary construction from microbial Earth to microbial geoengineering.It is well known that microbes, the engineer of elemental geochemical cycles, have played the key roles in the geoengineering fields including carbon sink, ecological remediation and the agriculture practice. The carbon pump and the microbial carbon pump, the important mechanisms to transport the atmospheric CO₂ into the sediments or seawater, are documented to mainly regulate by the microbial communities either in the sea or on the land. Microbes are widely involved into, and known as the engineer of, the geochemical cycles of greenhouse gases including CH₄, CO₂ and N₂O. These microbial processes could be exploited in the geoengineering to promote the carbon sink or decrease the carbon release. Microbial transformation of a series of metal ions as well as the degradation on organics has been widely used in the ecological remediation of polluted environments. Microbial release of elements including carbon, nitrogen, phosphor etc., from a variety of minerals is applied in agriculture practice. The artificial microbial mixtures on the basis of natural communities could be used as the nature-based fertilizers in the farming practice. Microbial roles, played on the precipitation and erosion of minerals, could also be applied into rocks and soils engineering, deep Earth engineering and mining industry. The microbial application to these geoengineerings will greatly save the costs, remarkably promote efficiency and noticeably protect the natural environments. Microbial transformation of the expansive clay minerals into no-expansive ones could be applied into the oil recovery by water flooding as well as the rocks and soils geotechnical engineering. Carbonate factory is known to be primarily induced by microbial communities via the precipitation of calcium carbonate from the fluids which could be introduced into the building of artificial islands in the sea, the filling and repairing of rock cracks, cementation of coarse grains in a variety of geoengineering. Microbial erosion of minerals could be exploited into the mining industry via the release of metals of economic significance from ores. The presence of the so-called deep biosphere, featured by the dominance of extreme environment microbes, will exert positive and negative effects on the underground storage of dangerous materials including the nuclear wastes, CO₂ and hydrogen gas. The investigations on the microbial roles on these materials as well as the storage containers are of in particular importance.Whilst most microbial geoengineering has been conducted to prevent and control the geohazards that have come into being in natural environments, microbes could further provide the early warning of some geohazards including the biotic or ecological crisis, climatic and environmental disasters, as well as landslides due to their sensitive response to minor environmental changes. To construct the early warning geoengineering via the on-site filed observatory network is of importance so that we could take some measures to prevent the occurrence of the geohazards, or make the positive use of the microbial roles but suppress the negative roles.

Dust emissions are primary component of the atmospheric dust cycle. A comprehensive and quantitative description of the dust emission process is the basis for accurate simulation and prediction of dust aerosols. Dust emission processes are highly unsteady, non-uniform, and has intermittent features, also known as intermittent dust emissions. Accurately characterizing intermittent dust emissions remains a key scientific challenge in current dust research. This study reviews research from the past two decades, spanning field experiments, wind tunnel tests, and numerical simulations, on intermittent dust emissions. It covers the development of observation techniques using high-frequency measurements, occurrence conditions, and identification methods based on turbulence thresholds and intermittent factors. The influence of boundary-layer turbulence structures and their thermodynamic and dynamic effects on intermittent dust emissions is also summarized. Advancements in parameterization schemes for different dust emission mechanisms are discussed, with a focus on methods incorporating gust variations, intermittent factors, or probability distributions of turbulence parameters to model intermittent dust emissions. Finally, suggestions are provided to address existing challenges in dust emission research and outline future research directions. In the future, more filed experiments of atmospheric boundary layer and dust emission processes need to conduct using high-frequency measurement techniques for dust saltation and emission. In the relevant studies of identification methods and formation mechanisms of intermittent dust emission, both of the dynamic and thermodynamic impact of turbulence should be considered. More attention should be paid on the intermittent dust emission processes caused by direct turbulence aerodynamic entrainment, typically without sand saltation activity. The intermittent dust emission parameterization schemes should be developed and evaluated using field experiment data, in order to improve the simulation and forecasting of dust aerosols and dust events.

In the context of global warming, the Tibetan Plateau (TP) has experienced pronounced “Tibetan Amplification (TA)” and exhibits a strong seasonal asymmetry in warming, with winter warming significantly exceeding that of other seasons and summer warming being the weakest. Existing studies indicate that near-surface warming over the TP is characterized by amplification, asymmetry, and Elevation-Dependent Warming (EDW) driven jointly by local processes and atmospheric circulation. This paper reviews key local mechanisms, such as snow-albedo feedback, water vapor, and cloud-radiation feedback, as well as the potential influence of cryospheric changes (e.g., Arctic sea ice loss) and Eurasian aerosol pattern changes on TP warming through the modulation of seasonal circulation anomalies. Recent studies based on observations, reanalysis data, and numerical simulations have revealed the complexity of these mechanisms. However, significant uncertainties remain regarding the data quality, quantitative methods, and remote forcing pathways. Future studies should focus on improving the data quality over the TP, refining quantification methods, and elucidating multilayer coupling and teleconnection processes to deepen our understanding of the seasonal asymmetry of warming on the TP.

Projecting future global urbanization pathways and their impacts on climate change is essential for effectively addressing climate change and promoting sustainable regional and global development. To this end, the National Key Research and Development Program’s project, “Global Urbanization Trend and its Impact on Climate Change” simulates the spatial and temporal patterns of global urbanization patterns from 2020 to 2070 under Shared Socioeconomic Pathways (SSPs) framework and quantitatively evaluates the impact of urbanization on regional and global climate change. This provides crucial datasets for revealing the impact of urbanization on regional and global climate change at multiple scales. The findings are of great significance to the realization of the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals and the construction of a community with a shared future for mankind. They also provide a scientific foundation for the construction of green and healthy cities, as well as a scientific reference for optimizing urban morphology and mitigating the urban heat island effect.

Salt marshes are among the most valuable ecosystems on Earth; however, they face ubiquitous cliff erosion at marsh edges globally. Understanding the mechanisms underlying the formation and evolution of marsh-edge cliffs has become an urgent necessity in the field of Earth science. However, owing to the complexity of marsh habitats at the interface between land and sea, our knowledge of marsh-edge cliffs remains limited. Through a literature review, we examined global research on cliff erosion at marsh edges to improve understanding of this process. First, by reviewing the influence of environmental factors such as hydrodynamic forces, sediment substrates, and biological processes, we discuss their coupling effects across spatiotemporal scales. Second, we conceptually examined three prevailing frameworks: “differential deposition fluctuations”, “self-organization”, and “autocyclic retreat”. By analyzing their differences and connections, we further discuss the comprehensive mechanisms of the formation and evolution of marsh-edge cliffs. Third, the development process and application scope of relevant mathematical models of marsh-edge cliff formation and evolution are introduced and discussed. Finally, we identified several problems to be solved following current transdisciplinary research trends in hydrodynamics, geomorphology, and ecology. Future research on the mechanisms driving marsh-edge cliff formation would be beneficial for deepening the current insights into salt marsh erosion and degradation, which can be used to identify early warning systems for vulnerable habitats and guide ecological restoration in response to global change and anthropogenic impacts.

The thermodynamic forcing of the Tibetan Plateau (TP) plays a crucial role in modulating the formation and variability of the Asian summer monsoon. However, due to limitations in both observational data and numerical models, the relative importance of the Plateau’s dynamic versus thermal effects on monsoon development remains a subject of ongoing debate. In recent years, a new framework based on Potential Vorticity (PV) theory has been proposed, introducing the concept of surface PV forcing over the Tibetan Plateau and revealing its relationship with the Asian summer monsoon. This paper reviews and synthesizes related research findings. Key conclusions include the following: the relative significance of TP thermodynamic forcing is closely related to experimental design and model performance; the surface PV index can serve as a quantitative metric to assess this relative significance. Compared to sensible heat flux, surface PV more accurately represents summer surface forcing over the Plateau and can be used to evaluate the strength of TP surface forcing under different model configurations and its impact on monsoonal rainfall. Climatologically, TP surface heating plays a dominant role in the formation of the summer monsoon over land. From an extended-range forecasting perspective, the spatiotemporal scales of thermodynamic disturbances over the TP that modulate synoptic-scale waves are key factors influencing the predictability of downstream precipitation. Notably, the intensity of TP surface forcing in climate system models—and its sensitivity in influencing monsoon precipitation—was quantified across different regions in 2022. Accurate simulation of TP surface PV forcing in June 2022 proved essential for reproducing the persistent rainfall observed over South China. These theoretical and modeling advancements contribute to a deeper understanding of the climatic dynamics associated with TP. However, observational data scarcity—particularly in high-elevation regions of the western TP—due to terrain and environmental constraints, limits the understanding of boundary-layer processes and results in biased physical parameterizations in climate models. Therefore, advancing TP simulation capabilities and deepening understanding of its climatic role require integrating observations, numerical modeling, and theoretical research into a unified framework. This approach will enhance the prediction of weather and climate extremes across TP and adjacent regions.

This paper aims to develop solutions for two significant and urgent problems in air transportation. One is the contradiction between the bustle of main airspaces and the huge aviation industry development demand， and the other is the contradiction between the large-scale developments of aviation industry and the traditional aviation management mode. The application of continuous trajectory data and the development of airflow micro-temporal analysis technology have created the conditions for operational efficiency assessment in corridors-in-the-sky to meet the challenges of some key issues such as the detection of full process detection and economic effect measurement. This paper presents a framework for assessing the operational performance of air passenger flow including temporal variation and spatial state， internal composition relationship and external connection relationship. Based on the delayed trajectory data of flights and taking time delay cost as a feedback variable， a series of indicators of delay number， delay duration， delay occurrence area and delay propensity index are concluded， and the operational performance of air passenger flow of major corridors-in-the-sky in Sino-U.S. is compared. There are the following findings： the constraints on operational performance occur mainly in the maintenance phase of the airspace, where delayed trajectory clusters lead to longer Euclidean distances and narrower flight path activity, resulting in increased flight path rigidity or invariability and then reduced opportunities for multi-path selection. In addition, the limited over-flow capacity of the corridors-in-the-sky in China is likely to cause delays in delay-intensive segments and downstream delay contagion, and also leads to the accumulation of terminal delays. On this basis, this paper expected to play a certain role in improving the construction of corridors-in-the-sky, improving the utilization rate of airspace, promoting the reform of airspace configuration and also will bring a comprehensive technical support for optimisation of dynamic airspace and the implementation of the national strategic plan of “Airspace Channel”.

Statistical analysis was conducted on submission, acceptance, review and grant funding of various projects managed by Division of Environmental Geosciences, Department of Earth Sciences, National Natural Science Foundation of China in 2025. Academic achievements of the completed projects in 2024 were partly summarized according to research subjects. This might provide enlightenment for potential project applicants.

The Naiman trona deposit in Inner Mongolia is a supergiant deposit discovered in recent years in China, with identified resources of 2.077 billion tons, making it the largest trona deposit so far discovered in China and even in Asia. The deposit is located in the Naiman Sag on the southwestern margin of the Songliao Basin and is hosted in strata of the Lower Cretaceous Yixian-Jiufotang formations. It is characterized by high ore grade, great ore-layer thickness, relatively deep burial, and complex mineralogical composition. Vertically, it consists of interbedded trona ore layers, rock-salt layers and mudstones, forming as many as 118 sedimentary cycles, while horizontally it exhibits a lenticular distribution. Seven Na-carbonate minerals, including trona, nahcolite and natrocalcite, and eight associated minerals, including halite, anhydrite and searlesite, have been identified. A key scientific question is why large-scale trona enrichment took place in the Naiman area during the Early Cretaceous greenhouse period under an extensional tectonic regime. The ore-forming mechanism may be investigated from the following aspects: conducting in-depth studies on the role of fault systems as channels for hydrothermal fluid migration in an extensional setting, and on the effects of continuous basin subsidence on the formation and preservation of ore layers; resolving the material contributions of volcanic rock weathering, deep magmatic-hydrothermal fluids and high atmospheric CO₂ concentrations by means of geochemical tracing techniques; precisely constraining the timing of mineralization by integrating radiometric dating with biostratigraphic methods; and elucidating the controlling mechanisms of paleoclimate and paleoenvironment on trona sedimentary cycles through a combination of paleoclimatic-paleogeographic proxies and sedimentary cycle analysis. Through this integrated metallogenic research framework that couples deep tectonic architecture, material sources, metallogenic timing and sedimentary paleoclimate-paleoenvironment, the formation mechanism and metallogenic model of the Naiman supergiant trona deposit can be revealed, which is of great fundamental scientific significance. Meanwhile, the research results will support exploration of trona deposits in the Songliao Basin and surrounding areas and promote the upgrading of China’s soda ash industry, thus having important strategic and practical significance.

As a water conservation area in the Horqin agro-pastoral ecotone, Naiman Banner boasts strontium and metasilicic acid-rich groundwater, which provides opportunities for groundwater health research and mineral water development. This study selected the southern mountainous area of Naiman Banner, Inner Mongolia, as the target area. Based on hydrogeological surveys and test data from 37 groups of groundwater samples, hydrogeochemical analysis methods were employed to reveal the spatial differentiation patterns and formation mechanisms of strontium-rich and metasilicic acid groundwater. Results indicated that the groundwater in the study area is neutral weak alkaline, with HCO₃-Ca as the main hydrochemical type. The strontium content ranges from 0.24 to 1.83 mg/L, and the metasilicic acid content ranges from 14.9 to 29.9 mg/L. The strontium rich metasilicic acid composite groundwater is distributed around the Maifanshi mining area in the area. The weathering and dissolution of carbonate rocks and silicate rocks, as well as the alternating adsorption of cations, promote the enrichment of strontium in groundwater. Indoor experiments have shown that the leaching of vermiculite is beneficial for the formation of metasilicic groundwater. The study also indicates that the pore fissure aquifer in the area has the potential for industrialized development of strontium and metasilicic acid-rich mineral water, providing scientific basis for rural revitalization and coordinated utilization of geological resources.

Based on the strategy of rural revitalization and the perspective of earth sciense, combining the local demands of industrial development transformation in Naiman Banner, Inner Mongolia, this study utilizes enterprise big data obtained from the Tianyancha database, GIS-based spatial distribution analysis, and big data analytics to reveal the spatiotemporal evolution characteristics of industrial development in Naiman Banner and explore the influencing factors of its spatial pattern. The results indicate that the spatial distribution of industries in Naiman Banner has gradually evolved into a belt-shaped pattern, centered around Daqintala Town and extending in a north-south orientation across the banner. Population distribution, transportation infrastructure, and land use significantly influence the industrial spatial pattern, with industries tending to cluster in urban areas near national and provincial highways, a trend more pronounced in densely populated regions. Based on the analytical results and practical industrial development conditions, this study proposes scientific recommendations for structural transformation and spatial optimization of industrial development in Naiman Banner, offering actionable insights for local policymaking.

Dynamic changes in land use are vital for ecological balance and sustainable development. Based on the case of Naiman Banner in Tongliao City, Inner Mongolia, time-series remote sensing data were examined to monitor changes in land use and conduct spatiotemporal analysis to support the sustainable development of this region. Given the complexities of this agro-pastoral region, the seasonal characteristics of time-series satellite imagery were utilized to produce high-precision land use products. Based on which, this study analyzes the spatiotemporal changes in land use in Naiman Banner over the past 40 years and assesses the ecological impacts of various land use changes. The results indicate differentiated spatiotemporal characteristics in land use, with the northern region exhibiting trends of desertification recovery, urban expansion, and an increase in arable land, while the southern mountainous areas show a trend of returning farmland to grass and forest. Factor contribution analysis reveals that changes in agricultural land use, ecological recovery from desertification, and deceased surface water significantly affect soil moisture content in the area, underscoring the importance of water-saving agriculture, ecological restoration of sandy areas, and water resource protection for sustainable agricultural development. This study provides important data for land resource management in Naiman Banner and offers scientific evidence for sustainable development strategies in this region, facilitating the coordinated advancement of ecological environments and economic development.

The North China region is one of the most important grains productions regions in China, and climatic drought is the primary natural disaster affecting agricultural production, always resulting in immense lose for the agriculture. Hence, exploring the spatiotemporal evolution and formation mechanism of drought in North China is an important basis for a quantitative understanding of drought mechanisms as well as the scientific prevention and control of drought disaster risk, insuring regional and even national food security. Using the Standardized Precipitation Evapotranspiration Index (SPEI-3) and large-scale circulation data, this study systematically investigated spatial variation patterns of drought events during the growth period of winter wheat and their potential influencing factors by integrating run length theory, cluster analysis, and wavelet transform coherence methods. Results show that the climate during the winter wheat growth period in North China (1961-2021) became increasingly moist, particularly from the booting to the maturity stages, Significant spatial differences in dry and wet conditions were observed, with increasing humidification in Hebei, Henan, and Shandong provinces, and a drying trend in Shanxi Province. Henan Province and surrounding areas experienced more frequent but shorter-duration droughts, whereas the opposite pattern was observed in Hebei Province and northern Shandong Province. Spatial clustering patterns of drought events varied across individual growth stages. SPEI-3 was strongly corelated with atmospheric circulation indices throughout the winter wheat growth cycle, including the emergence-tillering, overwintering-jointing, and booting-maturity stages, with TNA, PNA, AO, and NINO34 identified as key influencing factors. The results of this study could provide regional specific valuable insights for agricultural drought resistance and disaster reduction decision-making in North China.

To better understand the application status of geological science funding projects and improve the quality of project proposals and final reports, this article analyzes the application, review, and funding situation of geological science projects (Application code D02) in 2025. Over the past five years, the number of applications for key projects has fluctuated and declined, while the number of applications for general projects, Young Scientists Fund (A), Young Scientists Fund (B), and Regional Science Fund projects has been growing continuously. In particular, the number of applications for Young Scientists Fund (C) has seen a significant increase compared with 2024. There are 5 sub-disciplines where the total number of applications for general projects, Young Scientists Fund (C), and Regional Science Fund projects exceeds 400. Universities and research institutes remain the main applicants for these three types of projects. In terms of funding, the total awarded number and amount of the “General-Young Scientists (C)-Regional” projects both slightly increased compared with 2024. During the project review process, it was identified that failure to provide relevant materials as required remains the primary reason for project rejection. Additionally, a review was conducted on the project progress reports submitted in January 2025 and the conclusion reports of projects completed by the end of 2024, summarizing the major advancements and achievements made in fields such as life and environmental evolution, the composition and tectonic evolution of Earth, resources and energy, Quaternary geology, hydrogeology and engineering geology, and technical support sub-discipline.

National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC) is the main funding institution of fundamental research in China. Geography (or Geographical science), as an important component of the Earth sciences, is a fundamental discipline that studies the patterns of spatial differentiation, temporal evolution processes, and interaction mechanisms of natural factors, human elements, geographic information, and geographic complexes. It mainly includes three sub-disciplines: human geography, physical geography, and information geography. The acceptance of grant project application, the review of proposals, and the evaluation of project reports for the geography discipline are centrally managed by the Division of Geography in the Department of Earth Science of NSFC. Here, We focus on three types of projects managed by the Division of Geography, namely the General, Young, and Rrgional Programs. This paper introduces the application and acceptance, review process, deliberation, and funding status of the three types of projects for the three major sub-disciplines of geography during the 2025 annual centralized acceptance period. A statistical analysis was conducted on the research outcomes of projects completed at the end of 2024, highlighting the main research advancements achieved by some selected projects. Additionally, the main issues identified in the project completion and progress reports were summarized.

Ice clouds are a critical component of the Earth’s weather and climate systems. The orientation of ice crystals influences their scattering properties, thereby affecting the accuracy of remote sensing and numerical weather predictions. With the advancement of satellite programs dedicated to ice cloud observation, precise quantification of ice crystal orientation has become increasingly important. This review summarizes the research progress in remote sensing of ice crystal orientation. Both active and passive remote-sensing techniques have been systematically reviewed across various spectral bands. The detection mechanisms, advantages, and disadvantages of diverse remote sensing techniques were analyzed, with particular emphasis on the prospects of spaceborne terahertz radiometers. Although existing techniques have demonstrated some capacity for ice crystal orientation studies, quantitative retrieval remains challenging owing to ice crystal complexity, observational constraints, and limitations in retrieval algorithms. Future research should focus on developing novel detection instruments, improving the accuracy of ice crystal scattering property calculations, optimizing radiative transfer models, and synergistic integration of multi-source remote sensing datasets.