Biomass burning has shaped many of the ecosystems of the planet and for millennia humans have used it as a tool to manage the environment. When widespread fires occur, the health and daily lives of millions of people can be affected by the smoke, often at unhealthy to hazardous levels leading to a range of short-term and long-term health consequences such as respiratory issues, cardiovascular issues, and mortality. It is critical to adequately represent and include smoke and its consequences in atmospheric modeling systems to meet needs such as addressing the global climate carbon budget and informing and protecting the public during smoke episodes. Many scientific and technical challenges are associated with modeling the complex phenomenon of smoke. Variability in fire emissions estimates has an order of magnitude level of uncertainty, depending upon vegetation type, natural fuel heterogeneity, and fuel combustion processes. Quantifying fire emissions also vary from ground/vegetation-based methods to those based on remotely sensed fire radiative power data. These emission estimates are input into dispersion and air quality modeling systems, where their vertical allocation associated with plume rise, and temporal release parameterizations influence transport patterns, and, in turn affect chemical transformation and interaction with other sources. These processes lend another order of magnitude of variability to the downwind estimates of trace gases and aerosol concentrations. This chapter profiles many of the global and regional smoke prediction systems currently operational or quasi-operational in real time or near-real time. It is not an exhaustive list of systems, but rather is a profile of many of the systems in use to give examples of the creativity and complexity needed to simulate the phenomenon of smoke. This chapter, and the systems described, reflect the needs of different agencies and regions, where the various systems are tailored to the best available science to address challenges of a region. Smoke forecasting requirements range from warning and informing the public about potential smoke impacts to planning burn activities for hazard reduction or resource benefit. Different agencies also have different mandates, and the lines blur between the missions of quasi-operational organizations (e.g. research institutions) and agencies with operational mandates. The global smoke prediction systems are advanced, and many are self-organizing into a powerful ensemble, as discussed in section 2. Regional and national systems are being developed independently and are discussed in sections 3-5 for Europe (11 systems), North America (7 systems), and Australia (3 systems). Finally, the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) effort (section 6) is bringing together global and regional systems and building the Vegetation Fire and Smoke Pollution Advisory and Assessment Systems (VFSP-WAS) to support countries with smoke issues and who lack resources.

The East Anatolian High Plateau, part of the Alpine-Himalayan orogen, is a 200 km wide, approximately E-W trending belt surrounded by two peripheral mountains of the Anatolian Peninsula. The plateau is covered by a thick, interbedded Neogene volcanic and sedimentary rocks. Outcrops of the underlying rocks are rare. Therefore, contrasting views were proposed on the nature of the basement rocks. New geological and geophysical data suggest the presence of an ophiolitic mélange-accretionary complex under cover rocks of Eastern Anatolia. The cover units began to be deposited during the closure of the NeoTethyan Ocean that was located between the Pontide arc to the north, and the continental slivers drifted away from the Arabian Plate to the south. The surrounding orogenic belts experienced different orogenic evolution. The Eastern Anatolian orogen was formed during the later stages of the development of the surrounding orogenic belts. In this period, the melange-accretionary prism that occupied a large terrain behaved like a wide and thick cushion, which did not allow a head-on collision of the bordering continents. NeoTethyan oceanic lithosphere was eliminated from entire eastern Turkey by the Late Eocene. The eastern Anatolia began to rise when the northern advance of the Arabian Plate continued after the total demise of the oceanic lithosphere. The present stage of the elevation of the East Anatolian Plateau as a coherent block started during the Late Miocene.

Coal fly ash has long been considered a potential resource for recovery of valuable elements, such as rare earth elements (REE), which are retained and concentrated upon combustion of coal feedstocks. Understanding REE occurrence within fly ash is a key to developing possible recovery methods. Recent results using modern analytical approaches shed light on the distribution REE in fly ash and the approaches required for their recovery. Some of the highest REE contents occur in fly ash derived from U.S. Appalachian Basin coals, and among these, coals influenced by input volcanic ash (Fire Clay coal, Kentucky) are especially enriched. Leaching studies of bulk fly ash show that, as a proportion of the total REE present, samples from eastern U.S. coals are generally less readily extractible than fly ash derived from western U.S. coals having lower REE contents. Direct determinations by ion microprobe show that REE in a range of fly ash samples are partitioned into aluminosilicate glasses formed during melting at boiler temperatures. These glasses comprise the largest mass fraction of coal fly ash. REE-enriched domains are present locally in fly ash at the nanometer scale (as shown by TEM), and these REE coexist with the glass phase. To enable systematic study of these REE, Ce has been proposed as a proxy for the trivalent lanthanides, as supported by speciation determinations demonstrating that Ce occurs in the trivalent form in fly ash. Despite a decreasing proportion of coal use for electric power generation in the U.S. and elsewhere, annual fly ash production, combined with coal ash already in storage, make up a large resource for potential recovery of rare earths and associated critical elements. Further developments in extraction technologies are needed to overcome difficulties in REE concentration and purification to produce REE materials of saleable purity derived from coal ash.

Key Points: • Machine learning (ML) helps model the interaction between clouds and climate using large datasets. • We review physics-guided/explainable ML applied to cloud-related processes in the climate system. • We also provide a guide to scientists who would like to get started with ML. Abstract: Machine learning (ML) algorithms are powerful tools to build models of clouds and climate that are more faithful to the rapidly-increasing volumes of Earth system data than commonly-used semiempirical models. Here, we review ML tools, including interpretable and physics-guided ML, and outline how they can be applied to cloud-related processes in the climate system, including radiation, microphysics, convection, and cloud detection , classification, emulation, and uncertainty quantification. We additionally provide a short guide to get started with ML and survey the frontiers of ML for clouds and climate .

Tethyan evolution is characterized by cyclical continent-transfer from Gondwana to the continents in the Northern Hemisphere, similar to a “one-way” train. Subduction has been viewed as the primary driver of transference. Therefore, it is crucial to understand the tectonic evolution of all past subduction zones that occurred along Eurasia’s southern margin. We studied the earliest known eclogite located at the Neo-Tethyan suture in the Iranian segment. A prograde-E-MORB-like eclogite reached a peak metamorphic condition of 2.2 GPa and 560°C, at 190 ± 11 Ma (1 rutile U-Pb ages), which constrains the youngest age for subduction initiation of the Neo-Tethyan slab. Combined with regional magmatic and structural data, the oldest age for Neo-Tethys subduction initiation is 210–192 Ma, which is younger than the Paleo-Tethyan closure time of 228–209 Ma. These data, used with previous numerical modeling, supports collision-induced subduction initiation. The collision-induced force, together with the Paleo-Tethyan subduction driven-mantle flow, is likely to have exploited weak inherited structures from earlier Neo-Tethyan rifting, resulting in a northward directed subduction zone along the southern margin of Central Iran Block.

Water quality in rivers is influenced by natural factors and human activities that interact in complex and nonlinear ways, which make water quality modelling a challenging task. The concepts of complex networks (CN), a recent development in network theory, seem to provide new avenues to unravel the connections and dynamics of water quality phenomenon, including clandestine teleconnections. This study aims to explore the spatial patterns of water quality using the CN concepts, at both catchment scale and larger national scale. Three major water quality parameters, i.e. dissolved oxygen (DO), permanganate index (COD Mn), and ammonia nitrogen (NH 3-N) are considered for analysis. Weekly data over a period of 12 years (since 2006) from 91 monitoring stations across China are analysed. Degree centrality and clustering coefficient methods are employed. The results show that the degree centrality and clustering coefficients values for water quality indicators is DO > NH 3-N > COD Mn at both basin scale and national scale. Since COD Mn is more sensitive to the upstream point source pollution, as it depends upon the locality and human activities, it leads to a higher heterogeneity of CN indexes even among spatially closer stations. NH 3-N comes next due to the identical pollution level and degradation process in a certain spatial extension. Meanwhile, DO shows good regional connectivity in line with the strong diffusivity. However, the CN characteristic is relatively inconspicuous in large basins and nationwide scale, which indicates the regional impact on water quality fluctuation and CN analysis. These original findings boost a comprehensive understanding of water quality dynamics and enlighten novel methods for environment system analysis and watershed management.

Rich Briggs1, Robert C. Witter2, Jeffrey T. Freymueller3, Peter M. Powers1, Peter J. Haeussler2, Stephanie L. Ross4, Tina Dura5, Simon E. Engelhart6, Richard D. Koehler7, Hong Kie Thio81 U.S. Geological Survey, Geological Hazards Science Center, Golden, CO, USA2 U.S. Geological Survey, Alaska Science Center, Anchorage, AK, USA3 Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, USA4 Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center, US Geological Survey, Moffett Field, CA, USA5Department of Geosciences, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA, USA6Department of Geography, Durham University, Durham, UK7Nevada Bureau of Mines and Geology, University of Nevada, Reno, Reno, NV, USA8 AECOM, Los Angeles, CA, USACorresponding author: Rich Briggs ([email protected])Key Points:We present earthquake recurrence estimates from geologic and geodetic data for the Alaska-Aleutian subduction zoneRecurrence estimates provide constraints for seismic hazard modelsThe recurrence estimates indicate that the rates of Mw≥ 8 ruptures are higher than previously inferred west of Kodiak Island

Health outcomes attributable to wildfire smoke pollution exposure are an increasingly important global health issue especially as wildfires are increasing in frequency and intensity with climate change. In this chapter, we present an up-to-date overview of the literature regarding the health consequences of wildfire smoke pollution exposure experienced by adults, identify research gaps, and propose possible areas for future epidemiological studies. We also discuss existing interventions to reduce the negative health outcomes associated with wildfire smoke pollution exposure.

We present the crustal fault model for Alaska, based on geologic observations, as a primary input for the 2023 revision of the U.S. Geological Survey National Seismic Hazard Model (NSHM). We update the 2013 Alaska Quaternary fault and fold database (Koehler, 2013) with subsequent findings to produce a simplified model of 105 fault sections and four fault zone polygons with basic geologic parameters including slip sense and rate. Significant updates from prior maps include: 1) A slip rate of ~53 mm/yr on the Queen Charlotte Fault system indicating it accommodates all of the plate boundary motion. 2) Quantified long-term slip rates on megathrust splay faults in the southern Prince William Sound region and near Kodiak Island. 3) Improved details of structures in the Chugach-St. Elias orogen. 4) Revised characterization of Castle Mountain Fault from right-lateral slip to a predominantly reverse fault. 5) Improved Interior Alaska tectonic models that clarify relationships between the Denali Fault, Totschunda Fault, and thrust faults on both sides of the Alaska Range. 6) Identified large earthquake sources in the eastern Brooks Range. 7) Omission of the Chatham Strait section of the Denali Fault. We also describe the growing body of Alaskan lacustrine paleoseismic records of strong shaking, which may offer a test of ground motion recurrence predicted by the 2023 NSHM for crustal, megathrust, and intraslab events. The fault model underscores that the collision of the Yakutat microplate is the dominant driver of active crustal faulting in most of Alaska.

Magmas readily react with their surroundings, which may be other magmas or solid rocks. Such reactions are important in the chemical and physical evolution of magmatic systems and the crust, for example, in inducing volcanic eruptions and in the formation of ore deposits. In this contribution, we conceptually distinguish assimilation from other modes of magmatic interaction and discuss and review a range of geochemical (+/- thermodynamical) models used to model assimilation. We define assimilation in its simplest form as an end-member mode of magmatic interaction in which an initial state (t0) that includes a system of melt and solid wallrock evolves to a later state (tn) where the two entities have been homogenized. In complex natural systems, assimilation can refer more broadly to a process where a mass of magma wholly or partially homogenizes with materials derived from wallrock that initially behaves as a solid. The first geochemical models of assimilation used binary mixing equations and then evolved to incorporate mass balance between a constant-composition assimilant and magma undergoing simultaneous fractional crystallization. More recent tools incorporate energy and mass conservation in order to simulate changing magma composition as wallrock undergoes partial melting. For example, the Magma Chamber Simulator utilizes thermodynamic constraints to document the phase equilibria and major element, trace element, and isotopic evolution of an assimilating and crystallizing magma body. Such thermodynamic considerations are prerequisite for understanding the importance and thermochemical consequences of assimilation in nature, and confirm that bulk assimilation of large amounts of solid wallrock is limited by the enthalpy available from the crystallizing resident magma. Nevertheless, the geochemical signatures of magmatic systems-although dominated for some elements (particularly major elements) by crystallization processes-may be influenced by simultaneous assimilation of partial melts of compositionally distinct wallrock.

Compressional and contractional tectonics are of interest to various researchers, from rock mechanics and engineering to those studying the hazards, dynamics, and evolution of plate boundaries. We summarize here the terminology regarding deformation associated with compressional and contractional tectonics. We describe the now largely discarded geosyncline theory, which has its roots in contraction. Today, plate tectonics is the primary theory for explaining the processes shaping the Earth, including earthquakes, volcanoes, and mountain ranges. We emphasize the importance of subduction zones, the most extensive recycling system on the planet, and suture zones, complex boundaries marking the collision zone between two plates. The effects and hazards associated with convergent and collisional plate boundaries are felt far afield and for long distances.

In its three-dimensional (3-D) characterization, drought is approached as an event whose spatial extent changes over time. Each drought event has an onset and end time, a location, a magnitude, and a spatial trajectory. These characteristics help to analyze and describe how drought develops in space and time, i.e., drought dynamics. Methodologies for 3-D characterization of drought include a 3-D clustering technique to extract the drought events from the hydrometeorological data. The application of the clustering method yields small ‘artifact’ droughts. These small clusters are removed from the analysis with the use of a cluster size filter. However, according to the literature, the filter parameters are usually set arbitrarily, so this study concentrated on a method to calculate the optimal cluster size filter for the 3-D characterization of drought. The effect of different drought indicator thresholds to calculate drought is also analyzed. The approach was tested in South America with data from the Latin American Flood and Drought Monitor (LAFDM) for 1950–2017. Analysis of the spatial trajectories and characteristics of the most extreme droughts is also included. Calculated droughts are compared with information reported at a country scale and a reasonably good match is found.

Western Anatolia is located at the boundary between the Aegean and Anatolian microplates. It is considered a type-location for marking a significant transition between compressional and extensional tectonics across the Alpine-Himalayan chain. The onset of lateral extrusion in Western Anatolia and the Aegean during the Eocene is only one of its transitional episodes. The region has a geological history marked by diverse tectonic events starting from the Paleoproterozoic through the Cambrian, Devonian, and Late Cretaceous, as recorded by its suture zones, metamorphic history, and intrusions of igneous assemblages. Extension in Western Anatolia initiated in a complex lithospheric tectonic collage of multiple sutured crustal fragments from ancient orogens. This history can be traced to the Aegean microplate, and today both regions are transitioning or have transitioned to a stress regime dominated by strike-slip tectonics. The control for extension in Western Anatolia is widely accepted as the rollback of the African (Nubian) slab along the Hellenic arc, and several outstanding questions remain regarding subduction dynamics. These include the timing and geometry of the Hellenic arc and its connections to other subduction systems along strike. Slab tear is proposed for many regions across the Anatolian and Aegean microplates, either trench-parallel or perpendicular, and varies in scale from regional to local. The role of magma in driving and facilitating extension in Western Anatolia and where and why switches in stress regimes occurred along the Anatolia and Aegean microplates are still under consideration. The correlation between Aegean and Anatolian tectonic events requires a better understanding of the detailed metamorphic history recorded in Western Anatolia rocks, possible now with advances in garnet-based themobarometric approaches. Slab tear and ultimate delamination impact lithospheric dynamics, including generating economic and energy deposits, facilitating lithospheric thinning, and influencing the onset of transfer zones that accommodate deformation and provide conduits for magmatism.

Significant advances have been made over the last two decades in constraining the structure of the continental lithosphere in Alaska, particularly with the EarthScope USArray seismic data collection efforts. This paper distills recent seismic models in Alaska and western Yukon (Canada) and relates them to major faults and tectonic terranes. We synthesize results from eight shear-wave velocity models and seven crustal thickness models. Through objective clustering of seismic velocity profiles, we identify six different velocity domains, separately for the crust (at the depth range of 10-50 km) and the mantle (at the depth range of 40-120 km). The crustal seismic domains show strong correlations with average crustal thickness patterns and the distribution of major faults and tectonic terranes. The mantle seismic velocity domains demonstrate signatures of major faults and tectonic terranes in northern Alaska while in southern Alaska the domains are primarily controlled by the geometry of the subducting lithosphere. The results of this study have significant implications for the tectonics and geodynamics of the overriding continental lithosphere from the margin to the interior. This synthesis will be of interest to future studies of Alaska as well as other modern and ancient systems involving convergent margins and terrane accretions.

The solar corona, the outer atmosphere of the Sun, is heated to millions of degrees. This is several orders of magnitude hotter than the photosphere, the optical surface of the Sun, below, and a mystery that has baffled scientists for centuries. The answer to the question of how the solar corona is heated lies in the crucial magnetic connection through the atmosphere of the Sun. The magnetic field that threads the corona extends below the solar photosphere, where the convective motions drag the magnetic field footpoints, tangling and twisting them. The chromosphere is the atmospheric layer above the photosphere, below the corona, and the magnetic field provides an important connection between these layers. The exchange of mass and energy between the chromosphere and corona is an essential piece of this puzzle. The connection between the chromosphere and the corona is a challenging piece of the puzzle both observationally and computationally, as it is highly complex in space and time. We describe the history of the observations and theoretical understanding of the heating of the solar atmosphere, and end with future prospects of the coronal heating problem.

The prediction of how ice crystals form represents one of the great conundrums in the atmospheric sciences with important implications for the hydrological cycle and climate. Ice-nucleating particles (INPs), typically consisting of sub-and supermicrometer-sized aerosol particles which can be inorganic, organic, biogenic, or biological, initiate heterogeneous ice nucleation processes leading to ice crystal formation. Heterogeneous ice nucleation commences on the nanoscale at the substrate surface and depends on ambient temperature and humidity. Microanalysis techniques are uniquely suited to examine the physicochemical features of the INPs under relevant atmospheric conditions thereby advancing our understanding of the principal processes that promote ice nucleation. In the atmosphere ice crystals experience growth and sublimation resulting in complex microscopic morphologies which, in turn, impact the ice crystal's properties. This chapter provides an overview of microanalysis techniques employed in either a multimodal or in situ manner, which shed light on the atmospheric heterogeneous ice nucleation process and how these techniques are applied to explore the complex morphologies of ice crystals. The first section introduces the various atmospheric ice nucleation pathways, provides a brief outline of the underlying nucleation theory demonstrating that nucleation proceeds on the nanoscale, and describes the different ice crystal habits of growth. Section two provides an overview of the microanalysis techniques and experiments to study INPs or ice-nucleating substrates including multimodal instrument approaches followed by in situ ice nucleation studies. Examples of techniques include Raman, atomic force, electron, and X-ray microscopy with discussion of the techniques’ unique capabilities to examine the physical and chemical properties of the ice-nucleating substrate. The third section presents electron microscopy studies of ice crystals during growth and sublimation displaying the morphological complexities of ice crystals. Lastly, section four discusses typical experimental requirements including sample sizes, radiation effects, and the role of standard INPs.

Xenoliths of plutonic rocks sporadically torn off by erupting magmas are known to carry valuable information about volcano plumbing systems and the lithosphere in which they emplace. One of the main steps to interpret such information is to quantify the pressure and temperature conditions at which the xenolith mineral assemblages last equilibrated. This chapter discusses some aspects of geothermobarometry of mafic and ultramafic rocks using the xenolith populations of Hualalai and Mauna Kea volcanoes, Hawaii, as case studies. Multiple- reaction geobarometry, recently revisited for olivine + clinopyroxene + plagioclase  spinel assemblages, provides the most precise pressure estimates (uncertainties as low as 1.0 kbar). An example is shown that integrates these estimates with calculated seismic velocities of the xenoliths and the available data from seismic tomography. The results allow to better constrain some km-scale horizontal and vertical heterogeneities in the magmatic system beneath Hawaii. Ultramafic xenoliths at Hualalai are the residuals of magma crystallization at 16–21 km depth, below the pre-Hawaiian oceanic crust. Few available gabbronorites and diorites record instead lower pressures and likely represent conduits or small magma reservoir crystallized at 0–8 km depth. At Mauna Kea, on the other hand, a significant portion of the xenolith record is composed by olivine-gabbros, which crystallized almost over the entire crustal thickness (3– 18 km). Ultramafic xenoliths are less abundant and might represent the bottom of the same magma reservoirs that crystallized in the deeper portion of the magmatic systems (11–18 km). Some unresolved issues remain in geothermometry of mafic and ultramafic rocks representing portions of magma reservoirs that cooled and recrystallized under subsolidus conditions. This suggests that further experimental and theoretical work is needed to better constrain the thermodynamics and kinetics of peridotitic and basaltic systems at low (< 1000 ̵̊C) temperatures.

Given the increasing global demand for rare earth elements (REE), prospects for REE recovery from both traditional and non-traditional sources have been a focus of intense interest. Many have noted the need for ecologically sustainable alternatives to conventional pyrometallurgical and hydrometallurgical methods to recover REE. Among the newer approaches that have garnered recent interest are those that rely on microbiological processes or microbiologically produced reagents to recover the rare earths. Biological approaches can often avoid many of the environmental and or safety hazards associated with the corrosive (e.g., strong acids) or toxic chemicals (e.g., organic solvents) often used in hydrometallurgy as well as costs related to the high energy, reagent and capital requirements and potential air emissions associated with pyrometallurgy. Microbial processes are considered environmentally friendly because they are “natural”, although opportunities also exist to improve on native capabilities by the application of synthetic biology. In this chapter we will focus on some important factors that have not been as widely discussed but which should be considered in planning actual deployment of biological approaches for recovery and purification of rare earths, drawing on some of our own experience for examples. In particular we will focus on geochemical and biogeochemical constraints posed by the feedstocks from which REE may be extracted, for both bioleaching and biosorption, and point out the importance of aqueous equilibrium modeling as a tool for interpreting results and supporting design of biological recovery methods. We will also discuss some important cost factors for REE recovery that are specific to biological processes.