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Environmental classifications are of paramount importance for assessing the impacts of land-use changes, for prioritizing conservation efforts, and for developing effective management strategies to mitigate the negative impacts of human activities. The aim of our research was to provide as complete an analysis as possible of the studies that have been carried out using the Braun-Blanquet approach. The global review of studies based on the Braun-Blanquet approach includes 1168 papers and was conducted using the PRISMA 2009 methodological recommendations, strict criteria for the selection/quality of papers, and modern methods of data analysis and visualization using VOSviewer software developed by Nees Jan van Eck and Ludo Waltman (Centre for Science and Technology Studies (CWTS) of Leiden University in the Netherlands) (version 1.6.18), which ensures a representative sample, minimization of subjective judgements, and reliability of conclusions. It was noted that the number of publications on Braun-Blanquet is growing exponentially. This is an indication of the scientific interest in this methodology and its continuous further development. Based on a detailed analysis of the keywords, the main research directions and challenges are identified. These include improving the conceptual and methodological foundations of the Braun-Blanquet approach; improvement in regional vegetation classifications, synthesizing them and producing a comprehensive classification for large areas as a basis for biodiversity conservation and sustainable land use; expansion of the geography; compilation and updating of databases of phytosociological data; management of dynamics and vegetation; discussion of the important problem of continuity and discreteness of vegetation in the context of ecological classifications; and vegetation mapping. The top 20 journals publishing the most cited articles were identified, as well as the top 20 most cited journals whose high citation rate is due to the large number of high-quality articles. The analysis of the bibliographic network of papers in dynamics has shown that the structure of relationships is not constant and has changed significantly. The analysis of the authors' publication activity showed that the vast majority of researchers have a low publication activity and have published only one to three papers. A peculiarity also emerges: if all the most cited authors are concentrated in Eurasia, then most of the most actively published authors are outside Eurasia. The importance of the Braun-Blanquet approach for the study and classification of forest vegetation should be emphasized. In this case, the Braun-Blanquet approach is integrated into forest typologies, increasing their ecological validity and environmental relevance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Scholars of International Relations (IR) and Global Historical Sociology alike have recently become more and more interested in Eurasian order(s). Yet, most recent works on Eurasian historical international relations approach the subject from a long durée perspective, mostly focusing on "big polities" from a "high altitude." Central Asia, or "Turkestan," and its constitutive polities such as the khanates of Bukhara, Khiva, and Khoqand and the vast array of nomadic groups surrounding them are yet terra incognita in IR, specifically with respect to the pre-Tsarist period. By relying on both primary and secondary sources, this inductive research reveals how precolonial Central Asia was an interpolity order on its own, premised on heteronomy and based on the institutions of sovereignty between the khanates and suzerainty between khanates and nomads; territoriality; Sunni Islam; trade and slavery; diplomacy; and war and aq oyluk. This paper contributes to filling this gap, and to the broader literature on Eurasian historical orders, in three respects. First, it adds granularity, detail, and specificity to current IR knowledge on Eurasia by looking at smaller polities as opposed to empires, which as noted have been the main analytical focus so far. Second, the paper adopts an emic approach to uncover local practices, institutions, and norms of precolonial Central Asia, thus adding to the recent "Global IR" debate. Third, by focusing on a case where heteronomy was the rule, this paper adds a new case to the literature on the entrenchment and durability of heteronomy in historical IR and contributes to its theory-building. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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The Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) has emerged as a practical and effective technique for studying slow and steady geodynamic movements, enabling continuous monitoring and precise quantification of deformation over different timescales. In Morocco, a network of GNSS stations has been established, offering valuable insights into tectonic processes. This paper focuses on investigating the geodynamic motion of the northwest Moroccan Atlantic Margin. By utilizing GNSS data, subsidence rates and horizontal velocity fields were determined for the first time, providing valuable information for oil and gas exploration activities. The study reveals an active uplift rate of 1 mm/year and a westward horizontal motion of 2.04 mm/year in the Essaouira segment. The paper presents a case study of the Essaouira–Agadir basin (EAB) onshore segment and investigates the anomalous displacement observed in this region compared to other coastal GNSS stations. Possible explanations for the observed movements include local processes such as salt tectonics and regional northwest–southeast compression related to Africa–Eurasia convergence. We suggest that the anomalous movement detected in this work is due to the regional northwest–southeast compression related to Africa–Eurasia convergence imparting an extrusion of the EAB to the west. This research contributes to a better understanding of the geodynamics in the northwest Moroccan Atlantic margin, thereby providing valuable insights for ongoing efforts in oil and gas exploration. Furthermore, it indicates the continued activity of the Agadir fault, which would exhibit a sinistral wrench movement, thus posing a threat to the city of Agadir and its inhabitants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent decades, the atmospheric moisture capacity has increased globally in concert with global warming, with a particularly notable warming trend in Arctic regions. However, due to limited observational data, the variation and causes of polar precipitation, especially large-scale precipitation events associated with Arctic cyclones, remain unclear. In this paper, GPM satellite data are compared with ERA5 reanalysis data to explore the characteristics of summer precipitation at the northern margin of the Eurasian region (NMER) and the influence of cyclone activity on precipitation. It is revealed that high precipitation values in the Arctic region, as indicated by the GPM and ERA5 data, are mainly concentrated at the NMER. However, the GPM data show an overall larger precipitation amount, while the station observations more closely agree with the ERA5 precipitation changes at the NMER. The cyclone identification results indicate that summer cyclones at the NMER are mainly distributed in the Barents, Kara and Laptev Seas, and the precipitation contribution rate of ERA5-derived cyclones is 37.35%, which is significantly higher than that of GPM-derived cyclones (29.47%). Furthermore, high cyclone activity results in more intense precipitation, with the top 5% of the strongest cyclones contributing 60% (GPM) and 40% (ERA5) to the total cyclonic precipitation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Does a warming world, where extremely hot summers are becoming more common, mean that cold summers will never again occur? It is crucial to know whether extremely cold summers are still possible, as such knowledge will significantly impact decisions regarding the further adaptation of crops to cold summers. Japan, which has suffered from many extremely cold summers, has managed past agricultural disruptions with emergency rice imports. In this paper, we show that a climate regime shift associated with the positive phase shift of the summer Arctic Oscillation occurred in 2010 in northeast Eurasia, making the occurrence of extremely cold summers highly unlikely as long as this new regime persists. In fact, Japan has not experienced a cold summer since 2010, while extremely hot summers have been frequent. Since 2010, a double-jet structure with subtropical and polar jets has strengthened, and the polar jet has meandered farther north of Japan, resulting in an upper-tropospheric anticyclone. This anticyclone, which extends downward and tilts southward, reaches southern Japan and prevents cold advection of oceanic air over the cold Oyashio. The Okhotsk high, known as the leading cause of cold summers, has occurred frequently in recent years; however, cold summers have not occurred due to the tilting anticyclone. The recent warming of the Oyashio weakens cold advection. The Pacific–Japan pattern, known as a remote tropical influence, has been weakened. A better understanding of the regime shift will help us understand the tilting anticyclone and the associated extreme summers in northeast Eurasia. Significance Statement: Extremely cold summers are among the most destructive natural disasters, both socioeconomically and agriculturally. Historically, food shortages due to cold summers have triggered wars. This paper proposes that a hemispheric-scale climate regime shift occurred in or around 2010. This regime shift has included warmings in the North Pacific and East Eurasian land surface temperatures. The regime shift is accompanied by the positive shift of the Arctic Oscillation (AO), a jet meander, and an upper-tropospheric anticyclone, making eastern Eurasia extremely hot. Our results imply that extremely cold summers are unlikely to occur in eastern Eurasia so long as this regime persists. Moving forward, it is important that the link between this regime shift and global warming be explored. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper considers the concept of science diplomacy in the context of Eurasian history with a particular focus on the period of the Mongol Empire in the 13th century. The Mongol Empire held sway over much of Eurasia and thus participated in diplomatic activity within and outside of Mongol domains. Scientists and intellectuals routinely headed diplomatic embassies sent and received by the Mongol Empire. Diplomats were valued for their knowledge and skills and served as interlocutors and translators for the Mongol Khans. These scientist-diplomats were key figures in the court and were essential in facilitating exchanges, building connections and fostering relations. As polyglots and polymaths they were able to operate in a multi-cultural environment. They were part of the complex framework of the Mongol Empire that brought to bear a kind of Eurasian development model that relied on expertise, knowledge and resources that could be utilised across the empire. Set within this context, the paper describes the creation of a politico-science complex in Mongol Eurasia with a special emphasis on the relationship between the Mongol Khans and their partners, chief among them were scientists and intellectuals. The Mongol Empire as an empire built upon exchanges summarises how scientific exchanges were both a product of and a driver for diplomatic relations in this period. Thus, the historical connection between diplomacy and science in Eurasia is a necessary component in understanding the modern notion of science diplomacy beyond a European context and applied more globally both in terms of time and space. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper addresses the understanding of the complexity in intentional and random manipulation with deceased human bodies in the Mid-Upper Paleolithic in Eurasia. A series of single or multiple anatomic modern human burials at open air-sites, in caves or under rock shelters have been documented. Some of them are decorated and covered by extra-large sized mammal bones for protection. Beside these ritually buried individuals, isolated human cranial and postcranial fragments are scattered through the cultural and other depositional layers, many of them being identified during the post-excavation processing of faunal remains (e.g. Dolní Věstonice I, II and Pavlov I sites in the Czech Republic). These bits and pieces often lack direct evidence of predator or human manipulation (except intentionally perforated human teeth), which raises the question of a differential mortuary practice employed by our ancestors and/or the presence of specific depositional and post-depositional taphonomic conditions in the preservation of human remains. The paper addresses ethnoarcheological observations in different types of treatment of deceased human bodies among recent Arctic and sub-Arctic hunter-gatherers and reindeer herders in Eurasia with a special emphasis on the burial rites among the Nenets from northwestern Siberia. The work aims at the author's own social and economic scope, in which inappropriate or partial manipulation with the deceased human body presents a disputable, unethical and even illegal act. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Large scale databases are critical for helping scientists decipher long-term patterns in human evolution. This paper describes the conception and development of such a research database and illustrates how big data can be harnessed to formulate new ideas about the past. The Role of Culture in Early Expansions of Humans (ROCEEH) is a transdisciplinary research center whose aim is to study the origins of culture and the multifaceted aspects of human expansions across Africa and Eurasia over the last three million years. To support its research, the ROCEEH team developed an online tool named the ROCEEH Out of Africa Database (ROAD) and implemented its web-based applications. ROAD integrates geographical data as well as archaeological, paleoanthropological, paleontological and paleobotanical content within a robust chronological framework. In fact, a unique feature of ROAD is its ability to dynamically link scientific data both spatially and temporally, thereby allowing its reuse in ways that were not originally conceived. The data stem from published sources spanning the last 150 years, including those generated by the research team. Descriptions of these data rely on the development of a standardized vocabulary and profit from online explanations of each table and attribute. By synthesizing legacy data, ROAD facilitates the reuse of heritage data in novel ways. Database queries yield structured information in a variety of interoperable formats. By visualizing data on maps, users can explore this vast dataset and develop their own theories. By downloading data, users can conduct further quantitative analyses, for example with Geographic Information Systems, modeling programs and artificial intelligence. In this paper, we demonstrate the innovative nature of ROAD and show how it helps scientists studying human evolution to access datasets from different fields, thereby connecting the social and natural sciences. Because it permits the reuse of "old" data in new ways, ROAD is now an indispensable tool for researchers of human evolution and paleogeography. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There is a significant dearth of knowledge regarding changes in intra-metropolitan local labor markets in former socialist countries, which encompass extensive parts of Eurasia and where industrialization and urbanization were centrally controlled by the state. This paper aims to contribute to the existing body of research by (a) illuminating and explaining changes in the spatial structure of urban regions in Poland during the transition from 'extensive' to 'intensive' socialist urban development (1973-1983), and (b) investigating changes in commuting patterns and their socio-demographic composition during the transition to 'mature' socialism. We selected four major city-regions for analysis: gdański, katowicki, łódzki, and warszawski. These regions were carefully chosen to represent different types of polycentric development and diverse economic profiles. The main findings of our paper are as follows: (a) despite the substantial population growth and the unprecedented rate of new housing development in the four city-regions, the overall impact of the socialist transition to intensive urbanization on their spatial structure was relatively minor, (b) the intensification of urbanization process in Poland contributed to the reduction in commute distance for all socioeconomic and demographic groups of workers. • The impact of the socialist transition to intensive urbanization on the spatial structure of urban regions was relatively minor. • Intensification of the urbanization process in Poland in the 1970s had a significant impact on commuting patterns. • Irrespective of the impact of central planning on urbanization, there were significant differences between the study regions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) is a well-known and fundamental tool for crustal monitoring projects and tectonic studies, thanks to its high coverage and the high quality of the data they provide. In particular, at slowly convergent margins, where deformation rates are of the order of a few millimetres per year, GNSS monitoring proves to be beneficial in detecting the diffuse deformation responsible for tectonic stress accrual. Its strength lies in the high precision achieved by GNSS permanent stations, especially when long-term data and stable structures are available at the stations. North-eastern Italy is a tectonically active region located in the northernmost sector of the Adria microplate, slowly converging with the Eurasia plate, characterized by low deformation rates and moderate seismicity. It greatly benefits from continuous and high-precision geodetic monitoring, since it has been equipped with a permanent GNSS network providing real-time data and daily observations over 2 decades. The Friuli Venezia Giulia Deformation Network (FReDNet) was established in the area in 2002 to monitor crustal deformation and contribute to the regional seismic hazard assessment. This paper describes GNSS time series spanning 2 decades of stations located in north-eastern Italy and surroundings as well as the outgoing velocity field. The documented dataset has been retrieved by processing the GNSS observations with the GAMIT/GLOBK software ver10.71, which allows calculation of high-precision coordinate time series, position and velocity for each GNSS station by taking advantage of the high-performance computing resources of the Italian High-Performance Computing Centre (CINECA) clusters. The GNSS observations (raw and standard RINEX – Receiver INdependent EXchange – formats) and the time series estimated with the same procedure are currently daily continued, collected and stored in the framework of a long-term monitoring project. Instead, velocity solutions are intended for annual updates. The time series and velocity field dataset documented here are available on Zenodo (10.5281/zenodo.8055800, Tunini et al., 2024). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Studies on the domestication, genetic differentiation, and crop evolution of foxtail millet are reviewed in this paper. Several genetic studies were carried out to elucidate the genetic relationships among foxtail millet accessions originating mainly from Eurasia based on intraspecific hybrid pollen semi-sterility, isozymes, DNA markers, and single-nucleotide polymorphisms. Most studies suggest that China is the center of diversity of foxtail millet, and landraces were categorized into geographical groups. These results indicate that this millet was domesticated in China and spread over Eurasia, but independent origin in other regions cannot be ruled out. Furthermore, the evolution of genes was reviewed (i.e., the Waxy gene conferring amylose content in the endosperm, the Si7PPO gene controlling polyphenol oxidase, the HD1 and SiPRR37 genes controlling heading time, the Sh1 and SvLes1 genes involved in grain shattering, and the C gene controlling leaf sheath pigmentation), and the variation and distribution of these genes suggested complex patterns of evolution under human and/or natural selection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent decades, the winter surface air temperature (SAT) anomaly in the Northern Hemisphere has exhibited a warm Arctic‐cold Eurasia (WACE) dipole pattern and this has undergone significant decadal variation. In this paper, the physical cause of the decadal variability of the WACE pattern is explored, and it is shown to be mediated by the phases of the Pacific Decadal Oscillation (PDO) and Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation (AMO). Although the negative PDO (PDO−) or positive AMO (AMO+) favors the WACE pattern, the meridional structure of the pattern is significantly influenced by whether PDO− or AMO+ dominates. During PDO− (AMO+) phase, the winter‐mean WACE pattern shows an asymmetric dipole with weak (strong) warm anomaly over the Barents‐Kara Seas or BKS and strong (weak) cold anomaly over central Eurasia or Siberia, which corresponds to Ural blocking (UB) concurring with the negative (positive) phase of North Atlantic Oscillation in a winter‐mean field. The winter asymmetric WACE pattern is more strongly related to PDO− than AMO+. It is further found that an asymmetric sub‐seasonal WACE dipole pattern with strong (weak) warm anomaly over BKS and weak (strong) cold anomaly over Siberia is usually formed during the UB episode due to favored (suppressed) sub‐seasonal downward infrared radiation and turbulent heat flux over BKS during AMO+ (PDO−), which leads to a strong asymmetric dipole of the winter WACE pattern. Plain Language Summary: The most prominent climate change in the Northern Hemispheric mid‐high latitudes in recent decades is that the winter surface air temperature anomaly has exhibited a warm Arctic‐cold Eurasia (WACE) dipole pattern. However, it is still unknown what causes the decadal variability of the winter WACE pattern and its meridional asymmetry. In this paper, we address this issue by examining the different effects of Pacific Decadal Oscillation (PDO) and Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation (AMO) on the winter WACE pattern. It is shown that PDO− (AMO+) plays an important role in the occurrence of the asymmetric WACE dipole with weak (strong) warm anomaly over the Barents‐Kara Seas and strong (weak) cold anomaly over central Eurasia or Siberia through modulating Ural blocking and associated sub‐seasonal cold anomaly. It is also found that the asymmetric WACE dipole is more strongly dependent on PDO− than AMO+. Our findings are of great significance for understanding the physical cause of the decadal variability of the WACE dipole pattern in spatial structure. Key Points: Ural Blocking plays an important role in the occurrence of the sub‐seasonal warm Arctic‐cold Eurasia (WACE) dipole pattern in winterUral blocking can amplify the winter‐mean Warm Arctic‐cold Eurasia (WACE) patternWarm Arctic‐cold Eurasia (WACE) is linked to the Pacific Decadal Oscillation (PDO) and Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation (AMO) [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The abundance of domesticable mammals in Eurasia facilitated its early transition from hunter–gatherer to agricultural economies, with dramatic consequences for human history. This paper empirically examines the origins of these biogeographical advantages and finds that the extinction of large mammals during the past 100,000 years was a decisive force in the evolution of mammal domestication. In Eurasia's domestication cradles, humans had sufficient incentives to continually practice herd management as a hunting strategy to prevent the depletion of their vital common resources. These strategies changed some targeted species and made them more receptive to human domination. The absence of these conditions (human incentive and animal receptivity) in other regions resulted in the paucity of domestication. The paper presents the most comprehensive empirical analysis of the origins of animal domestication and the roots of global inequalities to date and unearths a critical channel for the influence of deep history on comparative economic development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Compared with other crops, pennycress (Thlaspi arvense L.) is a niche emerging oil crop. In recent years, research on pennycress has been increasingly reflected in various directions. Pennycress belongs to the Brassicaceae family and was introduced from Eurasia to North America. It has been found worldwide as a cultivated plant and weed. In this paper, we review the advantages of pennycress as a supplementary model plant of Arabidopsis thaliana, oil and protein extraction technology, seed composition analysis based on metabolomics, germplasm resource development, growth, and ecological impact research, abiotic stress, fatty acid extraction optimization strategy, and other aspects of studies over recent years. The main research directions proposed for the future are as follows: (1) assemble the genome of pennycress to complete its entire genome data, (2) optimize the extraction process of pennycress as biodiesel, (3) analyze the molecular mechanism of the fatty acid synthesis pathway in pennycress, and (4) the functions of key genes corresponding to various adversity conditions of pennycress. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lonicera caerulea is a honeysuckle plant with a long development history. It is defined as a "homology of medicine and food" fruit because it is rich in bioactive substances. By-products (such as pomace, leaves, stems, and flowers), which also have beneficial values, will be produced during processing. Nevertheless, the reuse of derivatives and the further development of new products of Lonicera caerulea are still a challenge. Firstly, this paper traced the development history of Lonicera caerulea and summarized its primary nutrients and bioactive substances, subsequently discussed the research progress and underlying molecular mechanisms of its functional properties, and introduced the application and potential of Lonicera caerulea in the fields of food, health products, cosmetics, medicine, and materials. Finally, this paper put forward the future research direction to promote the development of the Lonicera caerulea industry. To sum up, Lonicera caerulea, as a potential raw material, can be used to produce more functional products. Besides, more in-depth clinical trials are needed to clarify the specific molecular mechanism of the practical components of Lonicera caerulea and improve the rate of development and utilization. The original species of Lonicera caerulea subgroup had appeared on the earth as early as the end of the third century. Lonicera caerulea has been introduced into North America since the 18th century, but the introduction process has not ended until now. Lonicera caerulea widely exists in Eurasia and North America and it has excellent cold tolerance, early maturity and ornamental. The fruits, stems, leaves and flowers of Lonicera caerulea all have bioactive value, but the specific molecular mechanism and utilization need to be improved. Lonicera caerulea has been widely used in food, medicine, health products, cosmetics and materials, but there are still great challenges. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A major conceptual overhaul is under way in the European Neighborhood Policy (ENP) with significant consequences for its eastern dimension. This paper examines such policy adjustments from the perspective of evolutionary institutionalism. The paper revisits the changing rationale of the ENP due to the impact of the broader geopolitical environment on its normative structure and compliance mechanisms on the example of the EU's Eastern Partnership (EaP) with six countries in the post-Soviet space. By tracing the evolution of the EaP as a result of the Ukraine crisis and the creation of the Eurasian Economic Union, the paper finds that the EaP's progressive institutional growth has been replaced with the diversification of its governance mechanism, transforming the established top-down model of conditionality and deep institutionalization of the EU's neighborhood relations. The evolving institutional arrangements of the EaP, nominally at odds with the principles of institutional continuity, demonstrate that international institutions are resilient vis-à-vis ecological pressures. These findings represent a novel contribution to the literature exploring the institutions-geopolitics dichotomy in the Europe/Eurasia region. The paper concludes that, as the EU has adapted to the structural dependencies of its partners, it is now better positioned to expand its influence in the post-Soviet space. The evolution of the EaP offers valuable insights into the actual process of building a more geopolitical EU: not by advancing pragmatic EU interests or establishing its own "soft" sphere of influence in the Europe/Eurasia region but by sustaining inclusive resilient and efficient institutions with a global outlook. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Settlements and dwellings related to pastoral communities in mountainous areas speak to the adaptation strategies of people to this specific environment. This paper describes unprecedented archaeological features found in the Nuratau Mountains of Uzbekistan, dated between the 18th-early 20th centuries AD, and interpreted as living places of pastoralist groups. Preliminary statistical and spatial analyses provide information on the intra- and inter-site organization and the settlement patterns of these communities. We document some variability in patterns of social and spatial organization of the dwellings and campsites and we discuss the interweaving of the ecological and cultural factors governing the settlement systems. When studied as both physical structures and social spaces, the Nuratau campsites contribute to highlight the choices made by pastoral communities in the past and to investigate the integration of human activities in mountain landscapes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Employing an institutional – FDI – economic growth lens the purpose of this paper is to identify and explain the impacts of Chinese FDI (CFDI) on host countries' economic growth. While extensive research has been undertaken regarding determinants of CFDI, little is known about the actual outcomes of CFDI in recipient countries. Based on a sample of 22 countries over the period 2003–2018, our results identify that while general flows of FDI exhibited positive impacts on host countries' economic growth, CFDI had a negative effect on host country economic growth. From the host country perspective, given the emphasis that is placed on FDI as an instrument of growth and development, our findings raise questions about what host countries are actually gaining from CFDI and the potential implications of whether pursuing the 'Beijing Consensus' as opposed to the 'Washington Consensus' is really in the long-term interests of countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Coastal management has a critical role in estimating the coastal environmental and socio-economic dynamics, providing various vital regional and local services. Remote sensing earth observations are essential for detecting and monitoring shorelines. UAVs combined with satellite remote sensing address the shoreline delineation problems to detect the shoreline and identify the shoreline zones. The paper presents a shoreline delineation service utilizing UAV and Sentinel 2 images within a Data Cube environment for monitoring coastal areas. The BandRatio, McFeeters, MNDWI1, and MNDWI2 algorithms have been implemented in the service to analyze the accuracy of each algorithm by comparing satellite and UAV-derived shorelines. As a case study, the Lake Sevan shoreline delineation, as one of the most incredible freshwater lakes in Eurasia, has been studied using the service. MNDWI2 algorithm showed the best accuracy for Lake Sevan shoreline delineation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper addresses the impact of political regimes on carbon emissions (CO2) from a historical perspective, covering the period of 1970–2015. Our sample consists of 153 countries that we follow for 20 years before the transition (1970–1990) and 26 years after it (1990–2015). During transition, post-Communist states experienced a decline in CO2, when controlling for economic variables. Transition had a positive impact on the environment only in cases when it was associated with democratization. When transition has led to consolidation of autocratic regimes, CO2 has increased. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Evaluating the impact of topography on stratospheric ozone is a crucial step toward achieving a deeper comprehension of the role of topography uplift in driving paleoclimatic evolution and stratospheric dynamics and chemistry. This paper quantitatively estimates the contribution of Asian topography to Arctic stratospheric ozone by topography experiments in the Whole Atmosphere Community Climate Model version 6. The results indicate that Asian topography exerts an especially robust influence on Arctic stratospheric ozone during winter. Compared to the flattened topography, Asian topography significantly increases the ozone by 15% in the lower Arctic stratosphere, accompanied by the highest accumulation of total ozone appearing in the polar region north to the North American continent. The intensified residual mean circulation transport is principally responsible for the increase in ozone, and Asian topography has a stronger impact on the vertical residual mean transport than on the meridional residual mean transport. Further examination demonstrates that the robust strengthening of planetary waves caused by Asian topography significantly contributes to the enhancement of the residual mean circulation. Specifically, the upper Arctic stratosphere experiences a 42.7% increase in the amplitude of planetary waves with wavenumber 1, which means the weakened polar vortex. The diagnosis of the mean Lorenz energy cycle further indicates that Asian topography decreases the zonal mean kinetic energy and increases the eddy kinetic energy in the stratosphere. Therefore, the enhancement of residual mean circulation transport and the weakening of the polar vortex both work together to promote the accumulation of Arctic ozone. Plain Language Summary: The stratosphere refers to the atmospheric layer located between 15 to 50 km above the surface, which contains approximately 90% of the global ozone. The stratospheric ozone layer serves as a protective shield for the Earth's ecosystem, safeguarding it against the damaging impacts of ultraviolet radiation. Through numerical simulations with and without the Asian topography (e.g., the Tibetan Plateau), this study evaluates how the Asian topography affects stratospheric ozone, which helps to understand the role of topography uplift in driving paleoclimatic evolution and stratospheric dynamics and chemistry. The results show that the Arctic experiences the strongest influence from Asian topography on stratospheric ozone. In comparison to the absence of the Asian topography, the total ozone over the Arctic can be increased up to 40 DU during winter, with the most significant average increase in the lower stratosphere at 15%. The Asian topography can promote the stratospheric low‐pressure system encircling the Arctic (i.e., polar vortex, the ozone inside it is usually lower) to shift toward Eurasia. Concomitantly, more planetary waves generated by the Asian topography travel poleward and upward, allowing the polar vortex to be weakened and ozone transport from the lower latitudes to be enhanced. Key Points: The Asian topography has a strong impact on Arctic stratospheric ozone during winterIncreasing in Arctic stratospheric ozone is induced mainly by the enhancement of residual mean circulation transport in winterThe more poleward and upward planetary waves generated by the Asian topography are responsible for the intensified residual mean circulation [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Atmospheric correction of satellite remote sensing data is a prerequisite for a large variety of applications, including time series analysis and quantitative assessment of the Earth's vegetation cover. It was earlier reported that an atmospherically corrected KMSS-M (Meteor-M #2) dataset was produced for Russia and neighboring countries. The methodology adopted for atmospheric correction was based on localized histogram matching of target KMSS-M and MODIS reference gap-free and date-matching imagery. In this paper, we further advanced the methodology and quantitatively assessed Level-2 surface reflectance analysis-ready datasets, operatively produced for KMSS-2 instruments over continental scales. Quantitative assessment was based on accuracy, precision, and uncertainty (APU) metrics produced for red and near-infrared bands of the KMSS-2 instrument based on a reference derived from a MODIS MOD09 reconstructed surface reflectance. We compared error distributions at 5%, 20%, and 50% levels of cloudiness and indicated that the cloudiness factor has little impact on the robustness of the atmospheric correction regardless of the band. Finally, the spatial and temporal gradients of accuracy metrics were investigated over northern Eurasia and across different seasons. It was found that for the vast majority of observations, accuracy falls within the −0.010–0.035 range, while precision and uncertainty were below 0.06 for any band. With the successful launch of the most recent Meteor-M #2.3 with a new KMSS-2 instrument onboard, the efficiency and interoperability of the constellation are expected to increase. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents the results of microprobe, paleomagnetic, and rock magnetic studies on peats from the Tyapka peat section (Khabarovsk krai) up to the turn of 4 ka BP. The alternating field demagnetization of peats yielded a horizon of 57–109 cm (1833–3083 cal. BP) with negative inclination values of the magnetization vector corresponding to the geomagnetic Etrussia excursion. The relative paleointensity estimates obtained for peats for the first time are consistent with the literature archeomagnetic data on the western part of Eurasia. According to the results of this study, the Etrussia excursion took place against the background of increased values of the Earth's magnetic field and lasted for ~1200 years. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Subduction of the Paleo-Pacific Plate plays a key role in the Early Jurassic magmatism evolution in the Yanbian area, Northeast China. In this paper, zircon U–Pb ages, whole-rock geochemical, and Sr–Nd–Hf isotopic compositions are presented. The Early Jurassic gabbros, diorite enclaves, granodiorites, and granites ages range from 183 to 189 Ma. They are characterized by enrichment in large-ion lithophile elements and depletion in high-field strength elements. The gabbros are classified as low- and medium-K tholeiitic, granodiorites and granites are high-K calc-alkaline I-type, and diorite enclaves are calc-alkaline transitional series. The gabbros have zircon εHf(t) values of 6.81–9.89, whole-rock 87Sr/86Sr(i) = 0.7043–0.7044, and εNd(t) from 2.72 to 2.80. The diorite enclaves have zircons with εHf(t) values of 8.26–12.80, whole-rock 87Sr/86Sr(i) = 0.7051, and εNd(t) from 0.96 to 1.09. The granodiorites and granites have zircon εHf(t) values of 7.59–12.87, whole-rock 87Sr/86Sr(i) = 0.7042–0.7066, and εNd(t) from 2.33 to 2.61. These data indicate that gabbroic magmas were derived from partial melting of a depleted mantle wedge metasomatized by subduction-related fluids. The basaltic magma underplated and heated the juvenile crust, whereas the granodiorites and granites might be the product of fractional crystallization of a mixture of basaltic and felsic magmas or derived from partial melting of the juvenile lower crust. Our data constrain the petrogenesis of these Early Jurassic intrusive rocks which are attributed to subduction of the Paleo-Pacific Plate beneath Eurasia continent in northeastern China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Retusa pertenuis is still formally considered a junior subjective synonym of Retusa obtusa, despite previous data indicating R. pertenuis and R. obtusa differ significantly in copulatory system morphology. In this paper, we study the species identity and population structure of R. pertenuis with an integrative approach combining morphological and molecular data. The external morphology, head copulatory system and gizzard plates were studied using light microscopy and scanning electron microscopy. We also obtained two mitochondrial (COI and 16S) and two nuclear (H3 and 28S) markers to test the monophyly of R. pertenuis and R. obtusa. Populations from the White Sea, Sea of Okhotsk and Sea of Japan were studied using COI and 18S molecular markers. Our results show that Retusa obtusa sensu lato represents a species complex of at least four species: the nominative species occurring in the North Atlantic, the widely distributed R. pertenuis and two additional species whose identities should be clarified in further studies. Retusa pertenuis geographic range encompasses the North Atlantic, Eurasia's northern seas, the Canadian Arctic, the Bering Sea, the Sea of Okhotsk and the Sea of Japan. Within R. pertenuis's range, this species demonstrates a wide variability in shell morphology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper revealed a physical connection between the antiphase variation in the preceding autumn Tibetan Plateau (TP) and Lake Baikal snow cover anomalies (TBSA) and the following winter North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) on interannual time scales during 1979–2021. The antiphase variation in TBSA, accounting for 44% of the total years, has a dipole structure in autumn, which prolonged into the following winter. The persistent antiphase TBSA associated diabatic forcing, disturbances and transient eddies favor a double wave train structure spanning the TP (east of Baikal) and North Atlantic from autumn to winter. Amid the wave train, the circulation anomalies over the North Atlantic extract more energy from the basic flow due to the seasonal increase in the westerly jet, which further evolves into the winter NAO pattern. Our results provide new insights into the formation and projection of winter NAO from the perspective of subtropical and extratropical Eurasia snow. Plain Language Summary: A robust link exists in the preceding autumn antiphase Tibetan Plateau (TP) and Lake Baikal snow cover anomalies (TBSA) and the winter North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) during 1979–2021. There are 44% years of antiphase variation in TBSA in autumn, which shows a dipole structure with one positive center over the TP and another negative center over the Baikal. Larger (smaller) snow cover over the TP (Baikal) stimulates a local low (high) pressure system via diabatic cooling (heating). Due to the jet waveguide effect, the antiphase TBSA associated diabatic forcing and perturbation along the subtropical westerly jet favor the atmospheric wave train spanning the TP and North Atlantic. The antiphase TBSA associated transient eddies along the extratropical belt contribute to the atmospheric wave train lying between the eastern Baikal and the North Atlantic owing to the eddy‐flow interaction. Along with the seasonal increase in the subtropical westerly jet from autumn to winter, the geopotential height anomalies in the double wave train associated with the antiphase TBSA gradually develop into the winter large‐scale NAO circulation through more energy extraction from the stronger basic flow. Key Points: A robust link of winter North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) to the preceding fall antiphase Tibetan Plateau‐Baikal snow cover anomalies (TBSA)The antiphase TBSA associated diabatic forcing, disturbances and transient eddies favor a double wave train structure around 30°N and 60°NMore energy extracts over the North Atlantic due to the seasonal increase in the westerly jet, favoring the development of the winter NAO [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper is an attempt to better understand a hard-core security issue through a feminist lens or to grasp a new “Great Game”3 emerging in central Eurasia by using a feminist understanding of power. The war in Ukraine is considered pivotal to the direction of world history, global order, and the very architecture of the international system. While NATO and Western powers are reluctant to go into a direct military confrontation with Russia over Ukraine, sanctions on Russia have repercussions that extend way beyond Russian borders. Specifically, the former Soviet republics of Central Asia and South Caucasus—which have continued to be almost an integrated part of the extended Russian economy—are experiencing a stronger impact of sanctions than initially planned by the international community. This paper aims to address the unintended consequences of sanctions against Russia on the extended Eurasian space. It claims that sanctions against Russia represent both a trap and an opportunity for the so-called small states in Central Asia and South Caucasus, subjecting them to the patterns of the world hierarchies on one hand and providing the space for maneuver, on the other. A question in focus here is what conditions the so-called small Eurasian actors may need to overcome to remove themselves from Russian dependency. This article relies on the ontology of feminist security studies by focusing on the marginal actors of the Great Game, discovering that resilience is another form of soft power in today’s international relations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Snow cover (SC) is an important contributor to atmospheric predictability on subseasonal to seasonal time scales. This paper evaluates the submonthly scale cause-and-effect relationship between SC and surface air temperature (SAT) in Eurasia, which has been typically overlooked in previous statistical analyses of subseasonal to seasonal atmospheric predictability. We focus on the November east–west dipolar SC pattern, a dominant large-scale SC phenomenon. We use an information flow analysis, based on information theory, to infer causal relations not revealed by conventional correlation analysis. This analysis indicates a one-way causality from SAT to SC around the west pole (Europe) in boreal autumn (November), implying that SC has little influence on the time evolution of SAT. In contrast, causality from SC to SAT is significant around the east pole (the Mongolian Plateau). An atmospheric model experiment suggests that the SAT response to SC can persist for a month via snow–albedo feedback, although the response of the upper atmosphere in the model is small. Furthermore, the subseasonal hindcasts show that the contribution of SC may affect the predictability of SAT for up to four weeks around the east pole. We suggest that the geographical and climatological atmospheric conditions are favorable for generating a positive albedo feedback as a “hotspot” of SC–SAT coupling around the east pole in autumn. The agreement of our causality analysis with other analytical and modeling approaches underscores the cause-and-effect relationship between SC and SAT and its contribution to the subseasonal predictability over autumnal Eurasia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This systematic review develops a comprehensive understanding of how land degradation is measured with respect to forests, and what qualitative and quantitative methods are being utilised in the pursuit of land degradation neutrality (LDN) generally. Scopus and Environmental Abstracts (EVA) databases were searched for peer-reviewed studies from 1998-2021 using key search terms including 'land degradation neutrality', 'soil' and 'forest'. Of the 53 included studies, most articles (n = 25) are experimental reports, and the next most common classification (n = 14) is literature reviews. Studies tended to be longitudinal (mean length of 15.4 years) and Eurasia-centric. Almost all extant research focuses on the indicators rather than the drivers of land degradation. Choosing indicators to measure remains contentious; however, most research uses those prescribed by the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification: land cover, net primary productivity and soil organic carbon. Despite this convergence around which indicators to monitor, there is no standardisation in the methods used to do so. Therefore, no meaningful comparison between countries or even studies can be made. This lack of standardisation and bias towards indicators instead of drivers is important because, under the current paradigm, land managers seeking to prevent or offset forest degradation cannot do so with any certainty. Until these issues are addressed, it will be impossible to track progress towards the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 15.3 for global LDN, and large-scale conservation work in this area is based on guesswork. How will we know when we achieve LDN in forests, globally? Based on current research, we will not. Future research must seek standardised ways to quantify land degradation based on its drivers: erosion, urbanisation and human activity, drought and desertification, and pollution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Upper Palaeolithic archaeological sites in the Basque Country have been excavated for over a century. They have yielded a rich palaeoenvironmental record with zoological and botanical remains that have been obtained in stratigraphic series dated precisely by radiocarbon. This information reveals cyclical environmental changes from climates similar to today to drier and extremely cold conditions, when species in current boreal biomes and others now extinct but with similar ecological preferences were present in the region. Moreover, the archaeological sites have provided high-resolution information about the resilience mechanisms of the communities of our own human species. This information allows us to increase the corpus of palaeoclimate data regarding the Marine Isotopic Stage (MIS) 2 and MIS 3 for a critical region within the human population of Eurasia. The aim of this paper is to show how an extraordinary capacity for adaptation to drastic climate changes Upper Palaeolithic hunter–gatherer societies displayed, even though their subsistence depended on biotic resources that alter rapidly. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Xinjiang, in Northwestern China, was a key point in the prehistoric trans-Eurasian network of exchange and played an important role in facilitating the dispersal of crops across Eurasia. Millet crops were first cultivated and used ca. 10,000 years ago in Northern China, from where they spread via different routes, leaving intriguing traces in various sites across Xinjiang. This paper presents the latest data on millet in Xinjiang. By employing a multidisciplinary approach, including radiocarbon dating, archaeobotanical evidence, and carbon isotope datasets, this study explores potential routes by which millet entered Xinjiang and traces its expansion from the third millennium BC to the 10th century AD. The research highlights the significant role of millet in shaping the ancient economies and cultures of Xinjiang and Central Asia, while also underscoring the importance of further investigation to uncover the complex pathways of its dispersal across Eurasia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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This article aims to contextualise the inherent resilience of Central Eurasian states through the exploration of their particular history. The main purpose is to ground the ideas of resilience and capacity building in the context of the geography and ecology of Central Eurasia thus confronting the current views of the need for making these communities resilient by borrowing European, Western or global 'best practice' in order to achieve stability and development. This paper offers an overview of the history of the region to bring into focus the 'local' Central Eurasian milieu. The sophisticated tapestry of understanding, action and strategies developed over centuries has made this region resilient in the face of unpredictability caused by natural and manmade events. This paper seeks to locate how the region has consistently overcome obstacles in its long history of inhabiting a disparate space. We apply the term intercalation here to describe the emergence of a collective identity from strongly interacting ingredients that represents the inherent resilience of the region. Consequently, the focus is on the ways in which communities within the region connect, cooperate and build nodes of interaction to achieve prosperity and development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since the disintegration of USSR Eurasia has gained a new geopolitical and strategic significance. Fifteen countries emerged as result of disintegration, among which only Russian Federation was the successor state. The post-soviet era, especially the era of 1990s, was a political and economic trauma for the Russian Federation and the post-soviet space. But Eurasianists were well aware of American unilateralism and the American "Grand Chessboard strategy" that was solely aimed at encircling Russian geography. With these concerns, the Eurasianists advised the Russian political and military elites to initiate the Eurasian Union Project. This paper briefly sketches Russian historical Eurasian dream, which is deeply rooted in Russian imperial history, and discusses the importance of Eurasian philosophy for the political and economic stability of Russia-Eurasia. The paper also illustrates the challenges and opportunities for the Eurasian integration and for the establishment of a multipolar world order. The paper also briefly outlines the geopolitical rationale behind the Eurasian project as a key objective of the contemporary Russian foreign policy and geopolitics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In governance networks, some actors might have more influence than others in the group's collective decision‐making. This paper investigates whether an actor's prosocial and/or self‐interested motivations to participate in a governance network help predict its level of influence in the group. We argue that information exchange is an important mediator in this relationship because an actor's tendency to actively diffuse information will depend on its motivations; while other participants being exposed to information from an actor are likely to increase the actor's influence on them. Using a unique relational dataset from 10 anti‐corruption multi‐stakeholder partnerships (MSPs) in Latin America, Africa and Eurasia, we find that self‐interested actors, rather than prosocially motivated ones, take the lead in information‐exchange activities. The data also shows how this central role in turn increases perceived influence of self‐interested actors among other participants, conditioning potentially the direction of agreed‐upon collective objectives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Arabia – Eurasia collision zone in the central part of the Alpine – Himalayan orogenic system has had a complex deformation history since the Palaeozoic. In Iran, the collision zone consists of the Alborz‐Talesh, Kopeh Dagh and Zagros foldbelts and the intervening Central Iran area. In this review paper, we summarize the structural architecture and tectonostratigraphic characteristics of these domains and attempt to correlate regional deformation events between them. The results show that six regional‐scale deformation phases can be recognized and correlated in Iran over a time interval extending from the Late Palaeozoic to the Late Cenozoic. Late Palaeozoic rifting in northern Gondwana and subsequent oceanic spreading resulted in the separation of the Central and North Iran blocks from the Arabian Platform. These blocks later converged and collided with the southern margin of Eurasia due to the subduction of the intervening PalaeoTethys lithosphere ("Cimmerian orogeny": Late Triassic). The convergent setting resulted in the initial development of the Alborz‐Talesh foldbelt in present‐day northern Iran, while extensional basins developed in the forebulge area in Central Iran. Continuing northward subduction of NeoTethyan oceanic lithosphere at the southern Eurasia margin produced Early Cretaceous back‐arc extension and associated volcanism in Central Iran and the Alborz‐Talesh area to the north. A phase of compressional deformation in the Late Cretaceous was related to the collision of a series of microcontinents derived from Northern Gondwana, including the Ercinjan and Bitlis massifs, with the Central Iran block, and is recorded in the Alborz‐Talesh foldbelt and in Central Iran. Further back‐arc extension in the late Paleocene – Eocene was accompanied by pervasive volcanism and volcaniclastic sedimentation throughout northern and Central Iran. The final closure of NeoTethys and convergence between the Arabian and Eurasian Plates evolved through phases of early Oligocene "soft" collision and middle Miocene "hard" collision. This was accompanied by thrusting in the internal parts of the Zagros foldbelt and by folding and subordinate thrusting in the more external parts, with related development of the flexural Mesopotamian Basin in the foreland to the SW. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Advances in evolutionary theories (the Extended Synthesis) demonstrate that organisms systematically modify environments in ways that influence their own and other species' evolution. This paper utilises these theories to examine the economic consequences of human dispersal from Africa. Evidence shows that early humans' dispersal affected the adaptability of animal species to human environments and, through this, the extinction of large mammals during Homo sapiens ' out-of-Africa migration. Empirical analyses explore the variation in extinction rates as a source of exogenous pressure for cooperation and innovation among hunter-gatherers and examine the impact of extinction on long-run development. The results indicate that extinction affects economic performance by driving continental differences in biogeography, disease environments and institutions. Eurasia's location along the out-of-Africa migratory path provided human and animal populations with co-evolutionary foundations for domestication and agriculture, which gave Eurasians technological and institutional advantages in comparative development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Based on modern observations, historical proxy data, and climate model simulations, this paper provides a comprehensive overview of the past, present and future evolution characteristics of the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC), as well as its impact on the surface air temperature (SAT) at regional and hemispherical scales. The reconstruction results based on the proxy data indicate that the AMOC has weakened since the late 19th century and experienced overall weakening throughout the 20th century with low confidence. Direct observations show that the AMOC weakened during 2004–2016, but it is not possible to distinguish between its decadal variability and long-term trend. Climate models predict that if greenhouse gas emissions continue to increase, AMOC will weaken in the future, but there will not be a sudden collapse before 2100. For the thermodynamic effects of AMOC, the increased surface heat flux release and meridional heat transport (MHT) over the North Atlantic associated with the strong AMOC cause an increase in the hemispherical SAT. At the millennial scale, climate cooling (warming) periods correspond to a weakened (strengthened) AMOC. The enhanced MHT of a strong AMOC can affect Arctic warming and thus influence regional SAT anomalies and SAT extremes through mutual feedback between Arctic sea ice and AMOC. In terms of dynamic effects, a strong AMOC modulates the Rossby wave trains originating from the North Atlantic and spreading across mid-to-high latitudes in the Northern Hemisphere and causes an increase in the variabilities in the circulation anomalies over the Ural and Siberian regions. Ultimately, a strong AMOC significantly affects the frequencies of extreme cold and warm events in the mid-to-high latitude regions over Eurasia. In addition, AMOC can also influence regional and global SAT anomalies through its dynamic adjustment of planetary-scale circulation. Decadal variation in AMOC is closely related to the Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation (AMO). During positive phases of AMO and AMOC, enhanced surface heat fluxes over the North Atlantic lead to abnormal warming in the Northern Hemisphere, while during negative phases, the reverse case occurs. Under high emission scenarios in the future, the possibility of AMOC collapse increases due to freshwater forcing. However, most advanced climate models underestimate the strength of the AMOC and its impact on the AMO and relevant climate change, which presents a major challenge for future understanding and prediction of the AMOC and its climate effects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The convergence of the Nubian plate toward Eurasia and the spreading rate between the Nubian and South American plates are currently subjects of scientific debates. In this paper, we improve the estimation of Euler pole parameters and the recent relative velocities of the Nubian plate using Global Positioning System (GPS) velocities. These estimates are based on mathematical models and statistical tests for plate tectonic motion represented on a spherical surface. First, we derive the angular velocity and the precise coordinates of the Euler pole to describe the Nubian plate absolute motion expressed in the ITRF2014 geodetic system. This derivation is obtained by inverting the horizontal velocities of 202 GPS stations well distributed across the Nubian plate. Then, we use the same data to obtain the current relative velocities and parameters of the Euler pole characterizing the Nubia–Eurasia and Nubia–South America relative plate motion. A number of 21 and 29 GPS stations located on tectonically stable domains are used to fix the Eurasian and the South American plates, respectively. The results show Nubia–Eurasia relative velocities ranging from 1 to 7 mm/yr, with a direction of NW to WNW for the northern Nubian plate. The velocity in the southern part of this plate reveals a NNE to N direction. The inversion of these velocities allows the determination of the Euler pole parameters: the coordinates P Nub - Eu λ Nub - Eu = - 23.17 ∘ ± 0.92892 ; φ Nub - Eu = - 5.62 ∘ ± 0.72322 and the angular velocity Ω Nub - Eu = 0.053 ∘ / M y r ± 0.00101 . On the other hand, the estimated relative velocity of Nubia–South America is varying in the range of 15–30 mm/yr, with a NE to ENE direction and rotating around the pole P Nub - SA λ Nub - SA = - 44.5263 ∘ ± 0.57624 , φ Nub - SA = 66.7484 ∘ ± 0.16524 with an angular velocity Ω Nub - SA = 0. 26689 ∘ / M yr ± 0.0007 . The obtained research results demonstrate an improved precision compared to the existing studies. Furthermore, the use of the Algerian GPS velocities played a key role in the enhancement of the estimates' precision, which allows us to better understand and monitor the crustal deformations at the limit of the plates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Journal of Oriental Studies (Al-Farabi Kazakh National University) / Kazahskij Nacional'nyj Universitet Imeni Al'-Farabi Vestnik Seriâ Vostokovedeniâ is the property of Al-Farabi Kazakh National University and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

We present a focal mechanism catalogue of earthquakes that occurred in the southeastern Alps and surrounding areas from 1928 to 2019. The area involved in the process of convergence between the Adria microplate and Eurasia is one of the most seismically active regions in the Alpine Belt. The seismicity is minor, with the Ms= 6.5 Friuli earthquake being the strongest event recorded in the area, but the seismic risk is relevant because it is a highly populated region. For this reason, numerous studies have been carried out over time to investigate the stress field and the geodynamic characteristics of the region using focal mechanisms. To provide a comprehensive set of revised information, which is challenging to build quickly because the data are dispersed over many papers, we collected and revised the focal mechanisms that were previously published in the literature. Additionally, depending on the data quality and availability, we computed new focal mechanisms by first arrival polarity inversion or seismic moment tensor. Finally, we merged all the fault plane solutions to obtain a catalogue for a selection of 772 earthquakes with 1.8≤M≤6.5. For each earthquake, we reported all the available focal mechanisms obtained by different authors. We also suggested a preferred solution for users who need information provided expeditiously. The catalogue (https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.4660412 ; Saraò et al., 2021) is given as the Supplement of this paper and will be updated periodically (10.5281/zenodo.4284970). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As the importance of natural gas for the energy future of the European Union rises, many new pipeline projects are proposed to transfer rich resources of Eurasia towards Europe. Why do some of these projects succeed, and others fail? To explain this phenomenon, the energy security literature has focused mostly on the security of energy supply and demand, while the specific challenges faced by transit states attracted relatively less attention. This paper focuses on the reasons that make pipeline politics and economics controversial and challenging by introducing and operationalizing the concept of transit security. It defines transit security broadly where transit countries are sensible to changes in supply and demand in addition to pipeline-specific issues, which are determined by a combination of economic and geopolitical factors. It argues that in the case of Turkey, transit security is influenced by asymmetries in trade dependence and political power in addition to prospect of future rents from transit. The last section applies this framework to Eurasian gas transit in order to explain the success and failure of past, present, and future pipelines. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Western Periphery of the Red Sea (WPRS) is an important region for paleoanthropological discussions about the history of hominin dispersal out of Africa. This paper examines the existing Paleolithic evidence in the region and some key aspects of its environmental setting, with the goal of assessing its role in hominin survival and dispersals. The paper's chronological focus is the span 1.8–0.05 million years ago (Ma). Although the majority of the Paleolithic (Stone Age) sites so far documented in the region lack precise chronological control, the available evidence comprises Acheulean, Middle and Later Stone Age technocomplexes that can be broadly linked to distinct hominin settlement episodes. Most of the documented sites appear to be related to terrestrial niche exploitation around channelized alluvial plains between the coastal zone and the eastern slopes of the Red Sea Hills, although wave erosion may have destroyed sites associated with coastal resource use. As an extension of the East African Rift system, the WPRS mirrors the landscape features of the fossil-rich Rift Valley region, with the addition of a coastal niche. Thus, it may have posed little survival risk for hominins coming from the inland habitats, and some of the inhabitant populations may have easily dispersed toward Eurasia from there. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The diversity of biota in different parts of the planet has demonstrated dramatic changes within the last several decades due to the extinction of native taxa and the appearance of invasive taxa. The correct taxonomic identification of non-native species is important for understanding their dispersal abilities, especially when potential invaders may be of closely related species. Information on the species identity of ricefish (Oryzias spp.), which have formed self-sustainable populations in some parts of Eurasia, is contradictory. In this paper, we studied samples from non-native populations of Oryzias from several Eurasian regions. The results of our mtDNA COI partial sequence study confirm that the individuals we studied belong to the species Chinese ricefish, O. sinensis. Analyses of the literature and our own data suggest that all known alien populations of Oryzias in continental Eurasia belong to the same species, O. sinensis. A recent finding of O. sinensis in the Don delta suggests that one of the species' secondary dispersal pathways could run from the Kuban region through the lower part of the Don basin to the Cis-Azov area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Continental collision zones form at convergent plate boundaries after the negatively buoyant oceanic lithosphere subducts entirely into the Earth's mantle. Consequently, orogenesis commences, and the colliding continents are sutured together. During the collision, plate convergence and motion of the sutured boundary towards the overriding plate are manifest in its deformation, as is the case for the long-term (∼50 Ma) and nearly constant convergence rate at the India–Eurasia collisional zone that hosts the Himalaya. However, despite the long history of modelling subduction-collision systems, it remains unclear what drives this convergence, especially in models where subduction is driven solely by buoyancy forces. This paper presents dynamic self-consistent buoyancy-driven 2-D whole-mantle scale numerical models of subduction-and-collision processes to explore variations in density and rheological stratification of the colliding continent and overriding plate (OP) viscosity (a proxy for OP strength) that facilitate post-collisional convergence and collisional boundary migration. In models with a moderately buoyant indenting continent, the collisional boundary advance is comparatively low (0.1–0.6 cm yr–1), and convergence is driven by the dense continental lithospheric mantle that continues to subduct as it decouples from its deforming crust. Conversely, models with a highly buoyant indenting continent show sustained indentation at 0.5–1.5 cm yr–1 until the slab detaches. Furthermore, models with a weaker OP and lower backarc viscosity show an enhanced propensity for indentation by a positively buoyant continent. These models additionally highlight the role of whole mantle flow induced by the sinking of the detached slab in the lower mantle as it sustains slow convergence at an average rate of 0.36 cm yr–1 for ∼25 Myr after break-off as well as prevents the residual slab from educting. In previous buoyancy-driven partial mantle depth models such eduction does generally occur, given that free-sinking of the detached slab in the mantle is not modelled. Although these findings widen the understanding of the long-term convergence of indenting continents, the lower post-collisional advance rates (0.3–1.5 cm yr–1) compared to India's approximate 1000–2000 km of northward indentation during the last 50 Myr attest to the need for 3-D models. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Azizi, H., Daneshvar, N., Asahara, Y., Minami, M. & Anma, R. (2023). The generation of Eocene mafic dike swarms during the exhumation of a Core complex, Biarjmand area, NE Iran. Journal of Petrology 64 , 1–18 have attributed the E–W-oriented mafic dike swarm in the Biarjmand metamorphic core complex to an Eocene extensional event which is much younger than a previously suggested Late Jurassic–Early Cretaceous age. They proposed that the emplacement of these dikes occurred in a rapid extensional regime coeval with the exhumation of the core complex after gravitational instability in the Central Iran/Eurasia collision zone. I appreciate the opportunity this article provides to shed light on specific aspects of the Late Mesozoic–Early Cenozoic continental extension within the Eurasian sector of the Neotethys subduction system. However, I here bring to attention certain discrepancies within Azizi et al. 's publication. Specifically, the assignment of an Eocene age to the emplacement of the E–W-oriented dike swarm, even though purportedly supported by U–Pb zircon dating, appears to be at odds with field observations and previously published geochronological data. Furthermore, the article contains internal contradictions in its presentation of the core complex model for the study area. It is important to note that Malekpour-Alamdari, A., Axen, G. J., Heizler, M. T. & Hassanzadeh, J. (2017). Large-magnitude continental extension in the northeastern Iranian plateau: insight from K-feldspar 40Ar/39Ar thermochronology from the Shotor Kuh-Biarjmand metamorphic core complex. Geosphere 13 , 1207–1233 previously documented the geochronological-based metamorphic core complex model of the area. Regrettably, despite its direct relevance, these earlier works have not been acknowledged in Azizi et al. 's paper. In this comment, I outline the problems with the structural and regional geology, the zircon U–Pb age of the dike samples, the age of the dike swarm, and the geodynamic interpretations in Azizi et al. 's work. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Arctic cyclone activity is an important component of the local climate, and the frequent occurrence of extreme summer storms has raised widespread scientific interest. In this paper, we investigated the distinctive structural characteristics of intense summer Arctic cyclones by utilizing ERA‐Interim reanalysis data and employing a deep learning algorithm for cyclone detection. We found that the northern edge of Eurasia (i.e., the marginal ice zone (MIZ)) and the Alpha Ridge of Arctic Ocean (AR, i.e. central Arctic) are the two most active regions for intense Arctic cyclone activities in summer (from June to September). However, the surface conditions and coupling frequency between surface cyclone and tropopause polar vortices (TPVs) are distinct over these two regions. By further analysis of 100 intense cyclone activities in these two areas, respectively, we found that cyclones in MIZ are often smaller in size but higher in intensity at their maximum intensity, and their life cycles are generally shorter. MIZ cyclones are typically accompanied by a large Eady growth rate and frontal structure in the lower troposphere and their intensification primarily attributed to the thermal‐baroclinic process. In contrast, cyclones in AR are more frequently associated with higher potential vorticity (PV) values and pronounced PV downward intrusion from the stratosphere, as well as notable "upper warm‐lower cold" structures. The downward intrusion of TPVs and stratosphere vortices contribute to a decrease in the upper and column air mass deficit, leading to the intensification of surface Arctic cyclones in these regions. Plain Language Summary: In this study, we researched intense summer storms in the Arctic. We found that there are two main areas where these storms occur: the marginal ice zone (MIZ) near Eurasia and the Alpha Ridge (AR) in the central Arctic. However, storms in these two areas have different characteristics. In the MIZ, the storms are smaller but stronger, and they do not last as long. They are mainly driven by instability in the lower troposphere. On the other hand, the storms in AR respond more to the downward intrusion of potential vorticity from the stratosphere. These storms have a unique structure where the upper air is warmer than their surroundings, and the lower air is colder than their surroundings, especially in AR. This structure makes them more intense and longer‐lasting. Exploring these differences helps us understand how Arctic storms work, and how they might be affected by climate change. Key Points: Both the marginal ice zone (MIZ) and Alpha Ridge exhibit active summer Arctic cyclone activities, especially for intense stormsIn the MIZ, baroclinic instability plays a more prominent role in the intensification and maintenance of cyclonesCyclones in Alpha Ridge are more commonly accompanied by potential vorticity downward intrusion, and "upper warm‐lower cold" structures [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

SUMMARY: Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) is one of the most widespread and economically important conifer species in the world. Applications like genomic selection and association studies, which could help accelerate breeding cycles, are challenging in Scots pine because of its large and repetitive genome. For this reason, genotyping tools for conifer species, and in particular for Scots pine, are commonly based on transcribed regions of the genome. In this article, we present the Axiom Psyl50K array, the first single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) genotyping array for Scots pine based on whole‐genome resequencing, that represents both genic and intergenic regions. This array was designed following a two‐step procedure: first, 192 trees were sequenced, and a 430K SNP screening array was constructed. Then, 480 samples, including haploid megagametophytes, full‐sib family trios, breeding population, and range‐wide individuals from across Eurasia were genotyped with the screening array. The best 50K SNPs were selected based on quality, replicability, distribution across the draft genome assembly, balance between genic and intergenic regions, and genotype–environment and genotype–phenotype associations. Of the final 49 877 probes tiled in the array, 20 372 (40.84%) occur inside gene models, while the rest lie in intergenic regions. We also show that the Psyl50K array can yield enough high‐confidence SNPs for genetic studies in pine species from North America and Eurasia. This new genotyping tool will be a valuable resource for high‐throughput fundamental and applied research of Scots pine and other pine species. Significance Statement: In this paper, we present the first high‐throughput single nucleotide polymorphism genotyping array for a pine species developed from whole‐genome resequencing, and thus spanning genic as well as intergenic regions. This array was developed for Scots pine and successfully tested in six other pine species from North America and Eurasia, being useful for fundamental and applied studies in the fields of population genetics, evolution, genomic selection, and breeding. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]