Our research objectives are (1) to understand the occurrence and distribution of 6PPD-Q and other TDCs in the Tamsui River watershed, and (2) the stability of 6PPD-Q in natural waters.

Tire-derived chemicals (6PPD-Q) in river sediment

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Tire-derived chemicals (TDCs) have emerged as a significant environmental concern in urban areas. 6PPD (N-(4-Methylpentan-2-yl)-N-phenylbenzene-1,4-diamine) is one of the antioxidants used in tires. It can be converted into 6PPD-quinone (6PPD-Q), which enters the water environment via stormwater runoff, resulting in harmful effects on aquatic organisms. In this study, filtered water samples were collected from 23 sites in the Tamsui River watershed, which is located in the Taipei Metropolitan Area. After solid phase extraction, 6PPD-Q in the samples was concentrated and analyzed using LC-MS/MS and LC-HRMS. Our main findings are: (1) higher 6PPD-Q concentrations (up to ~3 ng/L) were detected at midstream stations, (2) 6PPD-Q appeared to be conservative mixing in the estuary where freshwater met seawater, (3) the estimated 6PPD-Q flux into the Taiwan Strait is 782 g/month via the aqueous phase and 29.6 g/month via the particulate phase, (4) the occurrence of other TDCs, such as IPPD and DPG, was identified. Further research is needed to clarify the influence of environmental factors on the 6PPD-Q distribution and the potential impacts of TDCs on ecosystems and human health.

TDCs, 6PPD-Q, LC-MS/MS, HRMS

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Tire wear particles (TWPs) are an important but often overlooked source of microplastic pollution. A tire antioxidant 6PPD transforms in the environment into 6PPD-quinone (6PPD-Q), a compound linked to acute mortality in Coho salmon and potentially harmful to other aquatic life, which has attracted increasing concerns globally. However, its occurrence in subtropical urban rivers is poorly understood. We investigated 6PPD-Q in suspended particulate matter (SPM) from 23 sites across the Dahan, Xindian, Keelung, and Tamsui rivers in northern Taiwan, with one Tamsui River site sampled hourly from 08:00–20:00. Concentrations (0.6–25.8 ng/g, d.w.) were measured using LC–MS/MS, and additional tire-derived chemicals (TDCs) were identified with IMS QToF MS.

Tire wear particles (TWPs) , tire-derived chemicals (TDCs) , suspended particulate matter (SPM) , 6PPD-Q, Tamsui River

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Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are a large group of synthetic chemicals characterized by highly stable carbon–fluorine bonds, conferring exceptional thermal stability, hydrophobicity, and oleophobicity. These unique physicochemical properties have led to their extensive use in industrial processes, consumer products, and specialized applications such as firefighting foams, textiles, coatings, and semiconductors.

However, PFAS are environmentally persistent, resistant to degradation, and capable of long-range atmospheric transport, which leads to their widespread presence in the environment. Moreover, PFAS exposure can lead to adverse health outcomes in wildlife and humans. Therefore, monitoring PFAS occurrence and distribution is urgently needed.

Atmospheric deposition is one of the major pathways for PFAS to enter the environment. Conifer needles, with their waxy cuticle and year-round retention, act as an effective passive biomonitor by accumulating airborne contaminants over extended periods.

In this study, we investigate the spatial distribution and composition of PFAS in bald cypress needles collected from urban and suburban sites in the Taipei metropolitan area. We aim to:

Quantify and characterize PFAS composition in bald cypress needles.

Identify potential emission sources via correlation analysis.

Evaluate the feasibility of using conifer needles as a large-scale passive biomonitoring tool for PFAS atmospheric deposition.

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Coastal ecosystems provide critical services that sustain biodiversity, support livelihoods, and enhance human well-being. However, research on ecosystem services in small island coastal areas remains limited, leaving gaps in understanding spatial heterogeneity and cross-scale interactions. This study takes Ludao as a case study and employs multi-scale spatial analysis across different spatial units. The results show that village-level units capture broad interaction patterns but may overstate correlations; basic statistical units reveal heterogeneity within overall trends; and 50-meter grids identify local trade-offs around ports and tourist hotspots. Spatially, fish provisioning is concentrated along the southwest coast, cultural and social pressures cluster around settlements and ports, and regulating services align with ecologically vulnerable areas. These findings highlight the importance of multi-scale comparisons for advancing sustainable coastal governance on small islands.

Coastal Ecosystem Services, Multi-scale Spatial Analysis, Scale Effects, Ludao

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This study employs Lyudao as a case study to conduct in-depth interviews and introduces the GreenMine system, which incorporates Large Language Models (LLMs) to apply text mining within the DPSIR (Drivers–Pressures–States–Impacts–Responses) framework. Drawing on both literature and local contexts, three analytical themes were developed: “Community Resilience,” “Sustainable Tourism,” and “Waste Management,” with corresponding DPSIR indicator definitions established. The GreenMine interface adopts a human-in-the-loop approach for semantic relationship identification and integrates a repeatable verification mechanism, ultimately presenting results as visualized DPSIR diagrams. Findings indicate that the LLM-based text mining process requires only 24 minutes to complete a full thematic analysis, substantially increasing the scale and efficiency of data processing while improving the consistency of DPSIR analysis. The system further reveals bidirectional and nonlinear causal relationships among variables and broadens the scope of Responses, enhancing the understanding of complex social-ecological systems and providing context-sensitive decision support for sustainable local governance.

Cellular Automaton, Conway's Game of Life, Land Use Changes, Climate Change, Urban Expansion, Tea Farm Transformation

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This study employs Conway's Game of Life (cellular automaton model) to examine urban convenience zones through convenience store site selection, while also simulating and predicting potential locations for tea plantation development under climate change.

For the former, taking Changhua County as a case study, the model simulates urban expansion trends over the next two decades and identifies potential locations for convenience stores to enhance regional development. The simulation results identify some urban growth where new stores are likely to be established, potentially improving local accessibility.

For the latter, focusing on the Meishan area of Chiayi County, the study models land use changes from 2018 and 2021. It then simulates how changes in cloud and fog belts under rising temperatures affect potential tea plantation expansion zones. The findings reveal that climate change-induced fog reduction affects the original tea farm suitability. The study also identifies locations that exhibit greater potential for tea plantation development.

This research combines empirical data with simulation techniques to initiate discussions on issues related to urban development and climate adaptation.

Cellular Automaton, Conway's Game of Life, Land Use Changes, Climate Change, Urban Expansion, Tea Farm Transformation

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本研究旨在探討紅藻 Eucheuma perplexum 在不同磷酸鹽濃度條件下對砷的累積情形，並以此評估砷酸鹽與磷酸鹽因化學性質相似而可能產生的競爭吸收機制。我們將藻體培養於含有不同磷濃度的海水培養液中七天，隨後進行收集、冷凍乾燥與消化處理，再透過分光光度計及 ICP-MS 分析藻體內部磷與砷的含量。結果顯示，在低磷條件下藻體的砷含量略有增加，但不同處理組之間並無顯著差異。這可能與實驗重複數不足、個體差異、以及培養時間過短有關。此外，本研究所使用的無機砷（As⁵⁺）與磷酸鹽的化學相似性，也可能影響砷的吸收模式。綜合而言，本研究未能確立磷酸鹽濃度對砷累積的明顯影響，但結果提供了未來研究的方向，建議延長培養時間並比較不同砷型態，以更完整評估磷酸鹽供應在海藻砷吸收過程中的作用。

Eucheuma perplexum, Arsenic uptake, Phosphate concentration, Seaweed cultivation

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McFarlane (ZM) deep convection scheme, focusing on the 1995 ARM95 continental convection case. A default simulation is used as a baseline, while sensitivity experiments are conducted by individually adjusting parameters to extreme values referenced from the literature to evaluate their impacts on simulated precipitation and convective structures. Results indicate that the convective timescale parameter (τ) and the fractional rate of entrainment (dmpdz) are the most sensitive. Smaller τ values lead to rapid convective initiation and fast consumption of instability, suppressing later events, whereas larger τ values delay onset and allow instability to accumulate with limited intensity increase. Meanwhile, larger dmpdz values produce shallower convection with moisture release concentrated at lower levels, while smaller values sustain convection to higher altitudes, resulting in low-level drying and upper-level moistening. These findings clarify the key parameters influencing convective intensity and structure, and future work will extend to cross-case and normalized sensitivity analyses to explore parameter interactions and further identify the sources and constraints of uncertainty in model simulations.

Taiwan Earth System Model (TaiESM1), Deep convection parameterization, Parameter sensitivity

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In recent years, the process of nitrate being reconverted to NOx—known as renoxification—has received increasing attention. In this study, UVB lamps were installed in a chamber to investigate the ability of nitrate to produce HONO under different light intensities, as well as the efficiency of HONO formation on various solid surfaces (Glass, Asphalt, Passenger path). Furthermore, this study also utilized filters collected from past sampling campaigns in Taichung to examine how different light intensities affect the efficiency of HONO production from nitrate photolysis when multiple ionic components are present on the material surfaces.
Nitrate can rapidly undergo photolysis, returning to the gas phase in the form of NOx or HONO. Among these, gaseous nitrous acid (HONO) is an important nitrogen-containing trace gas in the troposphere, capable of generating hydroxyl radicals (OH) through photolysis, thereby enhancing the oxidative capacity of the atmosphere.

renoxification, HONO, UVB wavelength range

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