Geoscience frontiers最新文献

{"title":"Characteristics and drivers of carbonaceous aerosol pollution in a coastal city of northern China","authors":"Li Fang ,&nbsp;He Meng ,&nbsp;Yanjun Yang ,&nbsp;Ruiyu Li ,&nbsp;Yang Yue ,&nbsp;Caiqing Yan","doi":"10.1016/j.gsf.2025.102151","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.gsf.2025.102151","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Carbonaceous aerosols significantly impact air quality, human health and climate change, yet their concentration levels and influencing factors exhibit significant regional variability. This study examined the concentration levels and temporal variations of carbonaceous aerosols in Qingdao, a typical coastal city in China, using a year-long, high-time-resolution dataset of organic carbon (OC) and elemental carbon (EC) measurements. The impacts of meteorological conditions, primary emissions, atmospheric oxidants, and sea-land breezes were systematically analyzed by employing an interpretable machine learning model. The results revealed that atmospheric OC and EC concentration levels were relatively low in Qingdao, but secondary organic carbon (SOC) accounted for 43 % of OC, emphasizing the substantial influence of secondary sources. SOC concentrations peaked in the evening, whereas primary organic carbon (POC) and EC concentrations peaked during morning rush hours. The elevated carbonaceous aerosol concentration observed in winter likely resulted from enhanced primary emissions coupled with unfavorable dispersion conditions, whereas intensive photochemical activities during summer facilitated SOC formation. Higher SOC levels were observed during sea-land breeze days than non-sea-land breeze days. The machine learning model indicated that atmospheric oxidants played an important role in SOC formation during sea-land breeze days, while combustion related emissions may be the key factor on non-sea-land breeze days. Furthermore, SOC levels were higher under land breezes compared to sea breezes, likely due to enhanced primary emissions from terrestrial sources coupled with confined pollutant dispersion. These findings revealed complex emission-meteorology-chemistry interactions affecting coastal air quality, informing targeted air pollution mitigation strategies.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":12711,"journal":{"name":"Geoscience frontiers","volume":"16 6","pages":"Article 102151"},"PeriodicalIF":8.9,"publicationDate":"2025-11-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145105640","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Generative AI with prompt engineering in construction: Enhancing predictive slope stability modelling for safe, sustainable, climate-smart mining practices","authors":"Muhammad Kamran ,&nbsp;Muhammad Faizan ,&nbsp;Shuhong Wang ,&nbsp;Danial Jahed Armaghani ,&nbsp;Panagiotis G. Asteris ,&nbsp;Biswajeet Pradhan","doi":"10.1016/j.gsf.2025.102163","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.gsf.2025.102163","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Generative AI (GenAI) and prompt engineering are rapidly advancing in industries such as construction and mining, leading to significant improvements in efficiency, accuracy, and decision-making processes. These technologies are transforming the construction sector by automating tasks and optimizing workflows, thereby enhancing productivity and risk management. This study explores the application of Google’s Gemini AI tool, a notable breakthrough in GenAI, specifically for predictive modeling of slope stability. The Gemini AI tool is utilized within the Python programming language to generate prompts that incorporate key factors influencing slope stability, with the Google Colab interface facilitating prompt generation and testing. Initially, these prompts are employed for data analysis and visualization, followed by their application in both unsupervised and supervised machine learning approaches. The performance evaluation metrics indicate that the integrated approaches, which combine GenAI and prompt engineering, predict slope stability with a high level of accuracy. The model achieved 99% accuracy, with precision, recall, and F₁-scores ranging from 0.98 to 1.00 for both stable and unstable slope classes. This innovative methodology seeks to advance the implementation of GenAI in civil and mining engineering, offering more precise and efficient solutions for managing slope stability and supporting safe, sustainable, and climate-smart mining operations.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":12711,"journal":{"name":"Geoscience frontiers","volume":"16 6","pages":"Article 102163"},"PeriodicalIF":8.9,"publicationDate":"2025-11-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145154657","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Holocene to anthropocene burial of organic carbon in the Yangtze delta","authors":"Jianfeng Su ,&nbsp;Yijing Wu ,&nbsp;Daidu Fan","doi":"10.1016/j.gsf.2025.102162","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.gsf.2025.102162","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Holocene organic carbon (OC) burial in mega-deltas is considered to have played a crucial role in modulating long-term atmospheric CO₂ levels, but this role has likely been significantly altered by human activities during the Anthropocene. The absence of precise estimates for Holocene deltaic OC burial rates hinders a comprehensive understanding of carbon cycle evolution. This study, using data from 50 Holocene boreholes and 216 modern surface sediment samples, examines changes in OC sources and their controlling factors, and quantifies OC burial rates in the Yangtze Delta (YD) from the mid-Holocene to the Anthropocene. The results reveal three distinct stages of OC burial evolution. From 8 ka to 2 ka, the weakening East Asian Summer Monsoon reduced terrestrial OC contributions, but the YD maintained slow progradation and stable OC burial rates (∼0.79 Mt/yr). After 2 ka, human activities emerged as the dominant driver, triggering a 78 % increase in OC burial rates (1.40 – 1.44 Mt/yr). Following the impoundment of the Three Gorges Dam, the YD entered an erosion-driven destruction phase, with OC burial rates declining by 59 % compared to pre-dam levels. Accounting for subaqueous delta erosion, the YD has shifted from a net OC burial system to a net OC source, contributing ∼0.81 Mt/yr of OC to the Zhejiang-Fujian mud belt. These findings underscore the pivotal role of sediment burial rates in regulating OC sequestration in mega-deltas and highlight the global implications of human-altered sediment dynamics, suggesting that deltas worldwide may similarly transition from positive and negative OC sequestration.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":12711,"journal":{"name":"Geoscience frontiers","volume":"16 6","pages":"Article 102162"},"PeriodicalIF":8.9,"publicationDate":"2025-11-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145216295","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Carbon capture, utilization, and storage (CCUS) in the context of earth energy systems: A multidisciplinary review","authors":"Asif Raihan","doi":"10.1016/j.gsf.2025.102177","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.gsf.2025.102177","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Carbon Capture, Utilization, and Storage (CCUS) has emerged as a critical technology for achieving global climate goals by enabling substantial reductions in carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions from industrial and energy systems. This multidisciplinary review provides a comprehensive assessment of CCUS technologies, their integration with earth energy systems, and their broader economic, environmental, and societal implications. It begins by detailing the fundamentals of CO₂ capture, utilization, and geological storage, followed by an in-depth analysis of engineering infrastructure and geoscientific factors that underpin secure and efficient deployment. The review also examines how CCUS can be synergistically coupled with renewable and low-carbon technologies such as blue hydrogen, bioenergy, and geothermal systems to enhance sustainability and economic viability. In the policy and economic context, the study explores cost drivers, financing mechanisms, regulatory frameworks, market incentives, and deployment strategies, identifying both progress and persistent gaps. Furthermore, the environmental and societal impacts of CCUS are critically evaluated, with a focus on long-term storage risks, ecosystem concerns, and public acceptance challenges. A global overview of CCUS initiatives highlights regional progress, collaborative efforts, and the increasing momentum toward cluster-based infrastructure models. The article concludes by identifying key challenges—technical, regulatory, and social—and outlines future directions for innovation, policy harmonization, and global coordination. By synthesizing insights from geosciences, engineering, economics, and policy, this review underscores the pivotal role of CCUS as an enabling technology for a just and effective energy transition. It provides strategic guidance for researchers, policymakers, and industry stakeholders working to scale CCUS in alignment with net-zero targets and sustainable development goals (SDGs).</div></div>","PeriodicalId":12711,"journal":{"name":"Geoscience frontiers","volume":"16 6","pages":"Article 102177"},"PeriodicalIF":8.9,"publicationDate":"2025-11-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145265361","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Causal mechanisms and governance priorities of the SDG-based resource-economy-environment nexus in the human-nature system","authors":"Yizhong Huan ,&nbsp;Pengpeng Mo ,&nbsp;Yiming Su ,&nbsp;Xiaoyun Li ,&nbsp;Yazhu Wang ,&nbsp;Yali Tong ,&nbsp;Tao Liang ,&nbsp;Lingqing Wang ,&nbsp;Jian Hu ,&nbsp;Guangjin Zhou","doi":"10.1016/j.gsf.2025.102152","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.gsf.2025.102152","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The eight Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) related to resources (2, 6, 7), economy (8, 9), and environment (12, 13, 15), collectively known as REE, form the core of the human-nature system. Understanding their complex interactions is crucial for identifying transformative and effective governance actions. However, the causal mechanisms underlying the REE-related SDGs remain elusive. We used expert elicitation to assess weighted, directed interactions among 69 targets of these SDGs and applied network analysis and machine learning to identify their higher-order impacts, capacity to maintain network robustness, community structures, similarities, and systemic and structural roles. Additionally, we used causal emergence analysis and link prediction to examine potential characteristics of the causal network at macro and micro scales, respectively. The results indicate that prioritizing target 9.4 (sustainable &amp; clean industries) can accelerate overall SDG progress while enhancing synergies and maintaining systemic resilience. In the macro-network, where causal emergence occurs, macronode E dominated by ecological targets plays the strongest facilitating role. In the micro-network, four predicted links with the highest weights indicate that strengthening scientific research and technological innovation is expected to be a potential focal point for positive impact. However, its possible negative effects warrant careful consideration. Additionally, significant trade-offs may arise between energy development and species conservation in the REE nexus that should be avoided. This study offers new insights into the causal mechanisms and priorities of the SDGs in REE, promoting global human-nature system coupling and accelerating the achievement of the 2030 Agenda.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":12711,"journal":{"name":"Geoscience frontiers","volume":"16 6","pages":"Article 102152"},"PeriodicalIF":8.9,"publicationDate":"2025-11-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145105585","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Felsic magmatism during Precambrian flat subduction","authors":"Alexei L. Perchuk ,&nbsp;Vladimir S. Zakharov ,&nbsp;Taras V. Gerya ,&nbsp;William L. Griffin","doi":"10.1016/j.gsf.2025.102133","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.gsf.2025.102133","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The modern Earth’s crust is predominantly preserved in continents, marking a significant shift from early Earth when oceanic crust was far more dominant. The growth of continental crust, composed largely of felsic rocks, began ∼4 billion years ago in the Archean eon. The origins of these felsic rocks and thus the mechanism behind continental crust formation remains debatable, with contrasting tectonic regimes proposed for the Archean. Our new numerical modeling of intraoceanic plate convergence at elevated mantle potential temperatures (150‒200 °C higher than present day) corresponding to the early Earth shows a shallow-dipping (flat) regime of subduction and voluminous felsic magmatism (plutonic and related volcanic) forming a thin felsic crust on top of the overriding oceanic plate. This is in strong contrast to the modern deep and steep subduction regime, which results in notably less generation of both basaltic and felsic magmas. Further modeling shows that during subsequent flat subduction of oceanic crust containing thin felsic domains, these buoyant crustal segments detach from the shallow slab portions. They rise as diapirs through the serpentinised mantle wedge, thereby forming a thick nucleus of continental crust within the oceanic crust of the upper plate. The modeled migration of felsic melts and rocks through the mantle wedge is in agreement with the presence of Precambrian sanukitoids and to some extent by Mg, Ni, and Cr enrichment in rocks from tonalite-trondhjemite-granodiorite (TTG) suites. Therefore, we conclude that shallow Precambrian subduction likely contributed notably to the formation and recycling of continental crust in Earth’s early history.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":12711,"journal":{"name":"Geoscience frontiers","volume":"16 6","pages":"Article 102133"},"PeriodicalIF":8.9,"publicationDate":"2025-11-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144906868","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Beryllium isotopes in maar lake sediments respond to rapid climate change since the last deglaciation","authors":"Ye Yang ,&nbsp;Zhenping Cao ,&nbsp;Zhaoyan Gu ,&nbsp;Guoqiang Chu ,&nbsp;Hai Xu ,&nbsp;Kejun Dong ,&nbsp;Cong-Qiang Liu ,&nbsp;Sheng Xu","doi":"10.1016/j.gsf.2025.102158","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.gsf.2025.102158","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The timing, amplitude, and mechanisms of rapid climate changes since the last deglaciation remain elusive in East Asia. In this study, high–resolution beryllium isotope and major element records from the annually laminated sediments of maar lake Xiaolongwan—a small, hydrologically closed basin with homogeneous lithology in northeastern China—offer new insights into East Asian climate variability. Abrupt increases in Al/Mg, Ca/Mg, and Ti/Mg ratios indicate intensified aeolian dust input at the onset of the Bølling-Allerød interstadial and the Early–Mid Holocene, synchronous with enhanced East Asian summer monsoon precipitation. Combined with previous dust provenance analyses, we infer a seasonal pattern of dust transport from the Central Asian deserts by southwesterly winds in spring to early summer, prior to peak monsoon rainfall. The ¹⁰Be/⁹Be record exhibits sharp declines that correspond closely to the timing of Dansgaard-Oeschger and Bond events in the North Atlantic. Spectral analysis reveals ∼ 1700-yr periodicity in the ¹⁰Be/⁹Be record, consistent with millennial-scale variability observed in the North Atlantic. These findings highlight a persistent climate teleconnection between East Asia and the North Atlantic and demonstrate that coupled dust and hydroclimate signals in maar lake sediments can reliably track sub-orbital climate variability.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":12711,"journal":{"name":"Geoscience frontiers","volume":"16 6","pages":"Article 102158"},"PeriodicalIF":8.9,"publicationDate":"2025-11-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145154672","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Present-day temperature and pressure fields in key areas of Northeast China: Implications for unconventional resource evaluation","authors":"Yue Huang ,&nbsp;Jian Chang ,&nbsp;Nansheng Qiu ,&nbsp;Nobuo Maeda","doi":"10.1016/j.gsf.2025.102148","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.gsf.2025.102148","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The temperature-pressure fields within hydrocarbon-bearing basins are key geological factors controlling hydrocarbon generation, migration, and accumulation. In this study, we focus on the Qingshankou Formation in the northern part of the central depression of the Songliao Basin, China. A multi-parameter weighted evaluation model was created using present temperature-pressure field characteristics, with formation temperature-pressure as core variables, to evaluate shale oil resource potential. In addition, we explored the control mechanisms of temperature-pressure evolution during geological history on shale oil accumulation and further assessed the applicability of the proposed method. Our results show that the geothermal gradient of the Qingshankou Formation decreases from Member 1 to Member 3 (3.84 °C/100 m, 2.93 °C/100 m, and 2.49 °C/100 m, respectively). High-temperature zones are widely distributed in the Gulong sag, with the average temperature of the Gulong shale exceeding 95 °C and reaching an average of approximately 115 °C. Overpressure in the Qingshankou Formation exhibits a west-high to east-low trend. The overpressure zones of the Gulong shale are mainly concentrated in the Qijia-Gulong and Sanzhao sag, with average pressure coefficients of 1.52 and 1.36, respectively. The Opc model identified Class I and II favorable zones, mainly located in the central and southern parts of the Gulong Sag, as well as the central and southwestern Sanzhao Sag, with estimated shale oil resources of <span><math><mrow><mn>7.1</mn><mo>×</mo><msup><mrow><mn>10</mn></mrow><mrow><mn>8</mn></mrow></msup></mrow></math></span> tons and <span><math><mrow><mn>17.2</mn><mo>×</mo><msup><mrow><mn>10</mn></mrow><mrow><mn>8</mn></mrow></msup></mrow></math></span> tons, respectively. Evolutionary profiles from representative wells indicate that elevated temperatures enhance organic matter maturation and light oil generation, improving shale oil mobility, while overpressure suppresses hydrocarbon dissipation and provides a sufficient driving force for oil production. This study demonstrates that present-day temperature-pressure fields effectively reflect the evolution trends of paleo-thermal and pressure regimes. The proposed evaluation method shows strong applicability and scalability, offering a new technical framework and theoretical foundation for the exploration of unconventional hydrocarbon resources.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":12711,"journal":{"name":"Geoscience frontiers","volume":"16 6","pages":"Article 102148"},"PeriodicalIF":8.9,"publicationDate":"2025-11-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145105641","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Orbital forcing of Middle Miocene East Asian summer monsoon variability recorded by aeolian sediments on NE Tibetan Plateau","authors":"Akemu Saimaiti ,&nbsp;Chaofeng Fu ,&nbsp;Xiaoke Qiang ,&nbsp;Yougui Song ,&nbsp;Rui Zhang ,&nbsp;Peng Jia ,&nbsp;Beibei Zhang","doi":"10.1016/j.gsf.2025.102130","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.gsf.2025.102130","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>An accurate chrono-stratigraphy of aeolian sediments is crucial for understanding East Asian Summer Monsoon (EASM) variability. However, there are few studies of EASM variability recorded in aeolian sediments on the northeastern margin of the Tibetan Plateau, especially high-resolution aeolian sedimentary sequences spanning the period of 15–10 Ma. We studied an aeolian red clay section (89.1 m) with interbedded fluvial sediments, in the Jianzha Basin, northeastern Tibetan Plateau, using the integration of magneto stratigraphy, <em>cyclo</em>-stratigraphy, and detrital zircon provenance analysis. Magneto stratigraphy revealed 12 normal and 11 reverse polarity zones that are well correlated with chrons C5n.2n to C5Bn.2n of the Geomagnetic Polarity Time Scale (GPTS); this constrains the age of the section to the Middle Miocene. Subsequently, we use the frequency-dependent magnetic susceptibility as an EASM proxy, combined with spectral analysis in the depth domain, to identify Earth orbital periodicities. Gaussian band-pass filtering enabled us to extract the 405-kyr eccentricity signal, which provided a high-resolution astronomical time scale for the interval of 15.231–10.439 Ma. Detrital zircon U-Pb provenance tracing and sediment accumulation rate analysis revealed a provenance shift between 14.08 Ma and 10.2 Ma, which we attribute to the rapid uplift of the West Qinling Mountains at ∼ 13–12 Ma. The relationship between the variation of monsoon proxy indicators in the section and the global marine oxygen isotope (<em>δ</em>¹⁸O) record indicates that EASM evolution during the Middle Miocene was primarily a response to global temperature changes. On an orbital time scale, the frequency-dependent magnetic susceptibility record shows a significant long-eccentricity (∼405 kyr) periodicity component, indicating that EASM variations during the Middle Miocene were forced mainly by eccentricity. We conclude that a combination of eccentricity-modulated low-latitude summer insolation and Antarctic Ice Sheet fluctuations drove the eccentricity-paced precipitation variability on the northeastern Tibetan Plateau during the Middle Miocene.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":12711,"journal":{"name":"Geoscience frontiers","volume":"16 6","pages":"Article 102130"},"PeriodicalIF":8.9,"publicationDate":"2025-11-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144890428","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Microbial regulatory mechanisms involved in groundwater arsenic enrichment: Synergistic interactions between key species and genes in C-N-S metabolism","authors":"Jingru Yang ,&nbsp;Qiao Li ,&nbsp;Ting Chen ,&nbsp;Hongfei Tao ,&nbsp;Youwei Jiang","doi":"10.1016/j.gsf.2025.102132","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.gsf.2025.102132","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Microbially mediated carbon (C), nitrogen (N), and sulfur (S) metabolism are core biogeochemical drivers affecting arsenic (As) mobilization and transformation that regulate the formation of high-arsenic groundwater globally. This study determined the microbial molecular mechanisms driving As mobility via coupled C-N-S cycles in the Kuitun River Basin (Xinjiang, China). Metagenomic and geochemical analyses of high-As (HA; &gt;10 μg/L, <em>n</em> = 5) and low-As (LA; ≤10 μg/L, <em>n</em> = 6) samples revealed significant microbial community divergence (analysis of similarities <em>R</em> = 0.67, <em>P</em> = 0.003). Key differential genera included HA-enriched Candidatus <em>Kuenenia</em> and <em>Sulfuritalea</em> as well as the LA-enriched <em>Sphingobium</em> and <em>Novosphingobium</em>. Key functional genes exhibited contrasting As correlations, with negative correlations (<em>katE, cynT, ncd2, ssuABC,</em> and <em>dmdC</em>) in LA-dominant <em>Rhodopseudomonas/Hydrogenophaga/Acinetobacter</em> promoting As³⁺ oxidation, competitive inhibition of As⁵⁺ reduction, and As₂S₃ precipitation; positive correlations (<em>ACO</em>, <em>korA</em>, <em>hao</em>, <em>psrA</em>) in HA-associated Candidatus <em>Kuenenia</em> and <em>Thiobacillus</em> enhanced As⁵⁺ reduction, Fe/Mn oxide dissolution, and thioarsenate formation. <em>Rhodopseudomonas</em> in unconfined aquifers demonstrated a synergistic C-N-S network (<em>katE</em>-<em>ncd2</em>-<em>ssuABC</em>) for efficient As immobilization. These findings enhance the understanding of microbially driven As biogeochemical cycles and provide a theoretical foundation for developing <em>in situ</em> remediation technologies based on microbial metabolic regulation.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":12711,"journal":{"name":"Geoscience frontiers","volume":"16 6","pages":"Article 102132"},"PeriodicalIF":8.9,"publicationDate":"2025-11-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144996839","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}