Nature water最新文献

{"title":"Hysteresis and reversibility of agroecological droughts in response to carbon dioxide removal","authors":"Laibao Liu, Mathias Hauser, Michael Windisch, Sonia I. Seneviratne","doi":"10.1038/s44221-025-00487-8","DOIUrl":"10.1038/s44221-025-00487-8","url":null,"abstract":"Agroecological droughts are expected to increase with climate change, becoming one of the greatest threats to ecosystems and human society. To mitigate climate change and the growing risk of agroecological droughts, carbon dioxide removal (CDR) is increasingly recognized as unavoidable. However, it remains unclear whether the increase of agroecological drought due to atmospheric CO2 emissions will be symmetrically reversed by an equivalent atmospheric CDR. Here we investigate this question by utilizing an idealized atmospheric CO2 emission and removal experiment from the CDR Model Intercomparison Project, involving eight Earth system models, and develop a new methodology to quantify climate hysteresis and reversibility. We find that drought increases in hotspot regions cannot be symmetrically reversed by an equivalent CDR: drought severity under the CDR pathway is 65% ± 30% greater than under the emission pathway; drought frequency increases are only partially reversed by 73% ± 18% when CO2 emissions are balanced by equivalent CDR. Drought hysteresis and irreversibility are most pronounced in the Mediterranean, northern Central America, west and east southern Africa and southern Australia. Our findings imply irreversible drought impacts associated with CDR, highlighting the need for planning long-term drought adaptations. Using an idealized multi-model experiment and a new hysteresis quantification method, this study shows that equivalent carbon dioxide removal fails to symmetrically reverse CO2-emissions-induced agroecological droughts, revealing irreversible impacts in hotspots in the Mediterranean, northern Central America, southern Africa and southern Australia, necessitating urgent adaptation planning.","PeriodicalId":74252,"journal":{"name":"Nature water","volume":"3 9","pages":"1017-1024"},"PeriodicalIF":24.1,"publicationDate":"2025-09-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.nature.comhttps://www.nature.com/articles/s44221-025-00487-8.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145123256","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Scalable catalytic nanofiltration membranes for advanced water treatment","authors":"Hao Zhang, Yanghua Duan, Menachem Elimelech, Yunkun Wang","doi":"10.1038/s44221-025-00483-y","DOIUrl":"10.1038/s44221-025-00483-y","url":null,"abstract":"Commercial nanofiltration and reverse osmosis membranes are inherently inefficient at removing small, neutral organic contaminants. In this study, we biomimetically designed a catalytic nanofiltration membrane that synergizes advanced oxidation with nanofiltration to achieve near-complete removal of contaminants, ranging from salts to small organic contaminants, addressing a key deficiency of nanofiltration and reverse osmosis membranes and marking a breakthrough in membrane technology. The developed catalytic nanofiltration membrane amplifies the rate of peroxymonosulfate activation reactions by enriching its concentration near the membrane surface by a factor of 6.9 through concentration polarization. Confinement of the catalyst within the nanometre-scale pores greatly enhances the reactivity of the catalyst. Furthermore, the small pore size (<1.2 nm) effectively rejects natural organic matter (NOM) and the salts formed during the catalytic processes, thereby minimizing the interference of NOM within the active layer and preventing secondary contamination from salts, minimizing their interference in oxidative contaminant transformation. The optimized catalytic nanofiltration membrane demonstrated exceptional contaminant removal efficiency, maintaining close to 100% efficiency over 500 hours of continuous cross-flow filtration, and its fabrication was scaled up to the industrial scale through a roll-to-roll process, highlighting its practical viability for real-world applications. A catalytic nanofiltration membrane achieves the simultaneous removal of salts and small, neutral organic pollutants via oxidant enrichment at the membrane surface and confinement of the catalyst within nanometre-scale pores.","PeriodicalId":74252,"journal":{"name":"Nature water","volume":"3 9","pages":"1038-1047"},"PeriodicalIF":24.1,"publicationDate":"2025-09-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145123134","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Scalable catalytic membranes for removal of small and neutral organic pollutants","authors":"Fanmengjing Wang, Huanting Wang","doi":"10.1038/s44221-025-00494-9","DOIUrl":"10.1038/s44221-025-00494-9","url":null,"abstract":"Anchored growth of single-atom catalysts in nanofiltration membranes creates a scalable and long-term stable platform for near-complete removal of hazardous wastewater pollutants.","PeriodicalId":74252,"journal":{"name":"Nature water","volume":"3 9","pages":"974-975"},"PeriodicalIF":24.1,"publicationDate":"2025-09-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145123169","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"A social vision for the Indus Waters Treaty","authors":"Pintu Kumar Mahla","doi":"10.1038/s44221-025-00511-x","DOIUrl":"10.1038/s44221-025-00511-x","url":null,"abstract":"People stand at the heart of water conflicts and their solutions. The way we act, cooperate, and decide will determine whether water fuels disputes or builds peace and sustainable growth. The Indus Waters Treaty, signed on 19 September 1960, demonstrated that diplomacy led by citizens can shape water management and policy. Sixty-five years later, it is time to reimagine it in a way that empowers citizens, beyond governments, to drive water cooperation and long-term security.","PeriodicalId":74252,"journal":{"name":"Nature water","volume":"3 9","pages":"965-966"},"PeriodicalIF":24.1,"publicationDate":"2025-09-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145123166","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Urban water projects must consider landscape architecture","authors":"Nicolas Salliou, Philipp Urech, João Paulo Leitão, Fabrizia Fappiano, Adrienne Grêt-Regamey","doi":"10.1038/s44221-025-00486-9","DOIUrl":"10.1038/s44221-025-00486-9","url":null,"abstract":"Urban water management often prioritizes engineering efficiency over local ecological and social contexts. Landscape architects can leverage high-resolution modelling and vernacular intelligence to design resilient, culturally embedded solutions.","PeriodicalId":74252,"journal":{"name":"Nature water","volume":"3 9","pages":"967-971"},"PeriodicalIF":24.1,"publicationDate":"2025-09-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145123167","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Prototyping and modelling a photovoltaic–thermal electrochemical stripping system for distributed urine nitrogen recovery","authors":"Orisa Z. Coombs, Taigyu Joo, Amilton Barbosa Botelho Junior, Divya Chalise, William A. Tarpeh","doi":"10.1038/s44221-025-00477-w","DOIUrl":"10.1038/s44221-025-00477-w","url":null,"abstract":"Distributed solar-enabled nitrogen capture from urine helps to manage the nitrogen cycle and increases fertilizer, sanitation and electricity access. Here we provide proof of concept for a photovoltaic–thermal electrochemical stripping (ECS) system, known as solar-ECS, that recovers ammonium sulfate fertilizer from real urine independently of the electricity grid. Constant control of photovoltaic currents and extracting waste heat to cool the solar panel while heating ECS enabled 59.3 ± 3.6% more power production and improved ammonia recovery efficiency by 22.4 ± 7.4% relative to prototypes with no heat transfer and uncontrolled currents. The added heat accelerated ammonia volatilization (the rate-limiting step of ECS), while preventing excessive current via charge controllers reduced energy use by 2.24 ± 0.25 kJ g−1 N per excess milliampere per square centimetre. A new process model for ECS operation at different currents and temperatures was proposed and applied to estimate possible net fertilizer revenues of up to US$2.18 kg−1 N in US markets and US$4.13 kg−1 N in African markets. By advancing the recovery of high-purity commodity chemicals from underused wastewaters, this work supports United Nations Sustainable Development Goals for zero hunger, clean water and sanitation, clean energy and responsible production. Recovering fertilizers from wastewater has the potential to make intensive agriculture more sustainable and reduce aqueous pollution, but energy requirements could be prohibitive. A prototype photovoltaic–thermal electrochemical stripping system shows how distributed ammonia manufacturing can be achieved through solar energy in off-grid locations, thus reducing energy and environmental costs.","PeriodicalId":74252,"journal":{"name":"Nature water","volume":"3 8","pages":"913-926"},"PeriodicalIF":24.1,"publicationDate":"2025-08-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145123095","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"The grander cycle","authors":"","doi":"10.1038/s44221-025-00491-y","DOIUrl":"10.1038/s44221-025-00491-y","url":null,"abstract":"Water is the key driving force behind the cycling of Earth’s essential elements — carbon, nitrogen, phosphorus, sulfur, and metals across the atmosphere, land, and oceans. Understanding water’s role in this grander cycle is central to our responses to accelerating environmental changes.","PeriodicalId":74252,"journal":{"name":"Nature water","volume":"3 8","pages":"841-841"},"PeriodicalIF":24.1,"publicationDate":"2025-08-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.nature.comhttps://www.nature.com/articles/s44221-025-00491-y.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145123260","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Leveraging working wetlands for basin-scale nitrogen removal","authors":"David Kaplan","doi":"10.1038/s44221-025-00472-1","DOIUrl":"10.1038/s44221-025-00472-1","url":null,"abstract":"A new pan-European analysis shows that wetlands — especially those outside protected areas — remove substantial nitrogen loads from agriculturally intensive watersheds. By targeting future restoration in areas of projected farmland abandonment, Europe could further improve water quality while limiting impacts on agricultural productivity.","PeriodicalId":74252,"journal":{"name":"Nature water","volume":"3 8","pages":"848-849"},"PeriodicalIF":24.1,"publicationDate":"2025-08-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145123109","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"The important role of wetland conservation and restoration in nitrogen removal across European river basins","authors":"L. E. Bertassello, N. B. Basu, J. Maes, B. Grizzetti, A. La Notte, L. Feyen","doi":"10.1038/s44221-025-00465-0","DOIUrl":"10.1038/s44221-025-00465-0","url":null,"abstract":"In Europe, excessive inputs of nitrogen threaten ecosystems and public health. Wetlands act as natural filters, removing excess nutrients and protecting downstream waters. Using high-resolution data on nitrogen surplus and wetland distribution, we estimate that existing European wetlands remove 1,092 ± 95 kt of nitrogen per year. Restoring 27% of wetlands historically drained for agriculture (3% of land area), targeted in high nitrogen input areas, could reduce current nitrogen loads to the sea by 36%, but with potential costs to agricultural productivity. A more efficient strategy targets wetland restoration on farmlands projected to be abandoned by 2040, yielding a 22% load reduction and enabling major rivers such as the Rhine, Elbe and Vistula to meet water quality targets with minimal agricultural impact. Our findings highlight wetland restoration as a cost-effective, policy-relevant solution that, if spatially targeted, can deliver major water quality improvements while supporting the European Union’s broader goals on climate, biodiversity and agricultural sustainability. This study evaluates the potential of wetland conservation and restoration to improve water quality and highlights the important role of wetlands in nitrogen removal across European river basins.","PeriodicalId":74252,"journal":{"name":"Nature water","volume":"3 8","pages":"867-880"},"PeriodicalIF":24.1,"publicationDate":"2025-08-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.nature.comhttps://www.nature.com/articles/s44221-025-00465-0.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145123154","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"In chemico toxicity approaches to assess, identify and prioritize contaminants in water","authors":"Daisy N. Grace, Alyssa Rorie, Carsten Prasse","doi":"10.1038/s44221-025-00468-x","DOIUrl":"10.1038/s44221-025-00468-x","url":null,"abstract":"Water quality assessment is exceedingly challenging given the complexity of the anthropogenic chemicals present in the environment. In addition, water treatment is increasingly reliant on chemical oxidants, which transform natural and anthropogenic organic compounds into a wide spectrum of transformation products with unknown toxicities. Existing strategies to evaluate the toxicity of these complex mixtures have so far primarily focused on the application of in vitro assays. Existing in vitro assays provide useful insights into the adverse outcomes for a variety of toxicological endpoints but generally do not provide information about the identities of the toxicant(s) responsible for the observed effect in environmental samples. Advancements in in vitro assays combined with non-targeted analysis show substantial progress in identifying emerging chemicals of concern, albeit with selection biases for analytes that are compatible with sample extraction and preparation approaches. Here we discuss the application of molecular toxicology (in chemico) approaches as a promising complement to in vitro assays to assess water quality and responsible toxicants. These in chemico approaches show particular promise for compounds that are challenging to extract and detect using conventional approaches, such as those that are highly polar, reactive (for example, organic electrophiles) and/or volatile compounds. We structure the discussion of the different in chemico approaches around the molecular initiating event, which is the initial step of the adverse outcome pathway that describes the molecular-level interactions between toxicants and organisms. In chemico approaches that use biomolecules of different complexities to investigate covalent and non-covalent interactions with contaminants are highlighted. This includes in chemico studies focusing on (1) the assessment of individual contaminants, (2) the overall toxicity of samples from laboratory studies or the environment and (3) the identification of toxicants in complex (environmental) mixtures. Major advancements in each of these areas are discussed, and future major research needs are outlined. The toxicity of contaminants in water is primarily studied through in vitro techniques. A complementary approach is the use of molecular toxicology, which can provide insight into the responsible toxicants, and shows promise for compounds that are challenging to extract and detect using conventional approaches.","PeriodicalId":74252,"journal":{"name":"Nature water","volume":"3 8","pages":"854-866"},"PeriodicalIF":24.1,"publicationDate":"2025-08-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145123153","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}