This week in Earth, environmental, and marine sciences: new findings on Angolan Cretaceous geology, microplastic brain risks, Botswana carbonate soils, Southern Ocean iron and siderophores, South African invasive fish, Malawian flood mapping, gas hydrate production, shipping emissions, ship fuel consumption, and organisational footprint accounting.
📊 This week at a glance
🌍 African-led research
Exceptionally exposed Lower Cretaceous outcrops along Angola’s Benguela coast reveal key stages of South Atlantic evolution.
Duarte et al. document the stratigraphy and palaeoenvironments of the poorly studied coastal sector between Binga Waterfalls and the lower Catumbela River. This changes the picture of Angola’s western margin from a data gap to a well-exposed record of Early Cretaceous sedimentation. The work strengthens African geological heritage and supports future basin analysis and geotourism in the region. Published in Journal of African Earth Sciences (2025).
Microplastics and nanoplastics can reach the brain and alter behaviour, according to a review of rodent and human evidence.
Fattore et al. synthesise studies showing plastic particles are detected in humans and linked to cardiovascular, respiratory and metabolic disease, and now evidence suggests effects on brain function and behaviour. This shifts the question from whether plastics affect organs to whether they affect the nervous system. For African researchers, it highlights an understudied exposure route in a continent with rising plastic pollution. Published in Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews (2025).
Soil formation and sedimentary processes control where secondary carbonate accumulates in semi-arid central Botswana.
Dina Ebouel et al. show that pedogenic (soil-forming) and sedimentary controls determine carbonate accumulation in a fluvial landscape. This clarifies how semi-arid soils store carbon and record past climate. The finding matters for land management and palaeoclimate reconstruction in southern Africa’s drylands. Published in Geoderma Regional (2025); abstract not available, so detail is limited to the title.
Phytoplankton in the Southern Ocean produce different siderophores under high- and low-iron conditions.
Bundy et al. used shipboard incubations to test how iron additions change bacterial siderophore production during phytoplankton growth. Siderophores are molecules microbes release to capture iron. This advances understanding of how marine life adapts to iron scarcity, a key control on Southern Ocean productivity and global carbon cycling. Published in Environmental Microbiology (2025).
Invasive fish and flow barriers interact in complex ways to keep an endangered native species alive in South Africa’s Breede River.
Kontou et al. show that the combined effects of multiple invasive fishes and physical barriers maintain the endangered native fish, rather than one factor alone. This changes how we think about invasions—barriers can sometimes protect natives by limiting invader spread. The result informs freshwater conservation and dam management in South Africa’s highly invaded systems. Published in Biological Invasions (2025).
GIS-based multi-criteria analysis maps flood-prone areas in Nsanje District, Malawi, a repeatedly flooded Lower Shire Valley.
Bakolo et al. combine geospatial data and weighted criteria to identify localized flood risk zones. This provides a replicable method for data-scarce districts facing recurrent flooding. For Malawi and sub-Saharan Africa, it supports better land-use planning and disaster preparedness. Published in PLoS ONE (2025).
🔬 Global breakthroughs
Optimising bottom-hole temperature and pressure improves gas production from hydrates when using CO2 replacement with inhibitor injection.
Wu et al. designed operating windows for coupling CO2 replacement with inhibitors to boost methane recovery from gas hydrates. This addresses the lower efficiency of CO2 replacement compared to depressurisation. The work is relevant for energy transition strategies that combine gas production with carbon storage. Published in Energies (2025).
Spatiotemporal mapping of ship carbon emissions reveals patterns and evaluates low-carbon shipping pathways.
Chen et al. integrated multi-source maritime data and a power-based method to quantify and characterise GHG emissions from ships. This provides a foundation for targeted emission reduction policies in the maritime sector. The findings matter for global decarbonisation efforts, including African ports and shipping lanes. Published in Applied Energy (2025).
Causal inference and hierarchical analysis identify key drivers of ship fuel consumption from multi-source data.
Cao et al. developed a framework combining causal discovery and double machine learning to estimate average treatment effects on fuel consumption. This moves beyond correlation to reveal mechanisms influencing fuel use. The approach can inform operational efficiency and emissions reduction in shipping. Published in Transportation Research Part D (2025).
Organisational activity data can be used to calculate integrated carbon and biodiversity footprints.
El Geneidy et al. show how to transform any organisation’s activity data into combined carbon and biodiversity footprint metrics. This helps organisations address both climate and biodiversity impacts together rather than separately. The method supports more holistic sustainability accounting, relevant for African businesses and institutions. Published in Journal of Industrial Ecology (2025).
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