https://repository.cyi.ac.cy/handle/123456789/843 2026-03-12T03:57:00Z https://repository.cyi.ac.cy/handle/CyI/2628 Title: Circular technology design and its potential influence on minor metals demand in wind and solar expansion Authors: Tasseven, Ulku; Zachariadis, Theodoros Abstract: The rising global demand for metals used in renewable energy generation technologies poses supply risks and socio-environmental impacts, threatening a sustainable energy transition. While the role of circular economy in reducing their demand has gained attention, its potentials related to advances in technology design remains underexplored. Here, we use explorative scenarios to assess circular technology design potentials for 11 minor metals through longer design lifespan, metal intensity reduction, and substitution, during large-scale deployment of wind and solar power in energy transition to 2050. Using Sweden as a case study we show that these strategies collectively may reduce cumulative demands for minor metals by 42–80%, depending on the metal. While all strategies reduce demand for metals in new technologies, their combination slightly increases the gap between this demand and the quantities in decommissioned ones. For wind power, no individual strategy results in metals available for recovery in quantities sufficient to satisfy new demand before 2050, although their combination achieves this for dysprosium and terbium. For solar power, reducing metal intensity alone substantially reduces demand across metals and enables silver and germanium available for recovery to meet new demand before 2050. However, for most metals, the availability for recovery remains insufficient throughout most of the scenario period, highlighting the need for continued additional primary or secondary supply. To fully explore the potential benefits of these circular design strategies, opportunities across all stages of the wind and solar supply chains must be examined—assuming the anticipated technological developments materialize. 2026-02-23T00:00:00Z https://repository.cyi.ac.cy/handle/CyI/2627 Title: Heat and continental transport shape the variability of volatile organic compounds in the Eastern Mediterranean: insights from multi-year observations and regional modeling Authors: Garg, Anchal; Desservettaz, Maximilien; Christodoulou, Aliki; Christoudias, Theodoros; Kanawade, Vijay; Vrekoussis, Mihalis; Naqui, Shahid; Jokinen, Tuija; Williams, Jonathan; Mihalopoulos, Nikos; Sciare, Jean; Bourtsoukidis, Efstratios Abstract: Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are key precursors of tropospheric ozone and secondary organic aerosol formation, yet multi-year observations in the Eastern Mediterranean and Middle East (EMME) remain limited. This study presents multi-year (April 2022–June 2024) high-resolution measurements of 76 VOCs using PTR-ToF-MS at a rural background site in Cyprus, combined with HYSPLIT air-mass analysis to examine the effects of regional transport on VOCs variability. Oxygenated VOCs (OVOCs) dominated the VOCs burden (∼79 %), followed by aliphatic hydrocarbons, aromatic hydrocarbons, and terpenes. Most VOCs exhibited clear diurnal patterns, observed highest during 08:00–14:00 UTC, varying by species, due to enhanced photochemical activity and temperature-driven emissions. Terpenes, particularly isoprene, increased exponentially with temperature upto 35–38 °C but decreased beyond this threshold, indicating heat-stress inhibition. Monoterpenes showed elevated levels both day and night, reflecting contributions from both biogenic and anthropogenic sources. OVOCs, including acetone, acetaldehyde, methanol, and acetic acid, showed sharp enhancement above 35 °C, consistent with intensified primary emissions and secondary formation under extreme heat. Aromatic hydrocarbons were mainly higher during winter, linked to combustion processes, but benzene levels were highest during summer particularly when temperature rose above 35 °C from evaporative and potential stress-related biogenic sources. HYSPLIT air-mass trajectory analysis revealed dominant contributions from Europe and Northwest Asia (∼68 %), transporting aged OVOCs, while Middle East winter inflows enhanced aromatic hydrocarbons. While WRF-Chem captured seasonal trends, most VOCs were underestimated, highlighting under-representation of emission sources and oxidation pathways in the model. Overall, the study emphasizes temperature and regional transport as key drivers of VOC variability in the Eastern Mediterranean. 2026-02-18T00:00:00Z https://repository.cyi.ac.cy/handle/CyI/2625 Title: Uncertainty in island-based ecosystem services and climate change research Authors: Zoumides, Christos; Zittis, Georgios Abstract: Small and medium-sized islands are acutely exposed to climate change and ecosystem degradation, yet the extent to which uncertainty is systematically addressed in scientific assessments of their ecosystem services remains poorly understood. This study revisits 226 peer-reviewed articles drawn from two global systematic reviews on island ecosystem services and climate change, applying a structured post hoc analysis to evaluate how uncertainty is treated across methods, service categories, ecosystem realms, and decision contexts. Studies were classified according to whether uncertainty was explicitly analyzed, just mentioned, or ignored. Only 30% of studies incorporated uncertainty explicitly, while more than half did not address it at all. Scenario-based approaches dominated uncertainty assessment, whereas probabilistic and ensemble-based frameworks remained limited. Cultural ecosystem services and extreme climate impacts exhibited the lowest levels of uncertainty integration, and few studies connected uncertainty treatment to policy-relevant decision frameworks. Weak or absent treatment of uncertainty emerges as a structural challenge in island systems, where narrow ecological thresholds, strong land–sea coupling, limited spatial buffers, and reduced institutional redundancy amplify the consequences of decision-making under incomplete knowledge. Systematic mapping of how uncertainty is framed, operationalized, or neglected reveals persistent methodological and conceptual gaps and informs concrete directions for strengthening uncertainty integration in future island-focused ecosystem service and climate assessments. Embedding uncertainty more robustly into modelling practices, participatory processes, and policy tools is essential for enhancing scientific credibility, governance relevance, and adaptive capacity in insular socio-ecological systems. 2026-02-18T00:00:00Z https://repository.cyi.ac.cy/handle/CyI/2623 Title: A Global Compendium of Nature-based Solutions in Small-Medium Islands Authors: Zoumides, Christos Abstract: Small and medium-sized islands (SMI) combine high ecological value with limited resources and vulnerability to climatic and environmental risks. Nature-based solutions (NbS) can contribute to addressing some of these challenges, but studies on the uptake and effectiveness of NbS in SMI remain scattered, with few systematic syntheses. Here, we introduce the SMI-NbS compendium, a comprehensive and open-access dataset compiling 280 NbS case studies implemented across SMI worldwide, developed through a systematic review of published and grey literature. Each SMI-NbS case study includes information on the location, NbS category, ecosystem types, societal challenges addressed, associated co-benefits, and links to the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The SMI-NbS compendium provides practical information on NbS implementation and identifies current research trends and gaps, such as the dominance of ecological and climate-focused NbS, with limited integration of other socio-economic challenges, thereby supporting further research and enabling knowledge exchange across the science-policy-practice interface to inform sustainable development pathways in SMI. 2026-01-07T00:00:00Z