Climate change might increase the frequency and severity of longer-lasting drought in the Caribbean, including in Hispaniola Island. Nevertheless, the hydroclimate changes projected by the state-of-the-art earth system models across the island remain unknown. Here, we assess 21st-century changes in hydroclimate over Hispaniola Island using precipitation, temperature, and surface soil moisture data from the 6th Phase of the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project (CMIP6). The resulting analysis indicates, as with the previous 5th Phase of CMIP (CMIP5) models, that Hispaniola Island might see a significant drying through the 21st century. The aridity appears to be robust in most of the island following the Shared Socioeconomic Pathways (SSP) 5–8.6, which assumes the “worst case” greenhouse gas emissions into the atmosphere. We find a significant reduction in both annual mean precipitation and surface soil moisture (soil’s upper 10 cm), although it appears to be more pronounced for precipitation (up to 26% and 11% for precipitation and surface soil moisture, respectively). Even though we provide insights into future hydroclimate changes on Hispaniola Island, CMIP6’s intrinsic uncertainties and native horizontal resolution precludes us to better assess these changes at local scales. As such, we consider future dynamical downscaling efforts that might help us to better inform policy-makers and stakeholders in terms of drought risk.

Heavy metal content in agricultural soils potentially impacts the food chain and human health. The present study assessed the levels of heavy metals in topsoil samples collected within an agricultural region situated in Bonao, Dominican Republic. The Energy-Dispersive X-ray Fluorescence (EDXRF) technique was utilized to measure the concentrations of iron (Fe), manganese (Mn), chromium (Cr), copper (Cu), nickel (Ni), zinc (Zn), lead (Pb), and arsenic (As) in the samples. The assessment of soil pollution status and potential ecological risk (RI) involved the utilization of various soil pollution indices, such as the single pollution index (PI), integrated pollution index (IPI), and enrichment factor (EF). The average total concentrations of Fe, Mn, Cr, Cu, Ni, Zn, Pb, and As were 103,000, 2000, 347, 36, 92, 32, 9.6, and 4.2 mg·kg⁻¹, respectively. The results showed that the Mn, Ni, Cu, and As levels exceeded the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO)’s recommended levels for healthy agricultural soils. The distribution pattern of each individual metal was different, indicating they had different sources of origin. The average pollution indices indicated low-to-moderate pollution, and the potential ecological risk obtained was low. This study emphasizes the need for soil management practices to mitigate heavy metal contamination for food safety and environmental health.

The Wider Caribbean Region is an important tourist destination where agricultural, industrial and shipping activities are also carried on. Coastal zones are heavily populated and receive a high human pressure; however, few monitoring programmes allow assessing long-term anthropogenic impact trends in these areas, which are especially useful for integrated management programs. Through the support of the International Atomic Energy Agency (project RLA/7/012), sediment core activities of ²¹⁰Pb and ¹³⁷Cs were used to evaluate changes in sedimentation rates in 11 relevant coastal areas of the region, where environmental information is scarce, but needed to support national environmental policies. Most ²¹⁰Pb activity profiles were atypical, attributed to non-steady sedimentation conditions; whereas ¹³⁷Cs activity profiles, showing very low values, were of little help for ²¹⁰Pb-dating corroboration. Results evidenced conspicuous changes in mass accumulation rates (MAR), specially through the Anthropocene (i.e. since ~1950s) in most cases, attributed to deforestation and land erosion (one of the clearest indicators of global change), and the input of urban and industrial untreated wastes. The recent MAR decrease in Havana Bay (Cuba) was attributed to the implementation of environmental policies, which showed that ²¹⁰Pb-derived reconstruction of environmental changes is also useful to verify the effectiveness of management programs to control land-derived erosion and siltation issues. Since siltation can be detrimental to valuable coastal resources around the world, retrospective evaluations of sedimentation rates, based on ²¹⁰Pb-dated cores, are highly recommended to assist integrated coastal zone management programs in the region and elsewhere.

Heavy metal pollution in agricultural soils is one of the main problems in agricultural production worldwide, which threatens human health and the environment. To evaluate the pollution levels of heavy metals and the ecological risks in an agricultural area from Sánchez Ramírez Province, Dominican Republic, the concentration levels of heavy metals (Fe, Mn, Cr, Ni, Cu, Zn, Pb, and As) were measured using energy-dispersive X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy (EDXRF). Several pollution indices, including the geo-accumulation index (I_geo), enrichment factor (EF), and single pollution index (PI), were used to investigate the pollution status. The spatial distribution of different heavy metals in the studied soils was also determined. The mean concentrations of Fe, Mn, Cr, Ni, Cu, Zn, Pb, and As were 73735, 1616, 426; 34; 20; 200; 43; and 5 mg kg⁻¹, respectively. These results indicated that the mean concentration of Cr, Cu, Zn, and Pb exceeded FAO-recommended levels for healthy agricultural soils. However, the potential ecological risks assessment indicated a low-risk status. The results obtained could help improve soil–rice–environment management practices and prevent heavy metal pollution in this type of production system, protecting the health of the local population and the environment.

This study examines the concentrations of PM10 and PM2.5 in Santo Domingo by comparing data collected in 2019 and 2022. The research aims to identify temporal and spatial variations in particulate matter concentrations and to analyze the impact of meteorological and environmental variables on these concentrations. Methods include the collection of PM data at various urban sites and subsequent statistical analysis to assess the influence of factors like air temperature, wind speed, and aerosol optical depth (AOD). Results indicate significant fluctuations in PM levels, correlated with changes in meteorological conditions, seasonal variations, and urban activities. This study contributes to the understanding of air quality trends in Santo Domingo and provides insights into the efficacy of current environmental regulations and practices.