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9 publications published in 2026

Associations of Forest vs. Urban Environmental Exposure With Well-Being and Nasal Microbiome Composition: An Exploratory Pilot Study

2026 / Health and well-being, Urban, Forest, Olfaction

Highlights An 8-week forest vs. urban exposure was associated with affective improvements. Greater post-exposure richness in forest vs. urban group’s nasal microbiomes. Forest group’s nasal microbiome enriched with well-being-associated bacteria. Increased nasal bacterial richness correlated with affective improvements. Bifidobacterium and Akkermansia abundance correlated with affective improvements. The benefits of nature exposure for human well-being are well-recognized, yet much remains to be understood about the underlying causal mechanisms. This exploratory, hypothesis-generating pilot study used a natural experimental design with University of Washington students (Seattle, WA, USA; 2024) to investigate links between the nasal microbiome and well-being over an 8-week forest vs. urban environment exposure. After an academic year (September-May) during which all participants (N = 13) were full-time students in Seattle, one group relocated to remote forest sites in western Washington (n = 5; forest condition), while another group remained in urban Seattle (n = 8; urban condition). Self-reported affect, rumination, and mental well-being were assessed pre- and post-exposure using validated surveys, and nasal swabs were collected pre- and post-exposure for nasal microbiome profiling via 16S rRNA gene sequencing. Compared to the urban group, the forest group exhibited significantly greater increases in positive affect and decreases in negative affect and rumination. While no between-group differences in overall nasal bacterial community composition were detected pre-exposure, significant differences emerged post-exposure. Moreover, the forest group exhibited greater post-exposure taxonomic richness at a marginally statistically significant level and significant enrichment of taxa previously associated with well-being (e.g., Bifidobacterium, Akkermansia), changes not observed in the urban group. Increases in taxonomic richness and the relative abundance of these key taxa were significantly associated with affective improvements. These preliminary results suggest that nasal microbiome-mediated pathways linking nature exposure with well-being merit further investigation.

Evaluating Mobility Data for Recreation Monitoring

2026 / Public land

Mobile device location data (or mobility data, MD) are a novel and exciting source of information for recreational monitoring. In this paper we analyze datasets from four commercial vendors across three case studies to illustrate some important challenges. Our results show inconsistent spatial-temporal patterns and correlations with on-site counts. Given this evidence, we describe a conceptual model of the potential sources of error and structural variability in visitation estimates derived from MD. We discuss approaches for evaluation of data quality and suggest a range of supplemental data products that vendors could provide to support recreation analysis.

Multiple Sources of Volunteered Geographic Information Strengthen Holistic Estimates of Lake Visitation

2026 / Public land

Lakes provide human societies with a wide range of cultural ecosystem services (CES), yet these benefits are rarely quantified. Site visitation is frequently used to assign CES values to recreational destinations, but traditional approaches for estimating lake visitation have limited spatiotemporal extent. Visitation estimates increasingly leverage volunteered geographic information (VGI) to address this challenge. We compared the utility of five different sources of VGI from Flickr, eBird, iNaturalist, Twitter, and Gaia GPS, which broadly encompass lake users with different motivations for interacting with nature. We evaluated the potential for predicting on-site visitation from in-person counts by testing models informed by unique combinations of VGI sources at urban and suburban lakes in western Washington. Additionally, we investigated the amenities driving differences in relative lake visitation by modeling visitation as a function of lake attributes (e.g., tree cover, water quality, built infrastructure). All VGI sources were included in the top-performing visitation models, suggesting they provide significant and unique contributions to estimates of overall lake use (combined R2 = 0.85, in-sample testing). Given that these VGI sources reflect different types of lake users seeking unique CES, we conclude that holistic VGI visitation estimates should incorporate a diversity of VGI sources. Our results also reveal that built lakeside infrastructure is the predominant driver of visitation at lakes in western Washington, suggesting that spatially equitable updates to amenities will encourage public lake use. We urge greater consideration of the accessibility of different lake-based CES across the landscape and among diverse communities in future lake recreation planning, and suggest that VGI-based estimates of lake visitation offer a robust way to inform this process.

Noise-Induced Annoyance and Sleep Disturbance From Military Aircraft Training

2026 / Sleep, Noise pollution

While much is known about the public health impacts of civil aviation noise, only limited research has investigated the consequences of military aviation noise, despite it first being recognized over half a century ago. The present study conducted a social-acoustic survey to quantify levels of annoyance and sleep disturbance associated with military aviation noise among communities surrounding Naval Air Station Whidbey Island, Washington State, USA, which serves as a training facility for EA-18G Growler aircraft. We conducted a social-acoustic survey of 663 respondents residing in households across a representative range of military aviation noise exposure levels. We report evidence that perceived exposure to military aviation noise is consistent with modeled annual sound levels across the study region and that noise exposure is positively associated with annoyance and sleep disturbance. We also found that reported annoyance is strongly influenced by active or past service in the U.S. Armed Forces and by expressed attitudes toward military operations. Aviation noise disrupted several routine household activities and triggered different coping strategies in affected communities. By highlighting the implications for human well-being of military aviation noise, this research raises questions about the appropriateness of conventional community noise metrics and mitigation approaches for military aircraft noise.

Parks and Recreation in Cancer Prevention: Bringing Cancer Center Outreach and Engagement Initiatives to Public Spaces Through Partnership With Local Governments

2026 / Healthcare providers, Green spaces, Built environment + Urban design, Health and well-being

Introduction Public parks are an integral part of the built environment, with a considerable role to promote public health by advancing physical health, mental wellness and overall quality of life. The potential exists for parks and greenspace to contribute to cancer control and prevention, and local park and recreation departments (PARDs) are natural partners for Comprehensive Cancer Centers as they pursue Community Outreach and Engagement activities. However there is a lack of research on best practices for structuring these relationships to ensure success. Methods A collaboration framework for Comprehensive Cancer Centers and PARDs was informed by the Exploration, Preparation, Implementation, Sustainment (EPIS) model of implementation science. The model was applied by a large cancer center to 3 implementation sites in the greater Houston area. A set of shared measures were developed and tracked across all sites. Results Three PARDs implemented 5 unique active living and sun safety evidence-based interventions (EBIs) of 2 main types, educational focused interventions (to increase knowledge and change behavior) and infrastructure interventions (to modify the physical environment). Three-quarters (75%, 9/12) of all educational EBIs across communities were sustained by the PARDs one or more years after the funding ended; all (13/13) infrastructure projects were completed during the active implementation period and sustained by the PARDs. A range of 10-39 partners supported the work of the PARDs. Conclusion The 3 collaboration sites each offer a case study on the impact and effectiveness of health promotion across sectors to impact modifiable risk factors for cancer, leveraging the replicable EPIS model. Partnership is critical to both sectors to advance community health and impact.

Presence Scale Technical Report: Iterative Conceptualization, Psychometrics, and Validity Evidence

2026 / Health and well-being

This technical report details the four-year process through which we developed and completed an initial validation of the Presence Scale (see Appendix K or Table 20 for the finalized scale). The Presence Scale is a 14-item self-report measure of Presence, a hierarchical construct composed of three factors: Stillness of Mind, Present Moment Awareness, and Consciousness Beyond Self. Our goal in creating the Presence Scale was to have a self-report measure from which we can draw inferences about the degree to which a person experienced Presence during a recalled experience or, eventually, following an experimental condition or immediately after an experience in everyday life. Our formal definition of Presence and its three factors are provided below: Presence is the state of being in which conditioned thinking ceases, and the mind is open, aware, non-reactive, and still; and often a witness of itself. In this state, one can experience one’s consciousness as expanding, and one’s self as becoming part of something larger than the self. Presence is the mind attuned. Subject, not object. Life affirming. Stillness of Mind occurs when discursive thinking subsides and the mind is clear, calm, and settled. Present Moment Awareness occurs when one is open to and aware of the now, of the present moment, of being, even if one is involved in activity. Consciousness Beyond Self occurs when one’s consciousness seems to expand beyond the confines of the body and mind, and potentially the self merges—one experiences becoming One—with another entity or realm. The formal presentation of Presence and the core empirical evidence supporting the validity of the Presence Scale are reported in Kahn et al. (in press). This technical report provides the comprehensive methodological and empirical foundation underlying those findings as well as supplemental validity evidence. Here, we document the entire scale development process, including conceptual iterations, pilot studies, factor analyses, and item-level psychometric evaluation that extend beyond the scope of the journal article (see Figure 1 for an overview). Through providing transparent information about our scale development process, this report serves as a resource for researchers who wish to evaluate the Presence Scale and implement it with fidelity in their own work.

Relative Vulnerability of US National Parks to Cumulative and Transformational Climate Impacts

2026 / Public land

National Parks are under threat from multiple interacting climatic changes, which have already triggered transformations in these protected landscapes. We conducted a multidimensional analysis of climate‐change vulnerability for National Parks to identify which parks are most at risk of climate‐change impacts and therefore in the greatest need of targeted climate‐change vulnerability assessment and planning. We identified 174 (67%) parks as most exposed to one or more potentially transformative climate impacts including fire, drought, sea‐level rise, and forest pests and diseases. Cumulative vulnerability across multiple dimensions was the highest for parks in the Midwest and eastern United States due to high physical exposures, the exacerbation of existing stressors, and high surrounding land‐use intensity. Western parks exhibited lower cumulative vulnerability due to less intense land use and topography that may provide climatic refugia. However, western parks tended to be most exposed to multiple transformative impacts. These widespread, diverse threats highlight not only the need for coordinated evaluation of vulnerabilities from multiple perspectives, but also the need for park managers to evaluate and plan for potentially irreversible ecological changes to the landscapes and resources that parks are intended to preserve.

Using Nature to Regulate Emotions: Introducing the Nature Selection Emotion Regulation Questionnaire (NS-ERQ)

2026 / Health and well-being

Emotion regulation (ER) takes many forms. One of the most intriguing is situation selection, which refers to selecting the situations we’re exposed to with a view to influencing our emotions. Despite its importance, surprisingly little is known about situation selection. In the present work, we examine an important form of situation selection, namely location selection – emphasizing the deliberate choice of environmental settings, with a particular focus in selecting nature experiences, to influence emotional states. To measure and explore this process, we validated a new self-report scale – the Nature Selection Emotion Regulation Questionnaire (NS-ERQ) – across three studies. In the first study (NS1 = 292), we developed the English version of the scale starting with an initial set of 20 items. The items were generated based on Russell’s Circumplex Model of Affect (1980), reflecting the four primary dimensions of affect defined by valence and arousal. Exploratory factor analysis led to a refined 12-item scale, organized into a two-factor structure: restoration and revitalization. The second study (NS2 – T1 = 302) tested the 12-item scale’s reliability, convergent, and discriminant validity, as well as test-retest reliability and predictive validity through a follow-up survey (NS2 – T2 = 125). The third study (NS3 = 308) adapted the scale for Italian speakers, confirming the two-factor structure as well as its reliability and validity. Furthermore, the scale demonstrated measurement invariance across English and Italian versions, confirming its cross-linguistic equivalence. Overall, these findings establish the NS-ERQ as a robust instrument for assessing how individuals choose to visit natural environments for emotion regulation, providing a new framework for understanding the role of selecting environmental context in emotion regulation.

Visitor Perception of Lake Water Quality in Two Highly Managed Urban Lakes in Saint Paul, Minnesota

2026 / Blue spaces

Urban lakes provide important recreational and aesthetic benefits but often require intensive management to restore and maintain water quality. However, if there are mismatches between measured and perceived water quality, improvements may go unnoticed. While conventional water quality indicators such as chlorophyll a and Secchi depth are routinely monitored, it remains unclear how well these biophysical metrics align with public perceptions. We conducted a survey to measure visitors’ perceptions of water quality at two highly visited urban lakes in Saint Paul, Minnesota—Como Lake, a shallow eutrophic lake undergoing intensive in-lake management, and Lake Phalen, a deeper mesotrophic lake with fewer recent interventions. Across three years (2022–2024), we recruited over 800 survey respondents via signage that encouraged volunteers to participate by exchanging text-messages with a custom chatbot. Comparing long-term open water measurements with visitors’ water quality scores showed mixed relationships with chlorophyll a levels. Visitor perception scores were lower for eutrophic Como Lake, but this difference was small relative to the four-fold difference in chlorophyll a concentrations between the lakes. Open-ended responses suggest that visitors base their evaluations on a combination of visual cues such as water clarity, trash, and aquatic vegetation. These findings underscore the complexity of human–lake interactions and suggest that perception of ecological conditions may be informed by additional factors including expectations, communication, and lake-specific context. Incorporating visitor perception into lake monitoring and management may help align restoration goals with visitor experiences in urban settings.