Review Articles

The quasi-biennial oscillation and Madden–Julian oscillation are strongly connected during boreal winter, typified by a more active and persistent Madden–Julian oscillation during easterly quasi-biennial oscillation phases. This Review outlines the characteristics and potential mechanisms of this coupling, as well as the implications for seasonal-to-seasonal prediction.

With the landing of the Perseverance rover and the search for biosignatures on Mars, it is important to understand how these signs of life can be preserved and interpreted. This Review describes these signatures on Earth and how terrestrial analogues can inform the search for signs of life on early Mars.

Mantle plumes are an integral aspect of Earth’s convection system, yet, difficulty in imaging mantle upwellings led to controversies surrounding their origin, dynamics and composition. This Review synthesizes geophysical, geodynamic and geochemical constraints on mantle plumes and their importance in the Earth system.

How glaciers affect mountain height, and the links between climate and glacial erosion in mountains, are debated. This Review describes the erosion of mountains by glaciers and the broader impacts of these processes.

Nature-based climate solutions can help meet climate mitigation goals, but estimates of their carbon storage potential vary. This Review discusses the constraints and potential contributions of increasing carbon storage in the terrestrial biosphere, suggesting a conservative estimate of 100–200 GtCO₂ in negative emissions to 2100.

Minerals and organic matter interact in soils and sediments, impacting biogeochemical cycling and ecosystem functioning. This Review describes the major and emerging environmental mineral–organic interactions observed, and their implications for organic matter persistence.

Repeated amalgamation and dispersal of continents over Earth history is known as the supercontinent cycle; however, the geodynamic processes driving this cyclicity remain debated. This Review synthesizes observations, plate reconstructions and geodynamic models of supercontinent, and older Archaean supercraton, cycles.

Initialized climate predictions offer distinct benefits for multiple stakeholders. This Review discusses initialized prediction on subseasonal to seasonal (S2S), seasonal to interannual (S2I) and seasonal to decadal (S2D) timescales, highlighting potential for skilful predictions in the years to come.

Successful discovery and operation of geothermal resources requires a thorough understanding of the heterogeneous geological subsurface. This Review discusses the key geological factors that contribute to the effective exploration of intermediate-temperature to high-temperature geothermal resources used for power generation and direct use applications.

Submarine groundwater discharge transports nutrients from terrestrial to marine systems, but is often ignored in coastal biogeochemistry. In this Review, the fluxes, impacts and management implications of this discharge are examined and compared with riverine fluxes globally.

The discovery of slow earthquakes transformed the understanding of how tectonic plate motions are accommodated; however, the mechanics of slow earthquakes remain enigmatic. This Review synthesizes geological observations of ancient deformation structures that likely hosted slow earthquakes and discusses the insights into the mechanics of fault slip.

Mercury, a semi-volatile and globally abundant pollutant, is transported through the atmosphere and taken up by vegetation. This Review discusses the mechanisms of vegetation mercury uptake and the role of vegetation in the mercury cycle, highlighting its importance for redistribution in the terrestrial environment and influence on atmospheric mercury concentrations and deposition to oceans.

Estimates of global dryland changes are often conflicting. This Review discusses and quantifies observed and projected aridity changes, revealing divergent responses between atmospheric and ecohydrological metrics that can be explained by plant physiological responses to elevated CO₂.

Mountain building involves complex and debated feedback cycles between both permanent tectonic and transient seismic processes. This Review discusses how the fault architecture and tectonic segmentation of the Himalaya influence the seismic cycle, which in turn impacts the long-term growth of the mountain range.

Persistent organic pollutants are transported globally, but there is evidence that forests act as a filter by sequestering these pollutants. This Review examines the role of forests in persistent organic pollutant cycling, including their storage in foliage and soil, and the impacts of global change.

Ophiolites, segments of oceanic lithosphere emplaced onto continental crust, are thought to form in the shallow mantle, but the discovery of ultra-high-pressure minerals in ophiolites has sparked debate over their formation mechanisms. This Review examines how these mantle components can record the tectonic history and deep mantle formation of ophiolites.

Hailstorms are dangerous phenomena that are expected to change in response to a warming climate. This Review summarizes current knowledge of climate change effects on hailstorms, details the uncertainties and highlights future research directions.

Glaciers in the Himalaya and Karakoram mountain ranges provide freshwater and hydropower to millions of people but are also melting at unsustainably high rates. This Review discusses recent and projected changes in glacier melt and resulting implications for regional water-related hazards and water resources.

The urban heat island effect poses increasing morbidity and mortality challenges in a warming world. This Review discusses how urban vegetation — specifically, green parks, green roofs and green walls — can be used as a strategy to mitigate heat.

Improvements in earth observation are enabling new approaches to assess agricultural losses, such as those resulting from adverse weather. This Review examines advances in the application of remotely sensed data and crop modelling in index-based insurance as well as opportunities to enhance the quality of index insurance programmes.