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Contamination of agricultural soils by heavy metals and metalloids has severe consequences on human and ecosystem health. This Review discusses the sources of heavy metal(loid) contamination, the mechanisms by which these contaminants interact with biological and geochemical soil elements, and plant-based and microorganism-based remediation strategies.
Research on compound events has increased vastly in the last several years, yet, a typology was absent. This Review proposes a comprehensive classification scheme, incorporating compound events that are preconditioned, multivariate, temporally compounding and spatially compounding events.
By increasing erosion, mountain building can steer the evolution of atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) and global climate. This Review expands from the canonical focus on silicate weathering to consider the net carbon budget of erosion, including both CO2 sinks (silicate weathering, organic-carbon burial) and CO2 sources (oxidative weathering).
Mesoscale convective systems are an important source of precipitation in many tropical and mid-latitude regions, but can also produce hazardous weather, such as extreme rain, derechos and tornadoes. This Review discusses the formation of mesoscale convective systems, their hazardous weather, predictive capabilities and projected changes with anthropogenic warming.
Traditional methods for ocean observation are often inadequate for detecting large-scale biogeochemical processes. This Perspective discusses the advantages of implementing autonomous observation platforms in complementing traditional observation methods and generating global biogeochemical data sets.
Hydraulic fracturing can trigger seismic events though a variety of direct and indirect mechanisms, and could result in injuries, fatalities and damage to critical infrastructure. This Review considers six fundamental issues to address how induced seismicity can be predicted or mitigated.
New, non-compliant emissions of ozone-depleting substances and very short-lived substances challenge the continued success of the Montreal Protocol, and, thereby, the timescale for the recovery of the ozone layer. This Review discusses recent trends in anthropogenic and natural ozone-depleting substance and very short-lived substance emissions, and examines their potential impact on atmospheric ozone concentrations.
The Deepwater Horizon disaster was the largest accidental discharge of oil into the environment, and was intensely studied during and after the event. In this Review, the subsequent advances made in oil chemistry, dispersant application, and microbiology are discussed.
The El Niño–Southern Oscillation exerts a strong influence on the global climate, including South America, where understanding of the phenomenon first emerged. This Review outlines the impacts of the El Niño–Southern Oscillation on South America, focusing on the mechanisms and diversity of resulting teleconnections.
The increase in clothing consumption, exemplified in fast fashion, has severe environmental consequences. This Review discusses the impacts of fashion on natural resources and the environment, and examines how technology, policy and consumer behaviour can mitigate the negative effects of the fashion industry.
Constraining the timescale of magmatic processes in the build-up to eruption is critical for hazard assessments and informing volcano-monitoring networks. This Review discusses the application of diffusion chronometry, which uses re-equilibration of chemical zoning profiles in crystals to extract time information, to understand the timescales of magmatic processes.
Due to their intense moisture transport, atmospheric rivers are associated with hydrological hazards such as extreme rainfall and flooding. This Review discusses how atmospheric-river characteristics and impacts may change with warming, synthesizing physical theory, observations and modelling.
Though lessons learned from Earth are frequently applied to other planets, there is much to learn about our own planet from the Solar System and beyond. This Perspective highlights examples from geological and atmospheric sciences in which other planetary bodies have acted as analogues, experiments and archives for the Earth sciences.
Deep-ocean polymetallic nodules contain an enormous tonnage of critical metals, which are vital natural resources for green-energy technologies and vehicles. This Review highlights the formation processes of these nodules and outlines the advantages and disadvantages for this developing industry moving forward.
River damming can harness hydropower, control flooding and store water, but can also alter biogeochemistry in reservoirs and downstream environments. In this Review, the impacts of dams on nutrient cycling and greenhouse production are discussed, emphasizing the need to consider biogeochemical cycling at all stages of dam lifespan.
Understanding the complex geologic history of West Antarctica provides insight into the formation of continental margins across Earth. In this Review, we detail the magmatism, continental growth and fragmentation of West Antarctica over the past 500 million years.
Carbon capture and storage has a fundamental role in limiting anthropogenic warming to 1.5–2 °C. This Review discusses the basis, potential and limitations of in situ mineral carbonation as a carbon capture and storage strategy.
Earth System Science (ESS) has emerged as a powerful tool to investigate and understand global change. This Perspective outlines the history of ESS and advocates for the full integration of human and biogeophysical dynamics necessary to build a truly unified ESS effort.
