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  • The ocean stores about 30% of the carbon emitted by human activities, regulating atmospheric CO2 levels and the Earth’s climate. Research suggests that this uptake of CO2 has strengthened much faster in coastal ocean waters than in the open ocean due to enhanced biological activity.

    • Laure Resplandy
    News & Views
  • When the temperature increases, so do the energetic requirements of species. We find that the energetic stress caused by increases in temperature pushes fish species to consume the first prey they encounter to fulfil their immediate needs, rather than focusing on more energetically rewarding prey. This behaviour increases the vulnerability of communities to climate change.

    Research Briefing
  • The coastal ocean is a dynamic environment, and CO2 uptake is increasing faster than in the open ocean. Incorporating coastal processes into a global model shows that biological responses to climate-induced circulation changes and riverine nutrient inputs are key to the enhanced uptake.

    • Moritz Mathis
    • Fabrice Lacroix
    • Corinna Schrum
    ArticleOpen Access
  • How the climate system changes under negative emissions is not well known. Here the authors show that the mid-latitude storm tracks change in an asymmetric way, leading to stronger Northern Hemisphere and weaker Southern Hemisphere storm tracks after recovery to present-day CO2 concentrations.

    • Jaeyoung Hwang
    • Seok-Woo Son
    • Jongsoo Shin
    Article
  • Nature-based climate solutions are widely incorporated into climate change mitigation plans and need firm scientific foundations. Through literature review and expert elicitation, this analysis shows that for some major pathways there is strong support, while for others their efficacy remains uncertain.

    • B. Buma
    • D. R. Gordon
    • S. P. Hamburg
    AnalysisOpen Access
  • Analysis of patent data from 1990 to 2019 reveals a global decline in the invention and international diffusion of high-quality methane-targeted abatement technologies (MTATs) from 2010 to 2019. Moreover, there is a mismatch between where MTAT inventions are concentrated and the countries or regions expected to have most growth in future methane emissions.

    Research Briefing
  • Innovations in methane-targeted abatement technologies (MTAT) are needed to curb climate change in the short term. This Analysis reveals the trend, distributions and diffusion of MTAT-related patents for the past few decades, highlighting the mismatch between emissions sources and technical capacity.

    • Jingjing Jiang
    • Deyun Yin
    • Nan Zhou
    AnalysisOpen Access
  • Grazing has been shown to have diverse effects on soil carbon, with local variation. This study assesses carbon changes related to grazing globally and finds that, although grazing has reduced soil carbon stocks, managing intensity could increase carbon uptake in both soils and vegetation.

    • Shuai Ren
    • César Terrer
    • Dan Liu
    Article
  • It is important to detect human influence on the climate, but natural variability can hide signals of change. Here the authors show the anthropogenic signal has emerged for sea surface temperature seasonality, primarily driven by greenhouse gas increases, and with geographical differences in change.

    • Jia-Rui Shi
    • Benjamin D. Santer
    • Susan E. Wijffels
    Article
  • Behavioural science offers valuable insights for mitigating climate change, but existing work focuses mostly on consumption and lacks coordination across disciplines. In this Perspective, the authors make six recommendations for improving the quality and impact of behavioural research on mitigation.

    • Kristian S. Nielsen
    • Viktoria Cologna
    • Kimberly S. Wolske
    Perspective
  • Groundwater recharge replenishes aquifers and enables them to sustain irrigated agriculture and household water access, but the sensitivity of recharge to climate change remains unclear. Our analysis of global recharge rates demonstrates their sensitivity to climatic conditions, implying that amplified and nonlinear impacts of climate change on recharge rates are likely.

    Research Briefing
  • How groundwater recharge changes with global warming is not well constrained. Here, the authors use an empirical relationship to show that groundwater recharge is more sensitive to aridity changes than expected, implying a strong response of water resources to climate change.

    • Wouter R. Berghuijs
    • Raoul A. Collenteur
    • Scott T. Allen
    Article
  • The impacts of climate change on food production will affect us all. It is important that research and funding are available to minimize these effects and support the most vulnerable.

    Editorial
  • Children’s education outcomes are vulnerable to the effects of climate change. This Review examines the impact of various climate stressors on children’s educations, develops a framework to understand these risks, and discusses methodological challenges and directions for future research.

    • Caitlin M. Prentice
    • Francis Vergunst
    • Helen L. Berry
    Review Article
  • The authors conduct a systematic literature review on renewable energy expansion and biodiversity. Comparing renewable energy siting maps with the ranges of two threatened species under future climates, they highlight the potential conflict and need for consideration of climate-change-driven range shifts.

    • Uzma Ashraf
    • Toni Lyn Morelli
    • Rebecca R. Hernandez
    Brief Communication
  • River water quality affects water security and is expected to degrade under climate change—an issue that has garnered limited attention. Here the authors review the impacts of climate change and climate extremes on water quality, highlighting the pivotal role of land–river connectivity.

    • Li Li
    • Julia L. A. Knapp
    • Wei Zhi
    Review Article
  • In a changing climate, tree trunks serve as crucial refuges for animals, particularly ectotherms, seeking to escape extreme climatic conditions. Therefore, while climate change could generally promote population growth among ectotherms, deforestation could reverse these positive effects in some populations or exacerbate the negative impacts of climate change in others.

    Research Briefing
  • The authors develop a biophysical model to understand the impacts of tree loss and climate change on the activity patterns and population trends of a diurnal ectotherm (lizard). They show that deforestation can reverse the positive effects of climate change and even accelerate population declines.

    • Omer B. Zlotnick
    • Keith N. Musselman
    • Ofir Levy
    Article