Globalizing quake information - p803

doi:10.1038/ngeo368

Destruction from earthquakes continues to threaten poor and wealthy nations alike. The Global Earthquake Model is a potentially important step towards providing risk information on a worldwide basis, using a unified standard.

Full Text - Globalizing quake information | PDF (132 KB) - Globalizing quake information

Sustaining coastal urban ecosystems - pp805 - 807

Torbjörn E. Törnqvist & Douglas J. Meffert

doi:10.1038/ngeo365

The 2008 Atlantic hurricane season once again highlighted the challenges awaiting low-lying population centres close to the ocean. In the face of global sea-level rise, unconventional thinking is required to make urban coasts more resilient.

Full Text - Sustaining coastal urban ecosystems | PDF (2,029 KB) - Sustaining coastal urban ecosystems

Research highlights - p808

doi:10.1038/ngeo379

Full Text - Research highlights | PDF (285 KB) - Research highlights

Glaciology: Water slide - pp809 - 816

Helen Amanda Fricker

doi:10.1038/ngeo367

Glaciologists have speculated that subglacial floods might lead to increased ice flow rates, altering Antarctica's mass balance and contribution to sea-level rise. Now, observations from Byrd Glacier in East Antarctica firmly link a subglacial flood to a 10% speed up of the glacier.

Full Text - GlaciologyWater slide | PDF (240 KB) - GlaciologyWater slide

Subject Category: Cryospheric science

See also: Letter by Stearns et al.

Carbon cycle: A return to Soviet soils - p810

Anna Armstrong

doi:10.1038/ngeo374

Full Text - Carbon cycleA return to Soviet soils | PDF (170 KB) - Carbon cycleA return to Soviet soils

Palaeoclimate: North Atlantic climate swings - pp811 - 812

Oliver Timm

doi:10.1038/ngeo370

The North Atlantic Oscillation has shown high variability over the past few decades. A two-hundred-year-long temperature reconstruction from a Bermuda coral suggests a link to recent climate warming.

Full Text - PalaeoclimateNorth Atlantic climate swings | PDF (282 KB) - PalaeoclimateNorth Atlantic climate swings

Subject Category: Palaeoclimate and palaeoceanography

See also: Letter by Goodkin et al.

Chemical geodynamics: The enduring lead paradox - pp812 - 813

Albrecht W. Hofmann

doi:10.1038/ngeo372

The Earth's known rock reservoirs contain more radiogenic lead than expected on average. Mantle-derived rocks with highly unradiogenic lead — as discovered in the Horoman massif — may bear witness to a previously unsampled, complementary reservoir.

Full Text - Chemical geodynamicsThe enduring lead paradox | PDF (180 KB) - Chemical geodynamicsThe enduring lead paradox

Subject Category: Geochemistry

See also: Letter by Malaviarachchi et al.

Geomorphology: Mountains and monsoons - pp814 - 815

A. Joshua West

doi:10.1038/ngeo369

The influence of climate on mountain building has long been debated. A reconstruction for the past 25 million years suggests coincidence of Himalayan erosion and monsoon intensification, hinting at a causal relationship.

Full Text - GeomorphologyMountains and monsoons | PDF (353 KB) - GeomorphologyMountains and monsoons

Subject Category: Geomorphology

See also: Article by Clift et al.

Soil science: Heat-proof carbon compound - pp815 - 816

Cindy Prescott

doi:10.1038/ngeo371

Two-thirds of terrestrial carbon is stored as organic matter in soils, but its response to warming has yet to be resolved. A soil warming experiment in a Canadian forest has revealed that the leaf-derived compound cutin is resistant to decomposition under elevated temperatures.

Full Text - Soil scienceHeat-proof carbon compound | PDF (312 KB) - Soil scienceHeat-proof carbon compound

Subject Category: Biogeochemistry

See also: Letter by Feng et al.

Planetary science: Jets of mystery - p816

Heike Langenberg

doi:10.1038/ngeo373

Full Text - Planetary scienceJets of mystery | PDF (166 KB) - Planetary scienceJets of mystery

Sedimentary challenge to Snowball Earth - pp817 - 825

Philip A. Allen & James L. Etienne

doi:10.1038/ngeo355

The Snowball Earth concept envisages a fully frozen Earth for millions of years several times during the Neoproterzoic Era between 1,000 and 542 million years ago. However, the sedimentary evidence suggests that despite the severity of glaciation, some oceans must have remained ice-free.

Abstract - Sedimentary challenge to Snowball Earth | Full Text - Sedimentary challenge to Snowball Earth | PDF (1,212 KB) - Sedimentary challenge to Snowball Earth

Subject Categories: Palaeoclimate and palaeoceanography | Cryospheric science

Increased flow speed on a large East Antarctic outlet glacier caused by subglacial floods - pp827 - 831

Leigh A. Stearns, Benjamin E. Smith & Gordon S. Hamilton

doi:10.1038/ngeo356

Large ice streams and outlet glaciers drain Greenland and Antarctica. An observed acceleration of ice velocity in one of these outlet glaciers, Byrd Glacier, East Antarctica coincides with a large water discharge from two subglacial lakes, allowing direct attribution of the change in glacier dynamics to the water drainage network beneath the ice.

First Paragraph - Increased flow speed on a large East Antarctic outlet glacier caused by subglacial floods | Full Text - Increased flow speed on a large East Antarctic outlet glacier caused by subglacial floods | PDF (772 KB) - Increased flow speed on a large East Antarctic outlet glacier caused by subglacial floods | Supplementary information

Subject Categories: Cryospheric science | Climate science

See also: News and Views by Fricker

Australian climate–carbon cycle feedback reduced by soil black carbon - pp832 - 835

Johannes Lehmann, Jan Skjemstad, Saran Sohi, John Carter, Michele Barson, Pete Falloon, Kevin Coleman, Peter Woodbury & Evelyn Krull

doi:10.1038/ngeo358

Global warming is likely to increase soil organic carbon decomposition, and thus CO₂ release to the atmosphere, creating a positive feedback cycle. Inclusion of realistic estimates of soil black carbon in a climate model results in a decrease in soil CO₂ emission in Australia by up to 24.4% following a 3 ^°C warming over 100 years, suggesting that black carbon reduces the strength of this feedback.

First Paragraph - Australian climate-carbon cycle feedback reduced by soil black carbon | Full Text - Australian climate–carbon cycle feedback reduced by soil black carbon | PDF (538 KB) - Australian climate–carbon cycle feedback reduced by soil black carbon | Supplementary information

Subject Categories: Climate science | Palaeoclimate and palaeoceanography

Increased cuticular carbon sequestration and lignin oxidation in response to soil warming - pp836 - 839

Xiaojuan Feng, André J. Simpson, Kevin P. Wilson, D. Dudley Williams & Myrna J. Simpson

doi:10.1038/ngeo361

Future climate warming is predicted to accelerate the decomposition of labile soil organic matter, but to have little impact on the degradation of biochemically resistant organic compounds such as leaf cuticles and lignin. However, 14 months of soil warming in a temperate mixed forest resulted in a build-up of leaf-cuticle-derived carbon and an increased decomposition of lignin in soils.

First Paragraph - Increased cuticular carbon sequestration and lignin oxidation in response to soil warming | Full Text - Increased cuticular carbon sequestration and lignin oxidation in response to soil warming | PDF (326 KB) - Increased cuticular carbon sequestration and lignin oxidation in response to soil warming | Supplementary information

Subject Categories: Biogeochemistry | Climate science

See also: News and Views by Prescott

Delivery of marine-derived nutrients to streambeds by Pacific salmon - pp840 - 843

John F. Rex & Ellen L. Petticrew

doi:10.1038/ngeo364

Pacific salmon deliver substantial quantities of nutrients to freshwater streams when they spawn. Experiments with a recirculation flume support the idea that bacterially mediated aggregation of salmon organic matter, as well as inorganic particulate matter, is responsible for nutrient delivery to these stream beds.

First Paragraph - Delivery of marine-derived nutrients to streambeds by Pacific salmon | Full Text - Delivery of marine-derived nutrients to streambeds by Pacific salmon | PDF (334 KB) - Delivery of marine-derived nutrients to streambeds by Pacific salmon

Subject Category: Biogeochemistry

Increased multidecadal variability of the North Atlantic Oscillation since 1781 - pp844 - 848

Nathalie F. Goodkin, Konrad A. Hughen, Scott C. Doney & William B. Curry

doi:10.1038/ngeo352

The North Atlantic Oscillation controls winter climate variability in eastern North America and Europe. Coral-derived records of sea surface temperature in Bermuda suggest that multidecadal variability of the North Atlantic Oscillation has increased in the past few decades relative to the early nineteenth century.

First Paragraph - Increased multidecadal variability of the North Atlantic Oscillation since 1781 | Full Text - Increased multidecadal variability of the North Atlantic Oscillation since 1781 | PDF (513 KB) - Increased multidecadal variability of the North Atlantic Oscillation since 1781 | Supplementary information

Subject Categories: Palaeoclimate and palaeoceanography | Climate science

See also: News and Views by Timm | related Backstory

Recent intensification of tropical climate variability in the Indian Ocean - pp849 - 853

Nerilie J. Abram, Michael K. Gagan, Julia E. Cole, Wahyoe S. Hantoro & Manfred Mudelsee

doi:10.1038/ngeo357

Coral records from a range of sites extend the index of the Indian Ocean Dipole back to 1846. Indian Ocean Dipole events increased in strength and frequency in the twentieth century, coincident with the development of direct feedbacks with the Asian Monsoon.

First Paragraph - Recent intensification of tropical climate variability in the Indian Ocean | Full Text - Recent intensification of tropical climate variability in the Indian Ocean | PDF (626 KB) - Recent intensification of tropical climate variability in the Indian Ocean | Supplementary information

Subject Categories: Climate science | Palaeoclimate and palaeoceanography

Persistent thermal activity at the Eastern Gulf of Aden after continental break-up - pp854 - 858

Francis Lucazeau, Sylvie Leroy, Alain Bonneville, Bruno Goutorbe, Frédérique Rolandone, Elia d'Acremont, Louise Watremez, Doga Düsünur, Patrick Tuchais, Philippe Huchon, Nicolas Bellahsen & Khalfan Al-Toubi

doi:10.1038/ngeo359

During the early stages in the formation of divergent margins, the lithosphere experiences large changes in temperature that can determine its strength and influence magma generation. Heat-flow data from the Eastern Gulf of Aden indicate a thermal anomaly that has persisted after continental break-up. This anomaly may have been caused by small-scale convection that occurred during and after rifting.

First Paragraph - Persistent thermal activity at the Eastern Gulf of Aden after continental break-up | Full Text - Persistent thermal activity at the Eastern Gulf of Aden after continental break-up | PDF (4,124 KB) - Persistent thermal activity at the Eastern Gulf of Aden after continental break-up | Supplementary information

Subject Category: Structural geology, tectonics and geodynamics

Highly unradiogenic lead isotope ratios from the Horoman peridotite in Japan - pp859 - 863

Sanjeewa P. K. Malaviarachchi, Akio Makishima, Masaaki Tanimoto, Takeshi Kuritani & Eizo Nakamura

doi:10.1038/ngeo363

Peridotites from the Horoman massif have the least radiogenic lead isotope ratios reported from any mantle material, and unlike any inferred from the compositions of mid-ocean ridge basalts. These data hint at the existence of ancient mantle domains that are not sampled by mid-ocean ridge basalts.

First Paragraph - Highly unradiogenic lead isotope ratios from the Horoman peridotite in Japan | Full Text - Highly unradiogenic lead isotope ratios from the Horoman peridotite in Japan | PDF (1,212 KB) - Highly unradiogenic lead isotope ratios from the Horoman peridotite in Japan | Supplementary information

Subject Categories: Geochemistry | Structural geology, tectonics and geodynamics

See also: News and Views by Hofmann

The response of the Antarctic Circumpolar Current to recent climate change - pp864 - 869

C. W. Böning, A. Dispert, M. Visbeck, S. R. Rintoul & F. U. Schwarzkopf

doi:10.1038/ngeo362

The response of ocean circulation in the Southern Ocean to changes in wind stress and surface buoyancy fluxes is under debate. An analysis of Argo data and historical measurements suggests that transport in the Antarctic Circumpolar Current and the meridional overturning circulation in the Southern Ocean are insensitive to decadal changes in wind stress.

Abstract - The response of the Antarctic Circumpolar Current to recent climate change | Full Text - The response of the Antarctic Circumpolar Current to recent climate change | PDF (6,485 KB) - The response of the Antarctic Circumpolar Current to recent climate change | Supplementary information

Subject Categories: Oceanography | Climate science

See also: related Backstory

Abrupt changes in Antarctic Intermediate Water circulation over the past 25,000 years - pp870 - 874

Katharina Pahnke, Steven L. Goldstein & Sidney R. Hemming

doi:10.1038/ngeo360

The formation and circulation of Antarctic Intermediate Water has varied over glacial–interglacial timescales. A neodymium record from the Atlantic Ocean basin suggests that changes in circulation may have been driven by changes both in Antarctic Intermediate Water formation in the Southern Ocean and in the strength of North Atlantic meridional overturning.

Abstract - Abrupt changes in Antarctic Intermediate Water circulation over the past 25,000[thinsp]years | Full Text - Abrupt changes in Antarctic Intermediate Water circulation over the past 25,000 years | PDF (685 KB) - Abrupt changes in Antarctic Intermediate Water circulation over the past 25,000 years | Supplementary information

Subject Category: Palaeoclimate and palaeoceanography

Correlation of Himalayan exhumation rates and Asian monsoon intensity - pp875 - 880

Peter D. Clift, Kip V. Hodges, David Heslop, Robyn Hannigan, Hoang Van Long & Gerome Calves

doi:10.1038/ngeo351

Although the India–Eurasia collision initiated 50 Myr ago, major deformation and exhumation of the Himalaya did not begin until the early Neogene (23 Myr ago). This coincides with the increased intensity of the Asian monsoons, as indicated by weathering records from the South China Sea, Bay of Bengal and Arabian Sea, and hints at a dynamic coupling between climate and both erosion and deformation in the Himalaya.

Abstract - Correlation of Himalayan exhumation rates and Asian monsoon intensity | Full Text - Correlation of Himalayan exhumation rates and Asian monsoon intensity | PDF (1,053 KB) - Correlation of Himalayan exhumation rates and Asian monsoon intensity | Supplementary information

Subject Categories: Geomorphology | Palaeoclimate and palaeoceanography | Structural geology, tectonics and geodynamics

See also: News and Views by West | related Backstory

Southern Ocean climate clues - p884

doi:10.1038/ngeo376

Stephen Rintoul and an international team of oceanographers headed south on the Australian icebreaker, Aurora Australis, to discover how Southern Ocean currents influence climate and biodiversity.

Full Text - Southern Ocean climate clues | PDF (253 KB) - Southern Ocean climate clues

See also: Article by Böning et al.

Underwater atmosphere - pE19

doi:10.1038/ngeo375

Nathalie Goodkin and colleagues dug deep into coral geochemistry and wrestled with waves for a 200-year record of the North Atlantic Oscillation.

Full Text - Underwater atmosphere | PDF (291 KB) - Underwater atmosphere

See also: Letter by Goodkin et al.

Scaring off pirates - pE20

doi:10.1038/ngeo377

Deep-sea drilling was the order of the day for Peter Clift and colleagues on their expedition to the South China Sea.

Full Text - Scaring off pirates | PDF (279 KB) - Scaring off pirates

See also: Article by Clift et al.