The beauty of balance - p77

doi:10.1038/ngeo122

Full Text - The beauty of balance | PDF (118 KB) - The beauty of balance

Regional climate offices and regional assessment reports needed - p78

Hans von Storch & Insa Meincke

doi:10.1038/ngeo111

Full Text - Regional climate offices and regional assessment reports needed | PDF (94 KB) - Regional climate offices and regional assessment reports needed

Gender imbalance in US geoscience academia - pp79 - 82

Mary Anne Holmes, Suzanne O'Connell, Connie Frey & Lois Ongley

doi:10.1038/ngeo113

Full Text - Gender imbalance in US geoscience academia | PDF (234 KB) - Gender imbalance in US geoscience academia | Supplementary information

Past hurricane recorders, modelling plate break-up, and more - p83

doi:10.1038/ngeo123

Full Text - Past hurricane recorders, modelling plate break-up, and more | PDF (182 KB) - Past hurricane recorders, modelling plate break-up, and more

Climate change: Cool ozone - pp85 - 86

Drew Shindell

doi:10.1038/ngeo115

Full Text - Climate changeCool ozone | PDF (143 KB) - Climate changeCool ozone

Subject Categories: Atmospheric science | Climate science

Palaeoclimate: The riddle of the clays - pp86 - 88

Gerald R. Dickens

doi:10.1038/ngeo118

Full Text - PalaeoclimateThe riddle of the clays | PDF (196 KB) - PalaeoclimateThe riddle of the clays

Subject Category: Palaeoclimate and palaeoceanography

Bert Bolin: A natural leader - p88

Heike Langenberg

doi:10.1038/ngeo119

Full Text - Bert BolinA natural leader | PDF (137 KB) - Bert BolinA natural leader

Volcano seismology: Forecast from noise - pp89 - 90

Karim G. Sabra

doi:10.1038/ngeo110

Full Text - Volcano seismologyForecast from noise | PDF (239 KB) - Volcano seismologyForecast from noise

Subject Category: Seismology

Structural geology: The buried record of Chicxulub - pp90 - 91

Peter Schultz

doi:10.1038/ngeo120

Full Text - Structural geologyThe buried record of Chicxulub | PDF (215 KB) - Structural geologyThe buried record of Chicxulub

Subject Category: Structural geology, tectonics and geodynamics

Cryosphere: Fire and ice - pp91 - 92

Stefan W. Vogel

doi:10.1038/ngeo117

Full Text - CryosphereFire and ice | PDF (248 KB) - CryosphereFire and ice

Subject Category: Cryospheric science

Space science: Waves from whistlers - pp93 - 94

Michael Kelley

doi:10.1038/ngeo112

Full Text - Space scienceWaves from whistlers | PDF (225 KB) - Space scienceWaves from whistlers

Subject Category: Space physics

Biophysical controls on organic carbon fluxes in fluvial networks - pp95 - 100

Tom J. Battin, Louis A. Kaplan, Stuart Findlay, Charles S. Hopkinson, Eugenia Marti, Aaron I. Packman, J. Denis Newbold & Francesc Sabater

doi:10.1038/ngeo101

Rivers may be efficient environments for metabolizing terrestrial organic carbon that was previously thought to be recalcitrant, owing to pockets that provide geophysical opportunities by retaining material for longer, and to the adaptation of microbial communities, which has enabled them to exploit the energy that escapes upstream ecosystems.

Abstract - | Full Text - Biophysical controls on organic carbon fluxes in fluvial networks | PDF (234 KB) - Biophysical controls on organic carbon fluxes in fluvial networks | Supplementary information

Subject Categories: Biogeochemistry | Hydrology, hydrogeology and limnology

Lightning-induced plasma turbulence and ion heating in equatorial ionospheric depletions - pp101 - 105

Jean-Jacques Berthelier, Michel Malingre, Robert Pfaff, Elena Seran, Raymond Pottelette, John Jasperse, Jean-Pierre Lebreton & Michel Parrot

doi:10.1038/ngeo109

The occurrence of lower-hybrid solitary structures in the ionoshere are triggered by lightning-induced whistlers, revealing a new coupling process between the troposphere and the ionosphere.

First paragraph - | Full Text - Lightning-induced plasma turbulence and ion heating in equatorial ionospheric depletions | PDF (582 KB) - Lightning-induced plasma turbulence and ion heating in equatorial ionospheric depletions | Supplementary information

Subject Category: Space physics

See also: News and Views by Kelley

Recent Antarctic ice mass loss from radar interferometry and regional climate modelling - pp106 - 110

Eric Rignot, Jonathan L. Bamber, Michiel R. van den Broeke, Curt Davis, Yonghong Li, Willem Jan van de Berg & Erik van Meijgaard

doi:10.1038/ngeo102

Observed estimates of ice losses in Antarctica combined with regional modelling of ice accumulation in the interior suggest that East Antarctica is close to a balanced mass budget, but large losses of ice occur in the narrow outlet channels of West Antarctic glaciers and at the northern tip of the Antarctic peninsula.

First paragraph - | Full Text - Recent Antarctic ice mass loss from radar interferometry and regional climate modelling | PDF (983 KB) - Recent Antarctic ice mass loss from radar interferometry and regional climate modelling | Supplementary information

Subject Categories: Climate science | Cryospheric science

Nitrogen transfer from sea to land via commercial fisheries - pp111 - 112

R. Maranger, N. Caraco, J. Duhamel & M. Amyot

doi:10.1038/ngeo108

A significant fraction of the anthropogenic nitrogen input into the coastal oceans from fertilizers is transferred back to land by commercial fisheries.

First paragraph - | Full Text - Nitrogen transfer from sea to land via commercial fisheries | PDF (345 KB) - Nitrogen transfer from sea to land via commercial fisheries | Supplementary information

Subject Categories: Biogeochemistry | Ecology

Decreased abundance of crustose coralline algae due to ocean acidification - pp114 - 117

Ilsa B. Kuffner, Andreas J. Andersson, Paul L. Jokiel, Ku'ulei S. Rodgers & Fred T. Mackenzie

doi:10.1038/ngeo100

Increasing levels of atmospheric carbon dioxide leads to ocean acidification, causing significant reductions in the growth of crustose coralline algae.

First paragraph - | Full Text - Decreased abundance of crustose coralline algae due to ocean acidification | PDF (408 KB) - Decreased abundance of crustose coralline algae due to ocean acidification | Supplementary information

Subject Categories: Oceanography | Biogeochemistry | Climate science

Microbially influenced formation of 2,724-million-year-old stromatolites - pp118 - 121

Kevin Lepot, Karim Benzerara, Gordon E. Brown, Jr & Pascal Philippot

doi:10.1038/ngeo107

Nanoscale evidence suggests that the Tumbiana Formation stromatolites in Australia were influenced by microbial activity. In the stromatolites, clusters of organic globules are closely associated with 2,724-million-year-old aragonite crystals.

First paragraph - | Full Text - Microbially influenced formation of 2,724-million-year-old stromatolites | PDF (647 KB) - Microbially influenced formation of 2,724-million-year-old stromatolites | Supplementary information

Subject Categories: Biogeochemistry | Palaeontology

See also: related Backstory

A recent volcanic eruption beneath the West Antarctic ice sheet - pp122 - 125

Hugh F. J. Corr & David G. Vaughan

doi:10.1038/ngeo106

A strong radar reflection in the West Antarctic ice sheet is related to the eruption of the newly identified Hudson Mountains Subglacial Volcano dated to 207 BC. This eruption probably caused short term changes in regional glacial and meltwater flow.

First paragraph - | Full Text - A recent volcanic eruption beneath the West Antarctic ice sheet | PDF (752 KB) - A recent volcanic eruption beneath the West Antarctic ice sheet | Supplementary information

Subject Categories: Cryospheric science | Volcanology, mineralogy and petrology

See also: News and Views by Vogel

Towards forecasting volcanic eruptions using seismic noise - pp126 - 130

Florent Brenguier, Nikolai M. Shapiro, Michel Campillo, Valérie Ferrazzini, Zacharie Duputel, Olivier Coutant & Alexandre Nercessian

doi:10.1038/ngeo104

It may be possible to predict eruptions of the Piton de la Fournaise volcano by continuously monitoring changes at depth using very small fluctuations in the ambient seismic noise. The changes are probably related to inflation caused by movement of magma at depth.

First paragraph - | Full Text - Towards forecasting volcanic eruptions using seismic noise | PDF (2,114 KB) - Towards forecasting volcanic eruptions using seismic noise | Supplementary information

Subject Categories: Volcanology, mineralogy and petrology | Seismology | Structural geology, tectonics and geodynamics

See also: News and Views by Sabra | related Backstory

Importance of pre-impact crustal structure for the asymmetry of the Chicxulub impact crater - pp131 - 135

Sean P. S. Gulick, Penny J. Barton, Gail L. Christeson, Joanna V. Morgan, Matthew McDonald, Keren Mendoza-Cervantes, Zulmacristina F. Pearson, Anusha Surendra, Jaime Urrutia-Fucugauchi, Peggy M. Vermeesch & Mike R. Warner

doi:10.1038/ngeo103

The final geometry of an impact crater can be significantly influenced by the geological and geomorphological structure of the impact site; therefore, it may not on its own provide accurate information regarding the direction and angle of impact.

First paragraph - | Full Text - Importance of pre-impact crustal structure for the asymmetry of the Chicxulub impact crater | PDF (723 KB) - Importance of pre-impact crustal structure for the asymmetry of the Chicxulub impact crater | Supplementary information

Subject Categories: Seismology | Structural geology, tectonics and geodynamics

See also: News and Views by Schultz | related Backstory

Importance of post-seismic viscous relaxation in southern Iceland - pp136 - 139

Sigurjón Jónsson

doi:10.1038/ngeo105

Viscous relaxation, rather than afterslip, most likely dominated ground deformation after two large earthquakes in Iceland. This suggests that afterslip may play a relatively less important role in immature fault zones as compared with more mature ones such as the San Andreas fault.

First paragraph - | Full Text - Importance of post-seismic viscous relaxation in southern Iceland | PDF (596 KB) - Importance of post-seismic viscous relaxation in southern Iceland | Supplementary information

Subject Category: Structural geology, tectonics and geodynamics

Forecasting an eruption - p140

doi:10.1038/ngeo114

Full Text - Forecasting an eruption | PDF (194 KB) - Forecasting an eruption

Drilling the outback - pE3

doi:10.1038/ngeo116

Full Text - Drilling the outback | PDF (227 KB) - Drilling the outback

Impact assessment - pE4

doi:10.1038/ngeo121

Full Text - Impact assessment | PDF (154 KB) - Impact assessment