Focus: Planetary Science

Space for all - p229

doi:10.1038/ngeo496

The exploration of the Solar System is an expensive endeavour. The greater the number of nations that engage in peaceful planetary research the better.

Full Text - Space for all | PDF (139 KB) - Space for all

See also: Feature by Spudis

Farewell to presubs - p229

doi:10.1038/ngeo498

Presubmission enquiries have only rarely resolved the question of whether a paper is suitable for Nature Geoscience. We are now removing this option from our online submission system.

Full Text - Farewell to presubs | PDF (139 KB) - Farewell to presubs

Sediments and future climate - p230

Jasper Knight & Stephan Harrison

doi:10.1038/ngeo491

Full Text - Sediments and future climate | PDF (89 KB) - Sediments and future climate

Focus: Planetary Science

Beyond water on Mars - pp231 - 233

John Grotzinger

doi:10.1038/ngeo480

Mars exploration has been guided by the search for water. The more complex quest by Mars Science Laboratory for habitable environments should illuminate the Martian environmental history, and possibly deliver insights into extraterrestrial life.

Full Text - Beyond water on Mars | PDF (348 KB) - Beyond water on Mars

Focus: Planetary Science

Back to the Moon - pp234 - 236

Paul Spudis

doi:10.1038/ngeo481

Since the end of the Apollo era, the Moon has received relatively little attention from planetary scientists. Fresh interest from a new range of nations could lead to insights into our satellite's evolution and resources.

Full Text - Back to the Moon | PDF (425 KB) - Back to the Moon

Focus: Planetary Science

Biology meets astronomy - p237

Ellen Stofan reviews Origins of Life in the Universe by Robert Jastrow & Michael Rampino

doi:10.1038/ngeo482

Full Text - Biology meets astronomy | PDF (116 KB) - Biology meets astronomy

Focus: Planetary Science

Heavenly rinds - pp237 - 238

W. Bruce Banerdt reviews Planetary Crusts: Their Composition, Origin and Evolution by S. Ross Taylor & Scott McLennan

doi:10.1038/ngeo487

Full Text - Heavenly rinds | PDF (171 KB) - Heavenly rinds

For the love of fossils - p238

doi:10.1038/ngeo493

Full Text - For the love of fossils | PDF (106 KB) - For the love of fossils

Our choice from the recent literature - p240

doi:10.1038/ngeo497

Full Text - Our choice from the recent literature | PDF (159 KB) - Our choice from the recent literature

Biogeochemistry: Deepening the early oxygen debate - pp241 - 242

Kurt Konhauser

doi:10.1038/ngeo484

The timing of the earliest production of oxygen by photosynthesis is hotly debated. Haematite crystals from Pilbara, Australia, may provide evidence for a deep ocean that was at least occasionally oxygenated by photosynthetic microbes 3.46 billion years ago.

Full Text - BiogeochemistryDeepening the early oxygen debate | PDF (299 KB) - BiogeochemistryDeepening the early oxygen debate

Subject Category: Biogeochemistry

See also: Article by Hoashi et al.

Palaeoclimate: Tales of collapse - p242

Alicia Newton

doi:10.1038/ngeo494

Full Text - PalaeoclimateTales of collapse | PDF (130 KB) - PalaeoclimateTales of collapse

Subject Category: Palaeoclimate and palaeoceanography

Atmospheric science: Clean air policy and Arctic warming - pp243 - 244

Noel Keenlyside

doi:10.1038/ngeo486

The enhanced Arctic warming over the past three decades is attracting much attention. Combining forward and inverse models with observations suggests that regional changes in aerosol concentrations have contributed significantly.

Full Text - Atmospheric scienceClean air policy and Arctic warming | PDF (249 KB) - Atmospheric scienceClean air policy and Arctic warming

Subject Category: Atmospheric science

See also: Article by Shindell & Faluvegi

Palaeoclimate: Patagonian dust machine - pp244 - 245

Robert P. Ackert Jr

doi:10.1038/ngeo485

Most of the dust in Antarctic ice cores originates in the glacial outwash of Patagonia. Sedimentary evidence suggests that during the last glacial period, pro-glacial lakes provided an on/off switch for the dust flux to Antarctica.

Full Text - PalaeoclimatePatagonian dust machine | PDF (139 KB) - PalaeoclimatePatagonian dust machine

Subject Category: Palaeoclimate and palaeoceanography

See also: Letter by Sugden et al.

Tectonics: The hydrangeas of plate tectonics - pp246 - 247

Jo Whittaker

doi:10.1038/ngeo492

Volcanic rocks at island arcs can show characteristics of the subducting oceanic plate. The isotopic signature of rocks at the Izu-Bonin arc in the northwest Pacific suggest the presence of Indian-type rather than Pacific-type oceanic crust.

Full Text - TectonicsThe hydrangeas of plate tectonics | PDF (400 KB) - TectonicsThe hydrangeas of plate tectonics

Subject Category: Structural geology, tectonics and geodynamics

See also: Letter by Straub et al.

Atmospheric science: Failure to launch - p247

Paul I. Palmer & Peter Rayner

doi:10.1038/ngeo495

Full Text - Atmospheric scienceFailure to launch | PDF (123 KB) - Atmospheric scienceFailure to launch

Subject Category: Atmospheric science

Focus: Planetary Science

Planetary science: A mega-landslide on Mars - pp248 - 249

Jeffrey C. Andrews-Hanna

doi:10.1038/ngeo483

The vast Thaumasia plateau on Mars is fringed by extensive zones of deformation. Topographic and structural analysis suggests that the plateau may have slipped in a massive landslide, deforming its margins in the process.

Full Text - Planetary scienceA mega-landslide on Mars | PDF (206 KB) - Planetary scienceA mega-landslide on Mars

Subject Category: Planetary science

Cyclicity in Cordilleran orogenic systems - pp251 - 257

Peter G. DeCelles, Mihai N. Ducea, Paul Kapp & George Zandt

doi:10.1038/ngeo469

Cordilleran orogenic systems are long belts of deformation and magmatism that form when oceanic plates subduct beneath continental ones. Links between processes in the upper continental plate explain key features of Cordilleran systems, such as cyclical trends in the flux and composition of magma supplied to the upper plate.

Abstract - Cyclicity in Cordilleran orogenic systems | Full Text - Cyclicity in Cordilleran orogenic systems | PDF (282 KB) - Cyclicity in Cordilleran orogenic systems

Subject Category: Structural geology, tectonics and geodynamics

Focus: Planetary Science

Brucite and carbonate assemblages from altered olivine-rich materials on Ceres - pp258 - 261

Ralph E. Milliken & Andrew S. Rivkin

doi:10.1038/ngeo478

The mineralogy of the dwarf planet Ceres has long remained uncertain. The infrared spectral features of this planetary body are indicative of minerals derived from the aqueous alteration of olivine-rich materials, suggesting that Ceres is not represented by any known meteorite.

First Paragraph - Brucite and carbonate assemblages from altered olivine-rich materials on Ceres | Full Text - Brucite and carbonate assemblages from altered olivine-rich materials on Ceres | PDF (784 KB) - Brucite and carbonate assemblages from altered olivine-rich materials on Ceres | Supplementary information

Subject Category: Planetary science

Model projections of rapid sea-level rise on the northeast coast of the United States - pp262 - 266

Jianjun Yin, Michael E. Schlesinger & Ronald J. Stouffer

doi:10.1038/ngeo462

Human-induced climate change is expected to cause sea-level rise globally as well as regionally. An analysis of state-of-the-art climate models indicates that the northeastern US coast is particularly likely to experience substantial rises in regional sea level as a result of the projected slowdown of the Atlantic meridional overturning circulation.

First Paragraph - Model projections of rapid sea-level rise on the northeast coast of the United States | Full Text - Model projections of rapid sea-level rise on the northeast coast of the United States | PDF (1,958 KB) - Model projections of rapid sea-level rise on the northeast coast of the United States | Supplementary information

Subject Categories: Climate science | Oceanography

Contaminant mobilization by metallic copper and metal sulphide colloids in flooded soil - pp267 - 271

Frank-Andreas Weber, Andreas Voegelin, Ralf Kaegi & Ruben Kretzschmar

doi:10.1038/ngeo476

Colloids, such as submicrometre mineral particles or bacterial cells, can act as carriers enhancing the mobility of poorly soluble contaminants in subsurface environments. Spectroscopic and microscopic analysis of flooded soils suggests that copper colloids and metal sulphide colloids increase the concentration of contaminants in waterlogged soils.

First Paragraph - Contaminant mobilization by metallic copper and metal sulphide colloids in flooded soil | Full Text - Contaminant mobilization by metallic copper and metal sulphide colloids in flooded soil | PDF (940 KB) - Contaminant mobilization by metallic copper and metal sulphide colloids in flooded soil | Supplementary information

Subject Category: Biogeochemistry

Rapid downward transport of the neurotoxin domoic acid in coastal waters - pp272 - 275

Emily Sekula-Wood, Astrid Schnetzer, Claudia R. Benitez-Nelson, Clarissa Anderson, William M. Berelson, Mark A. Brzezinski, Justina M. Burns, David A. Caron, Ivona Cetinic, John L. Ferry, Elizabeth Fitzpatrick, Burton H. Jones, Peter E. Miller, Steve L. Morton, Rebecca A. Schaffner, David A. Siegel & Robert Thunell

doi:10.1038/ngeo472

The diatom Pseudo-nitzschia produces the neurotoxin domoic acid, known to cause illness and death in marine mammals and humans. Measurements of surface- and deep-water domoic acid concentrations off the coast of California suggest that this toxin is rapidly transported to depth following diatom blooms.

First Paragraph - Rapid downward transport of the neurotoxin domoic acid in coastal waters | Full Text - Rapid downward transport of the neurotoxin domoic acid in coastal waters | PDF (709 KB) - Rapid downward transport of the neurotoxin domoic acid in coastal waters

Subject Categories: Biogeochemistry | Oceanography

See also: related Backstory

Reduced calcification in modern Southern Ocean planktonic foraminifera - pp276 - 280

Andrew D. Moy, William R. Howard, Stephen G. Bray & Thomas W. Trull

doi:10.1038/ngeo460

The oceans are becoming more acidic as they absorb anthropogenic carbon dioxide—this may limit the ability of marine organisms to secrete carbonate. A sediment-trap study shows that in the Southern Ocean the shell weights of a surface-dwelling single-celled organism with a calcite shell are lower than pre-industrial values, probably as a result of increasing ocean acidity.

First Paragraph - Reduced calcification in modern Southern Ocean planktonic foraminifera | Full Text - Reduced calcification in modern Southern Ocean planktonic foraminifera | PDF (661 KB) - Reduced calcification in modern Southern Ocean planktonic foraminifera | Supplementary information

Subject Categories: Biogeochemistry | Oceanography

See also: related Backstory

Influence of Patagonian glaciers on Antarctic dust deposition during the last glacial period - pp281 - 285

David E. Sugden, Robert D. McCulloch, Aloys J.-M. Bory & Andrew S. Hein

doi:10.1038/ngeo474

Dust deposition over Antarctica was much higher during the last glacial period, but the causes of this flux remain unclear. An analysis of the composition and age of glacial outwash sediments indicates that growth and decay of glaciers in Patagonia may have influenced dust transport to Antarctica at that time.

First Paragraph - Influence of Patagonian glaciers on Antarctic dust deposition during the last glacial period | Full Text - Influence of Patagonian glaciers on Antarctic dust deposition during the last glacial period | PDF (2,059 KB) - Influence of Patagonian glaciers on Antarctic dust deposition during the last glacial period

Subject Category: Palaeoclimate and palaeoceanography

See also: News and Views by Ackert Jr

Mid-ocean-ridge basalt of Indian type in the northwest Pacific Ocean basin - pp286 - 289

Susanne M. Straub, Steven L. Goldstein, Cornelia Class & Angelika Schmidt

doi:10.1038/ngeo471

Since 42 million years ago, the northwestern Pacific Izu Bonin arc magmas have incorporated lead from subducted Indian-type oceanic crust. This crust probably formed at a now-extinct spreading centre in the Pacific basin that tapped Indian-type upper mantle, suggesting a greater extent for this mantle domain than accepted at present.

First Paragraph - Mid-ocean-ridge basalt of Indian type in the northwest Pacific Ocean basin | Full Text - Mid-ocean-ridge basalt of Indian type in the northwest Pacific Ocean basin | PDF (1,273 KB) - Mid-ocean-ridge basalt of Indian type in the northwest Pacific Ocean basin | Supplementary information

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

See also: related Backstory | News and Views by Whittaker

Role of thermal refraction in localizing intraplate deformation in southeastern Ukraine - pp290 - 293

Randell Stephenson, David L. Egholm, Søren B. Nielsen & Sergiy M. Stovba

doi:10.1038/ngeo479

The relative importance of the various factors that lead to intraplate deformation has been difficult to establish. Modelling results show that compressional deformation of a thick sedimentary basin in southeastern Ukraine was facilitated by strain localization resulting from the contrast in thermal conductivity between the basin and the surrounding crystalline crust.

First Paragraph - Role of thermal refraction in localizing intraplate deformation in southeastern Ukraine | Full Text - Role of thermal refraction in localizing intraplate deformation in southeastern Ukraine | PDF (1,025 KB) - Role of thermal refraction in localizing intraplate deformation in southeastern Ukraine | Supplementary information

Subject Category: Structural geology, tectonics and geodynamics

Climate response to regional radiative forcing during the twentieth century - pp294 - 300

Drew Shindell & Greg Faluvegi

doi:10.1038/ngeo473

The relative importance of regional and global changes in atmospheric greenhouse gas and aerosol concentrations for regional changes in climate is not well known. A climate model analysis of tropical, mid-latitude and polar regions shows that the extratropics and, in particular, the Arctic region are sensitive to local changes in radiative forcing.

Abstract - Climate response to regional radiative forcing during the twentieth century | Full Text - Climate response to regional radiative forcing during the twentieth century | PDF (699 KB) - Climate response to regional radiative forcing during the twentieth century | Supplementary information

Subject Category: Climate science

See also: News and Views by Keenlyside

Primary haematite formation in an oxygenated sea 3.46 billion years ago - pp301 - 306

Masamichi Hoashi, David C. Bevacqua, Tsubasa Otake, Yumiko Watanabe, Arthur H. Hickman, Satoshi Utsunomiya & Hiroshi Ohmoto

doi:10.1038/ngeo465

The timing of the origin of photosynthesis remains controversial. The discovery of ancient haematite crystals that formed in a jasper formation in Australia, which was created in a marine setting, suggests that oxygen was being produced, at least locally, by photosynthesis as early as 3.46 billion years ago.

Abstract - Primary haematite formation in an oxygenated sea 3.46[thinsp]billion years ago | Full Text - Primary haematite formation in an oxygenated sea 3.46 billion years ago | PDF (2,375 KB) - Primary haematite formation in an oxygenated sea 3.46 billion years ago | Supplementary information

Subject Categories: Biogeochemistry | Palaeoclimate and palaeoceanography

See also: News and Views by Konhauser

Climate and human influences on global biomass burning over the past two millennia - p307

J. R. Marlon, P. J. Bartlein, C. Carcaillet, D. G. Gavin, S. P. Harrison, P. E. Higuera, F. Joos, M. J. Power & I. C. Prentice

doi:10.1038/ngeo468

Full Text - Climate and human influences on global biomass burning over the past two millennia | PDF (75 KB) - Climate and human influences on global biomass burning over the past two millennia

Sounding sediments - p308

doi:10.1038/ngeo490

Andrew Moy and colleagues studied foraminifera in sediments, and made their own contributions to the sea, in their attempt to understand calcification in the Southern Ocean.

Full Text - Sounding sediments | PDF (266 KB) - Sounding sediments

See also: Letter by Moy et al.

Tracking toxins - pE5

doi:10.1038/ngeo488

Emily Sekula-Wood and colleagues held their breath as they waited for results to rise up from the depths of the coastal ocean off California.

Full Text - Tracking toxins | PDF (237 KB) - Tracking toxins

See also: Letter by Sekula-Wood et al.

Arcs to ashes - pE6

doi:10.1038/ngeo489

Susanne Straub and colleagues examined teaspoons of 42-million-year-old volcanic ash to elucidate the impact of plate tectonics on arc magmatism.

Full Text - Arcs to ashes | PDF (167 KB) - Arcs to ashes

See also: Letter by Straub et al.