Featured
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Record of pre-industrial atmospheric sulfate in continental interiors
Atmospheric sulfate aerosols—which could cool the atmosphere—were formed in less acidic cloud water in continental interiors in pre-industrial time than today, according to a triple oxygen isotope analysis of sulfate in weathering carbonates.
- Yongbo Peng
- , Shohei Hattori
- & Huiming Bao
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Article
| Open AccessHighly variable friction and slip observed at Antarctic ice stream bed
Passive seismic observations from the Rutford Ice Stream in Antarctica reveal a highly complex bed and substantial variability in friction and slip rates at the ice–bed interface.
- T. S. Hudson
- , S. K. Kufner
- & T. Murray
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Editorial |
Reversing climate overshoot
Temporarily overshooting climate targets is a distinct possibility given our current emissions trajectory. It is crucial that we understand which of the associated impacts are reversible, and to what extent.
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High natural nitric oxide emissions from lakes on Tibetan Plateau under rapid warming
High-resolution satellite observations reveal that large lakes on the Tibetan Plateau have total nitric oxide emissions comparable to anthropogenic emissions from individual megacities worldwide.
- Hao Kong
- , Jintai Lin
- & Wanyun Xu
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| Open AccessFossil organic carbon utilization in marine Arctic fjord sediments by subsurface micro-organisms
Ancient, rock-derived organic matter is consumed by micro-organisms in Arctic fjord sediments despite its presumed limited bioavailability, representing a potential source of greenhouse gas emissions, according to compound-specific radiocarbon analyses of lipids from living bacteria.
- Manuel Ruben
- , Jens Hefter
- & Gesine Mollenhauer
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| Open AccessPositive correlation between wet-day frequency and intensity linked to universal precipitation drivers
Precipitation frequency and intensity across different geographic regions are positively correlated in reanalysis data and observations, suggesting universal precipitation-generating processes.
- Cameron McErlich
- , Adrian McDonald
- & Sapna Rana
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| Open AccessDirect observation of Earth’s spectral long-wave feedback parameter
Earth’s spectral long-wave feedback parameter can be directly observed using satellite measurements, revealing the influence of relative humidity on climate feedbacks.
- Florian E. Roemer
- , Stefan A. Buehler
- & Viju O. John
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Underestimated mass loss from lake-terminating glaciers in the greater Himalaya
Accounting for subaqueous melting from lake-terminating glaciers increases estimated glacier mass loss across the Himalaya by 7% over the past 20 years, according to analysis of satellite observations and bathymetric measurements.
- Guoqing Zhang
- , Tobias Bolch
- & Weicai Wang
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| Open AccessMulti-proxy constraints on Atlantic circulation dynamics since the last ice age
The Atlantic meridional overturning circulation was shallow and weak during the Last Glacial Maximum, and water masses took time to adjust to circulation shifts during the Last Deglaciation, according to a reassessment of proxy records and model simulations.
- Frerk Pöppelmeier
- , Aurich Jeltsch-Thömmes
- & Thomas F. Stocker
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News & Views |
Subsoil carbon loss
A field-based study of 4.5 years of whole-soil warming reveals that warming stimulates loss of structurally complex organic carbon at the same rate as that for bulk organic carbon in subsoil.
- Ji Chen
- , Yiqi Luo
- & Robert L. Sinsabaugh
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| Open AccessRapid loss of complex polymers and pyrogenic carbon in subsoils under whole-soil warming
Structurally complex polymeric compounds, such as pyrogenic carbon, that have been previously considered long-term carbon sinks in soils can rapidly be lost by decomposition at warmer temperatures, according to 4.5 years of whole-soil warming experiments.
- Cyrill U. Zosso
- , Nicholas O. E. Ofiti
- & Michael W. I. Schmidt
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Dampened predictable decadal North Atlantic climate fluctuations due to ice melting
Meltwater discharge to the mid-Holocene North Atlantic disrupted decadal climate variability, suggesting future melting on Greenland may hinder climate predictability in the region, according to an annually laminated lake-sediment record and transient model simulations.
- Celia Martin-Puertas
- , Armand Hernandez
- & Francisco Javier Rodríguez-Tovar
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| Open AccessSurface warming and wetting due to methane’s long-wave radiative effects muted by short-wave absorption
Climate simulations suggest that the contribution of methane to climate warming and wetting due to absorption of long-wave radiation is partially counteracted by short-wave absorption.
- Robert J. Allen
- , Xueying Zhao
- & Christopher J. Smith
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Atmospheric and oceanic circulation altered by global mean sea-level rise
Climate model simulations suggest that atmospheric and oceanic circulation are modified by spatially uniform changes in global sea level.
- Zhongshi Zhang
- , Eystein Jansen
- & Zhengtang Guo
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Research Briefing |
The hidden warming effects of the degradation of tropical moist forests
Satellite observations show that 24.1% of tropical moist forests are degraded. In addition to the warming effects of the release of carbon from biomass, satellite data suggest that degradation could also increase the land surface temperatures of the affected regions. This biophysical feedback could hinder forest restoration initiatives.
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Comparable biophysical and biogeochemical feedbacks on warming from tropical moist forest degradation
Biophysical and biogeochemical effects of forest degradation cause comparable temperature increases in tropical rainforests, according to analyses of high-resolution satellite observations.
- Lei Zhu
- , Wei Li
- & Jingmeng Wang
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Widespread seasonal speed-up of west Antarctic Peninsula glaciers from 2014 to 2021
Glaciers on the west Antarctic Peninsula flowed on average 12% faster during the summer compared with winter due to a mix of oceanic and atmospheric influences, according to an analysis of remote sensing data from 2014 to 2021.
- Benjamin J. Wallis
- , Anna E. Hogg
- & Michiel R. van den Broeke
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Perspective |
Diminishing lake area across the northern permafrost zone
Lake drainage due to permafrost thaw in the northern permafrost zone is occurring sooner than anticipated.
- Elizabeth E. Webb
- & Anna K. Liljedahl
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Editorial |
Unravelling ENSO complexity
Progress in understanding and modelling ENSO complexity provides a promising opportunity to both improve seasonal climate prediction and constrain future anthropogenic warming.
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| Open AccessAgricultural drought over water-scarce Central Asia aggravated by internal climate variability
The interplay between anthropogenic forcing and internal variability associated with the Interdecadal Pacific Oscillation has exacerbated agricultural droughts over southern Central Asia since 1992, according to large ensemble simulations.
- Jie Jiang
- & Tianjun Zhou
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Episodic dynamic change linked to damage on the Thwaites Glacier Ice Tongue
Observations and modelling of the Thwaites Glacier Ice Tongue link episodic changes in ice speed to fracturing between 2015 and 2021 and show these changes to be reversible over one- to two-year timescales.
- Trystan Surawy-Stepney
- , Anna E. Hogg
- & Benjamin J. Davison
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Siberian carbon sink reduced by forest disturbances
Carbon sequestration by Siberian forests has been low over the past decade due to disturbances that have decreased live biomass and increased dead wood, according to passive microwave observations.
- Lei Fan
- , Jean-Pierre Wigneron
- & Rasmus Fensholt
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News & Views |
Plants water the planet
Greening of the planet has increased global surface water availability, but vegetation changes can have diverse local and remote impacts across different regions.
- Arie Staal
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| Open AccessMillennial-scale climate variability over land overprinted by ocean temperature fluctuations
Temperature variability over land is enhanced by ocean temperature fluctuations on millennial timescales, with implications for regional-scale climate change, according to an analysis of Northern Hemisphere proxy records and observations.
- R. Hébert
- , U. Herzschuh
- & T. Laepple
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Global water availability boosted by vegetation-driven changes in atmospheric moisture transport
Vegetation change over the past two decades has limited the decline in global water availability by enhancing rainfall over evapotranspiration, according to analysis of observation-based atmospheric moisture transport data.
- Jiangpeng Cui
- , Xu Lian
- & Shilong Piao
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Antarctic basal environment shaped by high-pressure flow through a subglacial river system
A 400-km-long subglacial dendritic river system in Antarctica transports freshwater at high pressures, potentially enhancing ice flow and ice-shelf melt, according to numerical modelling and geophysical data.
- C. F. Dow
- , N. Ross
- & M. J. Siegert
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Climate-driven decoupling of wetland and upland biomass trends on the mid-Atlantic coast
Carbon loss from coastal wetlands in eastern North America due to sea-level rise is being offset by warming-driven greening of adjacent upland forests, with a net increase in carbon stored in coastal vegetation, according to an analysis of remote sensing data.
- Yaping Chen
- & Matthew L. Kirwan
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Perspective |
Orange hydrogen is the new green
Enhancing natural subsurface hydrogen production through water injection could make a substantial contribution to achieving the low-carbon energy transition that is required to limit global warming.
- F. Osselin
- , C. Soulaine
- & M. Pichavant
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| Open AccessSubmarine melting of glaciers in Greenland amplified by atmospheric warming
Atmospheric variability can amplify ocean-driven submarine melting of marine-terminating glaciers in Greenland, according to an analysis of observations and models from 1979 to 2018.
- D. A. Slater
- & F. Straneo
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Substantial influence of vapour buoyancy on tropospheric air temperature and subtropical cloud
A combination of theory, reanalysis and model simulations suggests that tropospheric temperature and cloud cover are strongly influenced by vapour buoyancy, an effect currently neglected in some leading global climate models.
- Da Yang
- , Wenyu Zhou
- & Seth D. Seidel
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Climatic and tectonic drivers of late Oligocene Antarctic ice volume
Retreat of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet during the late Oligocene was caused primarily by a tectonically driven marine transgression, according to a compilation of Ross Sea surface temperature estimates throughout the Cenozoic.
- B. Duncan
- , R. McKay
- & J. Bendle
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News & Views |
Thwaites Glacier and the bed beneath
Thwaites Glacier in Antarctica is losing mass and has the potential to cause substantial sea level rise. New seabed imagery indicates that the glacier previously retreated at double its current rate, implying that mass loss could accelerate in the near future.
- Andrew Mackintosh
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| Open AccessRapid retreat of Thwaites Glacier in the pre-satellite era
The Thwaites Glacier grounding zone has experienced sustained pulses of rapid retreat over the past two centuries, according to sea floor observations obtained by an autonomous underwater vehicle.
- Alastair G. C. Graham
- , Anna Wåhlin
- & Robert D. Larter
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Reservoir CO2 and CH4 emissions and their climate impact over the period 1900–2060
Reservoir-induced radiative forcing is increasing globally due to rising methane emissions outweighing declining carbon dioxide emissions, according to modelling based on reservoir surface area observations.
- Cynthia Soued
- , John A. Harrison
- & Yves T. Prairie
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Mid-Pliocene El Niño/Southern Oscillation suppressed by Pacific intertropical convergence zone shift
Suppressed El Niño/Southern Oscillation variability during the mid-Pliocene Warm Period was caused mainly by a northward displacement of the intertropical convergence zone, according to an analysis of a large ensemble of climate model simulations.
- Gabriel M. Pontes
- , Andréa S. Taschetto
- & Arthur M. Oldeman
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News & Views |
Islands on the move
Sea level rise causes barrier islands to migrate landward. Coastal evolution modelling reveals a centennial-scale lag in island response time and suggests migration rates will increase by 50% within the next century, even if sea level were to stabilize.
- Laura J. Moore
- & A. Brad Murray
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Machine learning reveals climate forcing from aerosols is dominated by increased cloud cover
Satellite-based machine-learning analysis of a diffusive volcanic eruption suggests that aerosol climate forcing is dominated by changes in cloud cover, rather than changes in cloud brightness.
- Ying Chen
- , Jim Haywood
- & Ulrike Lohmann
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Rewetting global wetlands effectively reduces major greenhouse gas emissions
Global in situ observations show greenhouse gas emissions from wetlands are lowest when the water table is near the surface, and therefore rewetting wetlands could substantially reduce future emissions.
- Junyu Zou
- , Alan D. Ziegler
- & Zhenzhong Zeng
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| Open AccessPermafrost cooled in winter by thermal bridging through snow-covered shrub branches
Arctic shrubs cool permafrost in winter by acting as a thermal bridge through the snowpack, according to ground temperature observations and heat transfer simulations.
- Florent Domine
- , Kévin Fourteau
- & Mathilde Poirier
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Lag in response of coastal barrier-island retreat to sea-level rise
Coastal evolution simulations suggest that the modern retreat of coastal barrier islands is controlled by cumulative sea-level rise over the past several centuries and will accelerate by 50% within a century, even if sea-level rise remains at present rates.
- Giulio Mariotti
- & Christopher J. Hein
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Twentieth-century Azores High expansion unprecedented in the past 1,200 years
The Azores High over the North Atlantic has expanded due to anthropogenic climate change, disrupting precipitation patterns in western Europe, according to climate modelling and precipitation proxy records spanning the past millennium.
- Nathaniel Cresswell-Clay
- , Caroline C. Ummenhofer
- & Victor J. Polyak
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Research Briefing |
Daily monitoring reveals global CO2 emission patterns
Monitoring of the daily global CO2 emissions in 2020 reveals the spatial–temporal pattern of the drop in emissions due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. The daily CO2 emission changes also reveal different patterns of human activities and fossil CO2 emissions across countries, sectors and periods.
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| Open AccessGlobal patterns of daily CO2 emissions reductions in the first year of COVID-19
Observed daily changes in CO2 emissions from across the globe reveal the sectors and countries where pandemic-related emissions declines were most pronounced in 2020.
- Zhu Liu
- , Zhu Deng
- & Hans Joachim Schellnhuber
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Sub-aerial talik formation observed across the discontinuous permafrost zone of Alaska
Temperature observations from across Alaska show widespread talik formation in the discontinuous permafrost zone due to higher air temperatures and above-average snowfall in recent years.
- Louise M. Farquharson
- , Vladimir E. Romanovsky
- & Dmitry Nicolsky
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Editorial |
Catching carbon
Meeting climate targets will require considerable carbon dioxide removal in addition to emission cuts. To achieve this sustainably, a range of methods are needed to avoid adverse effects and match co-benefits with local needs.
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| Open AccessShifts in regional water availability due to global tree restoration
Global tree restoration could cause substantial and regionally variable changes in water availability, according to an ensemble of Budyko models and moisture recycling data.
- Anne J. Hoek van Dijke
- , Martin Herold
- & Adriaan J. Teuling
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Increasing atmospheric helium due to fossil fuel exploitation
Mass spectrometry measurements show that the concentration of helium in the atmosphere has risen over the past five decades due to fossil fuel emissions.
- Benjamin Birner
- , Jeffrey Severinghaus
- & Ralph F. Keeling
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Antarctic ice-shelf advance driven by anomalous atmospheric and sea-ice circulation
Most of the eastern Antarctic Peninsula’s coastline has undergone uninterrupted advance since the early 2000s due to enhanced near-shore sea ice, according to satellite observations and reanalysis data.
- Frazer D. W. Christie
- , Toby J. Benham
- & Julian A. Dowdeswell