Editorial |
Featured
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Perspective |
Confronting the water potential information gap
Continuous and discoverable observations of water potential could vastly improve understanding of biophysical processes throughout the soil–plant–atmosphere continuum and are achievable thanks to recent technological advances.
- Kimberly A. Novick
- , Darren L. Ficklin
- & Jeffrey D. Wood
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Article |
Sulfur emissions from consumption by developed and developing countries produce comparable climate impacts
Sulfur dioxide emissions due to consumption by developed and developing countries differ in magnitude but produce comparable climate impacts due to the regional distribution of emissions, according to simulations using an Earth system model.
- Jintai Lin
- , Chunjiang Zhou
- & Yongyun Hu
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Matters Arising |
Atlantic circulation change still uncertain
- K. Halimeda Kilbourne
- , Alan D. Wanamaker
- & Nina M. Whitney
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Article |
Pyrogenic carbon decomposition critical to resolving fire’s role in the Earth system
Vegetation plays an important role in the aggregate carbon balance of fires, according to a 1901 to 2010 land surface model study that, assuming steady state, shows potentially greater pyrogenic carbon production than legacy losses at global scale, due mostly to grassland adaptations to fire.
- Simon P. K. Bowring
- , Matthew W. Jones
- & Samuel Abiven
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Article |
Ice velocity and thickness of the world’s glaciers
Potential sea-level rise from the world’s glaciers is 20% less than previously thought, according to an estimate based on high-resolution maps of glacier ice velocity and thickness.
- Romain Millan
- , Jérémie Mouginot
- & Mathieu Morlighem
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Article |
Rapid glacier retreat rates observed in West Antarctica
The Pope, Smith and Kohler glaciers in West Antarctica have exhibited faster than expected retreat rates in recent years, according to grounding-line observations from satellite radar interferometry.
- P. Milillo
- , E. Rignot
- & L. Dini
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Editorial |
Complexities of coastal resilience
Mitigating the risks of coastal flooding as sea levels rise requires management of sediment as well as water.
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Review Article |
Poleward expansion of tropical cyclone latitudes in warming climates
Hurricanes and typhoons are tracking further poleward due to the effects of climate change, according to a synthesis of numerical modelling results, observations and palaeoclimate records.
- Joshua Studholme
- , Alexey V. Fedorov
- & Kevin Hodges
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Article |
Influence of biogenic emissions from boreal forests on aerosol–cloud interactions
Emissions from the boreal forest biosphere can substantially increase aerosol load above the forest and influence the radiative properties of clouds, according to analysis of observations from a monitoring station in Finland.
- T. Petäjä
- , K. Tabakova
- & V.-M. Kerminen
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Editorial |
Methane matters
The Global Methane Pledge is a good start, but larger cuts in emissions are achievable with current technology. More ambition is needed to help limit warming to 1.5 °C.
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Article |
Marsh resilience to sea-level rise reduced by storm-surge barriers in the Venice Lagoon
Sediment supply to the Venice Lagoon is substantially reduced by flood barriers inhibiting storm-related sediment reworking and transport, according to observations through multiple storm events before and after barrier installation.
- Davide Tognin
- , Andrea D’Alpaos
- & Luca Carniello
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Article |
Great Plains storm intensity since the last glacial controlled by spring surface warming
Shifts in the seasonal timing of land surface warming set the severity of storm systems in the southern Great Plains since the last glacial, according to a hydroclimate proxy record from Texas and palaeoclimate modelling.
- Chijun Sun
- , Timothy M. Shanahan
- & Priyadarsi D. Roy
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Article |
Persistent orbital influence on millennial climate variability through the Pleistocene
Orbital forcing consistently influenced the magnitude of millennial-scale climate variability through the Pleistocene, according to an analysis of four high-resolution Northern Hemisphere proxy records covering the past 1.5 Myr.
- Youbin Sun
- , Jerry F. McManus
- & Zhisheng An
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Article |
Recent strengthening of snow and ice albedo feedback driven by Antarctic sea-ice loss
Recent strengthening of the snow/ice albedo feedback is due to Antarctic sea-ice loss, according to satellite observations of surface albedo.
- Aku Riihelä
- , Ryan M. Bright
- & Kati Anttila
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Article |
Amplified warming of extreme temperatures over tropical land
Climate change warms extreme hot days over tropical land more strongly than the mean temperature as hot days are dry, according to a new theory and analysis of global climate models.
- Michael P. Byrne
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Article |
Attribution of global lake systems change to anthropogenic forcing
Anthropogenic climate change is impacting the temperature and ice cover of lakes across the globe, according to an attribution analysis based on hindcasts and projections from lake models.
- Luke Grant
- , Inne Vanderkelen
- & Wim Thiery
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News & Views |
Winter isn’t what it used to be
Northern autumns and winters are getting warmer, and their weather is also getting blander. Observations and climate model simulations reveal that human activities have managed to make today’s weather measurably different than it was only a generation ago.
- Dáithí A. Stone
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Article |
Decreasing subseasonal temperature variability in the northern extratropics attributed to human influence
Anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions are responsible for the observed decrease in subseasonal temperature variability in the northern extratropics, according to an attribution analysis using a large ensemble of climate model simulations.
- Russell Blackport
- , John C. Fyfe
- & James A. Screen
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Article |
Shutdown of Southern Ocean convection controls long-term greenhouse gas-induced warming
Southern Ocean deep convection governs the magnitude of long-term warming in response to greenhouse gases, according to an analysis of Earth system models.
- Ada Gjermundsen
- , Aleksi Nummelin
- & Michael Schulz
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Correspondence |
Amazonian forest degradation must be incorporated into the COP26 agenda
- Celso H. L. Silva Junior
- , Nathália S. Carvalho
- & Luiz E. O. C. Aragão
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Article |
Emergence of Southern Hemisphere stratospheric circulation changes in response to ozone recovery
Antarctic ozone-hole recovery has caused significant changes in Southern Hemisphere stratospheric circulation, according to atmospheric reanalysis and global climate modelling.
- Brian Zambri
- , Susan Solomon
- & Qiang Fu
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Article |
Muted multidecadal climate variability in central Europe during cold stadial periods
Central European multidecadal climate variability was subdued during cold stadials through the last glacial cycle due to atmospheric and oceanic circulation shifts, according to almost annual-resolution terrestrial climate proxy records from varved maar lakes in Germany.
- Frank Sirocko
- , Alfredo Martínez-García
- & Gerald H. Haug
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News & Views |
Planting trees to combat drought
Reforestation of agricultural lands in Europe increases local and downwind summer rainfall, according to a new analysis of rain-gauge measurements from across the continent. Realistic levels of tree planting could therefore mitigate future droughts expected with climate change.
- Jessica C. A. Baker
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Article |
Conservation slows down emission increase from a tropical peatland in Indonesia
During a period of drought, an intact tropical peatland in Indonesia released half the amount of greenhouse gases as was released from a degraded site, according to a direct comparison of eddy covariance measurements at a pair of peatland sites in Sumatra.
- Chandra S. Deshmukh
- , Dony Julius
- & Chris D. Evans
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Article |
Empirical estimate of forestation-induced precipitation changes in Europe
Forestation over Europe triggers substantial local and downwind precipitation changes, according to results from an observation-based continental-scale statistical model.
- Ronny Meier
- , Jonas Schwaab
- & Edouard L. Davin
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Perspective |
Rapid decline in Antarctic sea ice in recent years hints at future change
The combined effects of decades-long warming and particularly vigorous injections of atmospheric heat from lower latitudes were the likely culprits for sharp declines in sea-ice extent around Antarctica starting in 2016.
- Clare Eayrs
- , Xichen Li
- & David M. Holland
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Article |
Distinct sources of interannual subtropical and subpolar Atlantic overturning variability
Wind stress controls annual variations in the Atlantic meridional overturning circulation at mid-latitudes, while surface buoyancy also matters at subpolar latitudes, according to an attribution analysis using a numerical model constrained by observational array data.
- Yavor Kostov
- , Helen L. Johnson
- & Timothy Smith
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Article |
Granular decoherence precedes ice mélange failure and glacier calving at Jakobshavn Isbræ
Calving of an outlet glacier in Greenland is consistently preceded by distinctive flow patterns in the mélange of sea ice and icebergs in front of the terminus, according to terrestrial radar observations and particle dynamic modelling of the Jakobshavn Isbræ system.
- Ryan K. Cassotto
- , Justin C. Burton
- & Martin Truffer
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Article |
Different climate sensitivity of particulate and mineral-associated soil organic matter
Particulate and mineral-associated soil organic carbon have different climate sensitivity and distributions in Europe, according to analyses of measurements of soil carbon fractions from 352 topsoils.
- Emanuele Lugato
- , Jocelyn M. Lavallee
- & M. Francesca Cotrufo
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Article |
Atlantic Equatorial Undercurrent intensification counteracts warming-induced deoxygenation
Recent strengthening of the Equatorial Undercurrent counteracts warming-induced deoxygenation in the equatorial Atlantic, according to an analysis of long-term moored observations.
- Peter Brandt
- , Johannes Hahn
- & Marcus Dengler
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Article |
Intensification of El Niño-induced atmospheric anomalies under greenhouse warming
Greenhouse gas-induced warming intensifies atmospheric variability associated with the El Niño/Southern Oscillation, according to an analysis of global climate model projections.
- Kaiming Hu
- , Gang Huang
- & Shang-Ping Xie
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Article |
Half of global methane emissions come from highly variable aquatic ecosystem sources
Methane emissions from aquatic systems contribute approximately half of global methane emissions, according to meta-analysis of natural, impacted and human-made aquatic ecosystems and indicating potential mitigation strategies to reduce emissions.
- Judith A. Rosentreter
- , Alberto V. Borges
- & Bradley D. Eyre
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Article |
Arctic sea-ice loss fuels extreme European snowfall
The loss of Arctic sea-ice enhances evaporation and fuels extreme European winter snowfall, according to an analysis of atmospheric water vapour isotope measurements.
- Hannah Bailey
- , Alun Hubbard
- & Jeffrey M. Welker
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Article |
Recent European drought extremes beyond Common Era background variability
European summer droughts in recent years are anomalously severe compared with those of the previous 2,000 years, according to a synthesis of annually resolved tree-ring carbon and oxygen isotope records.
- Ulf Büntgen
- , Otmar Urban
- & Miroslav Trnka
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Article |
Projections of tropical heat stress constrained by atmospheric dynamics
Limiting global warming to 1.5 °C will prevent tropical regions from reaching the limit of human adaptability, according to robust dynamical constraints on projected heat stress.
- Yi Zhang
- , Isaac Held
- & Stephan Fueglistaler
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Brief Communication |
Current Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation weakest in last millennium
The Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC) is currently distinctly weaker than it has been for the last millennium, according to a synthesis of proxy records derived from a range of techniques.
- L. Caesar
- , G. D. McCarthy
- & S. Rahmstorf
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Editorial |
Mountains of change
The world’s glaciers are shrinking, with knock-on impacts for local communities. We need a better grasp of the hazards they leave behind.
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Article |
Increased outburst flood hazard from Lake Palcacocha due to human-induced glacier retreat
Human-induced warming is responsible for the retreat of Palcaraju glacier and the associated increase in glacial lake outburst flood hazard, according to an analysis of observations and numerical models.
- R. F. Stuart-Smith
- , G. H. Roe
- & M. R. Allen
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Article |
Disproportionate control on aerosol burden by light rain
Light rain plays a disproportionate role in aerosol wet removal, according to improved simulations on rain intensity and frequency in global climate models.
- Yong Wang
- , Wenwen Xia
- & Guang J. Zhang
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Article |
Atlantic and Pacific tropics connected by mutually interactive decadal-timescale processes
Atmospheric Walker circulation results in a two-way interaction between decadal-scale sea surface temperature variability in the Atlantic and Pacific, according to pacemaker climate modelling experiments.
- Gerald A. Meehl
- , Aixue Hu
- & Nan Rosenbloom
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Perspective |
Opportunities and challenges in using remaining carbon budgets to guide climate policy
Uncertainties and subjective choices affecting remaining carbon budgets should be fully considered when applying them to international and national climate policies.
- H. Damon Matthews
- , Katarzyna B. Tokarska
- & Kirsten Zickfeld
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Article |
Carbon and nitrogen cycling in Yedoma permafrost controlled by microbial functional limitations
Carbon dioxide emissions from permafrost thaw are substantially enhanced by relieving microbial functional limitations, according to incubation experiments on Yedoma permafrost.
- Sylvain Monteux
- , Frida Keuper
- & Ellen Dorrepaal
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Article |
Recent recovery of Antarctic Bottom Water formation in the Ross Sea driven by climate anomalies
Interacting atmospheric circulation patterns are responsible for a recent reversal of a decades-long decline in deepwater formation on the Antarctic shelf, according to an analysis of in situ and remote sensing data from the Ross Sea.
- Alessandro Silvano
- , Annie Foppert
- & Alison M. Macdonald
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Editorial |
Between a cloud and a hot place
Low climate sensitivity has been ruled out, but the door remains open for alarmingly high estimates. Improved understanding of cloud feedbacks is vital for better constraining the upper limit of future warming.
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Article |
Equilibrium climate sensitivity above 5 °C plausible due to state-dependent cloud feedback
Simulations suggest a shift to a high sensitivity of Earth’s climate to increasing CO2 can be attributed to the decline in the ice content in clouds as the climate warms.
- Jenny Bjordal
- , Trude Storelvmo
- & Tim Carlsen
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Article |
Moist heat stress extremes in India enhanced by irrigation
Intensive irrigation in India cools the land surface, but increases the moist heat stress in South Asia, according to an analysis of observational datasets and meteorological models.
- Vimal Mishra
- , Anukesh Krishnankutty Ambika
- & Matthew Huber
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Article |
Spatial pattern of super-greenhouse warmth controlled by elevated specific humidity
The reduced Equator-to-pole temperature gradient during the Eocene greenhouse climate was maintained by elevated atmospheric humidity, according to temperature and precipitation isotope estimates from terrestrial siderite clumped isotopes.
- Joep van Dijk
- , Alvaro Fernandez
- & Tim White
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Editorial |
Up in smoke
Where there is smoke, there are radiative feedbacks. With wildfires becoming a growing problem in the Anthropocene, we need to better understand the influence of fire on the climate system.
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Article |
Marine organic carbon burial increased forest fire frequency during Oceanic Anoxic Event 2
A global carbon cycle perturbation during Oceanic Anoxic Event 2 was probably due to elevated oxygen levels leading to a transient increase in wildfire activity, according to a record of plant biomarkers tracking fire frequency in western North America.
- F. Garrett Boudinot
- & Julio Sepúlveda