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Correspondence |
Melting glaciers threaten ice core science on the Tibetan Plateau
- Yulan Zhang
- & Shichang Kang
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Research Briefing |
Disappearance of Arctic sea ice during summers of the Last Interglacial
Analysis of the microfossil content of sediment cores from areas where thick Arctic sea ice persists today reveals that a subpolar species associated with Atlantic water expanded deep into the Arctic Ocean during the Last Interglacial. This finding implies that summers in the Arctic were likely sea-ice-free during this period.
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Article
| Open AccessA seasonally ice-free Arctic Ocean during the Last Interglacial
The warm Last Interglacial led to a seasonally ice-free Arctic Ocean and a transformation to Atlantic conditions, according to planktic foraminifera records from central Arctic Ocean sediment cores.
- Flor Vermassen
- , Matt O’Regan
- & Helen K. Coxall
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Article
| Open AccessShallow-water hydrothermal venting linked to the Palaeocene–Eocene Thermal Maximum
Widespread shallow-water hydrothermal venting in the North Atlantic, probably a source of methane, coincided with the onset of the Palaeocene–Eocene Thermal Maximum, according to borehole proxy records and seismic imaging.
- Christian Berndt
- , Sverre Planke
- & Stacy L. Yager
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News & Views |
Silicate weathering feedback hindered by clay formation
The chemical weathering of silicate rocks plays a central role in stabilizing our climate through CO2 drawdown. Li isotopic evidence from a prolonged Eocene warming event suggests clay formation may disrupt this feedback on intermediate timescales.
- Michael J. Henehan
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Article
| Open AccessEnhanced clay formation key in sustaining the Middle Eocene Climatic Optimum
The long duration of the Middle Eocene Climatic Optimum, compared with other transient Eocene warming events, can be explained by an increase in clays forming from the weathering of silicate minerals, according to lithium isotope records of marine carbonates.
- Alexander J. Krause
- , Appy Sluijs
- & Philip A. E. Pogge von Strandmann
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Article
| Open AccessLate Pleistocene 100-kyr glacial cycles paced by precession forcing of summer insolation
Orbital precession played a more important role than obliquity during Late Pleistocene swings in ice-sheet extent, according to an analysis of benthic oxygen isotope records with precise age constraints.
- Bethany Hobart
- , Lorraine E. Lisiecki
- & Charles E. Lawrence
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Article |
Grassland responses to elevated CO2 determined by plant–microbe competition for phosphorus
The competition between grassland vegetation and microbes for phosphorus controls how plant productivity responds to elevated CO2, according to free-air CO2 enrichment experiments on phosphorus-limited grasslands.
- J. Ben Keane
- , Iain P. Hartley
- & Gareth K. Phoenix
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Comment |
Communicating the link between climate change and extreme rain events
Extreme rainfall events are often linked to climate change based on simple thermodynamic arguments, but complex dynamic processes also play a role. Scientists have a responsibility to ensure they provide accurate information to the media and public.
- Andrew D. King
- , Kimberley J. Reid
- & Kate R. Saunders
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Article
| Open AccessWidespread shallow mesoscale circulations observed in the trades
Atmospheric observations show the presence of shallow mesoscale circulations in the North Atlantic trades and demonstrate their widespread influence on atmospheric moisture and, consequently, clouds.
- Geet George
- , Bjorn Stevens
- & Ann Kristin Naumann
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Article
| Open AccessGroundwater springs formed during glacial retreat are a large source of methane in the high Arctic
Groundwater springs formed during the retreat of a melting glacier are likely hotspots of methane emissions in the high Arctic according to measurements of methane concentrations in springs recently formed in central Svalbard.
- Gabrielle E. Kleber
- , Andrew J. Hodson
- & Alexandra V. Turchyn
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Brief Communication
| Open AccessGlacier retreat alters downstream fjord ecosystem structure and function in Greenland
Glacier retreat in Greenland not only changes the primary productivity of downstream fjord ecosystems but also the ecosystem structure and functioning, according to seasonal sampling of two downstream fjords.
- Lorenz Meire
- , Maria Lund Paulsen
- & John Mortensen
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Article |
Ocean heat uptake and interbasin redistribution driven by anthropogenic aerosols and greenhouse gases
Anthropogenic greenhouse gases and aerosols have counteracting effects on heat uptake and interbasin transport in the ocean, according to an ensemble of climate model simulations.
- Shouwei Li
- , Wei Liu
- & Laifang Li
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Article
| Open AccessResponse of stratospheric water vapour to warming constrained by satellite observations
Uncertainty in stratospheric water vapour projections is reduced using an observational constraint based on historical co-variations between atmospheric temperature and water vapour.
- Peer Nowack
- , Paulo Ceppi
- & Manoj Joshi
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Article
| Open AccessIncreased tropical South Pacific western boundary current transport over the past century
The low-latitude western boundary current in the South Pacific Ocean strengthened as climate warmed over the past 100 years, according to a coral nitrogen isotope record from the Solomon Sea.
- Wen-Hui Chen
- , Haojia Ren
- & Xingchen Tony Wang
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Article
| Open AccessRadiocarbon evidence for the stability of polar ocean overturning during the Holocene
Overturning circulation that mixes surface and deep water was invariant over the Holocene, suggesting a limited role in rising CO2 during this time, according to deep-sea coral radiocarbon records.
- Tianyu Chen
- , Laura F. Robinson
- & Timothy D. J. Knowles
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Article |
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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Research Briefing |
Icequakes used to measure friction and slip at a glacier bed
Icequake observations were combined with an analytical friction model to measure friction and slip at the bed of an Antarctic ice stream. Friction and slip are found to be highly variable in space and time, controlled by higher-than-expected normal stresses at the ice–bed interface.
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Widespread partial-depth hydrofractures in ice sheets driven by supraglacial streams
Surface fractures that intersect glacial streams can propagate deeply in ice sheets and can increase their dynamic instability as melting intensifies, according to a new observationally-constrained modelling study of the Greenland Ice Sheet.
- David M. Chandler
- & Alun Hubbard
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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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Brief Communication
| Open AccessMid-Proterozoic day length stalled by tidal resonance
Analysis of changes in the Earth’s rotation in the Precambrian suggests that day length stabilized at 19 h for 1 billion years due to tidal resonance, which may have been linked to a relatively quiescent period of tectonic activity and biological evolution.
- Ross N. Mitchell
- & Uwe Kirscher
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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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Research Briefing |
Fossil greenhouse-gas emission from microbial use of rock-derived organic carbon
Rock organic carbon from glacial runoff, once assumed to be non-bioavailable, is identified as a substrate used by marine sedimentary microbes. This challenges the traditional view that rock organic carbon bypasses the active carbon cycle and indicates an additional source of fossil greenhouse-gas emissions on geological, or possibly even shorter, timescales.
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Article |
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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Article
| 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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Article |
A primary magmatic source of nitrogen to Earth’s crust
The formation of continental crust may have trapped —and thus not degassed—substantial amounts of magmatic nitrogen over Earth’s history, according to geochemical analyses of igneous rocks from the Hekla volcanic system in Iceland.
- Toby J. Boocock
- , Sami Mikhail
- & Eva E. Stüeken
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Article |
Late Miocene onset of hyper-aridity in East Antarctica indicated by meteoric beryllium-10 in permafrost
The hyper-arid climate of modern East Antarctica only arose in the late Miocene, millions of years after the interval of rapid ice-sheet expansion, according to meteoric beryllium-10 concentrations within the permafrost.
- Marjolaine Verret
- , Cassandra Trinh-Le
- & Tim Naish
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Editorial |
Phosphorus cycle in focus
Ecosystems have long been shaped by phosphorus limitation. We need to better understand how natural and human-caused shifts in the phosphorus cycle disrupt the Earth system.
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Article |
Recent state transition of the Arctic Ocean’s Beaufort Gyre
The Arctic Ocean’s Beaufort Gyre has transitioned to a state where the freshwater content has plateaued and the cold halocline layer has thinned, as a result of variation in the regional wind forcing.
- Peigen Lin
- , Robert S. Pickart
- & Takashi Kikuchi
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Article |
Arctic mercury flux increased through the Last Glacial Termination with a warming climate
Mercury deposition onto the Greenland Ice Sheet increased from the Last Glacial Termination to early Holocene as the North Atlantic warmed and sea ice retreated, according to an ice-core mercury record and atmospheric chemistry modelling.
- Delia Segato
- , Alfonso Saiz-Lopez
- & Andrea Spolaor
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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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Article
| 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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Research Briefing |
Underwater terraced deposits chronicle volcanic eruptions
Analogue experiments show that powerful eruption columns deliver material to the sea surface and seabed in periodic annular sedimentation waves. Depending on the water depth, the impact and spread of these waves at the sea surface and seabed can excite tsunamis, drive radial pyroclastic density currents, and build concentric terraces.
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Article |
Submarine terraced deposits linked to periodic collapse of caldera-forming eruption columns
Submarine terraced deposits of some caldera-forming explosive eruptions result from periodic collapses of the eruption column and can be used to estimate their source eruption rate, according to an analysis of such terraces and analogue experiments.
- Johan T. Gilchrist
- , A. Mark Jellinek
- & Sean Wanket
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News & Views |
A current take on past overturning
Deep overturning circulation in the North Atlantic strongly influences the global climate system. Combined proxy record compilations and modelling refine our understanding of the behaviour of this circulation over the last 20,000 years.
- K. Halimeda Kilbourne
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Research Briefing |
Quantifying ice mass loss caused by the replacement of glacial ice with lake water
Subaqueous glacier mass losses are not accounted for by traditional geodetic mass balance calculations. Estimates based on proglacial lake volume changes revealed that the mass loss of glaciers terminating into lakes in the greater Himalaya during 2000−2020 was previously underestimated by approximately 6.5%, with the largest underestimation in the central Himalaya.
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News & Views |
A fly in the ozone and climate ointment
The Montreal Protocol has successfully guided the world’s transition from chlorofluorcarbons that deplete ozone to hydrofluorocarbons that pose no direct threat to the ozone layer. A study suggests that a recent rise in atmospheric chlorofluorcarbons is linked to the inadvertent release of these gases during the production of hydrofluorocarbons.
- Ross J. Salawitch
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Article
| 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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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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Article |
Global increase of ozone-depleting chlorofluorocarbons from 2010 to 2020
Levels of five chlorofluorocarbons rose in the atmosphere from 2010 to 2020 despite their production being banned by the Montreal Protocol, probably arising as by-products of hydrofluorocarbon production, according to analysis of abundance and emissions data.
- Luke M. Western
- , Martin K. Vollmer
- & Johannes C. Laube
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News & Views |
Simplifying climate complexity
The El Niño Southern Oscillation strongly impacts climate, but its variability remains difficult to predict. A conceptual model based on shifting circulation patterns offers a simple explanation for this complex behaviour.
- Antonietta Capotondi
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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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Article |
ENSO complexity controlled by zonal shifts in the Walker circulation
A simple conceptual model suggests that the complex behaviour of the El Niño/Southern Oscillation can be explained by zonal shifts in the Walker circulation.
- Sulian Thual
- & Boris Dewitte
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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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Article |
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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Article
| 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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Rapid night-time nanoparticle growth in Delhi driven by biomass-burning emissions
Measurements suggest that emissions from biomass burning drive the rapid growth of particles from nanoscale into sizes relevant for haze formation during the night in Delhi.
- Suneeti Mishra
- , Sachchida Nand Tripathi
- & Andre S. H. Prevot
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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.