Featured
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Atmospheric methane variability through the Last Glacial Maximum and deglaciation mainly controlled by tropical sources
Abrupt changes in atmospheric methane through the last deglaciation were largely the result of tropical sources responding to shifting rainfall patterns, according to a comparison of precisely dated ice cores in Greenland and Antarctica.
- Ben Riddell-Young
- , Julia Rosen
- & Thomas Blunier
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Article
| Open AccessGlobally limited but severe shallow-shelf euxinia during the end-Triassic extinction
While global ocean redox patterns during the end Triassic were similar to today, pulses of localized anoxia were probably linked to mass extinctions on continental shelves, according to analysis of molybdenum records.
- Andrew D. Bond
- , Alexander J. Dickson
- & Bas van de Schootbrugge
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| Open AccessRadiative forcing from aerosol–cloud interactions enhanced by large-scale circulation adjustments
Convection-permitting simulations suggest that the radiative impact of aerosol–cloud interactions is enhanced by adjustments to large-scale circulation, which increase cloudiness.
- Guy Dagan
- , Netta Yeheskel
- & Andrew I. L. Williams
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| Open AccessFrequent marine heatwaves hidden below the surface of the global ocean
Substantial numbers of marine heatwaves are hidden globally below the sea surface, according to analyses of ocean temperature data.
- Di Sun
- , Furong Li
- & Bohai Zhang
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Climate variability a key driver of recent Antarctic ice-mass change
The Southern Annular Mode and ENSO are the main drivers of recent decadal variability in Antarctic ice mass, according to analysis of satellite-based gravimetric observations.
- Matt A. King
- , Kewei Lyu
- & Xuebin Zhang
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Southeast Asian ecological dependency on Tibetan Plateau streamflow over the last millennium
Reconstructions of Tibetan Plateau streamflow over the last millennia reveal close associations with dry season vegetation and major population shifts in Southeast Asia.
- Feng Chen
- , Wenmin Man
- & Fahu Chen
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| Open AccessSubstantial and increasing global losses of timber-producing forest due to wildfires
Wildfires have caused widespread and increasingly severe losses within timber-producing forests in recent decades, according to maps of logging activity and wildfires.
- Christopher G. Bousfield
- , David. B. Lindenmayer
- & David P. Edwards
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| Open AccessExtratropical forests increasingly at risk due to lightning fires
Lightning-induced fires account for 77% of the burned area in extratropical intact forests, and lightning ignitions will probably become more frequent as the global climate warms, according to a global attribution of lightning and anthropogenic fires from 2001 to 2020.
- Thomas A. J. Janssen
- , Matthew W. Jones
- & Sander Veraverbeke
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Editorial |
Healthier air, healthier planet
Air pollution is a leading cause of death globally. Efforts to clean the air will not only save lives but contribute to addressing broader environmental and socioeconomic challenges.
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Article
| Open AccessEarly Eocene low orography and high methane enhance Arctic warming via polar stratospheric clouds
Indirect forcing by low regional orography and high atmospheric methane levels contributed to the amplified Arctic temperatures in the early Eocene by enhancing polar stratospheric cloud formation, according to an atmospheric model with interactive chemistry.
- Deepashree Dutta
- , Martin Jucker
- & Jiang Zhu
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Perspective |
Atmospheric new particle formation from the CERN CLOUD experiment
The CLOUD experiment provides important insights into new particle formation in different atmospheric environments.
- Jasper Kirkby
- , António Amorim
- & Douglas R. Worsnop
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Perspective |
Regional but not global temperature variability underestimated by climate models at supradecadal timescales
Discrepancies between model simulations and proxy reconstructions of regional multidecadal to centennial climate variability are primarily due to climate model deficiencies, which might also impact future projections, according to a synthesis of recent work.
- T. Laepple
- , E. Ziegler
- & K. Rehfeld
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Globally coherent water cycle response to temperature change during the past two millennia
Global temperature fluctuations during the last 2,000 years caused consistent changes in ocean evaporation and atmospheric moisture condensation processes, reflected in coherent water isotope signals in a large compilation of proxy records.
- Bronwen L. Konecky
- , Nicholas P. McKay
- & Kei Yoshimura
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Chicxulub impact winter sustained by fine silicate dust
Fine silicate dust generated by the Chicxulub impact had a dominant role in the global cooling and disruption of photosynthesis that followed, according to palaeoclimate simulations constrained by grain-size analysis of Cretaceous-Palaeogene boundary sediments.
- Cem Berk Senel
- , Pim Kaskes
- & Özgür Karatekin
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| Open AccessMillennial atmospheric CO2 changes linked to ocean ventilation modes over past 150,000 years
The variable intensity of Southern Ocean as well as North Atlantic deep-water ventilation explains differences in atmospheric CO2 trends and magnitudes during cold stadials over the past 150,000 years, according to a record of deep-ocean acidity.
- J. Yu
- , R. F. Anderson
- & J. F. McManus
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Substantial halogenated organic chemicals stored in permafrost soils on the Tibetan Plateau
Chemical analyses show permafrost soils on the Tibetan Plateau contain large amounts of halogenated organic chemicals that could be remobilized in a changing climate.
- Xiaojing Zhu
- , Fan Yang
- & Jan Schwarzbauer
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Emergence of the modern global monsoon from the Pangaea megamonsoon set by palaeogeography
Varying monsoon extent and intensity since the expansive megamonsoon on the Pangaea supercontinent was controlled by the position and fragmentation of continental land masses, according to climate simulations and atmospheric energetic analyses.
- Yongyun Hu
- , Xiang Li
- & Zhengtang Guo
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Oxygenated deep waters fed early Atlantic overturning circulation upon Antarctic glaciation
Deep-ocean oxygenation patterns consistent with an active Atlantic meridional overturning circulation emerged following the Eocene-Oligocene transition about 34 million years ago, according to biomarker records from the northwest North Atlantic.
- Huanye Wang
- , Weiguo Liu
- & Zhonghui Liu
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Research Briefing |
Subglacial landscape in the Antarctic interior consistent with past fast ice flow
Swath radar maps of the subglacial landscape reveal how Antarctica’s geologic history has influenced the evolution of the ice sheet. The findings indicate the role of past interior ice streams in shaping ice-sheet growth and flow from Hercules Dome.
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| Open AccessScars of tectonism promote ice-sheet nucleation from Hercules Dome into West Antarctica
Alpine valleys and lineated bedforms imaged with swath radar suggest that ice flowed quickly into a fault-bounded basin during the initial nucleation of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet near Hercules Dome.
- Andrew O. Hoffman
- , Nicholas Holschuh
- & Knut Christianson
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Research Briefing |
A Grand Canyon palaeoclimate record shows a strengthened Early Holocene monsoon
From a stalagmite that grew 14,000–8,500 years ago, isotopic data provide a detailed history of groundwater infiltration associated with a strengthening North American monsoon, as the climate transitioned from a cool dry late-glacial period into a warmer and wetter Early Holocene.
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Research Briefing |
Satellite data show increased biomass carbon stocks in northern young forests
Accurate estimates of the land carbon sink are vital for informing climate projections and net-zero policies. Application of a strict filtering method to microwave satellite data enabled the evaluation of global vegetation biomass carbon dynamics for 2010–2019. The results highlight the role of demography in driving forest carbon gains and losses.
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Global increase in biomass carbon stock dominated by growth of northern young forests over past decade
A decade of satellite observations suggests that old, degraded and deforested tropical forests are almost carbon neutral whereas northern young forests are the biggest contributor to the rising amount of carbon stored globally in vegetation.
- Hui Yang
- , Philippe Ciais
- & Jean-Pierre Wigneron
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Elevated Grand Canyon groundwater recharge during the warm Early Holocene
Early Holocene groundwater recharge rates were higher than modern in the Grand Canyon region, probably due to an expanded North American Monsoon, according to a speleothem record and isotope-enabled palaeoclimate modelling.
- Matthew S. Lachniet
- , Xiaojing Du
- & Benjamin W. Tobin
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Soil carbon losses due to priming moderated by adaptation and legacy effects
Enhanced soil carbon mineralization due to additional organic matter inputs, a phenomenon called priming, diminishes within a few years as soils adapt to the higher carbon inputs.
- Marcus Schiedung
- , Axel Don
- & Samuel Abiven
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Matters Arising |
Reply to: Sensitivity of Santorini eruption model predictions to input conditions
- A. Gudmundsson
- , M. Bazargan
- & C. Satow
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| Open AccessClimate extremes likely to drive land mammal extinction during next supercontinent assembly
The Earth may become inhospitable to land mammals in about 250 Myr owing to climate warming and drying associated with the assembly of the next supercontinent, Pangaea-Ultima, according to combined tectonic, climate and mammal habitability modelling.
- Alexander Farnsworth
- , Y. T. Eunice Lo
- & Hannah R. Wakeford
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Long-distance atmospheric transport of microplastic fibres influenced by their shapes
Flat microplastic fibres have much longer residence times and travel further in the atmosphere than previously appreciated, according to simulations of the settling of microplastics with different shapes.
- Shuolin Xiao
- , Yuanfeng Cui
- & Qi Li
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| Open AccessWarming beneath an East Antarctic ice shelf due to increased subpolar westerlies and reduced sea ice
Oceanographic observations indicate sustained warming and enhanced basal melt since 2016 below the Fimbulisen ice sheet in East Antarctica, associated with increased subpolar westerlies and reduced sea ice.
- Julius Lauber
- , Tore Hattermann
- & Geir Moholdt
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Research Briefing |
Bubble bursts increase melt rates of tidewater glaciers
Glacier ice contains high-pressure air bubbles, which burst into seawater as ice melts at tidewater glacier termini. Laboratory measurements found that these bubbles double the rate of ice melt. Theoretically, this effect could be even larger in a real glacier. However, bursting bubbles are currently neglected in models projecting sea level rise.
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Editorial |
Heatwave resilience
Climate change together with the recent onset of El Niño this year has led to widespread heatwaves. As these events become increasingly commonplace, cities around the world urgently need to build resilience to heat.
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| Open AccessMelting of glacier ice enhanced by bursting air bubbles
Laboratory experiments suggest that bursting bubbles enhance ice melt from tidewater glaciers, and consequently, glacier-ice structure needs to be accounted for in projections of ice loss and sea-level rise.
- Meagan E. Wengrove
- , Erin C. Pettit
- & Eric D. Skyllingstad
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News & Views |
Blowing hot and cold
Measurements from a yearlong drift in sea ice across the Central Arctic show that large amounts of fine sea salt particles are produced during blowing snow events, affecting cloud properties and warming the surface.
- Lyatt Jaeglé
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| Open AccessArctic warming by abundant fine sea salt aerosols from blowing snow
Fine sea salt aerosols produced by blowing snow in the Arctic impact cloud properties and warm the surface, according to observations from the MOSAiC expedition.
- Xianda Gong
- , Jiaoshi Zhang
- & Jian Wang
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Benthic δ18O records Earth’s energy imbalance
While generally tracking Northern Hemisphere summer insolation, the Earth gained energy during cold millennial scale events throughout the past 150,000 years, according to an analysis of benthic oxygen isotopes.
- Sarah Shackleton
- , Alan Seltzer
- & Lorraine E. Lisiecki
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News & Views |
Cooler forests in clean air
Improving air quality by reducing atmospheric aerosols can bring valuable health benefits, but also generally leads to warming. Now, research suggests that in cleaner air the local cooling effect of planting trees may be stronger in middle and low latitude regions.
- Liang Chen
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Local surface cooling from afforestation amplified by lower aerosol pollution
Climate model simulations suggest that reducing aerosol pollution enhances the cooling effects of afforestation, which could partially counteract the warming effect of air quality measures.
- Jun Ge
- , Xin Huang
- & Weidong Guo
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| Open AccessRecent global climate feedback controlled by Southern Ocean cooling
The temporal evolution of the net global climate feedback in recent decades has been governed by sea surface temperature patterns in the Southern Ocean, according to climate model simulations.
- Sarah M. Kang
- , Paulo Ceppi
- & In-Sik Kang
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Recent trends in the chemistry of major northern rivers signal widespread Arctic change
Divergent trends in biogeochemical constituents of the six largest rivers in the Arctic from 2003 to 2019 support multi-faceted changes on the Arctic landscape under global environmental change.
- Suzanne E. Tank
- , James W. McClelland
- & Robert M. Holmes
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High-elevation Tibetan Plateau before India–Eurasia collision recorded by triple oxygen isotopes
The triple oxygen isotope composition of quartz veins indicates that the southern Tibetan Plateau was already around 3.5 km high by 60 million years ago, showing that substantial surface uplift started before collision of the Eurasian and Indian plates.
- Daniel E. Ibarra
- , Jingen Dai
- & Chengshan Wang
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News & Views |
Competing for phosphorus
A 3-year field experiment suggests plant responses to elevated CO2 in phosphorus-limited grasslands depends on the biogeochemical interplay between soil microbes and plants.
- Benjamin L. Turner
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Article
| Open AccessShortwave absorption by wildfire smoke dominated by dark brown carbon
Atmospheric short-wave absorption due to wildfire smoke is caused predominantly by dark brown carbon particles, according to observations from smoke plumes in the United States.
- Rajan K. Chakrabarty
- , Nishit J. Shetty
- & Rohan Mishra
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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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| 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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| 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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| 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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| 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