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Article
| Open AccessEocene emergence of highly calcifying coccolithophores despite declining atmospheric CO2
Highly calcifying, larger coccolithophores emerged as CO2 generally declined through the Eocene, despite cooling leading to lower organic-matter fixation rates, according to size-dependent coccolith carbon isotope analyses and cell-scale modelling
- L. M. Claxton
- , H. L. O. McClelland
- & R. E. M. Rickaby
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Article |
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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Article |
Astronomically controlled aridity in the Sahara since at least 11 million years ago
Pulses of Saharan dust have been entering the North Atlantic since at least 11 Ma, a result of astronomically paced cycles between arid and humid conditions in northern Africa, according to a terrigenous input record from an ocean core off west Africa.
- Anya J. Crocker
- , B. David A. Naafs
- & Paul A. Wilson
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Article |
Mapping peat thickness and carbon stocks of the central Congo Basin using field data
Field surveys suggest peatlands in the central Congo Basin are globally significant carbon stocks, storing approximately 28% of the world’s tropical peat carbon.
- Bart Crezee
- , Greta C. Dargie
- & Simon L. Lewis
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Article
| Open AccessCarbon fixation rates in groundwater similar to those in oligotrophic marine systems
Direct measurements of carbon fixation rates in groundwater suggest a substantial contribution of in situ primary production to subsurface ecosystem processes.
- Will A. Overholt
- , Susan Trumbore
- & Kirsten Küsel
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Article |
Basin-scale biogeochemical and ecological impacts of islands in the tropical Pacific Ocean
Tropical Pacific islands enhance phytoplankton biomass, productivity and biodiversity at both local and basin scales, according to ocean colour satellite observations used to identify island-enriched waters.
- Monique Messié
- , Anne Petrenko
- & Séverine Alvain
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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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Article |
Pulses in silicic arc magmatism initiate end-Permian climate instability and extinction
Pulses of silicic arc magmatism—and associated volatile emissions—helped set the timing and magnitude of the environmental disruptions that caused the end-Permian mass extinction, according to U–Pb zircon dating of silicic volcanic and related tephra sequences in eastern Australia.
- Timothy Chapman
- , Luke A. Milan
- & Jim Crowley
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Article |
Tropical tree growth driven by dry-season climate variability
Dry-season climate variability is a primary driver of tropical tree growth, according to observations from a pantropical tree-ring network.
- Pieter A. Zuidema
- , Flurin Babst
- & Zhe-Kun Zhou
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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 |
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 |
Global mapping reveals increase in lacustrine algal blooms over the past decade
Algal blooms are occurring more frequently, as seen in a global database compiled from satellite imagery from the past few decades.
- Xuejiao Hou
- , Lian Feng
- & Chunmiao Zheng
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Article |
Jurassic greenhouse ice-sheet fluctuations sensitive to atmospheric CO2 dynamics
Thin ice sheets during the warm Early Jurassic were tightly coupled to atmospheric CO2 fluctuations, according to a CO2 reconstruction based on the carbon isotopes of fossil wood.
- Lee Nordt
- , Daniel Breecker
- & Joseph White
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Review Article |
Fire effects on the persistence of soil organic matter and long-term carbon storage
Fires reduce plant biomass, which should deplete soil carbon stocks, but a review of recent literature shows that fires also slow decomposition rates and increase soil organic matter stability, offsetting aboveground biomass carbon losses.
- Adam F. A. Pellegrini
- , Jennifer Harden
- & Robert B. Jackson
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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
| Open AccessPossible link between Earth’s rotation rate and oxygenation
Rotational deceleration has increased daylength on Earth, potentially linking the increased burial of organic carbon by cyanobacterial mats and planetary oxygenation, according to experiments and modelling of Precambrian benthic ecosystems.
- J. M. Klatt
- , A. Chennu
- & G. J. Dick
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Article |
Dry corridors opened by fire and low CO2 in Amazonian rainforest during the Last Glacial Maximum
Lower CO2 and more-frequent fires may have supported grassland expansion in the Amazon during the Last Glacial Maximum, according to vegetation modelling using a range of boundary conditions tested against existing pollen records.
- Hiromitsu Sato
- , Douglas I. Kelley
- & Iain Colin Prentice
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Review Article |
Past abrupt changes, tipping points and cascading impacts in the Earth system
A synthesis of intervals of rapid climatic change evident in the geological record reveals some of the Earth system processes and tipping points that could lead to similar events in the future.
- Victor Brovkin
- , Edward Brook
- & Zicheng Yu
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Article |
Fire enhances forest degradation within forest edge zones in Africa
Fire exacerbates forest degradation in the forest edge zones in Africa, increasing the carbon deficit caused by forest fragmentation, according to analyses of high-resolution satellite data on forest cover and biomass.
- Zhe Zhao
- , Wei Li
- & Jingmeng Wang
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Matters Arising |
Lateral expansion of northern peatlands calls into question a 1,055 GtC estimate of carbon storage
- Joshua L. Ratcliffe
- , Haijun Peng
- & Mats B. Nilsson
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Matters Arising |
No support for carbon storage of >1,000 GtC in northern peatlands
- Zicheng Yu
- , Fortunat Joos
- & Jochen Schmitt
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Review Article |
A biogeochemical–hydrological framework for the role of redox-active compounds in aquatic systems
Highly redox-active compounds play an important role in biogeochemical element cycles in aquatic systems that are exposed to frequent hydrological disturbances.
- S. Peiffer
- , A. Kappler
- & B. Planer-Friedrich
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Article |
Effect of tectonic processes on biosphere–geosphere feedbacks across a convergent margin
The subsurface biosphere across a convergent margin may reflect tectonic processes and reduce carbon transfer to the mantle, according to bacterial and geochemical correlations from hot springs across the Costa Rican margin.
- Katherine M. Fullerton
- , Matthew O. Schrenk
- & Karen G. Lloyd
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Article |
Global carbon dioxide efflux from rivers enhanced by high nocturnal emissions
Failing to account for emission differences between day and night will lead to an underestimate of global CO2 emissions from rivers by up to 0.55 PgC yr–1, according to analyses of high-frequency CO2 measurements.
- Lluís Gómez-Gener
- , Gerard Rocher-Ros
- & Ryan A. Sponseller
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Article |
Impaired viral infection and reduced mortality of diatoms in iron-limited oceanic regions
Diatoms are less susceptible to viral infection in iron-limited oceans, according to metatranscriptomic analyses of diatoms and viruses in nutrient-replete and limited regions.
- Chana F. Kranzler
- , Mark A. Brzezinski
- & Kimberlee Thamatrakoln
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Editorial |
Valuing wetlands
Wetlands provide a wealth of societal and climatic benefits. Balanced conservation strategies are needed to ensure their protection in the twenty-first century and beyond.
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Article |
Extensive wetland development in mid-latitude North America during the Bølling–Allerød
Widespread, temporary wetlands in the American Midwest were likely a major cause of methane emission peaks during the last deglaciation, according to an analysis of regional pollen records combined with hydrological modelling.
- Eunji Byun
- , Hiromitsu Sato
- & Sarah A. Finkelstein
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Article |
Deforestation-induced warming over tropical mountain regions regulated by elevation
Deforestation causes elevation-dependent warming over tropical mountain regions, according to high-resolution climate simulations.
- Zhenzhong Zeng
- , Dashan Wang
- & Eric F. Wood
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Editorial |
When permafrost thaws
Thawing permafrost mobilizes concerning amounts of carbon into the wider environment. Piecing together carbon sources and sinks in this complex system is important to understanding its overall climate impact.
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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 |
Synergistic effects of four climate change drivers on terrestrial carbon cycling
Increases in atmospheric CO2 can be dampened but also accelerated by the net impact on terrestrial carbon cycling of combined changes in temperature, rainfall, CO2 and nitrogen, according to an eight-year grassland experiment in the United States.
- Peter B. Reich
- , Sarah E. Hobbie
- & Kally Worm
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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
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Comment |
Arctic fires re-emerging
Underground smouldering fires resurfaced early in 2020, contributing to the unprecedented wildfires that tore through the Arctic this spring and summer. An international effort is needed to manage a changing fire regime in the vulnerable Arctic.
- Jessica L. McCarty
- , Thomas E. L. Smith
- & Merritt R. Turetsky
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Article |
Molecular trade-offs in soil organic carbon composition at continental scale
Environmental factors influence the molecular composition of carbon in soils across continental gradients, according to analyses of North American mineral soils.
- Steven J. Hall
- , Chenglong Ye
- & William C. Hockaday
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Article |
Carbon loss from northern circumpolar permafrost soils amplified by rhizosphere priming
Plant roots in thawing permafrost soils act to enhance microbial decomposition and the loss of soil organic carbon, according to an analysis of observational data and a rhizosphere priming model.
- Frida Keuper
- , Birgit Wild
- & Ellen Dorrepaal
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News & Views |
Earth’s soil harbours ancient carbon
Organic carbon in the top metre of Earth’s soils is far older than previously thought, averaging 4,800 years old. These radiocarbon-derived age estimates require us to recalibrate our expectations of ecosystem gains and losses of carbon.
- Sharon A. Billings
- & Lígia F. T. de Souza
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Matters Arising |
Reply to: Multiple drivers of Miocene C4 ecosystem expansions
- Pratigya J. Polissar
- , Cassaundra Rose
- & Peter deMenocal
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Article |
The age distribution of global soil carbon inferred from radiocarbon measurements
Soils may accumulate less carbon and with a slower turnover than Earth system models predict, according to analysis of the age distribution of global soil carbon, which finds that the mean age of soil carbon is older than that in simulated in models.
- Zheng Shi
- , Steven D. Allison
- & James T. Randerson
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Article |
Chesapeake Bay acidification buffered by spatially decoupled carbonate mineral cycling
Calcium carbonate formed in seagrass beds that is transported and dissolved in deeper waters offshore helps buffer coastal acidification in the Chesapeake Bay, according to geochemical modelling of a transect of carbonate chemistry measurements.
- Jianzhong Su
- , Wei-Jun Cai
- & W. Michael Kemp
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Article |
The river–groundwater interface as a hotspot for arsenic release
The interface between riverbed and aquifer is a biogeochemical reaction hotspot for arsenic release from river sediments, according to numerical simulations of groundwater flow and biogeochemical reaction processes.
- Ilka Wallis
- , Henning Prommer
- & Rolf Kipfer
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Article |
No state change in pelagic fish production and biodiversity during the Eocene–Oligocene transition
Marine fish biomass and diversity did not change during the Eocene–Oligocene transition despite widespread cooling and Antarctic ice sheet expansion, according to microfossil fish teeth records from a set of deep-sea cores.
- Elizabeth C. Sibert
- , Michelle E. Zill
- & Richard D. Norris
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Article |
Phosphorus-limited conditions in the early Neoproterozoic ocean maintained low levels of atmospheric oxygen
Early Neoproterozoic marine productivity fell due to nutrient drawdown following a switch from an iron-rich to a sulfide-rich ocean, according to records of phosphorus geochemistry measured from sedimentary sections in North China.
- Romain Guilbaud
- , Simon W. Poulton
- & Timothy M. Lenton
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Article |
Global patterns of terrestrial nitrogen and phosphorus limitation
Spatial patterns in the phosphorus and nitrogen limitation in natural terrestrial ecosystems are reported from analysis of a global database of the resorption efficiency of nutrients by leaves.
- Enzai Du
- , César Terrer
- & Robert B. Jackson
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Article |
Carbon release through abrupt permafrost thaw
Analyses of inventory models under two climate change projection scenarios suggest that carbon emissions from abrupt thaw of permafrost through ground collapse, erosion and landslides could contribute significantly to the overall permafrost carbon balance.
- Merritt R. Turetsky
- , Benjamin W. Abbott
- & A. David McGuire
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Article |
Global picophytoplankton niche partitioning predicts overall positive response to ocean warming
Picophytoplankton are partitioned into niches, globally, and their abundance may increase as ocean temperatures rise, suggest analyses of a global abundance dataset with a neural-network-based niche model.
- Pedro Flombaum
- , Wei-Lei Wang
- & Adam C. Martiny
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Article |
Climate-forced sea-level lowstands in the Indian Ocean during the last two millennia
Two intervals of distinctly lower Indian Ocean sea level during the last two millennia occurred during times of relatively low incoming solar radiation, according to an analysis of U–Th dated coral microatolls in the Maldives.
- Paul S. Kench
- , Roger F. McLean
- & Keven Roy
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Article |
Heat accumulation on coral reefs mitigated by internal waves
Internal waves can relieve coral reef heat stress, according to an analysis that isolates the effect at different depths using a compilation of high-resolution temperature records.
- Alex S. J. Wyatt
- , James J. Leichter
- & Toshi Nagata
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