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Article |
Observational evidence for Criegee intermediate oligomerization reactions relevant to aerosol formation in the troposphere
Measurements of Criegee intermediate oligomerization signatures in the Amazon rainforest indicate that the role of Criegee intermediate chemistry in the composition of Earth’s troposphere has been underestimated.
- R. L. Caravan
- , T. J. Bannan
- & C. J. Percival
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Article
| Open Access
Substantial contribution of tree canopy nitrifiers to nitrogen fluxes in European forests
Canopy nitrification contributes up to 80% of the nitrate reaching the soils via throughfall in European forests, according to analyses of nitrogen deposition and oxygen isotopes in nitrate at ten forested sites.
- Rossella Guerrieri
- , Joan Cáliz
- & Maurizio Mencuccini
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Article |
Formation of secondary organic aerosol from wildfire emissions enhanced by long-time ageing
The amount of secondary organic aerosol produced from wildfire emissions is much higher than previously thought, according to model simulations of evolution of individual species of organic aerosol over time.
- Yicong He
- , Bin Zhao
- & Neil M. Donahue
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Article
| Open Access
Globally 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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Article |
Ozone pollution mitigation strategy informed by long-term trends of atmospheric oxidation capacity
Summer ozone in urban Beijing increased until 2014 and then decreased, according to 15 years of measurements in August from 2006 to 2020.
- Wenjie Wang
- , Xin Li
- & Yuanhang Zhang
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Comment |
Spotlight on air pollution in Africa
Africa’s worsening air pollution has received too little attention. We argue that actions are needed in energy transition management, transport emission regulation and waste management to protect Africa’s air quality.
- Mohammed Iqbal Mead
- , Gabriel Okello
- & Francis David Pope
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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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Article |
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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Article |
Increasing contribution of nighttime nitrogen chemistry to wintertime haze formation in Beijing observed during COVID-19 lockdowns
Analyses of atmospheric nitrogen chemistry in Beijing’s air pollution during the COVID-19 lockdown suggest an increasing role of nighttime nitrogen chemistry in haze formation above the city.
- Chao Yan
- , Yee Jun Tham
- & Markku Kulmala
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Article |
Sustained emission reductions have restrained the ozone pollution over China
Sustained emission reductions have altered the prevailing regime for ozone formation over China, weakening the trade-off in pollution control between aerosols and ozone, according to analyses of ozone pollution chemistry between 2013 and 2021.
- Yutong Wang
- , Yu Zhao
- & Chris P. Nielsen
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News & Views |
Arctic rivers tell tales of change
Two decades of measurements across large Arctic rivers reveal unexpectedly divergent biogeochemical changes that have important implications for the Arctic Ocean. This calls for an improved understanding of current disruptions over the boundless Arctic landscape.
- Fabrice Lacroix
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Article
| Open Access
Groundwater 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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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 |
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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Review Article |
Phosphorus availability on the early Earth and the impacts of life
A review of aqueous phosphorus availability on the Earth’s early surface suggests a range of phosphorus sources supplied the prebiotic Earth, but that phosphorus availability declined as life evolved and altered geochemical cycling.
- Craig R. Walton
- , Sophia Ewens
- & Matthew A. Pasek
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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 |
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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Article |
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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Article |
Increased night-time oxidation over China despite widespread decrease across the globe
Measurements show that night-time production of atmospheric nitrate radicals increased in China but decreased in the European Union and the United States from 2014 to 2019. This suggests the increasing contribution of night-time atmospheric oxidation in China to air pollution.
- Haichao Wang
- , Haolin Wang
- & Yuanhang Zhang
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Perspective |
Formation of necromass-derived soil organic carbon determined by microbial death pathways
Microbial death pathways affect the quantity and composition of microbial necromass and its associated soil organic carbon.
- Tessa Camenzind
- , Kyle Mason-Jones
- & Johannes Lehmann
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Article |
Oxygen priming induced by elevated CO2 reduces carbon accumulation and methane emissions in coastal wetlands
Elevated atmospheric CO2 reduces soil carbon accumulation and methane emissions from wetlands by changing soil redox potential resulting from increased oxygen fluxes produced by plants, according to a four-year field experiment.
- Genevieve L. Noyce
- , Alexander J. Smith
- & J. Patrick Megonigal
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Brief Communication
| Open Access
Substantial contribution of iodine to Arctic ozone destruction
Iodine chemistry plays a more important role than bromine chemistry in tropospheric ozone losses in the Arctic, according to ship-based observations of halogen oxides from March to October 2020.
- Nuria Benavent
- , Anoop S. Mahajan
- & Alfonso Saiz-Lopez
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All Minerals Considered |
An apatite for kidney stones
Bruce Fouke explores the biomineralization of calcium oxalate and apatite kidney stones and the opportunities that lie at the intersection of geology, biology and medicine; a transdisciplinary effort traced back some 350 years.
- Bruce W. Fouke
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News & Views |
A step forward to mitigate ozone
For decades, ozone pollution mitigation efforts relied on two chemical regimes. A global modelling analysis has revealed a third regime involving aerosols that would help with the concurrent control of both ozone and particulate pollution.
- Audrey Gaudel
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Article
| Open Access
Suppression of surface ozone by an aerosol-inhibited photochemical ozone regime
Global chemical transport simulations reveal an ozone photochemistry regime where the uptake of hydroperoxyl radicals onto aerosol particles dominates ozone production.
- Peter D. Ivatt
- , Mathew J. Evans
- & Alastair C. Lewis
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Article |
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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Article |
Secondary organic aerosol formed by condensing anthropogenic vapours over China’s megacities
The formation of secondary organic aerosol in Chinese megacities is dominated by the condensation of anthropogenic organic vapours, according to measurements across three urbanized regions.
- Wei Nie
- , Chao Yan
- & Aijun Ding
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Article
| Open Access
Equal abundance of summertime natural and wintertime anthropogenic Arctic organic aerosols
Organic aerosols in the Arctic are predominantly fuelled by anthropogenic sources in winter and natural sources in summer, according to observations from eight sites across the Arctic
- Vaios Moschos
- , Katja Dzepina
- & Imad El Haddad
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Article |
Decline in bulk deposition of air pollutants in China lags behind reductions in emissions
Deposition of sulfate and nitrate in China has declined more slowly than emissions of their precursors, sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides, according to a combination of emissions inventory and air quality and statistical modelling.
- Yu Zhao
- , Mengxiao Xi
- & Lei Zhang
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Article
| Open Access
Fluvial organic carbon cycling regulated by sediment transit time and mineral protection
Particulate organic carbon oxidation in rivers is regulated by both transit time and mineral protection, according to modelling and analysis of organic matter transported nearly 1,300 km through a lowland river.
- Marisa Repasch
- , Joel S. Scheingross
- & Dirk Sachse
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Article |
Temperature control on CO2 emissions from the weathering of sedimentary rocks
The release of carbon dioxide during oxidative weathering of sedimentary rocks acts as a positive feedback to warming, according to 2.5 years of CO2 flux measurements from the Draix-Bléone Critical Zone Observatory, France.
- Guillaume Soulet
- , Robert G. Hilton
- & Caroline Le Bouteiller
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Article |
Eocene to Oligocene terrestrial Southern Hemisphere cooling caused by declining pCO2
Terrestrial Southern Hemisphere cooling through the Eocene–Oligocene transition points to decreasing atmospheric CO2 dominantly driving global change, according to biomarker records from southeast Australian coals and palaeoclimate modelling.
- Vittoria Lauretano
- , Alan T. Kennedy-Asser
- & B. David A. Naafs
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Article
| Open Access
Large subglacial source of mercury from the southwestern margin of the Greenland Ice Sheet
Meltwaters from the southwestern margin of the Greenland Ice Sheet contain exceptionally high concentrations of mercury, exporting up to more than 200 kmol of dissolved mercury every year, suggest mercury measurements from three glacial catchments.
- Jon R. Hawkings
- , Benjamin S. Linhoff
- & Robert G. M. Spencer
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Article |
Open ocean and coastal new particle formation from sulfuric acid and amines around the Antarctic Peninsula
New particles can form rapidly in Antarctica through the reactions of sulfuric acid and amines, suggest ship and station measurements around the Antarctic Peninsula.
- James Brean
- , Manuel Dall’Osto
- & Roy M. Harrison
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Article |
Microbial methylation potential of mercury sulfide particles dictated by surface structure
The environmental behaviour of mercury and other toxic soft elements is in part dictated by the surface structure of nanoparticulates, according to a combination of microcosm bioassays and theoretical calculations.
- Li Tian
- , Wenyu Guan
- & Tong Zhang
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Article |
Control of particulate nitrate air pollution in China
Reduction of ammonia emissions may be effective in reducing the nitrate component of fine particulate matter air pollution across the North China Plain, according to the simulation of nitrate trends using the GEOS-Chem atmospheric chemistry model.
- Shixian Zhai
- , Daniel J. Jacob
- & Hong Liao
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News & Views |
A world view of pesticides
Pesticide pollution is a widespread issue. A global risk assessment of 92 active pesticide ingredients suggests 2.5 billion hectares of agricultural land are at risk of pollution by more than one active ingredient.
- Rupert Lloyd Hough
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Article |
Risk of pesticide pollution at the global scale
Pesticide pollution is a risk for two-thirds of agriculture land. A third of high-risk areas are in high-biodiversity regions and a fifth are in low- and lower-middle-income areas, according to environmental modelling combined with pesticide application data.
- Fiona H. M. Tang
- , Manfred Lenzen
- & Federico Maggi
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Article |
Drivers of river reactivation in North Africa during the last glacial cycle
The presence of large rivers in North Africa critical for Quaternary human migrations were controlled by a combination of orbital forcing and Mediterranean storminess, according to terrestrial proxy records from a marine core off Libya integrated with paleoclimate modelling.
- Cécile L. Blanchet
- , Anne H. Osborne
- & Martin Frank
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News & Views |
Clearing smog’s particulate problem
Chloride-rich particulate matter has been identified as a major contributor to air-quality deterioration in cities across India. Identification and reduction of chloride emissions could therefore improve visibility and human health across the region.
- Gufran Beig
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Article |
Enhanced aerosol particle growth sustained by high continental chlorine emission in India
Half of the reduced visibility due to haze formation in cities in India is attributed to local emission of gas-phase hydrochloric acid from waste-burning and industry, according to measurements of particulate matter and thermodynamic modelling.
- Sachin S. Gunthe
- , Pengfei Liu
- & Hugh Coe
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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 |
Biogenic particles formed in the Himalaya as an important source of free tropospheric aerosols
Newly formed biogenic particles in the Himalaya increase free-tropospheric background aerosol concentration by a factor of up to two.
- F. Bianchi
- , H. Junninen
- & J. Dommen
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Perspective |
A shift in sulfur-cycle manipulation from atmospheric emissions to agricultural additions
Deliberate application of sulfur onto croplands as fertilizer and pesticide probably causes environmental damage similar to historical acid rain events, according to a literature review and four case studies from the United States.
- Eve-Lyn S. Hinckley
- , John T. Crawford
- & Charles T. Driscoll
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Article |
Amplified transboundary transport of haze by aerosol–boundary layer interaction in China
Secondary air pollution events are enhanced in the Yangtze River delta, China, due to the interaction of long-range transport and aerosol–boundary layer feedback, according to a combination of observations and simulations of haze events from 2013 to 2018.
- Xin Huang
- , Aijun Ding
- & Congbin Fu
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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 |
Thiolated arsenic species observed in rice paddy pore waters
Thioarsenates are found in the pore waters of rice paddy fields, comparable in concentration to methylated oxyarsenates, according to field, mesocosm and soil incubation studies.
- Jiajia Wang
- , Carolin F. Kerl
- & Britta Planer-Friedrich
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Article |
Reduced methane seepage from Arctic sediments during cold bottom-water conditions
Methane release rate from Arctic Ocean sediments in winter is significantly lower than in summer, according to surveys of cold-seep activity along the shelf break offshore Svalbard.
- Bénédicte Ferré
- , Pär G. Jansson
- & Helge Niemann
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Article |
Efficient control of atmospheric sulfate production based on three formation regimes
Distinct dependence of atmospheric SO42– formation on NOx levels in haze-fog events is revealed by SO42– production isopleths that are obtained through simulations of atmospheric chemistry with a box model.
- Jian Xue
- , Xin Yu
- & Jian Zhen Yu
Pervasive fluorinated chemicals