Featured
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Amplified positive effects on air quality, health, and renewable energy under China’s carbon neutral target
The interaction between aerosol and meteorology amplifies the positive effects on air quality, health and renewable energy under China’s carbon neutrality target for 2060, according to an integrated modelling analysis.
- Yue Qin
- , Mi Zhou
- & Tong Zhu
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News & Views |
Pervasive fluorinated chemicals
Pollution by per- and polyfluorinated alkyl substances (PFAS) is widespread in global water resources and likely to be underestimated, according to global analysis of available PFAS data.
- Mark Strynar
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Article
| Open Access
Underestimated burden of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances in global surface waters and groundwaters
A global data analysis suggests that a large fraction of surface waters and groundwaters globally have concentrations of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) that exceed international advisories or national regulations.
- Diana Ackerman Grunfeld
- , Daniel Gilbert
- & Denis M. O’Carroll
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Article
| Open Access
Global emergent responses of stream microbial metabolism to glacier shrinkage
Glacier shrinkage intensifies phosphorus limitation but alleviates carbon limitation in glacier-fed streams, according to analyses of resource stoichiometry and microbial metabolism in glacier-fed streams from mountain regions.
- Tyler J. Kohler
- , Massimo Bourquin
- & Tom J. Battin
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Article
| Open Access
Long-distance migration and venting of methane from the base of the hydrate stability zone
Methane dissociated from the base of the hydrate stability zone off Mauritania during warm interglacials travelled up to 40 km landward beyond where methane hydrates are typically found before venting out, according to 3D seismic imagery.
- Richard J. Davies
- , Jinxiu Yang
- & Mads Huuse
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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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Article
| Open Access
Substantial 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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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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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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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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Article |
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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Article |
Widespread increases in soluble phosphorus concentrations in streams across the transboundary Great Lakes Basin
Analyses of phosphorus concentrations in more than 370 watersheds of the Great Lakes Basin from 2003 to 2019 suggest widespread increases in soluble reactive phosphorus concentrations, despite often decreasing or non-significant trends in total phosphorus.
- Nitin K. Singh
- , Kimberly J. Van Meter
- & Nandita B. Basu
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Article
| Open Access
Arctic 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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Article |
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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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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Research Briefing |
Estimates of global marine plastic mass demystify the missing plastic paradox
There is a large discrepancy between estimates of oceanic plastic input and the amount of plastic measured floating at the ocean surface. Model results show that this can be explained by large objects being underestimated in previous mass budget analyses, combined with lower input estimates.
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Article
| Open Access
Global mass of buoyant marine plastics dominated by large long-lived debris
A 3D global marine plastic mass budget suggests that larger items contribute more than 95% of buoyant plastics by mass and are longer lived than previously estimated, which suggests there is no missing sink of marine plastic pollution.
- Mikael L. A. Kaandorp
- , Delphine Lobelle
- & Erik van Sebille
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Article
| Open Access
Shortwave 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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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 Access
Positive 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 |
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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Research Briefing |
Satellite data shows Antarctic Peninsula glaciers flow faster in summer
Satellite observations reveal that glaciers on the west coast of the Antarctic Peninsula flow 12% faster on average in summer than in winter. These increased flow speeds are attributed to a combination of seasonal atmospheric and oceanographic forcing mechanisms.
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News & Views |
Earth science looks to outer space
Satellite data are revolutionizing coastal science. A study revealing how the El Niño/Southern Oscillation impacts coastal erosion around the Pacific Rim shows what is possible.
- Patrick L. Barnard
- & Sean Vitousek
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Article
| Open Access
Shifts in vegetation activity of terrestrial ecosystems attributable to climate trends
An analysis fusing satellite data with a process-based model of plant growth attributes changes in vegetation activity across terrestrial ecosystems to climatic changes.
- Steven I. Higgins
- , Timo Conradi
- & Edward Muhoko
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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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Article |
Half of global agricultural soil phosphorus fertility derived from anthropogenic sources
About half of the current available phosphorus in agricultural soil globally is derived from anthropogenic sources, according to country-scale simulations of phosphorus dynamics between 1950 and 2017.
- Joséphine Demay
- , Bruno Ringeval
- & Thomas Nesme
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Brief Communication
| Open Access
Recovery from microplastic-induced marine deoxygenation may take centuries
Regional recovery from microplastic pollution-induced marine deoxygenation may take hundreds of years, according to a combination of biogeochemical and microplastic modelling.
- Karin Kvale
- & Andreas Oschlies
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Research Briefing |
Phased variation of soil respiration in tropical forests in response to nitrogen deposition
Anthropogenic nitrogen deposition is known to affect forest soil respiration, but it remains unclear how soil respiration responds to nitrogen deposition over time. Monitoring of CO2 emissions over 9–13 years of nitrogen-addition treatments in three tropical forests in southern China reveals a three-phase pattern of soil respiration.
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Article |
Temporal patterns of soil carbon emission in tropical forests under long-term nitrogen deposition
Field experiments suggest that long-term responses of soil respiration and carbon emissions to nitrogen deposition in tropical forests can be divided into different phases as soil environment and biological response change.
- Mianhai Zheng
- , Tao Zhang
- & Wei Zhang
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Article |
Global water availability boosted by vegetation-driven changes in atmospheric moisture transport
Vegetation change over the past two decades has limited the decline in global water availability by enhancing rainfall over evapotranspiration, according to analysis of observation-based atmospheric moisture transport data.
- Jiangpeng Cui
- , Xu Lian
- & Shilong Piao
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Article |
Enhanced dust emission following large wildfires due to vegetation disturbance
Enhanced dust emissions are associated with more than half of the global large wildfire events occurring between 2003 and 2020, according to analyses of satellite measurements of aerosol abundance following more than 150,000 global wildfires.
- Yan Yu
- & Paul Ginoux
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News & Views |
Thermal bridging by Arctic shrubs
Shrubs act as thermal bridges to conduct heat through the tundra snowpack, fostering heat loss from the ground in winter and heat gain in the spring.
- Michael M. Loranty
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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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Research Briefing |
Preferential phosphorus retention in lakes alters the balance of global nutrient cycles
Preferential P retention emerges in almost 90% of global lakes. This retention leads to a strong elevation in the N:P ratios in lakes outflow, exacerbates the imbalance of the nutrient cycles and can potentially result in biodiversity losses and algal blooms in lakes and downstream ecosystems.
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Article |
Imbalance of global nutrient cycles exacerbated by the greater retention of phosphorus over nitrogen in lakes
Lakes preferentially retain phosphorous over nitrogen, amplifying the imbalance of nutrient cycles caused by anthropogenic inputs, according to analyses of more than 5,000 lakes globally.
- Zhen Wu
- , Jincheng Li
- & Yong Liu
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Research Briefing |
Wetter and drier regions as large-scale tree restoration shifts water fluxes
Tree restoration is a popular approach to mitigating climate change, but its hydrological impacts are often overlooked. Tree restoration increases evaporation, as well as increasing downwind precipitation due to enhanced moisture recycling. Our study shows that these combined effects can affect regions’ wetness or dryness, streamflow and water availability.
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Article
| Open Access
Shifts in regional water availability due to global tree restoration
Global tree restoration could cause substantial and regionally variable changes in water availability, according to an ensemble of Budyko models and moisture recycling data.
- Anne J. Hoek van Dijke
- , Martin Herold
- & Adriaan J. Teuling
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Article |
Contrasting effects of aridity and seasonality on global salinization
Aridity and rainfall seasonality have contrasting effects on global salinization, according to an analysis combining soil observations and ecohydrological modelling.
- Saverio Perri
- , Annalisa Molini
- & Amilcare Porporato
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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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Perspective |
Managing nitrogen legacies to accelerate water quality improvement
Agricultural nitrogen legacies are delaying improvements to water quality. Comprehensive management strategies that address legacy issues are needed to ensure better environmental outcomes.
- Nandita B. Basu
- , Kimberly J. Van Meter
- & Søren Bøye Olsen
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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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Comment |
Minimizing trade-offs for sustainable irrigation
A more comprehensive understanding of the role of irrigation in coupled natural–human systems is needed to minimize the negative consequences for climate, ecosystems and public health.
- Sonali Shukla McDermid
- , Rezaul Mahmood
- & Zoe Lieberman
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Article |
Drivers of PM2.5 air pollution deaths in China 2002–2017
Emission controls avoided some 870,000 deaths in China between 2002 and 2017 but further air quality improvements need energy-climate policies and changed economic structure, according to index decomposition analysis and chemical transport models.
- Guannan Geng
- , Yixuan Zheng
- & Steven J. Davis
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Article |
Rivers as the largest source of mercury to coastal oceans worldwide
Rivers transport about 1,000 Mg mercury annually to coastal oceans, which is threefold greater than the amount delivered by atmospheric deposition, according to a global analysis of mercury measurements in rivers.
- Maodian Liu
- , Qianru Zhang
- & Peter A. Raymond
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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 |
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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Matters Arising |
Reply to: Climate did not drive Common Era Maldivian sea-level lowstands
- Paul S. Kench
- , Roger F. McLean
- & Keven Roy
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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
Critical turbidity thresholds for maintenance of estuarine tidal flats worldwide