Natural forest growth does not decrease water yield and forest responses to human disturbances and management interventions vary with ecosystem complexity, according to a global meta-analysis that includes 496 watersheds and spans 25 years.

Over much of Africa, the potential for groundwater pumping with the help of photovoltaic energy is constrained by aquifer conditions, and not irradiance, according to continent-wide simulations to map the performance of photovoltaic water pumping systems.

Greenhouse-gas emissions from the sanitation-service chain in Kampala may represent more than half of the total city-level emissions according to a whole-system analysis.

Virtual water flows embodied in the international food trade by the largest companies can exceed those of entire nations highlighting the importance of corporations for water stewardship and security, suggests an analysis of the top 9 transnational corporations exporting Brazilian soy.

Marine sediment proxies for sea ice suggest that a shift to seasonal sea ice in the Lincoln Sea during the Early Holocene was related to warmer air temperatures, similar to those projected to occur under anthropogenic warming.

Longer periods of biogeochemical connectivity in soil porewaters with a deeper active layer suggest early organic carbon transport during the dormant season, according to silicon isotope compositions of permafrost soil porewaters in Alaska.

Active restoration of croplands more strongly enhances soil carbon relative to natural regeneration in carbon-poor soils and topsoil layers, while natural regeneration performs better in carbon-rich soils and subsoil layers, suggests a large-scale paired comparison of two restoration strategies.

The disintegration of complex Classic Maya population centres may have been driven by a decline in seasonal rainfall predictability in addition to protracted drought, suggests a dated speleothem record from Yok Balum cave, Belize.

Periodic meltwater pulses from the Laurentide-Greenland Ice Sheets during the last deglaciation drove abrupt changes in sea surface temperature and sea ice extent, according to sediment core biomarker proxy records from the Eirik Drift, eastern Labrador Sea

The human tragedy caused by the earthquake doublet on 6 February 2023 in Turkey and Syria is difficult to comprehend. While earthquake scientists are trying to understand this seismic event, its catastrophic impact highlights heightened risk in the entire region.

Whether diets will evolve through social interventions to move closer to sustainable agriculture is being investigated in a growing and promising area of research.

Careful management of deforested Amazonian land cannot replace, but must complement, efforts to preserve the rainforest. Sustainable agricultural practices that promote diverse uses can help minimise impacts on climate and environment.

A mechanistic and predictive hierarchical model explains observed organic carbon burial efficiencies and degradation kinetics, and reveals that upper and lower limits of organic matter activation energies are key to predicting organic matter preservation and degradation rates.

The South Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation initiative began as a grassroots effort to study the South Atlantic Ocean and its impact on climate. This Comment discusses how, in striving towards this goal, it has also become a platform for the empowerment of women and international scientists.

For all peer reviewed articles submitted from 23^rd January 2023, we will publish the editor decision letters, reviewer reports and author responses, together with the published paper. Reviewers can choose to remain anonymous or reveal their identity.