Reviews & Analysis

The summary of Common Era temperature reconstructions in the 2021 Sixth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change insufficiently characterizes reconstruction uncertainties associated with estimating global mean temperatures.

Plasticity and evolutionary changes in phytoplankton phenotypes in the ocean can be better represented by integrating statistical and multi-trait-based numerical models which will help improve predictions of future ecosystem states and ocean carbon cycling.

Anti-repeaters – earthquakes that happen in the same location but with opposite focal mechanisms – are widespread but under-recognised and likely result from fluid migration processes, suggests a synthesis of observations of these phenomena from a range of tectonic environments.

Inputs of radionuclides to the marine environment will be impacted by climate change, thus there is a pressing need to understand the existing and potential sources of radionuclides to assess the implications of climate change impacts, suggests a literature synthesis of radionuclide sources.

The complex signals which precede large earthquake mainshocks highlight a juxtaposition of diverse driving mechanisms and the important influence of boundary conditions, according to a synthesis of recent developments in observing seismic and geodetic earthquake precursor signals.

A synthesis of microbiological studies on young volcanic deposits examines the opportunities these habitats represent to study microbial community development in extreme conditions including, potentially, the past environment of Mars.

Conflicting observations on the relationship between Large Igneous Provinces and continental break-up can be accounted for by classifying them based on the extent to which they do or do not influence lithospheric rupture

Inter-model variability of global soil respiration estimates has increased, highlighting the urgency to understand model uncertainty and the need for an accurate estimate of global soil respiration, according to a review of historical data-driven spatiotemporal estimates.

Plastics need to be used more sustainably in agricultural practice, for example by recovery and reuse, and by selected application of safe biodegradable plastics and phasing out of toxic additives, suggests a literature synthesis and perspective on structural polymers in agriculture.

Nutritional life cycle assessments can help achieve sustainability in complex food systems through simultaneously accounting for trade-offs between environmental footprints and nutritional value, as illustrated by a functional unit assessment based on priority micronutrient value.

Weather-related disasters result from complex interactions between vulnerability and exposure through inequality, economic pressure and conflict and intensifying weather extremes in a changing climate, and they should be reported accordingly, suggest a synthesis of the causes and impacts of disasters in 2021 and 2022.

Knowledge of past changes in permafrost thaw and associated carbon pools and releases can shed light on future permafrost stability and feedback on climate in a warming future, a systematic review of past permafrost dynamics suggests.

Independent observation-based model validation and improved information flow between predictive and conceptual models are needed to enhance confidence in soil organic carbon predictions, suggests a review of 250 soil organic carbon models.

The overturning circulation in the South Atlantic Ocean is driven by winds, pressure and density gradients, interocean exchanges, and eddies that vary spatially and temporally. A synthesis of observations reveals that waters that engage in this circulation are experiencing pronounced warming.

Capacity building and engagement are crucial to support science-led sustainable ocean policies that are integrated, interdisciplinary and internationally collaborative as well as being effective at a range of temporal and spatial scales.

Improvements in coastal shallow water geophysical technologies and drilling must be coupled with numerical modelling in order to close the knowledge gaps that exist around coastal aquifers, suggests a synthesis of methodological challenges and future possibilities.

Margin sediments and rivers are the most significant sources of copper binding ligands in the ocean while sedimentation, microbial uptake and photochemical degradation are the major sinks, suggests a synthesis of research on the cycling of copper ligands in the oceans.

Instances of high-intensity wildfires which generate a fire-cloud chimney reaching all the way to the stratosphere have risen since 2013, signaling a need for closer monitoring and analysis, suggests a synthesis of confirmed occurrences.

Agriculture can be transformed to enhance farmland biodiversity and food systems’ sustainability through agroecological principles tailored to the current interplay between farmland biodiversity and agricultural production on all agricultural land.

Restoring degraded peatlands can return them to a state of net carbon sequestration and enhance their ecosystem resilience, highlighting the importance of peatland protection and restoration in climate mitigation, according to a synthesis of evidence from temperate and high latitude peatlands.