Lake ice has witnessed considerable changes in its phenology, but less is known about ice quality — the ratio of black ice to white ice. This Review assesses the changes in lake ice quality and its ecosystem services, noting diminished ice quality in observations and projections.

The fringes of extensive flat-topped sedimentary or volcanic plateaus, called tablelands, host the largest coalescent landslide areas of the Earth. This Review highlights the factors contributing to extensive landslide fringes and emphasizes how climate change and cryosphere degradation could increase their hazard potential.

Climate variability can strongly influence species evolution and survival via environmental niche adaptation and selection. This Review outlines the methods of modelling past climate variations and their impact on human evolution.

Decarbonization strategies can perturb the nitrogen cycle through elevating nitrogen inputs to the environment, potentially driving increased eutrophication. This Review explores the potential synergistic and antagonistic impacts on carbon and nitrogen emissions from five major decarbonization strategies.