Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain
the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in
Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles
and JavaScript.
The use of groundwater with high levels of geogenic contaminants, such as arsenic, has caused severe health impacts and mortality in communities globally. This Review examines the drivers and occurrence of groundwater contamination by naturally occurring arsenic, fluoride, selenium and uranium.
With continued anthropogenic warming, an ice-free Arctic (sea ice area <1 million km2) is inevitable. This Review outlines the various characteristics of an ice-free Arctic, highlighting that future emission trajectories will determine where, how frequently and how long the Arctic will be ice free each year.
Growing awareness of environmental risks and mounting regulatory and consumer pressure have driven unprecedented demand for environmental science expertise in the corporate sector. Recruiting skilled individuals with academic backgrounds and fostering collaboration among businesses, research institutions, universities and environmental professionals are vital for enhancing environmental knowledge and capability in companies.
To explore career opportunities outside of academia, Nature Reviews Earth & Environment interviewed Tim Armitage about their career path from a postdoctoral researcher to a geoscience consultant at the British Geological Survey.
To explore career opportunities outside of academia, Nature Reviews Earth & Environment interviewed Sarah Clancy about their career path from a postdoctoral researcher to a technical policy advisor at Northumbrian Water.
To explore career opportunities outside of academia, Nature Reviews Earth & Environment interviewed Sandra Snæbjörnsdóttir about their career path from postdoctoral researcher to Chief Scientist at Carbfix.
Antarctica and the Southern Ocean provide numerous ecosystem services that benefit people globally, but many are ‘invisible’ to markets and to some decision makers. A subset of these services — Antarctic tourism, commercial fisheries, and a suite of inter-related regulating services — are conservatively valued at ~US $180 billion annually, highlighting their importance.
Accurate and timely food production data are needed to promote food security and sustainability, but data scarcity exists across national and international levels. This Review examines data availability and reliability for crops, livestock and aquatic food production and recommends solutions to address data scarcity.
The different contributions of long-term and short-term variability to the evolution of ice sheets lead to substantial uncertainties in ice sheet models. This Review describes the response of ice sheets to oceanic, atmospheric and hydrological processes across a range of timescales.
Moderate drought occurs widely, impacting crop yield. This Review discusses crop traits that can confer drought tolerance, the role of the environment and management, and how crop models predict their potential impact on yield.
Ana Cristina Vasquez discusses how Cu isotopes can trace metal pollution sources from anthropogenic activities, such as urban pollution, traffic emissions, mining and smelting
Drainage divides — the topographic boundary separating surface water flow — are dynamic features of the Earth’s surface that shape hydrological processes, sediment transport, carbon cycles and geographic connectivity of ecosystems. This Review explores the dynamics of divide migration and its implications.
Three satellite laser altimeter missions (ICESat, ICESat-2 and GEDI) have been instrumental in tracking environmental change on Earth since 2003. This Review discusses the principles of these missions and their major contributions to Earth system science.