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Mercury, a semi-volatile and globally abundant pollutant, is transported through the atmosphere and taken up by vegetation. This Review discusses the mechanisms of vegetation mercury uptake and the role of vegetation in the mercury cycle, highlighting its importance for redistribution in the terrestrial environment and influence on atmospheric mercury concentrations and deposition to oceans.
The 2011 Mw 9.1 earthquake and tsunami caused incomprehensible damage along the northeast coast of Japan. This Snapshot discusses the measures that have been put in place over the past 10 years to mitigate hazards of a future tsunami disaster.
Estimates of global dryland changes are often conflicting. This Review discusses and quantifies observed and projected aridity changes, revealing divergent responses between atmospheric and ecohydrological metrics that can be explained by plant physiological responses to elevated CO2.
Mountain building involves complex and debated feedback cycles between both permanent tectonic and transient seismic processes. This Review discusses how the fault architecture and tectonic segmentation of the Himalaya influence the seismic cycle, which in turn impacts the long-term growth of the mountain range.
Persistent organic pollutants are transported globally, but there is evidence that forests act as a filter by sequestering these pollutants. This Review examines the role of forests in persistent organic pollutant cycling, including their storage in foliage and soil, and the impacts of global change.
An article in Nature Communications reports a high-temperature melting curve of MgSiO3 at pressures > 245 GPa, with implications for mantle melting during the formation of rocky planets
Ophiolites, segments of oceanic lithosphere emplaced onto continental crust, are thought to form in the shallow mantle, but the discovery of ultra-high-pressure minerals in ophiolites has sparked debate over their formation mechanisms. This Review examines how these mantle components can record the tectonic history and deep mantle formation of ophiolites.
An article in Environmental Research Letters documents how emissions from wetlands in East Africa influenced atmospheric methane growth rates in 2018 and 2019.
Hailstorms are dangerous phenomena that are expected to change in response to a warming climate. This Review summarizes current knowledge of climate change effects on hailstorms, details the uncertainties and highlights future research directions.
A study in Earth Surface Processes and Landforms examines how landscape connectivity influences sediment transport and deposition in the Argentine Andes.
Glaciers in the Himalaya and Karakoram mountain ranges provide freshwater and hydropower to millions of people but are also melting at unsustainably high rates. This Review discusses recent and projected changes in glacier melt and resulting implications for regional water-related hazards and water resources.
The urban heat island effect poses increasing morbidity and mortality challenges in a warming world. This Review discusses how urban vegetation — specifically, green parks, green roofs and green walls — can be used as a strategy to mitigate heat.
An article in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences describes how glacier–rock interactions could fuel chemosynthetic primary production in Icelandic sediments.
An article in Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta reports a Nd-isotope record of terrestrial dust from northern Tibetan Plateau sediments since 52 Ma, revealing insight into regional uplift and climate changes from inland Asia.
Improvements in earth observation are enabling new approaches to assess agricultural losses, such as those resulting from adverse weather. This Review examines advances in the application of remotely sensed data and crop modelling in index-based insurance as well as opportunities to enhance the quality of index insurance programmes.
