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Earth System Science (ESS) has emerged as a powerful tool to investigate and understand global change. This Perspective outlines the history of ESS and advocates for the full integration of human and biogeophysical dynamics necessary to build a truly unified ESS effort.
Risk communication in the aftermath of an earthquake can provide actionable information to help vulnerable societies prevent further damage. It is most effective when scientists convey what they know about earthquakes and earthquake risk, instead of focusing on the unknowns.
As Nature Reviews Earth & Environment publishes its inaugural issue, we encourage Earth scientists to break down disciplinary barriers and collaborate with broader communities in pursuit of alleviating the environmental challenges of the modern world.
In the first half of the 20th century, the Earth was already envisioned as a system of interacting parts intertwined with human cultural evolution. Historical sources of Earth Systems thinking can still be relevant in light of current and future trajectories, and may offer insights to inform and rethink present-day discourses and strategies.
First documented in 2014, plastiglomerate continues to proliferate across the Earth’s surface. While these materials represent long-lasting symbols of anthropogenic impacts on the environment, they also highlight the need to address the global plastic crisis.
Discussions surrounding stratospheric aerosol geoengineering have increased in climate-change discourse, but our understanding of its impacts is relatively limited. This Perspective discusses the uncertainty and risk associated with stratospheric aerosol geoengineering, offering suggestions on research topics that should be prioritized.
Rising sea levels threaten to displace millions of people through direct inundation and increased exposure to related hazards. This Review highlights populations at risk from sea-level-rise-related migration and discusses individual and institutional factors that influence relocation decisions.
Vegetation on Earth is increasing, potentially leading to a larger terrestrial carbon sink. In this Review, we discuss the occurrence of this global greening phenomenon, its drivers and how it might impact carbon cycling and land-atmosphere heat and water fluxes.
Advances in numerical methods and high-performance computing have enabled imaging of Earth’s interior across scales using the physics of seismic-wave propagation. This Technical Review summarizes the use of full-waveform inversion in controlled-source and earthquake seismology.
