Skip to main content

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.

Volume 1 Issue 1, January 2020

Human actions are drastically modifying the planet (pictured here). Earth scientists from diverse yet complementary disciplines must come together to address the environmental issues of our time. See the Editorial.

Images: Getty Images/imagina, Getty Images/Paul Souders, Getty Images/Charlie Rogers, Getty Images/@Didier Marti, Getty Images/boonchai wedmakawand, Getty Images/Stephen Saks, Getty Images/Westend61, Getty Images/Spencer Grant, Getty Images/Andrea Savoca/EyeEm, Getty Images/DKAR Images, Getty Images/Jennifer Sharp. Cover design: Carl Conway.

Editorial

  • 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.

    Editorial

    Advertisement

Top of page ⤴

Comment

  • 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.

    • Lucile M. Jones

    Collection:

    Comment
  • 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.

    • Giulia Rispoli
    Comment
  • 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.

    • Patricia L. Corcoran
    • Kelly Jazvac
    Comment
Top of page ⤴

Research Highlights

Top of page ⤴

News & Views

  • Businesses must understand and act to reduce their environmental footprint. Springer Nature has been working to address the impacts of its publishing operations since 2017, lowering office-based carbon emissions and improving sustainable practices.

    • Thea Sherer
    Our Earth
  • Travel is a key part of academic life, and the carbon emissions associated with it are high. Personal decisions to reduce flying can contribute to climate action, and need not compromise research.

    • John N. Quinton
    Our Earth
Top of page ⤴

Reviews

  • 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.

    • Shilong Piao
    • Xuhui Wang
    • Ranga B. Myneni
    Review Article
  • 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.

    • Mathew E. Hauer
    • Elizabeth Fussell
    • David Wrathall
    Review Article
Top of page ⤴

Technical Reviews

  • 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.

    • Jeroen Tromp
    Technical Review
Top of page ⤴

Perspectives

  • 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.

    • Will Steffen
    • Katherine Richardson
    • Jane Lubchenco
    Perspective
  • 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.

    • Ben Kravitz
    • Douglas G. MacMartin
    Perspective
Top of page ⤴

Search

Quick links