Volume 2 Issue 10, October 2021

An article in Climatic Change outlines the economic benefits of proactive adaptation for US-based rail, road and coastal infrastructure.

An article in JGR Solid Earth identified that basalt-hosted megathrusts are not necessarily the nucleation source of large megathrust earthquakes.

Marie Arnaud discusses how underground time-lapse photography can be used to measure root dynamics in coastal wetlands.

Danielle LeBlanc explains how cosmogenic nuclides from ice-rafted debris can be used to reconstruct ice sheet extent.

The transition to renewable energy will require a notable quantity of technology metals and materials; however, production of technology materials causes substantial environmental damage. This Review discusses the raw material extraction approaches that optimize technical performance and reduce environmental impact.

Tropical teleconnections can influence polar climates through the generation of stationary Rossby waves. This Review outlines the dynamics and impacts of long-term tropical–polar connections on the Antarctic climate, which include warming trends and ice mass loss in West Antarctica.

The use of isotopes has provided key insights into the Earth system, but their use can be fraught with experimental and theoretical pitfalls. This Technical Review explains the use of and fractionation factors associated with hydrogen, carbon and oxygen isotopes in water cycle and CO₂–carbonate–water system studies.

Grasslands provide key ecosystem services, but their protection is often ignored in sustainable policy. This Perspective describes grassland degradation and sets out the steps needed to protect these systems and promote their restoration.