Volume 2 Issue 3, March 2021

An article in Environmental Research Letters documents how emissions from wetlands in East Africa influenced atmospheric methane growth rates in 2018 and 2019.

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

Louisa Brotherson outlines the use of laboratory frictional sliding experiments in the study of earthquake mechanics

Robbie Mallett describes the use of snow crystal cards to determine snow microstructure.

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.

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.

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.

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.