Multidecadal declines in methanesulfonic acid in arctic ice cores reflect increasing anthropogenic pollution in the industrial era rather than declining marine primary production, according to analyses of a multi-century record of methanesulfonic acid from Alaska and atmospheric modelling.

An investigation of global trace-element data suggests that the parental melts of hotspot lavas are uniform in their elemental composition, consistent with derivation from a common depleted and outgassed mantle reservoir.

China’s second phase of clean air actions proved less effective than the first, highlighting the need to adapt and update policies to enable continued progress, according to an assessment combining chemical transport modelling and emission inventories.

Enhancing nitrogen use efficiency can effectively reduce soil nitrogen losses from fertilizer use in the production of maize and wheat, according to a global analysis of field measurement data on crop-specific soil nitrogen losses.

Clinopyroxene offers clues about the inner workings of volcanic systems, as Teresa Ubide explains. Its ability to track where and when magma is stored may also help forecast eruptions.

Sand is an overlooked resource and is being depleted at an alarming rate. Improved management of sand extraction and consumption is imperative to protect sand resources and reduce the impacts of extraction.

Authors can now choose to use Code Ocean upon submission to make the peer review of code easier.

The formation of dolomite eluded mineralogists for years. Jennifer Roberts explains why ‘the dolomite problem’ matters, and how it may now be closer to resolution.

Simple silica exists in many forms on Earth, as Falko Langenhorst explains. Some of these polymorphs can shed light on the Earth’s violent past.