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Surface solar radiation has undergone decadal variations, producing global ‘dimming’ and ‘brightening’ effects, probably owing to changes in aerosol burden and clouds. An analysis of multidecadal data of horizontal visibility shows that the occurrence of fog, mist and haze has declined in Europe over the past 30 years.
The carbon cycle plays a central role in climate change. An analytical framework shows that the influence of atmospheric carbon dioxide concentrations on climate is more sensitive to carbon perturbations now than it has been over much of the preceding 400 million years.
A quantitative reconstruction of the global climate during the last glacial maximum was published in the early 1980s. A synthesis of global sea-surface temperature reconstructions shows global cooling of the tropical oceans and strong longitudinal temperature-gradients.
Methylmercury bioaccumulates in aquatic food chains and can cross the blood–brain barrier, making this organometallic compound a much more worrisome pollutant than inorganic mercury. Experimental evidence now indicates that mercury methylation by the bacterium Geobacter sulfurreducens can be greatly enhanced in the presence of the amino-acid cysteine.
The recent, dramatic retreat of many outlet glaciers of the Greenland ice sheet has raised concerns over Greenland’s contribution to future sea-level rise. Simulations with a numerical ice-flow model indicate that the recent rates of mass loss in Greenland’s outlet glaciers are transient and should not be extrapolated into the future.
The oceans soak up a large fraction of the carbon dioxide we emit into the atmosphere. The long-term strength and efficiency of this carbon sink relies on the transport of surface waters to the deep ocean.
Climate models predict that increasing greenhouse gas levels will invigorate the circulation in the upper atmosphere. But a close look at observations of the age of stratospheric air over 30 years reveals no acceleration in the circulation.
Meteorites frequently bombarded the surface of the early Earth. Could these impacts have provided the energy and materials to form the basic building blocks of life?
The lack of deep mixing in the subpolar North Atlantic Ocean for over a decade has raised concerns that climate warming may already be affecting the ocean circulation. A vigorous convection event last winter shows that the system holds some surprises yet.
Sub-surface oceans probably exist on several large satellites of Jupiter and Saturn. An analysis of Europa's tides suggests that some of the Rossby waves are resonantly enhanced by the obliquity, producing sufficient heat and flow to keep the ocean liquid.
Measurements of directional travel speed of seismic waves constrain flow in the upper mantle. Laboratory experiments suggest that high pressure can change the mantle's mineral alignment, leading to a 90° offset in the direction of the fastest seismic waves.
Volcanism in the enormous Tharsis region on Mars migrated from south to north. Numerical modelling suggests that this migration as well as the current location of the region can be explained by net rotation of the lithosphere relative to the mantle.
