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The necessity of establishing boundaries between nationally and internationally administered areas of the sea floor has long been recognized. The UN-approved demarcation line must be scientifically inevitable to gain practical importance.
The exploration of the Solar System is an expensive endeavour. The greater the number of nations that engage in peaceful planetary research the better.
Presubmission enquiries have only rarely resolved the question of whether a paper is suitable for Nature Geoscience. We are now removing this option from our online submission system.
In 2008 ocean iron fertilization was regulated under two sets of international legislation. However, unclear definitions have led to the suspension of legitimate research.
The Charles Darwin bicentennial celebrates the man who recognized natural selection and changed the world's views on evolution. However, his contributions to geology should not be overlooked.
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.
Destruction from earthquakes continues to threaten poor and wealthy nations alike. The Global Earthquake Model is a potentially important step towards providing risk information on a worldwide basis, using a unified standard.
Climate warming is not the only consequence of rising levels of atmospheric greenhouse gases. The only way to counter all effects, including those on rainfall and ocean acidity, is to remove carbon from the climate system.
Life in the 21st century requires an understanding of science and technology. Earth Science Week is an opportunity to bring the geosciences to the wider public.
The world of published science has become crowded and confusing. Impact factors provide rough and ready guidance, as long as they are understood in context.
Twice in the month of May 2008 did natural catastrophe strike Asia. Public attention in the wake of destruction offers a chance for better protection in China, Myanmar and elsewhere.
The discovery that biogenic methane production may not be limited to oxygen-free environments throws conventional thinking into turmoil, and calls into question basic assumptions regarding the global methane budget.
The recently published 800,000-year greenhouse-gas records from Dome C, Antarctica, show that old ice still bears surprises. As long as the records challenge our understanding, we should go back for more.
The production of clean energy for transportation makes demands on resources that are already scarce. Biofuels can contribute to a solution, but only to a limited extent.
The analysis of mantle-derived rocks on increasingly smaller scales and advances in geodynamic modelling are providing new insights into the nature of mantle heterogeneity and magmatic processes.
International Polar Year is drawing attention to the poles. But if more people are entering this pristine environment as a result, any negative impacts must be justified with commensurate benefits.
US geoscience departments are still heavily weighted towards men, especially in the most senior ranks. All scientists, male or female, should work towards a more equal distribution.
Nature Geoscience launches at the beginning of the United Nations International Year of Planet Earth 2008, subtitled 'Earth sciences for society'. We applaud this theme, but cast our net wider.
