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Increasing groundwater abstraction in the Indo-Gangetic Basin poses a threat to groundwater supplies. In situ observations reveal that sustainable groundwater in much of the region is limited more by contamination than depletion.
Convective precipitation may change in a changing climate. Large eddy simulations of convection with a realistic diurnal cycle suggest that interactions between convective systems and precipitation extremes are influenced by temperature.
Atmospheric CO2 concentrations rose during the last deglaciation, but the carbon sources are unclear. Climate and carbon cycle simulations suggest that permafrost melting was the main source of carbon between 17,500 and 15,000 years ago.
Warming thaws permafrost, releasing carbon that can cause more warming. Radiocarbon, soil carbon, and remote sensing data suggest that 0.2–2.5 Pg of carbon has been emitted from permafrost as CO2 and CH4 around Arctic lakes since the 1950s.
Biomass turnover time is a key parameter in the global carbon cycle. An analysis of global land-use data reveals that biomass turnover is almost twice as fast when the land is used to enhance terrestrial ecosystem services.
Most oceanic crust is subducted back into Earth’s mantle within 200 million years of formation. Analysis of magnetic data from the eastern Mediterranean reveals oceanic crust formed up to 340 million years ago, as part of an ancient ocean basin.
The Moon has a tenuous exosphere and dust-sized particles have been detected. Analysis of spectral observations by the LADEE spacecraft suggests that the Moon also has a spatially and temporally variable exosphere of nanodust particles.
Rivers transport terrestrial organic carbon. Ancient molecular markers of methanogens and radiocarbon data from offshore sediments suggest that much of this carbon in the Congo River is aged, and that hydrology controls the amount transported.
Whether fast and slow earthquakes nucleate in the same way is unclear. Laboratory simulations of fast and slow slip reveal similar precursor seismic signals for both modes, suggesting the same physical mechanisms may govern both types of slip.
Land carbon uptake reduced atmospheric CO2 levels during the Little Ice Age. Numerical simulations of atmospheric carbonyl sulfide levels and ice-core carbon isotope data reveal that temperature change, not land-cover change, was responsible.
Global mean surface temperature change over the past 120 years resembles a rising staircase. Simulations with a coupled ocean–atmosphere model reveal that the tropical Pacific Ocean is the pacemaker of variable warming rates.
Sea surface temperature estimates from the early Eocene indicate an unusually flat meridional temperature gradient. A re-evaluation of the proxy used to derive these temperatures argues against this interpretation.
Laurentide ice-sheet retreat continued into the mid-Holocene. Speleothem-based precipitation records suggest the cessation of melt led to the establishment of the present precipitation patterns associated with the North Atlantic Oscillation.
It is unclear whether subduction is still active beneath the Indo-Burman mountain range. Analyses of GPS measurements from this region reveal a locked megathrust fault, implying that subduction is active and could generate a large earthquake.
Summer rainfall is projected to decline in the European Alps. Regional high-resolution simulations suggest that at the highest elevations, precipitation may instead increase as a result of enhanced potential instability and convective rainfall.
Earth’s crust diverges and extends along mid-ocean ridges. Analyses of gravity and seismic data from the equatorial Atlantic show that propagation of ridge segments can compress the crust and create sufficient uplift to create small islands.
Mars has two small moons that may have formed in the aftermath of a giant impact. Simulations suggest that Phobos and Deimos accreted from the disperse outer region of the debris disc that was stirred up by short-lived larger moons.
Antarctic sea-ice extent has been increasing. Analyses of climate simulations and observations show that atmospheric conditions conducive to Antarctic sea-ice expansion were favoured by the negative phase of the Interdecadal Pacific Oscillation.
Sea-ice formation is a key factor in the lower branch of the Southern Ocean overturning circulation. Observation-based data in conjunction with a water-mass transformation framework reveal that sea ice plays a central role in the upper branch too.
The North Atlantic Oscillation has varied markedly on multidecadal timescales. Analyses of climate simulations show that these variations have contributed to Arctic sea ice loss, Northern Hemisphere warming and tropical storm activity.