Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain
the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in
Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles
and JavaScript.
Large quantities of methane lie trapped beneath the floor of the Arctic Ocean. Measurements in the southern Laptev Sea around the Lena River delta suggest that bubbles and storms facilitate the flux of some of this submarine methane to the atmosphere.
Runoff estimates from the Greenland ice sheet carry uncertainty because the fate of surface melt in permanently snow-covered regions is unconstrained. In situ and airborne observations reveal large-scale liquid water storage in buried layers of aged and compacted snow.
The metal content of magmas erupted at subduction zone arcs is thought to be derived from the mantle. A correlation between crustal thickness and copper content in arc magmas worldwide, however, reveals an important role for the crust in the upper plate.
The Archaean Earth was much hotter than today. Numerical modelling shows that the base of thickened crust that formed at the time would have been so dense that it dripped back into the mantle.
Liquid water may lurk beneath the frozen surfaces of Jupiter's moon Europa and other icy worlds. Extending ocean science beyond Earth, planetary oceanographers are linking Europa's ocean dynamics to its enigmatic surface geology.
Significant quantities of the ozone and aerosol precursor isoprene are released into the atmosphere in densely forested regions of the world. Experimental observations suggest that the oxidation of isoprene in these pristine environments adds to the self-cleansing capacity of the atmosphere.
Following almost three decades of some certainty over how the Moon was formed, new geochemical measurements have thrown the planetary science community back into doubt. We are either modelling the wrong process, or modelling the process wrong.
Antarctic temperatures and atmospheric carbon dioxide levels generally co-varied at the end of glacial periods. Detailed analysis of an Antarctic ice core suggests a decoupling during the deglaciation 130,000 years ago, possibly linked to a strengthening of ocean circulation.
The Indian Ocean Dipole is a key mode of interannual climate variability influencing much of Asia and Australia. A Review suggests that in response to greenhouse warming, mean conditions of the Indian Ocean will shift toward a positive dipole state, but with no overall shift in the frequency of positive and negative events as defined relative to the mean climate state.
The surface of Mars is dominated by basalt that has undergone little magmatic evolution. However, minerals now identified in some ancient terrains suggest that extensive magma processing and intrusive volcanism were not uncommon on the red planet.
Volcanoes have been active under the West Antarctic Ice Sheet for millions of years, and there is evidence for recent activity. Now swarms of tiny earthquakes detected in 2010 and 2011 hint at current magma movement in the crust beneath the ice.
Global temperature rise since industrialization has not been uniform. A statistical analysis suggests that past changes in the rate of warming can be directly attributed to human influences, from economic downturns to the regulations of the Montreal Protocol.
Episodes of excessive magmatism have repeatedly formed large volcanic provinces on Earth. Seismic data from the Shatsky Rise in the northwestern Pacific Ocean reveal that such oceanic plateaux can be built from individual, giant volcanoes.
Understanding the processes that govern the complex spatial structure of rainfall is crucial. Idealized numerical simulations reveal the strong influence that ocean heat transport exerts on this structure.
Giant ore deposits are priority targets for mining companies. A review of the characteristics of several giant porphyry and epithermal deposits worldwide suggests that they formed from ordinary processes that were fortuitously operating at maximum efficiency.
Some giant ore deposits are formed from magma, but the precise controls on their formation are unclear. A Perspective article analyses the distribution of some diamond, platinum-group element and gold deposits worldwide, and suggests that the structure and composition of sub-continental lithospheric mantle could play a role in ore genesis.
Porphyry ore deposits supply much of the copper, molybdenum, gold and silver used by humans. A review of the main processes that trigger porphyry ore formation suggests that sulphide saturation of the magmas that supply the metals could be the overriding mechanism that helps control the temporal and spatial distribution of the ore deposits.
About 5,500 years ago, there was a shift from savannah to desert vegetation in the Sahara. Conceptual modelling suggests that the transition was controlled by a climate–vegetation feedback that was also influenced by plant diversity.
