Volume 10 Issue 8, August 2017

Relatively flat, low-relief plateaus contrast with glacially carved, deep fjords. Computational experiments suggest that these astonishing landscapes are formed exclusively by glaciers.

Warm conditions in the Arctic Ocean have been linked to cold mid-latitude winters. Observations and simulations suggest that warm Arctic anomalies lead to a dip in CO₂ uptake capacity in North American ecosystems and to low crop productivity.

In our own solar system, Venus is too hot, Mars is too cold and Earth is just right. Simulations show that making an icy planet habitable is not as simple as melting its ice: many icy bodies swing from too cold to too hot, bypassing just right.

The Sustainable Development Goals map out a broad spectrum of objectives. Analytical tools in form of the Index and Dashboards provide a starting point to set national baselines, and allow comparison of the SDGs with other indices of well-being.

Icy planets and moons could become habitable as their host stars brighten and their ice melts. Climate simulations instead show a rapid transition from a snowball to an inhospitable greenhouse climate with significant water loss.

Volcanic glasses sampled by Apollo missions display high water contents. Remotely sensed spectral data show that pyroclastic deposits are generally enriched in water across the Moon, suggesting significant amounts of water in the lunar interior.

A southward shift of the tropical rainbelts over the late twentieth century has been attributed. Climate simulations suggest that the mechanism for this influence lies largely with the interaction of aerosols with clouds.

Anomalous Arctic warming has been linked to colder North American winters. Analyses of weather and productivity observations reveal that Arctic–North American teleconnections reduce gross primary productivity in the US.

Microbes are expected to prefer substrates with the highest energy yield. Laboratory experiments demonstrate that a metabolically flexible archaeon exhibits preference for and greater growth from lower energy substrates.

Subglacial lakes contain active microbial ecosystems capable of cycling methane. In a subglacial lake in West Antarctica, methane that is produced is subsequently consumed, limiting the potential for methane emissions during lake drainage.

Wastewater can make up a large fraction of stream flow. An analysis of over 14,000 US streams shows that under severe low-flow conditions, wastewater containing endocrine disruptors is poorly diluted, and many streams exceed safety thresholds.

Plateaus separated by deeply incised fjords are hallmarks of glaciated passive continental margins. Computational experiments show that they arise from evolving feedbacks between topography, ice dynamics and erosion over millions of years.

The tsunami triggered by the 2011 Tōhoku-Oki earthquake carried debris seaward. Satellite data and numerical simulations suggest that small-scale wind modifications over a smooth film-covered sea surface affected debris motions.

The controls on magma transport in the crust are poorly known. Field analysis and numerical modelling of magmatic intrusions preserved in North America suggest that surface transfer of magma increases in warming crust as the magmatic system ages.

Creeping subduction zones are unlikely to generate tsunamigenic earthquakes. Analysis of a creeping part of the Alaskan subduction zone reveals fault structures similar to those in Tohoku, suggesting it may host large earthquakes and tsunamis.