Biogeochemistry articles within Nature Communications

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  • Article
    | Open Access

    Permafrost-derived carbon (C) may have been an additional source of greenhouse gases during the last glacial-interglacial transition. Here the authors show that ancient C from degrading permafrost was mobilised during phases of rapid sea-level rise, partially explaining changes in atmospheric CO2 and ∆14C.

    • Maria Winterfeld
    • , Gesine Mollenhauer
    •  & Ralf Tiedemann

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Large peatlands exist at high latitudes because flooded conditions and cold temperatures slow decomposition, so the presence of (sub)tropical peat is enigmatic. Here the authors show that low-latitude peat is preserved due to lower carbohydrate and greater aromatic content resulting in chemical recalcitrance.

    • Suzanne B. Hodgkins
    • , Curtis J. Richardson
    •  & Jeffrey P. Chanton

  • Article
    | Open Access

    The sensitivity of terrestrial net ecosystem carbon exchange (NEE) to climate remains a major source of uncertainty. Here, the authors identify a precipitation threshold of between 750-950 mm yr−1 for the contiguous United States, beyond which NEE is regulated by respiration rather than production.

    • Zhihua Liu
    • , Ashley P. Ballantyne
    •  & Philippe Ciais

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Land use intensification could modify microbial activity and thus ecosystem function. Here, Malik et al. sample microbes and carbon-related functions across a land use gradient, demonstrating that microbial biomass and carbon use efficiency are reduced in human-impacted near-neutral pH soils.

    • Ashish A. Malik
    • , Jeremy Puissant
    •  & Robert I. Griffiths

  • Article
    | Open Access

    It remains unclear how microbes and plants contribute to soil organic carbon (SOC) accrual. Here, using biomarkers, the authors show that microbial necromass and plant-derived lignin components have divergent accumulation mechanisms and that microbial necromass plays a key role in SOC accumulation.

    • Tian Ma
    • , Shanshan Zhu
    •  & Xiaojuan Feng

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Permafrost thaw allows biological activity in previously frozen ground, leading to a potential release of climate-relevant gases. Here the authors show that thawing permafrost emits volatile organic compounds but that their release to the atmosphere is limited by microbial consumption in the overlaying soil.

    • Magnus Kramshøj
    • , Christian N. Albers
    •  & Riikka Rinnan

  • Article
    | Open Access

    The mechanisms responsible for the burial of vast quantities of organic matter during Ocean Anoxic Event remain unclear. Here, the authors combine biogeochemical analysis and modeling and show that sulfurization could play a critical role in facilitating globally elevated burial of organic matter.

    • Morgan Reed Raven
    • , David A. Fike
    •  & Harry-Luke O. McClelland

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Permafrost carbon feedback modeling has focused on gradual thaw of near-surface permafrost leading to greenhouse gas emissions that accelerate climate change. Here the authors show that deeper, abrupt thaw beneath lakes will more than double radiative forcing from permafrost-soil carbon fluxes this century.

    • Katey Walter Anthony
    • , Thomas Schneider von Deimling
    •  & Guido Grosse

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Methane venting is a widespread phenomenon at the Cascadia margin, however a comprehensive database of methane vents at this margin is lacking. Here the authors show that the margin-wide average methane flow-rate ranges from ~4 × 106 to ~1590 × 106 kg y−1 and is on average around 88 ± 6 × 106 kg y−1.

    • M. Riedel
    • , M. Scherwath
    •  & G. D. Spence

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Discharge from Greenland is known to deliver nutrients to the marine environment. Here, the authors show that the majority of the nutrients fueling summertime productivity downstream of Greenland’s glaciers seemingly originate from entrainment in subglacial discharge plumes rather than from meltwater itself.

    • M. J. Hopwood
    • , D. Carroll
    •  & E. P. Achterberg

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Our understanding of phosphorus (P) cycling in soils, a basis for many ecosystem services, has been limited by the complexity of P forms and processes. Here the authors use spectroscopic and isotopic techniques to estimate turnover times of P pools and tease apart biologically-driven and geochemically-driven P fluxes.

    • Julian Helfenstein
    • , Federica Tamburini
    •  & Emmanuel Frossard

  • Article
    | Open Access

    The role ice sheets play in the silica cycle over glacial−interglacial timescales remains unclear. Here, based on the measurement of silica isotopes in Greenland meltwater and a nearby marine sediment core, the authors suggest expanding ice sheets considerably increased isotopically light silica in the oceans.

    • Jon R. Hawkings
    • , Jade E. Hatton
    •  & Martyn Tranter

  • Article
    | Open Access

    The magnitudes of replenishment and priming, two important but opposing fluxes in soil organic carbon (SOC) dynamics, have not been compared. Here the authors show that the magnitude of replenishment is greater than that of priming, resulting in a net SOC accumulation after additional carbon input to soils.

    • Junyi Liang
    • , Zhenghu Zhou
    •  & Yiqi Luo

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Studying the PETM, a past period of rapid warming ~56 Ma, could provide insights into ecosystem response under future warming conditions. Here, the authors present stable nitrogen isotope data that reveal a dramatic change in the marine nitrogen cycle and the emergence of anoxic conditions.

    • Christopher K. Junium
    • , Alexander J. Dickson
    •  & Benjamin T. Uveges

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Forests of the Amazon Basin have experienced frequent and severe droughts in recent years with significant impacts on their carbon cycling. Here, using satellite LiDAR samples from 2003 to 2008, the authors show the long-term legacy of these droughts with persistent loss of carbon stocks after the 2005 drought.

    • Yan Yang
    • , Sassan S. Saatchi
    •  & Ranga B. Myneni

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Dissolved organic matter (DOM) in aquatic systems is among the most complex molecular mixtures known. Here the authors show that a major component in DOM is molecularly indistinguishable in marine and freshwater environments, which could reflect universal mechanisms behind long-term DOM turnover.

    • Maren Zark
    •  & Thorsten Dittmar

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Land-based mitigation for meeting the Paris climate target must consider the carbon cycle impacts of land-use change. Here the authors show that when bioenergy crops replace high carbon content ecosystems, forest-based mitigation could be more effective for CO2 removal than bioenergy crops with carbon capture and storage.

    • Anna B. Harper
    • , Tom Powell
    •  & Shijie Shu

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Mackinawite is commonly assumed to be the first solid phase in the iron sulfide system. Here, the authors report the existence of a highly reactive nanocrystalline solid phase that is a necessary precursor to the formation of mackinawite.

    • Adriana Matamoros-Veloza
    • , Oscar Cespedes
    •  & Liane G. Benning

  • Article
    | Open Access

    The means by which planktonic cyanobacteria were able to persist through the Archean despite high fluxes of UV radiation are unclear. Here, the authors show that Fe(III)-Si rich precipitates in the Archean photic zone could have provided early planktonic cyanobacteria an effective shield against UV-C radiation.

    • Aleksandra M. Mloszewska
    • , Devon B. Cole
    •  & Kurt. O Konhauser

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Chain-forming diatoms are key organisms in the biotic transfer of CO2 from the atmosphere to the ocean interior. Here, the authors show that turbulence stimulates and links small-scale and large scale processes from CO2 assimilation at a diatom cell level to nitrogen cycling in fast-sinking diatom aggregates.

    • Johanna Bergkvist
    • , Isabell Klawonn
    •  & Helle Ploug

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Fine-root lifetimes and carbon inputs from roots into soil impact carbon cycle-climate feedbacks yet remain poorly constrained. Here, using annual-growth rings and radiocarbon dating, the authors show that the chronological age of fine roots is substantially younger than that of the carbon used for their growth.

    • Emily F. Solly
    • , Ivano Brunner
    •  & Frank Hagedorn

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Silicate rock weathering represents a negative feedback mechanism that regulates atmospheric CO2 levels on geological timescales. Here, the authors show that a diminished silicate weathering feedback may have set the stage for greenhouse warming and ocean acidification during the Middle Eocene, ~40 million years ago.

    • Robin van der Ploeg
    • , David Selby
    •  & Appy Sluijs

  • Article
    | Open Access

    There is a long standing debate whether low atmospheric oxygen levels during the Mesoproterozoic Era hindered the evolution of crown-group animals. Here, the authors show with shale-hosted chromium isotopes that sufficient atmospheric oxygen for crown-group animals likely predated their evolution by over 400 million years.

    • Donald E. Canfield
    • , Shuichang Zhang
    •  & Robert Frei

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Rivers and streams are important sources of carbon dioxide and methane; however, the drivers of these streambed gas fluxes are poorly understood. Here, the authors show that temperature sensitivity of streambed greenhouse gas emissions varies with substrate, organic matter content and geological origin.

    • Sophie A. Comer-Warner
    • , Paul Romeijn
    •  & Stefan Krause

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Lakes, reservoirs, and other ponded waters are common in large river basins yet their influence on nitrogen budgets is often indistinct. Here, the authors show how a ponded waters’ relative size, shape, and degree of connectivity to the river network control nitrogen removal.

    • Noah M. Schmadel
    • , Judson W. Harvey
    •  & Durelle Scott

  • Review Article
    | Open Access

    Metal dissolution from atmospheric aerosol deposition plays an important role in enhancing and inhibiting phytoplankton growth and community structure. Here, the authors review the impacts of trace metal leaching from natural and anthropogenic aerosols on marine microorganisms over short and long timescales.

    • Natalie M. Mahowald
    • , Douglas S. Hamilton
    •  & Yan Zhang

  • Article
    | Open Access

    The late Ediacaran to early Cambrian interval witnessed extraordinary radiations of metazoan life, in which the role of physical environment remains debated. Here, Wang et al. show that increased nutrient nitrogen availability may have exerted an important control on both macroevolution and ocean oxygenation.

    • Dan Wang
    • , Hong-Fei Ling
    •  & Graham A. Shields

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Empirical moisture functions that describe the relationship between soil heterotrophic respiration and moisture introduce considerable uncertainty in soil CO2 flux predictions. Here, the authors derive a process-based moisture function by incorporating mechanisms that control soil heterotrophic respiration.

    • Zhifeng Yan
    • , Ben Bond-Lamberty
    •  & Chongxuan Liu

  • Article
    | Open Access

    The extent to which the onset of bioturbation affected global biogeochemistry during the Palaeozoic remains unclear. Here, the authors integrate bioturbation into the COPSE model, compare output with geochemical proxies, and suggest shallow burrowing contributed to a global low oxygen state during the early Cambrian.

    • Sebastiaan van de Velde
    • , Benjamin J. W. Mills
    •  & Simon W. Poulton

  • Article
    | Open Access

    How the Early Earth transitioned from an abiotic world to the modern biogeochemical Earth system remains unclear. Here, the authors show that colonization of a minor fraction of Archean landmasses by topsoil bacteria would have been enough to match the modern land-to-ocean nitrogen export of ammonium and nitrate.

    • Christophe Thomazo
    • , Estelle Couradeau
    •  & Ferran Garcia-Pichel

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Despite decades of research, the sequence of events leading to the deglacial atmospheric CO2 rise remains unclear. Menviel et al. show that Southern Ocean convection driven by intensified Southern Hemisphere westerlies during Heinrich stadial 1 can explain the abrupt pCO2 rise and changes in atmosphere and ocean carbon isotopes.

    • L. Menviel
    • , P. Spence
    •  & M. H. England

  • Article
    | Open Access

    The contribution of the carbonate counter pump (CCP) to the last deglacial atmospheric CO2 rise has yet been largely ignored. Here, the authors show that an increased CCP in the Subantarctic Pacific along with high surface ocean fertility and [CO2aq], contributed in propelling the Earth out of the last ice age.

    • Stéphanie Duchamp-Alphonse
    • , Giuseppe Siani
    •  & Samuel L. Jaccard

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Rainforest conversion to plantations driven by global demand for agricultural products generates high environmental costs. Here, the authors show that the high oil palm plantation production efficiency is associated with decreased carbon storage and slower organic matter cycling that affect ecosystem services.

    • Thomas Guillaume
    • , Martyna M. Kotowska
    •  & Yakov Kuzyakov

  • Article
    | Open Access

    The Great Oxidation Event (GOE) is considered to have occurred at 2.33–2.32 Ga based on the last occurrence of MIF-S in South Africa. Here, based on sulphur isotope analysis of samples from Western Australia, the authors show preservation of MIF-S beyond 2.31 Ga and call for a re-evaluation of GOE timing.

    • Pascal Philippot
    • , Janaína N. Ávila
    •  & Vincent Busigny

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Recent measurements in the Amazon rainforest indicate missing sources of volatile organic compounds (VOCs). Here the authors show that soil microorganisms are a strong, unaccounted source of highly reactive sesquiterpenes, a class of VOCs that can regulate ozone chemistry within the forest canopy.

    • E. Bourtsoukidis
    • , T. Behrendt
    •  & J. Williams

  • Article
    | Open Access

    A substantial portion of model uncertainty arises from model parameters and structures. Here, the authors show that alternative model structures with data-driven parameters project greater uncertainty in soil carbon responses to climate change than the conventional soil carbon model.

    • Zheng Shi
    • , Sean Crowell
    •  & Berrien Moore III

  • Article
    | Open Access

    A Paleoproterozoic carbon isotope anomaly is likely linked to burial of oceanic cyanobacteria, but it is not clear how burial occurred. Here, the authors find that, under Paleoproterozoic pCO2 conditions, planktonic cyanobacteria increase exopolysaccharide production and mineralization, leading to aggregation and faster sinking.

    • Nina A. Kamennaya
    • , Marcin Zemla
    •  & Christer Jansson

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Methane emissions from lakes vary by orders of magnitude, leaving large uncertainty in regional and global carbon budgets. Here the authors show that phenols from forest litter act as a latch to suppress microbial activity and produce over 400-times less methane than the decomposition of aquatic plant litter.

    • E. J. S. Emilson
    • , M. A. Carson
    •  & A. J. Tanentzap

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Despite the broad use of barium as a proxy for past ocean export production, the underlying mechanisms of barite precipitation remain unknown. Here, the authors show, under experimental conditions, that barium bioaccumulation on bacterially produced biofilms is the crucial step for barite formation.

    • Francisca Martinez-Ruiz
    • , Fadwa Jroundi
    •  & María Teresa González-Muñoz

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Invasive alien pests can cause large-scale forest mortality and release carbon stored in forests. Here the authors show that climate change increases the potential range of alien pests and that their impact on the carbon cycle could be as severe as the current natural disturbance regime in Europe’s forests.

    • Rupert Seidl
    • , Günther Klonner
    •  & Stefan Dullinger

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